Chapter 124: The Second Level

The wind behind him roared like thunder. Then came a deafening crash, and a figure was sent hurtling through the air. Che Wuyou had no time to turn and look, but a shadow flew straight over his head, shooting toward the energy pillar of light.

What? It was Li Zhen. He had not even lasted a single exchange against the Steel Giant? Could it have been deliberate? In any case, he was a master at the late Guiyuan stage, ranked among the top five of everyone who had entered the Heaven-Piercing Tower. How could he have been so easily defeated?

Watching Li Zhen roll across the ground, rise, and continue sprinting rapidly in the predetermined direction of the energy pillar, Che Wuyou’s expression darkened. To create this slim opening, Li Zhen had deliberately chosen to take a blow from the Steel Giant head-on.

The wind behind him grew fiercer by the moment. Che Wuyou could feel the Steel Giant closing in. Not even he would make it to the energy pillar, let alone Li Zhen, before the Steel Giant caught up with them.

Che Wuyou felt utterly disheartened. He had exhausted nearly every method at his disposal, yet he still could not shake off the Steel Giant.

“Yun Fan, stop trying to seize the Nameless Sword. The Nameless Sword is the key that unlocks that old Steel Thief’s energy. The more fiercely you fight for it, the stronger he becomes. You should enter the second level as soon as possible.”

Che Wuyou spoke with indifference as he ran. He was gravely wounded, and with another person on his back, there was no way he could escape.

Zhang Qing’er had fallen unconscious once again, leaving him no chance even to abandon her. He could have thrown her aside and fled alone, but having come this far, the stubbornness in his heart had been awakened instead. No matter what happened, so long as he still drew breath, he would protect the woman on his back. He was not someone who gave up halfway.

“At such a dangerous moment, he still has the time to worry about me. He doesn’t seem like a bad man after all. Since that’s the case, I might as well save him to the very end…”

Yun Fan murmured to himself. His body accelerated once more, becoming as light as a drifting leaf. After only a few leaps, he had caught up with the Steel Giant from behind.

“Senior Steel, our battle isn’t over yet. I still have to take your Nameless Sword. How can you simply leave like this?”

Yun Fan’s voice drifted through the air. He had clearly drawn close.

“Junior Yun Fan, once I have dealt with these troublesome fellows, we can fight again. These youngsters are far too cunning. They intend to sneak through while we are locked in battle—hardly the conduct of true men. Besides, my duty is to guard the Heaven-Piercing Tower. With such despicable vermin around, I cannot fight you to my heart’s content.”

The Steel Giant’s voice rumbled like a great bell.

Not long after he finished speaking, the Steel Giant suddenly lunged forward two steps. Raising his sword, he slashed at Che Wuyou and Zhang Qing’er.

Suddenly, a figure moved with strange, fluttering steps, drifting like a falling leaf, and landed behind the Steel Giant in an instant. The figure clung tightly to him. Then both arms seemed to stretch out of thin air, wrapping around the Steel Giant’s waist and dragging him backward with all their might.

Under the pull of that slender figure, the enormous Steel Giant was forced to retreat. The sword he had swung at Che Wuyou and Zhang Qing’er narrowly missed.

Che Wuyou did not need to look back to sense two masses of spiritual energy violently entangled behind him. One mass was obscure and difficult to fathom; Che Wuyou could not determine its precise level. It was obviously the spiritual energy of the Steel Giant. The other was far clearer. Che Wuyou could even sense that it possessed the strength of the late Guiyuan stage.

There was no doubt that it belonged to Yun Fan.

“I never imagined Yun Fan had still been concealing his strength. Just how powerful is he? The old Steel Thief keeps growing stronger, yet Yun Fan seems to be growing stronger as well… Fortunately, neither of them has surpassed the late Guiyuan stage.”

Che Wuyou muttered to himself. It was fortunate that Yun Fan was strong enough. Had anyone else come in his place, they truly might not have been able to hold back the Steel Giant. He wondered whether the proud Yang Fengge possessed such abilities, but for the moment, even Che Wuyou could not be certain.

