A thunderous crash echoed as rocks scattered. Bai Xiaochun swept them aside just as the cold wind surged in from outside. The fire flickered violently. By its glow, they saw a burly man standing at the cave entrance.
This man was massive, wielding a long spear. Cold light flashed in his eyes, and his cultivation was at the eighth level of Qi Condensation—he seemed even more powerful than Chen Yue.
> "The Young Master was right. In this cold rainy weather, with your injuries, you'd seek shelter," he sneered. "Chen has searched over a hundred mountain peaks… and finally found you."
Almost the instant he spoke, Bai Xiaochun lunged forward with a savage glint in his eyes. He clashed with the man head-on. Thunder boomed as they exchanged blows. Though the man appeared arrogant, he remained cautious and never stepped into the cave, choosing instead to quickly retreat.
In a flash, Bai Xiaochun pursued him outside. Amid thunder and rain, they battled fiercely. But it soon became clear that the man wasn't trying to kill—he was only defending himself.
Realizing this, Bai Xiaochun's heart sank. Gritting his teeth, he threw himself into the fight, ignoring the risk of injury to land a killing blow.
Cold wind swept through the cave, extinguishing the fire. Hou Yunfei tried to stand but coughed up more blood. Du Lingfei clenched her teeth, summoned her flying sword with great effort, and rushed out. Outside the cave, she formed a hand seal and joined Bai Xiaochun in the battle.
Moments later, a wretched scream echoed through the storm. The man's chest was pierced by a wooden sword. Before dying, he thrust his spear into Bai Xiaochun's right leg—it didn't go all the way through, but sank deep into the flesh.
> "You won't escape… The Young Master will arrive soon!"
> The man locked eyes on Bai Xiaochun, spitting blood. Then his head tilted, and he died.
Bai Xiaochun was deathly pale and trembling. To kill the enemy quickly, he had exchanged injury for victory. His leg throbbed with searing pain. Rain soaked him as blood pooled at his feet. Half his body was numb with cold.
Du Lingfei staggered over. Seeing the spear embedded in Bai Xiaochun's leg, tears fell from her eyes. She carefully knelt and slowly pulled the weapon out.
The process felt like tearing flesh from bone. Bai Xiaochun trembled violently but didn't make a sound. The man's last words and deliberate delay had already sunk his heart to the bottom.
He could even feel the wind around him shifting. He knew—it wouldn't be long before the rest of the Chen Clan arrived.
Not long after, with Du Lingfei supporting him, the two returned to the cave. Bai Xiaochun had taken the spear. Inside, he gasped for breath. His right leg was numb, but thankfully, the bone hadn't been damaged. He bandaged the wound—painful, but not deadly in the current life-or-death situation.
> "We have to leave now. The Chen Clan could arrive at any moment!"
> Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath and stood up.
Looking at Hou Yunfei, he saw that the man was on the brink of death. Days of running had made his condition critical. Du Lingfei looked utterly drained—her meridians had been damaged, some even severed. When she helped Bai Xiaochun earlier, she had done it through sheer force of will.
She looked up at Bai Xiaochun. In the dim light, her eyes were beautiful, glowing with an unusual brightness.
> "Junior Brother Bai…" she said softly.
> "Don't worry about us. You're faster—go by yourself," she said gently.
Hou Yunfei sat up with great difficulty, nodded weakly, and added:
> "If you escape and send a message to the sect, maybe Du Shimei and I will still have a sliver of hope…"
Bai Xiaochun gave a bitter smile. He wasn't a naive child—he knew all too well that even if he escaped and the sect came quickly, by the time they arrived, Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei would be dead.
> "Fine. I die, and you get to leave," Hou Yunfei laughed faintly, seeing Bai Xiaochun about to argue.
Bai Xiaochun's heart shuddered. He saw Hou Yunfei gathering what little spiritual power he had left, preparing to destroy his own meridians.
> "Junior Brother Bai… Are you leaving or not?" Hou Yunfei asked calmly.
Bai Xiaochun's heart was filled with sorrow. He stepped back, looking at them both, his emotions more tangled and bitter than ever before.
