Chapter 1397: Everything is Under Control
Zhu Rong did not utter these words aloud; she merely thought them to herself. She knew that Old Master Wu's actions at this moment were a generous sacrifice, a selfless plunge towards death, all to buy as much time as possible for the evacuation of their people.
She was mentally prepared. The moment Old Master Wu fell into the hands of the Tong Continent Great Emperor, she would unhesitatingly fill the void, actively taking Old Master Wu's place. Though she knew she wouldn't last more than a few rounds against the Tong Continent Great Emperor, every second gained was crucial, and someone absolutely had to step into that role.
As for why she chose to lead everyone away instead of immediately attempting to tear through space where they stood, to see if she could breach the restrictive barrier from within, it was because she feared everyone would be caught in the ensuing battle. While Old Master Wu's strength was vastly inferior to the Tong Continent Great Emperor's, Old Master Wu was by no means weak. Their clash would inevitably generate powerful shockwaves, and anyone caught in them would likely perish—it was as normal as breathing. Therefore, to prevent such a tragedy, it was absolutely necessary to immediately distance themselves from the battlefield.
Only after creating sufficient distance would she attempt to tear through space within the restrictive barrier. If she failed, then Lu Wu would certainly fail as well. At that point, they would have no choice but to combine their strengths and find a way to breach the restrictive barrier in the shortest possible time, creating an opening for escape. Whether they could succeed, she didn't know, but given the current circumstances, she had to try.
As Zhu Rong led the group away, Old Master Wu, transformed into a mass of Yin Qi, surged with extreme speed towards the Tong Continent Great Emperor. He chose this method to draw the Tong Continent Great Emperor's attention, buying time for Zhu Rong and the others to retreat.
However, before Old Master Wu could even get close to the Tong Continent Great Emperor, let alone launch an attack, the Tong Continent Great Emperor suddenly let out a disdainful snort. Instantly, a skeletal figure wielding a great saber condensed from the dense Yin Qi.
In such a situation, Old Master Wu couldn't even manage to dodge, let alone stop. Before he could react, his Yin Qi-formed body crashed into the skeletal figure.
Boom! ! !
Old Master Wu knew things were bad and tried to change direction to avoid the skeletal figure. However, at that very moment, the skeletal figure swung the great saber in its hand at his Yin Qi-formed body.
A cold gleam flashed. Old Master Wu had no time to dodge; his Yin Qi-formed body was struck by the skeletal figure's great saber.
The saber cut through him as effortlessly as cleaving tofu, meeting no resistance. It easily split Old Master Wu's Yin Qi-formed body in two. Immediately, a powerful force erupted from where the saber had passed, shattering the bisected Yin Qi directly.
Old Master Wu had used his full power, holding nothing back. In contrast, the Tong Continent Great Emperor had merely deployed a casual technique, yet even that casual technique was beyond Old Master Wu's ability to resist.
Nevertheless, Old Master Wu wasn't so weak as to be effortlessly slain by the Tong Continent Great Emperor. Although the skeletal figure's strike had bisected and scattered his Yin Qi-formed body, possessing the body of a Ghost King meant his form could gather and disperse at will. This single blow had wounded him severely, but it hadn't reached the point of Soul Transformation.
Instead of vanishing completely, the scattered Yin Qi re-condensed beside the skeletal figure, reforming into Old Master Wu's likeness. However, compared to before, Old Master Wu's face was noticeably much paler.
In his current predicament, Old Master Wu had no time to tend to his injuries. Having just reformed his physical body, he immediately formed hand seals, intending to unleash a Ghost Art. But at that very moment, the skeletal figure wielding the great saber sensed his position. It spun around and lunged at him, slashing down with its blade before even reaching him. Faced with this, Old Master Wu had no choice but to halt his incantations and opt for evasion. Though he successfully dodged the descending blade light, he was still wounded by the lingering saber qi from the attack. The body he had just reformed showed slight cracks, and even began to seep blood.
