Chapter 182: Whose Hand?
"Looks like we're about to break through! Let's push it!" Fan shouted to He Yi, eyeing the two men ahead. But in his distraction, an enemy blade sliced across his chest, leaving a wound that was bone-deep!
"Damn it! You can't fight fair, you backstabbing bastard! I'll kill you!" Fan grimaced in pain and cursed. Just as his opponent raised a defense, Fan twisted his body, shot past He Yi, and plunged his blade into one man's chest. He followed up with a kick to another's stomach, clearing the final man from their path!
Of course, Fan had paid a heavy price to pull this off, suffering three or four more bone-deep wounds in the process.
"Run! As fast as you can!" Fan grabbed He Yi and forcefully shoved him forward.
"Fuck, are you a moron? Where the hell am I supposed to run in this direction? All the way back to Hui Province? You'd better hold on! Don't you dare die before I get back!" He Yi didn't mince words, cursing Fan as he ran forward without looking back.
Fan's thinking was simple. 'He and He Yi had been betrayed together. In a battle where even Zhou Fan wasn't confident of survival, it was best if at least one of them made it out alive. As for the direction, he trusted that He Yi wasn't stupid enough to just keep running in a straight line.'
He Yi understood Fan's intentions perfectly. 'Since I've broken free,' he thought, 'I'll run for my life. Once I'm clear of enemies, I'll circle around and head for Jiang Province!'
However, they had been far too naive.
The very instant He Yi broke free, two masters shot out from the side, cutting him off.
PFFT!
The moment they clashed, He Yi knew. 'Damn it, these two are far stronger than the others. They must be the experts Zhou Fan warned us about—the ones who are leagues above me and Fan!'
"Damn it, you useless fool! You got stopped that easily?!" Fan roared, infuriated as he watched the opportunity he'd bought with his own blood get shut down.
"Are you two morons? Didn't you notice the people lurking on the sidelines, just waiting to stop you from escaping?" A cold voice rang out. As the words registered in Fan's mind, a figure in white shot out, dispatched an enemy in front of him with a single strike, and then instantly disengaged to pounce on another target.
"Stop gawking. If you have meds, take them. If not, prepare to die. Now go get He Yi back!" Before Fan could even react, a figure in black appeared, slit an enemy's throat with a dagger, and then took off in pursuit of the figure in white.
"Holy shit, are you two sisters insane?! I don't remember pissing you off when I was your captain!" Fan finally couldn't help but curse, though his feet didn't slow in the slightest as he turned to reinforce He Yi.
By now, Zhou Fan and Metheus had clashed more than ten times. The veins in their arms had burst, coating them in blood. Even their clothes looked as if they had been dyed crimson.
"As expected of the Nether King, the man who single-handedly founded the Netherworld King's Hall. You truly are in a league of your own. Again!" Metheus's eyes gleamed with excitement. He raised his long blade once more, took a single step, and leaped into the air, bringing his weapon crashing down from above.
Zhou Fan knew with absolute clarity that he couldn't block this strike in his current state. 'Getting seriously injured would be the best-case scenario,' he thought. 'It's more likely this blow will kill me outright.'
But Zhou Fan did not dodge. He bent his knees slightly, channeling the wisp of Inner Strength within him into the Li Hen Sword. Instantly, the sword in his hand seemed to come alive, and Zhou Fan could clearly feel it humming with exhilaration.
"I cannot lose this fight. And neither can you!" Zhou Fan whispered, his palm stroking the blade. Then, his legs exploded with power, launching him forward like a cannonball to meet Metheus head-on. The Li Hen Sword in his hand thrust out, unyielding.
BOOM!
The sword and blade collided with an earth-shattering crash that sent a ringing drone through everyone's ears. They stumbled back several steps, instinctively trying to put distance between themselves and the two combatants.
After the deafening crash, Zhou Fan's body fell from the sky, straight as a ramrod, and slammed into the ground. The immense force of the impact buckled the gravel-paved road beneath him, creating a deep crater.
Won?
Lost?
These were the questions that flashed through the minds of everyone present, from Metheus's men to Fan and He Yi on Zhou Fan's side.
But in the next second, the situation changed again.
PFFT!
Metheus, still in the air, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The long blade slipped from his grasp, and he tumbled from the sky, crashing to the ground less than three meters from Zhou Fan.
THUD!
Immediately after, another muffled thud sounded. Everyone stared, only to see a severed hand lying on the ground between Zhou Fan and Metheus.
Whose hand was it?