At full speed, a distance of five hundred kilometers would only take Jiang Chen three double-hours.

What’s more, Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng were also rapidly approaching him, which halved the travel time. After about one and a half double-hours, Jiang Chen encountered the travel-worn and utterly wretched Si Xiaosheng and Yulan Tianpeng.

"Brother Jiang, I knew it had to be you!" Yulan Tianpeng said, his face full of excitement.

At this moment...

This handsome, baby-faced young man had slimmed down considerably. His once-pristine robes were now in tatters, and he was completely disheveled.

If not for the fact that his True Essence aura was unmistakable, Jiang Chen would have hardly recognized him.

Compared to Yulan Tianpeng, Si Xiaosheng was in an even more pathetic state. His black hair had been completely scorched off, leaving him bald. His robes were shredded into just a few strips of cloth that barely preserved his modesty. The moment he saw Jiang Chen, Si Xiaosheng lunged for him.

Clinging tightly to Jiang Chen’s thigh, he wailed, "Brother Jiang, do you have any food? I’m starving..."

To think a dignified True Martial Realm Powerhouse could be reduced to this!

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but shoot Yulan Tianpeng a complicated look. ’How did you two get into such a state?’

Yulan Tianpeng smiled bitterly. "For the past few days, Zhao Qiankun has been hunting us. That bastard found a treasure trove somewhere, got a ton of loot, and his cultivation has skyrocketed. We’re no match for him, so all we could do was run. But somehow, Zhao Qiankun always manages to find us in no time. These past few days, we’ve even had to take care of business while flying at top speed!"

"Yeah..."

Si Xiaosheng said, his face a mask of misery, "Brother Jiang, you have no idea... Pissing into the wind is a freaking nightmare. One wrong move and you get it all over yourself!"

The corner of Jiang Chen’s eye twitched. ’...’ ’No wonder there was a reek of piss ever since Si Xiaosheng latched onto me.’

Yulan Tianpeng looked mortified.

Si Xiaosheng, however, had no time for such trifles. His ordeal over the past few days had stripped him of his pride as a powerhouse and the dignity of the True Martial Realm. His stomach rumbled audibly. Si Xiaosheng looked at Jiang Chen with pitiful eyes. "Brother Jiang, do you have any food? Please, give me something to tide me over. That Zhao Qiankun will be on our heels again soon, and we’ll have to flee for our lives!"

"I’ve got food. I just roasted some meat yesterday!"

Jiang Chen took out two golden-brown roasted beast legs and handed them over. Watching them wolf down the food, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Slow down, no one’s going to snatch it from you!"

"Can’t slow down. Any more delays and Zhao Qiankun will be here," Si Xiaosheng mumbled, his mouth full of meat.

Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Don’t worry. If Zhao Qiankun dares to show up, I’ll make sure it’s a one-way trip for him!"

"Brother Jiang, you can’t afford to be careless!" Yulan Tianpeng urged, swallowing a mouthful of fragrant meat. "That Zhao Qiankun found a Spirit Medicine and broke through to the True Martial Realm Fourth Stage. His combat power is several times what it used to be; we can’t fight him directly. Once we’ve eaten our fill, we should leave this place and come up with a long-term plan!"

True Martial Realm Fourth Stage.

This meant he had entered the Mid Stage of the True Martial Realm, where one’s combat power was many times greater than in the Early Stage! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

What’s more...

Zhao Qiankun was a genius who possessed Innate Divine Strength and had mastered numerous powerful Martial Skills and Secret Techniques, giving him the ability to defeat those in higher realms. With his current cultivation, even an expert at the True Martial Realm Fifth Stage might not be his match.

In Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng’s minds, there was no way Jiang Chen could be Zhao Qiankun’s opponent!

"True Martial Realm Fourth Stage, you say?"

Jiang Chen smiled faintly but offered no further explanation.

’With my current strength, I wouldn’t need to fear him even if he reached the True Martial Realm Fifth Stage, let alone this paltry True Martial Realm Fourth Stage!’

"Finally... I’m full..." Si Xiaosheng patted his stomach contentedly. "I don’t think I’ve ever been this stuffed in my entire life!"

Yulan Tianpeng wiped the grease from his lips. "We need to go, now. If we wait for Zhao Qiankun to catch up, it’ll be too late to escape!"

However...

Jiang Chen didn’t move.

His gaze shifted to the distance, a sharp glint in his eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile as he said calmly, "He’s already here!"

"What?"

"So fast?"