The Tong Continent Great Emperor watched this scene with a cold smirk. He didn't bother using any more powerful techniques against Old Master Wu, because in his eyes, a single skeletal figure was more than enough to cut Old Master Wu down. There was simply no need for any other methods, absolutely none.
As for Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the other retreating individuals, he likewise did not immediately pursue them. It wasn't out of any sudden mercy that he decided to let them go, but rather his absolute confidence in the restrictive barrier he had set. He didn't believe Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, or the others possessed the ability to tear through space and escape within this barrier. Nor did he think they could breach the barrier to create an opening for their escape. Feeling no concern whatsoever, he saw no need to immediately chase Zhu Rong and the others at this moment. Instead, letting them experience fear was far more entertaining.
As for his two Guardians, the reason he couldn't sense their power fluctuations, nor Yang Haoran's, was, in his opinion, surely due to Yang Haoran's betrayal, which must have led to a fierce battle between them. The lack of power fluctuations from all three was because they were undoubtedly trapped within some restrictive barrier.
He wasn't worried that his two Guardians would fall. He was well aware of their strength and methods. Yang Haoran had only recently become a Guardian, and from the information he had gathered, Yang Haoran's power was definitely inferior to either of his two Guardians.
If Yang Haoran had even a slight chance against one of them, then facing both simultaneously, in his view, guaranteed no possibility of victory whatsoever. Yang Haoran was doomed to die, and it wouldn't take long to deal with him.
The power fluctuations of Yang Haoran and the two others had been gone for a while. In the Tong Continent Great Emperor's estimation, the battle between his two Guardians and Yang Haoran should be nearing its end. Once the two Guardians had slain Yang Haoran, he would then instruct them to sweep through Yang Haoran's Guardian District and eliminate all the subordinates Yang Haoran had cultivated. Such trivial matters didn't require him, a Great Emperor, to act personally; he had no interest in slaughtering mere ants.
As for Lecheng's situation, he had sensed it long ago. After all, the spatial fluctuations throughout Lecheng were not only numerous but also frequent, clearly indicating that Yang Haoran's people were evacuating the ordinary residents of Lecheng. He wasn't worried about this in the slightest, as he had already devised a countermeasure. Once his two Guardians had pacified Yang Haoran's Guardian District, he would ensure a few of Yang Haoran's loyal subordinates had their souls preserved. From them, he would surely learn where the Lecheng residents had been moved, and then he could simply capture them all in one fell swoop. This matter presented no difficulty; it could be handled with ease.
Though the Tong Continent Great Emperor appeared unhurried and foolish at the moment, in truth, he had already analyzed everything that was transpiring and formulated what he considered a foolproof, perfect plan. That was why he had the leisure to play cat and mouse.
After Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others created some distance from the Tong Continent Great Emperor, Zhu Rong immediately exerted her full power, attempting to tear through space. However, she failed. Not only her, but Lu Wu also failed. Normally, tearing through space within a restrictive barrier would be effortless for them, yet now they couldn't. This alone demonstrated just how formidable the Tong Continent Great Emperor's casually laid restrictive barrier was.
Her inability to tear through space didn't surprise Zhu Rong; it was within her expectations. However, a sense of disappointment was unavoidable, as this was not the outcome she desired.
"Damn it! This space has been reinforced! It can't be torn open at all!"
Lu Wu confirmed that even with his full strength, he couldn't tear through space, and he couldn't help but curse loudly.
Zhu Rong's reaction differed from Lu Wu's. Her expression was serious; she didn't curse. After confirming that neither she nor Lu Wu could tear through space, she decided not to waste any more time. She would immediately lead everyone towards the edge of the restrictive barrier and then combine the strength of everyone present to see if they could rip open an escape route.
But precisely at that moment, someone unexpectedly shouted.
"Oh no! Old Wu's physical body has been shattered again! He looks like he's about to be finished! ! !"
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