Chapter 2

Lu Chuan, leaning against a tree, suddenly opened his eyes. His first reaction was that the damn golden finger might be broken, as it had stopped on the sunny side five times in a row.

Lu Yan's intuition was right; the enemies below were indeed coming for them.

They couldn't stop; they had to keep running.

Lu Yan couldn't convince everyone, and the other members of the hunting team found it hard to continue supporting him. Everyone had families, and if they couldn't find a place to take shelter from the rain, the ordinary people in the group would all fall seriously ill.

Lu Ming, a member of the hunting team, knew of a nearby cave, and the group quickly moved, following him toward the cave. Lu Yan watched the villagers heading in the opposite direction and made his decision.

"Lu Hu, come over, we'll keep going." Lu Yan picked up his wife and waved to Lu Hu. He trusted his intuition; only reaching Beining City would be safe. Without having to take care of the villagers, he could move faster.

"Uncle Yan, can I go with you?" Lu Chuan couldn't stay in the cave with the villagers and wait to die. Lu Yan was the strongest support he could rely on now.

Lu Yan looked at the rain-soaked boy with some surprise, finding him different from the quiet and reserved person in his memory.

"Let's go."

Lu Yan, still carrying his wife, moved nimbly. Lu Chuan and Lu Hu, no longer following the villagers, could run freely, and their speed through the forest increased significantly.

After about twenty minutes of running, the four of them finally reached the top of the mountain. Lu Yan was still full of energy, but Lu Chuan and Lu Hu needed a small break.

At the top of the mountain, Lu Chuan finally saw the red light rising in the northern sky and the similarly glowing city, which should be Beining City.

In the sky above Beining City, many cultivators were flying, carefully patrolling around the city. He could see figures moving in the rain, gathering toward Beining City.

Lu Chuan rubbed his sore legs, thinking that such a grand scene must mean a war was about to break out.

Lu Yan, however, had a serious expression, still staring at the path behind them. His sense of danger had not diminished, and he was not entirely confident they could reach Beining City.

...

"Wu Ji! Come out and chat!" A wildly arrogant voice echoed through the rainy night. A purple figure appeared in the northern sky, raising a hand to extinguish the red signal in the sky.

In response, a golden blade of light appeared, almost splitting the sky, stopping the heavy rain in the nearby area.

The purple figure dodged the blade of light, and a cheeky voice rang out again, "Damn, Wu Ji, you almost cut off one of my handsome hairs!"

"Yang Ming, if Jingguo wants a war, then Wuguo will not disappoint you." The man with the golden blade flew into the air, facing the purple figure from a distance.

"Who cares about war? Let's talk about something more relaxed. By the way, it's been years, how come you're still stuck at the Divine Ability Realm? I told you, martial cultivation is unreliable; spiritual cultivation is the way to go..." Yang Ming's voice suddenly stopped as a powerful figure in Beining City intervened, blocking the sound.

The two figures in the distance resumed their fight, with Wu Ji, the golden figure, clearly having the upper hand, but Yang Ming, the purple figure, also seemed to be handling it well.

The battle between the powerful figures was irrelevant to Lu Chuan and the others. After a brief rest, the four of them continued their journey in the rain. The rain showed no signs of weakening, and the path down the mountain was even more difficult than the ascent.

"Be careful!" Lu Chuan stumbled but was fortunately caught by Lu Hu before he fell.

"Thanks, Hu Zi, I'm fine." Lu Chuan caught his breath, enviously watching Lu Yan ahead, who, despite carrying a person, moved more nimbly than he did.

Lu Yan, hearing the commotion behind him, stopped. When the two caught up, he encouraged the bedraggled teenagers, "Hang in there, we're almost at the bottom of the mountain. Once we're out of Hupao Mountain, it's just seven miles to Beining City. We'll be safe once we reach Beining City."

Lu Chuan was startled. Uncle Yan, we can't jinx it like this.

As they ran, a sudden bright light appeared. The distant battle was still undecided, and both Wu Ji and Yang Ming had many helpers. The intense collisions of spells produced a massive brightness and ground-shaking tremors, illuminating the northern region like daylight, causing Lu Chuan to collide with a tree on the mountain.

"Hu Zi, take your mother and Chuanzi and go first." Lu Yan stopped, putting down his wife and taking the bow and arrows from her back.

In the brief moment of brightness, he saw the black-clothed figures on the mountain, who also saw the four of them.

Lu Yan crouched down, drew an arrow, and fixed his eyes on the dark forest. The arrow glowed with lightning as he turned and darted into the side of the forest, trying to draw the enemies away.

Lu Hu did not hesitate, picking up his mother and running. Lu Yan must have his reasons for staying behind. In the mountains, hesitation in the face of danger would lead to total destruction.

However, he was not as agile as his father, and carrying his mother clearly affected his movement.

His mother, lying on his back, began to sob quietly. The events of the day had overwhelmed the ordinary village woman. Her home was destroyed, and she was fleeing in the rain, unsure of her husband's fate and becoming a burden to her son.

Lu Hu ran silently, believing that Lu Yan would have a plan. Lu Yan was a cultivator who had embarked on the path of cultivation and the strongest hunter in Lujia Village. The mountains were his domain. Instead of worrying about his father's safety, he needed to get his mother to Beining City safely.

Lu Chuan was also silent, regretting that he had not been more careful with his divination. He should have asked more clearly, to determine if the enemies were after him. Perhaps his decision to rely on Lu Yan had put them in danger.

A sudden feeling of unease hit him, and without thinking, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a crossbow bolt that embedded itself where he had been standing.

Damn, we can't run anymore.

"Hu Zi, go!" Lu Chuan shouted, drawing the hunting knife he carried.

To hell with this inexplicable穿越, inexplicable pursuit, and inexplicable rain all night. This damn new world is neither interesting nor worth caring about. Since I've already died once, what's the big deal if I die again?

Lu Chuan angrily threw his hunting knife at the black-clothed figure, the blade drawing an arc in the air before disappearing into the dark forest.

The black-clothed figure, expressionless, watched the enraged Lu Chuan, raised his crossbow, and fired another arrow.

Lu Chuan instinctively tried to dodge, but the arrow stopped in front of his chest, held by a man who had suddenly appeared.

"About to die and still letting your companions go first, you're kind but a bit stupid. Dodging a crossbow bolt from behind, your sense of danger and reaction are not bad, but throwing away your knife at the end, are you an idiot?"