Chapter 99 - 98:Miscalculation

Chapter 99: Chapter 98:Miscalculation

Zhao Tianqiong’s roar shook the sky.

He abandoned all caution and shot toward the distant courtyard, his golden sword trailing a streak of light behind him.

Zhao Wuchen followed immediately, his spear releasing a piercing cry as he poured his spiritual energy into his advance.

"Don’t you dare!"

The masked man slowly turned his head.

The edge of his mask had cracked during the battle, revealing part of his lower face. Beneath it, his lips curved into a smile.

"You really have no idea what you’ve been protecting all this time?"

Zhao Tianqiong’s expression twisted with fury.

"Don’t touch my daughter!"

The masked man paid him no heed. His gaze settled on Zhao Linger, who stood frozen beside Zhao Lianyu, her face drained of color.

"This little girl carries the blood of an Ancient One," he said, his voice carrying clearly across the distance. "She’s our key... to salvation."

Zhao Wuchen’s pupils contracted, "Nonsense!"

Before either man could respond, the masked man’s right hand slowly rose.

"There’s something wrong with his right hand!"

But Zhao Tianqiong’s guess was already too late. The masked man fingers reached toward the empty space beside him and the space beneath his fingertips began to distort.

Zhao Tianqiong and Zhao Wuchen both felt it.

Their expressions changed at the same instant, and their pupils shrank as they didn’t know what the masked man wanted to do.

"What—?!"

"STOP!"

The two accelerated, their figures becoming streaks of light as they desperately tried to close the remaining distance.

The masked man smiled, and in an instant, a huge amount of spiritual energy was consumed directly from his body.

"Farewell..."

Crack.

A thin fracture appeared in the air beneath his fingers.

Then another.

And another.

In the blink of an eye, countless cracks spread outward, branching across the sky like a vast web of shattered glass.

They raced toward the crimson dome, crossed its surface, and continued through the space above the imperial palace.

The world seemed to split apart.

KRRRRRRRACK!

A blinding burst of light swallowed the courtyard.

The sound that followed was unlike the collision of spiritual techniques. It was a piercing shriek, as though an enormous sheet of glass had been shattered all at once, its countless fragments scraping against one another across the heavens.

For a single second, the entire imperial city fell silent as everyone looked up ahead just to see a horrifying sight.

"T-the sky... "

A woman fell down in horror as the basket she was holding fell on the side, pointing toward the sky, "It’s cracking!"

Then the devastation struck.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Zhao Tianqiong was caught in the expanding force before he could reach his daughter.

Blood burst from his mouth as his body was hurled backward, his golden sword slipping from its intended trajectory. The shock wave tore through his protective spiritual energy and sent him crashing across the sky.

Zhao Wuchen fared no better.

The spear in his hand vibrated violently before the force struck him head-on. His body convulsed, blood spilling from his lips as he fell from the sky, his white robes swallowed by the clouds below.

The Ninefold Dragon-Suppression Formation convulsed.

Crimson light surged across its surface, but the cracks spreading through the air sent waves of distortion into the barrier from every direction.

Its vast dome bent inward, and several sections flickered so violently that the cultivators maintaining them lost control of their spiritual energy.

"AH—!"

One cultivator spat blood and collapsed.

Another was thrown from his position, only to be caught by a fellow clansman before he could fall.

Across the perimeter, cultivators staggered as the backlash swept through their bodies, their carefully maintained formation collapsing into disorder.

The ground beneath the ruined residence gave way.

An enormous section of the imperial palace broke apart, its foundations splitting into countless pieces that plunged through the clouds below.

Towers tilted and crumbled, bridges snapped, and entire courtyards disappeared into the widening abyss.

The shock wave continued outward, swallowing buildings and tearing through the landscape until the crimson dome finally caught the worst of its destructive force.

Even then, the formation could barely hold.

Its scarlet surface flickered between brilliance and darkness as the cultivators around the perimeter fought desperately to keep it from collapsing entirely.

No one had expected such an attack.

The masked man lowered his right hand, and the cracks in the air began to fade.

He did not remain to admire the destruction, he needed to get out of here as soon as possible as he felt the drain from the technique he had just performed.

