Trapped and Slain

Perhaps the true essence of human nature was eating one's words. *I'm never drinking blood again!* Pangu's Blood. *So good!* The blood of a perfect creature. *So good!* After tasting Pangu's Blood and the blood of a perfect creature, whenever Yu Xian saw an animal, he felt an urge to take a sip and see if he could grow another heart. Although the Slashing Mantis's blood looked unappealing and seemingly poisonous, he still couldn't rein in his curiosity. He stepped forward and scooped a tiny bit into a cup. Vampire fangs slid from his gums, and he took a meager sip from the cup's rim. The next instant, his entire face scrunched up. *Gag!* Disgusting! To make matters worse, the Slashing Mantis's memories were utterly revolting. Its feeding memories in particular made Yu Xian want to throw up the dinner he had just eaten. Evidently, vampires did not simply drink the blood of any living creature. Most vampires would likely have zero interest in mantis blood. It took Yu Xian quite a while to recover, feeling like his face had turned green. Fortunately, drinking the blood had not been entirely in vain. Through the Slashing Mantis's memories, he caught sight of something intriguing. On the reverse side of the mountain ahead lay a very well-concealed cavern. The Slashing Mantis had once pursued a giant rat inside. Through its memories, Yu Xian could see clear traces of extensive artificial excavation. Halfway down the tunnel, the mantis had sensed danger and swiftly retreated. So... what was hiding inside? *Could a fugitive be holed up there?* Yu Xian's first suspicion was that a Transcendent fugitive had carved out the cave. Many Transcendents fled the cities after committing crimes because Huaxia had always punished Transcendent offenses strictly and severely. Consequently, these runaways did not dare show their faces in human society, leaving them no choice but to live as wild savages in the wilderness. Back then, Yu Xian had also considered fleeing into the wild to escape the Blood Clan's pursuit. Fortunately, he had followed Nora's advice and successfully joined Qilin with Jin Sheng's help, saving himself from actually having to live like a beast. "It's only past six. Let's go scout it out!" Yu Xian pondered for a moment. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to check out the cave. If a criminal truly lurked within, he would play it by ear. If the criminal was stronger than him, he would call for backup. If the criminal was weaker, he would arrest them on the spot and deliver them to the Public Security Bureau. As for someone evenly matched, or only slightly stronger, consider it their bad luck—no mercy would be shown! He recalled that Qilin offered bounties for most Transcendent fugitives, with higher rewards for higher ranks. He certainly had no objection to earning some extra pocket money. A minute later, he flew outside the cave. After confirming that the cave looked identical to what he had seen in the Slashing Mantis's memories, he swiftly steered his bubble inside. The cavern was pitch-black, but in his eyes, it was no different from broad daylight. He studied the tunnel walls; indeed, they had been artificially excavated, and quite a long time ago at that. He glided soundlessly through the passage until the path suddenly opened up into a spacious stone chamber. The chamber held only a single stone bed. At that moment, a middle-aged man sat meditating atop the slab. The instant Yu Xian's gaze fell upon him, the man snapped his eyes open, startled by what he saw. Because Yu Xian had been hovering in midair the entire time, his self-contained spatial bubble leaking not a trace of aura, the middle-aged man had not sensed anyone entering at all. Only when Yu Xian laid eyes on him did the man's instincts flare, alerting him to an intruder. And the moment the man opened his eyes, Yu Xian recognized his identity. This guy was a Wolf-rank wanted fugitive: Zhong Wuliang. Eight years ago, fueled by road rage, Zhong Wuliang had hammered several hundred ordinary citizens to death in Tower City before fleeing beyond city limits, his whereabouts unknown ever since. Qilin had kept a bounty on his head, never once giving up the hunt. By now, the bounty on Zhong Wuliang had climbed to 50,000 merit and two million yuan. "Die!" Zhong Wuliang did not bother asking who Yu Xian was. Instead, he instantly shifted into combat mode. A purple-gold heavy hammer materialized in his grip and slammed toward Yu Xian. The heavy purple-gold hammer smashed violently against the bubble's surface. *Boom!* The bubble burst on impact. Yet Yu Xian had already teleported away, leaving behind several bombs that tumbled out of the bubble and dropped to the ground. *Rumble! Boom!* The entire stone chamber shuddered violently, and Zhong Wuliang was blasted black as charcoal. Zhong Wuliang was a body-refining martial artist who had cultivated the Eight Treasures Elephant-Suppressing Art to the seventh layer, granting him Wolf-rank strength. Powerful though the bombs were, he had used a second purple-gold heavy hammer to block the brunt of the frontal blast, and the remaining shockwave was nowhere near enough to pierce his defenses. Gripping a purple-gold heavy hammer in each hand, he knew this place was no longer safe and bolted toward the exit. *Thud!* *Thud!* Suddenly, the sound of falling sweet potatoes thudded down before and behind him at the exact same moment. Zhong Wuliang's pupils contracted sharply. He hurriedly raised the purple-gold hammers to shield his front and rear. In an instant, two explosions detonated simultaneously, shaking the entire cavern so violently that rocks began dislodging from the ceiling. *Damn it, he's trying to trap me here!* Zhong Wuliang suddenly realized the intent. Gritting his teeth, he poured all his strength into sprinting forward. Yet in the next breath, an earth-shattering blast roared from the tunnel ahead. The entire mountain shook, and the passage caved in at breakneck speed. "No!" Enraged, Zhong Wuliang swung both arms like a madman, smashing the falling boulders and obstructions to powder, risking life and limb to batter a path to survival. But the passage collapsed far too swiftly. Carving out this cave had taken him half a day back then, leaving the tunnel long and winding. He had thought it would be secluded enough to keep him safe from discovery, but now, he had buried himself instead. Zhong Wuliang watched helplessly as the passage ahead was packed solid by collapsed rubble. He knew all too well that battering through these boulders would take at least two hours, and a wave of despair washed over his heart. *Thud!* Several more bombs materialized out of thin air, tumbling down not far from where he stood. "Bastard, bastard, bastard!" Veins bulged on Zhong Wuliang's forehead. In a blind rage, he swung his hammers wildly in all directions, only to be swallowed by explosions a second later. This terrain and closed environment were practically tailor-made for bombs. When excavating the cavern, Zhong Wuliang had never imagined his foe would be an ultra-rare spatial ability user; his excessive caution had proved to be his undoing. Then again, that was only natural. Spatial ability users were exceptionally rare, likely numbering fewer than fifty in the entire world. Who could have anticipated such rotten luck? Once the dust settled, Zhong Wuliang was covered in wounds, though every single one was superficial. A body-refining martial artist's physique was remarkably tough. Even enhanced bombs struggled to inflict significant harm on him. But if there was one thing Yu Xian had in abundance, it was bombs, served in seemingly endless supply. Zhong Wuliang panted heavily. Realizing Yu Xian had no intention of letting him walk away, he abandoned all restraint and began hacking at the surrounding rock, desperate to carve a path to survival against the clock. *Thud.* *Thud, thud.* More and more bombs dropped around him, none of them detonating. Catching sight of the bombs out of the corner of his eye, cold sweat drenched Zhong Wuliang's brow, and the speed at which he swung his purple-gold heavy hammers became even more frantic. If it were just one bomb, or even a dozen, he truly had nothing to fear. But against hundreds of bombs, not even a body-refining martial artist could withstand the brunt. Especially in an enclosed space like this, the concussive force of an explosion would multiply exponentially. The mere thought of that many bombs detonating at once made his scalp crawl with dread.