Chapter 177: What Are You Crying For?
"Nether King, you will die!" Vermilion Bird snarled. Her left shoulder was still bleeding profusely where her arm had been severed, a wound that had a massive impact on her power. She could barely muster half her usual strength. To make matters worse, Zhou Fan kept taking Recovery Pills to maintain a relatively stable condition, and he was as fast and slippery as an eel—impossible to catch. It drove her mad with rage!
"Old Witch, die!"
Just then, Li Xing and Li Yue charged in. With a sharp cry, they flanked Vermilion Bird, stabbing at her ribs from both sides!
"Insolent brats! You're courting death!" Vermilion Bird was truly enraged, burning with fury. 'Being toyed with by Zhou Fan is one thing,' she thought. 'After all, his own strength isn't that much lower than mine, and we've fought before. I know how cunning he is. But these two little wenches… they grabbed my feet, letting Zhou Fan sever my arm, and now they dare to attack me again!'
Without a moment's hesitation, Vermilion Bird abandoned her attack on Zhou Fan. She completely ignored the daggers stabbing at her ribs, spun around, and slashed her sword toward the two sisters!
The twins were still far too inexperienced in battle. They never imagined Vermilion Bird would ignore their attack and come straight for them. They froze for a split second, and by the time they tried to dodge, it was too late!
Just as Vermilion Bird's sword was about to cut them down, just as the two sisters despaired, certain of their death, a blood-soaked figure suddenly appeared, shielding them!
SHLICK!
The longsword sliced into his body. Zhou Fan spat out a mouthful of blood, spraying it toward Vermilion Bird. At such close range, he whipped out a dagger with his left hand and began to swing it wildly at her!
Nine slashes in rapid succession!
Despite Vermilion Bird's formidable strength, she could only barely dodge the first three of the sudden flurry of strikes, and the other six found their mark. In her panic, she instinctively tried to retreat, but would Zhou Fan really let her get away so easily?
The very instant Vermilion Bird began to retreat, Zhou Fan thrust his Li Hen Sword straight for her chest, already a bloody mess from his dagger.
If this strike landed, even if it didn't kill her, Vermilion Bird would be completely out of the fight!
But Vermilion Bird hadn't become one of the four great internal Elders for nothing. At the critical moment, she managed to forcibly twist her body aside, dodging the thrust. At the same time, her one remaining arm hooked around Zhou Fan's neck. With a surge of strength, she dragged him down with her, and they both slammed violently onto the ground!
Zhou Fan never imagined that Vermilion Bird, one of the four great internal Elders, would resort to such an unseemly tactic. As they rolled on the ground, his left hand shot out to grab her neck while his right twisted to lock her right arm. Kicking off a nearby tree trunk with both feet, he used the momentum to heave himself up and pin her underneath him!
"Die, you old witch!"
The next moment, Zhou Fan released her neck, grabbed his dagger, and plunged it toward her throat!
But at that critical moment, a figure slammed into Zhou Fan, knocking the already severely wounded and weakened man aside!
"Elder, run!"
One of Vermilion Bird's men had knocked Zhou Fan away. He had just opened his mouth, perhaps to declare his loyalty, when Li Xing and Li Yue charged in and slit his throat.
Seeing her chance, Vermilion Bird didn't waste another word. Though unwilling to retreat, she could only shoot Zhou Fan a hateful glare before getting to her feet and stumbling away into the distance. She didn't even have time to retrieve the arm he had severed.
"Don't chase her! You're no match for her!" Zhou Fan had just struggled to his feet when he saw Li Xing and Li Yue about to pursue Vermilion Bird. He hurriedly shouted to stop them. He knew her strength all too well. Even with a severed arm, multiple stab wounds, and such grievous injuries, she was still far beyond what the twins could handle.
'If I hadn't led her into this trap step by step from the very beginning,' he thought, 'if I hadn't risked death to sever her arm, throwing her into chaos and crippling her strength, this battle would have gone very differently!'
"Boss, you..." Li Xing and Li Yue rushed to Zhou Fan's side. Seeing him covered in wounds, looking as if he could die at any moment, tears welled up in their eyes—a rare sight.
"What are you crying for? I'm not dead yet," Zhou Fan said. "But... I think you two will have to take care of me for a while!" He tried to lift his hand to pat the sisters on the head, but found he didn't have the strength. His arm fell limply to his side.
"Sister, you protect the Boss! I'll go kill the enemy!" Li Yue said to Li Xing. She then turned, dagger in hand, and charged into the fray. Li Xing, meanwhile, stood guard in front of Zhou Fan, her eyes fixed on their remaining opponents.
Zhou Fan mustered the last of his strength to take out a Recovery Pill and swallow it. He glanced at the dozen or so remaining enemies, then his head lolled to one side, and he lost consciousness.
He didn't know how much time had passed. Zhou Fan felt his body swaying back and forth, as if he were on a rickety old train. He slowly opened his eyes to pitch darkness, and the silhouette of a small, slender figure in front of him.
After a few seconds, his senses returned. Zhou Fan finally realized the situation he was in, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.