Chapter 203: Jiang Yong

Lin Qi carried the nearly naked Long Cheng under one arm as he dashed wildly through the forest. Enzo, holding a sword, stayed closely beside Lin Qi, guarding him. Yulian was about ten meters away, following them quickly with two poisoned hand crossbows in his hands.

Over ten Earth Dragon Knights charged into the forest. Their eyes blazing with fury, they rampaged recklessly through the trees. They were proud Earth Dragon Knights, the strongest soldiers of the Gaul Empire, a formidable strategic force in the empire.

In recent days, some strange incidents had occurred one after another in the Gaul Empire. The Imperial Emperor secretly ordered them to return from Norman Fortress to the Imperial Capital to await commands. They raced day and night without rest, finally making it back to the capital. Before they could report to the emperor, they suddenly encountered Long Cheng breaking into the Victory Palace at night.

After two days and nights without food, drink, or sleep, even the Earth Dragon Knights were exhausted to the extreme. The Earth Dragons they rode had also exhausted most of their energy. At this critical moment of extreme fatigue, they heard the alarm bells of Victory Palace and immediately gave chase.

But Long Cheng was incredibly powerful. Three captains joining forces still couldn’t capture him.

Long Cheng was terrifying; even two formidable interceptors who could use the Meteor Arcane Art were killed by him.

Long Cheng was not alone after all. That black-robed old man, the most mysterious and sinister Necromancer among the four Celestial Knights guarding Victory Palace, engaged Long Cheng in a direct collision of Spiritual Willpower. Then an assassin easily took the life of such a powerful Necromancer!

Gods above, that despicable little assassin—his Combat Qi was only at the Human Rank Middle Tier, a level that’s practically nothing!

Yet he assassinated a Celestial Knight, and a mysterious Celestial Necromancer at that.

The Earth Dragon Knights were so furious they could practically vomit blood. They did not stop to help their injured comrades; their boiling blood rushed to their heads, making them ignore their own exhaustion and that of their mounts. They charged into the forest with single-minded determination, completely forgetting a well-known prohibition in both the Eastern Continent and Western Continent—”do not pursue into the woods.”

Hundreds of pit traps were crushed under the large hooves of the Earth Dragons; those small holes meant for ordinary warhorses were useless against them. But soon they ran into Vic’s second trap: in the dark forest, thin steel wires were strung between trees like spiderwebs. One Earth Dragon caught its foot on a wire, let out a panicked roar, and fell heavily, face-first.

The Earth Dragon Knight on its back was thrown off and crashed to the ground, his helmet flying far away. To make matters worse, the dark forest floor was scattered with sharp, heavily drugged caltrops. Four or five ugly iron caltrops deeply embedded in the handsome knight’s face, and he fell unconscious without a sound.

Pale black blood trickled down his handsome face; this good-looking knight was destined to be disfigured.

One after another, the Earth Dragons stumbled and fell. The dense steel wires caused over a dozen Earth Dragons to collapse in disarray. The Earth Dragon Knights fell awkwardly to the ground, roaring furiously as they tried to get up. But their hard leather-soled combat boots were pierced by the sharp caltrops, and a strong numbing sensation quickly spread up their legs and throughout their bodies.

The anesthetic was so potent that even High-Rank Earth Riders couldn’t resist its effects. Not only did it cause paralysis, but it also made the knights’ facial muscles go slack. Certain muscles in their bodies suddenly relaxed, and some foul-smelling liquids and solids joyfully burst forth from within.

This anesthetic was also one of Master Kocha’s discarded concoctions. Though considered waste, its effects were still extremely powerful. It did have some unpleasant side effects, like temporary facial paralysis and incontinence, but its anesthetic quality was top-notch.

Unless one was a Celestial Knight, it was impossible to expel this anesthetic using Combat Qi.

Over a dozen Earth Dragon Knights lay on the ground, unable to move—their eyes tearing, saliva drooling, and reeking of filth.

Their mounts staggered to their feet, but then suddenly, as if gone mad, they began attacking each other. Earth Dragons were naturally solitary, tyrannical creatures; even after domestication, most of their ferocious nature remained.

Earlier, a porcelain vial attached to a ballista bolt had shattered upon hitting one of the Earth Dragons. That vial contained all the remaining berserk potion Lin Qi had. The fine powder vaporized in the air, and all the Earth Dragons inhaled large amounts of it. Without their riders to control them, the Earth Dragons grew increasingly excited and frenzied, eagerly turning on their own kind.

Outside the forest, the long roars of Earth Dragons could be heard. Those outside also started fighting fiercely among themselves. When these massive creatures went berserk, their battles could affect an area of several miles around. The walls of some aristocratic mansions were smashed down; the residences of nobles and officials were destroyed by the frenzied Earth Dragons. Everywhere, the sounds of collapsing buildings and desperate cries for help could be heard.

