The night wind was bone-chilling, like an ice knife cutting through the marrow, peeling off Yan Li's flesh and bones layer by layer. His heart was exposed, and he didn't know whether it was the pain of being stabbed or the pain of being frozen into pieces.
Maybe it was neither, and the pain was just an illusion, because he was one step closer to the irredeemable path. The closer he was to the abyss of despair, the colder his hands and feet were.
It was true that since ancient times, there were countless people who would do anything to achieve their goals, and they had a clear conscience. But that kind of calmness was a double-edged hypocrisy after all.
The long alley seemed to have no end. The places he ran past were like the long-accustomed sound of the night watch, which made the lights of every house go out, for fear that if the lights were lit, they would suffer an undeserved disaster.
The rapid panting made his lungs feel like broken bellows, almost overdrawing all of his potential to provide energy to this body.
After breaking out of the encirclement, Yan Li used the second style of Green Lotus to run, consuming most of his primordial Qi, and finally got rid of the pursuers behind him temporarily. But the consumption of physical strength was really too much for him to bear. He felt dizzy, and his desperate breathing became more and more serious.
According to the topographic map of Yongling in his mind, this alley should be the intersection point between Virtuous Waiting Lane and Fengyi Lane. If he went straight ahead, as long as he saw the main road, he would only be a few miles away from Yanping Gate.
But the consumption of physical strength and the dizziness made this alley extremely long.
Between his mouth and nose, there was hot and restless air, rubbing in and out, almost burning his entire chest.
"Come with me!"
Suddenly, a shout came from the fork in front of him. Before the person arrived, the light of the torch shone first, and the moving shadows followed closely.
It was another pursuer!
Yan Li didn't need to confirm to know that he had no choice. Without thinking, he used the last of his strength to flip over the wall on the opposite side of the alley. When he finally stood firm, he suddenly felt something, and looked sideways, only to see a woman who looked like a maid looking at him in shock.
When he flipped over the wall, he didn't see clearly. It turned out that he had flipped over a large family's courtyard. There was a long veranda inside the wall, and he was just outside the fence of the veranda when he bumped into the woman who was walking over.
"You …" The woman was just about to speak when Yan Li grabbed her delicate neck.
It was unknown where Yan Li got the strength from, but he restrained her before she could open her mouth. His eyes were fierce, and he was about to break her neck. Suddenly, he saw that her beautiful eyes were filled with innocence and fear, as well as her desire to live and deep pleading. For some reason, he thought of Zhan Mu and the words he said before he died.
"I'm on your side …"
These words echoed in his mind. Coupled with the waves of dizziness, he unconsciously loosened his grip.
By the time he realized it, it was already too late.
A shrill scream pierced through the night sky. It was so ear-piercing in the silence of the night that everyone within a ten-mile radius could hear it clearly.
Yan Li tightened his grip again. His anger almost broke through his skull. This time, there was no hesitation.
He was panting heavily. His chest was burning, and so was his head. He had to bear the consequences of his momentary soft-heartedness, and no one could help him.
This time, the anger turned into a violent tide of emotions, which surged through his mind.
The last bit of reason left in his mind prevented him from escaping the house immediately. Instead, he found a wing room to hide and meditate to recover.
However, he didn't notice that on his forehead, eight curses were faintly appearing, accompanied by an almost inaudible sneer.
The Judicial Department's efficiency was astonishing. After half an hour, the door of the wing room was kicked open.
"Killing a criminal, and getting a promotion. There's no better deal than this!"
A big and burly man grinned and pounced on Yan Li, who was sitting on the chair. His fist, which was as big as a stone pot, smashed down like a heavy hammer.
He was a fifth-grade martial artist. According to the Judicial Department's establishment, he was at least a Cang Qi rank, and he had at least forty-five elites under him.
Yan Li didn't even open his eyes. Like a giant eagle, he quickly leaped back eight feet and landed on the edge of the bed. The chair he was sitting on was immediately broken into pieces.
In the midst of the flying sawdust, the big man took another step forward and punched twice. In the blink of an eye, he had attacked four times. The air exploded, which showed how heavy his fists were.
However, no one knew how Yan Li dodged, but the four attacks all missed.
