Zhang Chen extended his hand, and the Buzhou Seal shrank, held in the palm of his hand. Staring at the two fleeing figures, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He was about to unleash the seal once more when Zhuge Cheng, in his flight, seemed to sense the danger, turning back to unleash the Ice Soul Divine Light, forcing Zhang Chen to use an Escape Technique to evade. By the time he tried to use the Buzhou Seal again, they had already disappeared.
He thought of deploying Divine Techniques to pursue them but hesitated, wary of the formidable Ice Soul Divine Light. Yet he had many aces up his sleeve, including the Golden Scissors and Sun Embers, which he hadn’t used yet. Confident in his ability to kill the two, he considered that the troublesome nature of the Ice Soul Divine Light might lead to a prolonged chase. As myriad thoughts raced through Zhang Chen’s mind, suddenly a shrill cry echoed from afar: "Young Master!"
Zhang Chen was startled by the shout; surely, a mishap had occurred at the camp. His younger siblings, his stepmother, they mustn’t be caught up in the chaos. How could the lives of those two compare to even a strand of his family’s hair?
Without a second thought of the chase, he hurriedly used the Escape Technique to return to the Yellow Sand, where the scene had already undergone dramatic transformation. Without Zhang Chen’s Beast Control Technique to restrain them, the beasts rampaged, scattering the escort masters, while Chen Ping was caught in the beast tide, flung by an elephant.
Zhang Chen, adept in Blood Control Technique, clearly sensed that Chen Ping was severely injured, his Martial Dao Qi Blood dispersed and unlikely to gather soon. If he were to hit the ground, the beasts would definitely tear him limb from limb.
Zhang Chen had a favorable impression of Chen Ping and naturally couldn’t let him perish. But controlling the beasts with Beast Taming Technique would take time, and Chen Ping hadn’t given Zhang Chen the luxury of time.
In the critical moment, Zhang Chen dashed to the nearest fire pile, grabbed several torches, their flames flickering, and threw them towards Chen Ping’s landing spot. Holding two torches, he charged directly into the beast horde.
The firelight startled the beasts. Zhang Chen, wielding his torches, drove them hesitantly back. Confronted by the flames’ threat, the beasts involuntarily made way, allowing Zhang Chen to reach the clearing beside Chen Ping.
"Young Master Chen, how are you? Are you okay?" Zhang Chen lunged forward, using the torches to ward off the savage beasts. At this moment, the Beast Taming Technique finally took effect. Yet Zhang Chen, still cautious, merely prevented the beasts from attacking rather than driving them away completely.
"Young Master!"
Then the escort masters fought desperately to drive the beasts away, encircling Chen Ping and Zhang Chen in the center.
"Cough, cough, just a minor injury, no need to overreact. Stay vigilant and don’t let those beasts seize any opportunity." Chen Ping coughed blood, seized his lance, and forced himself to stand, casting his eyes upon Zhang Chen, "Kid, you saved my life. I’ll remember you."
"Let’s fight and kill all these beasts! If we don’t eliminate them, none of us will leave here alive." Chen Ping insisted on rising, a fierce gleam in his eyes, staring fixedly at the distant beast horde, murder intent continually flowing in his eyes.
"Kill!"
As the escort masters prepared for another battle, the beasts suddenly retreated, fleeing panic-stricken into the deep mountains.
Zhang Chen watched the beasts vanish into the dense forest, silently pondering: "Chai Chuanxin and that young man were scared off? These demon beasts lost control and thus fled separately?"
Until a method to counter his Buzhou Mountain Seal was found, the opponents were unlikely to return.
His Buzhou Seal had almost crushed them twice, scaring them off. Though he wished to pursue and kill them, the chaotic camp and the fear for his family’s safety made him temporarily suppress the thought.
In the distant forest, Chai Chuanxin and Zhuge Cheng looked grim. Chai Chuanxin clutched Zhuge Cheng’s sleeve tightly: "Young Master Zhuge, you must not go! Absolutely not, it’s too dangerous!"
"Look down on me? As long as I get within thirty meters of him, my Time Freeze will activate, leaving him no chance to react, ensuring his death!" Zhuge Cheng’s eyes filled with unwillingness.
"But you must have a chance to get within thirty meters!" Chai Chuanxin’s voice was full of bitterness: "That kid can manipulate the Power of the Earth. Whether in the sky or underground, it’s hard to get close without being discovered. Besides, that kid’s seal is exceedingly bizarre. Even your Power of Time couldn’t break it, clearly not an ordinary treasure. To deal with him, either you need to awaken stronger abilities or we find a way to steal the seal, or discover a method to counter it, or else we would face grave danger."
The Gambling Fox, inherently cautious, would never take risks. Sensing the menace from the eerie seal, its Divine Power made his skin crawl, terrified enough to want to bolt.
