Soaring the Heavens

Even though he wasn't pushing the girl too hard, he was still making her suffer a fate worse than death. The beautiful Sixth Young Lady of the Hive Gang, reduced to becoming someone's horse!

But to Miao Yi, this woman had killed nine of his subordinates soon after she showed up. He was already being merciful by not killing her. If he didn't have any use for her, her head would be rolling on the ground by now. He wasn't the type of man to pull his punches just because his opponent was a woman.

The thing he wanted to know most right now was the person who'd employed bounty hunters to kill him. Since that person wielded so much authority within the administration, there was no need for them to do things in such a roundabout manner. There should've been plenty of other methods at their disposal. Maybe it was the three major sects? That didn't sound right either! If the three major sects had caught wind of him undertaking this top-secret mission, they could've just sent over one of their experts to kill him right from the start and no one would be the wiser. The three major sects had plenty of killers themselves, so why would they spend money to hire this Hive Gang? Not to mention, there was a risk of mission failure and having their involvement uncovered this way.

This was too strange. However, no matter how hard Miao Yi thought about it, he couldn't figure out who was behind this. Even after combing through all the enemies he had in his head, he couldn't pinpoint any single person with surety. The only thing he was positive of was that someone from the upper echelons of the administration had leaked out the details of this mission.

The reason why Miao Yi didn't mention in his report to Traversing Water Palace that someone had hired bounty hunters to kill him was simply because he was too afraid to do so…

Two days later, Cheng Yingwu staggered back and forth under the blazing sun. Eventually, she fell to the ground, sweat pouring all over. As she lay on the scorching sands, she gasped heavily and said, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I can't move another inch."

Having jumped off before she fell, Miao Yi downed a couple gulps from his wine flask, then tucked it away. After which, he took out a water flask, opened the cap, then splashed some clean water on Cheng Yingwu's face.

Cheng Yingwu immediately struggled to her knees. With her arms spread out like the 'big' (大) character, there was no longer any semblance of a woman's gracefulness on her. As she knelt on the ground, she took in big gulps of water. The sight of her drenched chest heaving up and down was rather alluring.

Once she finished all the water, Miao Yi tucked away the flask, then looked around and asked, "Why hasn't anyone come to rescue you yet?"

As she gasped for air, Cheng Yingwu replied, "They'll come. Quite some time has passed since I last contacted them. They'll know that something must have happened to me so they'll send in backup. If you hadn't killed the spirit eagle inside my subordinate's beast sack, I could've sent them a message much earlier and let them know about the situation."

"Why couldn't they just send a spirit eagle to get in touch with you then?"

"The spirit feather they use to contact me was inside my flower circlet. Who asked you to toss it away?"

"Wow! So it's my fault now." Miao Yi smiled and asked, "Say, if I hold you hostage like this, will I be able to force your Boss to hand over the middle-man?"

"He will do as you say." Cheng Yingwu was already on the verge of tears. "Boss Cheng Yaowei is my father!"

Miao Yi then drew out a sword artifact and used it to lift Cheng Yingwu's head. "That's more like it. You should've just said so sooner. Why put yourself through so much misery only to spill the beans little by little? Here! Take it." He stuffed an Orb of Will into her mouth and said, "I'll give you four hours to recover. You'd better make good use of it. Once your time is up, you're going to keep on running for me. Who knows if you're still keeping something from me?"

"Why don't you just kill me?!" Cheng Yingwu yelled, pursing her lips.

Miao Yi lowered the tip of the sword to her chest. "You want to die? That's simple enough. Just push yourself forward. Whether you want to live or die, the choice is up to you!"

Cheng Yingwu shut her eyes and pushed her body slightly forward. However, when she felt the prick of the sword on her skin, she instinctively moved back.

She lowered her head and bit her lip, feeling ashamed of her own lack of conviction. She then sat down on the hot sand, arms spread out as she closed her eyes and started refining the Orb of Will to recover her stamina and transcendence energy.

