CSMCDB - Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Chu Han's clone had been defeated, so he would probably arrive soon… There was no more time to delay. Even if he couldn't capture Wen Yuncheng alive, he had to kill her.
As he thought this, Wen Yuncheng quickly threw out the defensive scroll Lin Jinyu had given her and released Number One, Number Two, and Number Three! She had Mechanical Wings in the air, but they didn't, so the moment they were released, they went into a freefall!
The scroll erupted in light, instantly enveloping Wen Yuncheng. The Star Emperor's second attack wasn't at full power, as he clearly intended to capture her alive, but it was blocked by the scroll! The scroll's light dimmed for a moment but didn't shatter!
How troublesome—a flash of killing intent crossed the Star Emperor's eyes. He had failed twice to either capture or kill a third-layer Star Spirit?! This was an utter disgrace! His figure moved, no longer posturing or standing on ceremony, and he charged directly at Wen Yuncheng.
An immense pressure closed in on her. He struck out with his palm, easily shattering the barrier in front of Wen Yuncheng. The instant the barrier broke, Wen Yuncheng raised her hand and threw out all her Mechanical Barriers, detonating them at the moment of replacement!
More than twenty Mechanical Barriers exploded before they could even fully deploy. Wen Yuncheng first swapped places with Number One to retrieve it. The returning Star Venerate then attacked her, so she instantly swapped with Number Two to retrieve it and turned to throw a magnetic pulse. Without even having time to see if it hit, she willed Number Three to charge forward. She didn't swap places immediately, because the Star Venerate was already rushing to intercept Number Three, blocking her path, while the Star Emperor was closing in fast…
No destruction, no creation. A thousand gold coins scattered… will eventually return!
With almost no time to think, Wen Yuncheng raised her hand and took out all the C-03 Air Wings from her ring. The Star Emperor's attack was already upon her. Just the pressure from the technique alone, before the attack even landed, made Wen Yuncheng feel a dull, throbbing pain in her organs!
She couldn't afford to be distracted. Detonation! Swap! Camouflage!
The order of these three actions could not be altered in the slightest, and her movements had to be swift, without any hesitation!
Points? To her now, points were no longer that important.
Only after activating her camouflage did Wen Yuncheng retrieve Number Three. She clamped her mouth shut, swallowing the blood that rose in her throat; the smell of blood would give her away. At this moment, Wen Yuncheng was incredibly grateful that she had no external injuries. She then used her Mechanical Wings to slowly ascend, as moving too quickly might cause fluctuations in the surrounding air that the Star Emperor would notice.
Wen Yuncheng didn't dare to flee immediately. The massive explosion from the Air Wings had engulfed the Star Emperor, and she held a tiny sliver of hope. But… when she saw that his clothes were only slightly damaged and his expression was grim, but he was otherwise unharmed, not even spitting up a mouthful of blood, she couldn't help but feel a wave of despair. She was just a weak, helpless, and pitiful third-layer Star Spirit, yet "Fu" had dispatched a Star Emperor and a Star Venerate just to capture her?
And, if there was a next time… it was obvious that "Fu" would no longer try to capture her alive.
"Damn it, where is she?" The Star Emperor felt utterly humiliated. He looked at the Star Venerate who had been intercepting the mechs. "You didn't see her?!"
"No… the mech just vanished…" The Star Venerate's expression was also exceptionally grim. Wen Yuncheng was only a third-layer Star Spirit, yet… he and a Star Emperor had attacked together and not only failed to capture her but had even… failed to kill her?!
The Star Emperor's face was extremely dark. If he had known this would happen… he wouldn't have held back from the start and would have killed that person directly! But Wen Yuncheng was highly valuable; the other lords in the organization were very interested in her Star Power Mutation, so capturing her alive was the best-case scenario. But… "Re-treat." He spat out the word through gritted teeth, now holding a deep grudge against Wen Yuncheng. This operation had been a complete and utter humiliation, his face ground into the dirt. She was a Star Spirit he could have killed with a single casual blow, and yet…
"Yes!" the Star Venerate immediately responded. After all, the commotion had been huge. Wen Yuncheng had thrown out Chu Han's clone at the very beginning, so the Empire was surely on its way! From the moment they attacked to the moment Wen Yuncheng disappeared, less than four minutes had passed! Such a drastic turn of events in just a few short minutes was truly—
"In the Empire's treasury, there seems to be a random teleportation scroll," the Star Emperor suddenly muttered. "Wen Yuncheng… the Empire truly values her."
The Star Venerate didn't dare to make a sound. Although he didn't know if Wen Yuncheng had used a random teleportation scroll to escape, it was clear that such an explanation was slightly more palatable for them.
"How did they get here so fast?!" the Star Emperor exclaimed. He raised his hand and sent several palm strikes into the distance, then summoned a long saber. His Star Power, infused with the blade's momentum, formed a crimson crescent that slashed outward. After the strike, he flashed backward and tore through space to escape.
The Star Venerate instantly burned his blood essence and followed closely behind the Star Emperor, tearing through space to flee.
The one who had arrived was Chu Han.
The clone he had given Wen Yuncheng could not only unleash a powerful attack but was also connected to his main body. The moment he sensed his clone being summoned and instantly shattered, he realized Wen Yuncheng was in extreme danger. He hadn't even had time to report to the Empire before tearing through space to get to her.
