Rescuing

Chen Shi really wanted to jump down, haul away a Hongyi Cannon, and place it at the village entrance. It would surely be very imposing. The village children would then kneel and pay homage to the Great King Chen!

"I can ascend the throne once I return to the village!"

Unfortunately, the carriage didn't stop.

Chen Shi's gaze swept over the corpses on the ground. They were also dressed in Divine Machine Battalion attire, but each of them had a small hole on their forehead. The opening wasn't large, only about a finger's width, very thin.

The carriage pulled him away at high speed.

Not long after, another Hongyi Cannon came into view. Its barrel was also cut off, and there were several corpses around it, all soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion.

Their eyebrows had a wound in the same spot, looking like marks left by pinching with fingernails.

Except fingernails couldn't pierce through a person's skull.

The further they went, the more corpses there were, and the more Hongyi Cannons.

Chen Shi's heart pounded. Last night, he had only seen a figure standing atop the mountain peak, with a cold light swirling around it. He hadn't seen anything fly down the mountain to kill people at all!

"What kind of weapon could have caused these wounds?"

Along the way, Chen Shi saw two to three hundred corpses and dozens of Hongyi Cannons with damaged barrels.

The Daoist Sun Simiao was revered as the Medicine King and Medicine Saint. He invented gunpowder, which contained the ultimate yang and yang energy of thunder.

Cultivators and gods/demons feared thunder the most. Heavenly tribulations were led by heavenly lightning.

From then on, mortals gained the power to slay gods and execute immortals.

Developing to this day, based on gunpowder, firearms such as muskets, birdcages, thunderclap bombs, and cannons were formed. Coupled with the talismans drawn by cultivators, their power was astonishing.

The Divine Machine Battalion was the Imperial Guard directly under the emperor. Any new-style firearms could be found in the Divine Machine Battalion.

However, the Divine Machine Battalion used birdcages and Hongyi Cannons the most. Those who defied imperial orders and were powerful would be executed by cannon fire.

Even if one cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage and refined their Primordial Spirit, a single cannon blast erupting with the power of the Five Thunders would scatter their soul and shatter their spirit!

This time, the Divine Machine Battalion had mobilized so many Hongyi Cannons and soldiers, it was clear they were determined to succeed. They never expected such heavy casualties.

The carriage sped forward. As they passed, they didn't encounter a single living person!

Ahead, the mountain range that had been bombarded last night appeared. There was still smoke and fire on the mountaintop, along with unsolidified lava.

That was the terrifying destructive power caused by Hongyi Cannons combined with the imprints of the Great Five Thunder Talismans!

However, the sound of thunder could no longer be heard, and the cannon fire had stopped.

Chen Shi looked up and saw that more than half of the mountaintop had been blasted flat. In the center, only a stone pillar, dozens of feet thick, remained standing.

The stone pillar was over twenty feet high, covered in traces of cannon and lightning strikes. Below it was molten lava, emitting waves of heat.

The coachman cracked his whip, urging the four fine horses pulling the carriage, and drove straight towards the stone pillar.

A clanging sound, like metal striking metal, echoed from the stone pillar.

It was not yet dawn. The moon in the sky had just closed, and the sun had only just opened its eyes. The sky was a dim red. If one looked into the distance, it was not very clear.

Suddenly, strange sounds emanated from the top of the stone pillar, obscure and difficult to understand, like the whispers of gods and Buddhas. To gods and Buddhas, it was a whisper, but to Chen Shi, it was a deafening roar that even penetrated his mind, buzzing incessantly!

Brilliant divine light surged from the ground, shooting up into the heavens!

In the heavens sat a supreme deity, bathed in golden light, immensely vast. It was someone's Primordial Spirit. A radiant halo formed behind its head as it leaned down, extending a hand to strike the stone pillar!

Suddenly, a cold light shot up into the sky, whistling past in a flash. Light seeped out from the supreme deity's neck, and its head slowly slid off.

A scream came from the stone pillar, followed by a corpse falling down, landing in front of the carriage.

The headless deity in the sky collapsed and disintegrated, turning into spiritual energy that formed clusters of auspicious clouds, invigorating the spirit. The plants and trees on other mountaintops also became much more verdant.

"Prince Xiao is indeed extraordinary. I have learned my lesson!"

