Chapter 26: On the Brink of Death

High in the sky a group of figures soared through the air.

Wang Lin spat out his words with venom. “That little brat dared to toy with us! Once we catch him I’m going to skin him alive and hang his hide on the city gate to dry!”

Wang Laosan sneered at the remark. “Wang Lin you’re thinking too small. I’ve heard that Gu Qingyi’s mother and sister are breathtaking beauties. His mother still carries a mature charm with a figure and face that could captivate anyone at any moment.”

“And his sister? She’s fresh as a dewdrop with a body that’s already blossoming into perfect curves. That delicate little face of hers—I’m betting she’s still untouched.” Wang Laosan licked his lips with a greedy glint in his eyes. “You’re only thinking of skinning him? Come on old man don’t tell me you’ve lost your edge.”

“Once we kill that brat I’ll have my fun with them. Heh heh heh.” Wang Laosan sped up darting ahead of the group with a sinister chuckle.

Liu Mang roared in frustration. “You two talk too damn much! If it weren’t for your nonsense I would’ve finished this job and been back home ages ago. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment? Half a year! A full six months!”

“Do you have any idea what kind of life I’ve been living?” Liu Mang shot a disgusted glance at the two. “Every day I’m starving barely eating or sleeping just so I don’t miss a thing. I can’t even rest properly—all for the sake of catching this little punk hoping he’d show his face sooner.”

“And just now when we were this close to nabbing him…” He ground his teeth in anger. “You idiots started bickering the second you saw each other giving that brat the chance to slip away.”

“Should I be thanking you for that?” Liu Mang suddenly halted mid-air glaring at them.

The others hung their heads in shame under his scolding unable to meet his eyes.

Seeing their pathetic state Liu Mang suppressed his rage and barked “Enough with the chatter! Let’s move. We can’t let that little rat escape this time no matter what.”

“Don’t worry Liu Mang. We won’t let that brat get away this time!” The group hurriedly reassured him. The five of them scoured the skies searching for any sign of Gu Qingyi but found nothing.

Meanwhile Gu Qingyi was galloping desperately on horseback heading in the opposite direction of Sky Sword City.

He knew he couldn’t afford to be caught. Not even for a moment did he dare to stop pushing forward with every ounce of strength he had.

He rode without pause terrified that he’d be overtaken in the next second. The steed beneath him—a prized thousand-mile horse—seemed on the verge of collapse. Its tongue lolled out as it heaved for breath.

The horse looked as if it might close its eyes and keel over any moment. Gu Qingyi glanced down at his mount and gently stroked its mane a pang of guilt in his heart. He dismounted with a heavy sigh.

“You’ve worked hard on this journey. Go now save yourself!” Gu Qingyi gave the horse a firm pat on its flank. Startled it bolted off into the distance. He turned to look behind him muttering something under his breath before continuing his frantic run forward.

Elsewhere the five pursuers continued their search.

Liu Mang cursed loudly his anger boiling over. “Damn it! Did Gu Qingyi sprout wings or burrow into the ground? We’ve combed through this entire forest and haven’t found a single hair!”

Suddenly their eyes lit up as they spotted something below—it was the very thousand-mile horse Gu Qingyi had been riding!

“Liu Mang look! Isn’t that the horse Gu Qingyi was on?” Wang Laosan pointed excitedly at the animal on the ground.

“No doubt about it! I saw him riding it just earlier!” Wang Lin let out a hearty laugh.

“So the little rat ditched his horse to flee on foot. He can’t have gotten far. Search every inch of this area carefully!” Liu Mang finally cracked a smile. “Even if we have to burn this whole forest to ashes we’ll drag Gu Qingyi out!”

Gu Qingyi didn’t dare stop for a second. He sprinted with everything he had until he stumbled into a desolate barren place.

The area was bleak and lifeless. Not a bird or beast could be seen and even water was scarce. It was nothing but an endless stretch of desert.

Gu Qingyi paused for a moment weighing his options. Should he enter this wasteland? A sudden chill ran down his spine as if a predator had locked onto him. His scalp prickled with dread.

He whipped his head around and locked eyes with his pursuers. The group in the sky pointed at him excitedly.

