Chris nodded and turned back with Lindsay Windson.
However, as the two retraced their steps, they suddenly realized they were lost.
Deep inside the cave, one passage connected to another, forming a labyrinth-like maze.
Chris sighed helplessly, “We’re lost. We’ll have to take our time finding a way out.”
With no other choice, Chris and Lindsay Windson ventured into another passage.
Lindsay Windson was visibly tense, while Chris remained completely calm.
For Chris, danger was something he had grown accustomed to. Even within the treacherous Celestial Peaks, he had emerged unscathed.
A mere cave was hardly worth his concern.
“Ah!” Lindsay Windson screamed suddenly.
Chris quickly turned to her, alarmed. “Lindsay, what’s wrong?”
Her face was pale as she stammered, “Mr. Shelby… there’s a massive tiger over there.”
Chris immediately turned to look.
Sure enough, not far from them was a tiger-one with wings.
His expression darkened. This wasn’t just any tiger; it was a Skyclaw Tiger, a seventh-tier beast at its peak. Its power was equivalent to that of someone at the Solstice pinnacle.
Fortunately for them, the Skyclaw Tiger appeared to be in hibernation, soundly asleep.
Chris whispered, “Lindsay, let’s leave. Quietly.”
Lindsay nodded, and the two began to back away cautiously.
They moved as silently as possible, careful not to disturb the sleeping beast.
It took them nearly an hour to exit the cave.
Once outside, both breathed sighs of relief, their hearts still pounding.
Neither of them had anticipated encountering a Skyclaw Tiger deep within the cave.
Had the beast not been in hibernation, their fates would have been sealed.
Realizing the danger, they decided they couldn’t stay in the cave any longer.
Should the Skyclaw Tiger wake, they would be doomed.
As they stepped out, the snowfall outside began to cease.
But just as they walked a short distance, they were suddenly spotted.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several Aetherbinding practitioners appeared, blocking their path.
One of them shouted, “Who are you?”
Lindsay Windson immediately tensed, her face filled with anxiety.
Chris studied the group carefully. All of them were at the Pinnacle level.
He knew he needed to deal with them quickly and quietly. The last thing they needed was to draw attention.
Killing a few Pinnacle-level Aetherbinding practitioners was no challenge for Chris.
However, doing it without making noise would be tricky. The area was crawling with Great Lyria’s soldiers, and if they were discovered, both he and Lindsay would be in grave danger.
With that thought, Chris stepped forward.
“Who are you?” one of the Pinnacle practitioners asked warily.
Chris replied calmly, “I’m from a nearby village. I heard you’re hunting someone and thought I’d try my luck. They say High Sovereign has offered a bounty of ten thousand dollars for capturing this Chris.”
The hunt for Chris had stirred up a massive commotion, enraging Morrison Steelhart.
To ensure Chris’s capture, Steelhart had issued a ten-thousand-dollar bounty.
For ordinary Aetherbinding practitioners, that was an astronomical sum.
“Hahaha! You think you can catch Chris? Keep dreaming!”
The Pinnacle practitioner sneered.
Not even Solstice-level experts had been able to best Chris. The idea that this country boy could capture him was laughable.
Whoosh!
Before the man could react, Chris drew his Dragon Slayer and struck.
Thud!
The Pinnacle practitioner’s eyes widened in shock as he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The others were stunned.
Before they could draw their weapons, Chris had already acted.
With a single sweep of his blade, they, too, fell.
Lindsay Windson’s face turned pale as she watched Chris dispatch the practitioners with cold efficiency.
Though she had joined the Jefferson family and become an Aetherbinding practitioner herself, Lindsay had once been a celebrity. She still found it hard to adapt to the brutal, survival-of-the-fittest nature of the Aetherbinding world.
Chris turned to her and said, “Lindsay, this is the reality of the Aetherbinding world. Every step is fraught with danger. It’s either kill or be killed. A single mistake, and it’s all over.”
Lindsay nodded, understanding the truth in his words.
Since becoming an Aetherbinding practitioner, she had witnessed countless acts of violence.
The battle at Shoreline Gate, where Amerosia and Great Lyria clashed with armies numbering in the millions, had left a particularly deep impression on her.
After seeing so much bloodshed, her perspective had shifted considerably.
Chris dug a pit and buried the bodies.
He then carefully cleaned the bloodstains from the snow.
He was confident that, unless someone looked closely, no one would suspect a battle had taken place here.
Suddenly, Chris’s expression changed.
“Not good!” he muttered.
He had sensed a terrifying presence approaching rapidly.
The strength of this presence rivaled that of Ethan Stone.
“We need to go!”
Without hesitation, Chris grabbed Lindsay Windson, and the two fled.
Behind them, a figure closed in at an alarming speed.
Seeing their pursuer gaining ground, Lindsay’s face turned pale with worry.
“Mr. Shelby, leave me behind! Otherwise, they’ll catch up to us!” she pleaded.
Chris didn’t respond. Instead, he hoisted Lindsay onto his back and ran even faster.
Abandoning her was out of the question. As Amerosia Primus, Chris had never left a friend or comrade behind.
Despite his increased speed, their pursuer continued to close the gap.
Chris’s expression grew grim.
Without the puppet he had brought from Dragon Hall-which had fallen into the abyss along with Ethan Stone-he had no means of countering this formidable opponent.
His mind raced for a solution.
Suddenly, he thought of the hibernating Skyclaw Tiger in the cave.
His eyes lit up.
Chris set Lindsay down and said, “Lindsay, we’ll split up and escape separately.”
Lindsay froze, her eyes welling with tears.
“Alright, Mr. Shelby,” she said, her voice trembling.
She assumed Chris saw her as a burden and wanted to leave her behind.
Sensing her misunderstanding, Chris reassured her, “Lindsay, trust me. No matter what, I’ll never abandon you.”
Without waiting for a reply, Chris turned and ran in the opposite direction.