> "If… there's still hope… if there's another life, I wish I could get to know you again…"
> Du Lingfei pushed aside a strand of hair caught in the wind, tucking it behind her ear. Her face, though pale, seemed more beautiful than ever.
She gazed at Bai Xiaochun and whispered:
> "Live on…"
Those two words hit Bai Xiaochun like a hammer to the chest. It hurt. He stared blankly at her and Hou Yunfei. Silence fell over him. After a long while, without a word, he turned and stepped backward—disappearing from their sight. He left the cave and soared into the stormy night sky.
Seeing him leave, Hou Yunfei relaxed slightly. Du Lingfei stood in silence, her eyes filled with both blessing and farewell.
> "If only… time could turn back to the first time I saw Bai Xiaochun…" she thought.
> "Then maybe… I could truly get to know him again."
The surroundings were silent. But suddenly, both Hou Yunfei and Du Lingfei's expressions changed as they looked outside the cave.
In the sky, Bai Xiaochun's cultivation suddenly erupted—spiritual power burst from within, distorting even the falling rain around him.
He was like a blazing torch in the dark night—burning so fiercely that even the icy rain couldn't douse him. From far away, his aura could still be clearly felt.
Thunder crashed, and lightning split the heavens. All the Chen Clan pursuers felt it.
Chen Heng's eyes flashed. In that moment, everyone's attention was pulled toward Bai Xiaochun.
His figure blurred, then shot off into the distance at top speed. As he soared past the mountain that held the cave, his deep, resolute voice echoed beside Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei:
> "I'll draw them away. You two—run!"
Du Lingfei burst into tears. A storm of emotions surged in her heart. Hou Yunfei trembled all over.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun flew at full speed in another direction, howling through the storm.
> "Dead… they're all dead…"
> "Chen Clan… I may not be able to destroy your clan myself, but the Spirit Stream Sect will come—and they'll *annihilate* you!"
He laughed, a chilling, tragic laugh. His voice was mad and fierce, as if he had gone insane after losing his comrades and would stop at nothing to send word back—for revenge.
This scene made Chen Heng's expression shift. Even if he suspected a trick, Bai Xiaochun was moving too fast—he couldn't gamble with the entire clan's fate.
> "Focus all our strength on killing him first! His comrades, if alive, are surely heavily injured. We'll find them afterward!"
The Chen Clan cultivators exploded into motion, speeding after Bai Xiaochun through the storm.
Thunder rolled and lightning flashed.
Back in the pitch-black cave, Du Lingfei clenched her teeth, wiped away her tears, and her eyes blazed with resolve.
She knew the only way to save Bai Xiaochun… was to escape herself and send the message to the sect.
She turned to Hou Yunfei. His eyes were just as resolute.
> "Don't help me up," Hou Yunfei said.
> "We split up. Whoever gets out first—contact the sect to save Junior Brother Bai!"
He had made his decision. Even if he died, as long as he had one last breath, he would make sure the sect knew.
They took deep breaths and ran out into the rain, splitting up outside the cave and flying in opposite directions with everything they had left.
Their bodies had reached their limit—but their wills now surged beyond that. It had become something more: *a burning obsession*.
Lightning flashed, thunder boomed. Bai Xiaochun raced forward with all his strength. His right leg had long gone numb. His eyes were blood-red, death looming all around him.
He was scared. Terrified. He could feel death breathing down his neck, ready to drag him into the abyss.
He didn't know if his actions were impulsive… or if he'd regret them. After all, his goal in cultivation was to live forever. But he had no answer.
Even as he ran, a voice in his mind whispered:
> "Just run away alone…"
But he couldn't forget those days relying on each other, living and dying together.
He couldn't forget Hou Yunfei's trembling figure threatening to sacrifice himself just to let him escape.
He couldn't forget Du Lingfei's pale face, and that smile—more beautiful than ever before.
Between fear of death… and friendship…
**He chose the latter.**
> "Senior Sister Du… Senior Brother Hou…
> We'll all survive!"
Bai Xiaochun clenched his teeth—and ran like mad.
> "Chen Clan… if this is how far you'll go…
> Then come for me!"
His eyes blazed fiercely—like a desperate beast baring its fangs in the face of death.