Chapter 97: Carving a Path to Survival, the Shocking Appearance of Sun Yun

Chapter 97: Carving a Path to Survival, the Shocking Appearance of Sun Yun (Request Subscription)

"Junior Brother, are you alright?"

Su Chen quickly caught up to Hong Ming and the others. They had hired a carriage heading toward the city gate. Seeing Su Chen approach, Li Mo asked with concern.

Su Chen shook his head. "I'm fine, but what exactly happened?"

Hong Ming and the others exchanged glances before summarizing the situation for Su Chen.

"So it seems Tao Dingfang used the pretext of quelling unrest to weaken the city's martial cultivators from the start", Su Chen said. "That explains why he offered us a fifty percent share!"

"What should we do now?" Li Mo asked, and everyone turned to Hong Ming and Su Chen.

Su Chen remained silent, his gaze shifting to Hong Ming. After a pause, Hong Ming sighed. "Let's leave the city first. Given the circumstances, Tao Dingfang won't let this go. Staying here means waiting for death—we'll decide our next move once we're outside."

"But the city gates are probably closed by now", Liu Fang said, glancing at the sky.

"Closed? Then we'll open them."

Su Chen spoke calmly. He had entered the city through these gates earlier, already suspicious of their unusual early closure. Now it made sense—Tao Dingfang must have ordered it. But whether the gates were open or shut mattered little to him. When had he ever used a gate normally?

"Almost there!"

Driving the carriage through the deserted streets, Su Chen soon spotted the sealed city gate. As expected, the guards inside had doubled. Seeing the approaching carriage, they brandished their weapons, ready to strike.

"Yah!"

Su Chen snapped the reins. His expression unchanged, he accelerated instead of slowing down. "Hold on!"

"Halt!"

The guards roared, their blades gleaming as they blocked the path.

Fifty meters from the gate, Su Chen eased his speed, his sharp eyes scanning the soldiers. Then, with a light step, he leapt from the carriage, landing silently. Without a word, he struck.

"Get them!"

The guards sprang forward, surrounding Su Chen before the carriage stopped.

"Master, should we help Junior Brother?" Li Mo glanced outside. The guards were fully focused on Su Chen, ignoring the carriage.

"Good, you—" Hong Ming began, but Li Mo suddenly gasped, his eyes wide.

Before he could ask, Li Mo swallowed hard. "Master, I think he's fine."

Hong Ming frowned, then pulled the curtain aside. His expression mirrored Li Mo's shock.

Outside, Su Chen swatted the guards like flies. With a single palm strike, he sent them sprawling, their bodies twitching as they hit the ground.

"Junior Brother's truly incredible!" Liu Fang whispered, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Suddenly, a thunderous shout echoed from behind. Liu Fang turned, his heart sinking as dust rose in the distance. "It's Tao Dingfang!"

"Li Mo, open the gate!" Hong Ming urged.

"Got it!" Li Mo jumped out.

Glancing at Su Chen, he saw over twenty guards already defeated. Relieved, he rushed to the gate.

"Junior Brother, hurry up!"

As the gate creaked open, Liu Fang called for Su Chen to board.

Hearing hoofbeats behind him, Su Chen turned. His eyes darkened. Facing Hong Ming, he said, "You go first. I'll handle Tao Dingfang."

The carriage couldn't outrun mounted pursuit, especially with Tao Dingfang's Ironclad Legion. Escaping directly would only lead to capture. Su Chen would buy time.

Hong Ming understood the unspoken meaning. As Li Mo grabbed his arm, he nodded. "We'll wait at the ruined temple thirty li away."

"Junior Brother, be careful!" Liu Fang warned.

Li Mo clenched his fists. "Junior Brother, promise you'll come!"

Su Chen nodded, waving them off. Li Mo gritted his teeth and drove the carriage away.

Clatter! Clatter!

Tao Dingfang's figure neared, less than a hundred meters from the gate. Su Chen stood at the threshold like a lone general, a sight that made Tao Dingfang smirk.

"Yah!"

Tao Dingfang spurred his horse. The beast reared, then surged forward.

"Whoa!"

Suddenly, he yanked the reins. The horse screamed, its body lurching violently from the force. But Tao Dingfang steadied it, his eyes darkening as he glared at the open gate.

The gate slammed shut with a thunderous boom. Su Chen stood silhouetted in the doorway, his figure sharp against the light.

"Stalling me?" Tao Dingfang sneered. "Hmph! How long do you think you can delay me?"

"Long enough", Su Chen replied. "I don't need to stall—I just need to defeat you."

Tao Dingfang's face darkened. "Defeat me? Ha! No Vital Force Cultivator has ever dared speak to me like this!"

"But congratulations—you've earned my wrath. Now, die!" He lunged, his voice shifting from mockery to fury.

The ground trembled. Tao Dingfang darted forward, his speed blurring as he closed the distance.

Crack! Crack!

Su Chen met him head-on, his fists, palms, and kicks a whirlwind of destruction. Every strike was a razor-edged weapon, relentless and precise.

Boom!

In mere breaths, they exchanged over a dozen blows. A final clash sent both reeling.

"This guy..."

Tao Dingfang stared, his confidence shaken. Su Chen's assault had felt like a storm of fists and elbows, unrelenting and overwhelming. How had this Vital Force Cultivator mastered so many techniques? Hand-to-hand, he was outmatched.

As Su Chen charged again, Tao Dingfang snarled, "Techniques mean nothing! True power lies in Vital Force!"

He lunged, his aura surging. Their bodies collided, a shockwave exploding as their Vital Forces clashed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end