Chapter 440: The Coward (Two-in-One)

He looked at the empty ground before him.

Yan Jing narrowed his eyes.

A second later, he took a light step forward. Strands of dark golden blood sprayed from his body, blooming like a flower.

Aside from his vitals, a dense network of wounds covered his limbs, as if he had been slashed by fine silk threads.

Threads erupted from within Yan Jing's body, stitching the wounds closed before vanishing in an instant.

Jian Yi hadn't simply chosen to run.

In that fleeting moment, after unleashing his Seventh Rite, he had executed a seamless sequence of actions in one breath: closing the distance, attempting a killing blow, retreating, and escaping.

He was simply too fast.

So fast that the naked eye couldn't track him, making it look as though he had vanished into thin air.

"Seventh Rank..."

Yan Jing smiled. "That level of strength is indeed something to be proud of."

Under the gazes of the group above the crater, he pulled out—an apple.

He devoured it in a few bites.

Thick fog instantly billowed around him.

The next instant, he too vanished from his spot.

With that, both of them were gone.

Peace returned to the street.

After an unknown amount of time, a gust of wind blew past. The Female Cook and the other two couldn't help but shiver, fine beads of sweat breaking out on their foreheads.

The Female Cook touched her forehead. Feeling the cold, clammy sweat on her hand, she said, "I'm not feeling well today. I'll head back first."

"Me too."

The Silk Scarf Man beside her immediately chimed in. The Old Man was already turning to walk away.

Were they kidding?

If they didn't leave, were they supposed to stay and risk their lives?

None of them had expected Jian Yi's Seventh Rite to be so powerful. Even less did they expect that despite such terrifying strength, he still couldn't do a thing to Yan Jing.

The injuries he inflicted were healed by Yan Jing in an instant.

Anyone could see that Yan Jing had already won the battle between the two.

And won it flawlessly.

If the three of them didn't know what was good for them and kept hounding him for the item, they would probably lose their lives here today.

But Sheng Xia walked in a completely different direction.

"I need to go take a look. If the team I'm leading runs into difficulties during your trials later, I ask that you all lend a hand."

Hearing this, the three of them agreed without hesitation.

Then, a red light suddenly flared in Sheng Xia's palm.

A red Ritual—

The three watched in shock. Whether this red light was a Sixth Rite or a Seventh Rite, it was astonishing enough.

But the next scene shocked them even more.

As the ambient sunlight poured into Sheng Xia's palm, two bursts of Weird Energy began to take shape where Yan Jing and Jian Yi had just stood. Light and shadow wove together from the ground up like needle and thread, gradually constructing two black silhouettes identical to the two men.

Aside from slightly dimmed facial features, the black silhouettes were completely indistinguishable from the actual men.

The next second, Jian Yi's shadow blinked right next to Sheng Xia, crouched down, hoisted her onto its shoulder, and then blinked into the crater.

The three observers couldn't help but widen their eyes.

Simply because the speed the shadow displayed was only slightly slower than Jian Yi's actual body!

A near one-hundred-percent replication?!

This ability...

The group gulped.

Although they had long heard that the six individuals from this generation's First Ring Domain were monsters among monsters, it seemed their expectations were still too conservative.

"I heard she's only the support among the six..."

the Female Cook muttered softly.

"Let's go, let's go..."

The Old Man felt a chill in his heart and continuously urged them on, yet for a long time, he couldn't take a single step.

His legs had gone numb from fear.

Just as the group finally composed themselves and turned to leave...

Suddenly, a change occurred.

The sound of shattering glass came from behind them. They looked back blankly, only to see the Yan Jing shadow Sheng Xia had just constructed entirely covered in cracks.

The next second, the shadow violently exploded, shattering into chunks of black fragments that blasted the ground apart.

Beside the crater, Sheng Xia was also staring in shock.

Clearly, she hadn't anticipated this situation.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward for a moment.

But before anyone could find words to smooth things over, Sheng Xia's expression flickered uncertainly. She snapped her fingers, and Jian Yi's shadow vanished from the spot, taking her with it.

At that moment, Jian Yi was sprinting frantically down an alleyway.

His speed was so fast it was virtually indistinguishable from a blink.

Though he was fleeing, he didn't feel it was anything shameful.

When he first set foot in the Inner World, he chose the path of speed specifically to escape with his life.

Back then, Zhoulin had ended on bad terms. Before officially disbanding, the group had eaten one last—

—meal together.

Even though they all knew Zhoulin was finished, everyone had their own thoughts.

It wasn't pure hatred between them like the outside rumors claimed.

After the meal, Qi Ming sought him out as he was walking back to the hotel.

"Hey, Jian Yi, you're walking way too fast."

Qi Ming, wearing a baseball cap and his eternally unchanging baseball uniform, hopped directly in front of him.