“Liu Mang look! We’ve found the little rat right up ahead!” Wang Lin shouted with glee.

“Haha at last! We’ve got you Gu Qingyi! Stay right there and don’t move. I’ll make this quick and painless!” Liu Mang’s face lit up with savage joy as he stared at his prey.

The group eyed the desert warily. An unknown force seemed to emanate from within stirring a deep unease in their hearts. Stepping inside felt like a death sentence.

So they tried to coax Gu Qingyi into staying put hoping he’d wait for his doom.

“Don’t move. That’s right just stay there and wait!” Liu Mang descended slowly speaking in a soothing tone to placate Gu Qingyi.

But Gu Qingyi wasn’t fooled. Did they think he’d just stand there and let them slaughter him? What did the dangers of this desolate place matter? If he didn’t run now he wouldn’t even survive the next second—his head would be rolling on the ground.

“Do you take me for a fool? Stand here and let you butcher me? If you’ve got the guts come chase me!” Under their stunned gazes Gu Qingyi bolted straight into the desert without hesitation.

“Damn that little rat! He still dares to run!” Liu Mang exploded with rage at the sight.

He didn’t care about whatever unknown power lay ahead. Blinded by fury he charged after Gu Qingyi without a second thought.

“You little punk I’m going to kill you! Argh! Why can’t you just stay put and die? Why do you keep making these pointless struggles?” Liu Mang’s eyes blazed with fire as he glared at Gu Qingyi.

“That’s right you brat! Hand over your life!” The others followed suit diving down after him.

“Gu Qingyi die!” Liu Mang lunged forward with murderous intent raising his palm to strike a deadly blow.

Gu Qingyi braced himself and countered with a strike of his own but the gap in their strength was too vast. He was no match for Liu Mang.

With a loud bang Gu Qingyi felt like a kite with a snapped string. He crashed heavily into a pile of sand.

A metallic taste surged in his throat as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He knew it was his own blood. With trembling hands he wiped it away struggling to keep his composure.

The group landed around him. Wang Laosan stared down at Gu Qingyi like he was nothing more than an ant beneath his boot.

“You knew this path led to a dead end yet you had no way back. Death awaited behind you as well. If it’s death either way then you’d rather die standing.” Gu Qingyi forced himself to his feet drawing his sword for one last stand.

Wang Laosan watched Gu Qingyi stagger toward him a thrill of excitement coursing through him. With a swift motion he grabbed his blade and charged forward.

At that moment Wang Laosan’s blade gleamed under the sunlight exuding a chilling aura. It was like a venomous snake baring its bloody fangs ready to strike its prey.

The blade was pitch black as ink razor-sharp and cold. Its glint was so deadly it seemed a mere flick could slice a man in two.

Wang Laosan licked his lips with twisted delight. “Heh heh heh come on little rat! Your grandpa’s here. Let me see what you’ve got!”

In an instant sword light flashed and clashing steel rang out.

The heavens and earth seemed to shift. The desert below churned with rolling yellow sand as gusts whipped up a storm of dust and grit. Thunder rumbled ominously in the sky above.

It was as if a storm was brewing. Wherever the group fought the already scarred landscape crumbled further into ruin.

The once-flat desert was now pockmarked with massive craters. Blood soaked the ground painting a grim and chilling scene.

It seemed the group was holding back not striking to kill. They toyed with Gu Qingyi like a cat playing with a mouse.

Their blade strikes looked fierce but deliberately avoided vital spots. Each cut sliced through Gu Qingyi’s clothes and skin drawing blood bit by bit.

In mere moments Gu Qingyi was covered in gruesome wounds. He stabbed his sword into the ground using it to barely keep himself upright gasping for air with ragged breaths.

Liu Mang approached glaring at Gu Qingyi who still refused to fall. A flicker of disgust crossed his face. “You little punk do you know why we haven’t finished you off yet? We don’t want you to die too quickly. Hahaha! That’d be far too boring.”

“But I’ll give you credit. Facing the five of us you still managed to scratch us a little. Not bad not bad at all.”

“Kid do you know what I’ve been through because of you? I couldn’t even go home. Every day I perched on a tree outside Xuanwu City watching your every move!”

“I waited like a fool hoping against hope for you to show yourself so I could kill you finish this mission and go home to rest with my wife!”

