Ch. 147 - The First Kiss

Following the route map sent by the Strategy Department, Tianyang's team was supposed to turn at the fork just now.

But now, there was a sorcerer in the fork, and the main path had started to collapse. With no other choice, the four of them had to sprint forward.

"Quickly, run faster!" Kun Lan, running in the lead, didn't forget to shout a reminder to those behind.

His voice echoed throughout the cavern passage.

Tianyang frowned slightly; Kun Lan's echo seemed louder than usual as if there was a vast space ahead.

The young man suggested, "Anyone got a flare? Shoot one forward."

"I'll do it." Kun Lan took out a launcher and fired a flare into the forward passage.

The light streaked forward and illuminated the distance, and as the light rose, all four of them gasped.

A hundred meters ahead lay a cliff. In the light from the flare, they could see the jagged cave ceiling above.

If it weren't for this flare, with their speed, they'd have barreled over the edge before realizing it was a cliff.

***Screech—***

Kun Lan's boots made a faint sound as he stopped at the edge. Looking down, it was pitch black below, with no way of knowing how deep it went.

Tianyang and the other three also arrived, stopping at the cliff and looking back to see the passage still rumbling. Judging by the sound, the collapse was still progressing, spreading toward them.

"What should we do?" Kun Lan shouted anxiously. The situation now was like being forced to the edge of a cliff.

Tianyang looked at the sword in his hand and shouted, "Let's anchor ourselves to the rock wall with our swords first!"

Thick smoke was already rushing toward them from the passage behind, so without hesitation, they each anchored themselves to the rock wall with their weapons.

Ji Yu, who only carried a small dagger for self-defense, found it useless in this situation. As the smoke approached and the ground beneath her feet gave way, she couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

Suddenly, her arm was gripped tightly—it was Tianyang. The two clung to the rock wall, allowing the smoke and debris to sweep past them.

After a while, Tianyang opened his eyes. Surrounded by smoke and dust, he raised Ji Yu and called out, "Hold on tight to me!"

Ji Yu wrapped her arms around Tianyang's shoulders, practically riding on his back, her legs clasped around his waist, and her arms wrapped around his neck. She finally felt relieved.

She probably had never been this close to any man before. Even though Tianyang was just a boy, her ears still burned. Luckily, everyone was too focused on their surroundings to notice her embarrassment.

As the dust cleared a bit, Kun Lan suddenly noticed a cave on the opposite cliff.

It was about five or six meters below their position.

"Look over there!" Kun Lan shouted, "There's a cave! If we can get over there, we might find a way out."

Ji Yu turned her head and looked but felt a sinking feeling in her chest. "No way, it's too far. There's at least a fourteen or fifteen-meter gap. Can any of you jump that far?"

Cang Du considered and said, "If I could get a running start, I might make it."

Kun Lan sneered, "Long hair, that's useless to say. We're hanging here right now. Where would you get a running start?"

Tianyang calculated the distance and said firmly, "Ji Yu, I think I can throw you across. Want to give it a try?"

Ji Yu hesitated at first, saying, "That's too risky. Maybe we should try climbing down and see if we can find another passage?" Cang Du agreed, "That's a feasible option."

Kun Lan, with his double blades lodged in the rock wall, began to climb down.

Suddenly, the blue-haired boy stopped, his expression turning grave as he looked below.

Noticing his reaction, Tianyang also looked down. At first, he sensed nothing and was about to ask what Kun Lan had noticed. Suddenly, he heard faint sounds from below.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the darkness below. It looked like a person climbing the rock wall, with long limbs and a slender, emaciated figure.

In the light of the flare, they could even see the protruding bones under its thin skin. Judging by the size of those bones, these "people" seemed very lightweight.

And there were more and more of them!

Sensing the humans' gaze from above, the creature at the front lifted its head, revealing a bizarre face.

It had no eyes or nose, just two nostrils and a wide mouth split to the ears.

It opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp, jagged teeth, and let out a low growl toward the humans above!

"Subterraneans. These things are like ghost bats—they prefer tunnels and underground areas," Ji Yu whispered. "They're very light and excellent climbers. They have no vision but highly developed senses of smell and hearing. They're afraid of light and fire, and they prefer dark, damp places."

"And they bite hard. Their jaws can bite through ordinary armor!"

Kun Lan started climbing back up. On flat ground, he wouldn't fear these subterraneans, but hanging on a rock wall, they could barely keep themselves anchored, let alone fend them off!

"Throw me across, Tianyang!" Ji Yu urged. She'd rather take the risk than wait here for an attack.

