Chapter Thirty: A Dead End?

"Qin Lang, I have staked my life and future on you this time!"

Having fled another ten miles, both Qin Lang and Qin Jian began to slow down. Qin Jian, exhausted, trailed behind Qin Lang and cast a fearful glance at the surging herd of demonic beasts closing in from behind, panting heavily.

In the next moment, however, Qin Jian was stunned.

Not far ahead of them, a massive ravine stretching for dozens of miles suddenly appeared in their field of vision.

"There is no path left!"

Rushing to the edge of the ravine, Qin Jian stared into the bottomless abyss, then looked back at the beast tide, now only a few hundred meters away and approaching at breakneck speed. Panic filled his eyes. At this moment, Qin Jian felt profound regret. People had warned that this place was a dead end; why had he foolishly trusted Qin Lang? It was all over. He was a dead man.

Qin Lang, his expression grave, suddenly drew the dagger from Qin Yue's waist and whispered to her. A flicker of panic crossed Qin Yue’s beautiful eyes, but she quickly nodded.

"Qin Lang, what are you doing!"

To Qin Jian's shock, he saw Qin Lang reach the cliff's edge, scoop up Qin Yue, and leap into the void.

Qin Jian was startled. Did Qin Lang realize they were at a dead end and, facing certain death, choose to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff?

*Whoosh!*

Feeling the air rushing past his ears, Qin Yue clung tightly to Qin Lang with her slender, snow-white arms, eyes squeezed shut, burying her face deep into his chest.

After descending for dozens of meters, Qin Lang spotted a specific point, plunged the dagger fiercely into the cliff face, and the two hung suspended against the rock. Simultaneously, he channeled all the spiritual energy in his body into his free arm and struck the cliff with a powerful palm.

*Boom!*

Under the force of Qin Lang's blow, stone fragments flew, and a recess appeared in the cliff wall before them. He struck a few more times, and soon, a small cave suitable for hiding was carved into the precipice. Qin Lang quickly pulled Qin Yue inside.

"So it wasn't suicide; he was using the ravine as a natural barrier to hide from the beast tide!"

From the cliff edge, seeing Qin Lang's actions, the once-despairing Qin Jian realized what was happening and was overjoyed. He glanced back at the beasts only dozens of meters away, leaped off the cliff, used the dagger Qin Lang had left behind to break his fall, and scrambled into the cave.

The moment Qin Jian squeezed into the cave, the top of the cliff began to shake violently, as if hit by an earthquake.

Fortunately, the cave Qin Lang had carved was dozens of meters below the summit, so the impact was minimal. The demonic beasts in the lead, seeing the ravine appear before them, were filled with terror; unable to slow down in time, they plunged straight over the edge. Those behind, realizing what lay ahead, tried to stop, but were shoved over by the momentum of the beasts behind them who were unaware of the danger.

Under Qin Jian's wide-eyed gaze, countless beasts of all shapes and sizes fell from the cliff, wailing as they plummeted. Thousands upon thousands of them rained down like dumplings. The scene was spectacular.

"Heh, I didn't have time to dig my own hole, so I'll just make do with yours!" Fearing he might be scraped off by a falling beast, Qin Jian carefully shifted further into the cave, looking apologetic.

The cave Qin Lang had hastily excavated was already small. With Qin Jian squeezing in, the space left for Qin Lang and Qin Yue became even tighter, and the two were now pressed closely together.

With the soft, fragrant body in his arms—especially the firm, full breasts of Qin Yue pressing against his chest—a wonderful sensation washed over him. Smelling the faint, natural scent of a virgin emanating from her, Qin Lang felt his breathing quicken, and a surge of heat flowed from his dantian.

Whether in his previous life or this one, this was the first time Qin Lang had been in such intimate contact with a girl, and he could not suppress his instinctive physical reaction. Feeling Qin Lang’s increasingly heavy breath against her temple, Qin Yue felt a strange, tingling sensation, her face flushing bright red with shyness.

*How disgraceful! To have such a reaction to my own cousin!* Qin Lang felt incredibly awkward. Qin Yue was his cousin; his reaction felt truly sinful. He took a deep breath, forced himself to remain calm, and turned his focus inward, suppressing his desires.

*Splash, splash, splash.*

Somewhere in the Heavenly Wind Mountains, a massive waterfall cascaded down, the huge waves crashing against the rocks below with a deafening roar, sending water spraying and mist swirling. Behind the waterfall, a faint purple figure could be seen sitting cross-legged, meditating.

"Huff!"

"Twenty days. The injuries inflicted by the Crimson Flame Tiger have finally recovered by seventy or eighty percent."

Exhaling a long breath, the owner of the purple figure—a girl of breathtaking beauty—slowly opened her eyes, a glimmer of light flashing within them.

"Twenty full days, and I haven't hunted a single beast!" The girl looked down at the bracelet on her wrist; the number displayed was a pathetic twenty. Not only had she nearly died at the hands of the Crimson Flame Tiger, but due to her severe injuries, she had been unable to hunt a single beast for twenty days.

"All of this is thanks to that bastard!" A flash of anger crossed her beautiful eyes. Standing up, she looked at the dense, rampaging beast tide outside. A hateful figure flashed through her mind. She knew that with that scoundrel's cunning and deceit, he would surely have found a way to survive this tide.

The girl slowly clenched her fists, a ruthlessness appearing in her eyes that belied her beautiful features.

"You had better pray you don't run into me! The next time we meet, not only will I take your martial soul, but I will grind your bones to dust!"

At the entrance to the Heavenly Wind Mountains, young men and women emerged from time to time, looking disheveled and battered. In the vast square, the crowd waited anxiously. When those who emerged were identified as their own children, some erupted in excited cheers. But many others remained with furrowed brows, staring intently at the entrance, longing for their own children's return.

"Huff!" Huang Bo rushed out of the Heavenly Wind Mountains, let out a long sigh, and collapsed onto the ground, completely ignoring his dignity.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Seven or eight figures followed closely behind Huang Bo, escaping the mountains. Right on their heels was the beast tide, composed of countless demonic beasts.

"Ah!" "Ah!" "Ah!"

Cries of agony rang out as a dozen teenagers who hadn't managed to escape in time were swallowed by the tide, instantly trampled into pulp under the feet of the beasts. In the square, countless martial artists winced at the tragic sight. One mother, who had watched her own son die, let out a wail and collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Countless beasts attempting to rush out of the Heavenly Wind Mountains slammed into an invisible energy barrier at the entrance, flipping over onto their backs. In an instant, the entrance was piled with beasts of all kinds, their roars echoing out.

The people of Qingfeng Town felt a lingering fear. Thank goodness for the powerful defensive formation set up by a supreme master; otherwise, if so many beasts had rushed out, not only would they have all perished, but the entire town would likely have been destroyed.