Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Saving Lives as the Priority
In the dense forest, Tong Yunshu and the other Tong Family members had always been able only to follow the sounds of the clash, unable to keep up with Tong Yan and the others’ pace.
Tong Yunshu was anxious. She knew that Third Grandpa couldn’t defeat Wang Chengcuo, and along with Chai Song and two other fighters of comparable strength to Third Grandpa, it seemed very likely that Third Grandpa was doomed today.
All she hoped now was that Third Grandpa could hold on a bit longer, waiting for Yang Fei to arrive.
But at the same time, she worried that even if Yang Fei came, he might not be able to save Third Grandpa and would instead get dragged into the mess, leaving her incredibly conflicted.
As an ordinary person, Tong Yunshu’s movement speed through the dense forest was painfully slow. If not for the care of some Tong Family members, she would have fallen into the thorny bushes multiple times.
"Tong Yan, that you’ve managed to hold on this long is indeed beyond my expectation. Among the Unique Tier, your combat power is truly top-notch, quite impressive indeed."
Suddenly, Wang Chengcuo’s voice came from afar.
The sounds of their confrontation abruptly stopped.
Hearing this, the hearts of the Tong Family members sank to the bottom.
Had they still not managed to escape the inevitable?
"Cough... cough cough cough... Mister Wang, though you are in the Innate Realm, you... you are not much stronger than me. If I were in my peak condition, and if it were just you I was facing, it... it wouldn’t be difficult for me to escape," said Tong Yan, his voice sporadic and weak, causing even more distress among the Tong Family members.
Tong Yunshu, desperate, quickened her pace towards that direction.
The opposing parties had been continuously moving during the fight, and the speed was too fast for her to catch up. Now that the movement had stopped, she thought of seeing Third Grandpa one last time.
Even though it might be dangerous to proceed, she no longer cared at this moment.
If these people intended to annihilate the Tong Family today, fleeing would be futile.
It was better to show some backbone, and not let others look down on the spirit and loyalty of the Tong Family’s children.
Although the sounds seemed near, traversing through the forest felt incredibly distant, and it would be very difficult to arrive any time soon.
In the midst of the area, Tong Yan sat leaning against a large tree with a pale face, continuously coughing up blood.
Relying on his agile movement technique and the powerful effect of the Great Yellow Court, he had managed to fight while retreating. With Chai Song, Jiang Yuanshuo, and Guman Zhao only blocking from the side and not engaging directly, and with the aid of the Small Rejuvenation Pill to rapidly replenish his True Qi, he had held out against Wang Chengcuo for thirty minutes, giving it his all.
Now, Tong Yan’s True Yuan was almost entirely depleted, and his internal organs had sustained severe damage. Even if Wang Chengcuo didn’t strike again, surviving would be difficult for him because he had compromised his vital foundations.
"To die at your hands, rather than being overwhelmed by those three, I, Tong Yan, would die without regrets," said Tong Yan with another cough, determination to face death evident on his face as he spoke to Wang Chengcuo, "Go ahead, and I only hope that after I die, you will treat the Tong Family kindly."
After saying that, he gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said, "Once a person dies, how can they control so much? The fate of the Tong Family people is now up to fate."
Seeing Tong Yan like this, a touch of melancholy appeared in Wang Chengcuo’s eyes.
As Tong Yan said, they knew each other. With no grudges in the past or recent days, Wang Chengcuo even had some admiration for Tong Yan. Unfortunately, this is how the Martial Arts World is; being in it, too many people cannot act as they wish.
Even though he was one of the National Guardians, many times he had no choice but to make decisions against his will.
He slowly approached Tong Yan and said, "I will see you off on your last journey. As for the other members of the Tong Family, as long as they behave, I will ensure their survival."
"Thank you, proceed!" Tong Yan nodded gratefully and closed his eyes.
Wang Chengcuo sighed and stepped towards Tong Yan.
Just as he was less than five meters from Tong Yan, a sudden sense of alarm rose in his heart.
In the next instant, a figure descended from the sky, aiming a palm strike towards the top of Wang Chengcuo’s head.
Tong Yan suddenly opened his eyes.
Chai Song, Jiang Yuanshuo, and Guman Zhao also shouted out in warning.
"Brother Wang, be careful!"
