Who let him join the Sword Sect?!-Chapter 557 - 324: We have no grievance nor enmity, so why this trouble?
Zhang Ze felt that he was bearing a weight inappropriate for his age.
At this moment, one shoulder carried the Old Cyan Ox, upon whose back was the unconscious Lu Chen.
On the other shoulder was Xiangfei, constantly exclaiming.
Fortunately, the two dragon steeds exercised self-discipline and did not add to Zhang Ze’s troubles, or else he truly wouldn’t know where to stash them.
After the ship shattered, those two quietly ran into the nearby forest to hide. They believed they were merely accomplices and likely wouldn’t be targeted specifically.
And indeed, Taoist Liu didn’t pursue the two dragon steeds; upon seeing the Old Cyan Ox beside Zhang Ze, he quickly unraveled the situation’s ins and outs.
In his heart, he was convinced that the Emperor’s assassination was undoubtedly linked to this rascal before him.
"You little brat! Where are you fleeing!" bellowed Taoist Liu.
Zhang Ze, with his hands full, rarely showed no reaction to Taoist Liu’s provocation, only let out a light hum and accelerated his pace by half a step.
It’s not that he can’t fight; it’s that he can’t afford to.
Lu Chen was unconscious and no different from a mortal, requiring someone to care for him.
Xiangfei couldn’t be dropped or hurt, or the Human Emperor Banner would be exposed.
They had not yet left Liang Song’s territory; if they inadvertently drew those two old ghosts, it would spell real trouble.
Zhang Ze had no confidence to take down Taoist Liu while holding Xiangfei, carrying Lu Chen, and ensuring the safety of both.
As for emulating Emperor Gaozu of Han by kicking his children off the cart to flee, that was beyond him.
"So annoying. If only I had three Golden Cores—one to care for Lu Chen, one to ward off evil for Xiangfei, and another to fight Taoist Liu."
"Next life, I must... Hmm? Were those few Golden Cores of mine obtained just like that?"
Just as Zhang Ze was idly musing and devising strategies, a gust of sinister wind suddenly swept past him, exploding a burst of golden flowers on his Protective Golden Light.
Zhang Ze was startled, initially thinking it was a Magical Artifact tossed by Taoist Liu; however, upon looking ahead, he discovered that it was not a Magical Treasure but Taoist Liu himself that had scraped his Protective Golden Light.
The old man charged headfirst into the ground ahead of Zhang Ze, plowing a deep trench through the woods, felling trees across and around; had Zhang Ze’s Protective Golden Light not been sturdy, he might have faced the same fate as those trees.
Before Zhang Ze could discern whether Taoist Liu used Electric Flash or Suicide Charge, Taoist Liu pulled his head out of the dirt.
Then, without looking back, continued charging forward...
Ran away?
In an instant, the situation reversed, Reversed Heavenly Gang, Zhang Ze seemingly became Bianjing’s prefect, while Taoist Liu was the cow thief.
Everything happened so quickly that Zhang Ze didn’t even have time to stop his steps.
"Oi! Where are you going?" Zhang Ze shouted at Taoist Liu’s back.
However, Taoist Liu was silence, only continuing his retreat.
"Is it over just like that?"
Watching Taoist Liu’s almost disappearing silhouette, Zhang Ze gradually slowed his steps, feeling puzzled.
As soon as he stopped, Xiangfei suddenly slapped his head.
"Run!" Xiangfei exclaimed loudly, patting Zhang Ze on the head.
"What do you mean, ’run’? This isn’t a rabbit-turtle race; I’m... Holy crap!"
Turning around, Zhang Ze saw a shadow like smoke and dust, blotting out the sky and rushing toward them.
The shadow was bizarre, only visually perceptible; had Xiangfei not alerted Zhang Ze, his Divine Sense would have been oblivious to it.
Within the shadow, hundreds of tentacles surged, both real and unreal. As if sensing Zhang Ze’s turn, these tentacles suddenly merged into one, transforming into a huge appendage.
At its tip, a blue eye lit up, flashing like a bluish moon before striking towards Zhang Ze’s face.
Feeling the wind sound by his ear, Zhang Ze understood why Taoist Liu flew away so swiftly.
Anyone struck would fly that fast.
Zhang Ze formed his Protective Golden Light into a ball, rolling for a while before stopping. After confirming Lu Chen, Xiangfei, and the Old Cyan Ox were unharmed, he too fled forward like Taoist Liu.
And casually flipped Xiangfei around, letting her head face backward.
"Help me keep an eye on that creature!" Zhang Ze said.
"Alright... yikes!"
Before he could give a warning, the creature that was still far away suddenly appeared behind Zhang Ze, striking down with a tentacle.
Clearly, it’s reasonable why some marshes have no human traces and no birds passing.
The demon was drawn from the lakebed by Zhang Ze and Taoist Liu’s movement and subsequently targeted them both.
Its tentacles couldn’t yet break Zhang Ze’s Protective Golden Light but were elusive, with its body concealed in the shadow, leaving Zhang Ze without a target to counterattack.
After being slapped as a rubber ball thrice, Lu Chen’s voice suddenly echoed in Zhang Ze’s ear.
"Disperse..."
"Disperse what?" Zhang Ze didn’t catch it clearly.
"Qi..." After saying these words, Lu Chen once again fell unconscious.
Steeling his heart, Zhang Ze stopped his steps and dissipated his Protective Golden Light.
Indeed, when Zhang Ze stopped using Spiritual Qi, the elusive tentacles lost their accuracy.
Hovering over Zhang Ze’s head for a moment, they suddenly shattered, individual small tentacles retreating into the mist like tiny snakes and worms.
Only then did Zhang Ze realize that he and Taoist Liu had never left the wetland from the beginning.
They were running in circles around the same area.
Zhang Ze put the Old Cyan Ox down from his shoulder and glanced at Lu Chen on its back. Seeing her still unconscious, he had no choice but to let the Old Cyan Ox continue carrying her.
"You... you can put me down, I... I can walk on my own..." Xiangfei’s voice came from behind Zhang Ze.