Miao Yi revealed a faint smile. If Cheng Yingwu had really committed suicide just because of a little humiliation, then her life was only worth this much. Not many people would be willing to take their own life unless they were pushed to the very edge.

Suddenly, the squawk of an eagle could be heard coming from the sky. Cheng Yingwu lifted her head up to look, and so did Miao Yi. They then noticed a mighty eagle hovering above them, which then quickly flew off.

Cheng Yingwu pursed her lips and said, "It's here to look for me. The backup should be arriving soon."

Judging from the way the eagle behaved, Miao Yi agreed with Cheng Yingwu. He nodded. "Uh huh! That's good. Looks like your old man isn't going to disappoint me."

"Can I ask you for something?" Cheng Yingwu suddenly lowered her voice and said weakly. For her to say something like this, it obviously meant that she had cast away all her pride. That said, after being tormented by Miao Yi like this, there was probably none of it left to begin with.

"The Sixth Young Lady is asking me for a favor?" Miao Yi smiled. "Say it then."

"Can you not sit on top of me anymore? If the people from the Hive Gang saw me like this, I won't be able to show my face anymore." Cheng Yingwu lowered her head and asked.

Miao Yi said curiously, "What does your dignity have anything to do with me?"

Cheng Yingwu abruptly raised her head and said angrily, "If my father finds out how you've been treating me, he definitely won't let you go. My father's cultivation is at the Purple Lotus First Grade. He's not someone you can mess with!"

Purple Lotus First Grade! Miao Yi was taken aback. However, he soon scoffed, "You dare threaten me?" He then sized up Cheng Yingwu and slowly approached her.

Frightened, Cheng Yingwu quickly stood up and backed away. "What do you think you're doing? Don't be hasty!"

Throughout the journey, Miao Yi had constantly threatened to strip her, forcing her to work herself to the bone like some domesticated animal. She was really terrified that he would go through with it, and now… She quickly turned around and tried to run, but her legs were already soft from all the torture Miao Yi put her through. Even though her cultivation was already at the Blue Lotus Ninth Grade, four levels higher than Miao Yi's, she still couldn't muster up the strength to escape.

Miao Yi dashed over, easily pressing her down to the ground with a stomp of his foot. With one foot on her back, he completely subdued her. He then dislodged the chair off her back and took away the Second Grade Spear Artifact across her shoulders, before proceeding to tie her arms up once again.

After he made sure she was bound tightly, he pulled her onto the chair and allowed her to experience what it felt like to be sitting on it.

Cheng Yingwu was a little confused, but she soon said softly, "Thanks!"

"No need to thank me! Just remember to get your father to be more cooperative later on. Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy!" Miao Yi looked around and continued, "How much longer before they arrive?"

"They'll be here within half a day!"

"Then let's continue on our way!" Miao Yi released Cheng Yingwu's dragon steed, then lifted her up to its back. He had her control her own dragon steed, while he instantly donned his Armor Artifact and the Qilin Spear. He then sat behind her, fully prepared for any sudden moves.

The dragon steed galloped off towards Flowing Clouds Dune Sea with the two of them on its back. However, even though she was sitting back on her own mount once more, Cheng Yingwu no longer looked as imposing as she did before; her appearance was quite ragged.

And just as Cheng Yingwu had predicted, by the time night began to fall, a giant black eagle flew over from across the sky. There were two people on its back; one man and one woman. They were looking around from high up in the sky.

When they noticed Miao Yi and Cheng Yingwu down below, the eagle swiftly swooped down, stirring up a powerful gale as it stopped in front of the dragon steed.

The galloping dragon steed quickly came to a halt, and the bound Cheng Yingwu shouted with glee, "Second Sister, Third Brother!"

The man and woman bore similar facial features to Cheng Yingwu. They both jumped off the eagle's back; the woman displayed a Red Lotus Second Grade mark on her forehead, and the man displayed a Red Lotus First Grade mark. They looked at Miao Yi angrily, like they were ready to pounce on him at any moment.

