Yun Yang replied faintly, "They"re most probably behind this mountain… Nonetheless, I didn"t check."
"Why? Aren"t you afraid they will escape? You"ve set things up so painstakingly to avoid a slip and letting that slip harm Yutang, haven"t you?" asked Ji Lingxi.
Yun Yang cast his gaze at the scattered corpses not far away and sneered, "It"s all the same, they"ll never run away. Their biggest wish now is still to kill me. Other than that, the G.o.d"s Bones that the Four Seasons Tower have acc.u.mulated for tens of millenniums are basically all scattered here. How are they leaving?"
"This is a battle to end our grudges. It has to be finished here – one side must be completely defeated and destroyed!"
"Before this, my vengeance took precedence. I wanted to kill all of them, no matter what it took, that I even suggested this battle. However, now... more than ninety percent of the Four Seasons Tower have been ruined by my hands. Their brothers for millenniums, about eighty percent of them, were killed by us. I believe that their resentment must burn far more deadly than mine."
"As long as they"re not cowards, they won"t ever run away. If they are actually afraid to fight, they"re no longer to be considered an issue as well. There"ll be people who will eliminate them after this."
Yun Yang smiled faintly. "Now, I feel comforted because I"ve finally pa.s.sed back all the pain they"ve given me."
…
Around the same time when Yun Yang regained his consciousness, Mr. Nian, who was in the cave behind the mountain, opened his eyes as well.
His gaze was bleary as he looked at the ceiling of the cave. Then, a crimson thirst flushed in his...o...b... There was a huffing noise from his throat too. It was not due to fatigue but extreme resentment.
"Supreme Cloud!" He screamed soundlessly, blood threatening to spill from his lips.
Turning around and looking at the six men around him who were still soundly asleep, each one of them was bloodied with a peppering of wounds. It was difficult to look at. All of them were moaning in pain despite their steady snores.
Mr. Nian"s eyes were rimmed red instantly.
The Four Seasons Tower! It had been at the top of the martial world for tens of thousands of years, subjugating the world by force and domineering Tianxuan. Now… there were only these people left. Mr. Nian included, they were the last seven people. In addition, all of them were severely wounded.
Mr. Nian, who had awakened before everyone else, panted as the emotions flickered in his eyes. He stared at the six slumbering men before s.h.i.+fting his sight to the thick fog blanketing the outside of the cave, no words escaping his lips.
The Four Seasons Tower was doomed.
This thought that he felt could never exist rose from within him, bringing an excruciating pang to his heart once he realized it.
The tumultuous effort he made to succeed his seniors, the target he had fought for his entire life… Was it gone just like that?
He panted for a long time, finally regulating his heaving, but the flickering light in his eyes slowly faded, dimmed in the end. His gaze was morose. Then, he was seen retrieving ample medicinal pills from his spatial ring and tossing them all into his mouth.
…
The sun was about to set. It was near evening.
Yun Yang, who was significantly recuperated, stood at a high point overlooking the setting sun with his arms resting on his back.
In contrast to the Four Seasons Tower"s Mr. Nian and his men"s damaged cores, most of what Yun Yang expended was his physical and mental strength. At most, there were only external wounds. Even without Emmie"s support, Yun Yang"s state would improve swiftly as long as he had a good rest and hours of adjustment since he had so much energy stored within him. Currently, more than seventy percent of his combat power had already come back to him although he had yet to return to his optimal state.
Tianxuan Cliff was completely silent now.
Yun Yang was truly at peace, impatience, and anxiety not at all in sight. He was quietly waiting for the man. He believed that Mr. Nian would definitely show up.
All of a sudden, a howl rang from the back of the cliff.
Yun Yang turned around slowly to the direction where the voice came from, wearing a faint smile. In spite of this, the upturned corners of his lips hid an inexplicable sense of murderous intent.
Ji Lingxi who sat cross-legged stood up at once. As her gaze followed the sound, her dazzling sword was already in her grip.
Those at Tianxuan Cliff were all enemies if they were not Yun Yang, thus the one who howled just now was naturally an enemy!
A silhouette materialized on the other end of the thick blanket of mist. Mr. Nian"s usually clear voice rang out in an incredibly suppressed tone, "Supreme Cloud, where are you?"
The veil of fog laid over Tianxuan Cliff was too thick, effectively rendering a person blind. Mr. Nian was the one who had set the formation, but he was no exception to its effect. He could not even discern anything far away.
"I"m here, waiting for your arrival," answered Yun Yang.
Before his words could echo, Mr. Nian"s illusory form had come to him, following his voice.
Mr. Nian had recovered the usual black robe he wore. He was neat, even his hair was kept too. There was no sign of distress and exhaustion from experiencing a battle. He looked like he had just returned from a springtime outing. The refined demeanor was without the haze that rattled one before a battle.
A sliver of surprise flashed across Yun Yang"s eyes. There was obviously a disparity between his expectation and Mr. Nian"s current state of mind. He could not help heightening his alertness.
"Supreme Cloud is Supreme Cloud, truly. You live up to the reputation of Supreme Wit." Mr. Nian sighed, "We, the Four Seasons Tower, have lost this battle today."
Admitting defeat the moment he showed up? What an opening speech!
Yun Yang was bewildered as well, saying, "I should be comforted when Mr. Nian admits defeat personally, but our stances stand in opposition. We don"t rest until we die. This vengeance can"t be ended with just an acknowledgment of defeat!"
It was not that Yun Yang was being unforgiving and inhumane, determined to exterminate all of the Four Seasons Tower. The truth was that both parties no longer had parrying room. Any method to dissolve the dead knot between both sides was simply ineffective. The revenge could only be resolved by one side"s extinction!
"Lord Supreme Cloud has misunderstood my intentions of admitting defeat. I have admitted my loss, but I am not using it to end this battle nor will I await death while doing nothing. The battle goes on. The debt of blood can only be returned with blood. Lord Supreme Cloud has always known this and has been doing this. Naturally, the Four Seasons Tower will not lack in this aspect compared to Lord Supreme Cloud. Still, we understand the same reasoning."
Yun Yang spoke cautiously, "Go on."
"Only one party will perhaps descend Tianxuan Cliff when this battle ends!" Mr. Nian heaved a long sigh and said, "Whether it"s you, or me."
"Mr. Nian means that the final battle goes on and you admitting defeat has nothing to do with the grand scheme of things?" Yun Yang frowned.
"If I say that our vengeance stops here, would Lord Supreme Cloud agree to it?" Mr. Nian sneered.
"Of course not. Setting free a tiger back to the mountain isn"t in my character." Yun Yang"s gaze was resentful and cautious. His incomplete quest for vengeance aside, the consequences of these people surviving were not one he could shoulder if he asked himself.
The consequences would be severe, the resultant threats never-ending!