The winter solstice had just passed, it was the coldest time of the year, the entire Yunwu County Country was snowing, between the lofty mountains, it was all white.
Zhang Ruochen had already chased Hua Ming Gong for four days and four nights, from Qinghe Fort all the way to Lin’an County in the north of Yunwu County Country, a long-distance run of close to 16,000 miles.
On the way, the two had fought three times, and each time, Zhang Ruochen had almost always gained the upper hand, chasing Hua Ming Gong down as if he were a lost dog.
Only Hua Ming Gong’s speed was one step faster than Zhang Ruochen’s, so every time, he was able to escape from Zhang Ruochen’s hands.
After chasing him to the vicinity of Lin’an County, the two of them fought again on the glacier, fighting so hard that even the cold ice in the glacier was melted by the True Qi.
Hua Ming Gong fled once again, not knowing where he had gone.
Zhang Ruochen was able to catch up with Hua Ming Gong time and time again, that was because, he possessed a Martial Soul.
As long as Hua Ming Gong was still within a hundred miles, Zhang Ruochen would be able to find him if he released his Martial Soul.
Naturally, Hua Ming Gong didn’t know that Zhang Ruochen had cultivated his Martial Soul, so as he fled, he tried not to leave any traces each time, not wanting Zhang Ruochen to chase him down again.
However, every time, no matter how carefully he hurried, Zhang Ruochen would be able to find him again in a day’s time at most. Inevitably, the two would have to fight again.
Hua Ming Gong was already injured, but he had never had the chance to heal his wounds, and at first, he had hoped to use his own mastery to kill Zhang Ruochen. But with each great battle, Zhang Ruochen at most suffered some minor injuries, while his injuries became heavier and heavier, and even his speed of catching up became slower and slower.
“Escaped again! Lin’an County was already the last county in the north of the Yunwu County Kingdom, and if he went further north, he would enter the territory of the Sifang County Kingdom. Could it be that he intends to head to the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce in the Sifang County Kingdom to look for helpers.”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart sank as he looked at the direction Hua Ming Gong had fled and chased after him once again.
Although Hua Ming Gong was a Heavenly Extremity Realm martial artist, he was after all old, unlike a young man like Zhang Ruochen, who was full of mental energy and blood qi, and even if he didn’t rest for ten days and ten nights, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of fatigue.
He was old!
After tens of thousands of miles of long-distance fleeing, and with a serious injury, Hua Ming Gong felt that his speed was becoming more and more sluggish.
If he were to fight Zhang Ruochen again, he no longer had the certainty of escaping.
“What an abomination, if the Red Spider Giant Ship was by my side, would I have escaped in such a sorry state?” Hua Ming Gong was cloaked in blood, his entire body was covered in blood, and there were at least ten sword marks on his body.
The Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce originally had two Red Spider Giant Ships in the Yunwu County Kingdom, but during the transfer of goods, both Red Spider Giant Ships were carrying a large amount of goods to the Sifang County Kingdom.
With the loss of the Red Spider Giant Ships and no ninth rank True Martial Treasure Armament level combat soldiers, how could Hua Ming Gong possibly hold back Zhang Ruochen, who was in the midst of a sharp and aggressive battle?
Fleeing along the way made even this mighty Heavenly Extreme Realm Martial Myth feel a little desperate.
Fortunately, he finally escaped to Lin’an County, and further north, he entered the territory of the Sifang County Kingdom.
The royal family of the Four Directions County Kingdom had a good relationship with the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce, so the headquarters of the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce was built in the Four Directions County Kingdom.
This secret was only known to the top management of the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce.
As long as one entered the Four Directions County Kingdom, it was the same as entering the territory of the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce, and at that time, the one who should flee would be Zhang Ruochen.
“When I recover from my injuries, I will definitely break that one bast*rd into pieces.”
Hua Ming Gong rushed into Lin’an County Town.
