Chapter 0958: Full of Hatred
When Zhao Yan released the signal to retreat, the other teams in the forest similarly noticed it. However, they couldn’t help but wonder if their leader had gone absolutely insane in the head.
They were in an advantageous position and the Heavenly Dragon"s Five Lineages were on the verge of collapse. Holding on just a while longer would force them to rout.
Yet right as they were on the precipice of victory, Zhao Yan had given the signal to retreat.
If not for the fact that Zhao Yan"s family members were high-level elders of the bloodline, they would have suspected that he had been compromised. The leaders of each team were full of questions. The signal had come from the east, which was the direction the rescue team had gone towards.
Wasn"t Zhao Yan reinforcing that group?
Had Zhao Yan also been trapped in the same situation? What was going on there? Was there a Duke present?!
Why else would Zhao Yan be forced to retreat despite their perceived advantage?
Based on their understanding of him, something major should have occurred. Something that he could not resolve easily. The numerous team leaders on the side of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao felt extremely complicated at this development. Should they comply with the order or continue to push their a.s.sault?
Still, they did not take long to come to a decision. If they retreated and something went wrong, it would be Zhao Yan"s fault. On the other hand, if they did not retreat and the situation blew up, they would inevitably have to take responsibility.
It was easy to see which path they should take.
A few moments later, the team leaders gave the command to retreat, and the group turned tail in a flash.
This strange change left the Heavenly Dragon"s Five Lineages in confusion.
On the Dragon"s Scale Lineage"s side, Li Guan was single-handedly holding off three five-pearl Guardian Spirits. He originally held the upper hand, but with the arrival of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao and their constant hara.s.sment, he had to split his attention. This left him in a sorry state.
He was still bitterly awaiting an opportunity to turn things around, but who would have expected that they would all turn tail just like that?
Although he didn"t know what was going on, he took advantage of this opening. His resonant power burst out without restraint and he viciously attacked a Guardian Spirit.
"Duke Art: Golden Scaled Fist Strike!"
Worldly natural energy started rushing towards him and fusing with his resonant power. A giant, golden fist around a hundred feet wide manifested in the sky, and it was covered in a layer of golden dragon scales. This fist was like a gigantic dragon striking with all its force, capable of shattering mountains.
When the golden fist manifestation crashed into the first Guardian Spirit, its target immediately shattered into motes of light and the remaining two were sent flying, energy constantly dissipating from their bodies.
After dealing with one of the three Guardian Spirits, Li Guan felt the pressure on his end subside immensely.
The people of the Dragon"s Scale Lineage similarly summoned up their strength and launched a vicious counterattack, dealing with a large number of Guardian Spirits.
Not too long after, the situation was under control and the group congregated.
"What happened in the east?" someone asked curiously. They clearly saw that the situation there had changed and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had been forced to step back.
"Isn"t the east where the Dragon"s Fang Lineage chose to go? Could someone from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao have been captured?" Lu Qingmei suggested as she tightly clutched her glazed rod and glanced in that direction.
Li Guan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Zhao Yan was sent to reinforce the east, and he is comparable to Li Wuyuan in terms of strength. Even though the Dragon"s Fang Lineage has a Li Lingjing, it should only lead to a stalemate. How could they have forced Zhao Yan to release the signal to retreat?"
The only explanation behind Zhao Yan’s decision was that their side had encountered colossal danger.
The rest glanced at each other, none of them able to come up with any plausible responses.
"Forget about it. Now that the Guardian Spirits have been dealt with, let"s collect the Spirit Resonance Golden Dew and regroup with the rest," Li Guan commanded.
The rest a.s.sented as they quickly scattered to do so.
A similar sight occurred in the other directions of the forest as well.
On the other hand, the Devil Fire Hall were the ones who felt the most confused.
Tian Miao was leading the group suppressing the Dragon"s Blood Lineage and attacking them from afar. The way he saw it, with Zhao Yan taking action, the Dragon"s Fang Lineage would be quickly dealt with and they would be in a superior position.
However, he never expected that Zhao Yan would release the signal to retreat.
It was especially confusing when he saw the team from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao pause momentarily before choosing to leave. As a result, he couldn"t contain himself as he shouted, "Wait! Wait!!! The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li is about to collapse. If we don"t deal with them now, our efforts will all be in vain when they eventually regroup!" Tian Miao"s expression was steely green.
An individual from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao frowned. "Elder Brother Yan has given the signal. I"m sure he has a good reason for doing so, and he is also our leader. We naturally have to obey his orders. Tian Miao, we feel even more disgruntled than you are. However, we have no choice but to follow orders; otherwise, who can take responsibility if something goes wrong?"
After which, they ignored Tian Miao, who was clearly panicking, and quickly retreated out of the forest.
"Trash! You"ll never be able to accomplish anything in your lives!" Tian Miao was trembling with anger. He had put himself at great risk by plotting against the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, and his team would inevitably bear the brunt of their anger after they escaped this predicament.
At the same time, he understood that being angry wasn"t a solution. With the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao"s retreat, the Devil Fire Hall could not single-handedly restrict the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li"s teams, so he had to grit his teeth and lead his men away.
The people from the Dragon"s Blood Lineage watched their enemies scatter like frightened animals and fell into deep thought.
After which, their gazes turned towards the east as well.
What was going on?
"You still haven"t left?" Atop the valley in the east, Zhao Yan"s gloomy gaze surveyed the group from the Dragon"s Fang Lineage.
He could already imagine the countless scoldings he would attract after releasing the signal to retreat. But there was no other option. Although the other areas were at an advantage, it was ultimately just a minor one. On the other hand, this location was already completely compromised.
The other four teams would not emerge victorious in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, Zhao Shenjiang and Zhao Fengxu were facing the very real risk of falling here.
If they had to blame someone, it would be Li Luo with his vicious summoning of countless Guardian Spirits.
Li Luo looked at Zhao Yan’s malevolent eyes. Deep down, he knew that he might have just become the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao Yan"s number one target.
The enmity formed today might end up being a little too much to bear.
Still, he could only sigh helplessly. If that was the case, then he might as well push things to the extreme.
At the same time, he pointed towards the Guardian Spirits who were chasing a miserable-looking Zhao Jingyu. "I like that Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow you bought at the Golden Dragon Bank yesterday. Give it to me."
Zhao Jingyu seethed in anger when he heard that greedy statement. "In your dreams!"
This b.a.s.t.a.r.d was clearly hitting him when he was down.
"Your refusal has forced us to stay here for a while longer. Your fellow teammates are getting more and more injured as time goes on. Just let it go, treasures are just objects. After all, don"t you remember giving me those five dragon fangs in the past? You might have been unfamiliar with the practice of giving on your first time, but you"re already accustomed to it. That"s what"s important," Li Luo stated.
Li Fuling and Li Fengyi shot Li Luo a strange look. They were completely taken aback by how shameless he was.
"Give it to me, Zhao Jingyu," Zhao Yan emotionlessly commanded.
Zhao Jingyu clenched his teeth and unwillingly removed the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow from his pocket sphere before throwing it in Zhao Yan"s direction.
Zhao Yan received the object, and after inspecting it briefly, he shot it towards Li Luo with a flick.
"Take it. I hope you"ll keep that little life of yours safe. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao will definitely spare no effort in killing you before we leave the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Take care." Zhao Yan"s icy voice was laced with bone-chilling murderous intent.
One could clearly see that he had been absolutely aggravated by Li Luo.
Li Luo received the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow and, without any other words, turned to leave with unfurled energy wings.
The rest of the Dragon"s Fang Lineage similarly left.
Only then did Zhao Yan and the rest proceed with a rescue.