Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Headless Knight only hesitated for a moment, but he didn't seem to have any intention of attacking Mo Xingchen. He got into position, and his battle steed let out a long whinny. The clattering of horse hoofs could be heard again as the Headless Knight dashed towards w.a.n.g Zhong and Mu Zi this time. There seemed to be something that drew him to w.a.n.g Zhong, and he wanted to take a look at it.
Return~my~head~~~~~~
As a black flash appeared again, Mo Jiu had also recovered from the attack previously. The few youngsters tried their best to help him block a few attacks from the Headless Knight, buying him time. Seeing that w.a.n.g Zhong was in danger, Mo Jiu intercepted in the nick of time. This time, his attack was just to disrupt the Headless Knight's attack and not to defeat him. He didn't expect a few youngsters to be able to buy him time, especially in this battle. Frankly speaking, his decision to intercept was spontaneous. Had he hesitated, the Headless Knight would have killed w.a.n.g Zhong and Mu Zi. However, Mo Wen's a.s.sault just now led Mo Jiu to realize that Mo Wen treated w.a.n.g Zhong as a yardstick on his cultivation journey.
As a member of the Mo Family, he admired that att.i.tude. If he didn't have that att.i.tude, Mo Wen would only be able to reach the same level of power as him at most. He hoped that Mo Wen would be able to surpa.s.s him. Having lived for so long, other than wanting to lead a relaxing life for the rest of his days, he wanted someone to succeed his legacy!
“Mr. Du, hurry up!!!” Mo Jiu shouted while intercepting.
“It's done!”
At the moment Mo Jiu turned around, a beam of white light flashed brightly.
Previously, the ordinary red crystals that were in front of Mr. Du were now adjoined together. The color of the crystals turned transparent from its original red color as if its inner power had been extracted completely.
Mr. Du pushed his hands forward into the air. “Break!”
Suddenly, a few dozen floating transparent crystals that were connected together as one produced shockwaves that spread out to the surroundings. Immediately, it dissipated the death aura that had been lingering in the air. The mysterious force that sealed this s.p.a.ce ever since the Headless Knight appeared was also overcome by the shockwaves, revealing the pa.s.sage of the canyon that was previously closed off.
The Headless Knight raged. He could feel the seal on his territory being broken. This group of people wanted to escape?
While shouting, he dashed forward with a faster speed and stronger power than before. Nonetheless, Mr. Du's hands were in sync with the Headless Knight's movements.
“Seal!” Mr. Du waved his hand.
The 16 connected transparent crystals broke off from their linked arrangement and appeared at 16 corners around the Headless Knight as if they teleported.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Bang!
With a series of thunder-like sounds, a power grid condensed, forming a cage-like ward that trapped the Headless Knight in the middle of it.
At the same instant the power grid ward was formed, the Headless Knight knocked into a side of it violently in the midst of his high-speed dash. The ground shook violently. The thunderous collision sound upon impact echoed throughout the entire canyon. However, the Headless Knight wasn't able to break out of the ward. The ward just quivered slightly before the rebound force caused Bolsanches to ricochet off a side of it.
What kind of ward was this? How could it withstand a full-blown attack from a Heavenly Soul Stage Warlord and not be damaged at all?
A sliver of surprise and enthusiasm could be seen in w.a.n.g Zhong's eyes. That was the Headless Knight! Having seen him attack, w.a.n.g Zhong knew this dude was extremely strong, but he was actually contained by this little ward? Was the power of a wards master that strong?
“Let's go. The ward can't hold for that long!” Mu Zi reminded him. w.a.n.g Zhong immediately pulled Mu Zi to him and rode on Ham Sausage, retreating as fast as they could. They had to be decisive. If the ward collapsed, it was highly possible that he and Mu Zi would be killed first, so they must escape now.
Although he had succeeded in trapping Bolsanches the Headless Knight, Mr. Du didn't look relaxed at all. The Headless Knight was a Warlord indeed. The collision impact stunned him. Despite the fact that the ward just shook slightly, this was the 16 Patron Saint Ward, which was considered top-notch even in the Holy Land. Even a half-hearted attack by a Warlord who was not at full strength was so powerful!
The others didn't dare to delay any further. Mo Jiu propped up the hurt Mo Wen while Mr. Du carried Mo Xingchen. Speed was the most important thing at this point in time. Even if a soul tool was destroyed, there was nothing they could do. A defense soul tool was insignificant compared to people's lives.
Everyone used all their strength to escape toward the canyon pa.s.sage. Frankly speaking, Mo Jiu and Mr. Du didn't think that w.a.n.g Zhong could keep up with the both of them. It was like that famous joke: if a few people were being chased by a tiger at the same time, you didn't need to run faster than the tiger; you just needed to run faster than your companions.
If the Headless Knight broke out of the ward before everyone could get out of the Headless World, he could catch up to them in a few seconds based on his Warlord power that allowed him to control everything in this s.p.a.ce. It would be a nice insurance to have two guys whom they weren't close to behind them in case anything happened.