That night was later recorded in the empire’s history as the ‘New Year Earth Dragon Riot Bloody Night,’ sparking much research and speculation among future historians.

But at that time, Lin Qi, whose name would later shake continents, remained silent. Though generations of historians vaguely suspected that this riot and bloodshed were somehow connected to Lin Qi—who was still a minor figure then—no one dared approach him in his Gold Palace to verify it.

Outside the forest, three imposing middle-aged men led a large number of Imperial Guards and Court Guards, rushing over quickly. They didn’t focus on chasing Long Cheng but instead hunted down the berserk Earth Dragons everywhere. These enraged Earth Dragons, having awakened their innate savagery, now possessed combat strength comparable to Celestial Knights. All the capital’s military forces deployed their reserved troops, desperately trying to suppress these terrifying creatures.

Even the soldiers guarding the city gates were urgently called away. So, Lin Qi and his group peacefully scaled the city wall and left the turbulent Imperial Capital.

Led by Lin Qi, the group traveled east along the main road for over ten miles, arriving at a small depression in the wilderness. There, a set of supplies was prepared, including gold coins, silver coins, nearly a hundred newly exchanged small-denomination Gold Notes belonging to Lin Qi, along with a large amount of cured meat and strong liquor—enough for Long Cheng’s journey to the empire’s border.

From the eastern border of the empire, entering the Caesar Empire, crossing a territory as vast as the empire itself, climbing over the Western Continent’s highest and longest Bes Mountains, crossing the vast Ulan Grassland known as the continent’s breadbasket, and then passing through several small countries—Long Cheng would then officially leave the Western Continent’s territory.

Connecting the Eastern and Western Continents was a land bridge composed of deserts, grasslands, hills, and the Gobi Desert. Here, countless Nomadic Tribes, organized by families, roamed. They did not worship the Gods of the Western Continent but had their own unique beliefs. The weakest of these tribes might have only a few hundred people, but the most powerful had even built grand cities in the desert rivaling Borelly, with populations reaching tens of millions.

These Nomadic Tribes were cruel and extremely greedy; any foreigners were targets for their killing and plundering. Long Cheng would have to carefully avoid their territories, traveling east for tens of thousands of miles. Passing through the legendary high Qingcang Plateau that seemed to touch the sky, and crossing the strange wetland area called Luogepo, filled with swamps and lakes, he would finally step into the territory of the Eastern Empire.

Even after entering the Eastern Empire’s lands, according to distant seafaring travelers, Long Cheng would still need to travel nearly twenty thousand miles to reach that vast empire’s capital. Lin Qi couldn’t even imagine how enormous that ancient empire’s territory was. Rumor had it that the entire Western Continent’s land area was less than half of that empire’s territory—how terrifying!

Inside the large buffalo-hide field backpack was also a map—a detailed one of the Western Continent, with a simple additional map of parts of the Nomadic Tribes’ territories. The land bridge controlled by these tribes was an extremely perilous place for people of the Western Continent; very few who dared enter ever returned, so the map Lin Qi could provide covered only a small portion.

Long Cheng put on the new clothes and finally breathed a sigh of relief, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood freely.

“Necromancers are indeed sinister and strange. Even with my abilities, he managed to severely injure me!” Long Cheng laughed dryly. “In the future, don’t engage with such monsters—you’ll die. That little knife-wielding thief, I owe you a favor. I’ll repay it if I get the chance!”

He tossed the vial he had been holding all along to Lin Qi and solemnly instructed him, “There are three pills inside. Take one each over three days. It will be very beneficial for you later.” After a moment of thought, Long Cheng looked at Enzo, Yulian, and Vic standing beside Lin Qi and slowly nodded. “After I return, I’ll try to send people here with some things for you. But the seas are vast, the journey is long—it might take three to five years, or even ten. Wait for it; I’ll definitely send something… Give me a reliable address to receive the items.”

Lin Qi frowned in thought for a while, deliberated for a long time, then nodded. “Send it to Yulian’s house. In three, five, or ten years, who knows where we’ll be? Only Yulian’s family will surely remain in the Imperial Capital. They’re nobles, so it’ll be easier to find out about them.”

Yulian provided his family mansion’s address. Long Cheng concentrated, firmly imprinting the address in his mind, then waved to Lin Qi and the others.

“This trip was enjoyable; meeting you interesting youngsters was good. I can’t delay; I must leave now. You all should hurry back to the city too. Who knows, your emperor might order a city-wide search tomorrow.”

Coughing up two mouthfuls of blood, Long Cheng turned and left quite casually. He walked away, spitting blood as he went, and never looked back.

Lin Qi and the others watched Long Cheng. Suddenly, a sinister chuckle came from the distance.

“Soaring Eagle General, why not stay here? I’ve come to see you off!”