"Let’s call for reinforcements when we return and confront this kid again. That’s the safest strategy. Why risk it ourselves? Or perhaps wait until you’ve mastered the Power of Time Reversal, then come back and reclaim the field," the Gambling Fox earnestly advised.
Upon hearing the Gambling Fox’s words, Zhuge Cheng took a deep breath, "Alright, I’ll listen to you! I’m about to master the Light Escape. Once I’ve fully grasped the Divine Techniques of Light Escape, I’ll surely be able to restrain the opponent."
"This kid is about to understand Light Escape?" The Gambling Fox was taken aback at the news.
Light Escape is undoubtedly the most powerful Escape Technique between Heaven and Earth, capable of traversing billions of miles in a thought, its speed matching that of time’s flow.
"I have already mastered Time Freeze, and from its Law, I’ve comprehended a portion of light’s power," Zhuge Cheng replied.
Light speed inherently involves the passage of time and can serve as a synonym for time itself. Since causality has been reversed, mastering Time Freeze and then deducing light speed is not an impossibility.
"Ten years ago, I awakened my bloodline. A year ago, I obtained this object fallen from the Immortal Realm, mastering the Ice Soul Divine Light. With its aid, I’ve glimpsed other mysteries. The extreme of freezing is Absolute Zero, which can also grasp Time Freeze. Using this as leverage, I’ve slowed the time flow and comprehended the mysteries of time. I’ve already grasped several subtle aspects of time," Zhuge Cheng said with a diamond-shaped ice lump in hand, caressing the Ice Soul, eyes showing a hint of fascination.
The Gambling Fox shifted its gaze to the Ice Soul, unable to help swallowing a mouthful of saliva. It had experienced firsthand how bizarre this ice lump was. This object could Ice Seal everything. If Zhuge Cheng hadn’t been fortunate, and the Ice Soul hadn’t fallen just as it triggered the Origin of Time, it would have been difficult for him to refine it.
Zhuge Cheng stowed the Ice Soul in his sleeve, eyes looking toward the distant chaotic Human Race camp, showing a trace of unwillingness.
"Young Master, tonight’s matter ends here. The accumulated blood should be sufficient. Once these people leave, we’ll collect the blood, assisting your bloodline to further heights, and it’s not too late to reclaim the field then. Now, what we should do is quell the situation and lower the noise. If it grows too big, nearby Demon Kings might come to feast, and that would be troublesome, making us dress for others. Although you have the Ice Soul Divine Light, it has already fused with your Time Domain and only has a thirty-meter attack range. If someone moves a mountain over us or splits the ground, we could be troubled then. Our priority should be to enhance the bloodline and avoid stirring further conflicts."
"Alright! I’ll heed your advice! First, enhance the bloodline; when my bloodline advances further and I awaken stronger Divine Techniques, it will be as easy as pie to kill this kid." Zhuge Cheng was finally persuaded, recalling Zhang Chen’s Great Seal that managed to break his Law of Time Freeze, he felt uneasy.
The key point was that having his Innate Divine Techniques broken, he suffered backlash, and now his meridians are damaged, feeling like being cut a thousand times with each move. He actually wasn’t as firm as he appeared, but he didn’t want to lose face in front of his underlings.
"Dispatch a few Human Traitors secretly to mix in and investigate that kid’s details," Zhuge Cheng instructed the Gambling Fox.
Chai Chuanxin nodded at the words, then supported Chai Chuanxin, saying, "I’ll help you rest."
At the camp
With the beast tide retreating, Chen Ping collapsed directly, sitting down heavily, "Damn it, I’m finally alive. I knew heading south would involve multiple crises, but I didn’t expect such danger. I almost didn’t make it."
If it weren’t for Zhang Chen’s timely intervention, Chen Ping would have been torn to shreds by beasts.
"Go check on the escort agency’s condition, gather everyone to assess losses, and maintain refugee order to prevent anyone taking advantage to create trouble," Chen Ping instructed the nearby Escort Master.
The Escort Master received the order and went, while Chen Ping took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured several pills into his mouth, and turned his gaze to search for Zhang Chen’s whereabouts, but Zhang Chen, concerned about his family, had already left amidst the chaos.
"Tell them to roast meat, with all these demon beast corpses, make jerky, enough to last us until Jiangnan," Chen Ping’s eyes scanned the beasts on the ground and instructed, "Also, hire those refugees to skin the hides. We’ll buy them with money."
These are high-quality hides from fierce beasts. If transported to the Jiangnan Territory, they could fetch a good price.
"Tell everyone to light fires, no longer needing to worry about those Demon Beasts. After tonight’s bloody battle, nearby demons won’t dare to come for a while. Everyone must eat well, rest fully, and avoid impacting tomorrow’s journey!" Chen Ping continued giving orders, managing everything systematically.