Tianyang nodded, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly with one hand while holding onto Ji Yu with the other. He instructed her to let go.

At this point, Ji Yu had no choice but to trust this young man completely. She relaxed her body, letting Tianyang hold her with one hand.

Then, Tianyang did something that made her heart leap!

The young man started swinging her like a pendulum. Ji Yu realized he was trying to use the swinging motion to shorten the distance and increase his throwing force.

Even so, as she swung back and forth, her heart pounded in her throat.

"Get ready."

The command from Tianyang came from above. At the peak of a wide swing, he hurled her towards the other cliff.

Ji Yu flew through the air like a cloud. She curled into a ball to reduce air resistance and increase her distance.

When she reached the highest point of her arc, she started to fall. Just before hitting the cliff, she stretched her body out.

Her hands caught hold of a protruding rock, and with a jolt, she clung to the cliff.

Without pausing, Ji Yu climbed a short distance up the rock wall and successfully entered the cave Kun Lan had spotted.

Lying on the ground, she took a few deep breaths before finally rising.

She looked back across, where the subterraneans were already climbing the wall. From afar, they looked like a swarm of lizards, dense and hair-raising.

"Hey, woman! Move aside!" Kun Lan shouted. Ji Yu's voice had already caught the subterraneans' attention, so there was no need to keep her voice down anymore.

"Call me 'sister,' you brat!" Ji Yu muttered, stepping back and pulling out her longbow to cover her comrades across the way.

Kun Lan drew a hook blade and aimed it at the cave floor, pressing a button on the handle. The blade instantly shot out and embedded itself in the cave floor. Kun Lan tugged it to ensure it was secure, then looked at Cang Du.

"Long-hair, you know how to use it, right? Just make sure to return it to me!"

With a powerful push off the wall, the blue-haired boy shot across to the other side of the abyss, using the special steel cable attached to his blade. Upon reaching the other cliff, he retracted the cable, pulling himself up.

Kun Lan had left the hook blade for Cang Du.

Since he was close by, the ponytailed youth first grabbed the hook blade to anchor himself, then sheathed his sword, following the same method to cross safely.

Now, only Tianyang remained on the rock wall.

By now, the subterraneans were less than ten meters away from Tianyang.

Suddenly, an arrow flew over, hitting a subterranean in the head and sending it plummeting into the abyss with a scream.

Ji Yu, anxious, looked at Tianyang. "Oh no, Tianyang doesn't have any equipment. How's he going to make it?"

Kun Lan retracted his hook blade, sheathing it with a spin before turning to leave. "If the white-haired kid dies here, it just means he wasn't up to it. If he dies, all the better; one less competitor."

He chuckled to himself.

Cang Du glared at him, resisting the urge to kick this jerk into a ball, if not for Kun Lan lending him the hook blade earlier.

Just then, on the opposite side, Ji Yu felt a surge of energy. She turned to see Tianyang's star aura manifesting.

The young man turned himself around, back against the rock wall, facing the abyss.

After taking a deep breath, he held his sword handle tightly, then curled up and backflipped, positioning himself to crouch on the vertical cliff wall.

Below, the subterraneans snarled as they climbed, reaching out to grab Tianyang.

Tianyang pushed off with all his might, launching himself forward while dragging his sword, cutting through the darkness of the abyss like a shining comet!

Those subterraneans heard the sound of something breaking through the air and actually twisted their bodies around, pouncing upward in an attempt to grab Tianyang in midair.

Unfortunately, they caught only air. When their momentum was spent, one by one they shrieked as they fell, their figures instantly disappearing into the darkness.

With all his strength, Tianyang crossed a dozen meters of space. Just as he was about to collide with the rock wall, he raised the Crimson Moon Warblade and thrust it forcefully.

The sharp blade easily pierced the rock wall, and even though the momentum pulled the blade down the wall for several meters, it eventually secured Tianyang in place.

Moments later, Tianyang leaped into the cave. Ji Yu couldn’t hold back a cheer, hugging Tianyang and planting a kiss on his cheek in excitement.

Hearing Ji Yu’s cheer, Kun Lan smirked and continued forward.

After kissing Tianyang, Ji Yu realized her overreaction and quickly released him.

But seeing Tianyang’s strange expression, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

Tianyang sighed. “That was my first kiss.”

Ji Yu froze, then shouted, “That was my first kiss too! If you hadn’t saved me, do you think I’d kiss a brat like you? And you even dare to look disgusted!”

Cang Du covered his face, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to hold back his laughter.

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