Chapter 4493 — Tears Without Tears
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Cheng Haonan was no fool. He knew the situation had reached a point of no return—there was no talking his way out of this day's ordeal. Once his identity as a demonic cultivator was confirmed, his fate would be to be surrounded and cut down by everyone present.
Never mind that Cheng Haonan was now utterly spent; even at his peak, facing the pursuit of so many Nascent Soul experts would have meant certain death with no burial ground—not a single thread of hope.
So the only way out left to him was to slip away before the crowd's killing intent fully materialized. As long as a top-tier expert like Hai Wuliang did not give chase, he still had the faintest sliver of a chance to survive.
Long Kuiba stood frozen as he watched Cheng Haonan burst out of the crowd, shoot clear of the Demon Cold Plaza in an instant, and vanish from everyone's sight. The whole crowd was frozen too, needing a moment before they grasped it—damn it, the man was fleeing in fear of punishment!
A few cultivators on the periphery hurriedly gave chase, but the vast majority of those present responded with indifference. After all, Cheng Haonan's strength spoke for itself; spent as he was, the astonishing speed of his flight made it clear the man still had room for a desperate death struggle.
Given the strength of most people present, they could not catch Cheng Haonan's pace to begin with, and even if they did, they could never beat him. In his ordinary state Cheng Haonan could have thrashed them effortlessly—let alone now, blackened all over and wild as a madman.
Demonic cultivators certainly deserved killing, but no one present was a fool; none would throw away their own life chasing one down. Had they not seen that even a top expert like Hai Wuliang showed not the slightest intention of lifting a hand?
With Hai Wuliang's strength he could of course beat Cheng Haonan, but now was the crucial moment for consolidating the fruits of victory. How could he possibly chase after him? What if Zhao Bufan and the others took advantage and reaped the spoils for nothing? By the time he returned from the kill, the daylily would have gone stone cold…
If Hai Wuliang would not chase, then Zhao Bufan and the others certainly would not either. Hai Wuliang did not trust them, and they did not trust Hai Wuliang.
The only one present who could truly pose a lethal threat to Cheng Haonan—and who had the mind to go after him—was probably Wei Zhao alone. But Wei Zhao frowned, and in the end suppressed the impulse.
There was no help for it. The moment he set out in pursuit, whether or not he caught the man, Hai Wuliang would inevitably kick him while he was down and drive the final nail in—seizing the chance to declare that Wei Zhao too was a demonic cultivator who had fled alongside Cheng Haonan!
Such nonsense would have convinced no one before, but now that Cheng Haonan had exposed himself by fleeing, if Wei Zhao could not clear himself to their faces, it would truly be a case of mud dropped down his trousers—if it is not shit, it might as well be.
Wei Zhao himself did not much care. With his various connections, a little time was all he needed to clear his name—but doing so would inevitably drag Qingtian Escort Agency down with him. Whether or not its reputation could be restored afterward, at the very least this session's hard-won title of top escort agency was certainly down the drain.
Perhaps Hai Wuliang had deliberately bound Qingtian Escort Agency and Longzhou Escort Agency together with exactly this calculation in mind. Naturally, Wei Zhao could not let him have his way.
Though he had decided to hold his ground, Wei Zhao could not help feeling a trace of regret. Against a demonic cultivator of Cheng Haonan's caliber, even he was not entirely confident. This time the man was not only exhausted but wounded as well—a perfect opportunity for a killing blow—and yet he could only watch it slip away. A pity…