But the vault had only been the first test.
More cultivators waited outside the treasury. Those who hadn't entered the blast zone but had heard the detonations and felt the quake beneath their feet. They turned just in time to see two silhouettes charging through fire and steam.
And then they recognized him.
"That must be him!!"
"Damned guards didn't manage to catch him!"
"Kill them both! Seal the gates!"
"Don't let him escape with our treasures, he must be hiding them!"
There were more of them than Quinlan expected, stationed in formation down the temple corridor. Most were elites.
Quinlan flared wind and shot forward like a bullet, shielding Feng with his body.
Arrows of ice streaked toward him.
He twisted, using wind to boost the motion, redirecting momentum.
He blocked what he could, but one bolt clipped his arm, another buried itself in his thigh. A third scraped Feng's shoulder, and she hissed in pain, clutching at him tighter.