"There’s an ambush!"
Amid the cries, a dull thud exploded in the area.
The figure descending from the sky was thrown back, rebounded, and landed next to Tong Yan, grabbing his shoulder with one hand.
Without any hesitation, this person lifted Tong Yan and leaped up, running towards the distance.
"He’s getting away, stop him!" Wang Chengcuo roared.
It’s a long story, but in reality, from the moment that figure suddenly appeared to the moment he sped away with Tong Yan, only three seconds had passed.
This person came too unexpectedly. Despite Wang Chengcuo’s cultivation realm, he hadn’t been able to sense the approach beforehand and only felt a warning sign when the figure suddenly made a move on him.
Moreover, in that clash, he clearly felt that the person’s strength was much greater than Tong Yan’s, comparable to the Innate Realm. Even he himself was sent flying over ten meters, and his internal energies were in turmoil.
The newcomer was very strong, possibly another National Guardian Level.
But since Wang Chengcuo had acted today, he certainly could not let Tong Yan live; otherwise, having played the villain, he would fail to fulfill his assignment, which would really damage his reputation.
Chai Song, Jiang Yuanshuo, and Guman Zhao were also shocked.
They vaguely saw someone descend from the sky, then send Wang Chengcuo flying with a palm strike and rapidly escape with Tong Yan.
Immediately after, they heard Wang Chengcuo’s angry cry, ordering them to intercept the person.
The three of them hadn’t dared to confront Tong Yan earlier when he had demonstrated the power of the Great Yellow Court, letting him find an opening to escape, hence the prolonged trouble here.
Now seeing someone daring to strike at Wang Chengcuo and try to rescue Tong Yan, they were immensely shocked yet dared not fail to intercept.
Having already made a mistake earlier, now if they still hesitated to act, how could they establish their clan in the Martial Arts World once the news spread?
Thus, almost the moment Wang Chengcuo shouted loudly in alarm, the three men simultaneously rushed towards the center of the field.
The combined attack of three Unique Tier experts was intimidating and terrifying.
Yang Fei, holding onto Tong Yan with one hand, struck out with a palm from afar with the other.
The palm force tore through the air, concentrating without dispersing, creating an immense invisible palm that fiercely smashed towards Guman Zhao.
Guman Zhao was horrified and hurriedly countered with a punch.
"Boom!"
The air exploded, and the Qi rampaged.
Streams of Qi fragments, akin to bullets, pummeled into the tree trunks.
Yang Fei ignored Chai Song and Jiang Yuanshuo; while Guman Zhao shattered the palm force strike in a moment, he had already charged up to him and thundered a punch at his face.
Guman Zhao was greatly alarmed.
This person was incredibly fast and overwhelmingly powerful.
Seeing the punch coming, he didn’t hesitate at all and roared as he punched back.
"Bang!"
Their fists collided fiercely, causing Guman Zhao’s expression to change dramatically. He cried out in pain and was thrown back like a kite with its string cut, crashing into a tree trunk five meters away, blood spurting from his mouth.
Yang Fei didn’t linger. Seizing the moment when no one was blocking the way, he quickly ran away with Tong Yan.
He was here to rescue, not to fight and kill.
Everything was intended to save Tong Yan.
He had just sensed that Tong Yan was already on his last legs; any delay could make it impossible to save him.
During this time, his cultivation with Qin Yanyang had been highly effective, noticeably regaining some of his peak condition; yet now he only recovered about sixty percent of his fighting ability.
Even having just exchanged a blow with Wang Chengcuo under a surprise attack, Wang Chengcuo was still able to match him, indicating the extraordinary strength of Innate Realm experts.
To fully suppress an Innate Realm expert, he might need seventy percent of his fighting ability.
Or, if Qin Yanyang were here, the two of them together might even feel confident to kill Wang Chengcuo.
But now, he could feel that he could easily overpower a Unique Tier master; and as for fighting an expert of the Innate Realm, he was confident he could retreat unscathed, but not assured of victory.
Killing an Innate Realm expert on his own would be even more difficult.
If he could regain seventy percent of his strength and utilize the power of the Sky Splitting Divine Fist, he was confident he could kill an Innate Realm expert alone.
So, after careful consideration, Yang Fei chose only to rescue today and not to engage in battle.