It wasn't that they were trying to harm them or make them the bait intentionally. Mo Jiu and Mr. Du had already done everything they could. Everyone had a chance to get out of this alive, but just in case, if sacrifices had to be made, it was better that other strangers died rather than one of their own.
In the midst of their mad rush, Ham Sausage suddenly opened its gigantic mouth and swallowed w.a.n.g Zhong and Mu Zi. Immediately after that, this shrewd dude turned into a ball of gray mist and disappeared.
Mr. Du and Mo Jiu were stunned for a moment, accelerating their speed. What the h.e.l.l!? These two fellows were sneakier than them!
Even with their experience, they hadn't seen such a strange Soul Beast before that was useful for both combat and escaping!
Actually, Ham Sausage's forte was acting cute.
Everyone galloped through the canyon at lightning speed. They could hear Bolsanches's angry howling behind them, as well as terrifying vibrations and pounding. The Headless Knight was attacking the 16 Patron Saint Ward madly.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Every hit on the ward sent huge tremors across the entire canyon. The ground cracked, and even the mountains at the edges of the canyon were crumbling. Large boulders rolled down and even blocked their path, increasing the obstacles and difficulty of their escape mission.
They finally caught sight of the broken bridge after much effort. Currently, the Headless Knight couldn't control the canyon, so there wasn't any fog on the broken bridge. They could see it clearly.
At the same time, a deafening explosion could be heard behind them. A huge blanket of fog was spreading outward rapidly from a center point far away.
The 16 Patron Saint Ward was broken!
Return~my~head~~~~~~
Bolsanches the Headless Knight's voice reverberated across the canyon into everyone's ears once again. He was catching up at an extremely swift speed. With the blanket of fog that was spreading out rapidly, the Headless Knight was about to seal this s.p.a.ce again.
Everyone's hearts were in their mouths. They had injured people now. If they were trapped by the Headless Knight again, they might not have a chance to escape even if the two elders fought to the best of their ability.
No one dared to look back. They were so close to escaping, so they just boosted their speed, as much as they could, to the extreme. Fog was spreading and chasing after them, closing on them rapidly. They could already feel the strong pressure that the fog radiated on their backs. Luckily, they made it in the nick of time and got on the broken bridge the same time the fog did.
Swish! Whoosh! Swish!
As Mo Jiu and the others left, the fog that was chasing them at high speed suddenly came to an abrupt stop at the part of the bridge that was broken off. There seemed to be a distinct force that isolated the other side of the bridge, preventing the Headless Knight's control and the fog from reaching them.
Even the two people at the Heavenly Soul Stage heaved a sigh of relief. It had been long since they had done something so thrilling, and they were still in a state of shock. If anyone was slower by just a little bit, they might not have been able to make it out.
Thud thud thud…
The sound of hoofbeats rang on the other side of the broken bridge. Everyone turned to see the fog there condense rapidly as the Headless Knight appeared again.
He didn't shout anymore or take any action. He just stood there with his battle steed and spear. He wasn't looking at Mo Jiu and company but at an empty s.p.a.ce at the side. He just kept staring and staring…
It was the s.p.a.ce that Ham Sausage was at. Its s.p.a.ce stealth ability didn't seem to work against monsters like this Warlord.
Both sides looked at each other from their own end of the bridge. Mo Jiu and Mr. Du were prepared to fight. They didn't know if the Headless Knight would continue chasing them, but even if he did, he would lose his Warlord advantage as they wouldn't be in his territory anymore. It would be slightly easier to deal with him; at least they wouldn't be so pa.s.sive and helpless like they were in the Headless World.
Whoosh…
The Headless Knight didn't continue attacking. He raised his spear and pointed it in their direction before tightening the reins on his battle steed and turning it in another direction.
The fog appeared again, obscuring Bolsanches the Headless Knight from sight. They could faintly hear the lonely sound of hoofbeats disappear into oblivion at the other end of the broken bridge. It was only now that everyone heaved a long sigh of relief.
Frankly speaking, everyone looked calm while staring at the Headless Knight just now, but they were actually rather nervous. If the Headless Knight really continued to pursue them, his terrifying brute force would be a lot for them to handle even if he lost his Warlord advantage. The two elders might be able to escape if they tried their best, but they would need to pay a hefty price to do so.
After experiencing a life or death situation, they didn't gain anything, and their own people were injured. Mo Jiu's eyes were full of fury. The source of the news about the Headless World was too suspicious. If the other party succeeded in whatever they were planning, the consequences were unthinkable. It was lucky that he asked Mr. Du to come along before he set off. If he was a bit more complacent, they would have perished there.
