Chapter 689 - 403: Survival in a Desperate Situation

Jiang Wanzhao was losing ground primarily because of her prior exhaustion and severe injuries.

If Jiang Wanzhao fell, none of them would be able to escape.

Su Qingyu wanted to ask Zou Feng how his recovery was going and if he could quickly step in to help Jiang Wanzhao. But when she turned to look at him, she froze.

Zou Feng’s entire body was emanating a faint, brilliant glow.

The glow was filled with a sense of peace and tranquility that swiftly soothed Su Qingyu’s anxious heart.

So, she held back the words that were on the tip of her tongue. ’It’s going to be okay,’ she thought, a sense of certainty washing over her.

Without another word, Zou Feng shot toward the battlefield.

’Another shot from the Superconducting Poison Magnet Cannon would solve this,’ he thought, ’but the problem is, I can’t fire it right now.’

’Su Qingyu’s gear and Xiaolv were both damaged, and I’ve used up all my External Pills during our escape.’

Fortunately, the clam venom had been potent enough to push Zou Feng to the very edge of the Golden Core Realm...

So, without hesitation, Zou Feng swept forcefully into the battlefield. He threw a seemingly ordinary palm strike through the air toward the Masked Judge.

The Masked Judge only wanted to focus on taking down Jiang Wanzhao as quickly as possible, so even though he saw Zou Feng approach, he paid him no mind.

But when Zou Feng unleashed his palm strike, the expression on the face beneath the Masked Judge’s mask changed dramatically.

’What the hell? How is this palm strike like one from a Golden Core Realm Cultivator!?’

The reason for this conclusion was simple: Zou Feng’s palm strike contained a very distinct Rule Power—a "Rule" that could poison a Judge.

The Masked Judge no longer dared to take the hit head-on. He had to abandon his attack on Jiang Wanzhao and turn to defend himself.

After freeing Jiang Wanzhao, Zou Feng immediately sank into a Horse Stance. His palms blurred, seeming to disappear as he unleashed a furious barrage of strikes on the Masked Judge.

After all, he hadn’t officially broken through to the Golden Core Realm yet. His only option was to unleash this newly enhanced Rule Power with everything he had.

But it was more than enough to put the Masked Judge on the back foot.

In truth, the Masked Judge had been chasing them for so long and had just fought an intense battle with Jiang Wanzhao. How could he not be exhausted as well?

Equally exhausted, he was now being bombarded by Zou Feng’s Rule Power. He quickly found himself struggling to cope, cutting a pathetic figure.

He had no opening to use any of his deadliest techniques.

It was a perfect example of the old saying: even a grandmaster can be beaten to death by a flurry of wild punches. That was the Masked Judge’s exact predicament.

Finally, he couldn’t hold on any longer and took several palm strikes squarely.

And that wasn’t all. Having taken the opportunity to catch her breath, Jiang Wanzhao gritted her teeth and threw herself back into the fight.

Her Thousand-Handed Asura Dharma Aspect finally coalesced once more.

Seeing this, the last shred of wishful thinking in the Masked Judge’s heart shattered. Without hesitation, he unleashed a dense cloud of black mist for cover and decisively fled.

In truth, if Jiang Wanzhao had been in better condition, she could have pursued and finished the Judge off for good.

But just rejoining the battle had already worsened her injuries, leaving her with no strength to give chase.

Zou Feng, however, seemed unwilling to let this opportunity go. He looked ready to turn the tables and hunt down the Masked Judge himself.

"Don’t pursue a desperate foe!"

Jiang Wanzhao warned him just in time. Chasing him would only lead them into an ambush by more Tribulation Cultivators; they couldn’t afford to be greedy.

Fortunately, Zou Feng hadn’t lost his mind. He didn’t actually give chase. Instead, after a short sprint, he sent a powered-up Evil King’s Fiery Black Dragon Wave after the Judge as a parting gift.

If he had given up too decisively, the Masked Judge might have simply dodged instead of fleeing, and continued to shadow them from afar.

This homing Dragon of Evil Qi should be enough to make the Masked Judge abandon any foolish ideas.

Once the Masked Judge’s figure had completely vanished from sight, Zou Feng ran back to check on Jiang Wanzhao.

"Senior Sister Jiang, you..."

As soon as he got close, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her face deathly pale.

For Jiang Wanzhao, this trip to the Northern Domain had been an unmitigated disaster.

Not only would she almost certainly be held accountable for this, but with her repeated injuries, it would likely take a year or more of recuperation before she could fully heal.

