Chapter 51: Fleeing in the Face of Danger

On this side, Lin Li was ruthlessly beating down his fallen foe. On the other, Fang Tai had Chen Along firmly suppressed. Their cooperation, unexpectedly, was seamless. Yet Chen Along couldn’t help but worry about Ye Aotian’s situation; whenever his mind wandered to other plans, Fang Tai’s relentless attacks forced him to focus solely on defense.

In this scenario, Chen Along was undoubtedly the most pitiful of the lot. Meanwhile, Ye Aotian resembled a simmering volcano on the verge of eruption. Though his strength was considerable, Lin Li’s constant provocations were chipping away at his self-control.

Lin Li, though appearing to keep Ye Aotian in check, knew full well this man still had cards up his sleeve. “Come on, then. Let’s see what you’re truly capable of,” Lin Li taunted inwardly. “Today, I want to find out if the so-called War God of the Frontier is really as formidable as they say.”

Ye Aotian’s face grew increasingly grim. He could sense clearly that if this fight continued, his defeat was inevitable—and worse, the brat before him wouldn’t even have to pay much of a price for it.

“No, I can’t allow this,” he thought. After all his toil to rise to this point, how could he bear to lose and become the butt of laughter?

As this thought flashed through his mind, Ye Aotian swiftly retreated two steps, moving so quickly that, in the blink of an eye, he had widened the gap between himself and Lin Li. At the same time, he swallowed a pill.

“Lin Li, is it?” Ye Aotian said, his tone icy. “You were quite arrogant just now. Today I’ll show you my true strength.”

Seeing this, Chen Along shouted, “Young Master, don’t—!”

But it was too late. For years, Ye Aotian had been undefeated across the frontier, and now he was being stifled by an obscure upstart. Anyone would find this intolerable, especially Ye Aotian, the famed War God.

And so, at this most critical moment, he chose to unleash his full force.

The instant Ye Aotian swallowed the pill, an overwhelming aura burst forth from him. Chen Along broke free from Fang Tai’s hold and rushed toward Ye Aotian.

At this moment, Ye Aotian bellowed with exhilaration, “Come! Let’s have a real fight!”

After all the earlier struggle, Ye Aotian had made up his mind—today, whatever the cost, Lin Li would learn the price of crossing him.

Lin Li, seeing Ye Aotian unleash his potential at last, allowed a smile to cross his lips. “Ye Aotian, I’ll give you that—you’re impressive. We’re leaving,” he announced.

As if anticipating this, Fang Tai spun on his heel and darted away without a backward glance. The crowd outside scattered like startled birds, leaving Ye Aotian alone, drifting in the winds.

He had considered many possibilities—that he might be gravely wounded, but as long as he could kill Lin Li, he’d be satisfied. Yet never did he imagine that this man would corner him so thoroughly.

He watched helplessly as Lin Li slipped from his sight. In his current state of unleashed energy, Ye Aotian was immobilized. By the time his strength returned, Lin Li had vanished.

It was laughable, really—this outcome was something Lin Li had engineered himself, to prevent Ye Aotian from being too dominant at the outset, so that no villain could be crushed too easily. Lin Li and Fang Tai had agreed beforehand: if Ye Aotian didn’t use his trump card, they would continue fighting; but if he did, they would withdraw at once.

Sure enough, Lin Li’s relentless taunts led Ye Aotian right into the trap. For a war god who had seen every kind of battlefield, being mocked like this was intolerable.

But Ye Aotian never imagined all of this was Lin Li’s design. Just as he thought he could resolve the situation, Lin Li was already gone.

“Young Master,” Chen Along said, supporting Ye Aotian.

Ye Aotian glanced around the now-deserted warehouse, his lips trembling and turning blue, at a loss for words.

After a while, Ye Aotian finally spoke, “Quick, check what’s left inside.”

A few subordinates rushed in, only to fall into a stunned silence at the empty warehouse.

“Young Master, everything’s been moved out.”

With a splutter, Ye Aotian spat a mouthful of blood.

If ever there was a textbook case of ‘losing the chicken and the rice,’ this was it. He’d thought everything was under control, never expecting to be so thoroughly outmaneuvered by Lin Li.

Staring at the empty warehouse, Ye Aotian knew he had been played—played completely. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted dead away.

…

On the other side, after their escape, Fang Tai was still bragging. “That Chen Along isn’t much. Give me an hour and I could take him down myself.”

Lin Li shot him a cool glance. “No need to waste that much time. Our goal is already accomplished. The warehouse is destroyed, and Ye Aotian is gravely injured.”

Ye Aotian had succeeded in forcing out his hidden potential. Though he hadn’t caught Lin Li, the side effects were real—a month at least before he could regain his peak. For now, even a low-level thug might give him trouble—though, with bodyguards around, it wasn’t an immediate concern.

Upon returning, Lin Li immediately informed Su Lan of the events, summoning Qiu Bisheng and Zhou Huaji as well.

With the plan a success, it was the perfect opportunity for Lin Li to strike at Zhou Huaji and Qiu Bisheng—who still foolishly believed they held leverage over him, and had grown arrogant of late.

Now Lin Li would show them just how formidable he truly was.