Chapter 1407: Before Dawn

Although his strength had temporarily recovered, Xue Zongwu had no intention of fighting his opponent to the death. As long as he could leave the main hall, his chances of survival would greatly increase.

At a time like this, he didn't care how graceful his escape looked.

So he flung his hand, throwing two explosive nails at He Lingchuan. These devices, upon impact, would violently eject two to three hundred poisonous nails forward. Each nail was only half the length of a little finger, but capable of piercing protective aura shields.

It was practically a replica of the "Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles." He Lingchuan had never used such items himself.

It was too wasteful.

He didn't even bother to dodge, pressing forward in pursuit without raising his shield. How could the Clanging Dragon Armor be pierced by such things?

However, the Soul-Snatching Mirror in his arms cried out, "You'd better..."

Before it could finish "block them," the poisonous nails struck He Lingchuan, clattering incessantly.

He Lingchuan's judgment was correct; these nails couldn't pierce the Clanging Dragon Armor's defenses. However, a few explosive nails were mixed in. While they couldn't damage the precious armor, they pushed him backward.

"Who told you not to use me?" the mirror grumbled. "I could have swallowed those few!"

Its world within the mirror was becoming increasingly useful.

Meanwhile, Xue Zongwu was only three zhang from the burning gate; another flash would get him out. Just then, he paused.

Something exploded nearby. Xue Zongwu detected a flash of white light, followed by dizziness, rendering him momentarily unable to control his body.

Fortunately, his spirit was solid and protected by primeval energy, so this abnormality lasted less than half a breath before dissipating.

But he had been delayed by half a breath after all—

Not only did he throw hidden weapons at He Lingchuan, but He Lingchuan also returned the favor with a Soul-Shaking Bullet.

This small item, acquired from Fang Canran, could shock the soul upon explosion, potentially dislodging it from the body. He Lingchuan had once fallen victim to such an attack in Lingxu City, so he now took the opportunity to let Xue Zongwu experience it.

Xue Zongwu naturally continued his escape, not looking back. But just as he was about to burst out, two tree demons, one large and one small, suddenly emerged from the sky-high flames ahead.

The large tree demon was Zhao Guangzhi, engulfed in roaring flames from head to toe. The other two tree demons had already been burned away by the white flames.

The other, a half-human-sized small tree demon, was a Gu-luo tree fruit He Lingchuan had just thrown.

Both were actual fruits nurtured by the Gu-luo Tree Box. They had no time limit on their existence and could move and fight until destroyed.

With burning obstacles everywhere in the hall, Zhao Guangzhi blocked Xue Zongwu's path, swinging several long branches at him like whips, seemingly slow but actually fast.

He had been skilled with whips in life and had surprisingly retained this trait after transforming into a tree demon.

The small tree demon possessed astonishing jumping ability; a light spring would send it crashing into Xue Zongwu's face.

Xue Zongwu exerted force in his legs, braking abruptly to avoid being overwhelmed. But as soon as the small tree demon landed, it drifted, following him like a shadow.

Xue Zongwu delivered two hammer blows without hesitation.

However, the small tree demon's movements... how to put it, were excessively agile. Xue Zongwu even felt it was an octopus cloaked in tree bark, as its branches were more nimble than human legs.

These two tree demons, one distant and one close, one fast and one slow, surprisingly coordinated seamlessly. Normally, Xue Zongwu wouldn't have given them a second thought, but with his life on the line, these two became incredibly annoying.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan also unleashed his Swallow's Return movement technique, charging towards Xue Zongwu.

Without needing to look back, Xue Zongwu felt a prickling sensation on his back, knowing that a great terror was approaching and he absolutely shouldn't be entangled by the tree demons any longer.

In this critical moment, he had no time to parry. He allowed Zhao Guangzhi's whip to lash his shoulder, while his other hand quickly grabbed a black token and let out a low cry: "Escape!"

A golden pattern on the token flashed with light, and Xue Zongwu vanished.

This technique was not the earth-burrowing escape (Tudun) commonly used by He Lingchuan and Dong Rui, but a rather rare "gold-burrowing escape" (Jindun).

Xue Zongwu had visited this grand hall multiple times during its renovation and knew about the twenty square meters of gold-inlaid jade beneath the main entrance. It was pure molten gold, meticulously hammered onto white jade slabs according to patterns, creating the magnificent floor design.

At the end of this spectacular doorway stonework were two evil-suppressing bronze beasts, gifts from the Sect Master of Qing Niao Mountain.

This path was all related to "gold," perfectly suited for this special escape token.

When Xue Zongwu's figure reappeared, he was already outside the main hall!

He had finally escaped the battlefield, escaped that monster burning with black flames!

Best of all, Xue Zongwu saw over a hundred people rushing out from the edge of a distant thicket – his subordinates, whom he had stationed outside the manor, had arrived!

The two leading the charge were Bao Xin and Fu Wending, Xue Zongwu's fellow disciples, both highly skilled cultivators.

Seeing them was like seeing a beacon of hope for Xue Zongwu.

If he could just rush over and join their ranks, he would be safe!

Overjoyed, he propelled himself forward with his legs, shooting across the ground like an arrow.

In at most two hundred more zhang, the two sides would converge.

Just then, he felt a slight disturbance in the air behind his head.

Bao Xin, across from him, also showed a look of alarm and shouted, "Be careful!"

They had been running from the south. As soon as they emerged from the thicket, they saw the magnificent hall, teetering under the licking flames, which shot sky-high, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

It was precisely because of the bright illumination everywhere that he and Fu Wending noticed a black shadow appearing out of nowhere behind Xue Zongwu, both abrupt and eerie.

Xue Zongwu had exhausted his other methods, but his physical endurance, boosted by the "Diligence Talisman," was at its peak. Seeing his reinforcements arrive, his spirits lifted, and he turned to fight.

At such a moment, he absolutely couldn't show weakness or turn his back; otherwise, collapsing just before dawn would be truly frustrating. If not for his meticulous grasp of combat opportunities, he wouldn't have consistently won battles over the years.

The instant he turned, he saw the tip of a spear. The aura emanating from the spearhead stung his glabella. Xue Zongwu raised his hammer to sweep it aside, pressed forward, and then swung his other violet-gold gourd hammer toward the black-armored man's chest.

He Lingchuan shifted his body, dodging.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides exchanged three more rounds, fighting at an increasing pace.

Only one hundred sixty zhang remained.

Xue Zongwu fought steadily with all his might, retreating step by step, aiming for a two-way convergence with his team.

Just then, two more figures emerged from behind the burning hall—the black-clad men who had previously blown up the hall.

The Weng brothers.

There was white fire inside the hall, so they dared not approach, but they also hadn't gone far, lingering nearby. They had just finished off one of Xue Zongwu's personal guards before rushing back.

The Soul-Snatching Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms exclaimed in surprise, "These two really keep their word; they said they wouldn't run, and they didn't."

It had thought the two had already fled amidst the chaos.

The Weng brothers, striding quickly, saw the figures of the combatants flitting about, almost too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Both grabbed their weapons and charged. Weng Su roared, "We're here to help too!"

At this moment, helping the black-armored man meant saving themselves.

He also hoped Xue Zongwu would hear it, which might further disrupt the scoundrel's state of mind.