Accompanied by a cold light, a line of blood appeared on the big man's throat. He screamed and clutched his neck. His eyes were wide open, but he gradually lost his strength and collapsed.
Yan Li's face recovered some of his usual indifference. He shook his long sword and shook off the blood. He walked out of the wing room and saw a large number of Judicial Department's court officers swarming in from the south. He frowned and immediately turned around, fleeing to the north.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A sudden shout came from the north. A black shadow dashed out and reached the front of the door in the blink of an eye.
Yan Li wanted to dodge, but it was too late. He quickly used Li Ya to block in front of him.
Bang!
Qi and strength collided fiercely. A fist heavily hit the sword.
Yan Li couldn't help but slide back a few steps before he could stop. He felt an abundant force rushing into his body. He couldn't help but groan and spit out a mouthful of blood.
The black shadow appeared. It was a thirty-four or thirty-five-year-old bald man with dark skin and several scars on his face. He showed the signature grin of the Judicial Department. "Kid, you're not bad to be able to kill my best subordinate, Cang Qi. Play with me for a while!"
The head of the Cang Qi was the Zong Qi, just under the Commander Tong Zhi. He was a rank five official and had the power of a rank four official. He had three Cang Qi and a large number of talents. He was responsible for all tasks such as interrogation, interrogation, spying, observation, and surveillance. It could be said that the Inner Academy cultivated such elites.
In the Judicial Department, such an important position couldn't be given to a loser. Judging from the strength of the collision just now, this person was at least a rank three martial artist. Moreover, his cultivation method was similar to Shi Gandang's, which was the type that Yan Li wasn't good at dealing with.
At this time, several big sabers chopped down on his head.
Because the sabers were chopping down, they intended to leave a few wounds on Yan Li's body even if they couldn't kill him. This was the usual practice of the Judicial Department.
Yan Li didn't even think about it. He flipped backward and strangely twisted to the left. Leaving Cliff with its sheath, he chopped down like a machete.
The wrists of the three people who attacked suddenly shook. They couldn't hold the hilt of their sabers and fell to the ground.
Clang!
They didn't have time to retreat. With a shrill sound of the sword, Leaving Cliff came out of its sheath and drew a half-moon arc. The heads of the three people flew up into the sky.
Blood once again dyed Yan Li's face red. Perhaps it was the smell of blood that awakened his desire to kill. His face was filled with hostility. With a loud roar, he pounced on the crowd like a tiger.
It seemed that he had recklessly charged into the encirclement, but with a twist of his wrist, every time the cold gleam of his sword flashed through the air, there would be a muffled groan. By the time he reached the entrance of the southern entrance, there were already seventeen or eighteen people lying in pools of blood. The scene was exceptionally bloody.
Such an efficient killing method really shocked the people behind him. They couldn't help but slow down their steps.
Yan Li sneered. When he was about to continue his killing, he heard the angry roar of the bald man behind him.
"How dare you ignore me? You will pay the price!"
The bald man rushed forward a few steps and stepped on a big saber on the ground. The saber jumped up and was caught by him.
Holding the saber with both hands, he exerted all his strength. With a "ping" sound, the thick big saber was broken into four pieces and shot towards Yan Li side by side like arrows. Meanwhile, he kicked the ground with his feet and caught up with the broken saber after a few leaps.
When Yan Li turned around, a chief justice who was eager to make meritorious deeds rushed up.
With a cold and sharp look, Yan Li took a step back first. At the same time, he bumped his left shoulder backward, causing the chief justice to miss his saber and become dizzy.
In the blink of an eye, Yan Li's left hand had already grabbed the man's lapel at the same time of the collision. He fiercely threw the man toward the broken blade that was piercing through the air. With several 'chi' sounds, the unlucky man died on the spot and fell toward the bald man.
Before the bald head landed on the ground, he had kicked the corpse of the chief justice back with a sound "Bang".
Yan Li kicked the ground with the tip of his foot. With a somersault in the air, he avoided the chief justice and landed on the top of the wall. The moment he landed on the ground, he escaped along the wall without any hesitation.
In the next moment, the bald man hit the place where he stood like a stone cannon.
"Bang!"
In the loud noise, the soil and stones flew everywhere. This punch destroyed half of the wall. If it hit Yan Li, he would lose half of his life even if he didn't die.