"I'm already walking very slowly," he said softly, coming to a halt.

Even though he was only at the Fifth Tier back then, returning to the hotel would have taken him a mere few seconds if he wanted.

"Alright, alright, we get it, you're fast. You're the fastest." Qi Ming made a casual joke just like he used to, before his smile faded slightly. "Are we really just disbanding like this?"

"What else can we do?"

He spoke softly. "Without that person, what's the point of us staying together?"

"But Big Sister Shen is still here." Qi Ming looked serious. "Wasn't she the one who called us together back then? It wasn't that guy who gathered us."

He placed a hand on Qi Ming's shoulder and patted it. "Without that person, we can't make it on our own."

With that, he turned around, preparing to leave.

But Qi Ming didn't let him go, grabbing his arm. "Why wouldn't we make it?"

"That Mu Yi is still just a bit away from the Seventh Rank. I'm about to reach the Fourth Tier, and if we just push through for a few more years, you'll definitely hit the Sixth Tier."

"Even if he ascends to the Seventh Rank, we can afford to wait. With our talent, sooner or later, one day we'll be able to—"

"Precisely because of our talent."

He cut Qi Ming off directly.

Seeing the confusion in Qi Ming's eyes, he spoke softly, "It is because we have talent that we can no longer stay by Shen Youran's side."

"Hey, seriously?"

Qi Ming's face turned somewhat ugly. "Why do you sound just like that guy He Xinquan? Do you actually believe Big Sister Shen is bad luck?"

"That old geezer was obviously lying. He just said that to take that guy away."

He shook his head. "I don't believe in curses or bad luck."

"Then..."

Qi Ming looked at him, his gaze even more baffled.

He sighed softly.

Under the dim yellow streetlights, his overcoat looked somewhat lonely, acting like a barrier that separated him from Qi Ming standing so close.

"I'm merely thinking from a practical standpoint."

"After Mu Yi takes power, it will be impossible for us to stay in the Third Ring Domain, and extremely difficult even in the Fourth Ring Domain."

"Even though that Old Man heavily damaged the Mu Family, he didn't shake their foundation in the end."

"With Mu Yi suppressing us, our growth speed will plummet."

"It would be a waste of our talents."

"He Xinquan was wrong about a lot of things, but he was right about one."

"When gathered we are a single fire, when scattered we must be a full sky of stars. I cannot accept becoming mediocre just because we left that person."

After saying that, he looked at the stunned Qi Ming, gently shook off the hand grasping his arm, and walked in the opposite direction of his long shadow cast by the streetlight.

"By the way."

"There's one more thing you got wrong."

"I originally joined Zhoulin because of that guy. It had nothing to do with Shen Youran."

He didn't turn back as he spoke, but suddenly, Qi Ming's voice rang out from behind: "Damn it! Jian Yi! You coward!"

He stopped in his tracks.

The word 'coward' was his taboo; everyone around him knew that.

He turned his head and looked quietly at Qi Ming, waiting for him to explain himself.

But Qi Ming merely sneered. "When He Xinquan told me you were just a guy who only knows how to run, I even beat him up for it. Turns out, he was telling the truth."

"No wonder you only stack speed skills. You really are a coward."

"..."

"You're just like He Xinquan."

"All I know is that if it weren't for Big Sister Shen back then, let alone making it this far, none of us would have even been noticed by anyone."

"Do you really think you're some shining nugget of gold? I still remember when you first participated in an Inner World Dungeon, you were so scared you directly pissed—"

Bang!!!

A fist interrupted Qi Ming's words.

The two instantly started brawling.

Qi Ming was never good at fighting to begin with. Without even using his latter two rites, Jian Yi beat him to a pulp.

That was the last time the two of them saw each other.

People often say that a good argument clears the air, and if not, a good fight will.

But that fight didn't salvage their friendship, nor did it turn back time.

He truly hated being called a coward.

Because in his eyes, whether retreating or fleeing, it was just a choice.

The only thing that mattered was whether you could stage a comeback after retreating.

Additionally, another thing Qi Ming said had stung him.

It was the claim that without Shen Youran, he wouldn't be where he was today.

He always believed that even if there was no Shen Youran, there would be some other Youran.

He, Jian Yi, was a piece of gold. One day, he would inevitably be noticed.

He never doubted this.

As his thoughts swirled, Jian Yi slowed down a fraction.

Not because he thought he had shaken off Yan Jing, but because he had arrived at his destination.

He raised his head. Before him was a skyscraper formed by two buildings standing shoulder-to-shoulder, with a sky corridor bridging the gap between them.

Pisces Tower.

That was the name of this skyscraper.

The masters of this building were the two deputy mayors of Chaotic City.

