Chapter 656: A Lot!
Sonic booms erupted out as the Chen Clan deva patriarch led scores of black-armored Nascent Soul-level ghosts after Bai Xiaochun.
Were it not for the fact that he feared the possibility that Bai Xiaochun might have more methods to endanger devas, the patriarch would have simply gone after him alone. However, he wasn't willing to gamble....
The tragic fate of the Bai Clan patriarch had played out right in front of him. If that patriarch had reacted only slightly slower, and had not taken advantage of the heat of the moment to speed back to the safety of his clan, then the Cai Clan patriarch would definitely have caught him. Although the Cai Clan patriarch would not have exterminated the other patriarch and his clan, he would definitely have forced the Bai Clan patriarch to pay a heavy price to stay alive.
Because of all that, the Chen Clan patriarch didn’t want to take any risks. Eyes flashing with cold light, he performed an incantation gesture, pushing the black-armored ghosts forward with greater speed.
Bai Xiaochun’s scalp was tingling with fear, and his heart was pounding. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the black-armored ghosts, and his nervousness mounted. The giant ghost king’s face was also flickering with various emotions, and a sense of foreboding had gripped his heart.
In his anxiety, he couldn’t hold back from saying, “I told you to go back to the stone turtle, but no. No, you had to--”
“Shut up!” Bai Xiaochun yelled angrily, zigging and zagging to avoid the magical techniques and divine abilities that were being launched at him from behind. Then he pushed forward with another burst of speed, piercing through the air to appear in a nearby alley.
After glancing around quickly, he unhesitatingly punched a hole in the wall next to him, revealing a courtyard beyond. Obviously, this was a residence belonging to some rich family. As soon as Bai Xiaochun stepped inside, screams rang out as the terrified servants scattered in every direction.
Panting anxiously, Bai Xiaochun hurried to a pond in the corner of the courtyard, upon which he unleashed another punch. Immediately, the glow of teleportation rose up around him.
Not too far away, the black-armored ghosts radiated a murderous air as they rumbled through the air. Then they sent a volley of divine abilities toward that very pond.
The pond was completely leveled, sending water spraying everywhere. However, by that point, Bai Xiaochun was gone!
About 9,000 meters away, in an abandoned building, more teleportation light filled the air as Bai Xiaochun and the giant ghost king materialized.
“Dammit!” Bai Xiaochun thought. “How come I haven’t found the 50,000-kilometer one yet!?” Just when he was about to activate the formation to teleport away, a growl filled the air as the Chen Clan deva patriarch teleported into the same building. When he realized moments ago that Bai Xiaochun was using his unknown method to teleport away, he split away from the black-armored ghosts to chase after him directly.
He got a very bad feeling when he realized that Bai Xiaochun was using multiple teleportation formations. However, there was no time to ponder the situation at the moment. Murderous aura flaring, he quickly unleashed a palm strike.
A huge illusory hand appeared and shot toward Bai Xiaochun, a powerful strike that instantly destroyed everything around them.
Bai Xiaochun shrieked as the illusory hand closed in, but he had already activated the teleportation formation. Teleportation light rose up, and by the time the palm landed, reducing everything in the area to ash, Bai Xiaochun and the giant ghost king were gone.
“Where did these teleportation formations come from!?!?” the Chen Clan patriarch thought, his expression grim. As a deva, he could easily lock the air down to nullify ordinary teleportations. And yet, he was incapable of nullifying these spell formations.
“You’re not getting away!” he growled. Eyes flashing with anger, he waved his hand, causing an illusory screen to appear in front of him, which depicted a birds-eye view of Giant Ghost City.
As he peered at the picture, he noticed one spot where a bright light suddenly appeared. Snorting coldly, he stepped forward into the image.
The spot where the light of teleportation had just risen up was a formerly bustling street. However, because of the current chaos in the city, it was an empty and cheerless place. As the teleportation light began to fade away, Bai Xiaochun and the giant ghost king appeared in front of one of the shops on the street.
By this point, the giant ghost king really couldn’t hold back from asking, “How... how many teleportation formations do you have set up?!”
He simply couldn’t imagine how there could be so many teleportation formations set up in his own city, all without his knowledge.
“A lot,” Bai Xiaochun responded quickly, his heart pounding. He was really starting to get worried. His answer was no exaggeration, and right now, he was relying on blind chance to find one particular formation among all of the hundreds that he knew about. Not daring to waste any time, he smacked the ground.