But…
Chu Han had always been gentle and mild-mannered. It was because of his personality that the Empire always sent him to handle various affairs. Whether it was inspiring the Empire's youth or guarding the Imperial Capital, Chu Han could be considered the public face of the three Protectors of the Nation. But that didn't mean he had no temper; he was a Star Emperor, after all. The first thing he had done after becoming a Protector, after all, was to annihilate the Lounan Sect…
Seventeen years had passed, and Chu Han had almost forgotten what anger felt like. Just as he was furious enough to want to return to the Empire, gather the other Star Emperors, and teach "Fu" a harsh lesson, he suddenly sensed something.
He looked down and saw Wen Yuncheng appearing on the ground, looking unwell.
"Senior Chu…"
"Say no more. Take this pill first." Chu Han stopped Wen Yuncheng from speaking, took out a ninth-grade healing pill from his storage ring, and handed it to her. Only after Wen Yuncheng had taken the pill and her complexion had gradually returned to a healthy red did he check her aura and confirm that she was not seriously injured.
He looked at the deep crater blasted by the violent Star Power. After his emotions stabilized, he noticed the fragments of deep blue sea crystal near the crater. With a moment's thought, he guessed that Wen Yuncheng had self-destructed her mechs, but even so… it still shouldn't have been enough to delay them for so long.
"Lin Jinyu gave me a defensive scroll that can block one attack from a Star Emperor." Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but smile bitterly. Although she had survived this time, her losses in Star Stones and points were immeasurable. All her C-03 Air Wings and Mechanical Barriers were destroyed… "They initially wanted to capture me alive, which is how I found an opening."
If Wen Yuncheng hadn't thrown out Chu Han's clone at the beginning, the Star Emperor and Star Venerate would have likely razed the entire area to the ground, even if they couldn't see her. This was also why Wen Yuncheng had endured her injuries to carefully ascend with her Mechanical Wings… but they hadn't done that.
Chu Han nodded, not probing into how Wen Yuncheng had managed to escape. He stood guard while Wen Yuncheng recovered for a while before saying, "Come back to the Imperial Capital with me first."
As he spoke, he sensed something and looked up. Di Feng and Mo Dingtian were also rushing over.
They had received a call for help from Lu Manfeng and Tan Xingyu. These two Star Kings had been secretly following Wen Yuncheng from a great distance. The moment they sensed the attack from "Fu," they had made a swift decision and contacted the Empire for reinforcements.
"For now, do not reveal this attack," Chu Han said. "The Path of Invincibility will be paused for a while. Let's return to the Imperial Capital first and discuss this further."
The Protectors moved extremely fast. Although the return trip wasn't as rushed, their efficiency was far beyond what a Gugu Bird could match.
However, while being carried through the air by the Protector, Wen Yuncheng noticed her storage ring flashing. She guessed it was Yan Ling who had heard the news. As for Little Ice Mountain… if the Empire didn't reveal what had happened, she was dead set against letting Lin Jinyu know.
But it wasn't Yan Ling. She answered the communication, but there was no sound from the other end for a long time. Wen Yuncheng couldn't help but say, "Hello?" before the connection was cut.
A bad feeling suddenly washed over Wen Yuncheng. She looked at the communication stone—it was from Lin Jinyu?! How did Little Ice Mountain know about this? …Xiao Shi'er? Did Xiao Shi'er escape to the Flowing Cloud Sect? Wen Yuncheng's mind was a chaotic mess, and it took her a long while to calm down. After all, she was fine now…
Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace in the capital, she was temporarily placed at the First Princess's residence to rest while the Protectors went to a meeting. The First Princess offered a few words of comfort and didn't press for details. Wen Yuncheng made over a dozen calls to Lin Jinyu, but not a single one was answered. Until—
Lin Jinyu appeared before Wen Yuncheng.
"Why are you here… and you didn't answer my calls. I'm really fine…" Wen Yuncheng's mind went blank for a moment when she saw Little Ice Mountain standing at the door. She quickly stood up and walked over, but Lin Jinyu just stared at her fixedly. Wen Yuncheng noticed the bloodshot veins in Lin Jinyu's eyes and guessed that Little Ice Mountain might have been crying.
Her heart instantly ached. She raised her hands and pulled Lin Jinyu into her arms. Lin Jinyu's body was very stiff. As Wen Yuncheng held her, she could feel how cold Lin Jinyu was. "I'm really fine, I'm not hurt… It's all thanks to the scroll you gave me."
Lin Jinyu didn't speak. She hugged Wen Yuncheng tightly, as if Wen Yuncheng would disappear if she relaxed her grip.
The First Princess was silent for a moment, glanced at Zero in the corner, and quietly left through another exit, leaving the main hall to the two of them.
Wen Yuncheng let Lin Jinyu hold her. She hugged Little Ice Mountain, patting her back comfortingly, constantly whispering things like, "I'm fine," "I'm not hurt," "The Protector arrived in time," and "I have a camouflage skill, you know." But Lin Jinyu just held her tightly in silence, not replying.
Little Ice Mountain's body began to tremble slightly. A cold dampness spread from Wen Yuncheng's shoulder. All of Wen Yuncheng's explanations died in her throat. She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
She had made Little Ice Mountain worry.
…And she had made Little Ice Mountain cry again.
Wen Yuncheng's heart ached, bit by bit, a sour and stuffy feeling tightening in her chest. She couldn't imagine the look on Lin Jinyu's face when she saw a heavily injured Xiao Shi'er fleeing back to the Flowing Cloud Sect. She couldn't imagine Lin Jinyu's expression when she heard that "Fu" had sent a Star Emperor and a Star Venerate to attack her. And she had no idea… what Lin Jinyu had gone through on her way here, from the moment she made that call, to when she hung up, to her journey over.
I really am a bastard.
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