Predicament

(Today is the first day of Year 13. I wish everyone peace and good health in the new year, and may we surpass ourselves. Let us work hard together!)

The Goth youth understood somewhat. No wonder the princess had made him back down yesterday.

An army of more than two hundred battle-hardened regular soldiers possessed terrifying combat power. Even advanced warriors would find it difficult to escape after being trapped within the killing formation.

Although they had not exhausted all their methods, they were on the Golden Leaf Dynasty's territory and carrying out an important mission. Naturally, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Even so, the Goth youth was not feeling very good about it.

The Goths were naturally crafty and savage. Whenever they suffered a loss, they would do everything possible to win it back.

The Goth youth Mimis was in exactly that state of mind now. However, facing the respected Goth princess, he did not dare reveal the slightest hint of it.

Thus, with the Goth caravan in front and Qi Bei's disguised caravan behind, they passed through more than a dozen cities along the way. They were just about to leave the Central Province.

Once they left the Central Province, they would be beyond the reach of Emperor Hanmos's core sphere of power. Qi Bei would basically be able to sleep soundly without worry.

That day, the two caravans arrived at Green Leaf City, the final city in the northwest of the Central Province.

The moon appeared and disappeared in the sky, casting everything in a gloomy darkness.

The wind rose, making the great trees by the roadside rustle loudly.

"It's going to be a change in the weather." Qi Bei pushed open the window of the tavern room and gazed at the dark clouds slowly gathering in the sky, feeling inexplicably agitated.

"Let it change, then. It's not as if we're sleeping out in the wilderness now." Phantom spoke from behind him.

"I just have an uneasy feeling. Come here and let me hold you." Qi Bei reached out and grabbed Phantom's little hand, pulling her into his arms.

Phantom coquettishly protested a couple of times and struggled lightly, but then let Qi Bei hold her. After all, the two of them had never been stingy with their kisses and embraces.

"I feel much more at ease now." Qi Bei sniffed Phantom's lovely hair, which carried a faint fragrance, and chuckled.

The night gradually deepened, and the torrential rain that had been brewing for so long finally arrived. Curtains of dense water covered the entire sky, making it impossible to see anything more than several yards ahead.

Qi Bei sat cross-legged on the bed. Suddenly, his heart gave a violent throb. He abruptly opened his eyes and shouted in a low voice, "Xiao Jiu, Thirteen."

"Master." Xiao Jiu and Thirteen appeared out of nowhere, as if they never needed to rest and had been hidden in Qi Bei's shadow every moment.

"Go take a look at the Goth caravan. I have a very bad feeling." Qi Bei spoke.

Xiao Jiu and Thirteen vanished from the room without a sound. Not long afterward, the two of them appeared again.

"Master, the Goth caravan set out during the night. The carriages outside are nothing but empty shells." Thirteen spoke.

Qi Bei suddenly stood up. The unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger. He pushed open the door and woke Vajra in the room next door.

"Go. Have all our brothers prepare to leave, and call Huo Lie and Tie Tou over." Qi Bei spoke.

Vajra accepted the order and left. Before long, Huo Lie and Tie Tou followed him to Qi Bei's room.

"Lord, has something happened?" Huo Lie asked.

"Wasn't I having you monitor the Goth caravan? They left behind a few empty shells and departed Green Leaf City long ago." Qi Bei spoke.

Huo Lie and Tie Tou immediately flushed with shame. They bowed and asked Qi Bei to punish them.

"All right. I'll settle this with you later. Assemble everyone and depart immediately." Qi Bei waved his hand.

"Yes, Lord." Huo Lie and Tie Tou answered. Even though torrential rain was falling now, they would carry out the order without hesitation even if knives were raining from the sky.

Just then, Xiao Jiu's figure slipped through the window like a ghost. She said urgently, "Master, it's the Dragon Armor Army. There are several thousand of them. They're fully armed and carrying magical weapons. They're surrounding us from all four directions."

The Dragon Armor Army! Emperor Hanmos had actually tracked down his whereabouts.

All of a sudden, Qi Bei thought of the Goth caravan. It had to be them. But how had they learned his identity, and how had they known that Emperor Hanmos was intercepting him?

The thought flashed through Qi Bei's mind, but now was not the time to investigate.

"Pass on my order. Abandon the carriages and cargo immediately. Break up into small groups and hide in the nearby residents' homes. We will regroup in Kaqi City. Vajra, Xiao Jiu, Thirteen, the three of you will come with me to draw the Dragon Armor Army's attention. Huo Lie, Tie Tou, Phantom will be in your hands." Qi Bei issued his orders calmly.

"Lord, you can't! Let us draw the Dragon Armor Army's attention..." Huo Lie and Tie Tou were so anxious that their eyes reddened. How could they allow Qi Bei to place himself in danger?

"This is an order. Execute it immediately." Qi Bei shouted coldly.

"Yes, Lord." Huo Lie and Tie Tou's bodies trembled. They took Phantom and hurried away.

Phantom looked back at Qi Bei, biting her lower lip tightly. For the first time, she hated herself for being useless. Not only could she not help him, she was even becoming a burden to him.

"Let's go." Qi Bei leaped out through the window first.

Xiao Jiu and Thirteen blurred and vanished from the room, while Vajra stomped hard on the windowsill, his enormous body shooting out like a cannonball.

"Clack, clack, clack..." A line of heavily armored soldiers clad in thick golden armor, carrying golden shields in their left hands and golden battle blades in their right, advanced in perfect formation through the torrential rain. Their unstoppable momentum surged toward them head-on.

Behind the heavily armored soldiers were two rows of crossbowmen wielding Magic Crossbows. Behind them stood two mages holding the rear.

"Qi Bei Nord is here!" The instant Qi Bei shot out of the window, he let out a great roar. Golden light flashed along his black longsword as he slashed toward the Dragon Armor Guard at the very front.

Qi Bei's shout immediately drew the Dragon Armor Guards from the other directions toward him. Naturally, he was doing this so the rest of his brothers could escape safely.

Emperor Hanmos was stopping him. He would not care about the others at all.

Qi Bei's battle aura cleaved into the heavily armored soldier. At once, the soldier's golden helmet and breastplate split apart in both directions, revealing his terrified face. Thin streams of blood slowly seeped from his forehead.

Immediately afterward, two more screams rang out. Two black shadows flashed like ghosts, and the two mages at the rear had been separated from their bodies.

"Fire the magic!" one of the Dragon Armor Guard commanders shouted.

The Magic Crossbow wielders all around raised the Magic Crossbows in their hands. In an instant, bolts rained into the sky like a storm.

The bolts carried streaks of magical radiance that intertwined in midair, forming a huge spell. It actually intended to trap Qi Bei within it.

"With trash like this, you think you can trap me?" Qi Bei sneered. He suddenly fused his inner power into his battle aura and slashed through the air toward the spell.

With a sizzling sound, the spell split open, but immediately began to mend itself.

Just then, Vajra charged forward like a mountain. He thrust both hands into the gap in the spell. In an instant, his arms swelled to twice their size, and immense, mysterious power flowed through each of the knotted veins.

"Roar..." Vajra threw back his head and let out a furious roar. He seized both sides of the spell and pulled them apart, tearing open a huge breach.

Qi Bei instantly dashed through the opening, but his body stiffened at once, and his gaze turned incomparably grim.

At that moment, more than three thousand Dragon Armor Guards had formed a huge circle, surrounding him completely. On the opposite side of the circle stood a white-haired man with his arms folded. A snow-white longsword, as smooth as jade, was planted before him. The blade trembled lightly as circles of hazy white chill spread from it.