Chapter 560: Rain from a Clear Sky 2
Zhan Chi quickly leaped away, carrying Ye Qianning with him.
Chu Yue’s recent shout had instantly drawn the attention of Qian Fanji and Gu Shuo. When they turned and saw the group, they were utterly shocked.
"Zhan Chi, why did you bring her back?" A surge of anger rose in Gu Shuo’s heart.
Qian Fanji’s expression was grim.
The fire was all-consuming. There was no escape!
"The fire has us surrounded! We can’t get down the mountain!" Zhan Chi shouted.
Gu Shuo froze. ’Are we too late?’
All Chu Yue could think about was killing Ye Qianning. Even if they couldn’t escape, she would kill her first.
With a flick of her wrist, she retracted the whip and immediately lashed out at Zhan Chi again.
"The girl said there’s a cave under the broken peak where we can take shelter!" Zhan Chi yelled, leaping between the massive trees to evade Chu Yue’s assault.
Ye Qianning’s eyes fell on the whip in Chu Yue’s hand. It was peculiar, built like a two-section staff, with both ends of the whip covered in barbs. A single lash would be more devastating than being run through with a sword.
"Put us down."
Zhan Chi considered for a moment, then nodded. After a few quick leaps to put some distance between them and Chu Yue, he set Sang Zhi down before carrying Ye Qianning off to the side.
Ye Qianning’s mouth twitched. "I said put *us* down, not just him."
"He’s safe. That madwoman from East Shu is after you." Even someone as dense as Zhan Chi could see that.
SWISH!
The pitch-black whip shot toward them, fast as lightning. As it descended on his head, Zhan Chi reached out to catch it.
"Don’t touch it!"
In the instant the whip drew near, Ye Qianning saw it clearly—it seemed to be coated in poison. Only a poison-soaked whip would be so thoroughly black.
Her warning came too late. Zhan Chi had already grabbed the whip with one hand.
A wisp of corrosive smoke instantly rose from his large hand. Surprised, Zhan Chi didn’t let go. Instead, he yanked on it with all his might.
Chu Yue staggered but quickly regained her footing. "We’ll see whose strength is greater, yours or my whip’s!"
"Let go!" Ye Qianning grabbed his arm.
Zhan Chi acted as if he hadn’t heard her. His expression grim, he clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the whip. Planting his feet, he used his upper body to yank on it and swing it violently.
Chu Yue stumbled back a few steps before leaping into the air. She swung around a tree, wrapping the whip around its trunk, then planted a foot against it and pulled.
Even with his immense strength, Zhan Chi couldn’t overcome her leverage. His feet began to slide forward.
"Let go! Do you want to lose your hand?" Ye Qianning’s face darkened.
"There’s something strange about this whip." Zhan Chi tried to let go, but it felt as if the whip was glued to his palm.
At his words, Ye Qianning’s eyes fixed on the whip. It seemed even blacker than before.
Zhan Chi slid forward faster and faster until, with a sudden jerk, he was hoisted into the air.
The moment he was lifted, he managed to set Ye Qianning down first.
Ye Qianning’s legs couldn’t support her, and she sank to one knee. She turned to look at Gu Shuo and Qian Fanji just as they happened to look her way.
"Young Miss." Ying Ge flew to her side and scooped her up.
Chu Yue’s target was Ye Qianning. Seeing her being carried away, she flicked her whip, lashing it on the ground in front of Ying Ge.
Ying Ge scrambled backward. Where the whip struck the ground, black smoke sizzled into the air.
Zhan Chi fell from above, his palm a blackened mess.
Ye Qianning was horrified. ’What kind of whip is this?’
WHIP.
The whip struck the ground and rebounded violently, its tip snapping toward Ying Ge’s face.
Without thinking, Ye Qianning also reached out to grab it. But before her small hand could make contact, Ying Ge spun around, and the whip landed squarely on her back.