Chapter 784: Desperate Flight

A few days later, at the cave abode of the Golden Rhinoceros King.

The floor of the main hall was strewn with gold and silver vessels, broken cups and shattered dishes scattered in a mess.

All the demon soldiers and generals were trembling, kneeling on the ground.

Silverfeather bowed low, his head drooping, his expression unclear; blood stained the front of his robe, indicating he was not lightly injured.

"You mean Copperfeather died at the hands of that human beside Shi Chuankong?" the Golden Rhinoceros King asked, having vented his anger and slowly sat back on his golden throne, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed.

"Reporting to the King, that man mastered the law of time, and when combined with Shi Chuankong's law of space..." Silverfeather spoke slower and slower, finally trailing off without finishing.

"So you lost as you should and fled as naturally as could be?" the Golden Rhinoceros King retorted in a sharp voice.

"Your subordinate admits guilt..." Silverfeather bowed in fear and spoke.

"Enough. If Copperfeather hadn't acted alone at the start, the two of you fighting together might have led to a different outcome." The Golden Rhinoceros King suddenly sighed deeply and said slowly.

With that, he waved his hand, and a purple disc flew out from it, emitting a dazzling purple light that condensed into a purple formation.

The figure of a middle-aged man in a purple robe appeared in the formation—none other than the Saint Lord's eldest son, Shi Zhanfeng.

"Judging by your expression, Brother Golden Rhinoceros, it seems you're not here to complete the transaction with me? It appears the interception of my thirteenth brother hasn't gone smoothly," Shi Zhanfeng said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Wasn't this deal of the Great Prince somewhat improper? Why didn't you inform us in advance that the human beside Shi Chuankong was so powerful, causing me to lose two generals in succession?" the Golden Rhinoceros King asked with a displeased expression.

Shi Zhanfeng was momentarily stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he said:

"You wrong me, Brother Golden Rhinoceros. My younger brother has quite a talent for business and has been managing affairs in the Guangyuan Bazaar. He only recently returned from the Immortal Realm, so I truly don't know who is by his side. However, a mere Taiyi cultivator—surely Brother Golden Rhinoceros can handle him?"

"Hmph, if he were an ordinary Taiyi cultivator, any one of my Three Feathers could have killed him. Unfortunately, that man cultivates the law of time, and combined with your brother's law of space, they are the most troublesome kind—not as easy to deal with as you claim," the Golden Rhinoceros King snorted coldly.

"This... Are they still within your territory?" Shi Zhanfeng hesitated briefly before asking.

"What? If they leave my domain, will the Great Prince turn to negotiate with that Black Weasel? Then what about our deal? If it's void, and I've lost two generals for nothing, even if Night Sun City is far away, I will still go and have a word about your breach of trust," the Golden Rhinoceros King raised an eyebrow and asked coldly.

"Brother Golden Rhinoceros, no need to threaten me. If they are still in your territory, go ahead and eliminate them. I will double the reward previously promised," Shi Zhanfeng said without much hesitation.

"On top of doubling, I also want the Great Prince to help suppress Black Weasel's forces for a period of time. If the Great Prince agrees, I will personally go and wipe them out without leaving a trace," said the Golden Rhinoceros King.

"Agreed," Shi Zhanfeng said immediately.

"Silverfeather, muster the troops and prepare the chariot. The King will personally go hunting," the Golden Rhinoceros King commanded, his narrow eyes narrowing as he waved his hand.

...

Half a month later, above a forest shrouded in miasma in the Ten Calamities Mountain Range, a jade-green flying carriage sped by.

On the carriage, Han Li and Shi Chuankong stood one behind the other, gazing around with solemn expressions.

"Brother Li, you've been driving this carriage continuously for over half a month. Why not switch to my flying boat so you can rest?" Shi Chuankong patted Han Li's shoulder and said.

"No need. This consumption is nothing. Your injuries haven't fully healed, so we'd better leave here as soon as possible," Han Li shook his head and said.

"Actually, you don't need to be too tense. We've changed directions several times in the past half month and deliberately suppressed our aura, not even releasing our divine sense too far. They can't possibly find us. Besides, we'll soon fly out of Golden Rhinoceros's territory in the next stretch..." Shi Chuankong stopped mid-sentence abruptly.

"Brother Shi, your mouth is almost as bad as a crow's..." Han Li said with a wry smile.

Millions of miles behind them, a massive golden chariot hovered in the sky, three stories high, with carved beams and painted rafters, eaves curving like flying, and sparkling gold crystal stones hanging everywhere, emitting dazzling golden light.

In front of the chariot, ten golden-winged horned horses, covered in golden armor, flapped their wings continuously, pulling the golden chariot forward at great speed in pursuit.

Around the chariot, hundreds of grotesque half-human beasts, also clad in golden armor, crowded around. The procession was no less grand than an imperial emperor's tour.