The airwaves chased after him, forcing Yan Li to quicken his steps. Every time the tip of his foot touched the bricks and tiles on the top of the wall, he would move seven to eight feet forward. His energy was also consumed rapidly.
When he was about to cross the first section of the wall, a dwarf about four feet tall suddenly jumped out from the corner at the end of the wall. With a sinister smile on his face, he stabbed the short sword in his hand at the place where Yan Li would land on as if he had calculated it.
Yan Li raised his eyebrows. Before his feet touched the ground, he bent in the air and landed on his knees. In the flying debris, the short sword was pressed by his knees.
The dwarf was startled. He couldn't pull it out no matter how much strength he exerted. With a flash of cold light, his head shot up into the sky.
However, in such a short time, the bald man had already caught up.
His body movement was not fast, but his fists were as fast as lightning. Like a fierce tiger coming down the mountain, his momentum was extremely terrifying.
It was already too late for Yan Li to escape. His eyes narrowed.
Meeting on a narrow path, the courageous wins!
Li Ya swiftly moved backwards, his body like a divine dragon swinging its tail in the air. Only several sword shadows could be seen.
Ding, ding, dang, dang!
Fists and swords clashed. In the blink of an eye, both sides had exchanged more than ten moves. Their energy consumption increased rapidly, and they were almost out.
Taking advantage of a feint, he retreated several steps. He felt as if his internal organs were on fire and his blood and Qi were in disorder. He almost lost control of his body and fell down.
"Heh, you have some skill. If I don't take you down today, my promotion as a commander will be in vain! "The bald man cackled strangely, just like Li Yong.
Accompanied by the rising and falling shouts, torches came from all directions like a long dragon.
Yan Li knew he couldn't delay any longer. Suppressing the restlessness in his body, he gathered what little energy he had left and dispersed it to his limbs and bones. Raising his Qi, he jumped and landed on the hexagonal pavilion several feet away.
"Want to run?"
The bald man roared. Raising his Qi, he chased after Yan Li. Unfortunately, his movements weren't fast. By the time he landed on the pavilion, Yan Li had already flown to the roof of the neighboring courtyard and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Seeing that Yan Li was about to escape, the corners of the bald man's mouth curled into a strange smile.
Yan Li suddenly stopped because a person had appeared in front of him. It was a grey-robed old man. With just a glance, he could tell that this person was at least a third-grade martial artist.
"Two Flag Commanders besieging you. You can rest in peace," the old man said matter-of-factly.
His hand reached into the grey robe and a cold light flashed. A sword was already in his hand.
Yan Li narrowed his eyes slightly. The other party was also a sword user.
At this moment, he didn't have much energy left. The external strength absorbed by the Heart Cleansing Formula wasn't enough. Add to that the pincer attack of two third-grade martial artists, anyone would think that he was in a hopeless situation.
But the more hopeless the situation, the more it stimulated Yan Li's desire to live.
His chaotic heart calmed down a little because of this.
He also stepped forward. At first, he was slow, but he gradually sped up. His right hand drooped. In the darkness, his deep and bright eyes were especially conspicuous.
The old man was still expressionless. When he was seven feet away from Yan Li, he had already raised his sword and stabbed towards Yan Li's heart.
Yan Li's eyes became deeper and brighter. He didn't dodge, but instead, he stuck out his chest to meet the other's sword. At the same time, his right hand suddenly stretched forward.
No one could deny that he was a person who was used to being with death.
Those who were with death didn't necessarily fear death, but they knew when to trade a life for a life.
Simple, direct, and violent.
The old man's expression finally changed.
At the moment when they were about to touch, the old man hesitated and finally dodged sideways. His change caused the tip of his sword to cut through Yan Li's clothes. Yan Li also stabbed empty air.
The two quickly passed each other. Yan Li staggered a few steps to steady himself. He didn't stop and rushed in the direction of Yan Ping Gate.
He believed that Yan Chaoyang would definitely be waiting for him there.
However, he was forced to stop once again.
Perhaps he should have thought that behind the two Flag Commanders, there would definitely be a comrade.
The one who stopped him was Lan Yu.
He smiled and said, "Being able to escape to here shows that you've worked hard. I like hard-working young people, full of vigor. Destroying them will make me very happy."
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