Chapter 1673: Chapter 1975: The Fate of Tianji (7)
"Song, call your people and come with me," Ling Chen urged urgently. At this moment, they must act quickly to avoid being discovered by the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Soon, dozens of them quietly left the valley and arrived at the forest of the Yangxin Pavilion.
At this moment, Su Mei and Du Kang were already waiting inside the forest. Seeing everyone return safely, they couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. There was a hint of gratitude in their gazes toward Ling Chen. "Elder Du, Master Su, this is not a place to stay long. Everyone should follow behind me and make sure not to make a sound," Ling Chen reminded, before leaping into the dark passage.
With him leading, Su Mei, Du Kang, and dozens of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Disciples followed quietly through the dark passageway. Before long, they reached the outside of the underground dwelling of the Dark Pavilion members. Ling Chen halted and gestured to the group behind him to remain silent.
Watching as everyone quietly passed by, Ling Chen finally relaxed. Once everyone had crossed the underground dwelling, Ling Chen took off the backpack he was carrying. Before making a move, he had gone to the Yangxin Pavilion’s warehouse to gather some equipment. Since the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s warehouse had been destroyed by fire, Ling Chen had to settle for what he could find. Luckily, although the supplies from the Yangxin Pavilion’s warehouse were limited, they were diverse. He opened the backpack and pulled out two thermos flasks and several paper packages.
Inside the paper packages was black gunpowder, along with other chemical substances, which were basic components for making explosives. Due to time constraints, Ling Chen couldn’t gather too many components and had to settle for two thermos flasks. Filling the thermos flasks with black gunpowder, Ling Chen evenly added the chemical substances, then sealed them with the bottle caps, wrapping them with several layers of tape.
Once everything was prepared, he placed the two thermos flasks at the top of the entrance to the underground dwelling, letting the fuse dangle. Glancing at the Dark Pavilion members still asleep in the dwelling, Ling Chen smirked slightly. He took out a lighter from his pocket and ignited the fuse.
Ten seconds later, after dashing to the front of the dark passage, Ling Chen heard a "boom" resonating from behind him, followed by a gust of air rushing from behind. Thankfully, he had reached a safe enough distance, and the blast was not too strong.
Watching the smoke and dust billow up behind him, Ling Chen chuckled to himself. Although the bombs were not very powerful, they were enough to seal off the entrance to the dwelling and collapse the dark passage. Thus, the members trapped inside the underground dwelling could not escape.
Emerging from the dark passage, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Disciples were seated on the ground resting, recovering their strength. Ling Chen looked at the sky and said, "Master Su, while it’s still dusk, we should leave quickly. If the Heavenly Dragon Sect pursues us, we’ll face many troubles."
Su Mei nodded and said, "We’ll follow your arrangements. However, we don’t have any transportation now. It takes at least two hours on foot to get to the nearest town, and I’m worried everyone can’t hold out for that long."
"That’s not a problem. We’ll find a hidden place to settle, and then think of a way to contact rescue."
Du Kang chimed in, "From here, head east for ten kilometers, there’s a forest spanning thousands of hectares, perfect for hiding. If we make it there, even if the Heavenly Dragon Sect pursues us, they won’t find us. There’s also a Forest Protection Team in that forest; we can seek their help to contact reinforcements."
"Ten kilometers..." Ling Chen pondered for a moment and nodded, "Alright then, let’s not delay and set off immediately."
In the blink of an eye, more than an hour had passed. Ling Chen led the group forward, walking almost five kilometers. These Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Disciples were all injured to varying degrees, hungry and thirsty, yet they persisted for so long, showing the effectiveness of the Pavilion’s training and their decent physical strength.
"Elder Du, you lead the group and continue forward; I’ll stay behind to watch the situation," Ling Chen said.
"Alright."
Watching the team proceed into the distance, Ling Chen found a spot to sit, resting while vigilantly monitoring behind him to stave off any pursuit by the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Although he had destroyed their transportation, there was no guarantee the sect wouldn’t have reinforcements.
Unknowingly, yet another half hour passed. Suddenly, several shadows appeared not far away. Ling Chen stood up slowly, keeping a careful watch. As these shadows drew closer, he confirmed they were indeed members of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. These people were likely the vanguard, responsible for reconnaissance. They had just emerged when they paused and began surveying the surroundings.
Not good!
Ling Chen realized things were amiss; the detachment from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion left many footprints in their wake. Due to time and physical exhaustion, they hadn’t erased the traces. Initially thinking the Heavenly Dragon Sect would take longer to catch up, the current situation showed that they had already grasped their escape route. If they pursued with full force, Du Kang and the others would likely be intercepted before reaching the forest.
No! A diversion for the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s pursuers is necessary.
With this in mind, Ling Chen set his sights on the few vanguard members of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. They were tasked with reconnaissance and surely would keep in contact with the larger forces behind them. Watching them draw closer, Ling Chen picked up a few stones from the ground, cradled them in his palm, and waited for the right moment to strike.
When the opponents came within ten meters, Ling Chen flashed forward, wrist flicking lightly, sending the stones shooting toward the sect members’ heads. In an instant, followed by several muffled groans, four Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples were struck accurately in the head, falling directly unconscious, leaving just one standing.
As comrades fell in succession, the remaining disciple’s expression drastically changed. Before he could react, a hand suddenly reached from behind and grasped his shoulder.
Turning, he saw Ling Chen smiling behind him, startling him into retreat. Yet, Ling Chen’s grip on his shoulder was firm, preventing any escape.
"Friend, if you don’t want to die, it’s best to cooperate," Ling Chen said.
At these words, the disciple hesitated briefly, then resigned to abandon resistance. He knew full well that forcefully confronting Ling Chen would be akin to striking a stone with an egg, self-destructive.
"Very good," Ling Chen nodded in satisfaction, asking, "Where is Tan Gang?"
"Master Tan is leading the main force from behind, expected to arrive here at most in five minutes."
"Tell him that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has fled toward the western town and instruct him to reroute immediately."
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