"Golden Rhinoceros has indeed come personally..." Shi Chuankong quickly scanned behind with his divine sense and said in surprise.

"A Daluo-level beast is not something we can contend with for now," Han Li frowned and said.

With that, he changed his hand seals, and his immortal spiritual power surged, driving the jade-green flying carriage to accelerate sharply, vanishing in a flash.

"Hmph, still trying to flee..." the Golden Rhinoceros King stood behind the railing of the third-story pavilion on the chariot, sneering in a sharp voice.

Beside him, Silverfeather in white robes stood with an uncertain expression.

Then, the Golden Rhinoceros King suddenly raised his hand and waved, and the wide robe embroidered with nine golden dragons he wore blazed with blinding light.

Golden light burst from the sleeves; the nine dragons swam from all over the robe toward his sleeve, and the golden, flowing sleeve instantly expanded hundreds of times, like a sky-devouring mouth, covering the void ahead.

The tens of thousands of miles of void seemed to shrink to a few inches; the nine dragons gathered at the sleeve swam vigorously, and in just a dozen breaths, they were above Han Li and the others.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong felt the sky darken above them and sensed a powerful oppressive force descending from above.

The jade-green flying carriage trembled violently, swaying up and down, as if losing control.

Inside the sleeve, a golden vortex appeared, emitting a strong pulling force that dragged the flying carriage, drastically reducing its speed and preventing escape.

Shi Chuankong's expression changed drastically.

"Brother Shi, hold on to my shoulders," Han Li shouted.

The next moment, a layer of golden light expanded from him, forming a golden domain spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, enveloping the surroundings.

The huge sleeve, entering the time domain, slowed down immediately.

But an instant later, with a roar from the Golden Rhinoceros King, the golden vortex in the sleeve shook violently, erupting with immense force that pressed down, causing ripples in the void within the domain, and descended upon Han Li and the others almost unaffected.

At the critical moment, Han Li gripped the carriage body, reversed the Wheel of Truth within him, and in a blur, he and the jade-green flying carriage appeared tens of thousands of miles away.

The Golden Rhinoceros King felt his vision blur, as if his thoughts had briefly stalled; when he came to, his extended sleeve had landed on empty space.

Shi Chuankong, full of astonishment, looked back into the distance and immediately merged his immortal spiritual power with Han Li's, helping to drive the jade-green flying carriage away at several times its previous speed.

"Chase them!" the Golden Rhinoceros King roared.

He waved his hand, and a huge whip formed of golden light lashed onto the ten golden-winged horned horses ahead.

A loud crack!

The rumps of the ten horned horses were struck simultaneously, their golden armor shattering, leaving shocking wounds.

Yet the ten horses did not even neigh; they flapped their wings and galloped at full speed, chasing madly.

Ahead, Han Li dared not harbor any hope of luck; he continuously reversed the Wheel of Truth within him, with the support of the law of time, carrying Shi Chuankong and the flying carriage forward.

The distance between them and the Golden Rhinoceros King's chariot gradually lengthened.

Shi Chuankong was overjoyed, but when he saw Han Li's pale face, he knew that using such a technique while carrying him and the carriage must be extremely draining and would soon become unsustainable.

Sure enough, Han Li soon stopped such teleportation, and even the time domain covering them could not be maintained, dissipating entirely.

Fortunately, after these dozen breaths of frantic flight, the terrain of the mountain range below began to change.

The originally dark green forests gradually diminished; tall trees were scarce on the ground, replaced by many low shrubs, and the mountains gradually flattened, transitioning from towering peaks to winding hills.

"Brother Li, we're almost at Black Weasel King's territory. He and Golden Rhinoceros are at odds; he won't let Golden Rhinoceros enter his domain. Once we get there, we'll be safe for a while," Shi Chuankong exclaimed joyfully.

"But he is a Daluo-level beast; we must not be careless," Han Li said, fully driving the jade-green flying carriage, his vigilance undiminished.

As soon as he spoke, he felt an unusual fluctuation behind him, and then a narrow domain spanning tens of thousands of miles expanded, enveloping them.

Behind them, tens of thousands of miles away, the massive golden chariot suddenly sank, along with the ten golden-winged horned horses, and then a huge golden ball of flesh shot out from it, chasing at incredible speed.

"Scatter!" Han Li's heart leaped, and he shouted.

But by the time his voice rang out, it was too late!

Within his own domain, the Golden Rhinoceros King seemed to take a single step, crossing tens of thousands of miles, and appeared above the two, a huge golden foot stomping down fiercely.

Han Li felt an irresistible spiritual pressure descending from the sky, like a mountain pressing down, and a sense of powerlessness rose in his heart. He tried to reverse the Wheel of Truth once more but could not.

That terrifying force instantly filled the surroundings; anything done now would be too late...