A woman's figure rapidly retreated into the sky. Judging by the voice, it should be Jin Hongying, whom Chen Shi had seen last night.

The stone pillar was almost vertical, and the carriage could not climb it. Seeing this, Chen Shi jumped off the carriage.

The coachman said, "Thank you, Young Master Chen."

Chen Shi listened closely. The only sounds around were the cracking of solidified lava as it cooled, and no other noises.

He steadied himself and began to climb. Using both hands and feet, he quickly reached the top of the stone pillar, just a few steps away from the summit.

"Crash—"

Some rocks were dislodged by his feet, smashing into the lava below.

Chen Shi almost lost his footing, but luckily his palm gripped a crack in the rock. He looked down; the carriage seemed no bigger than his palm. The lava beside him, however, was a considerable area, about half an acre.

"If I fell in, Grandpa's Water-Fire Tempering probably wouldn't be able to save me."

Chen Shi steadied himself and continued to climb, finally reaching the top of the stone pillar.

Several corpses were scattered haphazardly on the stone pillar. Each person exuded great majesty even in death, their imposing aura making it difficult for Chen Shi to breathe.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Chen Shi shouted a few times to bolster his courage and walked forward. He searched around and found Prince Xiao behind a rock.

Prince Xiao lay on his back on the ground, a pool of blood beneath him.

On the mountain rocks before him lay an incredibly bright, slender sword. The sword had eight facets, a slender waist in the middle, and its hilt was inlaid with treasures like tortoise shell and turquoise.

A Gentleman among Swords, humble and gentle.

This was the feeling Chen Shi got from the sword.

As Chen Shi approached, a piercing, humming sound suddenly echoed in his ears, and a cold glint flashed before his eyes.

Chen Shi stopped abruptly.

Strands of hair drifted down gently.

A crack sounded from behind him, followed by the sound of stone grinding. The rock had actually been cut open by invisible sword qi and was slowly sliding down.

Chen Shi dared not move and shouted loudly, "Senior Xiao, it's Chen Shi! Can you hear me?"

Prince Xiao did not respond for a long time.

Chen Shi tentatively lifted his foot, but no sword qi attacked.

He breathed a sigh of relief, about to place his foot down, but suddenly his step paused in mid-air, not descending.

A tiny sword appeared on his brow. It was only three to four inches long, but the hilt and guard were clearly defined, and it even had eight facets.

This exquisitely small sword floated in the air, pointing at his brow, making Chen Shi afraid to make any sudden movements.

Now he finally understood how the Divine Machine Battalion soldiers at the foot of the mountain had died.

Prince Xiao had two swords, one long and one short.

The long sword cleaved through the incoming cannonballs, while the short sword flew down the mountain to kill enemies and sever Hongyi Cannons!

It was the close cooperation of the long and short swords that allowed him to defeat his opponents!

"Senior Xiao, it's Chen Shi!"

Chen Shi shouted loudly, but Prince Xiao still showed no reaction.

Cold sweat dripped down Chen Shi's forehead. He dared not put his raised foot down. These two swords were clearly sentient and protected their master autonomously.

The long sword emanated sword qi, and the short sword flew to kill.

If he made the slightest move, he feared he would be instantly killed by these two swords!

Chen Shi stared at the small sword before his brow and slowly moved his hand, incredibly slowly, reaching into his embrace.

After a moment, he withdrew his hand.

In his hand were several sticks of incense!

Chen Shi slowly moved his other hand to retrieve a fire starter.

After a long while, he finally lit the incense.

"Two seniors, I am Chen Shi, a friend of Senior Xiao. I have come specially to rescue Senior Xiao. If I am late, I fear it will delay Senior Xiao's life."

The smoke from the incense drifted towards the two swords. The long sword suddenly flew up and, with a ding, inserted itself into its scabbard. The small sword, however, seemed hesitant, wavering.

Chen Shi held the incense and said, "If you don't save him soon, he might be beyond saving."

The small sword hesitated for a moment, then flew to Chen Shi's ear. Chen Shi moved, and it followed, as if any move he made against Prince Xiao would result in his head being immediately severed.

Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He had guessed that the long and short swords were sentient, which was why he thought of offering incense as a way to communicate.

"Granny Sha was right. With reverence, all paths are open; without it, even a path to life can become a path to death."

