“Uncle, what are you doing?” queried Ling Chuxi with a concerned frown as she looked at the kneeling injured man wearing a face full of despair.
“Little devils, flee quickly. It’s all my fault. I should not have run over here and gotten you all involved,” said the injured man with a regretful sigh. “There is a monster beast chasing me. I thought I might be able to be saved by coming over here, but I never thought that… Anyway, all of you should flee at once. I hope there is still time.” The injured man had thought anyone who dared enter so deeply into this part of the canyon had to be someone with incredibly strong cultivation. He never thought he’d encounter a few little devils as such. They were mere fledglings who were unafraid of tigers. What a miscalculation!
Right then, the wind carried with it the sound of a chilling whimper which was followed by a long howl. The sound pierced through the night, making whoever heard it cower in fright.
The facial expressions of the two hidden secret guards also changed. It was a Wind Owl Beast! Such monster beasts were cruel and ruthless. They were Level 5 monster beasts. They could move as swiftly as the wind, and their claws and teeth were so razor-sharp, they could bite through iron swords. The most frightening thing about them is that they were known for ceaselessly pursuing their prey until its death.
“A Wind Owl Beast!” exclaimed Ling Yichen as a change of expression overcame his usual calm one. “We need to leave now!” Logically speaking, Wind Owl Beasts were mainly active during the day and the range of their activities were very limited. As long as one was careful, one would not encounter a Wind Owl Beast. However, since this Wind Owl Beast was here to chase after the injured man, it had gone against its usual habits and was being active even at night. What was worse was that it seemed to be furious.
Suddenly, two dark figures flashed past all of them. The two secret guards had come out of hiding and blocked off Ling Chuxi, Ling Yichen and the fifth princess from the direction of the oncoming Wind Owl Beast. “Your Highness! All of you should leave at once. Wei Xin and I will hold it off for a bit and try our best to buy time for all of you to run,” said one of the guards anxiously.
“Uncle Wei Xin, Uncle Wei Dan!” blurted the fifth princess after taking a clearer look at the two figures in black.
“Miss Ling Chuxi, you must escort the princess away safely out of here. Please, I ask of you!” pleaded the guard who was called Wei Dan anxiously.
Before Ling Chuxi could reply, both secret guards had drawn their swords and taken off in the direction the Wind Owl beast was coming from. Their figures disappeared into the dark of night swiftly.
The injured man was stunned by the sudden change in his fortune. He was ecstatic. He was saved! This reversal in luck was just too great! He never thought that amongst the three youth, one of them would turn out to be a princess with her own secret guards to protect her. Seriously, this was just too great.
“Let’s go! They won’t be able to hold it off for long! We must go, now.” The injured man urged them all urgently.
“No! Master, I’m afraid I cannot leave!” cried the fifth princess as she burst into tears. “Besides Father Emperor and Consort Mother, only Uncle Wei Dan and Uncle Wei Xin treat me genuinely. I don’t want anything to happen to them!” Tears were streaming from the princess’ dark eyes. Right now, she no longer held any of her previous arrogance. There was only helplessness and sorrow.
“Don’t be stupid. If you go over there, things will end with you dying!” chastened the injured man anxiously. “Let’s all just hurry and leave at once.”
“Master, please. I want to save them!” begged the fifth princess as she rushed forward in tears. The wind carried upon itself the angry howl of the Wind Owl Beast. Clearly, this signified that Wei Dan and Wei Xin had already exchanged blows with it.
Ling Chuxi grabbed the fifth princess by her collar and dragged her backwards. “Come back here!”
“Let me go! I don’t want you as my master anymore! You have no right to stop me—” The fifth princess was weeping and struggling to wrest free of Ling Chuxi’s grasp when Ling Chuxi interrupted her rudely.
“Just wait here! I will go and save them!” barked Ling Chuxi in a stern tone that left no room for negotiation.