Chapter 58: The Struggle of a Cornered Beast!

The rainy night was filled with thunderous roars, lightning streaking across the heavens, making the world flash alternately between brightness and darkness. Deafening booms echoed, and raindrops the size of beans poured down onto the earth, splashing loudly.

From afar, the entire world seemed cloaked in a curtain of rain, blurred and hazy, steeped in a chilling atmosphere of death.

On the ground, **Bai Xiaochun** trembled as he ran, his bloodshot eyes wide open. He was exerting every ounce of speed he could muster, leaping forward at times with powerful steps, shooting through the rain like an arrow loosed from a bow.

> "Survive... We all must… survive!"

> Bai Xiaochun shivered, repeating those words over and over as the images of **Du Lingfei** and **Hou Yunfei** surfaced in his mind.

The shadow of death loomed over him, seemingly merging with the falling rain, making the surroundings even colder.

All around him, nine figures were closing in fast from different directions. Among them, **Chen Heng**, though the farthest away, moved at astonishing speed. He tore through the rain like a streak of rainbow light, his velocity increasing so rapidly that sonic booms erupted in front of him as the air exploded.

> "You won't escape. No one escapes the formation set by the Chen Clan's ancestor!"

> Chen Heng's eyes gleamed with killing intent.

Even he hadn't expected the three Spirit Stream Sect disciples they were chasing would be so difficult to catch. If things continued, they might even escape the ancestral formation's range in just a few days. The one he now pursued had a strong cultivation—able to kill **Chen Yue** and several Chen Clan members along the way.

This only confirmed his suspicion: the person fleeing must be **Shangguan Tianyou** or **Lü Tianlei**, two famed geniuses of the Spirit Stream Sect's South Bank. This area was under South Bank's control; North Bank disciples wouldn't normally appear here.

> "A Spirit Stream genius…"

> The killing intent in Chen Heng's eyes intensified, mixed with a faint excitement.

Thunder raged above. Bai Xiaochun gritted his teeth and sped forward, his breath ragged. His spiritual energy was depleting rapidly. The world blurred before him, like a giant ancient beast opening its mouth, ready to swallow the heavens.

Suddenly, Bai Xiaochun looked up. A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes. Not far ahead, the rain suddenly rippled. A tremendous force burst forth, shattering countless raindrops and hurtling them toward Bai Xiaochun.

A **Chen Clan** clansman had appeared—his first direct interception.

It was a **middle-aged man** with a scar across his face, giving him a savage look. He was at the peak of the 7th level of Qi Condensation and wielded a massive **battle axe**. As he approached, he roared and swung the axe violently toward Bai Xiaochun.

> "GET BACK!"

> The man's voice boomed like muffled thunder, echoing through the area.

Bai Xiaochun's bloodshot eyes didn't show even the slightest hesitation. As the axe came down, he charged straight ahead, lifting his **left hand** and grabbing directly at the blade!

The middle-aged man sneered and poured more power into the axe, causing a violent wind to stir.

In that instant, **a black glow** flashed from Bai Xiaochun's left hand—it was his **Undying Iron Skin** technique, fully unleashed. His hand turned black as iron and clashed with the falling axe.

**BOOM!**

Bai Xiaochun's left hand **grabbed the axe blade**, sending the surrounding rain exploding in all directions.

Pain seared through his arm and blood dripped, but his powerful iron skin, unleashed at full strength, prevented the blade from severing his hand.

The man's expression changed. He tried to pull the axe back—but Bai Xiaochun's grip was like a **metal vice**. He couldn't move it an inch.

This stunned him. When he looked up, all he saw was Bai Xiaochun's mad, ferocious gaze.

It was a kind of madness he had never seen in another person before—only in the eyes of desperate **wild beasts** deep within the **Fallen Star Mountains**.

His heart skipped a beat. Instantly, layers of defensive light surrounded his body, and without hesitation, he **let go** of the axe and leapt backward.

He was fast—but **Bai Xiaochun was faster!**

In the instant Bai Xiaochun grabbed the axe, a black glow shone from his **right hand** as well. As lightning lit up the sky, his dark right hand flashed in front of the man's face.

It pierced straight through the layers of protective light.

Crackling sounds rang out—**each barrier shattered**, unable to withstand Bai Xiaochun's momentum. In this extreme state, his **Throat-Locking Technique** changed subtly!

