Chapter 2084: Chapter 2121: Escape for Their Lives

The great battle is over, all the leaders of the Liew Family Alliance Army are dead, and the remaining experts from the Wu Family and Skeleton Sect gather to discuss what to do next.

Despite the victory, Wu Family and Skeleton Sect dare not stay here. The Silver Condor Goddess killed and left, Zhong Wushang fled, but could return with reinforcements at any time. Neither side alone could contend with him.

Even if Zhong Wushang doesn’t come, nearby third-grade forces could easily wipe out the former fourth-grade powers of Skeleton Sect and Wu Family. Especially now, their martial artists are so few, and Ding Fan remains critically injured and unconscious, unable to stand against those forces.

In the past, they had a chance to defend Wu Family Castle, but now, there’s no chance at all. Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Wu Ren are all clear-eyed about the situation. It seems they can only retreat, find a new place to recuperate, and wait for another opportunity to rise.

"We must leave, and we must do it now, without any delays. Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Elder Wu, pass down the orders, bring the family disciples, pack the valuables, and we leave tonight."

With the experts on both sides dead, Second Elder becomes the most respected voice. After just minutes of thought, he makes this decision.

The two elders and Wu Ren go out to relay orders. Looking at the ravaged Wu Family Castle, Wu Qingxia is confused and asks Second Elder, "Even if we leave, where can we go? Zhong Wushang suffered a loss today; he won’t let it go. The Zhong Family might already be on their way. Though the Northern Wastelands are vast, where could we possibly go to escape the Zhong Family’s wrath? Who would dare take us in, given the Zhong Family’s power?"

Second Elder shakes his head slightly, gazing into the distance, saying to Wu Qingxia, "We are not without refuge. If we escape to Tianmu Sea before the Zhong Family arrives, the Wu Family and Skeleton Sect will survive."

"Tianmu Sea! It’s certainly a great place, but Second Elder, we’ve settled many women and children in nearby valleys. By the time we gather them and head to Tianmu Sea, the Zhong Family will have arrived. There’s no way they’d grant us that much time."

Wu Qingxia thinks for a moment, smiles bitterly at Second Elder, thinking about the safety of those people, and how they purposely left their hiding places a secret. Finding them now poses a difficult problem.

"No choice, many of Skeleton Sect’s women and children are outside too. In this situation, we can only leave them behind, hoping to reach safety in about ten days. If we try to find and bring them along, we all die together!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"What are you saying? Those are our family! How can you be so cruel?"

Wu Qingxia can’t believe Second Elder’s ruthlessness, leaving those people behind means death or enslavement. But as Second Elder explained, bringing them along means death for everyone. Wu Qingxia is at a loss for what to do...

However, there’s no time for Wu Qingxia to consider her options. Despite her status, her opinion is ignored. Within an hour, over fifty large carts charge out of Wu Family Castle. Second Elder indeed makes the decisive call, taking only valuables from Wu Family and Skeleton Sect, departing. Leading nearly five hundred elite members, this departure leaves Wu Family Castle a dead city.

Before the battle, Great Elder and Zhuge Qing secretly sent away family members—elderly, weak—into hidden locations, numbering nearly four thousand. They are family to Wu Family and Skeleton Sect martial artists, unwilling to abandon them.

If they bring everyone along, just finding them could take days. As the group grows larger, the likelihood of Zhong Family discovering them increases, risking slaughter.

The Silver Condor Goddess killed Liew Family Alliance members before Zhong Wushang, ignoring his face, murdering Zhong Yi and Liew Yi. Zhong Wushang’s escape words linger.

One imagines Zhong Wushang’s rage; as a Fifth Grade Zhong Family member, his shame is intense. Faster than anyone, he reports to his clan, who quickly dispatch experts to pursue Jade Goshawk Palace members. But with Jade Goshawk’s fast airships, Zhong Family might not catch them and wouldn’t dare chase them into White City.

If failing to capture Jade Goshawk’s airships, Zhong Family might avenge themselves on Wu Family and Skeleton Sect. Second Elder chooses to abandon the women and children, preserving the remnant martial strength. Escaping might prevent Zhong Wushang from harming civilians, due to Divine Realm’s unspoken rule against killing civilians.

However, whether Liew Family Alliance seeks revenge against the elderly, luck decides.

Over forty chariots flee through Great Python Mountain’s trails, disappearing rapidly. Each vehicle pulled by four stout warhorses, charging swiftly. At this speed, barring unforeseen circumstances, they should be hundreds of miles away by nightfall.

