Chapter 273: A Mad Escape
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Chapter 273: A Mad Escape
The storm was still ongoing. If anything, it had gotten even stronger.
Come back here! the turtler deacon roared, shooting sideways through the sky like a confused comet. His presence was a bright beacon at the edges of Jacks Dao perception.
Jack didnt reply. His full attention was devoted to running faster, to bending the air before him through the Dao of the Fist and achieving just that little bit of extra speed. His entire body felt devoid of energy, his Dao Tree was dry, but he still had to run.
The two of them crossed the sky, disturbing the clouds through mere speed. Jack didnt know how fast he was going, but hed created two sonic booms, so probably a little faster than twice the speed of sound. It was not his top speed, but he was injured and exhausted. His heart beat in his throat, the blood drummed on his temples. He wanted to puke.
The turtler deacon kept pace. Though traditionally a slower species, his superior cultivation more than closed the gap, as the deacon himself was doing to Jack. The distance between them was quickly shortening. Soon, the deacon would be within attack range.
Jack considered using his escape talisman, the one hed gotten from the library of Hualis estate. He would have to do it sooner or later, as there was no way to outrun this guy. However, he wanted to delay as much as possible. There could be more deacons approaching, and he needed them all to converge on him for his escape to be successful.
Brat! Hold it right there! the deacon shouted from behind, growing more enraged by the moment.
If I was going to stop, I would have done it already! Jack shouted back.
Apparently, that was not the correct response. The deacon raised his hand and slapped it down, unleashing a palm strike towards Jack. It didnt reach him, exploding hundreds of feet behind him, but the ensuing shockwave ruined his balance and made him slightly slower. Before he could recover, the deacon had closed in.
I told you to stop! he shouted, unleashing another strike.
Jack had no choice but to defend. He turned and smashed out the strongest Meteor Punch he could muster, but it was not enough. The turtlers palm strike broke through the meteor and crashed on Jack, if weakened by his resistance. He was sent flying into the ground at an angle, carving a line a hundred feet wide and destroying an entire section of the forest.
Immediately, Jack jumped up and kept flying away. He needed to delay. His Neutron Star Body had helped him survive the strike, but one of his arms hung broken, his current regeneration too slow to help.
At least, the turtler didnt expect such a fast recovery, so he was a second too late to pursue, letting Jack open up the gap again.
BRAT! he roared, growing angrier every time he failed to stop Jack. Youre courting death!
Jack ran for his life. The pain and exhaustion were overwhelming him, sinking him into despair. His body was heavy and slow, his limbs refused to obey, the Dao around him felt sluggish. Yet, he persisted. He pushed through it all, his eyes gleaming with a madness so intense it would make Gan Salin proud.
The rain was growing stronger. He must have been flying towards its epicenter. By now, Jack was whipped by winds and droplets far fiercer than what he could find in Earth storms. These wouldnt normally affect him, but he was so badly hurt that even the rain bothered him as it struck his bloodied face. His teeth still hadnt regrown, nor would they if he couldnt find a moment to rest, and his once-beautiful purple robes were now wet with his own blood.
He kept running. A mountain rose before him, its peak covered in slow, and Jack maneuvered around it. Since he was more agile than the turtler, this might give him a chance to open a gap.
As soon as he was at the other side of the mountain, the entire thing exploded. The turtler passed right through, having shattered the mountain peak with a single palm, and debris rained towards Jack. It wouldnt reach him, but the sight was enough to make him raise both brows.
This guy destroyed a mountain without breaking pace! Just what kind of monsters did I offend!?
Hold it right there, brat! the deacon shouted. The more you make me chase, the more you will pay later!
Of course, Jack had no intention of stopping. He devoted even more of his being into running. By now, even the pain and exhaustion had faded away, replaced by a comforting numbness. All he could do was run. If he stopped, he might not be able to start again.
Even a deacons Dao perception couldnt stretch this farbut that didnt mean Jack was safe. Deacons were fast, and he was gravely injured. Moreover, he had no good way to mask his presence. They would surely search the wider area, and if they chanced upon him
I must run, he decided with urgency. He flew away. The wind rapped against his broken arm and leg, sending jolts of pain with every movement, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure. He had no more escape talismans. He needed to open even more distance and find a way to hide himselfmaybe dig a hole deep enough that the soil would block the Dao perception of his pursuers.
