Free Web NovelChapter 1670: Chapter 1972: The Fate of Tianji Pavilion (4)
Tan Gang scanned the area with his eyes, only to discover that Ling Chen was no longer where he initially was. Not knowing where he’d gone, Tan Gang quickly realized he had been tricked by Ling Chen and anger surged in his heart as he shouted, "Find him for me!"
As a group of Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples entered the forest, Mo Shuiyan walked up to Tan Gang and asked, "What should we do now?"
Tan Gang snorted coldly and said, "If Ling Chen thinks he can rescue Su Mei and Du Kang, then he is gravely mistaken. Does he really think I haven’t kept any contingencies?"
At this moment, within the forest, Ling Chen was running at full speed, dodging the pursuits of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Earlier, he had found a good amount of explosives in the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s camp and planned to use them against Tan Gang. Later, when Su Mei surrendered voluntarily, he hurriedly went ahead of Tan Gang’s group and secretly placed explosives on a few large buses. Without these transport vehicles, they wouldn’t be able to leave, thereby buying him some time.
As for the explosives he buried underground, they were all meant to intimidate Tan Gang.
Moving through the forest, Ling Chen moved swiftly like the wind. It wasn’t long before he caught up with Su Mei and Du Kang ahead.
"Elder Du, let me carry you." Seeing Su Mei struggling, Ling Chen took the initiative to carry Du Kang on his back.
"What about the Heavenly Dragon Sect people?" Su Mei glanced back and asked.
"They’re all behind us. We must find a place to hide. Master Su, this is the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s territory. Is there anywhere nearby suitable for hiding?"
Before Su Mei could speak, Du Kang interjected, "There’s a wine cellar at my place, which is relatively concealed."
Ling Chen nodded and said, "Let’s go quickly."
After over ten minutes, the three finally reached the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Entering Yangxin Pavilion, Su Mei said, "Ling Chen, you take Elder Du to the wine cellar first. I’ll go over to the valley and check; Song Ge and the others might still be there."
"Let me go instead," Ling Chen said. "You stay here with Elder Du. We’ve been running for so long, and you’re exhausted too. Rest for a while."
Du Kang’s wine cellar was built beneath his residence, with the entrance hidden under a fixed table. Although there were lights inside the wine cellar, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion had already been burned, and the power equipment was destroyed. Entering the pitch-black wine cellar, Ling Chen found an emergency lamp, and fortunately, there was still plenty of stored power inside.
After settling Su Mei and Du Kang, Ling Chen climbed out of the wine cellar and headed straight towards the valley.
Outside the valley, Ling Chen suddenly stopped and frowned, surveying his surroundings. Before even entering the valley, a strong scent of blood reached him.
Could something have happened?
Ling Chen thought silently and hastened his steps. As he entered the valley, the metallic scent intensified. Moving a bit further, the sight of corpses all around met his eyes.
At this sight, Ling Chen’s expression changed. How could this be?
He crouched down and touched the blood on the ground. Judging from the blood’s viscosity, these people hadn’t been dead for long.
However, there were only a dozen or so corpses here. There were surely more disciples from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Where had the rest gone?
With this thought, Ling Chen continued further into the valley. After advancing several dozen meters, his expression changed sharply as he quickly hid behind a rock.
Not far ahead of him, dozens of people were kneeling, dressed like Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples. Among them, Ling Chen spotted Song Ge, covered in injuries, his clothes stained with blood.
At this moment, all the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples were bound hand and foot, unable to move. Behind them stood over twenty individuals who, with their disordered attire, didn’t resemble Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples. Ling Chen frowned with some confusion. When had these guys entered the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion? Could it have been when he was rescuing Du Kang and Su Mei? Yet, there were no traces of these people along the way.
Song Ge, being a seasoned individual, would surely have stationed people to monitor the surroundings of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to prevent anyone from approaching. If someone attempted to enter, Song Ge would undoubtedly take action. However, there were no signs of combat along the way, as if these people had directly rushed into the valley.
Recalling the corpses he found earlier, Ling Chen felt even more perplexed. Those deceased Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples carried weapons, yet even until their death, they hadn’t drawn them. It’s unclear if the enemy’s strength was overwhelming, leaving them no time to use their weapons, or if they were ambushed from behind, giving them no chance to resist.
In the midst of his musings, a sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the valley entrance. Turning his head, Ling Chen saw Tan Gang leading a group, including Mo Shuiyan, rushing over. As they gradually approached, Ling Chen secretly thought it was bad news since he wasn’t in a particularly good spot. If someone paid a bit more attention, his whereabouts would be discovered.
However, Tan Gang and his group’s attention seemed to be entirely focused on the captured Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples, ignoring his position. Watching them pass below, Ling Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief. At this moment, a middle-aged man stepped out from among the twenty or so captors, walking straight towards Tan Gang. As the two parties met, Tan Gang clasped his hands in a salute and mouthed something unknown.
Seeing this scene, Ling Chen squinted slightly, immediately understanding the situation. The attackers on the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion were probably not from the Heavenly Dragon Sect, or else Tan Gang wouldn’t salute given his status.
Dark Pavilion! If he’s not mistaken, these individuals likely came from the Dark Pavilion. He knew the Dark Pavilion’s strength well; even with just twenty or so members deployed, they were sufficient to handle hundreds of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples.
At this moment, Tan Gang singled out a few people among the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples, seemingly interrogating them. However, those few disciples were constantly shaking their heads. Soon, they were led away and swiftly executed without mercy.
Witnessing this, Ling Chen’s expression darkened. That bastard Tan Gang was truly ruthless, completely disregarding human life. After observing secretly for a while, Ling Chen did not linger as his position was precarious. If his presence was accidentally discovered, he wouldn’t even have the chance to escape. Currently, with the other side having superior numbers, direct confrontation wasn’t suitable. If he wanted to rescue those Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples, he had to come up with another plan.
Slipping out of the valley, Ling Chen returned directly to the wine cellar, recounting what he had seen and heard to Su Mei and Du Kang.
Upon learning of the heavy sacrifices made by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion disciples, Su Mei clenched her fists, crystalline tears welling up in her eyes.
Du Kang sighed softly, looking at Ling Chen and asking, "Do you have any good suggestions?"
Ling Chen shook his head and said, "There’s no way. They have too many people, and with the Dark Pavilion’s assistance, it’s very difficult for me to confront them alone." After a pause, he asked, "Elder Du, how are you holding up?"