A faint tremor passed through his fingers, and beneath the cracked mask, his breathing had grown noticeably heavier.

The enormous expenditure of spiritual energy had taken its toll, leaving a dull ache spreading through his body.

He suppressed it.

With a sweep of his sleeve, spiritual energy enveloped Zhao Lianyu and Zhao Linger, binding them within a translucent layer of light.

Before either woman could react, he shot into the sky, carrying them away from the shattered courtyard.

His speed was astonishing.

In a few breaths, the three figures had crossed several palace districts and went beyond the imperial city’s wall.

"STOP!"

Zhao Tianqiong’s roar rose from the wreckage.

He struggled to steady his bloodied body, his golden robes torn and stained, but his gaze remained fixed on the fleeing figure.

His fingers tightened around his sword before he turned toward the depths of the imperial palace.

He hesitated at first, but when the matter involved his daughter, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

"ANCESTOR! I BEG YOU."

"PLEASE SAVE MY DAUGHTER."

The cry echoed across the Imperial City.

Even Zhao Wuchen, who had just managed to halt his fall, turned toward the him in disbelief, "Tianqiong boy?"

Far away, the masked man continued flying rapidly across the sky with the two women bound in his spiritual energy.

Then he felt it... a bad premonition rose in his heart.

He heard it clearly, Zhao Tianqiong’s plea from behind that resounded across the imperial palace.

The masked man’s heart fell into his stomach, and a voice followed across the sky, echoing everywhere.

"Hmm... How troublesome."

The tone were old, yet the moment that voice appeared, the entire sky changed. An overwhelming pressure descended from the depths of the imperial palace.

BOOM!

The clouds froze.

The spiritual energy sweeping across the city abruptly fell silent, as though the world itself had been ordered to hold its breath.

The masked man’s forward momentum stopped in an instant, his body locked in midair by an invisible force.

His eyes widened.

He tried to move his fingers, but even that simple action had become impossible.

The pressure tightened.

Blood seeped from beneath his mask, trickling down his chin as his body trembled against the force bearing down upon him.

The spiritual energy surrounding Zhao Lianyu and Zhao Linger flickered, then loosened as the two women suddenly regained control of their bodies.

Zhao Lianyu immediately pulled Zhao Linger close, and she immediately took the chance to run away back to the imperial city.

The masked man remained suspended in the sky, unable to move. In an instant, his composure had finally cracked.

Chen Yuan’s mind raced beneath the crushing pressure.

The Zhao Family actually possesses an old hidden monster.

I miscalculated. I never anticipated this outcome!

He had never anticipated for the Zhao Family to actually possess a hidden backup plan!

And judging by this dreadful aura...

"A half step Golden core... Impossible!"

He needed to leave, now!

But before Chen Yuan could do anything else, the pressure bearing down on him suddenly intensified.

BOOM!

His body plummeted toward the mountains beyond the Imperial City.

He tried to stabilize himself, but the invisible force pressed against him like an enormous hand, driving him down with unstoppable momentum.

The mountain peaks rushed toward him, and before he could even brace for the impact, his body smashed into the earth.

BOOM!

The ground exploded.

Rocks and soil surged into the air as Chen Yuan was driven deep into the mountainside.

The earth beneath him continued to collapse, layer after layer giving way beneath the tremendous force, until an enormous crater formed around his body.

"Gah!"

A groan escaped his throat as his bones creaked under the pressure.

His protective spiritual energy had already been crushed, leaving his physical body to withstand the remainder.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his limbs trembled uncontrollably as he struggled to keep himself from being pressed any deeper.

Then the old voice sounded again, descending from the heavens with disdain.

"So you are the so-called Children who have strayed from the light?"

"The Chen Family have overestimated you people. Weak, utterly weak..."

The pressure increased slightly, forcing another groan from Chen Yuan.

"Overestimating your strength by coming here. Do you think you can do whatever you want with your petty strength?"

Chen Yuan clenched his teeth.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice strained beneath the pressure.

The old voice responded without answering his question.

"You forced me to emerge from my seclusion. Just as I was about to get a glimpse to the next door."

"You spoiled my mood, little ant."

"But killing you right away would do me no good. There are too many secrets on your body... "

Then, seemingly decided, "Then... stay here for me."

BOOM!