He remembered that there was a hidden stronghold of the Poisonous Spider inside Lin’an County City, so he planned to go to that one hidden stronghold first to spread the news, hoping that the experts of the Poisonous Spider Chamber of Commerce in the Sifang County Country would come to the rescue immediately.
This stronghold was not large, and there were only dozens of chamber members.
When these Chamber members saw Hua Ming Gong, it was just like ordinary people seeing an emperor, all of them went out to greet him and respectfully invited him into the stronghold.
Hua Ming Gong asked, “Who is in charge here?”
An old man whose cultivation had reached the Small Extreme Stage of the Xuan Extreme Realm walked out, bowed and stood in front of Hua Ming Gong, saying, “Reporting back to the Guildmaster, old man Li Chuan, is precisely the person in charge of this one stronghold.”
Hua Ming Gong didn’t make any nonsense, and immediately ordered, saying, “You will now go to the Boulder City stronghold in the Four Direction County Kingdom with my token, and request Mu Qing to immediately mobilise the Red Spider Giant Ship, and rush to come to his rescue. Tell him that if he comes to the rescue, he will be able to receive the benefit of at least a ninth rank True Martial Treasure Artifact.”
Boulder City was the closest large-scale stronghold to Lin’an County City, less than five hundred miles apart, and if one were to take a Barbarian Bird, it would only take an hour to arrive.
Mu Qing was also a high-ranking member of the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce, with his cultivation reaching the Heavenly Extreme Realm, and was in charge of all things on the southern border of the Sifang County Kingdom.
Hua Ming Gong’s relationship with Mu Qing wasn’t very good, but Hua Ming Gong believed that by using a ninth rank True Martial Treasure as a condition, Mu Qing would definitely come to the rescue as fast as he could.
In the black market, there were no true friends, only true interests.
If there were no benefits, even if they were martial artists from the same power, they might not risk offending a strong enemy to go and help.
That one old man called Li Chuan, when he heard Lord Hua Ming’s words, his heart was shocked, what kind of person could chase the Lord to such a sorry state? Could it be the Yunwu County King himself?
Li Chuan didn’t dare to ask more questions, after receiving the token, he immediately rode the savage bird and rushed out of Lin’an County City, heading towards the direction of the border.
Duke Hua Ming could naturally escape to Boulder City himself, but he was afraid that he would already be caught up by Zhang Ruochen before he could escape to Boulder City.
“That one Zhang Ruochen doesn’t know what tactics he is proficient in, he actually manages to find me every time. The less people there are in the mountains and forests, the easier it is for him to find me. On the contrary, if I hide in a city with many people, the slower he will find me. I hope that Zhang Ruochen hasn’t found me before Mu Qing arrives.”
Hua Ming Gong gritted his teeth, his heart felt incomparably stifled, he was a mythical figure of martial arts, but he was actually being chased by a teenager for 10,000 miles, wouldn’t it be a disgrace to spread the news?
Of course, what Hua Ming Gong was thinking about now was not how to save his face, but how to save his life.
As long as he could hold out until Mu Qing arrived, at that time, it would be Zhang Ruochen’s time to die.
“If we really can’t, we can only use that one forbidden technique.” Hua Ming Gong clenched his fists as if he had made a certain major decision.
……
Not long after, Zhang Ruochen also walked into Lin’an County.
Lin’an County, was only a small county on the border of the Yunwu County State, and it was perennially war-torn, making it seem very withered.
A year ago, Lin’an County City was captured by the Sifang County Kingdom, and almost all of the people in the city were taken captive and sold to the Sifang County Kingdom to become slaves.
The wealth in the county town was also looted, turning it into a dead city.
Although later on, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yichen were engaged to be married, and the Yunwu County Kingdom received the support of the Thousand Waters County Kingdom to put pressure on the Sifang County Kingdom.
The Four Direction County King County King was forced to return more than twenty cities including Lin’an County City back to the Yunwu County Kingdom and compensated a large amount of coins. However, these twenty or so cities had become even more deserted than before.
