# 333
Chapter 333 – Jump
Lin Qiye swept his gaze over the crowd. He knew the ones still standing here had truly had their courage shattered; they no longer possessed the slightest will to fight.
Not everyone locked in the Purification Chamber was a heinous criminal. Many, like An Qingyu, had been thrown in for some small, unintentional mistake. They were usually timid—happy to watch the excitement, but when it came to an actual jailbreak, they hadn’t the guts.
Since they’d lost the will to fight, Lin Qiye had no desire to exterminate them. He slowly slid the two Straight Blades back into their sheaths.
“Hehehehehe…” Cao Yuan kept giggling as he shuffled toward them, scaring them out of their wits!
“AAAAAAH!! Help!!”
“Don’t kill me!!”
“……”
Lin Qiye slapped his forehead, exasperation filling his eyes—he’d almost forgotten this big headache.
He turned to Baili Pangpang, who instantly understood. From his pocket he pulled Cao Yuan’s chastity—no, the 【Scroll of Sealing】—and tossed it to Lin Qiye.
One hand gripping the tape, the other holding a Straight Blade, Lin Qiye flashed in front of the demon-crazed Cao Yuan.
“Cao Yuan, time to stop,” Lin Qiye said calmly.
“Hehehehehe…” Cao Yuan dragged his blade step by step, the murderous aura around him thickening, scarlet eyes locked on Lin Qiye—no intention of stopping whatsoever.
Lin Qiye sighed.
“Fine. Let me see how much you’ve grown this past year…” He wrapped the tape around his palm, narrowed his eyes at Cao Yuan, and a fighting spirit flared.
In the distance, An Qingyu watched, puzzled. “What are they doing?”
“Oh, I call it the Cao-Yuan-Chastity-Defense-Battle. Pretty fun.” Baili Pangpang produced a bag of barbecue-flavored chips and offered it to An Qingyu. “Want one? Adds to the show.”
An Qingyu hesitated, then took the chips, tore them open, and started munching.
Boom—!!
Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan collided. Their Straight Blades scraped off blinding sparks; the surging fiendish aura completely suppressed Lin Qiye.
Rip!
Cao Yuan’s slash sent Lin Qiye stumbling back. He stomped the ground and closed the gap in a blink, swinging again!
Magical light burst from Lin Qiye; he vanished, reappearing beside his second floating Straight Blade. The tape coiled around his left hand whipped down, looping around the crazed Cao Yuan’s neck.
But this time the fiendish aura didn’t fade. Cao Yuan jerked his head up and slashed skyward!
Lin Qiye yelped in surprise. Another magic circle flared—he became A Zhu. Strands of spider-silk shot to the walls, and he drifted up, dodging the crimson blade-beam.
Before Cao Yuan could move again, tape-laced silk had bound him tight, sealing every wisp of fiendish aura.
The dense silk retracted into “A Zhu”; the array spun, and Lin Qiye reappeared.
This time the tape around Cao Yuan was triple the usual amount. Without the silk to carry it, wrapping him would’ve been nearly impossible—unless Lin Qiye beat him outright, which was no easy feat. Even Lin Qiye had to stay razor-sharp; one slip and Cao Yuan could kill him.
The bundled Cao Yuan stood, tugging at the tape, and gave an apologetic smile. “I can usually hold back a bit. This time I let out too much—couldn’t rein it in.”
Lin Qiye patted his shoulder. “It’s fine.”
He glared at the prisoners cowering in the corner, scaring them into trying to squeeze into the cracks in the wall.
Suddenly Lin Qiye sensed something and raised an eyebrow. “Master Chen is almost here… we go—now!”
“Go?” Baili Pangpang looked around. “Out the door?”
“Too slow, and too far from the sea.” Lin Qiye shook his head, pointing at a black steel wall. “We leave through there.”
An Qingyu blinked. “You sure?”
“Positive.” Lin Qiye swept his gaze over the three. “Once Master Chen arrives, none of us gets out… Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” All three answered as one.
“Then… follow me on a little adventure.” Lin Qiye’s lips curved. He shot toward the towering steel wall.
An Qingyu, Baili Pangpang, and Cao Yuan followed right behind!
Lin Qiye reached the base; golden light shimmered beneath his feet as he ran straight up the vertical surface like an arrow.
An Qingyu likewise planted his feet on the wall, lizard genes letting him stick effortlessly.
Cao Yuan and Baili Pangpang exchanged glances. 【Yaoguang】 whistled out; standing on the golden flying swords, they skimmed up the wall and over the top!
Lin Qiye vaulted from the summit, raised his right hand overhead, and chanted:
“Thunder chariot shakes the earth, lightning fire sings!”
Crack—!!
Dense arcs burst from the steel. Bolts that should have struck the four mid-air twisted, streaming into Lin Qiye’s palm and forming a blinding sphere of electricity.
When the setting satisfies the poem, 【Skyward Bard】 uses the surroundings first—just like water from a tap when he recited in a toilet. The wall’s lightning obeyed him.
The intertwined light gathered like a deep-blue sun. The four sailed over the electrified defenses and landed on the edge of the black wall.
They stood atop the towering barrier; before them, a cliff.
A sliver of dawn pierced the gloom, dyeing the sea gold. White spray crashed against the cliff, golden droplets flying.
Ahead: black precipice, boundless ocean, newborn sun.
Lightning danced in Lin Qiye’s palm. He smiled, turned to the others, drew a deep breath—
“Jump!”
Whoosh—!
The four youths leapt from the black wall into the roaring wind, fearless and free.