The woman shouted anxiously, "Fourth Sister! Are you alright?"

"I'm alright! Save me, Second Sister!" Cheng Yingwu wanted to jump off, but when the sharp edge of Miao Yi's spear was pressed against her slender throat, she immediately fell silent.

"I told you to bring more help with you, but you didn't listen!" the woman reprimanded in a harsh tone, while the man pointed his finger at Miao Yi and said angrily, "If anything happens to my Fourth Sister, I guarantee you'll die a horrible death!"

Miao Yi originally thought Cheng Yingwu's Purple Lotus First Grade father had arrived, and was extremely anxious about the situation. He had seen the power a Purple Lotus cultivator wielded back when he was in the Fifth Earthly Branch's capital city. Seeing that the other party was just a couple of Red Lotus First and Second Grade cultivators, he sighed in relief.

He quickly pulled Cheng Yingwu off the dragon steed, then tucked the mount away. With a flip of his hand, he brandished the Mystic Yin Mirror and shot out a wave of cold Yin energy at Cheng Yingwu, immediately freezing her on the spot.

"What did you do to her?!" the man and woman exclaimed.

Pressing the hooked edge of his Qilin Spear against Cheng Yingwu's neck, Miao Yi warned, "I wouldn't make any sudden moves if I were you. Otherwise, don't blame me if she dies!"

The man shouted, "You dare?!"

"I've already come this far. What could I possibly be afraid of? If you so much as make any rash moves, do you think I won't drag your little sister down with me?" Miao Yi scoffed and tightened his grip on the spear. The woman quickly shouted, "Stop! Don't be so hasty! We can talk things through!"

"This isn't the best place to have a conversation." Miao Yi gestured to the giant eagle behind the other two with his lips. "First, send me to Tempest Tavern. Then we'll talk things out!"

The man pointed a finger at him and barked furiously, "Do you think you can hide in Tempest Tavern forever?!"

"That's none of your concern. What you should be worried about right now is your little sister. If she stays in this state for too long, then you might not even get the chance to save her."

"You…" The man still wanted to curse at Miao Yi, but the woman hurriedly stopped him. She then said to Miao Yi in a grim tone, "You'd better not let anything happen to my little sister. Otherwise, I guarantee you'll die miserably!" After which, she turned her head and whistled. The giant eagle immediately spread its wings and flew over to Miao Yi, hovering above his head at a low angle.

Miao Yi lifted up the frozen Cheng Yingwu and quickly jumped up on the eagle's back. At the same time, he said to the other two, "Both of you, lead the way!" He didn't dare turn his back on them.

The man clenched his fists tightly, but the woman pulled him away, and the two of them quickly took to the skies. They flew in front while the giant eagle carrying Miao Yi followed a few hundred meters behind them...

The moon was bright tonight, and the darkness was further illuminated by a myriad of radiant stars. As the cold wind of the night beat down on him, Miao Yi could vaguely see a bunch of tiny flickering lights in front of him. However, before he could admire them properly, the giant eagle suddenly swooped down at great speed. Following after the man and woman, it swiftly landed within the walls of what seemed like a castle.

The atmosphere within the castle was quite rowdy with people coming and going constantly. As they passed by, they all cast curious looks at Miao Yi, who was holding onto another person while standing on a giant eagle.

Cheng Yingwu's sister pointed to a double-storied wooden structure situated in the center of the castle. "We're here. Now, please!"

Miao Yi turned his head to look, but he found it a little hard to believe that this rundown little wooden house that was surrounded by a stone fence was the notoriously famous Tempest Tavern. However, he soon noticed, next to where the lanterns hung, upon the sign placed above the gate where people entered and left, the words 'Tempest Tavern' were carved. There was an extra line beside it as well which said: 'The tavern that sits within the storms of the realm. No grudges are kept, only guests. Bringing in trouble is strictly forbidden!'