Chapter 359: Crushing

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Bang!”

A body slammed onto the ground, emitting a muffled sound that sent shivers through the hearts of those in the water prison. They thought Yan Shiguang was about to berate them again. However, after a brief moment, the sounds of cruelty did not resurface. Instead, a scent of blood began to fill the air.

Everyone instinctively raised their heads to see that Yan Shiguang, who had been arrogant just moments ago, had already become lifeless. Standing beside his lifeless body was a figure.

The water prison was lit by only a few torches, casting a dim light. Viewing from below, they couldn’t clearly discern the exact features of this figure.

However, for some inexplicable reason, they felt that this figure seemed familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before. But for the life of them, they couldn’t recall where.

Chu Lan stared blankly at the person above, her eyes slowly filling with tears. Others might not recognize Chen Fei, but for the person she had yearned for day and night, how could she not recognize him?

“Brother Chen, you’re here!” Chu Lan’s voice was hoarse, barely audible. However, Chen Fei on top of the water prison heard her voice and looked down at her. The bright light in Chen Fei’s eyes caused Chu Lan’s tears to flow uncontrollably down her face.

Chu Wennian struggled to lift his head and also recognized Chen Fei. There was a brilliant gleam in his eyes. Were they saved? Were they finally going to be rescued?

Chu Lan didn’t have to die here. She was still so young. She didn’t have to die here!

“Splash!”

Chen Fei extended his right hand forward, and the iron grille was lifted open with ease. A gentle force supported Chu Lan and Chu Wennian, bringing them up to the surface of the water prison.

Chen Fei pointed his finger forward, infusing elemental energy into Chu Wennian’s body, stabilizing his barely hanging-on breath. If Chen Fei had come a day or two later, no matter how strong Chu Wennian’s willpower was, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on any longer.

Chu Wennian’s pale face gradually improved, and his rapid breathing began to calm down. Chu Lan, seeing her grandfather’s condition, was filled with joy.

Her grandfather wouldn’t leave her anymore, and she wouldn’t have to live alone in this world.

Chu Lan looked up at Chen Fei, and their eyes met. Chu Lan was about to smile, but suddenly she remembered her own cheek, and her head drooped.

When Chu Lan had cut her own cheek with that knife, she had used real force. At that moment, there was no time to think about how severe the scar would be; it was done solely to save Chu Wennian and herself, without any other considerations.

But now, standing in front of Chen Fei, Chu Lan thought of the scar on her cheek, and her heart was filled with sadness.

“It’s alright, wounds can be healed, and scars like this can also be smoothed out,” Chen Fei said softly.

“Senior Chen, we are also from the Ruan family. Can you please rescue us as well?” a voice came from below the water prison.

If, a moment ago, they couldn’t recognize Chen Fei’s identity, upon seeing Chu Lan and Chu Wennian being pulled up first and thinking it over, they immediately guessed Chen Fei’s identity.

At this moment, the only person daring to come to the water prison, apart from Chen Fei, who was in the Aperture tempering realm, seemed to be no one else. After all, the other Aperture tempering realm cultivators the Ruan family knew wouldn’t have ventured here for them, risking so much.

And Chen Fei, back then, had escorted Ruan Qiaojun and the other two back to Qinhai City. Their relationship was definitely not ordinary.

“Outside is the military camp, and if you leave like this, you’re very likely to die,” Chen Fei whispered.

The Ruan family members, who had already shown signs of relief, turned deathly pale upon hearing this. The combination of the Yashan Army and the original Qinhai City soldiers made for a large force. While those in the Aperture tempering realm might not fear ordinary soldiers, they could be detained by other Aperture tempering realm cultivators, making it impossible to protect so many members of the Ruan family if they left. Leaving meant being prepared to be shot on the spot.

Surviving in the water prison was one thing, but if there was a prison break, there was also the question of whether the remaining prisoners would be killed in retaliation. Outside, with luck, they might escape with their lives, but with bad luck, they could be shot dead.

“Senior Chen, I want to go out, please take me with you!” someone said loudly. Faced with the choice of certain death or taking a chance, they chose the latter.

“And me, please, Senior Chen, have mercy!” Most of the Ruan family members raised their hands, while a few remained silent.

“Alright!”

Chen Fei did not refuse. With a wave of his right hand, everyone who wanted to leave was brought up to the surface of the water prison. They didn’t make a fuss; instead, they waited quietly for Chen Fei’s instructions.

“What about Ruan Qiaojun? Why isn’t she here?” Chen Fei turned to look at Chu Wennian.

Most of the Ruan family members whom Chen Fei vaguely remembered were here, but strangely, Ruan Qiaojun, as the family head, was not among them.

“The family head was captured by a Yashan Army cultivator on the same day and was not detained with us,” Chu Wennian said weakly.

Solitary confinement?

Chen Fei’s brows furrowed slightly as he entertained a few thoughts. Without speaking, he looked at the Ruan family members in front of him and said, “I will temporarily place you outside the city, and what to do next will be your own decision.”

After Chen Fei finished speaking, he used his elemental energy to lift the dozens of people in front of him and disappeared within the water prison.

Seeing Chen Fei and the other Ruan family members disappear, the few who remained behind suddenly became panicked. Earlier, they had hesitated and hesitated, but now that they were the only ones left, they regretted their decision.

“Senior Chen, Senior Chen, 1 also want to go, Senior Chen!” someone shouted loudly, but there was only a muffled echo resounding within the water prison.

Chen Fei had already left, and even if they regretted their decision now, it was too late.

