The cook cursed under his breath, but his speed didn't diminish in the slightest. Unfortunately, Zhou Ya's strength surpassed theirs, and they simply couldn't shake her off.
Seeing the pursuers closing in from behind, the accountant bellowed, "You go! I'll fight her!"
With that, he turned and charged straight at Zhou Ya.
The cook cried out in alarm, "Don't!"
But there was no way to stop him. Gritting his teeth, he turned and followed.
The accountant twisted his head and roared, "Why did you come?!"
The cook's face was grim. "We can't outrun her. If we die, we die together — and even in death, I'll rip a chunk of flesh from her!"
The accountant's gaze darkened, and he nodded heavily. The cook quickly pulled out a strip of cloth and bound Yang Kai tightly to his back. In one hand he gripped his kitchen knife, in the other his chopping board, ready for battle.
Suddenly, a streak of light shot in from behind Zhou Ya like lightning, plunging straight into the enemy formation. Wherever the light passed, a swarm of Fourth-Stage and Fifth-Stage Open Heaven cultivators were sent tumbling, forced to retreat. Many vomited blood, wounded on the spot.
Zhou Ya was startled. She turned to look, her gaze cold and sharp. She channeled her World Power and exchanged several blows with the streak of light. Booming thunder echoed, heaven and earth changed color. The light swept past Zhou Ya and rapidly retreated, landing beside the cook and the accountant.
"Boss!" the cook and the accountant exclaimed in joy.
The streak of light was none other than the proprietress, who had broken free from Geng Qing and Yun Feibai.
The proprietress's face was slightly pale. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, reached out with both hands, grabbing one person in each, and with a sharp cry shouted, "Move!"
The cook and the accountant were lifted into the air against their will.
"Boss, you're hurt," the cook said, looking at the blood at her lips with worry.
"It's nothing!" The proprietress glanced at Yang Kai on his back. "He still hasn't woken up?"
The cook shook his head. "No. I don't know if he's at a critical point in his healing." Logically, with all this commotion, Yang Kai should have been roused even if he was healing — but he kept his eyes shut, as though he had severed all connection with the outside world, which put them in a terrible position.
"Should we wake him up?" the cook asked.
"Don't!" The proprietress shook her head. Yang Kai was not someone who failed to gauge the gravity of a situation. He should have been aware of everything happening outside. In other words, he should have known their current predicament. The fact that he refused to wake up meant there must be a reason he couldn't — interrupting him forcibly would absolutely not end well.
"Where are we going now?" the accountant asked, glancing back at the pursuers. Zhou Ya and her forces were still on them like parasites clinging to bone.
"Twin Islands!" the proprietress said.
She had previously refused to join any of the three major powers for two reasons: she had only recently arrived in the Shadowless Grotto-heaven and didn't yet understand the local situation, and joining any one of them would bring all manner of restrictions — she would be bound to one faction for the long term.
In truth, once she learned that the Shadowless Grotto-heaven was a one-way trip with no exit, the proprietress had already been considering whether to join one of the factions.
Xuan Yang Mountain held a grudge against her, so they were out.
That left only the Wushuang Society and the Twin Islands. The Twin Islands were the weakest of the three, with only two Sixth-Stage Open Heaven cultivators, which naturally made them the best choice.
During her recent outing, she had visited the Twin Islands. The two island masters had welcomed her warmly, and their conversation had been full of efforts to recruit her.
The proprietress had intended to return and consult Yang Kai and the cook before deciding whether to join the Twin Islands, but before Yang Kai could wake, the three mountain masters of Xuan Yang Mountain had arrived at their doorstep with an army.
Now, with no other option, the Twin Islands were their destination. If the Twin Islands would take them in, they might just weather this crisis.
Within the Shadowless Grotto-heaven, there was an enormous lake spanning a vast area. In the lake sat two small islands, nearly identical in shape and size, closely connected to each other — hence the name, Twin Islands.
The proprietress led the cook and the accountant in a dash straight toward the Twin Islands, her objective clear.
Behind them, Zhou Ya gave chase relentlessly. Within two days, Yun Feibai and Geng Qing had rallied their forces and joined the pursuit.
Gazing up at the direction of the proprietress's flight, Geng Qing mused, "Lan Youruo is heading for the Twin Islands? When did she establish a connection with them?"
Yun Feibai snorted coldly. "That wretch is a Sixth-Stage Open Heaven cultivator — of course the Twin Islands want to recruit her. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd already made contact. We have to push harder. We absolutely cannot let her reach the Twin Islands. If she actually joins forces with Hua Yong and Shu Mudan, they won't be easy to deal with."