Mo Jiu was an impatient person. If there weren't outsiders at the scene, he would have cursed out loud already. He wanted to go back to the Mo Family headquarters to investigate immediately. In addition, Mo Wen took a direct hit from the Headless Knight and looked pretty lethargic, so Mo Jiu wasn't in the mood to talk to w.a.n.g Zhong.
Mr. Du was examining Mo Wen's injuries, but Mo Wen just waved his hand, having the energy to do so despite taking a direct hit from the Warlord. “Senior Du, I'm fine—” He managed to say before coughing.
After some coughing, Mo Wen coughed out some coagulated blood, but he looked better after that. “A Warlord is indeed powerful. It was a good lesson.”
Mr. Du and Mo Jiu were stunned for a moment before rea.s.suring smiles appeared on their faces. Judging by the bravery and resilience Mo Wen displayed, perhaps their trip wasn't in vain.
“w.a.n.g Zhong, I will definitely come to you after my Dharma Idol is complete. Don't let me down!” Mo Wen said in a low voice. He didn't care whether w.a.n.g Zhong heard it. This time, Mo Wen took the initiative to go all out. Since he was a step behind in the CHF, he should be the one to declare war this time. This was a courtesy that w.a.n.g Zhong should be able to understand.
“Mo Wen, we elders think highly of you. We won't make things difficult for that fella. That being said, the Holy Land has a lot of annoying rules. It's none of our business if he gets hindered by those rules.” Mr. Du laughed.
Mo Xingchen smiled too but didn't rebut. She knew that w.a.n.g Zhong wasn't one to abide by rules.
At this point in time, Ham Sausage had already brought w.a.n.g Zhong and Mu Zi back to the coordinates of the pyramids. Mu Zi looked slightly better after escaping from that place. Getting injured was no big deal since it was a regular occurrence for him. w.a.n.g Zhong watched over him for about a day before color returned to Mu Zi's face. That Life and Death Coffin was a divine weapon indeed; it seemed to be able to revive someone as long as they were not dead.
While Mu Zi was healing, w.a.n.g Zhong was reflecting too. This battle proved the importance of Soul Power. Without Soul Power, anything else he practiced would be in vain. Aiolos's bravery and confidence came from his Soul Power too. He must think of a way to boost his Soul Power to the peak after going back to the Holy Land. This way, he wouldn't be afraid of anyone in the Heroic Soul Stage as long as they weren't like Mu Zi. He would have to find more information about Vicinity Dharma Idols too. He was more determined to do that after looking at Mo Wen's Dharma Idol. w.a.n.g Zhong's Dharma Idol probably couldn't withstand an attack from a Warlord, but Mo Wen was able to do it. Even though he was injured, it wasn't serious.
The key thing was, he dared to attack a Warlord directly! That was very domineering of him!
It seemed that Mo Wen had made much more progress than him after the CHF. Honestly, if he hadn't gained his Dominator Dharma Idol with the help of the heavens and earth in that Tutankhamun desert, he would probably lose out now.
The two great techniques that he came up with were not bad when used in group attacks or when attacking a single target, but the problem was, this fighting style was only suitable for battles against Dimensional lifeforms with no intelligence. Were these techniques really suitable for real-life combat?
At this level, who would give him so much time to think and prepare? He would have died a hundred times already.
This was a difficult situation for w.a.n.g Zhong. He had to figure out how to unleash his power to the fullest in the Heroic Soul Stage. There were so many things to do: tempering, alchemy, gourmet foods, wards, and Cellular Cosmology, which was like a bottomless pit. He couldn't be in multiple places at the same time.
Putting those aside for the time being, boosting his Soul Power was the most important thing now. He might have to seek help from Teacher Lan Daier too. This was not the time to be shy or pretentious, but of course, he wouldn't freeload off her. Although she probably didn't care even if he did, he cared since he was a man.
Looking at Mu Zi who was visibly better, w.a.n.g Zhong could only pin his hopes on him. The Samsara wine had a decent demand. Of course, the ordinary Holy Disciples wouldn't be able to afford it; this was only supplied to ranked teachers and above. Still, there wasn't enough Samsara wine supply at the moment.
On the second day, Mu Zi was pretty much recovered, and he was in a very good mood too. It seemed that he was rather happy whenever he had friends around him. Mu Zi didn't forget about the Samsara wine. The place to make Samsara wine was in the Life and Death Realm too but not somewhere like the Decapitation Canyon. Mu Zi brought w.a.n.g Zhong to another place that the Life and Death Realm led to — Lotus Land.
This was a world completely different from Decapitation Canyon. As its name suggested, exotic flowers and plants were everywhere, and it was all blue skies and clouds. There were all kinds of weirdly shaped small animals running around that were not scared of humans at all.
However, upon reaching the other end of Lotus Land with Mu Zi, the scenery changed. All sorts of energy spirits floated around while letting out shrill screams. The spring water was a dead gray color that carried a disgusting corpse smell. A few strange rotting fish floated to the surface from time to time, and this border was where Samsara wine was made.
