465. Departure

As the Chiyan accelerated its assault, the forces of Huaxia could no longer hold their ground. Seeing this, Ye Feng quickly ordered the Huaxia warriors to gradually retreat. When most of the troops had withdrawn, Ye Feng instructed Huaihuai to swiftly seal the cave entrance using the Ocean Fortress, temporarily relieving the pressure from the Chilon’s attacks.

Inside the cavern, all non-combatants had already boarded the spaceship, and the retreating fighters were steadily entering as well.

“Ye Feng, at this rate, everyone inside the cavern will be on the spaceship within half an hour,” Huaihuai’s voice came through.

“Half an hour—it should be just enough time,” Ye Feng murmured as he stealthily approached another cave mouth.

This natural entrance had been peaceful for a long time; only a few of Angus’s men were stationed outside, casually drinking and watching over the area. It seemed the place had become an easy posting.

Quietly slipping behind them, Ye Feng spared them out of respect for their shared Earthly origins, merely knocking them unconscious before moving them aside.

To conserve energy, the Ocean Fortress’s protective shield was not very strong. Under the fierce onslaught of the Chiyan, the fortress was quickly nearing collapse.

“Ye Feng, everyone’s already on the ship. Are you coming in with us?” Huaihuai’s voice sounded again.

“Let me check inside first. How’s the Ocean Fortress holding up?” Ye Feng asked as he hurried toward the spaceship.

“The fortress is almost done for; after all, we redirected ninety percent of its power elsewhere,” Huaihuai replied.

“Is there enough remaining energy left to detonate it?” Ye Feng pressed further.

“Should be enough. You planning something big?” Huaihuai chuckled mischievously.

“Of course. Might as well cover our retreat,” Ye Feng said, stepping inside the spaceship.

Once inside, Amy and the others gathered around him, their faces filled with concern, aware of Ye Feng’s original plan.

“Ye Feng, are you alright?” Amy asked first.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry,” Ye Feng assured them, then inquired, “Are you all ready?”

“Ready,” Amy replied.

“Huaihuai! Launch the spaceship!” Ye Feng commanded.

“Yes!” The powerful thrust jolted Ye Feng, but he quickly regained composure.

As the spaceship neared the cave entrance, Ye Feng smiled and said, “Huaihuai, go ahead. It’d be great if we could take out a few Chilon.”

“Just watch,” Huaihuai chuckled.

With a deafening roar, the Chilon’s vanguard suffered heavy losses, even the Chiyan was left soot-streaked and dazed.

The explosion stunned all the Chilon. Before they could fully recover, another blast followed: Huaihuai had detonated the natural cave entrance. Originally, the natural entrance was small, and the reinforced spaceship couldn’t have escaped through it.

Angus, hearing the two explosions from the surface, was puzzled. Had the cavern been breached? What were those blasts?

Then he saw the distant flames and understood—it was a diversion. Hastily, he rushed to Chihuo’s side to relay the news.

At this moment, Ye Feng’s spaceship had entered a stable orbit, speeding rapidly. In ten minutes, it would break through the atmosphere. Ye Feng, Amy, and the others watched joyfully through the windows—they were finally escaping.

But their smooth escape ended here. Warned by Angus, Chihuo realized he had been fooled by Ye Feng. Enraged, he immediately ordered Chiyan and his army to charge toward the spaceship. Ignoring signal protocols, he even called back the Chilon guards stationed in space to intercept.

This was a serious problem. Without a target to attack, the spaceship’s energy would not suffice for a long journey in space and would inevitably be caught by the Chilon.

Ye Feng glanced at Long Xiaotian and said, “I’m going out as bait. What about you?”

Long Xiaotian smiled and replied, “There’s an old saying on Earth: ‘To risk life for a gentleman.’ Since you’re this reckless, I’ll go with you.”

“Long Yunfeng, keep an eye on him. If he’s in trouble, teleport him back. I have my own way to leave,” Ye Feng instructed Long Yunfeng.

Without a word, Long Yunfeng silently nodded.

“Brother Feng, be careful,” Amy said, holding Ye Feng’s hand tenderly.

“I will. Don’t worry,” Ye Feng hugged Amy, then the other women came forward, embracing him one by one.

Ye Feng and Long Xiaotian stepped out of the spaceship. At this point, the vessel was just five minutes from breaking through the atmosphere. While leaving the atmosphere wasn’t a guarantee of safety, it was at least a promising start.

Chiyan’s eyes gleamed when he saw Ye Feng and Long Xiaotian. He desired a Heavenly Dragon Core for himself, which would secure his absolute advantage to claim leadership. Ignoring Chihuo’s pursuit orders, he led several elders and a group of Chilon directly at Long Xiaotian and Ye Feng.

Ye Feng and Long Xiaotian split up, fleeing in opposite directions, taking down ordinary Chilon along the way.

Chiyan ignored Ye Feng, chasing Long Xiaotian instead, knowing exactly what he sought. He stayed near the spaceship, but the ship’s swift pace prevented the Chilon from encircling them anytime soon, keeping Long Xiaotian relatively safe.

Compared to Long Xiaotian’s relative safety, Ye Feng’s situation was perilous. Chihuo, arriving late, was furious upon seeing Ye Feng—after all, Elder Bing had died by his hand. He charged at Ye Feng with his forces. Chilon, when reverting to their true forms, possessed wings, naturally flying faster than Ye Feng. Within minutes, Ye Feng was cornered.

With no choice, Ye Feng braced himself and fought fiercely against the swarm of Chilon. As Long Xiaotian had said, Chihuo was a coward—he dared not face Ye Feng directly, instead sending ordinary Chilon to their deaths. Countless Chilon attacked, and after five minutes of bitter struggle, Ye Feng felt his energy waning. Fortunately, ordinary Chilon unconsciously released energy during their attacks, which Ye Feng absorbed to replenish his own reserves. Yet, this energy was but a drop in the ocean compared to what he expended.

By now, Chihuo had realized Ye Feng’s actual strength was not as formidable as the elders had claimed. Determined to personally eliminate this insignificant insect, he surged forward. The moment Chihuo moved, Ye Feng felt his pressure multiply.

Meanwhile, the spaceship was about to breach the atmosphere. Once outside, its speed would increase. However, just then, something happened that left Ye Feng and his companions frustrated and devastated.

[End of Chapter]