Startled, Si Xiaosheng and Yulan Tianpeng whipped their heads toward the distant sky. Sure enough, an imperious figure was striding through the void toward them. Who else could it be but Zhao Qiankun?

They exchanged a glance, a bitter taste filling their mouths. ’It’s over. It’s too late to run. We have no choice but to face him...’

Yulan Tianpeng turned to Jiang Chen, his voice grave. "Brother Jiang, the three of us will attack together. We need to force him back as fast as possible, then use that chance to escape!"

"Zhao Qiankun is too strong. We may need to split up," Si Xiaosheng added, nodding grimly. "We have our Tokens to stay in contact. As soon as we shake him, we use them to find each other right away. Once we’re all together again, we can figure out a proper plan to deal with him!"

Both of them were bracing for the worst.

They believed that even with the three of them combined, they were no match for Zhao Qiankun.

Jiang Chen glanced at them, shrugged, and gave a helpless look. "You guys have that little faith in me?"

"Bro, he’s a True Martial Realm Fourth Stage! How are we supposed to be confident?" Si Xiaosheng rolled his eyes.

Yulan Tianpeng opened his mouth to speak, but then thought better of it.

Just then...

Zhao Qiankun arrived, striding through the air with the gait of a dragon, his momentum fearsome. He stopped ten meters away, hovering above them and looking down with condescension. His eyes, gleaming with a chilling light, locked onto Jiang Chen. "Hahaha, Jiang Chen, oh, Jiang Chen! I’ve spent the last few days playing with these two little fish, and now I’ve finally lured you out!"

Zhao Qiankun’s voice boomed like rolling thunder, as loud and deafening as the beating of war drums.

The color drained from Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng’s faces. "What? Played with us? You hunted us relentlessly just to lure out Jiang Chen?"

"That’s right!"

Zhao Qiankun’s scornful gaze swept over them as he spoke indifferently. "If I wasn’t trying to lure Jiang Chen out, did you really think you two could have escaped from me again and again? Honestly, I was growing impatient. I was going to kill you both if he didn’t show by sunset. Luckily, Jiang Chen didn’t disappoint me. He actually showed up!"

"Damn it!" Si Xiaosheng stamped his foot in regret. "And I was so proud of myself for escaping from a True Martial Realm Fourth Stage expert time after time... I can’t believe it was all just your plot!"

Yulan Tianpeng’s face was ashen. "Brother Jiang, we’re the ones who got you into this!"

"Your purpose has been served. In a moment, I will personally take both of your heads." Zhao Qiankun snorted, his gaze swiveling back to Jiang Chen, sharp and tangible as a blade. "As for you... Jiang Chen! In the Celestial Demon Canyon, you had Yulan Shouqing and Wang Yizhou to protect you, which is how you survived. Today, let’s see who is left to save you!"

Zhao Qiankun possessed Innate Divine Strength. Since he was a child, he had been invincible among those in his realm, never once tasting defeat!

But after encountering Jiang Chen, he had suffered one setback after another.

This had long ago filled him with an irrepressible rage.

His killing intent toward Jiang Chen had reached its absolute peak.

Now that he could finally get what he wanted, a cruel smile spread across Zhao Qiankun’s face.

"Brother Jiang, this is our fault! You have to get out of here!"

"We’ll hold him off! You go on ahead..." Si Xiaosheng and Yulan Tianpeng cried in unison.

A warmth spread through Jiang Chen’s chest. Even at a moment of life and death, they were trying to protect him. His long journey to find them had not been in vain.

He chuckled, slinging his arms around their shoulders. "Why the long faces? Are you two trying to be martyrs? We’re brothers. We live or die together. How could I possibly abandon you?"

"You..."

"This..." Yulan Tianpeng stared intently at Jiang Chen. Seeing the clear and unyielding determination in his eyes, he smiled bitterly. "Fine. If you won’t go, then we three brothers will fight him together. Maybe... maybe there’s still a chance for us to survive!"

"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent! The three of you should attack me together! Otherwise, you won’t even be able to withstand a single one of my attacks!" Zhao Qiankun declared smugly.

However...

Jiang Chen pulled Yulan Tianpeng and Si Xiaosheng behind him. He then strode forward, head held high, each step taking him higher as if he were climbing an invisible staircase. He rose until he was hovering face-to-face with Zhao Qiankun. Jiang Chen rolled his neck, producing a series of sharp CRACKs, then casually pointed a finger at his opponent. "To deal with you," he said calmly, "I alone am enough!"