If Yan Jing dared to chase him here, then Yan Jing would die here.

But the very next second, a figure appeared right in front of him.

Seeing Yan Jing's current appearance, his expression changed drastically.

At this moment, Yan Jing retained absolutely nothing resembling humanity. Amidst the billowing thick fog stood a monster that seemed to have walked straight out of hell. Its crimson eyes pierced through the pitch-black mist, radiating icy killing intent, and a jagged, saw-like mouth stretched all the way to its ears.

Countless threads poured from his pupils, swirling around his body.

Behind him on his right side unfurled a massive wing formed from countless smaller wings. Every pitch-black feather seemed to bear an eyeball, looking as though a monster had slaughtered a fallen angel from hell and grafted its wings onto its own body.

"Mr. Jian, I believe we aren't finished yet."

The monster opened its mouth, sounding as though countless Yan Jings were speaking all at once.

"I've only shown you two methods. Now for the third—"

As the voice faded, Jian Yi's pupils violently shrank. Yan Jing vanished right before his eyes. An instant later, feeling as if he had been crushed by a mountain peak, he was blasted straight backward.

Bang!!

In just one hit, he felt several bones in his body shatter, and he spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.

He stared in disbelief at the empty space ahead.

He hadn't been able to dodge Yan Jing's attack just now. The speed Yan Jing was currently displaying was actually faster than his own reaction time!

Moreover, he could sense that it definitely wasn't the blink Yan Jing had used earlier. It was—

Movement Word Formula.

How is that possible?!

Jian Yi's heart violently trembled as if enduring an earthquake.

The Movement Word Formula was a relic from a previous era. For people like them with Weird Energy inside their bodies, every single character was profoundly obscure and difficult to comprehend.

Even if Yan Jing really had looked at the Movement Word Formula, there was no way he could have learned it this fast!

But he had no time to think because Yan Jing's next strike had already arrived!

With a heavy thud, he was sent flying back once again.

This time, he didn't stop. Fighting through the agonizing pain, he ran for his life into the distance.

He wanted to approach Pisces Tower, but Yan Jing was obviously guarding the way there.

His Fourth Rite, which served as a warning system, allowed him to see dangers he normally couldn't detect: in just that brief moment, countless threads had already sealed off his path forward.

Left with no choice, he could only change direction.

The Seventh Rite flared once more.

This time, all the Weird Energy in his body mobilized simultaneously, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. In a matter of seconds, he crossed thousands of meters. Even when the duration of the Seventh Rite ended, he still didn't stop his pace, continuing to sprint madly toward his new destination.

He had to go find the mayor.

In this current situation, it was the only way he could survive.

This was Chaotic City.

The most special place in Yueyin.

Killing here carried no consequences.

If the other party could kill He Xinquan in the Inner World, he could naturally kill him here too!!!

His only stroke of luck was that his speed was still faster than his opponent's.

So if he wanted to run, he could eventually escape.

This was his, Jian Yi's, Dao.

This was the most perfect Dao in the world.

As long as he could be a little faster, just a little faster, all bad things would be left trailing behind him.

But the very next instant, he raised his head in utter disbelief and looked forward.

For right in front of him stood a familiar figure, watching him with a beaming smile.

How was this possible?!

Fear flooded Jian Yi's pupils.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned around and ran in yet another direction!

The light of the Seventh Rite flared to life again.

He spewed out a massive mouthful of blood, even throwing up bits of mangled flesh.

The Seventh Rite wasn't without its limits. In his current state, his body could only withstand casting it a maximum of three times a day.

The key issue was that his physical condition was already terrible. Suffering this backlash, he felt like mountains were overturning and seas were churning within him; it was as though a giant hand had seized his internal organs and was wildly stirring them.

Yet just as wild joy flashed in his eyes and he felt he had finally shaken off his pursuer, in the very next instant, a familiar figure stepped out from the street corner ahead, smiling brightly at him.

How could this be?! How was it possible?!!

Even if he had learned the Movement Word Formula, there was no way his opponent could beat him!!

It should be impossible for anyone to surpass him in speed!!!

Furious, his mild demeanor completely vanishing, he roared at the figure: "What method are you using?! Tell me!! It's impossible for you to be faster than me!!!"

"You are indeed very fast."

Suddenly, Yan Jing's voice echoed from behind, making him shudder involuntarily.

He turned his head in disbelief, staring at the two 'Yan Jings' behind him.

The next second, several more 'Yan Jings' stepped out from every direction.

The only Yan Jing capable of speaking looked at him with a smile. "If you had attacked one of my drawings, you probably would have figured it out."

"Perhaps you should be a bit braver, Mr. Jian."

"Though I don't really have the right to lecture you. I used to be just as cowardly as you."

As he spoke, Yan Jing lowered his gaze.