Chapter 19: Life Hanging by a Thread

Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu had barely taken two steps when the sky changed abruptly. 

In an instant the leaves rustled wildly—a clear omen of an approaching storm.

“Something’s not right…” Luo Shangyu said, “The sky was perfectly clear this morning. Why is it about to rain now?”

“Besides, autumn is supposed to be dry. It rained so hard two days ago, and now there’s more?”

Qin Yu looked up at the sky.

The sky was a dark gray, yet it was pierced by a faint, shimmering white light where the sun’s rays struggled to penetrate the thick cloud cover.

Thunder roared and lightning struck as a storm brewed in the heavens.

“This is definitely man-made!” Qin Yu said with certainty.

“Are those chasing us using this rainstorm to douse our fire?” Luo Shangyu sounded incredulous. 

“They must be incredibly confident in their own strength!”

Qin Yu couldn’t worry about that anymore. 

She grabbed Luo Shangyu’s wrist and urged, “We have to go! It’ll be bad if they manage to put out the flames!”

The two had only run two steps before the rain began to pour. 

Lightning struck repeatedly, the consecutive cracks of thunder terrified Qin Yu.

“Why are you such a coward?” Luo Shangyu was almost amused by Qin Yu’s lack of courage.

“Bastard, there are pursuers behind us, and with this thunder on top of it, how can it not be scary?” Qin Yu replied with dissatisfaction.

But before she could say another word, another bolt of thunder exploded right in front of them.

Along with a flash of light, a ripple of spatial magic surged, and a man suddenly appeared before Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.

After the initial shock, Luo Shangyu recognized him. 

He was the leader of the group pursuing her, possessing a strength of at least the 5th-rank.

“I am Lu Zhen, a Seventh-rank Quasi-god. Luo Shangyu, come back with me quietly. Surrender, and you won’t be killed.” Lu Zhen slowly approached Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.

Luo Shangyu remembered him now. 

He was the Royal Chief Mage of the Kingdom of Yiyong, and she had encountered him a few times before. 

In her memory, this man was extremely powerful.

“Returning is impossible.” Luo Shangyu shook the staff in her hand. 

“Unless you kill me and take my corpse back.”

“Is that so?” Lu Zhen nodded, “Then let us begin!”

Lu Zhen waved his staff, and the same gale blades from before appeared, slashing toward Luo Shangyu.

Luo Shangyu swung her staff in response. 

A brilliant light erupted from the tip of her staff, extending over one meter and transforming into light elements so dense they seemed physical.

[Pseudo Divine Technique: Blade of Holy Light]

As a Seventh-rank Quasi-god, Luo Shangyu’s use of a Pseudo Divine Technique—which normally required at least a Ninth-rank to manifest—resulted in a significantly weakened effect. 

It drained her mana immensely, but it was still enough to force Lu Zhen back step by step.

Qin Yu wanted to help Luo Shangyu fight Lu Zhen, but someone beside her roared, “Your opponent is me!”

Qin Yu turned her head and saw another pursuer.

As soon as Qin Yu drew her staff, the man had already released his Water Magic, sending a pillar of water rushing toward her.

Qin Yu scrambled to dodge, barely avoiding the lethal jet of water.

However, the man pressed his advantage. 

He waved his staff, and the water elements in the air condensed into water blades that attacked Qin Yu relentlessly.

In the middle of the heavy rain, those water elements seemed inexhaustible.

Qin Yu had no choice but to keep dodging. 

However, there wasn’t much room on the tree trunks. 

The enemy predicted her movements, and several water blades grazed her cheeks.

Qin Yu felt a sudden heat on her face. 

She reached out to touch it; her hand came away sticky and warm. 

She was already bleeding.

On the other side, Luo Shangyu’s situation was also becoming grim as her mana was steadily depleted.

Seizing the moment while she still held the upper hand, she grabbed Qin Yu’s hand and jumped off the branch.

In mid-air, Luo Shangyu looked back and rapidly chanted an incantation. 

