Chapter 376 - 226: Bringing Up the Rear

Chapter 376: Chapter 226: Bringing Up the Rear

In the untamed wilds.

A caravan moved slowly across the open plains.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man let out a crazed roar, pounced on the person beside him, and opened his mouth to bite down on the man’s throat.

The man who was tackled seemed frozen in fear, completely forgetting to resist.

Just as his throat was about to be torn open, a figure flashed by.

WHAP!

Su Mu seized the middle-aged man’s chin. Applying force with his hand, he dislocated the man’s jaw while simultaneously slamming him to the ground.

His expression was grim, his vital energy flaring.

PSSSH!

It was like the sound of cold water hitting hot oil.

Wisps of black mist poured out from the middle-aged man’s body.

He struggled violently for a moment, then his legs kicked out and he passed out completely.

Looking at the now-unmoving man, everyone’s faces turned exceptionally grim.

"The situation is getting worse and worse."

Xu Chongyuan said in a low voice.

Although the middle-aged man had been subdued, anyone could see that he had been corrupted by Demonic Qi. His skin had already started to turn black.

If this dragged on any longer, he would completely transform into a ferocious, bloodthirsty Human Demon, beyond any hope of being saved.

And from here, they were still at least a month’s journey away from the Da Xuan Border.

"We won’t make it in time."

Xu Chongyuan said, his expression heavy.

In truth, the best solution now was to kill him.

Su Mu’s expression also grew incredibly solemn.

He had already pushed their return pace as fast as he could.

But his worst fears had come to pass.

Ever since leaving the Demon Court, they had traveled day and night without rest, precisely to avoid this kind of situation.

If it were just the original members of the delegation, they might have been able to hold out a while longer by relying on their Profound Weapons for protection.

But on the return journey, they had brought along dozens of humans who had been captured by the Demon Court.

These people had no protective Profound Weapons.

Even though they were all Martial Artists, they couldn’t last long in the exposed environment of the wilds.

Left with no choice, Su Mu could only have them take turns with the Taiping Captains wearing the Profound Armor.

Even so, someone had finally succumbed.

Su Mu’s gaze swept across the group.

The man who went berserk was the first, but he would certainly not be the last.

Every member of the delegation was in poor shape.

The Civil Servants were almost all sickly and frail.

The Martial Artists were slightly better off, but they too were utterly exhausted.

At this rate, in ten days to half a month at most, they would probably all succumb to the demonic corruption.

Su Mu sighed. ’I really didn’t want to resort to this, but it seems there’s no better way now.’

"Ao Qing."

Su Mu called out.

Before the terrified eyes of the crowd, a demonic beast resembling a Flood Dragon dozens of feet long appeared before them.

The Flood Dragon had horns on its head and a body covered in shimmering cyan scales. It looked majestic and imposing.

Apart from a select few, no one else had any idea that Ao Qing existed.

Now, with Ao Qing’s sudden appearance, their faces went deathly pale, and some even drew their weapons subconsciously.

"Everyone, calm down! He’s on our side—"

Xu Chongyuan shouted hastily.

"Senior Brother Xu, help Mr. Zhu onto Ao Qing’s back."

Su Mu said in a low voice, "I’ll have Ao Qing take you all back ahead of schedule."

A reluctant look crossed Ao Qing’s face, but under Su Mu’s threatening gaze, it lowered its head. Still, it snorted two jets of white air from its nostrils to show its displeasure.

An excited look appeared on Xu Chongyuan’s face.

’Leave it to Junior Brother Su! He has a solution for everything, even a situation like this.’

A Flood Dragon demonic beast as a mount would certainly be much faster than their own two feet.

Expressions of relief washed over everyone’s faces.

They had thought they were in a hopeless situation, but now, it was as if they’d been thrown a lifeline.

"Civil Servants first, then those with lower cultivation,"

Su Mu instructed.

Although Ao Qing’s body was massive, the delegation had many members. Soon, there was no more standing room on its back.

A dozen or so people were still unable to get on.

Su Mu looked at those still on the ground. Aside from the Taiping Captains, there were also True Essence Realm Martial Artists like Huo Zhen Court and Qianyun Mountain.

"Looks like we’ll have to walk back."

Huo Zhen Court laughed heartily. "What a shame. It’s not often you get a chance to ride a Flood Dragon."

Before he could finish his sentence, Ao Qing let out a sneeze, and a gust of wind sent him tumbling head over heels.

By the time he scrambled up, covered in dust, Ao Qing had already become a black streak disappearing over the plains.

"Wait, with just a few of us left, what are we going to do with all this stuff?"

Huo Zhen Court casually dusted himself off and gestured toward the carriages that remained.

There were the delegation’s supplies, as well as Bao Lingyun’s life-buying fortune.

When the delegation had more people, carrying all this hadn’t been easy, but it was manageable.

Now that most of them had been taken away by Ao Qing, it would be difficult for the dozen or so people left to move forward with so many supplies.

Su Mu gave him a calm glance, then slowly walked over to the supplies.

Huo Zhen Court looked on in confusion. The next moment, his eyes widened so much they looked as if they might pop out of their sockets.

He watched as, wherever Su Mu passed, the ores and supplies vanished, one after another.

"Th-this..."

Huo Zhen Court stammered.

"What are you making such a fuss about?" Xu Chongyuan said calmly. "Standard procedure."

He hadn’t left with Ao Qing.

’Are you kidding? Junior Brother Su can’t manage without me!’

"You call this ’standard procedure’? How did he do that? Where did all that stuff go?"

Huo Zhen Court asked in astonishment.

"Has Mr. Huo never heard of the Great Shift of Qiankun?"

Shi Ziran chimed in, doing his best to cover for Su Mu.