96 Escape (2/2)

That was the genuine thoughts that went through Tie Haolong's mind when he looked at Xue Wei.

The three, two men and one beast, were all nervous as they saw the three Heavenly Warriors on their flying beasts closing in on them.

”Escape! No need to stay here any longer!” Xue Wei shouted. Meanwhile, on the ground, a group of experts started rioting.

”Young Hero Xue Wei, we believe in you!” someone yelled out loud.

After this yell, more and more threw themselves into the battle. At the same time, a large group of experts from the gates of the Inner City emerged. It was clear that all of them had come from the Outer City. They had managed to break through the gates and were now flooding the area, ready to fight for what they believed in.

They did not fight because they liked Xue Wei. In fact, Xue Wei was not important, but Xiao Lei was, and everyone was of the impression that he was being framed.

They wanted to protect the hero of humankind, the man who had grown from being a simple cultivator in the Kingdom of Heping to become the biggest hero of all time.

They were willing to throw their lives away for him, as he was someone who had saved them multiple times.

All of them were veteran soldiers, and they had all experienced multiple perils, of which many survived only because Xiao Lei had come to their rescue.

He had not saved every single person in the Kingdom of Heping, but he had saved many, far more than any other, and tales of his exploits had reached others, making them respect and revere this hero who took the time to save battalions of soldiers whenever he happened to be there.

Moving against him was the same as moving against the citizens of the kingdom, and thus their eyes were filled with rage as they all threw themselves at the guards and law enforcers that they found around the stage.

Although a big battle began on the ground, no one were in the mindset of killing one another. The rioting experts just wished to trash the law enforcers and the guards to show them their opinion about the matter, and the law enforcers were aware that if they started wantonly killing the citizens, then it was likely to turn into a revolution.

While the two groups fought on the ground, Xue Wei, Tie Haolong, and the Lightning Sparrow were being thrashed around in the air. The Lightning Sparrow was constantly evading attack after attack, using its acute senses to ensure that they were still not defeated, yet it was weaker than the three Heavenly Warrior Primordial Beast Hunters. It was starting to feel weakened.

Xue Wei and Tie Haolong looked at one another. They saw no hesitation in each other's eyes, and they even grinned slightly.

”Let us rush out!” Xue Wei said after a bit of time and poured all his energy into the Lightning Sparrow beneath him, trying to replenish what little he could of its energy reserves.

Tie Haolong did not waste any time and did the same, both of them aware that the energy that they could offer was very little when it came to a Fierce Beast, but it was better than nothing, and the Lightning sparrow's speed started picking up again.

The sparrow suddenly darted through a small hole in the encirclement of the three experts, and the three of them flew towards safety.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Warriors were very experienced when it came to such pursuits and at the very moment that Xue Wei and the Lightning Sparrow shot out, a palm descended onto Xue Wei.

It was impossible for Xue Wei to move in time, there was simply too little space for him to move. If he did move, the attack would land on Tie Haolong, and neither could possibly survive such a blow head-on. This was a Heavenly Warrior they were up against.

Right then, Xue Wei had decided to take the hit, using all of his Qi to form a barrier in front of him, However, before he could react, he felt someone pull his shoulder backward, tossing him down onto the back of the bird so that he ended up laying down on his elbows rather than standing up.

”Idiot!” Tie Haolong sneered. Everything was in slow-motion for Xue Wei. He fell so fast that he could not move, yet the thing that happened in front of his eyes took forever.

The palmstrike descended onto Tie Haolong, causing his chest to cave inwards. Blood gushed out of his mouth and he collapsed onto the back of the bird.

Although it looked as if it took forever to Xue Wei, it had in fact all happened in an instant as the Lightning Sparrow shot past the other Heavenly Warrior.

They had left the pincer attack and were now free to flee, but a sad chirp could be heard coming from the bird as they flew at a rapid speed towards the mountains again.

While they flew, Xue Wei quickly rolled the crumbled up Tie Haolong onto his back, only to see that his chest had been destroyed. His ribcage had been shattered, and his heart was punctured by the many splinters.

”No!” Xue Wei felt his eyes moisten and a low growl escaped his lips. ”This can't be true! We escaped, you will survive!” he growled out, partially to convince himself.

”I... am going to die,” Tie Haolong said with much difficulty and with a raspy voice. ”I am... jealous of you... But I admire you...”

”Thank you... You made me feel like I was worth something... You came to save me...”

”I once said that I would make you call me your brother,” Tie Haolong said with much effort, after which he coughed up more blood, ”but I guess it is too late for that.”

Xue Wei shook his head soundlessly as tears fell from his eyes. ”You are my brother,” he stated seriously with a sob, ”and as your brother, I will make sure to avenge you!”

A slim smile appeared on Tie Haolong's face and he seemed content. ”Thank... you...” he said before his eyes turned dim and his body limp. However, even in death, Tie Haolong held a gratified smile on his lips.