An explosion caused by the magic swept across the branches.

Then, Luo Shangyu used Atmospheric Magic to fly through the air. 

They moved so fast that Qin Yu nearly peed herself from the fright.

Lu Zhen stepped out from the explosion and looked at the fleeing Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu with a cold smile.

He chanted a soft spell, and a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, heading straight for Luo Shangyu. 

He knew that without Luo Shangyu, Qin Yu wouldn’t last long on her own.

The lightning caught up to the speeding Luo Shangyu and struck her in the back. 

Luo Shangyu cried out in pain as her Atmospheric Magic instantly failed. 

Both Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu plummeted toward the ground.

“Luo Shangyu!” Qin Yu didn’t understand what had happened for a moment.

“I…” Luo Shangyu’s voice was weak, “I was attacked…”

Just a second before they hit the ground, Luo Shangyu used the last of her strength to summon her Atmospheric Magic, allowing them to land safely.

The moment they touched the ground, Luo Shangyu’s legs gave out, and she collapsed.

“Luo Shangyu, what’s wrong!” Qin Yu panicked. 

She knelt beside Luo Shangyu and began rummaging through her key-shaped pendant for a potion that could handle the situation.

“Don’t worry about me, you need to go!” Luo Shangyu urged, tugging at the hem of Qin Yu’s pants, “I… I might not make it…”

Qin Yu looked back; they had already fled quite a distance.

“No! I won’t leave you here!” Qin Yu stood up and pulled Luo Shangyu onto her back.

Although Luo Shangyu wanted to break free, she didn’t have the strength to move and could only let Qin Yu have her way.

Even though Qin Yu was carrying her, their height difference meant Luo Shangyu’s feet still touched the ground, dragging along as they moved.

Thick roots arched out of the forest floor, as large as a row of small cabins, and even normal-sized bushes became obstacles to Qin Yu’s progress.

The rain fell in sheets, dripping through the gaps in the leaves and soaking both of them.

The bangs on Qin Yu’s forehead were plastered to her eyes by the water, forcing her to squint as she moved forward.

“Should we find a place to hide first?” Qin Yu asked.

However, Luo Shangyu did not answer.

Qin Yu’s heart sank. 

She held her breath and listened closely, hearing only Luo Shangyu’s faint breathing in the air.

‘No, I have to treat Luo Shangyu immediately!’ Qin Yu searched everywhere for a place to take shelter from the rain.

Suddenly, she spotted a tree hollow several hundred meters away. 

Qin Yu dragged Luo Shangyu inside.

The hollow was dark but dry.

Qin Yu used her staff to create a light, illuminating the interior.

The space inside wasn’t large; aside from some fallen leaves, there wasn’t much else. 

The floor was clean wood, blending seamlessly with the walls of the hollow.

Qin Yu laid Luo Shangyu flat on the ground and unzipped her jacket.

She knelt beside Luo Shangyu and pressed her ear to her chest, listening to her heartbeat.

Luo Shangyu’s heartbeat was weak and slow, and her breathing was barely audible.

“Luo Shangyu?” Qin Yu tried to wake her, but Luo Shangyu’s eyes only fluttered slightly, and a series of unintelligible whimpers came from her throat.

Qin Yu wiped away the blood seeping from the corner of Luo Shangyu’s mouth. 

The cold touch of her cheek startled Qin Yu. 

She hurriedly searched for and found a bottle of highly concentrated life essence.

This was a life-saving potion she kept in case she was wounded and on the verge of death on the battlefield.

Qin Yu unscrewed the cap and inserted the thin tip of the bottle between Luo Shangyu’s pale lips.

The liquid flowed into Luo Shangyu’s mouth. 

After only one drop had entered, Qin Yu pulled the bottle away.

This life essence was extremely pure—one drop was enough. 

Too much would produce the opposite effect.

Luo Shangyu’s breathing gradually leveled out, and the weight in Qin Yu’s heart finally lifted. 

Now, she had to worry about the pursuers who could arrive at any moment.