He even dived into the forest to make himself less visible from afar.
The moment right before he did, he spotted a bedraggled, pained face watching him from afara prisoner clad in nothing but a simple gray robe, who ran away the second he caught sight of Jack.
Shit, he cursed. If the Warden really can see through their eyes, Im doomed.
He changed directions and kept going. He maneuvered around trees, grimacing every time a branch struck his body. The miles evaporated under him. A minute later, he felt safe enough to poke his head through the foliage and gaze behind himwhere he spotted two lines of light crossing the sky far faster than he could manage, with a third one trailing far behind.
NO! he screamed in his mind. Fuck! No! This is unfair!
There was no chance theyd flown in this direction randomly. They knew where he was, somehow. And they were coming straight for him.
Jack flew out of the forest and kept running. He was much faster above the trees than through them, but it didnt change the fact that his pursuers were even faster. The distance was diminishing. Before long, he could make out the sharken and canines face if he looked back, along with their predatory grins.
What luck you have, brat! the canine deacon shouted from afar. To appear right next to a prisoner of our master! You might have escaped otherwise, you know!
Next to him, the sharken laughed. Even the Dao wants you dead, kid. Just surrender already! The more you make us chase you, the more painful your death will be!
Jack was drowned in injustice. He refused that explanation. How could he possibly be so unlucky as to appear next to a prisoner, of which there were only around a dozen per continent!?
Yet, reality was hard to argue with.
Does the universe really want me dead? he wondered. What did I do wrong!?
No. Its not my fault. Its the world that is wrong. Fuck luck. Fuck chances. Fuck the world. I will survive this, no matter what.
He still had the storage bead gifted to him by Master Huali. It was capable of releasing a strike with the full force of an early C-Grade. It was his only remaining life-saving measure, but he had to use it now.
He could sense the bead inside his clothes. He could activate it with a thought. The only problem was, he wasnt sure how it worked. All he could assume was that the strike would affect everything in a certain direction, so he should wait for all the deacons to be as clustered together as possible. If a single one of them survived, Jack was dead. Even the Life Drop didnt matter anymoreusing it wouldnt change a thing.
Since there was no point in running, he stopped. He turned to face his pursuers. With an arm and a leg broken, half his teeth missing, his face bloodied, and his body in tatters, he really made for a sorry sight. But he couldnt care less. The Fist wasnt about beauty. It was about power. Survival.
He stared down the three approaching deacons with fire in his gaze, mustering every bit of willpower he possessed. If they attacked with any sort of mind invasion, he had to defend himself long enough to use the storage bead.
The only problem was, the sharken and canine were flying far ahead of the turtler, who was the slowest of the three. Jack would only get one opportunity to bring them down. Could he hold on until the turtler arrived?
There was only one way to find out.
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Chapter 273: A Mad Escape
The storm was still ongoing. If anything, it had gotten even stronger.
Come back here! the turtler deacon roared, shooting sideways through the sky like a confused comet. His presence was a bright beacon at the edges of Jacks Dao perception.
Jack didnt reply. His full attention was devoted to running faster, to bending the air before him through the Dao of the Fist and achieving just that little bit of extra speed. His entire body felt devoid of energy, his Dao Tree was dry, but he still had to run.
The two of them crossed the sky, disturbing the clouds through mere speed. Jack didnt know how fast he was going, but hed created two sonic booms, so probably a little faster than twice the speed of sound. It was not his top speed, but he was injured and exhausted. His heart beat in his throat, the blood drummed on his temples. He wanted to puke.
The turtler deacon kept pace. Though traditionally a slower species, his superior cultivation more than closed the gap, as the deacon himself was doing to Jack. The distance between them was quickly shortening. Soon, the deacon would be within attack range.
Jack considered using his escape talisman, the one hed gotten from the library of Hualis estate. He would have to do it sooner or later, as there was no way to outrun this guy. However, he wanted to delay as much as possible. There could be more deacons approaching, and he needed them all to converge on him for his escape to be successful.
Brat! Hold it right there! the deacon shouted from behind, growing more enraged by the moment.
If I was going to stop, I would have done it already! Jack shouted back.
