Chapter 544: Nowhere to Run, an Immortal King Descends!

【“Strategist, can we leave now?”】

【You could tell that He Xiangdong still needed a little time to recover.】

【But worried about Ah Dou and the others’ safety, you still called for He Xiangdong to hurry up and leave with you.】

【He Xiangdong had managed to recover some of his strength.】

【“Let’s go. Mr. Chen’s combat prowess is peerless. Though you’re only at the Transcendent Realm, you can still overpower Jin Hai, a seventh-tier Immortal Lord. Zhong Yanqing needs your protection. We can take him to the Secluded Village together.”】

【You transformed into a dragon again, picked He Xiangdong up in your mouth, and tossed him onto your back.】

【As you flew, you spoke.】

【“You’re taking Ah Dou to the Secluded Village?”】

【“Mr. Chen, you know about the Secluded Village?”】

【“Mm... I’m afraid I know more about it than you do. But as far as I know, they’re not part of the Torch Society.”】

【“The Secluded Village on Vermilion Violet Star is where some powerful members of the Human Race go to retire and avoid danger. It indeed isn’t part of the Torch Society, but King Zhou, King Liang, and the others are old acquaintances of some of the village’s seniors. They agreed to let us take shelter there for now.”】

【“Those old fogeys do nothing but play dead. The Torch Society is facing a catastrophe, and they still refuse to help!”】

【“Don’t speak that way about the village’s seniors. In fact, I suspect the mysterious Immortal King who helped King Zhou resist three Immortal Kings from the Holy Dragon Society came from the Secluded Village.”】

【In fact, quite a few people had managed to escape the Torch Society this time.】

【Although the Holy Dragon Society and several organizations under its direct control had laid a tight net, the Torch Society had operated underground for a long time, and could be said to be quite skilled at escaping.】

【It was just that these three groups, who were escorting the Children of Destiny, had received special attention, which was why their journey had been so perilous.】

【Two had been captured alive, and the third had nearly met the same fate.】

【The Torch Society had managed to get some people out safely this time, and even brought along some important files and resources. In truth, people from the Secluded Village had secretly helped them.】

【However, the Secluded Village didn’t want to reveal its existence, so they had acted very discreetly.】

【It wasn’t long before you caught up with Ah Dou.】

【To avoid drawing attention by making a spectacle of yourselves, you ended your Dragon Transformation and escorted Ah Dou in human form.】

【The night was dark, and the wind was high.】

【Inside a cave, the campfire crackled.】

【A group of people sat around the fire, looking haggard as they ate the game they had just hunted.】

【You had been traveling at full speed for five days and five nights.】

【Search parties from the Peace Force occasionally flew overhead. All along the way, you had made your way through forests, ditches, ravines, and other such places.】

【Those of you with higher cultivation realms could still hold out.】

【Ah Dou, however, was only at the Core Formation realm. Going five days and five nights without food or water was a grueling ordeal for him.】

【So you stopped and found a secluded place to rest.】

【You set up several formations around the area for warnings, protection, and traps.】

【There were only a few of you left to protect Ah Dou on this journey.】

【Strong Man Lin, Ji Wuqing, He Xiangdong, and you.】

【Ah Dou had only taken a few sips of water. He had no appetite as he stared at the charred roast chicken you handed him.】

【You knew he was thinking again about the Torch Society brothers who had died, as well as the innocent civilians at the base, and immediately scolded him.】

【“You little brat, eat! What do you think you are, made of iron? Or have you, like me, comprehended the Divine Ability of Grain Avoidance, so you can go without food and water?”】

【As you spoke, you picked up a beautifully roasted golden fish, leisurely sprinkled it with seasoning, and started eating.】

【“Even if I had Grain Avoidance, I’d still enjoy good food.”】

【Ji Wuqing glanced at the food in your hand and the food in Ah Dou’s, then said with drooping eyelids,】

【“Mr. Chen, why don’t you trade with Brother Zhong...”】

【Ah Dou didn’t mind. He casually peeled off the charred skin of the roast chicken and smiled.】

【“It’s fine. I like it a little burnt.”】

【You looked over at He Xiangdong, who had been busy off to the side.】

【He was fiddling with a cumbersome magical artifact. It looked a lot like one of those old-fashioned telegraph machines you’d seen in movies back on Earth.】

【The Torch Society called this artifact a “Neighbor Box.” It was used for short-distance communication.】

【“Strategist, have you heard from anyone else?”】

【He Xiangdong shook his head.】

【“No. But I figure even if the others have escaped by now, they wouldn’t be able to contact one another. That’s why the Neighbor Box hasn’t received anything.”】

【Ah Dou’s voice trembled a little.】

【“Strategist, did everyone die...?”】

【He Xiangdong gave him a reassuring smile.】

【“You’re underestimating the Torch Society’s knack for staying alive. You’re a Child of Destiny, so the ones pursuing you are all elite troops and powerful fighters. That’s why our escape has been so difficult. The other groups of brothers who fled might not be having such a hard time.”】

【“Strategist, at the very least, the five of us have to reach the Secluded Village together.”】

【“We will.”】

【A sudden inspiration struck Ji Wuqing, and she came up with an idea.】

【“My Ji family’s Ancestral Land isn’t far from here. How about I go to the Ji family and find some people I can trust to help escort Brother Zhong?”】

【He Xiangdong rejected her suggestion.】

【“Wuqing, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that the Ji family’s public stance is on the Holy Dragon Society’s side. The people you think you can trust might not actually be trustworthy.”】

【You also thought it was a bad idea.】

【Ji Wuqing sighed.】

【“I suppose it’s because my Ji family betrayed the Human Race...”】

【He Xiangdong smiled.】

【“That was true once. As for now, it depends on the circumstances.”】

【Do you remember the “Alien Race Great Turmoil” incident He Xiangdong told you about?】

【It mentioned that there were many factors behind the Alien Race’s successful Great Turmoil.】

【One of them was that some members of the Human Race had switched sides and supported the Alien Race.】

【The Ji family was one of them.】

【That was a stain on the Ji family that could never be erased.】

【But nowadays, the Ji family also had people like Ji Wuqing, who were willing to devote their lives to the Torch Society’s cause.】

【So when it came to a person’s loyalties, you still had to judge each individual case.】

【After all, by this point, a very, very long time had passed since the Great Turmoil.】

【How many ancestral precepts could really be followed to the letter?】

【The night was silent, the wind murderous.】

【Somewhere in the distant reaches of the starry sky, the clash between Immortal Kings had already ended.】

【The night passed without incident.】

【The next day, before dawn, the five of you set out.】

【Both you and Ah Dou had immense luck, but this time, it seemed luck was on the enemy’s side.】

【In a dense forest, all five of you stopped at the same time.】

【A power so overwhelming it made your hearts tremble appeared out of nowhere and pressed down on you. You had no choice but to stop and channel your divine power to resist it, or you would be crushed to the ground on the spot.】

【“What is this?!”】

【“It’s an Immortal King’s domain pressure!”】

【“An Immortal King from the Holy Dragon Society?”】

【“It can only be them! Looks like King Zhou and the others lost...”】

【In the sky, white clouds gathered from every direction and formed the face of a Holy Dragon Man. The gigantic face looked down upon the earth, blinking and opening its mouth to speak.】

【“He Xiangdong! There’s nowhere left for you to run!”】