Chapter 4: Escape (Part 2)

The handsome old man sighed and said, “Fire sacrifice—how terrifying. Just a mere fire sacrifice burned through the entire defense shield. By the way, stay alert at all times; the Cross-Realm Talisman might be usable… Well, once he breaks through the defense, the talisman could work.”
The defense shield made a hissing sound as the flames quickly shifted from red to light blue. After about ten minutes, the entire shield erupted with a loud boom.
Embers flew everywhere, and sparks scattered. Then, a second layer of defense shield appeared. The embers and sparks landed on it, igniting even larger fires. Guo Shier felt a chill in his heart as he said, “The defense shield has been burned through. If these flames hit us, Old Man Shuai, can we hold them off?”
The handsome old man replied, “Yes. The fire sacrifice contains a great deal of fire evil energy. Our newly crafted Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure can protect us.”
Guo Shier immediately jumped onto the altar and said, “Everyone, come up here.”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan jumped up, and Nan You also flew over. Guo Shier cast a spell, and the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure flew out, circling above his head before settling about a foot above it. The palm-sized umbrella tower looked exquisite, glowing with a faint golden light, mixed with streaks of red.
Guo Shier kept an eye on the Cross-Realm Talisman, ready to flee without hesitation the moment it became usable.
The other man wasn’t in a hurry. He hovered above the Great Diving Fortress, slowly casting a few spells. The handsome old man said with a bitter smile, “Kid, there’s no need to watch the Cross-Realm Talisman anymore. That guy has already sealed off the entire space. We can only fly out… Damn it, these professionals in the Great Diving Fortress are really bastards. They won’t escape themselves, nor will they let us go…”
Guo Shier angrily punched the altar and said, “That guy is just as despicable! He doesn’t leave anyone any chance to survive!”
In less than an hour, all three layers of defense were burned through and collapsed with a loud crash. Guo Shier clearly saw that the runes engraved nearby all shattered, and the entire defense formation of the Great Diving Fortress completely failed. The fortress’s blockade was instantly broken, and it was now possible to escape.
The handsome old man shouted, “Wait before escaping!”
In an instant, as if a dam had burst, countless professionals flew outside, including many altar masters, as well as numerous Saints and Grand Saints. These altar masters were either wandering professionals or ancestors of smaller families. They didn’t want to fight to the death either; they were all trapped in the Great Diving Fortress.
The other man snorted coldly. A red halo suddenly appeared behind his head. With a slight movement, countless red rays shot out like a rain of arrows.

Guo Shier discovered that whenever someone was flying, a red glow would chase after them, terrifying him. He said, “This… this guy is too insane… He can attack like this?” After launching an attack, the man ignored them. A few seconds later, screams filled the air. Piles of flames appeared in the sky—those were the professionals who had been sent out. Once touched by that red glow, even altar-level experts would turn into balls of fire. Guo Shier asked, “Elder Shuai, can we hold them off?” Elder Shuai smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t know… I really don’t. He’s too powerful.” The man let out a loud cry and suddenly dived downward. A sword beam rose from Daqian Fort—it was a talisman sword generated by the Killing Array, rushing forward with a howl. The man shook his head, sending out countless red glows, which also turned into sword beams. They clashed head-on, creating a blinding flash of light in an instant. Guo Shier narrowed his eyes as he heard Elder Shuai shout, “Go!” Boom! Guo Shier drove the altar forward in a frantic escape, with earth-shattering explosions echoing behind him. He didn’t dare look back and desperately fled from the floating rocks of Daqian Fort, steering the altar downward. A massive shockwave swept over them. Elder Shuai had timed it perfectly—just when the man was distracted by his attack and unable to focus elsewhere. Guo Shier pushed the altar hard, feeling slightly relieved. He knew he had at least a 70% chance of escaping this time. Eagle Demon praised, “Elder Shuai is truly amazing! The timing was perfect.” Elder Shuai said, “Let’s get out first. No talking now.” … The sword beams emitted by the man collided with those from the Killing Array, their violent force destroying nearby buildings. The man said coldly, “Looking for death!” He raised his palm, pressed down hard, then clenched his fist and shouted, “Shatter!” It was as if an invisible giant hand had swept through, blowing up countless buildings and killing numerous professionals. With just one strike, the Killing Array collapsed—this man was simply too powerful. It was only then that the experts of the Gu family realized they couldn’t withstand him. Someone shouted, “Open the talisman gate! Escape!” The man said coldly, “Trying to escape now? Too late! Fire sacrifice!” The professionals flew around like headless flies. Some screamed in terror, “The talisman gate won’t open!” Others cried, “The teleportation array won’t work either!”

