A meteor streaked across the distant sky, its long tail like a brilliant blade slicing through the night and dawn. As it approached, Chen Ji’s face was gradually illuminated by the meteor’s glow, until the surroundings became as bright as day.

Pegasus’s arrow had brutally pierced the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation!

Pegasus.

Chen Ji had finally waited for him.

After the meteoric arrow pierced the formation, it seemed to gain eyes, subtly altering its trajectory to fly directly towards Mr. Feng’s face. Mr. Feng stood with his hands behind his back, head tilted upwards, facing the arrow without flinching.

“Jiang Yan!”

Jiang Yan pulled several cinnabar talismans from his sleeve and threw them into the sky. After briefly hovering, the talismans seemed to gain sentience and flew directly towards the arrow. Six talismans flew out consecutively, finally shattering the meteoric arrow into a handful of stars in the night sky.

“How beautiful…” Mr. Feng exclaimed.

Chen Ji studied the man carefully. Mr. Feng, dressed in a green robe, had been seated for a long time yet his attire showed not a single crease. He remained composed, his expression unchanged, seemingly unfazed by Pegasus’s arrival. It was as if Pegasus’s presence or absence would change nothing.

Calm! Mr. Feng was exceedingly calm.

At this moment, Mr. Feng looked at Chen Ji and asked with a smile, “Young man, I calculated the time. Pegasus must have departed the moment you were attacked to arrive precisely now. The Secret Service is far away in Luocheng; how did they know about this matter, and how did they arrive so promptly?”

Chen Ji also looked at Mr. Feng and replied earnestly, “It must be a spy from the Liu family who leaked your ambush plan to the Secret Service. Mr. Feng, you must thoroughly investigate this spy; if they are not eliminated, they could become a grave threat.”

Mr. Feng appeared to have a sudden realization: “So that’s it. But you seem to have known Pegasus would come, which is why you tried so hard to stall for time.”

Chen Ji’s heart tightened: “I didn’t know he would come; I just wanted to live for as long as possible.”

Mr. Feng smiled. “Then I have another question. The top three Zodiac figures hold noble status. They can mobilize the Twelve Inner Court Departments and Twenty-Four Garrisons, with the power to execute first and report later. Why would such a person come to save you?”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Mr. Feng chuckled, “Young man, the time I spent waiting for Pegasus with you was a small token of respect for the last shred of chivalry left in the world. However, Pegasus came all this way to save you, which means you’re a very important person. I must kill you.”

The next moment, Chen Ji turned and ran frantically in the direction from which the meteoric arrow had come. Pegasus was still far away; he had to stay alive until Pegasus arrived.

Seeing him flee, Jiang Yan suddenly threw nine cinnabar talismans. The cinnabar talismans hovered in the air for a moment. Then, like red and yellow sparrows, they shot towards him. The mountain wind intensified, and the talismans whistled.

In the nick of time, Chen Ji focused, turned, and struck: one slash, two, three, six. The gleaming blade cut a winding white line through the air, severing the cinnabar talismans one by one. The moment the blade cut through a talisman, it deflated like a punctured balloon and floated lightly onto the decaying leaves. However, Chen Ji only managed to strike six times, and the remaining three talismans were already hurtling towards his face.

He twisted his body on the spot, trying his best to avoid vital points. The seventh talisman sliced across his shoulder, and the eighth across his waist, both leaving a trail of blood. The ninth talisman flew past Chen Ji’s ear, merely severing a strand of his hair. However, before he could even catch his breath, the talisman shockingly changed direction and flew back towards the back of his head. The talisman drawn on this ninth paper was different from all the others. The first eight cinnabar talismans were all merely foreshadowing; the ninth was the true conclusion.

A meteoric arrow flew from the side, carrying a strong wind and swirling dry leaves. It pierced the talisman right before Chen Ji’s nose, carrying it to embed it in a nearby tree trunk, where it burst into a shower of stars. Chen Ji’s cheeks stung from the fierce wind, and strands of hair loosened from his temples swayed uncontrollably. He heard footsteps nearby, and turning, saw Golden Pig panting, standing protectively in front of him, staring at Mr. Feng as if facing a formidable enemy.

Chen Ji stood leaning on his saber, and suddenly let out a long sigh of relief. It was the first time he felt a sense of mental relaxation upon seeing Golden Pig. The rescuers had finally arrived.

Golden Pig didn’t look at him, but turned to Mr. Feng and said with a forced smile, “Good evening, Mr. Feng. It’s so late; instead of sleeping at home, you’re out here killing people?”

Mr. Feng replied with a smile, “Good evening.”

Footsteps rustling through dry leaves echoed through the mountain forest. Chen Ji looked over: from the shadows of the trees, Pegasus, clad in white, slowly emerged, stepping on fallen leaves. He stood in front of Chen Ji and Golden Pig, looking at Mr. Feng with an impassive expression. Golden Pig also sighed in relief.

Pegasus then made several hand gestures towards Mr. Feng, before coldly drawing his hand across his own neck. Mr. Feng, however, laughed heartily, “I don’t understand, I don’t understand.”

Golden Pig translated, “Pegasus says, how about he treats everyone to a bowl of beef noodles, and we just let this matter go?”

Pegasus glanced back at Golden Pig.

Mr. Feng gave a wry smile, “Although I don’t understand sign language, I know Pegasus isn’t offering me beef noodles. At the very least, eating beef noodles doesn’t involve slitting throats.”