Apparently, that was not the correct response. The deacon raised his hand and slapped it down, unleashing a palm strike towards Jack. It didnt reach him, exploding hundreds of feet behind him, but the ensuing shockwave ruined his balance and made him slightly slower. Before he could recover, the deacon had closed in.
I told you to stop! he shouted, unleashing another strike.
Jack had no choice but to defend. He turned and smashed out the strongest Meteor Punch he could muster, but it was not enough. The turtlers palm strike broke through the meteor and crashed on Jack, if weakened by his resistance. He was sent flying into the ground at an angle, carving a line a hundred feet wide and destroying an entire section of the forest.
Immediately, Jack jumped up and kept flying away. He needed to delay. His Neutron Star Body had helped him survive the strike, but one of his arms hung broken, his current regeneration too slow to help.
At least, the turtler didnt expect such a fast recovery, so he was a second too late to pursue, letting Jack open up the gap again.
BRAT! he roared, growing angrier every time he failed to stop Jack. Youre courting death!
Jack ran for his life. The pain and exhaustion were overwhelming him, sinking him into despair. His body was heavy and slow, his limbs refused to obey, the Dao around him felt sluggish. Yet, he persisted. He pushed through it all, his eyes gleaming with a madness so intense it would make Gan Salin proud.
The rain was growing stronger. He must have been flying towards its epicenter. By now, Jack was whipped by winds and droplets far fiercer than what he could find in Earth storms. These wouldnt normally affect him, but he was so badly hurt that even the rain bothered him as it struck his bloodied face. His teeth still hadnt regrown, nor would they if he couldnt find a moment to rest, and his once-beautiful purple robes were now wet with his own blood.
He kept running. A mountain rose before him, its peak covered in slow, and Jack maneuvered around it. Since he was more agile than the turtler, this might give him a chance to open a gap.
As soon as he was at the other side of the mountain, the entire thing exploded. The turtler passed right through, having shattered the mountain peak with a single palm, and debris rained towards Jack. It wouldnt reach him, but the sight was enough to make him raise both brows.
This guy destroyed a mountain without breaking pace! Just what kind of monsters did I offend!?
Hold it right there, brat! the deacon shouted. The more you make me chase, the more you will pay later!
Of course, Jack had no intention of stopping. He devoted even more of his being into running. By now, even the pain and exhaustion had faded away, replaced by a comforting numbness. All he could do was run. If he stopped, he might not be able to start again.
Even a deacons Dao perception couldnt stretch this farbut that didnt mean Jack was safe. Deacons were fast, and he was gravely injured. Moreover, he had no good way to mask his presence. They would surely search the wider area, and if they chanced upon him
I must run, he decided with urgency. He flew away. The wind rapped against his broken arm and leg, sending jolts of pain with every movement, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure. He had no more escape talismans. He needed to open even more distance and find a way to hide himselfmaybe dig a hole deep enough that the soil would block the Dao perception of his pursuers.
He even dived into the forest to make himself less visible from afar.
The moment right before he did, he spotted a bedraggled, pained face watching him from afara prisoner clad in nothing but a simple gray robe, who ran away the second he caught sight of Jack.
Shit, he cursed. If the Warden really can see through their eyes, Im doomed.
He changed directions and kept going. He maneuvered around trees, grimacing every time a branch struck his body. The miles evaporated under him. A minute later, he felt safe enough to poke his head through the foliage and gaze behind himwhere he spotted two lines of light crossing the sky far faster than he could manage, with a third one trailing far behind.
NO! he screamed in his mind. Fuck! No! This is unfair!
There was no chance theyd flown in this direction randomly. They knew where he was, somehow. And they were coming straight for him.
Jack flew out of the forest and kept running. He was much faster above the trees than through them, but it didnt change the fact that his pursuers were even faster. The distance was diminishing. Before long, he could make out the sharken and canines face if he looked back, along with their predatory grins.
What luck you have, brat! the canine deacon shouted from afar. To appear right next to a prisoner of our master! You might have escaped otherwise, you know!
Next to him, the sharken laughed. Even the Dao wants you dead, kid. Just surrender already! The more you make us chase you, the more painful your death will be!