“But who would’ve thought you’d hole up in Xuanwu City for months gorging yourself on fine food while I was out here?”

“I couldn’t eat or sleep just waiting for you to come out… day after day! But hard work pays off. Persistence brings results!”

“Just when we were about to give up you walked out alone!” Liu Mang clutched his forehead his body trembling as a wicked smile spread across his face.

“That gave us so much hope. But none of that matters now because the root of all my troubles—you—are right in front of me about to die.” Liu Mang let out a furious roar. “Take this kick and feel my pain! Understand my suffering!”

Liu Mang slammed his foot into Gu Qingyi’s already battered body. With a thunderous crash Gu Qingyi was sent tumbling back into the sand.

“Don’t think you’ll die so easily kid. I’m telling you no chance!” Liu Mang stomped over his eyes burning with displeasure as he grabbed Gu Qingyi by the hair and yanked him up.

“I know you’re still alive. Stop pretending!” Liu Mang stared into Gu Qingyi’s fading gaze.

Gu Qingyi felt his consciousness slipping. The world around him blurred into a haze. His body had gone numb as if this final thread of awareness could snap at any moment.

Back in Sky Sword City Shen Yue and Gu Qingxiao were strolling through the streets when a sharp pain struck their chests. It felt as if something precious was slipping away from them. Far off in another place Nangong Lin felt the same.

Wang Laosan sauntered over inspecting Gu Qingyi from head to toe before losing interest. “Tch tch tch… how could this little rat just die like that? Oh right I forgot to mention something!”

Wang Laosan rubbed his hands together with twisted excitement. “After you’re gone we’ll head straight to wipe out the Gu family.”

His face morphed into a grotesque leer as he continued. “Oh and by the way I’ve had my eye on your sister and mother for quite a while now.” He licked his lips with sickening eagerness. “Your mother even after having a child still looks so alluring. Her figure is flawless.”

“Not a single mark of age on her. The aura she exudes draws me in every second of the day.”

“And of course your sister won’t escape either. I love a fresh untouched beauty like her. I’ll savor every moment with her. Once I’m done I’ll make sure your whole family reunites in death! Heh heh heh!”

Gu Qingyi’s dim eyes suddenly flared with a spark of life. He tried to struggle but his body wouldn’t respond. His throat moved weakly yet no words came out.

Li Qing and Li Shuang who had been listening to Wang Laosan’s vile words spoke up. “We of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect won’t stoop to this. We may kill but we know right from wrong. We’re not mindless butchers.”

“Cultivation is a path against the heavens. Killing and seizing treasures is common. If you don’t kill me I’ll kill you.”

“But to not only kill a man but also slaughter his entire family—and worse to defile women before murdering them? That’s lower than beasts. We refuse to take part in such acts. Since our paths differ we’ll part ways here.”

“We don’t want any treasures from Gu Qingyi either. As for the sect leader’s inquiries we’ll explain ourselves. Farewell!” With that the two summoned their swords and flew off into the sky.

Gu Qingyi heard their words faintly through his fading senses.

“What a bunch of hypocrites. One second they’re fighting tooth and nail for treasure and the next they act all high and mighty walking away.” Wang Laosan spat on the ground as he watched them leave. “Talking about right and wrong not wanting to kill mindlessly—bah! Playing the good guy now? Too late.”

Wang Laosan crept closer to Gu Qingyi a sinister grin spreading across his face. “Heh heh heh those two cowards leaving just means more treasure for us! The three of us are more than enough for what’s next.” He leaned in close whispering into Gu Qingyi’s ear with a vile smirk. “Don’t worry I’ll take good care of your sister and mother. Heh heh heh.”

Gu Qingyi’s eyes flashed with a sudden burst of strength from nowhere. In a fit of rage he lunged forward and bit down hard on Wang Laosan’s ear.

In an instant the ear along with a chunk of flesh was torn off. Blood sprayed everywhere.

“Argh! My ear! You damned little rat how dare you! I’ll make you pay with your life!” Wang Laosan clutched his ear in agony. “I’ll kill you!” Eyes bulging with fury he grabbed a nearby blade and swung it down toward Gu Qingyi’s neck with all his might.