Golden Pig chuckled, “Just kidding, just kidding. Mr. Feng, our Secret Service is the Inner Court’s personal guard. Being an enemy to us is a serious crime of treason. If this fight continues tonight, no matter how vast the world is, it won’t be able to contain you.”

Mr. Feng waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t try to scare me with that. All I need to do is keep you three on this mountain. Who would ever know what I’ve done? Young man, the people you were waiting for have arrived. And so have mine.”

As his voice fell, a dense clamor of hoofbeats and shouts rose from down the mountain. Everyone looked into the distance, seeing thousands of armed men carrying torches rushing up the mountain. Not only were there people in Dragon King Valley below the mountain, but thousands of soldiers carrying torches were also charging towards the mountainside from the peak.

Chen Ji frowned. It seemed Mr. Feng had intended to use him to lure Pegasus and Golden Pig from the very beginning? No, that couldn’t be right. How could his opponent have known he could summon Golden Pig using the Cloud Concealing Pathway?

At this moment, Golden Pig said to Pegasus, “Let’s go, quickly! A military formation of a thousand men, we can’t charge them.”

Pegasus seemed deaf, staring at Mr. Feng without moving. Golden Pig grew anxious. He tugged at Pegasus’s clothes and whispered, “Are you crazy? This entire mountain is filled with their people. We need to run, don’t prolong the fight.” But Pegasus ignored him, drawing his bowstring taut and firing an arrow at Mr. Feng and another at Jiang Yan.

Golden Pig was completely flustered. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, he turned and dragged Chen Ji away. Chen Ji looked back to see Mr. Feng by the bluestone, tilting his head to dodge an arrow, then looking at him with a knowing smile. There was no pursuit, no anger, just a smile that was impossible to decipher. He couldn’t guess what the other man was thinking!

As the two fled, Golden Pig turned to Chen Ji and asked, “Did you just have a breakthrough in battle, kid?”

Chen Ji suddenly realized that not only the Cloud Concealing Pathway but also the Mountain Lord Pathway would transmit cultivation feedback to Golden Pig. He hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ve broken through. I just don’t know what realm I’m in now!”

Golden Pig’s eyes lit up with delight, completely forgetting the three hours of torment he had endured earlier: “Post-Heaven Realm. You’re almost at the threshold of Pre-Heaven. You’re quite something, kid. You don’t cultivate often, but when you do, it’s astonishing.”

As he ran, Chen Ji casually asked, “How did you know I had a breakthrough, Senior?”

Golden Pig paused, then quickly covered, “Mr. Feng is here, after all. If you hadn’t had a breakthrough in battle, you certainly wouldn’t be alive right now.” As he spoke, he eyed the Whale Blade in Chen Ji’s hand and then glanced back at the talismans split in two on the ground. A flicker of doubt crossed Golden Pig’s eyes, but after a moment’s hesitation, he ultimately asked nothing.

Chen Ji asked, “Senior, are we abandoning Pegasus?”

Golden Pig gritted his teeth. “He’s determined to seek death, why should I bother with him? Before a military formation, even a grandmaster of the Divine Path realm would retreat. What’s he trying to prove? Let him die here. We’re running.”

Chen Ji noticed that Golden Pig was somewhat distracted in his escape, occasionally glancing towards Pegasus’s battle. But they could only see the flash of meteoric light, unable to discern what was truly happening!

As the two ran down the mountain, they ran headlong into a large group of soldiers coming to apprehend them. Golden Pig pulled Chen Ji and turned, scrambling away frantically. They changed directions several times, but it was useless. The entire mountain seemed to be swarming with enemies.

Golden Pig complained, “Damn it, how did the Liu family manage to station so many private soldiers here? Wait, what’s that sound?”

From down the mountain came a clamor; soldiers were knocked off their feet by a sudden assault. Chen Ji peered through a gap in the trees. Under the moonlight, a massive dark shadow knocked down one torch-wielding soldier after another, charging straight towards the mountainside. Torches fell onto the dry leaves, igniting a massive wildfire that, fanned by the wind, immediately began spreading up the mountain.

Golden Pig was filled with doubt and surprise. “What’s happening?”

Before Chen Ji could answer, a strenuous shout came from within the flames: “Chen Ji!”

Golden Pig suddenly looked at Chen Ji. “The Princess’s voice?”

The voices of the Young Master and Zhang Xia also came simultaneously: “Chen Ji! Chen Ji, where are you?”

Chen Ji rushed towards the flames, but Golden Pig grabbed him. “Are you out of your mind? This wildfire spreads faster than a man can run. What are you doing?”

With a thunderous roar, a tall warhorse leaped, crossing the sea of fire like a flying boat, landing right in front of Chen Ji. Chen Ji gazed up blankly. The Young Master, the Princess, and Zhang Xia were all on horseback, their faces grimy with dust, and behind them, a raging inferno pulsed wildly.

Bai Li exclaimed in surprise, “Oh! Chen Ji, we finally found you! Quick, get on the horse, we’re here to get you.”

Chen Ji asked blankly, “Didn’t I tell you to escape immediately? How did you end up rushing here?”

The Young Master laughed heartily, “How can we be true adventurers if we abandon our friends?” As he spoke, he bent down and extended a hand: “Quick, get on.”

Chen Ji turned to Golden Pig. “Senior.”

Golden Pig took a deep breath and slowly retreated. “You go with them, kid. You better damn well make it out alive. Otherwise, I’ll be losing big time.”

With that, he turned and ran towards the direction of Pegasus’s battle.

End of chapter.