On the ground, Chen Fei carried dozens of people and rushed toward the exit of the military camp. Along the way, he killed the patrolling soldiers one by one. However, soon the unusual situation here alerted other patrolmen.

This was different from when Chen Fei had infiltrated alone; after all, the number of people he was carrying was too large to remain concealed. It was better to quickly break out of here, as it was impossible to hide such a large group. The alarm rang out throughout the military camp, and soldiers began to converge on the scene. Meanwhile, two Aperture tempering realm cultivators from the main camp had already rushed over to intercept them.

Having someone infiltrate unnoticed was already embarrassing enough for them; if they were allowed to escape from prison like this, the face of the Yashan Army would be completely lost.

“Who are you? Stay there!” Ji Zhuowen shouted angrily, his figure flickering as he chased after Chen Fei, while soldiers around him began to form a defensive formation.

Formation is the only possible way for cultivators below the Body Refining Realm to overcome those above it. While Aperture tempering realm cultivators are much stronger than those in the Body Refining Realm, if they are trapped in a formation, they cannot escape and will ultimately be exhausted to death.

At this moment, the soldiers surrounding Chen Fei were still some distance away from him. Ji Zhuowen’s goal was to temporarily stop them, allowing the formation to naturally trap Chen Fei in place. At that point, they would decide whether to execute him on the spot or capture him alive.

Behind Ji Zhuowen, Cheng Hengzhong closely followed, transmitting the situation here to the City Lord’s Mansion through a spiritual device.

“I just want to take a few people with me.”

Because he was carrying dozens of Ruan family members, Chen Fei’s speed couldn’t reach its normal level. Ji Zhuowen, a mid-level Aperture tempering realm cultivator, was catching up at an incredibly fast pace. In a moment, he would be right behind Chen Fei.

“Take people with you? Do you think this place is somewhere you can come and go as you please?”

Ji Zhuowen laughed loudly, mocking Chen Fei, and said sternly, “Now, not only them but even you should stay here obediently.”

All the Ruan family members felt a chill in their hearts. Ji Zhuowen didn’t bother hiding his murderous intent in his words. Once intercepted, all of them would die, and there was no other possibility.

Clutching her grandfather’s arm tightly, Chu Lan looked worried. Chu Wennian remained silent as he gazed at Chen Fei. At this moment, all they could do was trust Chen Fei.

In an instant, they crossed several hundred meters, and Ji Zhuowen caught up with Chen Fei about a hundred meters away. A long bow appeared in Ji Zhuowen’s hand, and he nocked an arrow, causing the surrounding elemental energy to ripple. The arrow shot towards Chen Fei’s back at an astonishing speed.

Ji Zhuowen didn’t expect this arrow to actually harm Chen Fei. He just wanted to disrupt Chen Fei’s movements, whether through a counterattack or evasion, to slow him down. This way, he could catch up to Chen Fei more quickly.

Once the other soldiers closed in, even if Chen Fei had wings, there would be no escape from this military camp.

“Boom!”

A figure appeared in front of the arrow, shattering it in mid-air. It was Chen Fei’s true self. Meanwhile, his clone continued to rush towards the outskirts of the camp with the Ruan family members.

Seeing Chen Fei suddenly appear, Ji Zhuowen furrowed his brows. He looked at the two nearly identical figures and couldn’t tell which one was the real Chen Fei and which one was the clone.

“Junior Brother Cheng, I’ll stop him. You go after the Ruan family!” Ji Zhuowen spoke in a deep voice. If he couldn’t distinguish between the real and the clone, he decided to deal with both.

“Alright, Senior Brother, be careful!” Cheng Hengzhong responded and attempted to bypass Chen Fei to continue pursuing the Ruan family.

“Whoosh!”

The sound of breaking through the air was sharp and loud. Chen Fei suddenly appeared in front of Cheng Hengzhong, and with a slight flick of his wrist, the Qianyuan Sword was already slashing toward Cheng Hengzhong.

Cheng Hengzhong was about to draw his sword when he suddenly felt an astonishing pressure bearing down on him. It was as if he were facing a towering giant, and a sense of horror overwhelmed him. In this moment, Cheng Hengzhong lost the courage to even draw his sword and stood there helplessly, awaiting his fate.

“Ah!”

Cheng Hengzhong let out a furious roar, forcibly pulling himself out of that fearful state of mind. Engaging in a direct confrontation was entirely impossible; the opponent’s strength far exceeded his own. The mere presence of the opponent’s overwhelming aura had him cornered.

At this point, Cheng Hengzhong’s only option was self-preservation. Faced with Chen Fei’s sword, he needed to protect his own life.

His sword form took on a circular shape as Cheng Hengzhong instantly guided his elemental energy along specific pathways, making his entire body’s strength form a cohesive and round defense. The sword he wielded covered every inch of his body, creating a protective shield.

This technique, known as “Mountain-Sealing Sword,” was a well-known defensive move of the Yashan Sect. It allowed Cheng Hengzhong to channel his entire strength for defense rather than offense.

Cheng Hengzhong had used this technique before to withstand attacks from multiple cultivators in the Aperture tempering realm. It was nearly impenetrable at the early-stage Aperture tempering realm and could even help him retreat relatively unharmed when facing mid-stage Aperture tempering realm opponents.

“Clang!”

Chen Fei’s Qianyuan Sword clashed against Cheng Hengzhong’s spirit sword, and the sound of twisted metal was ear-piercing. Cheng Hengzhong’s expression changed drastically as the Mountain-Sealing Sword, which had always provided him with complete protection, was now being crushed under tremendous force..