Chapter 116: Playing Along
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After putting some distance between himself and Tianming, Kuang Zhen paid no further attention to the two of them. Instead, he sat cross-legged, his entire body radiating a faint icy glow, as the ceaseless essence of heaven and earth gathered in specks of starlight around the right side of his chest.
“Do not kill them yet. They may still be useful. Knocking them unconscious will be enough!”
“Fine. You two must remember to put on an act later, or those people may become suspicious. And do not enter the underground for now. Wait until this disturbance has passed…”
“Agreed.”
“That is all Sister Xue asked of us. Just let me know when you want me to begin!”
“We can start now.”
“You really are as decisive as ever…”
……
Boom!
Rumble!!!
Before Jiang Cheng could finish speaking, a vast expanse of ground around the prison cart in the distance suddenly collapsed. It swallowed the enormous Flame-Eyed Giant Tiger, the six black-clad guards, and the entire prison cart in one fell swoop.
The entire incident took place in the blink of an eye. The broad road was instantly left utterly empty.
“…”
Hearing the tremendous crash behind him, Jiang Cheng turned around stiffly. The moment he saw what had happened, he was completely dumbfounded. This was a mission entrusted to him by the Guardian—how had things ended up like this?
The six guards he had brought were no ordinary men. Every one of them was a tenth-grade Spirit Void expert, while the Flame-Eyed Origin Beast was a rare treasure among beasts. Even a coin tossed into it ought to have made a sound. Yet what Jiang Cheng found impossible to understand was that not a single sound had come from within.
It was simply inconceivable!
“Brother Jiang, hurry and give chase!”
Tianming did not seem surprised by what had happened. Instead, he even reminded Jiang Cheng to pursue them.
“Yes, yes! Brother Chu is right. I will go after them at once.”
With that, Jiang Cheng transformed into a dark ripple resembling lightning and vanished from where he stood. Anyone watching closely would have noticed that, at the instant he flashed away, a dark spear had appeared in his grasp.
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“Brother Kuang, you two are truly reckless. You attacked before he had revealed anything!”
Looking at Kuang Zhen as he approached, Tianming muttered his complaint under his breath before following the dark lightning ripple.
There was no other choice.
To rid himself of any suspicion of being an accomplice, Tianming could only do this. It had already been apparent that Jiang Cheng was extremely shrewd, to say nothing of the Guardian and the Spirit Lord above him. They were likely even more calculating, with unfathomable strength.
“If we delay any longer, the consequences may be impossible to predict.”
After murmuring to himself, Kuang Zhen likewise transformed into a streak of icy light and shot toward the enormous pit ahead.
……
Before long, Jiang Cheng, transformed into a dark lightning ripple, arrived directly at the edge of the pit. When he saw what lay inside, he was once again left stunned.
“Damn it! Which bastard is interfering with me?”
Clenching his fists, Jiang Cheng’s mood plunged from one extreme to the other, and his entire face darkened. There was nothing in the pit—only packed earth and enormous stones.
“You think a little pretense and such a cheap trick can be used in front of me? You truly have no idea how to die!”
A dark thunderball instantly condensed in Jiang Cheng’s palm. As the energy of heaven and earth continued to gather, it grew larger and larger. A ripple containing his perception of the laws of heaven and earth spread from beneath his feet. In a matter of moments, it had transformed into an energy sphere as enormous as the Flame-Eyed Origin Beast from earlier.
“Go!”
His expression turning cold and his face paling slightly, Jiang Cheng moved his lips and hurled the dark thunderball from his hand. He himself once again transformed into a streak of lightning, carving a dark ripple through the air.
“Stop!”
Seeing Jiang Cheng launch his attack, Tianming hurriedly waved toward him from behind, signaling him to halt. At the same time, he circulated the energy of heaven and earth to form a thin energy barrier, isolating the two of them from the fluctuations ahead.
“…A high-grade Heavenly Rank essence technique?”
Kuang Zhen had stopped long before, but when he sensed the fluctuations of energy in Jiang Cheng’s hands, he furrowed his brows in surprise.
He had not expected Jiang Cheng to unleash his ultimate technique the moment he arrived. But after pondering briefly, Kuang Zhen understood. There were surely many people serving under the Guardian, while those entrusted with important missions were few indeed. Jiang Cheng had finally received an opportunity to distinguish himself, only for things to end in this disaster.
Regardless of whether he would be valued in the future, he would probably not escape punishment for this offense.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!!!
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The surroundings were gloomy and silent. In midair, a dark energy sphere resembling a meteor crashed into the enormous pit. A searing, corrosive force instantly spread from its center, causing the surrounding trees, grass, and flowers to wither, die, and crumble in an instant.
After the violent energy struck the thin silver energy wall, it began to shake violently, swaying precariously as though it might shatter at any moment. Seeing this, Kuang Zhen released a surge of frigid energy from his hand, cold enough to freeze a valley solid.
Whoosh!
The dark energy particles were instantly frozen in place. A hazy frost and icy mist evaporated until they vanished into the air.
……
Reclaiming the remnants of the energy of heaven and earth, Tianming nodded to Kuang Zhen beside him before approaching Jiang Cheng.
“Brother Jiang, what exactly happened?”
“Brother Chu, this is bad. Those thieves used some unknown technique… and vanished without a trace!”
“Ah! What are we going to do? Brother Jiang, how will you explain this to the Guardian?”
Standing at the edge of the pit in a daze, Jiang Cheng watched as Tianming stopped and asked in feigned panic.
“…There is no other way. I, Jiang Cheng, take responsibility for my own actions. I will go and plead guilty. Ha…”
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Cheng shook his head with a bitter smile.
“How can that be acceptable? If anyone is to bear the blame, it should be me, Chu Yun. If I had not blocked your path, this would never have happened. But I truly wonder who these prison-breakers were. To escape right under the noses of so many experts—how could they possibly have managed it?”
“Enough, Brother Chu. How could this be your fault? Even if you had not blocked me, given those people’s abilities, I fear I would have been helpless even if I had been there. In the end, you were the one who saved my life, were you not?”
Drawing a deep breath, Jiang Cheng smiled and waved his hand, interrupting him in a tone that betrayed neither joy nor sorrow.
“…Brother Jiang is right. Still, we should report this to the Guardian as soon as possible. I only hope those people will not interfere with the purpose of this journey.”
Tianming nodded repeatedly, deliberately adopting a solemn expression as he spoke with profound concern.
“Indeed. Brother Chu has grasped the heart of the matter. What we should do now is eliminate them before they can grow into a threat. Still, there is no need to be overly anxious. I imagine you have other matters to attend to, Brother Chu. Why not meet at the Li residence tonight, after dark? The Guardian will appear then as well…”
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