Chapter 96 - 97: Carving Out a Path of Survival, Sun Yun’s Shocking Appearance

Chapter 96: Chapter 97: Carving Out a Path of Survival, Sun Yun’s Shocking Appearance

Su Chen soon caught up with Hong Ming and the others. They had procured a carriage and were driving toward the city gates.

"Su Chen, are you alright?" Li Mo asked with concern as soon as he saw him.

Su Chen shook his head. "I’m fine. But what exactly is going on here?"

Hearing this, Hong Ming and the rest exchanged a glance before giving Su Chen a rough rundown of the situation.

"From the looks of it, Tao Dingfang has been using this supposed rebellion as an excuse to whittle down the Martial Artist factions within the city from the very beginning," Su Chen said. "No wonder he was willing to yield fifty percent of the profits to us!"

"What should we do now?" Li Mo asked. Everyone turned their attention to Hong Ming and Su Chen.

Su Chen remained silent, shifting his gaze to Hong Ming. After a moment of silence, Hong Ming sighed. "Let’s leave the city first. Given the current circumstances, Tao Dingfang will never let this go. Rather than staying in the city like sitting ducks, we’re better off getting out and assessing the situation from there."

"But the city gates are probably already closed by now," Liu Fang said helplessly, glancing up at the sky.

"If they’re closed, we’ll just open them," Su Chen said flatly. The gates had already been shut when he first entered the city.

Earlier, he had found it strange that the gates were locked so early, but now it was obvious that it had been under Tao Dingfang’s orders. However, whether the gates were closed or not made no difference to him. Aside from a handful of occasions, when had he ever used the main gates normally anyway?

"We’re almost there!"

Su Chen took the reins, driving the carriage furiously down the deserted streets. Soon enough, the closed city gates came into view. Just as he had expected, the number of City Guards stationed inside the gates had nearly doubled. Catching sight of Su Chen’s approaching carriage, they immediately stood in strict formation, ready for battle.

"HYAAH!" Su Chen shouted. His expression remained completely composed as he whipped the horses, accelerating instead of slowing down. "Hold on tight!"

"Stop right there!" the City Guards roared. Seeing the carriage hurtling toward them, they drew their weapons and glared like tigers eyeing their prey.

When they were less than fifty meters from the gates, Su Chen gradually slowed the horses. His eyes swept across the area, taking in every single City Guard.

THUD.

With a light push of his foot, Su Chen flipped through the air and landed steadily on the ground. Wasting no words, he instantly launched his attack.

"Get him! Take them alive!"

The City Guards were prepared. Before the carriage even rolled to a halt, they swarmed forward, completely surrounding Su Chen.

"Master, should we go down and help Su Chen?" Li Mo asked, glancing out the window. All the guards were currently distracted by Su Chen, leaving the carriage entirely ignored.

"Alright, you—" Hong Ming began, but he paused when Li Mo’s eyes suddenly went wide with utter astonishment.

Before Hong Ming could even ask what was wrong, Li Mo gulped. "Master, I don’t think that’ll be necessary."

Stunned, Hong Ming lifted the curtain and peered out the window. Instantly, his expression mirrored Li Mo’s shock.

Outside, Su Chen was swatting the charging City Guards away as if they were mere ants. It didn’t take two strikes; a single slap from him sent the guards crashing to the ground, twitching and unable to stand.

"Su Chen is incredibly strong!" Liu Fang muttered to herself, voicing what everyone else was thinking.

"HYAAH!"

Suddenly, a loud, resonant shout echoed from behind, violently wrenching their attention back. Liu Fang looked over her shoulder. Her heart sank when she spotted a figure emerging from the billowing dust. "It’s Tao Dingfang!"

"Li Mo, go open the gates first!" Hong Ming ordered urgently.

"Got it!" Li Mo acknowledged, leaping out of the carriage. He threw a quick glance at Su Chen and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that all twenty-something City Guards had already been floored. Without hesitation, he sprinted straight for the city gates.

The heavy wooden doors were quickly pulled open.

"Su Chen, get on, quickly!" Liu Fang urgently beckoned.

