Chapter 76: Enemies approaching the city gates!
However, another terrifying sword-qi that seemed as though it could chop through anything caused the surrounding wind and clouds to surge as it chopped up diagonally, blocking that golden sword-light.
Not looking up at all, Yan Zhaoge entered the guardian formation, directly rushing towards the King of the Eastern Tang Kingdom, Zhao Shicheng.
The Heaven-Thwarting Mantra which had been lost in the Eight Extremities World following the Great Calamity was now displayed by him.
The Vortex Reversal Technique was rotated at its maximum, the dragon-like aura-qi within his body surging.
This time, it was not guiding the black, foglike chaotic streams of baleful qi into his body like in his cultivation session before.
Instead, it was completely utilised outside of his body as Yan Zhaoge hacked out with his palm, looking as though he was wielding a large blade as he chopped towards that black qi pillar that was drawing Zhao Shicheng towards it.
As it landed, the black qi pillar instantly began distorting violently.
It was like it was a huge snake which possessed true life; having been injured by a sword blow, it thrashed its thick body about in pain.
Where the blow had landed, the black qi pillar had obviously thinned out, as though a sizeable wound had been inflicted on it.
“How did he do that?” The Eastern Tang Kingdom martial practitioners looked like they had all just seen a ghost.
Yan Zhaoge did not have time to waste on pleasantries. Using his palm as a blade, he landed a few consecutive palms on the same position.
The black qi pillar shuddered violently before finally breaking apart with a loud boom.
A portion of it was swiftly retracted into the abyss, while some of it was infused into Zhao Shicheng’s body.
Zhao Shicheng’s body shuddered once again, blood once again trickling from the corner of his mouth. However, without the pull of the black qi, they could now finally take him out of Sealing Dragon Abyss.
While the Eastern Tang Kingdom martial practitioners where shocked by Yan Zhaoge’s performance, they knew that now was not the time for unnecessary words. They hurriedly protected Zhao Shicheng as they began retreating from the Sealing Dragon Abyss.
The tempest above him was much more intense. The Sacred Sun Clan martial practitioners began trying to break through and head downwards, while the Broad Creed Mountain martial practitioners counterattacked unceasingly.
The East Rising Lord’s moves became wilder and more unrestrained.
With a few West-tilting Heaven Incinerating Blades, it was as though the entire Sealing Dragon Abyss was going to be destroyed all at once, leaving everyone buried.
The Elder Qin whose personality was like a raging fire was, conversely, calm and composed at this time, not aiming for merit but at least not trying to make a mistake.
He carefully received the East Rising Lord’s every move, ensuring that Yan Zhaoge, Zhao Shicheng and the rest would have the time to retreat.
Yan Zhaoge accompanied the Eastern Tang martial practitioners in escorting Zhao Shicheng out of this place.
The current situation was still rather disadvantageous for himself and for Broad Creed Mountain, with Zhao Shicheng having been heavily injured. Even if he could be saved from the Sealing Dragon Abyss, it was still unknown whether he would be able to deal with such a massive turn of events.
“There’s something wrong; what kind of smell is this?”
As he walked, Yan Zhaoge suddenly frowned. He came up to Zhao Shicheng’s side, giving a careful sniff.
“The pollen of the Hundred Spirit Ghost Grass,” Yan Zhaoge rolled his eyes, “Usually colourless and odourless, only emitting such a smell when in contact with the Sealing Dragon Abyss’s chaotic streams of baleful qi.”
The Eastern Tang martial practitioners beside Yan Zhaoge looked at him quizzically.
Yan Zhaoge pinched the corner of his forehead, “As expected, Infinite Boundless Mountain has stuck its nose in.”
The Eastern Tang had alchemy as its tradition; the King of the Eastern Tang Kingdom, Zhao Shicheng himself was one of the top three alchemists in the lands of the Eastern Tang.
Even he had not noticed any abnormalities on himself; it was therefore only natural that the other Eastern Tang martial practitioners were unaware of it as well.
In the dao of alchemy, amongst the Sacred Grounds, Infinite Boundless Mountain leaned towards the weaker side; the Hundred Spirit Ghost Grass had also never been produced in the Mountain Domain before.
“Zhao Hao,” Yan Zhaoge narrowed his eyes.
Such an unorthodox medicinal knowledge, in the lands of the Eastern Tang, should only be known by one other person other than himself, and that was Zhao Hao.
With Zhao Hao’s current cultivation, he naturally couldn’t smell it from a long distance away.
However, he could instruct Martial Grandmaster experts of Infinite Boundless Mountain to track Zhao Shicheng through that smell.
