Chapter 703: RUN!
Xu Shan’s words struck Bai Xiaochun’s ears like a thunderbolt, nearly striking him senseless. Although he had had his suspicions about the strange look in her eyes, it had seemed so improbable that she harbored romantic feelings that he had simply dismissed the notion.
After all, they had only met a few days before, and had been enemies the entire time. Bai Xiaochun really couldn’t think of anything he had done to attract the interest of the termagant Xu Shan….
Shocked, he couldn’t help but take a moment to examine Xu Shan’s face a bit more closely, and then his gaze slid down the rest of her body. The truth was that, despite her violent tendencies, she was actually very attractive. However, he quickly realized that he shouldn’t be thinking that way.
“No. This Xu Shan has a screw loose, and is very violent. She’s definitely not my type…. I have my boo, and Big Sis Junwan, and Xiaomei. Plus, there are the hundreds of thousands of girls who like me back in the River-Defying Sect…. Ai. I really am just too outstanding. No matter where I go, all of the girls chase me. What a headache.” Sighing inwardly, but simultaneously savoring the moment, he suddenly felt more confident and proud than ever. That was especially true when he thought about the countless love letters he had received all those years ago, which proved how dashing he was, and that he was truly unparalleled under heaven.
The dozen or so chosen nearby who had been sealed and immobilized were also staring in mute shock, their minds reeling with so much disbelief that they almost couldn’t recover.
Bai Xiaochun sighed and put his Eternal Parasol away. He was in no mood for stabbing people with it now. Sighing, he grabbed Xu Shan and put her into his bag of holding. Considering how the termagant was an admirer, though, he put her in a special, more private part of the bag of holding
The only other person in that special location was Chen Manyao….
As for the other Wildlander chosen, he also stashed them in his bag of holding. Having accomplished these things, he got his breathing under control and then looked at the exit vortex, heart pounding. After thinking for a moment to come up with a plan, he suddenly reached down and tore his robe up. However, that didn't seem like enough, so he then slapped himself in the face, and even sent some blood oozing out of his mouth. At that point, he stepped through the exit.
**
Outside of the Necromancer Kettle, more than a hundred people were quietly waiting. Whether it was the cloudy-eyed old man who had escorted Zhou Hong, or the old woman who was Xu Shan’s Dao protector, all of them had calm expressions. Apparently, they had utmost confidence that there was nothing dangerous in the Necromancer Kettle that could harm the various heirs apparent, princesses, and princes.
Therefore, few people had even thought much about Bai Xiaochun, nor even considered the possibility that he might accomplish anything in the Necromancer Kettle.
Even the middle-aged man who had escorted the second prince seemed to have the same attitude. His expression was placid as he looked at the Necromancer Kettle and waited for everyone to emerge from inside.
It was almost unnecessary to mention how the other chosen and Dao protectors were reacting. All of them seemed very relaxed, and many were even chatting and laughing with each other. Clearly, no one was worried about the situation. After all, considering that all three of the other heavenly kings were working together, there was no doubt in their mind that the Giant Ghost King would come out as the loser.
In fact, there was literally no chance of him prevailing. As for Bai Hao… although most of them had heard some stories about him, they still discounted him immediately. In fact, many people had already assumed that he would perish.
The only thing they were wondering was which of the other heavenly kings would end up with the ghost king fruit. A few of the people present were even making friendly wagers.
“Unless something unexpected happens, the Junior Champion King will surely acquire the flower….”
“Not necessarily. Princess Xu Shan is not the type to casually admit defeat. If she gets stubborn, she could cause a real headache for him.”
“Prince Zhou Hong is an ambitious and ruthless character. All of the other chosen of the generation have been completely won over by him. I'd say that Zhou Hong definitely has a better chance than the others. After all, it’s not all just about battle prowess.”
When Duke Deathcrier heard the various conversations going on, he sighed inwardly. At the moment, he didn’t have much hope at all, and still couldn’t figure out what the Giant Ghost King was thinking. Considering how important the matter was, if Duke Deathcrier had been in charge, he definitely wouldn’t have sent Bai Hao in alone. He would have sent in as many people as possible, and would have called on every clan connected to the Giant Ghost King to try to secure the greatest chance of victory.
Even he had to admit that Bai Hao on his own would be unable to come out on top. Duke Deathcrier knew Bai Hao better than anyone else here, and was aware of how brave and fierce he could be, but the matter of fleeing from three devas was very different than what would be going on in the Necromancer Kettle.
