Chapter 4: Escape (Part 1)

The handsome old man glanced at Guo Shier with a strange look, then rolled his eyes and said one word: “Nonsense!” He cast a few spells and said, “Stop dreaming. The greatest use of this sacrificial artifact is to absorb the shockwaves when that man attacks. If he attacks you directly… well, there’s no way you can block it. Hehe, don’t worry—I’ll die with you.”
Guo Shier forced a bitter smile and said, “This is too disheartening. At least encourage me a bit. After hearing that, I have no confidence left at all.”
The handsome old man replied, “I’m just helping you face reality so you won’t rush into death.” He was also afraid that Guo Shier might act recklessly if he had something to rely on, so it was necessary to warn him.
As the two were bickering as usual, Eagle Demon arrived with Nan You. Guo Shier asked, “What’s wrong?”
Nan You said, “That man has already entered Bayuki Daimitian. The day before yesterday, he destroyed a large Hidden Fortress. Now all the teleportation arrays are shut down—no one can enter or leave. All the experts from the sacrificial altars have gathered here, setting up a massive killing talisman array. I received a message from the Ancestor asking me to return.”
Guo Shier said, “They have enough people. We don’t need to worry about them. Stay here.”
Nan You nodded. “In that case, I won’t be able to return to my clan anymore.” He looked depressed and very hesitant.
The handsome old man said calmly, “You’ll still be able to go back later.”
Nan You looked at him in confusion, and then the old man added, “How many do you think will survive this battle?”
Nan You immediately understood what the old man meant and trembled inwardly. He said, “Can that man really kill so many professional experts?” He still couldn’t believe it. Thousands of altar-level professionals had gathered here. Although most of them were from Virtual Form Altars, their strength was not weak either. How could they possibly lose to that man?
The handsome old man said, “You’ll see the result soon. We just need to escape at the right time. Whether we can escape depends on luck. If that man targets us…” He shook his head and said, “Then there’s no hope.”
Nan You fell silent for a moment before nodding. “Okay, I’ll wait here.” In the end, he gave in to the fear of death.

Guo Shieru certainly wouldn’t risk his life for the Gunan family. He was just a passerby, someone searching for a way home—how could he possibly fight to the death for them? He wasn’t that stupid. He said, “Once the battle starts, we’ll go to the edge of Daqian Fort and wait for the right moment.”
Nanyou nodded in agreement. Eagle Demon smiled and said, “Nanyou, come back when your strength improves… By then, nothing will stand in our way. Hehe, I believe that if you reach the second or third level of the Physical Altar, the family will surely treat you as a treasure.”
Guo Shieru nodded. “That’s for sure.” He could almost foresee that after this battle, any family that participated would be severely weakened. Returning as a altar-level expert would definitely allow him to rise to a high position in the family.
Nanyou wasn’t foolish either; he immediately understood what they meant. With a bitter smile, he said, “Yes, but… I’m just a coward who wants to save his life.”
Luo Zhan said, “That’s like insulting us all, hehe.”
The handsome old man sneered, “Is it that easy to die? Living is the hard part… A hero who’s dead, or a coward who’s alive—which would you choose?”
Nanyou hung his head dejectedly. “I choose… a coward. I’m afraid of death.”
Guo Shieru interrupted, “Let’s not talk about this. Nanyou, when do you think the battle will start?”
Nanyou rallied his spirits and said, “It should be soon. Last time, that person destroyed a Daqian Fort in less than a day. The professionals who escaped were all altar-level. Those below the rank of Great Sage couldn’t resist at all and were all killed. That person is truly ruthless.” His eyes showed hatred mixed with helplessness.
Guo Shieru asked, “Did all the altar-level experts escape?”
Nanyou shook his head. “No, most did. Since other professionals couldn’t get transfer spots, about seven or eight Virtual Altar-level professionals died.”
Guo Shieru sighed. The handsome old man snorted, “There’s nothing surprising about that. The stronger you are, the greater your chance of escaping.”
Nanyou said, “After that group fled here, the transfer array was completely sealed off.”
The handsome old man said, “Of course. To prevent that person from following them. That would be a disaster… Just sealing off the transfer array isn’t enough. That person can easily figure out the coordinates here. He… will arrive soon.”
Guo Shieru asked, “With so many altar-level experts gathered in Daqian Fort now, Nanyou, do you know their exact ranks?”