Before the Second Elder left, he ordered people to set a fire. The central area of the Wu Family Castle was doused with oil and set ablaze. His intention was clear: if they couldn’t take it, they wouldn’t leave it to the Liew Family Alliance Army or the Zhong Family.

They fled so hastily that the treasures the Wu Family had accumulated over generations could only be taken with the most precious ones. To prevent the Liew Family Alliance Army and the Zhong Family from obtaining anything, the Second Elder set it all aflame.

The Wu Family Castle was in utter chaos; those martial artists who didn’t escape began looting and killing. The castle, already strewn with corpses, had now turned into a living purgatory. By dawn, the Wu Family Castle was likely to become a ghost town.

As dawn approached, the battle finally subsided. The Wu Family, Skeleton Sect, Liew Family, and their vassal forces were all casualties of this battle. There was no winner in this fight. If there had to be one, it would be the martial artists who turned into robbers.

The fire...

... had gradually died down. Those wounded martial artists who had participated in the looting and killing after the Second Elder and others fled also dispersed. The entire castle became a dead city. Once the largest castle around Great Python Mountain, it had become a scorched wasteland overnight. Throughout the castle were nearly endless bodies, and in places where water collected, the pools were red. It was unclear whether it was rainwater or blood.

There were once civilians living in the castle. While the Wu Family was still present, these people clung to the powerful Wu Family, taking pride in residing in their castle. Now, it had become their nightmare. Some had even begun to flee to avoid being mistaken for Wu Family martial artists and hunted down.

In just one night, the Wu Family Castle had turned into a dead city. Yet, no one was surprised by this. In the Northern Wastelands, such events occurred almost daily. This... is the law of survival in the Northern Wastelands.

...

At that moment, in front of the Wu Family Castle, over forty chariots were still desperately racing forward. The previous night had been uneventful, and the chariots continued to dash ahead. Though they were a few hundred miles away from the Great Python Mountain, they weren’t safe until they reached the Tianmu Lake region. The Zhong Family had flying chariots and airships, and at their flying speed, they would catch up soon enough.

Only a bit more than forty chariots remained. After the frantic escape, many were damaged, and several carthorses had died. The remaining martial artists crowded onto the surviving chariots, with each carrying over a dozen people. Not knowing what fate awaited them ahead, they could only wait in silence.

Many martial artists remained injured, bandaged up, and treated with healing medicine. Some were fit for battle. Yet, whenever passing through rough paths, you could hear muffled groans of agony. For survival, they had no choice but to endure.

Ding Fan was on the fourth carriage. He was accompanied only by Wu Qingxia, and despite the bumpy mountain road, he hadn’t regained consciousness due to the severity of his injuries.

The bones in his chest were mostly shattered, and his internal organs sustained various degrees of damage. If not for wearing Liew Bin’s battle armor at the time, Liew Hong’s blow would have been fatal. Even now, his vitality was remarkably robust. An ordinary person would likely have died from such injuries.

Sirius lay beside Ding Fan, asleep. Though Wu Qingxia didn’t know what type of spiritual beast it was, seeing it stay by Ding Fan’s side without leaving, she took it along.

Staring at the motionless pair, Wu Qingxia looked expressionless. She no longer bore the appearance of the grand lady of the Wu Family. Her hair was disheveled, with dirt smudges on her face. She turned to look out the window at the rapidly passing scenery, seemingly unaware of it, her body swaying along with the chariot’s movements. Perhaps she was still dwelling on the time before all this happened.

The Second Elder remained cautious. Even having escaped this far from the Great Python Mountain, he refused to rest. He sent over a dozen experts ahead as scouts, monitoring the situation and ready to react if there was an ambush.

The Great Elder was dead, Deputy Sect Master Zhuge Qing was dead, and Ding Fan remained unconscious. Only he could take charge of the group’s command. He hoped to preserve some "fire seed" for the Wu Family and wished the Skeleton Sect could rise again, though it was uncertain if these wishes would come true.

Perhaps the Second Elder overthought. Not only did nothing happen the night before, but also in the next three days, there were neither ambushes nor pursuers. The Zhong Family seemed to have forgotten about them.

With Zhong Wushang’s speed, he might not have returned to his family yet, or perhaps he had, but chose to pursue the Jade Goshawk Palace people first. To him, the Jade Goshawk Palace was the major foe, while these remnants weren’t worth his attention.

Thus, by the end of the third day, they had fled nearly four thousand miles!