Walking into Lin’an County City, on the streets, one could only see a few scattered figures with yellowish faces, like they hadn’t had a full meal for many days.
In the cold winter, even in the royal city of the Yunwu County Kingdom, many people would die because of the cold and hunger. Not to mention a small border town like this.
All of those starving ordinary people stared at Zhang Ruochen with pitiful eyes before they turned their gazes away, not daring to look directly at Zhang Ruochen.
They were all slaves who had been captured by the Four Direction County Kingdom and had long been bullied and scared, how could they dare to mess with a glorious noble young master like Zhang Ruochen?
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze stared towards one of the alleys, only to see a little girl in thin, tattered clothes, kneeling in the snow, crying loudly, and using a pair of thin arms to vigorously shake a woman in the snow.
“Mother, you wake up …… you wake up …… mother ……” The little girl cried while pushing that one woman’s s body.
Zhang Ruochen walked over and glanced towards that one woman. Only to see that that one woman’s face was completely covered in frost, her whole body was stiff, and she had obviously frozen to death last night.
Last night, it was that one woman who held the little girl in her arms, using her own body heat to guard her child. Otherwise, that one little girl would probably have frozen to death as well.
“Big brother, please, please help me wake up my mother ……” The little girl, who looked to be only three or four years old, stared at Zhang Ruochen with a pair of big round eyes, her eyes full of tears as she said pitifully.
Zhang Ruochen was originally chasing after him in a hurry, wanting to kill Hua Ming Gong earlier, but after seeing that pair of clear eyes of the little girl, he became calm instead.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly woke up with a start, ”In the last few days, why have the killing thoughts been so heavy? Could it be because absorbing a large amount of sacrificial power has affected my own martial arts heart?”
Within the power of sacrifice, there was originally the power of countless people’s prayers, containing the spirit and will of thousands of humans. For a deity, it could easily consume the spirit and will of those people.
However, Zhang Ruochen was only a human martial artist, so he would naturally be affected by the power of sacrifice, thus deviating from his own heart.
Should Lord Hua Ming be killed?
Of course he should be killed.
But Zhang Ruochen’s inner thoughts of killing were too heavy, even affecting his normal thinking. If he couldn’t come to his senses in time and let the killing thoughts keep expanding, he would surely go off the deep end and become a murderous devil who lost his mind before long.
“Luckily, my spiritual power is strong, and I have suppressed the power of the sacrifice for the time being. After getting rid of Lord Hua Ming, I must close my eyes for a period of time before I can do so.”
Zhang Ruochen squatted down, took off his outer robe and wrapped it around that one little girl’s body as he solemnly said, “Your mother has already passed away and is unlikely to wake up again. You have to live well and be a strong person so that you won’t freeze to death in the future.”
Zhang Ruochen had to admit that he was indeed not a person who knew how to lie to people, not even children, and how to comfort them.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s words, that one little girl indeed cried even louder: “No, no, mother will wake up, she will definitely wake up …… You go, you go, you are a liar ……”
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head, and was about to leave, when suddenly, he stopped again and took out ten blood pills and put them into that one little girl’s walk, saying, “If you are hungry, eat one!”
There were simply too many people in need of help under the sky, and Zhang Ruochen’s ability was limited to this extent.
After delaying here for a few moments, Zhang Ruochen had to leave and continue to look for Hua Ming Gong.
Hua Ming Gong was in the middle of Lin’an County City, and Zhang Ruochen had already scoped out his location, believing that he would soon be able to make his way there.
Discovering that Hua Ming Gong had not fled, Zhang Ruochen was also a bit surprised and wondered what exactly Hua Ming Gong was up to.
In order to avoid a long night’s sleep, it was necessary to get rid of him as soon as possible in order to eliminate any future troubles.
Still killing people, Zhang Ruochen’s mindset, however, had undergone a subtle change and appeared much calmer.