Nan You nodded and said, “I know a little. There are roughly four experts at the sixth-tier altar, thirteen at the fifth-tier altar, over seventy at the fourth-tier altar, and more than five hundred at the first, second, or third-tier altars. There are about 1,400 experts at the virtual altar level. I heard there’s also an expert at the seventh-tier altar, but I’m not sure if it’s true.”

The old hero pondered for a moment before saying, “The number is quite large, but unfortunately, there are hardly any true experts among them.” In his eyes, only professionals at the sixth-tier or higher solid altars had any chance of dealing with those people.

Guo Shier was speechless. So many experts meant nothing in the old hero’s eyes. He said, “As long as they set up traps and battle formations, they should be able to hold off for a while, right?”

The old hero replied, “In the face of absolute power, no schemes or tricks will work. Not even the most sophisticated traps will be effective.”

Nan You was somewhat unconvinced. He didn’t think that person could handle so many altar-level experts, especially since those experts had already set up talisman arrays and were ready to attack. But he couldn’t argue that the old hero was wrong either. After a brief silence, he said, “I asked someone to find a topographic map of the area near Da Qian Fort. It might be useful.” With that, he took out a talisman map.

Guo Shier was overjoyed and said, “This is great.”

Escaping also required knowing the way—running around randomly would only lead to getting lost. As soon as Guo Shier got the map, he and the old hero examined it together. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan also came over to take a look and couldn’t help but marvel at the complex terrain around Da Qian Fort, with countless passages connecting many places. Guo Shier said, “We’re in the west. We don’t need to worry about other directions. Let’s sort out the passages in the west and choose a suitable one to take.”

The old hero suggested, “We can pick a few alternative routes in case of emergencies, so we won’t be caught off guard.”

They quickly identified several passages, one of which was located below the west side. It was a relatively hidden passage. Since Da Qian Fort was built on a huge floating rock, there were passages in all directions. Normally, apart from raising a layer of defense, the fort had no other defenses.

Now, to guard against that person, the entire fort had three layers of defense activated, all of which were in place—both to prevent entry and exit. This was what Guo Shier hated the most: “If you want to seek death, why bring us innocent people along?”

Guo Shier said, “Just wait. It should be just a few days.”

Boom! A loud explosion sounded.

The old hero sighed bitterly and said, “It’s not a few days… it’s today!”

Guo Shier immediately rushed to the platform outside the room and looked toward the outside of the Great Diving Fortress. Everyone followed him outside.
The defensive rune array of the Great Diving Fortress emitted a intense glow. Only one person could shake the entire array of the Great Diving Fortress with their own strength. That person delivered just one strike to test the fortress’s defenses before stopping and observing quietly.
Guo Shier and the others rushed to the platform and looked into the distance. Above the Great Diving Fortress, there was a tiny red dot. Guo Shier immediately cast the Vision Enhancement spell and could see everything clearly at once.
That person was still wearing a crimson robe, with long hair floating in the air. A mocking smile appeared on their face, and they seemed relaxed, as if they were confident of victory.
Eagle Demon asked in confusion, “Why isn’t that person using their altar?”
The handsome old man replied, “A solid altar of the seventh level or higher can already merge with the soul. At the ninth level and above… there’s no need to use an altar at all. Their attack power reaches its peak, and they don’t need to use an altar unless it’s a life-or-death situation; even casual attacks are extremely powerful.”
The Great Diving Fortress was like a stung wasp nest—countless professionals took to the air.
Guo Shier clearly saw a hint of excitement on that person’s face. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, thinking, “Sigh, they’re all weak… they’re only good for being eaten.”
Under the command of several experts using fifth-level altars, the professionals of the Great Diving Fortress quickly formed a battle array. Then, all of them descended. Guo Shier knew they were activating the killing array they had prepared earlier.
That person stretched out their hand, elegantly snapped their fingers, and a red glow flashed. The defensive barrier trembled violently. When the red light hit the barrier, there was a loud explosion—like a spark falling into gasoline—as the entire barrier caught fire. Guo Shier exclaimed in shock, “What kind of technique is this?”