The rune storm that had been sweeping towards them suddenly changed direction, because Yan Yu had drawn his sword.
A trace of surprise appeared on Yin Zhongxiu's face, which had been resigned to death.
No one wished for death, no matter the circumstances.
So the moment Yan Yu struck, a feeling called hope inexplicably arose in his heart.
This hope was inexplicable, because by all logic, Yan Yu, no matter how strong, was merely a second-order esper.
Facing the mighty Vilitan, he shouldn't have been able to make much of a difference.
But for some reason, Yin Zhongxiu suddenly felt that Yan Yu could do it, and they wouldn't die.
So, as Yan Yu drew his sword, he immediately began to run forward.
His body, imbued with his esper abilities, moved with extreme speed. Yin Zhongxiu entered the Soul Snatch Formation, covering the retreat of the wounded.
Along the way, he also picked up the broken spear that had fallen on the ground.
With his life-bound weapon in hand, Yin Zhongxiu instantly felt a surge of confidence.
He began to swing his spear, leaving trails of beautiful silver threads in the air. Any fragments that shot out from the rune storm were blocked by him.
But for those he couldn't block, he used his own body. In just a few seconds, the Governor of the Demon Extermination Division sustained dozens of bloody wounds.
"Sir, you should leave first!"
A listless youth, whom Yin Zhongxiu was carrying, cried out with a choked voice.
His physical condition was precarious; he couldn't withstand another blow, and the rune storm raged on, growing more unstable, with sharp runes occasionally flying out into space.
Every time this happened, Yin Zhongxiu would use his own body to shield him, or them.
This cycle repeated. In mere seconds, the man was covered in bloody wounds.
Yin Zhongxiu ignored the youth's plea. He was in poor condition and couldn't help much, so he could only try to minimize losses.
However, though he claimed to be rescuing people, he was merely moving the wounded to a position behind the rocks about two hundred meters away.
That location was further from the rune storm, offering relative safety, but it was only temporary.
If Vilitan attacked again, most people here would still perish.
Yin Zhongxiu gritted his teeth and charged back again.
Covering the retreat of the wounded was his duty, but in truth, his greatest concern was Yan Yu.
He feared his own death, and even more, Yan Yu's. And they were all, at this point, near exhaustion.
Being with Yan Yu would only make them a burden.
...
Yan Yu drew his sword.
A bloody gash appeared on Vilitan's abdomen.
It glittered with cold ice crystals, causing any energy that touched it to frost over.
Having landed a blow, Vilitan summoned the storm again. He naturally wouldn't linger and quickly retreated from the area.
At the same time, he also rescued Bai Pu, who was staggering away, and Tuoba Xiaorong, who was unable to move.
"Junior Brother..."
Tuoba Xiaorong's white hair, stained with blood, hung over his face. His lips were dry, his eyes clouded, and he appeared extremely disheveled.
He had lost too much of his esper energy to the Soul Snatch Formation, even his life essence was severely damaged. He could no longer see clearly, but he could still discern who it was through the chilling aura emanating from the young man's arm.
Moreover, within the entire First Division, only Yan Yu had the ability to rescue him at this moment.
"Junior Brother, I think you should put us down. You'll get implicated this way."
Bai Pu's condition was slightly better than Tuoba Xiaorong's, as the formation's drain on his spirit seemed less intense.
But he, too, weakly pleaded, urging Yan Yu to escape quickly.
Although Vilitan hadn't deliberately targeted them with the formation, the automatic draining effect of the Soul Snatch Formation had already depleted his esper energy.
His life essence and vitality were also depleted. His strength now was even less than that of a normal, healthy adult man.
Under normal circumstances, being able to walk and run might be enough to escape, but this was the central region of Xishan, where Great Demons and Wraiths roamed. Simply moving like an ordinary person was far from enough.
They would be devoured by the Wraiths, leaving nothing behind. Yan Yu, carrying them, would easily be implicated.
If, in the end, none of them managed to escape, that would be truly tragic!
Yan Yu remained silent. Bai Pu, receiving no response, sighed.
Regarding this nominal junior brother, he had a clearer understanding than most.
As an esper who had awakened sensory abilities, Bai Pu had achieved excellent results at the previous Gui Ye Esper Experience Exchange Conference.
But he knew in his heart that his and Yan Yu's strength were not on the same level at all.
Although they had never officially sparred, he had witnessed the terrifying effect of Yan Yu's incredibly fast sword strikes combined with mental perception.
He could anticipate the enemy's next move and react accordingly, even figuring out all possible solutions for the opponent before they themselves knew what to do.
Once the correct guess was made, the rest was simple. As the fastest man in Unfallen City, Yan Yu usually only needed one sword to deal with many espers of the same level.
Therefore, Bai Pu was very aware of how strong this young man's talent and strength were. Becoming a third-order esper would pose no obstacle to him.
Such talent was extremely rare for the entire Demon Extermination Division, and indeed for the entire Taichu Realm.
Humankind would greatly need such a cultivation genius to combat the pollution, and Yin Zhongxiu also needed a suitable successor to become the next Governor of the Demon Extermination Division.
Even if Yan Yu didn't perish prematurely, it would be no problem for him to become the Governor of all Five Divisions in the entire Gui Ye domain in the future.
After all, the name Yan Yu was highly sought after in other divisions, with countless espers eager to spar with him, and an untold number who had fallen beneath his sword.
As for espers outside the Demon Extermination Division, they were generally not a consideration. Thus, Yan Yu was indeed currently the strongest second-order esper in the entire Gui Ye domain.
—This, of course, did not include Xu Mu.
He had only reached second order today, and had perhaps only just awakened his abilities.
He himself did not know how strong he was.
Because that depended on how strong the other person was.
...
Yan Yu brought a chill, delivering the last two to Yin Zhongxiu.
Yin Zhongxiu's expression was complex, but he offered no words of gratitude; everything was understood.
"I never made a move, waiting for this opportunity, but it's a pity I couldn't kill him."
Yan Yu lowered his head slightly, his blue hair obscuring his eyes.
He had found a good opportunity, and to avoid Vilitan's notice, he had unleashed this sword strike instantaneously.
Neither its speed nor its power were at their absolute peak, but it was unexpected. He hadn't anticipated Vilitan managing to twist away from the fatal blow to the heart.
"You've already done very well. You take them and leave first. Leave this to me."
Yin Zhongxiu patted Yan Yu's shoulder and then tightened his grip on the broken spear.
In his current state, although he was no match for Vilitan, he could at least hold him off for a short while.
In that time, how many people Yan Yu could escort to safety depended on fate.
"None of those serving in the Demon Extermination Division are cowards. When we came to Xishan, we were prepared for sacrifice!"
Tuoba Xiaorong suppressed a cough and said sternly.
He knew well that people like Yan Yu and Yin Zhongxiu could not be implicated because of them.
It could be said that, besides Yin Zhongxiu, the lives of all of them combined were not worth as much as Yan Yu's life.
If Yin Zhongxiu stayed behind to cover their retreat, and Yan Yu tried to escape with them, the burden, then the likely outcome would be that none of them would make it out!
Everyone's gaze was ardent as they looked at Yin Zhongxiu and Yan Yu, their intentions clear.
There was no time for deliberation. Yin Zhongxiu's face twitched, and he sighed. Just as he was about to make a decision, a tiger's roar was heard.
Everyone, including Xu Mu on the mountaintop, turned their heads towards the west simultaneously.
That was the core region of Xishan.
...