The fire spread rapidly, even burning the rocks. The man chanted several spells in succession, and instantly, a tremendous pressure descended from the sky. Aside from a very few experts with solid-form altars who could fly, everyone else, including those with virtual-form altars, was pressed to the ground. Flames rose from the ground—unknown in origin—immediately engulfing those who couldn’t fly. Everyone struggled desperately to escape the flames. Hundreds of experts with solid-form altars flew into the air and launched attacks recklessly amidst roars, among them an expert at the seventh level of the altar. Nan You’s intelligence was accurate: one expert at the seventh level and four at the sixth level were their main fighters against that man. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize how powerful an expert beyond the ninth level of the altar could be—such an opponent couldn’t be defeated by sheer numbers. Hundreds of experts with solid-form altars attacked simultaneously. To their surprise, the man simply stood there with his hands behind his back, watching coldly without any intention of blocking them. Delighted, they all unleashed their most powerful ritual treasures, using every ounce of their strength. Red ripples spread across the man’s body, dissipating any attacks. He stretched out a finger and waved it lightly in front of them, making it clear: “This is useless.” The expert at the seventh level of the solid-form altar was an reclusive ancestor from the Guhe Ming family named He Wu, a top expert hired by the Gujin family. He Wu felt bitter and shouted, “Do you intend to exterminate us completely?” The man laughed heartily and said, “No, I’m just restoring my strength.” He Wu’s face turned pale as he said, “Elder, we have no grudges against you. If you need anything, we can provide it. Could you spare these people?” The man replied, “Your souls are enough for me to recover.” He Wu gritted his teeth and asked, “Elder, who exactly are you?” The man said, “Remember, my name is Huo Fen Tian, the Grand Master of Fire Sacrifice.” Then he added, “You may die now! Fire Sacrifice!” His head tilted slightly, and countless red rays shot out, targeting the altar experts. He Wu screamed, “Run!” His figure moved slightly, and his altar gradually disappeared. Huo Fen Tian said calmly, “You can’t escape!” Countless beams of fire stretched out, dragging He Wu out forcefully. Soon, He Wu’s altar was engulfed in flames.

In this battle, only a dozen or so altar-level experts managed to escape; the rest were sacrificed in the flames, including He Wu and four experts at the sixth altar level. Even the Ancestor of Nan Qiang perished in this battle. Both the Gu Jin family and the Gu Nan family suffered heavy losses, with almost all their altar-level experts eliminated.

All the ancient families in this region were shocked, and the notorious reputation of Huo Fen Tian spread among the various families. Strangely enough, Huo Fen Tian never appeared in this region again. As time passed, this incident gradually turned into a terrifying legend.

……

Guo Shier controlled the altar and fled downward at high speed. Soon, he saw a passage and rushed in without hesitation. Even if it led to hell, he wouldn’t have hesitated.

The handsome old man said, “Don’t worry about anything—just run, the farther the better.”

Guo Shier was extremely scared. He said, “It’s lucky we knew how powerful that guy was from the start. If we hadn’t experienced it, we might have accepted the mission…”

Eagle Demon laughed and said, “If the Ancestor of Nan Qiang had agreed to give you three natural runes first, it would be hard to escape now.”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly and said, “Yeah, I was greedy. It’s good the Ancestor didn’t agree; otherwise, things would have been really tough.”

The handsome old man dismissed it, saying, “It doesn’t matter. Even if we joined, we’d find a chance to run… But it would be hard to escape by then.”

Nan You looked worried and said, “We can’t go back.” Deserting the battlefield was a grave crime in any family. He didn’t know that most of the altar-level experts from the Gu Nan family had already perished, so even if he went back, no one would hold him accountable.

Luo Zhan patted him and said, “Brother, welcome to the Lost Squad.”

Eagle Demon chuckled and said, “The Lost Squad… Hehe, we’re all people who can’t find our way home.”

Nan You thought to himself, “I can find my way! But I can’t go back!” He said, “Never mind. Whether we’re lost or can’t go back, I’ll just stick with you guys from now on.”

The handsome old man said, “Let’s talk after we go further away. We just escaped danger, and already everyone’s getting arrogant?”

Guo Shier said, “I remember feeling the same way when I first met Master Kuumu. Of course, this time it’s even more terrifying. Someone whose strength far exceeds yours exerts tremendous pressure. Sigh, I can’t find my two masters either.”

Eagle Demon comforted him, “You’ll find them. I don’t know where Master Luo Jie is, but as for Master Kuumu, as long as you go back, you’ll definitely see him.” He suddenly laughed and said, “Hehe, maybe… by now you’re even stronger than your Master Kuumu.”

Guo Shier shook his head and said, “It has nothing to do with strength. A master is still a master.”
The handsome old man glanced at Guo Shier curiously and asked, “Do you have two masters? How many levels of altars?”
Guo Shier rolled his eyes and said, “There’s no such luxury. What layers of altars? By the time I got separated from them… they hadn’t even reached the altar stage yet.”
The handsome old man dismissed it, saying, “Haven’t reached the altar stage? That’s nothing.”
Guo Shier immediately grew angry. He shouted, “What do you mean it’s nothing? They’re my masters!”
The handsome old man realized he had gone too far. He fell silent for a moment before saying, “Alright, a master is indeed a master. That’s true.”
Eagle Demon said, “Shier has a very good relationship with his two masters. Handsome Old Man, you might think he’s fine, but don’t call them his masters—otherwise, he’ll really turn on you.”
The handsome old man said gloomily, “I get it.” Although he was arrogant and often liked to scold Guo Shier, it was for his own good, so he had the right to do so. But belittling Guo Shier’s masters was too much.
Flying quickly along the passage, Guo Shier said with a wry smile, “I have no idea where this passage leads. We’ve been flying for hours… still can’t see the end.” He was a bit worried. Only by breaking through this passage and choosing another to enter could they truly shake off the danger behind them.
Suddenly, everything ahead lit up, and Guo Shier exclaimed happily, “Haha, we’re out!”
“Node Symbol Heart!”
Nanyou was the first to call out. Guo Shier didn’t even look at the Node Symbol Heart. After a brief glance, he steered the altar into a passage. He knew that the Node Symbol Heart was the connection point between various passages. The first time they entered Bayqi Dami Tian, they had entered one such Node Symbol Heart.
Once they passed through a Node Symbol Heart, even if someone had great powers, it would be difficult for them to track them. Besides, they wouldn’t go out of their way to chase after these few small escapees.
Only after entering the passage did Guo Shier relax. He said, “Damn it, I really escaped death this time!”