The battle behind him created an enormous disturbance. Che Wuyou did not dare turn his head. This was his only chance of survival. If Yun Fan could not stop the old Steel Thief, everything would be over.

With Zhang Qing’er on his back, he had reached the limit of his speed. Though every bone in his body seemed to have come loose from the pain, he stubbornly clenched his teeth and endured. The energy pillar of light was drawing closer and closer.

“Roar!”

The Steel Giant’s bellow thundered across the area, shaking even Li Zhen, who was on the verge of stepping into the energy pillar. Given Li Zhen’s strength, the Steel Giant’s roar should not have affected him so greatly. But he had suffered defeat after defeat at the Steel Giant’s hands and was now wounded on top of his previous injuries. Under that furious roar, he lost his balance and nearly fell backward.

“Damn it. Why is Yun Fan trying to seize the Nameless Sword again?”

Che Wuyou saw that the energy pillar was growing ever nearer, but the energy fluctuations behind him were intensifying without pause. Clearly, the Steel Giant’s sealed energy had been released once more, and the extent of its release continued to increase.

Under the Steel Giant’s roar, blood spilled continuously from the corners of Che Wuyou’s mouth. He was already severely wounded, yet he still had to use all his strength to shield Zhang Qing’er from the shock waves.

While transferring power into Zhang Qing’er, he continued moving at top speed. The veins on his forehead bulged like writhing earthworms, and his face was twisted with pain.

At last, the energy behind him reached its peak. After a thunderous explosion, the Steel Giant and Yun Fan were simultaneously blasted backward.

Blood stained the corner of Yun Fan’s mouth, and his face was somewhat pale. He had clearly suffered a minor setback. Because of the Steel Giant’s unique material, however, Yun Fan’s attack had merely sent him flying; he had not sustained the slightest injury.

“Again. I refuse to believe I can’t take your Nameless Sword.”

Yun Fan barely paused. The moment he climbed to his feet, he charged madly at the Steel Giant once more.

The Steel Giant glanced back at Che Wuyou, who was crawling forward like a tortoise. Clearly, he was considering whether to deal with this man first. Perhaps he felt that Yun Fan was too fast, and unless he completely subdued Yun Fan, he would never be able to finish off Che Wuyou.

Thus, after sparing Che Wuyou only a glance, he turned once more to meet Yun Fan.

Che Wuyou moved forward step by step. He could even feel the fierce winds created by the two men’s collisions behind him.

Every time Yun Fan tried to seize the Nameless Sword, the Steel Giant would inevitably unleash a furious roar. This time was no exception. The terrifying roar, growing stronger with every moment, drove Che Wuyou to the brink of collapse. Yet he still clenched his teeth and endured.

He did not know how long he had been walking or how long he had held on. Like a walking corpse, he continued onward. Finally, just as he was about to collapse, he reached the edge of the energy pillar.

He knew he could not relax. The moment he did, he might pass out. That thought flashed through his mind as he looked at Yun Fan, still exchanging violent blows with the Steel Giant.

“Yun Fan, give it up. The more fiercely you fight for his Nameless Sword, the stronger he becomes. Sooner or later, you will die beneath his blade.”

Che Wuyou spoke in a dry, low voice. He had almost no strength left to shout. He did not know whether Yun Fan could hear him, but these were the words he had to say.

“You go on ahead. I still have to take the Nameless Sword!”

Yun Fan’s reply was resolute. He had actually heard Che Wuyou, perhaps because only someone as abnormal as him possessed such astonishing hearing.

Che Wuyou gave a bitter laugh. What a fool. He had never met anyone so stubborn before—someone who knowingly pursued the impossible. Yet despite himself, he admired Yun Fan from the bottom of his heart.

Without turning back, Che Wuyou carried Zhang Qing’er into the energy pillar. He had bought this opportunity with his life, and he cherished it deeply.

The instant he stepped into the energy pillar, his heart filled with complicated and unreal sensations.

Had he finally succeeded?

And how much farther could he go from here?

Many people had already broken through ahead of him.