Chen Shi stepped forward and felt for Prince Xiao's breath. He found that his breathing was still present. He examined the injuries and saw that Prince Xiao was severely wounded, bearing not only the scars of lightning and cannon fire but also wounds from various magic spells and weapons. His breath was faint.

"If it were me, I would have died long ago."

Chen Shi picked him up and carried him to the edge of the stone pillar. The sky was now bright, and the sun was gradually changing from an oval to a circle.

Chen Shi hesitated. Even alone, he wouldn't dare jump from such a height, let alone carrying a severely injured and unconscious Prince Xiao?

But how to get down was a problem.

Just then, Prince Xiao groggily opened his eyes. Seeing Chen Shi, he said in a hoarse voice, "Hurry... Jin Hongying will return..."

"Can't get down the mountain! Can't escape!" Cold sweat beaded on Chen Shi's forehead.

Prince Xiao's hand drooped. He pointed a finger towards the long sword and moved slightly.

The long sword, with its scabbard, flew up and appeared in the air beneath Chen Shi's feet, motionless.

Chen Shi's heart stirred. He cautiously stepped onto the scabbard. It sank slightly and then slowly descended, carrying him.

After a while, Chen Shi's feet touched the ground. He exclaimed joyfully, "Senior Xiao, we're down! Senior Xiao?"

Prince Xiao remained silent and fainted again.

Chen Shi immediately put Prince Xiao in the carriage and said quickly, "Quick! Take me to see Granny Zhuang!"

The coachman was confused, not knowing where Granny Zhuang was.

"Follow me!"

Chen Shi jumped off the carriage and sped away.

Seeing this, the coachman flicked his whip, and the four-horse carriage galloped after Chen Shi.

Chen Shi traveled dozens of miles, arriving outside Gangzi Village and entering the mountains. After traveling another ten miles along the mountain path, he finally reached the place where Granny Zhuang resided.

"Wait for me here! Granny Zhuang, please help this person prolong his life first!"

Chen Shi didn't have time for more, so he put Prince Xiao down and immediately continued on his way to the mountain stream and forest.

Half an hour later, Granny Zhuang's tree hollow was filled with "people." Several chubby toddlers with round faces were crying, holding their heads. Their Ginseng Grass Fruits had been picked again and given to the person lying on the bed to consume.

"He has consumed the Ginseng Grass Fruit and is no longer in mortal danger, but his other injuries are too severe for the fruit to heal," Granny Zhuang said apologetically.

Prince Xiao remained unconscious. Although his external injuries had healed, the most serious ones were actually caused by lightning strikes and the magic spells of the Divine Machine Battalion experts.

These injuries could not be healed by conventional medicine.

"Thank you, Granny, thank you, little ones!"

Chen Shi thanked them profusely. The chubby toddlers crowded around him, looking up, their plump little hands gesturing non-stop, asking for more toys.

Chen Shi agreed, picked up Prince Xiao again, and put him into the carriage. "We're going to Mirror Lake Villa."

The coachman set off again, and the carriage sped away.

Mirror Lake Villa at midday was still as cold and quiet as ever, with no cicadas chirping or birds singing.

The pool water was bone-chillingly cold, and tall trees blocked out all sunlight. The carriage rumbled and slowly stopped outside the villa.

Chen Shi picked up Prince Xiao and walked into the villa, opening the layers of the coffin one by one and placing him inside.

Just as Chen Shi was about to close the layers of the coffin, his long sword suddenly flew over and landed in the coffin as well.

The small sword then slowly circled the coffin, presumably guarding it from the outside.

Chen Shi closed the five layers of the coffin and breathed a sigh of relief, murmuring, "Mirror Lake Villa can indeed save lives. Senior Xiao was injured last time and recuperated here. Moreover, no outsiders can enter this villa. Even if Jin Hongying finds this place, she won't be able to get in."

Mirror Lake Villa was built by Grandpa and Prince Xiao and others. Several people were already residing in the coffins, and their abilities were definitely no less than Prince Xiao's.

If Jin Hongying could track them here, she would face several experts like Prince Xiao!

"Senior Xiao's safety is no longer a major concern, so what about the Hongyi Cannons and the enthronement..." Chen Shi's heart burned with excitement as he looked at the carriage outside the villa.