I Am the True Lord of Running Away

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Enter the City?

After half an hour, everyone in the reinforcement team, except for Jiang Xu, had reached a consensus.

There were those in charge of scouting, those in charge of Defense, those in charge of offense, and those in charge of support...

With all roles assigned, the team seemed perfectly organized. They then began advancing toward the location Qian Jianjun had indicated.

Jiang Xu, meanwhile, was still planning his escape.

Foundation Establishment Cultivators possessed Divine Sense, and Jiang Xu was no exception. Furthermore, his Concealing Breath Spell could counteract it.

However, if he simply used Stealth to disappear, Qian Jianjun would surely notice a whole person suddenly vanishing from his detection range.

’Still, that was an easy problem to solve.’

The Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator Early Stage only had a range of thirty zhang. Once outside that range, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had to rely on their naked eyes for Investigation. At that point, Jiang Xu could just find a house for cover, hide in Qian Jianjun’s blind spot, and flee.

Jiang Xu and the rest of the reinforcement team both had excellent plans.

Everyone marched forward, full of excitement.

After some time, the surrounding scenery began to change quietly. The desolate, silent, and lifeless landscape gradually started to show signs of human civilization.

To avoid being discovered by the Demon Cultivators, Qian Jianjun had chosen a desolate landing spot. It was uninhabited—nothing but a wasteland.

Now, the beginnings of a road appeared beneath their feet. A network of faint paths was taking shape. Though not yet fully formed, it was enough to guide pedestrians and carriages.

Deep ruts, marks left by countless passing carriages, were clearly visible in the dirt. Sparse vegetation, showing signs of careful tending, began to appear on the roadside.

Suddenly, Jiang Xu’s Spiritual Eye Technique revealed the outline of a small town up ahead.

And at the same time, he saw plumes of Demonic Qi rising from it.

Jiang Xu’s heart sank at the sight.

Within his field of vision, he could only see signs of Demonic Qi ahead, but not a single trace of Magical Power fluctuations.

’This... Don’t tell me they’ve already...’

An uneasy thought formed in his mind, but he couldn’t voice his concerns directly. He could only slow his pace again, creating some distance between himself and the other Cultivators.

After another kilometer or two, the others also spotted the town’s outline. They all stopped, and the Cultivators responsible for Investigation were sent ahead to scout.

Before long, the two returned, a hint of excitement on their faces.

"We didn’t see any Demon Cultivators attacking the Gongsun Family! Maybe they gave up after failing to break in for so long and decided to retreat for now!"

Everyone was overjoyed at first, but then grew a little confused.

"That can’t be right. Are you sure you saw correctly? Why would those Demon Cultivators just leave and give up the attack?"

"What, are you questioning my family’s secret technique?" the scout retorted, displeased. "I said there was nothing, and I meant it! If you don’t believe me, go look for yourself!"

"But something still feels off. The Demon Cultivators went to all that trouble to lure Patriarch Gongsun away. Wasn’t that so they could take over the Gongsun Family’s territory? Why would they just give up halfway?"

Seeing that no one was sure, one of the cultivators took out a Sound Transmission Talisman.

"The person who called for aid gave us this Sound Transmission Talisman. He said it’s for contacting the Gongsun Family. It’s specially made; only a member of the Gongsun Family can reply. If you’re all so uncertain, why don’t we use it to test the waters? If it doesn’t return, it means the Demon Cultivators have already slaughtered everyone in the Gongsun Family."

"That’s a great idea!"

"Yes, try it now!"

The man then infused the Sound Transmission Talisman with his Magical Power and spoke into it:

"How many survivors are left in the Gongsun Clan? We are Cultivators from the Profound Origin Sect, here to provide reinforcements. Reply at once!"

With a wave of his hand, he sent the Sound Transmission Talisman flying into the town.

Time trickled by as they all waited patiently.

Jiang Xu doubted there were any survivors left in the town at all, so he naturally had no expectations for a reply.

However, to Jiang Xu’s great surprise, a streak of red light shot out from the town a moment later.

Clearly, it was a reply.

The red light hovered before them, and a voice emanated from it.

"We are humbled by your presence. We were not aware that esteemed members of the Upper Sect had arrived and beg your forgiveness for our failure to welcome you properly. Our Clan Leader returned just in time to repel the Demon Cultivators, and he has now gone in pursuit of them. We are but wounded soldiers, forced to hunker down within our clan’s estate, daring not to leave."

"We are eternally grateful to you all for traveling so far to rescue us. Please, grace our clan with your presence and allow us to extend our hospitality. But may I ask, is there a Foundation Establishment Elder among you? If so, please let us know so we can have our Clan Leader return to thank you personally."

After the message finished, the Sound Transmission Talisman didn’t dissolve into ash but hovered, awaiting a reply.

The team members looked to Qian Jianjun, clearly waiting for his decision.

"What are you looking at me for?" Qian Jianjun said impatiently. "I’ve already told you: on this mission, act as if I’m not here. Figure it out yourselves!"

So, the others had no choice but to quickly confer amongst themselves.

"They want us to go into the town... Do we go in?"

"I say we don’t. Since they don’t seem to have any problems, why don’t we just head somewhere else that needs reinforcements?"

"No, I think we should. I’m worried those Demon Cultivators will come back. Think about it—their Clan Leader has been lured away again. If the Demon Cultivators circle around and attack now, wouldn’t they be completely screwed?"

"That’s true, you have a point... But I have a bad feeling about this. What if it’s the Demon Cultivators in there?"

"How could it be Demon Cultivators? That Sound Transmission Talisman is restricted. If the user wasn’t of the Gongsun bloodline or someone they designated, it would have turned to ash instantly."

"Besides, did you notice? Their family’s Array is active. You can’t fake activating an Array like that, can you?"

Everyone looked toward the town and saw that there was indeed a thin, protective barrier. It looked unstable, however, as if it had been under attack for a long time and was on the verge of shattering.

Seeing that the Array, though weak, was still intact, the group finally relaxed.

That’s because this kind of Protective Array can only be activated by specific individuals. It would be useless to an outsider, even if they somehow got their hands on it. This rule applies to everyone, whether they’re a Demon Cultivator or a Magic Cultivator. There are no exceptions.

"So, that settles it?"

"We go in!"

After they made their decision, they sent a reply via the Sound Transmission Talisman. The message stated that they had no Foundation Establishment Cultivator with them, but they wished to enter and join them to assess the situation and see if further support was necessary.

With that, the Sound Transmission Talisman flew back into the town.

A moment later, a small opening, just large enough for a single person to pass through, appeared in the Array ahead.