Jack was drowned in injustice. He refused that explanation. How could he possibly be so unlucky as to appear next to a prisoner, of which there were only around a dozen per continent!?
Yet, reality was hard to argue with.
Does the universe really want me dead? he wondered. What did I do wrong!?
No. Its not my fault. Its the world that is wrong. Fuck luck. Fuck chances. Fuck the world. I will survive this, no matter what.
He still had the storage bead gifted to him by Master Huali. It was capable of releasing a strike with the full force of an early C-Grade. It was his only remaining life-saving measure, but he had to use it now.
He could sense the bead inside his clothes. He could activate it with a thought. The only problem was, he wasnt sure how it worked. All he could assume was that the strike would affect everything in a certain direction, so he should wait for all the deacons to be as clustered together as possible. If a single one of them survived, Jack was dead. Even the Life Drop didnt matter anymoreusing it wouldnt change a thing.
Since there was no point in running, he stopped. He turned to face his pursuers. With an arm and a leg broken, half his teeth missing, his face bloodied, and his body in tatters, he really made for a sorry sight. But he couldnt care less. The Fist wasnt about beauty. It was about power. Survival.
He stared down the three approaching deacons with fire in his gaze, mustering every bit of willpower he possessed. If they attacked with any sort of mind invasion, he had to defend himself long enough to use the storage bead.
The only problem was, the sharken and canine were flying far ahead of the turtler, who was the slowest of the three. Jack would only get one opportunity to bring them down. Could he hold on until the turtler arrived?
There was only one way to find out.
Chapter 273: A Mad EscapeThe storm was still ongoing. If anything, it had gotten even stronger.Come back here! the turtler deacon roared, shooting sideways through the sky like a confused comet. His presence was a bright beacon at the edges of Jacks Dao perception.Jack didnt reply. His full attention was devoted to running faster, to bending the air before him through the Dao of the Fist and achieving just that little bit of extra speed. His entire body felt devoid of energy, his Dao Tree was dry, but he still had to run.The two of them crossed the sky, disturbing the clouds through mere speed. Jack didnt know how fast he was going, but hed created two sonic booms, so probably a little faster than twice the speed of sound. It was not his top speed, but he was injured and exhausted. His heart beat in his throat, the blood drummed on his temples. He wanted to puke.The turtler deacon kept pace. Though traditionally a slower species, his superior cultivation more than closed the gap, as the deacon himself was doing to Jack. The distance between them was quickly shortening. Soon, the deacon would be within attack range.Jack considered using his escape talisman, the one hed gotten from the library of Hualis estate. He would have to do it sooner or later, as there was no way to outrun this guy. However, he wanted to delay as much as possible. There could be more deacons approaching, and he needed them all to converge on him for his escape to be successful.Brat! Hold it right there! the deacon shouted from behind, growing more enraged by the moment.If I was going to stop, I would have done it already! Jack shouted back.Apparently, that was not the correct response. The deacon raised his hand and slapped it down, unleashing a palm strike towards Jack. It didnt reach him, exploding hundreds of feet behind him, but the ensuing shockwave ruined his balance and made him slightly slower. Before he could recover, the deacon had closed in.I told you to stop! he shouted, unleashing another strike.Jack had no choice but to defend. He turned and smashed out the strongest Meteor Punch he could muster, but it was not enough. The turtlers palm strike broke through the meteor and crashed on Jack, if weakened by his resistance. He was sent flying into the ground at an angle, carving a line a hundred feet wide and destroying an entire section of the forest.Immediately, Jack jumped up and kept flying away. He needed to delay. His Neutron Star Body had helped him survive the strike, but one of his arms hung broken, his current regeneration too slow to help.At least, the turtler didnt expect such a fast recovery, so he was a second too late to pursue, letting Jack open up the gap again.BRAT! he roared, growing angrier every time he failed to stop Jack. Youre courting death!Jack ran for his life. The pain and exhaustion were overwhelming him, sinking him into despair. His body was heavy and slow, his limbs refused to obey, the Dao around him felt sluggish. Yet, he persisted. He pushed through it all, his eyes gleaming with a madness so intense it would make Gan Salin proud.The rain was growing stronger. He must have been flying towards its epicenter. By now, Jack was whipped by winds and droplets far fiercer than what he could find in Earth storms. These wouldnt normally