If the other side really was led by a Martial Grandmaster, their speed would definitely be higher than that of his own party.
In the situation where their movements were exposed, pure running would not be able to let them get away.
“Ah Hu, catch a fast-moving demonic beast here; I want a live one,” Yan Zhaoge commanded.
Not asking for the reason, Ah Hu immediately executed what was asked of him.
Not having the time to care about whether or not he was being rude, Yan Zhaoge directly stripped off Zhao Shicheng’s outer robe and tied it on the demonic beast’s body, before letting it run free.
“We cannot stop; continue moving forward,” Yan Zhaoge said, “Even without his outer robe, Uncle Zhao still has the fragrance of the pollen of the Hundred Spirit Ghost Grass on him.”
“As soon as we stop, we will be exposed.”
The party continued on their way, but the quaking within the Sealing Dragon Abyss at this moment was becoming more and more pronounced by the second, as though the very heavens were collapsing and the very earth splitting apart.
“His Majesty’s condition is getting worse and worse,” As they walked, an Eastern Tang martial practitioner said in a grave tone.
Yan Zhaoge knit his brows slightly. Going up to check, he saw that Zhao Shicheng’s face had turned black, a green qi and a red qi repeatedly flashing.
While he was currently unconscious, his body’s Profound Art was rotating on its own as it withstood the invading baleful qi.
Both sides clashed unceasingly, affected by the quaking in the outside world, to the point where it seemed like he was in danger of undergoing cultivation deviation.
At this time, continuing to bring him forward would conversely be speeding him towards his death.
Even though the Eastern Tang Kingdom had a Xiantian Martial Scholar expert here, standing guard over their liege with their aura-qi, it would be hard to ensure his safety-the situation before them in the Sealing Dragon Abyss seemed like a scene from the end of the world.
Yan Zhaoge sucked in a deep breath, “Since he can’t continue moving, let’s just compete with the other side in the area of buying time.”
“Put down Uncle Zhao; I will assist him in recovering.”
Because of Yan Zhaoge’s repeated miraculous performances earlier as well as the Yan Family’s close relationship with Zhao Shicheng, faced with this situation, the Eastern Tang Kingdom martial practitioners chose to believe in Yan Zhaoge.
The Xiantian Martial Scholar expert immediately came forward to help.
Yan Zhaoge placed one of his palms on Zhao Shicheng’s chest and the other on his back, as he began circulating the Heaven-Thwarting Mantra, assisting Zhao Shicheng in guiding and expelling the chaotic streams of baleful qi within his body.
Ah Hu and the others guarded closely by Yan Zhaoge’s and Zhao Shicheng’s sides.
At this moment, his entire face filled with earnestness, the gaze with which Ah Hu looked at Yan Zhaoge and Zhao Shicheng faintly contained a sense of worry.
Luckily, as time passed, Zhao Shicheng’s condition gradually stabilised. Seeing this, everyone’s faces filled with joy.
However, the formation with Zhao Shicheng sustaining it as its core was becoming more and more unstable by the second.
Obviously, the situation over at Jingyang City was not something to be optimistic about.
Now, Ah Hu and the others frowned simultaneously, as the faraway black fog parted and a group of martial practitioners appeared.
The people who had come were garbed fully in black, precisely the appearance of Infinite Boundless Mountain martial practitioners.
Leading them was actually a Xiantian Martial Scholar. Beside him stood a youth, none other than Zhao Hao himself.
Glancing at Yan Zhaoge and Zhao Shicheng, Zhao Hao’s gaze was distant and deep, “You were able to detect the Hundred Spirit Ghost Grass pollen?”
“Luckily, upon getting close enough, even a Xiantian Martial Scholar will be able to barely discern its smell. Otherwise, we would really have fallen for your ‘Cicada Casting Off Skin’ trick.”
That Infinite Boundless Mountain Xiantian Martial Scholar said mildly, “Currently, King Zhao is not merely lightly injured; his body has been invaded by the Sealing Dragon Abyss’s baleful qi.”
“If the treatment is wrong, it would instead be putting his life at risk.”
“In this kind of situation, it would be better for Martial Scholars not to make a move. Our clan’s Martial Grandmaster, Elder He, will be arriving at any moment. Him helping to treat King Zhao’s injuries-that is the way it should naturally be.”
He took a stride forward, “Saving a life is like extinguishing a fire; the earlier the better, and best not delayed. Just directly hand the person over to us.”
Zhao Hao did not look at Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu, instead staring at the other Eastern Tang Kingdom martial practitioners, “If the time for treatment is delayed, Royal Father’s life might be lost.”
“This responsibility-which of you can bear it?”