A strange **suction force** burst from his palm, stopping the man's retreat. Before he could react, all he could see was the inky blackness of Bai Xiaochun's hand.

**CRACK!**

Bai Xiaochun's hand clamped down hard on his neck. Bones snapped.

The man's eyes widened in disbelief as blood spilled from his mouth. He couldn't even scream before every bone in his neck shattered—his head slumped down—and he died instantly!

Even in death, his eyes were filled with terror. He had known Bai Xiaochun was powerful, and his goal had only been to delay him—not fight to the death. But he had never imagined this frail-looking outer sect disciple would be so terrifying.

At that moment, **two more figures** rapidly approached. One of them had the same **8th-level Qi Condensation** cultivation as Chen Yue.

> "Chen Zhong!!"

> Seeing the middle-aged man fall, the two incoming cultivators **cried out in sorrow**.

> "You forced me to do this!"

> Bai Xiaochun hurled the corpse away with a roar. He was panting hard, his body trembling, but his eyes burned even fiercer than before.

He couldn't allow himself to be delayed. He had intended from the start to lure the Chen Clan pursuers away. Now, he abruptly changed direction—heading toward a distant, **vast mountain range**.

This wasn't the border mountains, so it had no name, but its size rivaled or even surpassed the **Fallen Star Mountains**. Most striking was the weather—**even more rain** poured over it, and lightning and thunder seemed to **gather** there.

Looking up, Bai Xiaochun could see countless bolts of lightning forming into **spheres** that detonated with thunderous booms.

**Whoosh!**

Bai Xiaochun sprinted with all his might. Behind him, the two Chen Clan cultivators pursued fiercely. Around him, more enemies were appearing.

In the far distance, a blazing streak of rainbow light rushed forth—**Chen Heng**, rapidly approaching.

The Chen Clan members were converging. Bai Xiaochun was nearly at the mountain range—**just a few dozen meters away**. Drenched, he stomped on the ground and launched himself through the rain, flying straight toward the forest.

> "STOP HIM!"

> Chen Heng's icy voice rang out from afar.

At that moment, one of the two nearest Chen Clan cultivators—an 8th-level Qi Condensation man—grabbed the 7th-level one beside him. The two exchanged a glance of understanding.

The 7th-level cultivator immediately **curled into a ball**, and the 8th-level one **hurled** him forward with full force.

**BOOM!**

The 7th-level man, compressed into a sphere and launched at full power, streaked through the rain like a cannonball, catching up to Bai Xiaochun in an instant.

Just as he reached him, his cultivation burst forth. With a loud roar, he attacked. Bai Xiaochun halted and spun, forming a hand seal and launching his **wooden sword**, which pierced the man's body.

But the Chen Clan disciple **ignored death**, letting the sword run him through. As he died, a twisted smile crept onto his face.

**BOOM!**

His body exploded into a mass of **blood and flesh**, forming a **bloody rope** that surged to ensnare Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun's expression changed as he leapt back—but in that instant, a **whistling sound** tore through the air behind him.

**An arrow!**

It was launched by the 8th-level Chen Clan cultivator, who now held a great bow. The bowstring still vibrated from the shot.

The timing was perfect—just as Bai Xiaochun was forced to dodge the flesh-ropes. The two had coordinated flawlessly.

In that moment of crisis, Bai Xiaochun's eyes narrowed. Instead of dodging, he **lunged toward the arrow**!

**WHOOSH!**

It slammed into his **right shoulder**, sending waves of pain through his body as his face turned pale.

The arrow pierced through his **shoulder blade**—but by sheer coincidence, the bone **caught** the arrowhead.

This arrow was finely crafted, fired with immense power. After being caught by the bone, it carried Bai Xiaochun's small body **through the air**, **out of the blood-ropes' reach**!

**THUNK!**

The arrow slammed Bai Xiaochun into a large tree at the forest's edge—**nailing him to it!**

The archer's eyes **lit up with joy**. As he rushed forward, he nocked another arrow—ready to finish Bai Xiaochun off with a killing shot.

Elsewhere, Chen Clan cultivators closed in, faces twisted with cruelty.

But at that very moment, **Chen Heng's** expression changed.

> "**WATCH OUT!!**"