affect him, but he was so badly hurt that even the rain bothered him as it struck his bloodied face. His teeth still hadnt regrown, nor would they if he couldnt find a moment to rest, and his once-beautiful purple robes were now wet with his own blood.He kept running. A mountain rose before him, its peak covered in slow, and Jack maneuvered around it. Since he was more agile than the turtler, this might give him a chance to open a gap.As soon as he was at the other side of the mountain, the entire thing exploded. The turtler passed right through, having shattered the mountain peak with a single palm, and debris rained towards Jack. It wouldnt reach him, but the sight was enough to make him raise both brows.This guy destroyed a mountain without breaking pace! Just what kind of monsters did I offend!?Hold it right there, brat! the deacon shouted. The more you make me chase, the more you will pay later!Of course, Jack had no intention of stopping. He devoted even more of his being into running. By now, even the pain and exhaustion had faded away, replaced by a comforting numbness. All he could do was run. If he stopped, he might not be able to start again.Even a deacons Dao perception couldnt stretch this farbut that didnt mean Jack was safe. Deacons were fast, and he was gravely injured. Moreover, he had no good way to mask his presence. They would surely search the wider area, and if they chanced upon himI must run, he decided with urgency. He flew away. The wind rapped against his broken arm and leg, sending jolts of pain with every movement, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure. He had no more escape talismans. He needed to open even more distance and find a way to hide himselfmaybe dig a hole deep enough that the soil would block the Dao perception of his pursuers.He even dived into the forest to make himself less visible from afar.The moment right before he did, he spotted a bedraggled, pained face watching him from afara prisoner clad in nothing but a simple gray robe, who ran away the second he caught sight of Jack.Shit, he cursed. If the Warden really can see through their eyes, Im doomed.He changed directions and kept going. He maneuvered around trees, grimacing every time a branch struck his body. The miles evaporated under him. A minute later, he felt safe enough to poke his head through the foliage and gaze behind himwhere he spotted two lines of light crossing the sky far faster than he could manage, with a third one trailing far behind.NO! he screamed in his mind. Fuck! No! This is unfair!There was no chance theyd flown in this direction randomly. They knew where he was, somehow. And they were coming straight for him.Jack flew out of the forest and kept running. He was much faster above the trees than through them, but it didnt change the fact that his pursuers were even faster. The distance was diminishing. Before long, he could make out the sharken and canines face if he looked back, along with their predatory grins.What luck you have, brat! the canine deacon shouted from afar. To appear right next to a prisoner of our master! You might have escaped otherwise, you know!Next to him, the sharken laughed. Even the Dao wants you dead, kid. Just surrender already! The more you make us chase you, the more painful your death will be!Jack was drowned in injustice. He refused that explanation. How could he possibly be so unlucky as to appear next to a prisoner, of which there were only around a dozen per continent!?Yet, reality was hard to argue with.Does the universe really want me dead? he wondered. What did I do wrong!?No. Its not my fault. Its the world that is wrong. Fuck luck. Fuck chances. Fuck the world. I will survive this, no matter what.He still had the storage bead gifted to him by Master Huali. It was capable of releasing a strike with the full force of an early C-Grade. It was his only remaining life-saving measure, but he had to use it now.He could sense the bead inside his clothes. He could activate it with a thought. The only problem was, he wasnt sure how it worked. All he could assume was that the strike would affect everything in a certain direction, so he should wait for all the deacons to be as clustered together as possible. If a single one of them survived, Jack was dead. Even the Life Drop didnt matter anymoreusing it wouldnt change a thing.Since there was no point in running, he stopped. He turned to face his pursuers. With an arm and a leg broken, half his teeth missing, his face bloodied, and his body in tatters, he really made for a sorry sight. But he couldnt care less. The Fist wasnt about beauty. It was about power. Survival.He stared down the three approaching deacons with fire in his gaze, mustering every bit of willpower he possessed. If they attacked with any sort of mind invasion, he had to defend himself long enough to use the storage bead.The only problem was, the sharken and canine were flying far ahead of the turtler, who was the slowest of the three. Jack would only get one opportunity to bring them down. Could he hold on until the turtler arrived?There was only one way to find out.