Rumbling sounds could be heard as the teleportation formation activated, and Bai Xiaochun and the giant ghost king vanished. Even as they did, the air rippled, and the Chen Clan patriarch emerged. Waving his hand, he destroyed the spell formation.
However, an unsightly expression could be seen on his face, and the rage in his eyes grew deeper as he realized that he had been a moment too late.
“I really want to see how many times you can teleport before you run out of formations!”
With that, he vanished again. Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, and booms filled numerous locations in Giant Ghost City. Bai Xiaochun was going all out, carrying the giant ghost king through one teleportation formation after another. Every time they vanished, the Chen Clan’s deva patriarch would appear and destroy the formation they had just used.
If Bai Xiaochun went even a little bit slower, he would be in great danger, a fact that was pushing him into madness. At the same time, he did everything he could to be as efficient as possible in his actions.
Despite that, he still had not found the teleportation formation that led 50,000 kilometers outside of the city.
He felt like he was going crazy, but it was the same with the Chen Clan patriarch. As far as the patriarch was concerned, this Bai Hao was like a rat who had countless tunnels dug through the city, through which he scurried in mystifying fashion....
In one moment, he would be in the east, in the following moment, the north. The patriarch’s anxiety mounted along with his anger, and at the same time, he couldn’t stop wondering what his quarry was attempting to accomplish....
“It doesn't actually seem like he wants to escape. More like he's looking for something. Don’t tell me that one of the formations is actually capable of long-range teleportation?!” That thought only made him more anxious. He quickly stepped forward, appearing in the most recent place where Bai Xiaochun and the giant ghost king had teleported through. He immediately destroyed the formation, then threw his head back and spoke in a voice so loud it filled the city.
“Bai Hao, why are you risking your life for the giant ghost king? There’s no great enmity between you and our three great clans! Why are you interfering with us!?
“Hand over the giant ghost king, Bai Hao! Fear not, I will personally guarantee your safety!
“I can also help resolve your issues with the Bai Clan. We can just wipe the slate clean! Give us the giant ghost king, and you can just be on your way!
“In fact, we’ll even pay you for him!”
As his words echoed through the city, Bai Xiaochun appeared in another teleportation formation.
His hair was in disarray, and he looked quite bedraggled. The patriarch’s words immediately left him quite shaken, and were actually quite enticing.
As for the giant ghost king, his eyes widened, and the nervousness in his heart mounted. That was especially true when he realized that Bai Xiaochun seemed to be hesitating.
“Not good!” he thought. “This Bai Hao is vicious and merciless, and cares only about personal profit. If he feels threatened, then the little punk definitely won’t think twice about handing me over....”
As the giant ghost king was anxiously trying to come up with an idea about what to do, Bai Xiaochun was licking his lips and thinking that the Chen Clan patriarch’s offer wasn’t that bad. However, he had just made an agreement with the giant ghost king. He would definitely feel bad if he backed out now, and furthermore, it would be a big loss of face.
“Seems to me this Chen Clan patriarch is starting to get nervous. All I have to do is find that one spell formation, and I can teleport 50,000 kilometers away. Considering the speed I’m capable of, I should be able to buy the time I need. As long as I hang in there, I’ll profit handsomely....” Eyes glittering, he decided that he would only give in if it was absolutely necessary.
Most important of all was that he realized he couldn’t trust either the three great clans or the giant ghost king. However, with the restrictive spell he had, his relationship with the giant ghost king was a bit more stable.
Having reached this point in his train of thought, he decided that now would actually be the perfect time to win the giant ghost king over to his side. Therefore, as he continued to search for the teleportation formation, he put on a righteous demeanor and shouted, “Quit wasting your breath. I, Bai Hao, am a person who keeps his word! Furthermore, I repay all kindnesses shown me. The giant ghost king favored me with benevolence, and I promised to keep him safe. How could I possibly go back on my word!?!? As long as I, Bai Hao, have strength left in my arms, I’ll never let you people take the giant ghost king away from me!” His words resonated out with the most righteous and noble of auras.
As for the giant ghost king, he looked up at Bai Xiaochun with a bitter smile. Being the wily old fox that he was, there was no way he could miss the hidden implications in Bai Xiaochun’s words. At the same time, though, he couldn’t help but feel gratitude rising up in his heart.