Chapter 496: Chapter 321 Urgent Time_2
Looking at the four people, Lan Feng let out a heavy sigh. The Phoenix’s soul stood up and walked toward Yan Xiaobao, who was in a dazed state. Without ceremony or any regret, the Phoenix kicked Yan Xiaobao’s consciousness, causing him to fall and awaken, his eyes full of shock.
As soon as Yan Xiaobao woke up, a loud howl reached his ears. It sounded like the cry of a wounded beast. Yan Xiaobao swiftly manipulated the blue cloud and took over the red fog once a calming and soothing atmosphere emerged.
When they saw these changes, the four King-level experts were dumbfounded, as the wolf-like beast transformed into a youthful white-haired man. They couldn’t fathom what had just occurred. Their astonishment deepened when they felt the dense essence emanating from the blue clouds covering the sky and earth around them.
When his gaze locked onto the young man, the Captain felt a pang in his chest. Though he had long decided that the top priority was to deliver the cargo to the Capital, he still intended to bring along the prisoner. There was a stark difference between losing his personnel for a prisoner’s escape and completing a successful mission with them.
He cursed softly, resisting the urge to swear at the Dragon Company’s office in Long River Cave for its team mission involving the prisoner. Yet even while cursing, he refrained from approaching the white-haired young man toward whom his friends had once gone.
The Captain clenched his fists, surveying the suddenly quiet surroundings, only to find no bodies left on the ground. All those people had vanished along with the feral young man.
"They’re the ones we encountered at the restaurant," said one of the Kings, his voice trembling with rage as he stared at the destroyed carriage behind him.
"I know," the Captain replied angrily, "Bring those laws into the caravan where we previously held the prisoner and lock the doors. The four of us will have to protect this carriage for the remainder of the journey."
"Well, now that all those weaklings are gone, we can spend the night in peace," another King remarked, trying to maintain a positive outlook. "Not to mention, they’re unlikely to attack us again. They know nothing of our cargo, and even if they did, they wouldn’t know how to use the laws. Besides us, no one can handle them."
"Shut up!" the Captain roared. "Don’t mess up our cargo. Let’s keep moving."
"What about the surviving soldiers?" another King asked as he looked at the surrounding darkness. Considering the disappearance of all the bodies, it was difficult to tell how many had survived.
"They escaped," the Captain replied dismissively. Though he understood the futility of humans dealing with beasts, he no longer concerned himself with those who fled. If they managed to reach the Capital themselves, they might get another assignment, but if not, they were no longer worth his attention.
Yan Xiaobao hadn’t retreated far. His blue eyes were fixed on the Kings, narrowing sharply at the mention of "laws."
The caravan no longer consisted of three carriages and a large number of soldiers; now it contained a single carriage guarded by four Kings.
Watching them pull away, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but frown slightly before turning and heading in the direction his friends had gone.
Yan Xiaobao hid in the shadows, waiting for the four Kings to disappear into the distance, and then exhaled deeply.
He hadn’t expected the Captain to be willing to let so many soldiers under his command die without any retaliation. But upon hearing the word "laws," Yan Xiaobao understood that their so-called cargo was an even higher priority. As he watched them fade into the distance, a mix of emotions surged within him.
Rescuing his friends was the main goal of his attack; however, he was acutely aware that something had changed within him during the confrontation, and he needed time to inspect his body and investigate these changes. Yet, he resolved to do nothing until he reunited with his friends. With one last glance at the dark tunnel where the King Ranking Experts had vanished, Yan Xiaobao turned and started running toward his companions.
Previously, Yan Xiaobao and Xu Biao had agreed to meet at a designated side tunnel. Rushing toward this location, he encountered other soldiers fleeing the battle. They didn’t notice the cloaked figure as they cautiously approached the battlefield, hoping to regroup with their allies.
Yan Xiaobao hurried past them, knowing the King Ranking Experts had already left and that these soldiers posed no threat to him or his friends. Thus, he ignored them completely.
Through the shadows, Hui Yue quickly pinpointed the side tunnel where his friends were supposed to be waiting. As he neared his destination, he grew increasingly excited, his heartbeat quickening and a wide, uncontrollable smile spreading across his face.
The side tunnel was pitch dark, the air heavy and oppressive. Entering the tunnel, Yan Xiaobao picked up a luminous stone to light his path. After traveling several kilometers, he finally saw his friends; all of them brightened and overjoyed at the sight of the white-haired boy approaching them.
Yan Xiaobao felt the same joy. His face broke into an uncontrollable grin, his eyes gleaming with happiness. Seeing them directly ahead, he increased his pace.
Among the three of them, Yan Xiaobao’s gaze fell on Wang Julong first. At the sight of her, he felt a massive weight lifting off his shoulders. He accelerated, rushing toward the young woman and embracing her passionately. His icy blue eyes shimmered with moisture as his heart pounded uncontrollably, the hug filled with raw emotion.
From the moment he discovered the caravan and tried to locate Sha Yun and Deng Wu through the window, unable to spot Wang Julong, a deep unease gnawed at him. Though he repeatedly assured himself she was safe, lingering doubts slowly eroded his confidence. Now that she stood before him, unharmed and showing no signs of abuse, his emotions overflowed; he could no longer suppress his joy.
Watching Yan Xiaobao’s actions left the four Observers stunned, their eyebrows rising as they observed the young white-haired boy’s emotional liberation.
Sha Yun saw the embrace that sank her heart. Her emotions soured, yet she did nothing to ruin the moment, patiently waiting to hear what Yan Xiaobao had missed during it all.
For her part, Wang Julong stood frozen, her mind blank as her face gradually turned beet red. She didn’t attempt to flee and simply stayed in place, allowing Yan Xiaobao to release his feelings.
It was only after a long while that Yan Xiaobao released her, letting out a sigh and smiling warmly at all his gathered friends. His next move was to give Deng Wu and Sha Yun hugs as well. He truly worried about the three of them and what they’d endured, finally feeling like things might turn out okay.
"We need to head deeper into the tunnel," Xu Biao said nervously. Though he was a King-level expert and heavily impacted by the reunion’s emotions, his mind remained sharp, urging them to move forward.
"The Dragon Army has been ordered to take these three to the Capital. I’m certain they won’t simply leave them behind," he continued, constantly apprehensive about the sudden appearance of the four King Ranking Experts from behind them. While they managed to keep them occupied earlier, it was primarily because the Kings were focused on protecting the carriage and its "cargo." Even so, Xu Biao and Xie Lan both incurred injuries—not fatal but surely causing them pain.
"Don’t worry," Yan Xiaobao said with a radiant smile. "The four King Ranking Experts left earlier, taking one of the carriages," he explained. "It seems their original mission was more important than escorting my friends," he added. After a brief silence, he continued, "Their precious ’cargo’ was some laws."
At this revelation, Deng Wu, Sha Yun, and Wang Julong all stared at Yan Xiaobao, their initial shock quickly shifting to regret. They each recalled their time at Cave’s End and how they managed to protect certain laws. Unfortunately, it seemed that many others were in grave danger, beyond their capability to assist.
"There’s no need to worry too much now," Yan Xiaobao said, comforting them. He began to move his hands, retrieving corpses one by one from his storage stone and laying them on the ground.
Looking at the bodies, he felt a pang of nausea. Some had died clean deaths, but most were mutilated—missing half their bodies, emitting the stench of burned flesh, or with heads shattered beyond recognition. All of these injuries were inflicted by Yan Xiaobao, the effect of the red fog.
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