Chapter 717

Chapter 717: Escape

In the sky, countless charging flying ships surged relentlessly toward Yongle Immortal City.

These were all second-grade flying ships, devoid of any offensive weapons and stripped of all unnecessary attachments, their design focused solely on maximizing speed.

With their fragile defenses, they stood no chance against the devastating power of the God-slaying cannons.

As a result, many were swiftly shot down.

One after another, the flying ships exploded mid-air, their destruction painting the sky with dazzling bursts of light, while the passengers inside suffered grievous losses.

Each charging flying ship was commanded by an Outer Sect Disciple of the Yishan Sect, and the passengers were all expendable cultivators bound by strict restrictions.

As the flying ships closed in, their side doors flung open, and the cultivators poured out, wielding flying tools, unleashing their most potent spells, or activating talismans.

They threw themselves into a desperate assault on Yongle Immortal City’s defense barrier!

Their survival hinged entirely on breaching the city’s defenses. Failure meant death—either by the arrows of the God-slaying crossbows or by the hands of the Yishan Sect overseers enforcing their restrictions.

There was no other path to survival.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how many Purple Palace cultivators were gathered, they could never hope to breach the Xuan-level protective formation of an immortal city. Such a feat was nothing short of delusional.

The gap between their power and the city’s defenses was insurmountable.

However, the Yuan Ying Great Master stationed at Yongle had been thoroughly suppressed by the true immortals of the Yishan Sect, and the Eight Desolate Standing Wood had laid a deadly trap targeting the city’s dragon tortoise, shaking the very foundation of Yongle Immortal City.

As a result, the protective formation was pushed to its limits. When thousands of Purple Palace cultivators launched a full-scale, close-range assault, the formation’s vulnerabilities were inevitably exposed.

Once a weak point emerged, the Golden Core flying ships behind them would concentrate their firepower on that spot.

This was the grim purpose of the expendables.

Among these expendable cultivators was Wang Chen, who had been scheming his escape ever since falling under the Yishan Sect’s control.

Previously, he had been under constant surveillance, leaving no opportunity for flight.

But now, the moment had arrived.

And this chance had come at the cost of immense personal risk!

Bang!

Wang Chen slammed into the ground with a resounding crash, instantly carving a crater beneath him.

Blood gushed from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, his limbs convulsed, his armor lay in ruins, and a gleaming God-slaying arrow protruded from his chest. To any observer, his fate seemed sealed.

Yet this was nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion.

In truth, Wang Chen’s injuries were far less severe than they appeared.

The God-slaying crossbow was indeed fearsome, capable of piercing through a Purple Palace cultivator’s Spirit Light Shield with ease, rendering even magical treasures useless.

But Wang Chen had not only reinforced himself with the Spirit Light Shield—his Immortal Body’s defenses were at the Golden Core level. Thus, the arrow, despite its destructive power, had only penetrated half an inch into his flesh.

To maintain his ruse, Wang Chen feigned being seriously wounded.

Simultaneously, he activated the Ancient Stone Tablet within his Sea of Consciousness.

The artifact radiated countless beams of light in silence, instantly illuminating the dark depths of Wang Chen’s Sea of Consciousness.

The shadowy mass residing within was obliterated in an instant, like snow melting under the blazing sun.

This dark mass was the restriction set by the Yishan Sect, containing poisonous and destructive power. Once activated, it could destroy the soul directly, turning a person into a living zombie.

Under normal circumstances, to break it, one would either need to use the Yishan Sect’s unique method or have a Nascent Soul true immortal intervene personally.

However, under the brilliance of the Ancient Stone Tablet, it caused no turbulence at all!

Wang Chen let out a long breath, feeling completely relaxed.

Being controlled felt terrible; every word and action had to be taken with great caution, constantly fearing the “bomb” in his head might explode. It truly felt like each day lasted a year.

Now that the restriction was lifted and he regained his freedom, it felt as if the rain had cleared, and his mood was particularly light.

But Wang Chen was not overly joyful, as he was still in the most dangerous battlefield, where he could fall at any moment.

Whether from the battle waves of the Nascent Soul true immortals or the sweeping destructive power of the God-slaying cannons, Wang Chen simply could not endure.

Most importantly, figures had appeared on the ground, cleaning up the battlefield!

Groups of Yishan Sect cultivators stood on the roots of the Fusang wood, quickly moving closer to the struggling dragon tortoise.

Some of them frequently cast spells, pulling corpses from the ground, stripping off their storage bags and items like magic tools, and finally placing everything into storage bags.

Their movements were very efficient.

Wang Chen understood the situation and finally realized why his equipment had not been taken by the Yishan Sect earlier.

They first let the expendables keep their hope alive and give their all, and once their value was exhausted, they would proceed with the final harvest!

The Yishan Sect truly had clever methods.

However, anger would not help Wang Chen resolve his current predicament, as the Yishan Sect cultivators advanced quickly, clearly preparing their next move.

They were getting closer and closer to his position!

Just as Wang Chen was about to be within their line of sight, suddenly a burning charging flying ship fell from the sky.

It landed right above Wang Chen!

Wang Chen had a flash of inspiration and placed both hands on the ground.

He activated the Earth and Stone Technique!

The ground beneath him instantly softened, causing him to sink into it.

Boom!

Only moments later, the downed flying ship crashed to the ground, creating a huge explosion and scattering flames everywhere.

Nearby Yishan Sect cultivators ducked for cover or tried to defend against the chaos.

No one knew that a little "shrimp" was escaping from underground.

It was indeed Wang Chen’s luck; his position was right on the "foundation" of Yongle Immortal City, where the dragon tortoise rested. Normally, it would be impossible to dig a hole or tunnel here.

But now that the dragon tortoise was tightly entangled by the roots of the Fusang wood and fully focused on battling its great enemy, it had retracted its power, no longer affecting the surrounding terrain.

Therefore, Wang Chen easily buried himself deep underground and then began digging an escape tunnel.

Even dozens of feet deep, he could still feel the tremendous commotion coming from above the ground.

The scale of this battle in the immortal city, with its high levels of combat ability, was the most extraordinary Wang Chen had ever witnessed since his entry into the path!

Having finally escaped, he did not want to become collateral damage, so he gave it his all in digging.

The further away from Yongle Immortal City, the better.

By the end of his digging, he had lost track of how long of a tunnel he had created.

Regardless, he filled in the earth he had dug out behind him, and whenever he grew tired, he would dig a temporary hidden chamber to rest and recover, snacking a bit and drawing on the spiritual energy from the Exorcising Net to replenish himself.

After resting, he continued digging.

Wang Chen dug for a full five days!