96 Escape (1/2)

Time went by slowly. Xue Wei was nervous and uncomfortable. So far, he had been okay because no one had come to contact him, but if any of the other Primordial Beast Hunters felt like chatting with him, then his cover would be blown, and he would be incapable of saving Tie Haolong. In fact, he might not even be capable of protecting himself.

The Lightning Sparrow was also nervous; Xue Wei could feel that its body was tense and that it kept observing everything around them lest someone sneaked up on them.

The time was slowly going by. Only when the sun was high in the sky did some activity begin on the stage.

A group of law enforcers moved onto the stage, followed by an executioner and two guards that dragged Tie Haolong with them.

Tie Haolong held his head high. He walked without hesitation; he looked at everyone present with eyes flaming with anger.

He said nothing. He just walked forward, walked towards the place where he was forced to kneel.

A judge appeared on the stage and lifted a scroll from which he read out loud, ”Tie Haolong, disowned by the Tie family and judged guilty in colluding with a Primordial Beast, you are at this moment sentenced to death!”

Tie Haolong said nothing, but his eyes were blazing with anger. It was clear that he was not reconciled with what was happening to him, but he also understood that speaking with them was simply a waste of time. He could do nothing, but he would at least go down with dignity.

Xue Wei's eyes narrowed. ”Not yet,” he whispered as he saw how Tie Haolong kneeled in front of the executioner.

Everyone was quiet. All eyes were on Tie Haolong, and that was when Xue Wei struck. ”Now!” he exclaimed, and the Lightning Sparrow shot down with such speed that thunder rumbled in the sky, and no one was prepared for it.

The Lightning Sparrow reached out with its claw and grabbed Tie Haolong within it before it beat its wings a few times and took to the sky again.

No one noticed what had happened before it was too late and the Lightning Sparrow was in the air with Tie Haolong hanging from the claw.

”You are not going past here!” someone screamed, and Xue Wei looked up only to find that their escape route had been blocked by three flying Fierce Beasts and their owners, the Heavenly Warrior Primordial Beast Hunters.

They had not wasted any time, their palms already sending attacks towards Xue Wei and the Lightning Sparrow, but fortunately he had the Lightning Sparrow which excelled at agility. It managed to barely dodge all the attacks, but it was not easy as the Lightning sparrow was one against three and it was carrying two people.

”Surrender, criminal!” someone yelled as he descended to attack Xue Wei and Tie Haolong again.

Down on the ground, the onlookers watched with bated breaths. They had finally understood what had happened, but it was too late for them to respond.

Now, the only ones standing in between Tie Haolong and Xue Wei's escape path were three Heavenly Warriors and their Fierce Beasts.

Although the tamed beasts only had the strength of Sky Warriors, they were three against one, and they had surrounded them.

Attacks were raining down on them, all of which belonged to the Superior category. The shockwaves of the attacks, although they did not hit them, caused both Xue Wei and Tie Haolong to turn pale.

The Lightning Sparrow was hit by a palm strike from behind and was shot far into the sky, but it kept hold of Tie Haolong, and Xue Wei kept his balance. The bird screeched, and suddenly wind started surging in the area.

Big, black clouds appeared in the sky, and a dangerous rumbling of thunder appeared. The lightning within the clouds descended with a clap and struck towards the experts, but they managed to fend it off fairly easily.

The Lightning Sparrow had a few attacks it could use, but right now its talons were occupied by Tie Haolong, so it had to use the most lethal but also the most energy consuming attack it had.

It had summoned a lightning storm, and although the experts managed to easily fend off the first couple of lightning bolts, they continued to descend and interrupt and harass the three Primordial Beast Hunters.

The Lightning Sparrow was injured. It had been heavily injured by the attack that had landed on it, as its defenses were very weak.

Xue Wei knew that the Lightning Sparrow was wounded, and his heart sank. It would be able to fly, but not at its highest speed. It would not be able to flee at a rapid pace. All it needed to do to escape was give up Xue Wei and Tie Haolong.

But the bird chirped lowly with a voice that was filled with resolution. Although Xue Wei could not understand the Lightning Sparrow's words, he could sense the determination and the decision that this sparrow had made. Either they made it to safety, or they died together!

The sparrow suddenly threw Tie Haolong into the air, shocking everyone present, including Xue Wei, but then it turned into a blur and caught him on its back. Xue Wei grabbed him reflexively, and the sparrow began their escape anew.

”Hey,” Xue Wei said calmly after grabbing ahold of Tie Haolong.

”Hey,” Tie Haolong responded, perplexed at what had happened to him. Everything had happened so fast. He had accepted the fact that he would die on this day, and he did not regret his decision at all, as he was proud of having done what he felt was right.

His family had done nothing to try and get him released. In fact, they had disowned him the very moment they heard about the rumor, leaving him to fend for himself, and he had lost all hope of salvation. Yet here he was, on the back of a Lightning Sparrow with Xue Wei, who had risked his own life to penetrate into the middle of the city to save him.

Tie Haolong did not speak any words of gratitude; he just kept the gratitude in his heart. This man had saved him, and he had given him a chance to live on. This life was granted to him by Xue Wei, and thus he was willing to start from scratch somewhere else.