Hearing the thunderous galloping behind him, Su Chen looked back, his gaze turning solemn. He turned back to Hong Ming and the others. "You guys go first. I’ll stay and entertain Tao Dingfang!"

A carriage’s speed could never outrun a sprinting warhorse. Furthermore, Tao Dingfang had the Iron Armor Army tailing closely behind him. If they tried to flee together, it wouldn’t be long before they were caught. Therefore, Su Chen decided to stay behind to buy time, allowing Hong Ming’s group to escape.

Hong Ming and the others naturally understood his underlying intentions. They were about to object when Su Chen shook his head. "Hurry and go. Tao Dingfang might not even be able to catch me."

"Su Chen—"

Hong Ming stopped Li Mo and looked at Su Chen. "Alright. We’ll wait for you at the ruined temple thirty miles away!"

"Su Chen, be careful!" Liu Fang reminded him.

Seeing this, Li Mo could only add, "Su Chen, you must catch up with us!"

Su Chen nodded and waved them off, signaling for them to leave immediately. Gritting his teeth, Li Mo whipped the reins and drove the carriage away.

CLOP CLOP CLOP.

Tao Dingfang’s figure drew closer and closer until he was less than a hundred meters from the gates. Su Chen stepped into the gateway. Like a seasoned general, he stood alone, single-handedly guarding the exit. When Tao Dingfang saw this scene, a smile crept onto the corners of his mouth.

"HYAAH!"

Spurring his horse with a hard kick, his steed neighed loudly and abruptly accelerated.

"Whoa!"

Suddenly, Tao Dingfang reined in his horse right before the gates, yanking hard on the reins. The immense force jolted the horse, causing it to whinny sharply as it thrashed wildly in place. He quickly steadied his mount. Staring at the closed city gates with a dark gaze, a flash of anger crossed his face.

RUMBLE!

The massive city gates were suddenly pulled open, and a figure was reflected in Tao Dingfang’s pupils. Seeing Su Chen standing tall and straight in his path, Tao Dingfang let out a sinister chuckle. "Trying to buy time? Heh, but how long can you really stall?"

"There’s no need to stall," Su Chen replied. "I just need to defeat you!"

Hearing this, Tao Dingfang’s expression immediately darkened. He laughed out of sheer fury. "Haha, how arrogant! I, Tao Dingfang, have never been looked down upon like this in my entire life! To think I’d be subjected to a mere Power Training Martial Artist boasting about defeating me!

"However, congratulations. You’ve successfully enraged me. Now, die!" With a sudden shift in tone, he furiously launched his attack.

THUD!

The ground trembled slightly. Tao Dingfang pushed off his toes and shot forward explosively. Without heavy armor weighing him down, his speed was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, he was already right in front of Su Chen.

BAM BAM BAM!

Su Chen felt no fear. He had long wanted to spar with an Internal Martial Artist to test his true strength. Therefore, facing Tao Dingfang’s killing blows, he met them head-on without evasion. Sometimes he threw a fist, sometimes he chopped with his palm, and other times he unleashed a fierce kick. His entire body seemed to transform into a sharp weapon, every single move carrying devastating destructive power.

BOOM!

In less than a few breaths, the two had exchanged over a dozen blows. After a final, violent collision, both of them were forced to retreat.

"This guy..." Tao Dingfang thought as he stared at Su Chen, a flash of caution and astonishment flickering deep in his eyes. Their brief exchange had made him feel a suffocating pressure as heavy as a mountain. It was as if he had been plunged into an endless ocean of fists, feet, palms, and elbows, constantly battered by Su Chen’s storm-like onslaught.

He found it hard to believe. Just how did this guy cultivate? Why was he so profoundly proficient in fist, palm, and leg techniques? In terms of martial arts moves alone, he was fundamentally no match for Su Chen.

While he was locked in thought, Su Chen charged forward again, not giving him the slightest chance to breathe. Seeing this, Tao Dingfang gritted his teeth and sneered. "So what if your moves are superior? True masters compete using inner power!"

As his words fell, Tao Dingfang lunged forward in a straight line, colliding head-on with Su Chen. Majestic power surged violently from both of their limbs. The moment they made contact, the energy exploded outwards with a deafening blast.