Zhang Chen swaggered into the building following the yellow sand, as the ten people guarding the corpse inside exclaimed, "How did the door open? Quick, close the door. This sandstorm came mysteriously; it’s truly uncanny. Someone must be trying to stir trouble at the Prince’s Mansion. We must guard the ancient corpse carefully to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"Heh, no need to worry. The Prince has already set up a Heaven and Earth Net in Goulan County. No matter who dares to cause trouble, they will surely meet a dead end." Someone chuckled lightly, covering their eyes against the yellow sand to close the door. But at that moment, a cold gleam flashed through the sandstorm, and a dagger sliced directly across the throat of the second-rank man. The man clutched his neck, shock in his eyes, wanting to say something but could not utter a word, and fell directly within the sandstorm.
The sandstorm was too strong, blurring everyone’s vision. Those guarding around the ancient corpse didn’t see the tragedy unfolding right under their noses.
At this moment, Zhang Chen danced through the yellow sand like an elf in the wind, using the mysterious invisibility technique and the cover of the sandstorm. In just twenty breaths or so, everyone had become corpses.
Then Zhang Chen tucked away the dagger, his eyes set on the corpse encased in the shimmering golden shield, his words full of complaint: "Dear niece, I’m here to take you away. Why do you torment me every day? If I had the chance to take you, how could I let you suffer here?"
While Zhang Chen chattered on, he surveyed the golden shield, feeling a bit stressed about how to move it.
Moreover, he didn’t know if the shield had other mechanisms or lethal capabilities.
Zhang Chen hesitated briefly, carefully reaching out to touch the golden light shield with his fingertip, then sighed in relief as the shield seemed to have no harmful effects, appearing to merely instinctively protect, locking in the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the ancient corpse.
Zhang Chen went forward to hold the golden shield, attempting to move it. After all, the Princess was a delicate girl weighing less than a hundred pounds; with Zhang Chen’s current fifth-rank Blood Control Technique physique, moving the girl posed no problem.
But after taking a few steps, Zhang Chen found the girl’s appearance too conspicuous, thought for a moment, and pulled out an Invisibility Rune, sticking it on the girl. Only after Zhang Chen stuck the rune did a mysterious Qi Mechanism flash over the girl’s body, rendering the rune ineffective.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen was momentarily stunned, then realized, "My invisibility rune can only conceal entities below its level. The Princess’s level is unknown but definitely exceeds the rune’s level, rendering it ineffective?"
"You’re really troublesome, dear niece." Zhang Chen complained, carrying the golden ’cylinder’: "Can’t you just restrain your power? It’s the End of Dharma Era, yet you’re still so strong?"
Helplessly, Zhang Chen could only carry the Princess through the sandstorm. Meanwhile, the guards within Prince Pingbian’s Mansion had started to react, and a squad of troops with their eyes covered with fabric to shield against the sand began heading towards the main hall.
The fabric had a decent transparent effect; despite the sandstorm blurring their vision, they could still barely see. The approaching guards directly confronted Zhang Chen, struggling to escape, and spotted him from afar as he carried a figure through the sand.
If Zhang Chen were alone, using the invisibility rune, escaping wouldn’t be difficult. But with the Princess carried on his shoulder, especially since the Princess was glowing, unless the guards were blind, hiding from them was impossible.
"Stop! Who goes there!" a guard shouted from afar, spotting Zhang Chen.
"Trouble!" Zhang Chen muttered, seeing the pursuing guards, thinking to activate the Blood God Child, to hinder them. But the Blood God Child shook slightly, unable to be summoned.
The Dragon Qi within Prince Pingbian’s Mansion flowed, preventing Zhang Chen’s Blood God Child from functioning. The Blood God Child’s bloodstain Qi could invade everything, but Zhang Chen’s Dragon Qi couldn’t protect it, and the Blood God Child itself, being too low level, couldn’t resist the corruption from the mansion’s Dragon Qi.
"Hey, good stuff! It’s really killing me." Zhang Chen spat angrily.
The best method now was a bomb pack, but Zhang Chen dared not use it. Using it would surely expose him, as it’s his unique technique. How could he blend into the Daoist Temple afterward?
The Daoist Temple is a feng shui treasure ground where he aims to perfect his skills. How could he be foolish enough to reveal his identity?
"So do I have to fight my way out now?" Zhang Chen asked while pulling aside his clothes to draw a long knife. At this point, he had no choice but to fight his way out.
Zhang Chen opened his Dharma Eye, gauging the approaching soldiers, frowning slightly: "Common soldiers are fine, but amongst them are Qi Blood Martial Artists, very daunting. Unless I exchange wounds to kill them, it will take time. If the sandstorm stops and I get surrounded, escaping would be easy, but taking the Princess’s corpse out will be unfeasible."
Zhang Chen has faced Qi Blood Martial Artists before and knows their prowess; he can’t afford to be careless. Their knives are swift, and failure to dodge could decapitate him, which would be problematic.
This is different from arena duels, where it’s one-on-one. Zhang Chen’s Body-Stabilizing Rune could decisively kill a Qi Blood Martial Artist, but now, surrounded, no one would fight him solo.
Carrying the Princess, Zhang Chen bounded through the yellow sand, plotting strategies amidst the chase.
"Huh, there’s a lake in that direction? There’s actually a lake in Prince Pingbian’s Mansion?" In his hasty escape, Zhang Chen suddenly perceived a lake within the mansion and felt thrilled: "Heaven’s aid indeed! Who would’ve thought a lake would exist in the drought-stricken Northern Land dominated by Dragon Transformation and Walking Flood Dragon?"
The lake, though small at five or six acres, was enough for Zhang Chen.
Without hesitation, Zhang Chen darted toward the lake with the Princess on his back. Meanwhile, the guards had reacted, shouting and yelling, surrounding, and blocking Zhang Chen’s way.
Zhang Chen mastered ultrasonic waves, though the external sandstorm heavily influenced them, it couldn’t completely obstruct the waves’ penetration. The forms of all creatures within a mile were reflected in his mind, and the entire layout and passages of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion were grasped by him.
Running and dodging, Zhang Chen continued to loop and detour, avoiding face-to-face encounters with Prince Pingbian’s troops, relying only on his superior physique to dance around the place.
Yet, as more and more armored warriors arrived from Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, Zhang Chen’s escape became futile, finally blocked by a Qi Blood Martial Artist.
"Foolish thief, where do you think you’re going? Surrender quickly, and we might spare your life. Delay, and you won’t have a place to die." The Qi Blood Martial Artist spoke coldly.
Zhang Chen glanced at the Qi Blood Martial Artist, ultrasonic waves continually surveying, his steps unchanged, swiftly charging toward the martial artist.
"Courting death! The Prince’s Mansion is not a place to act wantonly! Since you’re here, leave your life." The martial artist erupted with Qi Blood, the air seemingly heated by three to five degrees, swinging his blade with an acoustic blast, aiming at Zhang Chen’s head.
Facing the blade that created an acoustic blast, Zhang Chen didn’t doubt that if it hit him, he’d be beheaded.
Not just the flesh, even a rock facing this fierce, fast, sharp blade would be split in half.
This blade was extraordinary, surpassing human limits, definitely unstoppable by flesh alone.
What kind of speed makes an acoustic blast? An ordinary person brushed by it would be shattered into powder.
Zhang Chen, though confident in his abilities, knew he couldn’t withstand steel bones.