Chapter 359: Just Out of the Tiger's Den, Into the Wolf's Lair

Who the hell is that guy? Where did he spring from?!

More importantly, he’s just too despicable! If he had just ridden the carriage away, they might not have noticed for a while. But he deliberately called out to them. Was he simply trying to provoke them? Taking such a huge risk, for what? Is he out of his mind?

Despite their thoughts, the group quickly sprang into action, knives in hand, yelling as they gave chase. The two factions even spontaneously ceased fighting, no longer attacking each other. They both decided to capture that guy first.

Zu'an sped away in the carriage. After rounding a corner, out of sight of his pursuers, he took out his Glazed Treasure Pearl and instantly absorbed all the boxes. He then leaped onto a nearby tree, while the carriage continued to hurtle into the distance. Unaware of what had happened, the pursuers rounded the corner, still yelling, and continued their pursuit of the carriage.

Zu'an couldn't help but smile faintly as he watched Rage points continuously stream into his system. He knew he could have instantly absorbed the boxes into his Glazed Treasure Pearl, but he had waited precisely to harvest a surge of Rage points. With so many people, it would have been a waste to not capitalize on the opportunity.

Worried about Qin Wanru, he quickly ran back. As he ran, his system received another wave of Rage points. Clearly, that group had caught up to the carriage and discovered that all the boxes were empty.

"Sigh, I wonder if those people will keep fighting," Zu'an mused, a hint of mischievousness in his tone.

Returning to where they had separated, he found fewer and fewer River Defense Camp soldiers. If Sang Qian hadn't single-handedly held off nearly half the enemies, they would probably have been completely annihilated by now.

Meanwhile, Qin Wanru and Qiu Honglei were locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle. Although Qin Wanru's cultivation was higher, she had lived a life of luxury for many years and had very few opportunities for real combat. In contrast, Qiu Honglei clearly had much more combat experience. Coupled with the strange lantern that had a slowing effect, she was gradually turning the tide.

Taking so long to defeat someone with lower cultivation, Qin Wanru's face began to flush with frustration. With a sharp cry, a cold wind suddenly swirled around her, and countless ice shards shot forth from the air behind her. It was the first time Zu'an had seen her use elemental powers. He hadn't expected her to be ice-affiliated, just like Chu Chuyan. But her personality didn't seem to match the ice element. With such a fiery temper, he had thought she would be fire-affiliated.

"Huh?" Qiu Honglei seemed to realize something. With a flick of her finger, a pale yellow light spilled from her lantern. As the incoming ice shards entered the yellow light's radius, their speed instantly plummeted, becoming progressively slower. Having lost their momentum, the heavy ice shards eventually fell to the ground, shattering into fragments.

However, Qin Wanru seemed to have anticipated this. Unhurriedly, she pressed her hand to the ground. A dark blue halo suddenly formed on the ground beneath Qiu Honglei's feet. Immediately, the fragmented ice pieces that had fallen earlier seemed to regain life, reassembling themselves. In a flash, they spread up her legs, firmly immobilizing both her feet. Qin Wanru's figure flickered, and she struck out with a palm towards Qiu Honglei's chest.

Zu'an watched in horror, unable to stop himself from blurting out, "Mercy!" Qin Wanru didn't know the other's identity, but Zu'an knew she was Qiu Honglei. From their interactions, Qiu Honglei had been good to him, and in some ways, they were friends. Naturally, he didn't want to see her perish. However, Qin Wanru was a Rank 6 expert after all. Although he had already used Gale to rush over, he was still a step too late.

Qin Wanru's palm had already landed on Qiu Honglei's chest. Qiu Honglei, her feet frozen, couldn't move at all. She could only turn her head towards Zu'an, a faint look of confusion still visible in her eyes. It was unclear if she didn't understand why her enemy would be concerned for her, or if she recognized his identity.

Qin Wanru's hand passed directly through her chest, and then Qiu Honglei's entire body suddenly shattered. Yes, it shattered, like glass, into pieces all over the ground. Zu'an was bewildered, but Qin Wanru's alarm instantly flared: "Light-Shadow Clone!" Qiu Honglei's figure had already appeared behind them, her slender hand now like a blade, striking towards Qin Wanru's back. Because she was enveloped by the lantern's light, Qin Wanru's movements were already a few beats slower than usual; it was too late to dodge.

"Madam!" Zu'an had originally come to save Qiu Honglei, but who knew the battle would change so quickly? In the blink of an eye, it was Qin Wanru who was in danger. If something were to happen to Qin Wanru here, how would he face Chuyan and Xiaozhao in the future? He had just flown over with the help of Gale. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, grabbed Qin Wanru, and tried to leave. The moment he touched the pale yellow light of the lantern, he immediately felt heavy, discovering his body was more than ten times heavier than usual. The lantern's light was a soft yellow, seemingly warm, but once inside its radius, he discovered that light could also be chillingly cold.

Qiu Honglei saw him suddenly block her path and paused, clearly hesitating. While she hesitated, Zu'an spotted a nearby well. He immediately summoned Azure Drake, and the well water surged out like a water dragon, dousing the lantern suspended in mid-air. Qiu Honglei was startled. Forgetting the two of them, she quickly ran to retrieve the lantern. Zu'an took the opportunity to summon Gale, grabbed Qin Wanru's hand, and vanished into the distance.

Watching their retreating figures, Qiu Honglei seemed lost in thought.

After running for several miles, they stopped. Zu'an gasped for breath; everything had happened in a flash. The slightest misstep back there would have meant their demise. But did Qiu Honglei hold back midway? Did she recognize him? Of course, for a charismatic man like me, even a mask can barely conceal my brilliance.

"Why did we run?" Qin Wanru finally reacted, pulling her hand away. "That was just an accident, I could have beaten her..." She sounded a bit guilty by the end. If Zu'an hadn't helped, she might have been seriously injured. For a Rank 6 to struggle so much against a Rank 5 was truly humiliating. Though, the woman's combat prowess truly didn't resemble that of a Rank 5.

Zu'an secretly chuckled, thinking how she still refused to admit defeat like a young girl, but this also fit her personality: "Madam, have you forgotten our purpose in coming here? It wasn't to fight."

"Salt permits!" Qin Wanru suddenly realized. "Are the salt permits still lost?" Seeing his empty hands, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. But with so many opponents, it was normal that he couldn't get them. Besides, he had just returned to save her; she couldn't bring herself to scold him.

"Don't worry, the salt permits are already in hand," Zu'an said proudly.

"Ah?" Qin Wanru was surprised and delighted, quickly looking around. "Where are they?" Just then, the smile on her face froze: "Be careful, someone's coming this way. Their cultivation is very high, seems like Rank 7! They should be with those black-clothed people!"

In the blink of an eye, Qin Wanru quickly made a series of analyses. The two instantly became tense.