“I just have to trust in his highness the king….” Duke Deathcrier thought, taking a deep breath. Then he thought of how everything had played out with the rebellion of the three devas, and all of the things the Giant Ghost King had done, and it left him with a bit of anticipation regarding how everything would turn out.
Even as everyone discussed the matter, the Necromancer Kettle suddenly began to vibrate, and then rumbling sounds echoed out from inside of it. Mist began to pour out from the mouth of the kettle, drawing the attention of everyone in the area.
The old man from Nine Serenities City, the old woman from Spirit Advent City, and the middle-aged man from Arch-Emperor City all turned their flickering gazes to the exit.
“Who’s going to come out first…?” That was what everyone was thinking.
As for Duke Deathcrier, he shook his head, convinced that Bai Hao wouldn’t even be coming out. However, he still looked over at the exit.
As everyone watched intently, a bedraggled figure appeared, flying at top speed out of the Necromancer Kettle.
“It’s him!”
“How could he be the first person to come out!?”
“Bai Hao… didn't die in there?”
Everyone was stunned, even Duke Deathcrier, whose eyes shone with disbelief….
Bai Xiaochun’s hair was a mess, and his clothing was ripped and torn. His aura seemed weak, and an unsightly expression could be seen on his face. He was frowning, and clearly irritated. To everyone present, it was very obvious that he was in a foul mood that bordered on madness.
“Outrageous! Ridiculous!” he shouted angrily. As soon as he was out in the open, he headed at top speed toward Duke Deathcrier.
“Let’s go!” he said, sounding wronged. He seemed discouraged and downhearted, as though all of his hopes and dreams had been turned into dust. In fact, he didn’t even wait for a response from Duke Deathcrier. He simply flew away angrily. Of course, inside he was bursting with nervousness. At the same time, the feeling of pulling a fast one on members of the older generation was very exciting. However… if anyone caught on to the act and looked closely at him, they would surely devolve into madness….
Still surprised, Duke Deathcrier sighed, contemplating what must have gone on inside of the Necromancer Kettle. Clearly, Bai Hao had been bullied to no end, and thus, it was with the shake of a head that he turned and left along with him.
As they left, many in the crowd began to chuckle derisively.
“Now I know why Bai Hao was the first to come out. He definitely got bullied inside, and didn't dare to fight anyone. All he could do was wait until the mouth of the Necromancer Kettle opened to make his escape.”
“Although, you have to admit that Bai Hao certainly has some extraordinary qualities. The fact that he didn’t get killed is amazing. However, the lesson he learned inside will probably force him to keep his head bowed forever. It must have been a bitter lesson indeed.”
“I'd say the only reason he made it out alive was that the heirs apparent didn’t want to provoke the Giant Ghost King too deeply. However, I'm sure they taught some harsh and probably even humiliating lessons to this Bai Hao. Well, they’ll all be coming out in a moment, and we can hear the whole story.” As they waited, the various Dao protectors continued to joke and chat.
Actually, it was happening this way, not because of the flawless performance Bai Xiaochun had just put on, but because an error in their thinking. None of them could possibly imagine how a single person could take on more than a hundred. Those odds… were just too high.
Not even the Dao protectors from Nine Serenities City, Spirit Advent City, and Arch-Emperor City spared much thought for Bai Hao…
And so they continued to wait, calmly watching the exit and waiting for people to come out. Before long, enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, but they still weren’t worried. After all, it was only to be expected that the fierce fighting inside would take some time to end.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun was speeding away from the area as quickly as possible. Duke Deathcrier was next to him. He looked over, and was about to say something, when Bai Xiaochun urgently said, “Deathcrier, old pal, bring out the giant ghost battleship!!”
The way that his voice seemed to tremble with nervousness left Duke Deathcrier feeling very taken aback.
“What’s going on…?” he replied, quickly pulling out the battleship.
Bai Xiaochun leaped onto the deck and then urgently said, “RUN!!”
Duke Deathcrier’s eyes went wide, and all of a sudden, his heart started pounding. He suddenly thought back to all the disastrous things that had occurred in Giant Ghost City, and a chill ran down his spine. However, a moment later, his expression brightened, and then, without the slightest hesitation, he drew upon the power of his cultivation base to send the giant ghost battleship zooming off into the distance!