During her recovery, it would be difficult for her to make any progress in her cultivation, meaning she would lose a significant amount of time.

In the fierce competition among True Disciples, this meant falling even further behind.

"I’m fine. Let’s go!"

They had finally shaken off the Masked Judge, but they didn’t dare rest. They had to keep running.

All the signs indicated that the Tribulation Cultivators were dead set on confronting the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect this time, which was why more and more powerful ones were gathering.

In short, until they were back within the signal range of the Celestial Dao Cauldron, there was no safety to speak of. They couldn’t afford to delay for even a moment.

The three of them said no more and continued their flight.

Although Yu Qing had been subjected to Zou Feng’s Refinement for a while, their Life Force was surprisingly strong, and they were still alive.

So, Zou Feng naturally didn’t forget to pick them up, intending to bring them back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect as proof of his accomplishments.

Although Zou Feng had recovered some of his strength, he didn’t dare fly. That would only make him an easy target.

Fleeing on foot and using the terrain for cover was a much better option.

After fleeing for an hour, Zou Feng, with his newly enhanced Divine Sense, once again sensed that something was wrong.

He glanced back at the sky as he continued to run.

Just as he’d suspected, a large mass of dark clouds was rapidly roiling toward them.

He couldn’t see clearly, but the number of Tribulation Cultivators within the cloud was impossible to estimate, and there was definitely more than one at the Golden Core Realm.

When the three of them saw this, they couldn’t help but look at each other in dismay.

An unspoken understanding passed between them, and wry smiles appeared on all their faces.

This huge host of Tribulation Cultivators probably wasn’t there specifically for them. Most likely, they were on their way to clash with the vanguard of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s northern expedition.

But if this army happened to spot Zou Feng and his group while on the move, they’d certainly have no reason to let them go.

Zou Feng now faced a grim choice.

Should they keep running, or quickly find a place to hide, play dead, and hope to slip by unnoticed as they had with the "Big Flower Sedan" and the "Elder General"?

However, after a moment’s thought, Zou Feng rejected the idea of hiding.

The situation was completely different this time. The sheer number of Tribulation Cultivators in that cloud meant there would be all types of Cultivators present.

If even one of them was an expert at seeing through disguises or possessed outstanding detection abilities, they would be trapped with no way out.

It was better to risk everything and keep running—to keep going even if they started coughing up blood—and pray the cloud didn’t catch up to them.

’It’s not time to despair. Not yet. We’re close. I don’t know our exact location, but after running for so many days, we have to be close to the range of the Celestial Dao Cauldron!’

’Besides, the fact that True Monarch Tianyan, Nangong Chu, knew about the upheaval in the Northern Domain and tried to intercept me earlier proves that the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s reinforcements are definitely on the move.’

’Maybe their route just deviated from our position, which is why we haven’t run into them yet.’

’Then again, with such a large army of Tribulation Cultivators appearing, surely some of our reinforcements nearby must have sensed them by now, right?’

’So there’s still hope. We have to keep running...’

Having made his decision, Zou Feng quickly and clearly explained his reasoning.

He spoke his thoughts aloud deliberately, trying to emphasize that they still had a chance, that there was still hope.

After all, one look at the two women’s faces told him that despair was beginning to take hold of them.

In truth, Zou Feng was no different; a sense of pessimism was inevitably creeping into his own heart as well.

But his pessimism wasn’t for himself. It was for Su Qingyu and Jiang Wanzhao.

The reason was simple: only he, having just absorbed the clam venom, could barely maintain this breakneck pace.

But Su Qingyu and Jiang Wanzhao, both seriously injured, couldn’t hold on for much longer.

Sure enough, just as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang Wanzhao stumbled and pitched forward.

Fortunately, Zou Feng had anticipated this. With lightning-fast reflexes, he caught Jiang Wanzhao, smoothly hoisted her onto his shoulder, and continued to flee without breaking stride.

Draped over Zou Feng’s shoulder, Jiang Wanzhao turned her head to stare at him, her lips parting as if to say something.

But Zou Feng shot her a glare, and she swallowed the words she was about to speak.

"Look! Over there! Is that..."

Su Qingyu’s sudden exclamation rang out.

Shouting so loudly while on the run was a bad idea, as it only increased their risk of being discovered.

But when Zou Feng looked in the direction she was pointing, he couldn’t hold back an exclamation of his own.

"Is that... a Flying Celestial Ship!?"