Jiang Chen advanced at an unhurried pace, following his own rhythm as always. Having driven back King Shangping, he felt little sense of accomplishment.
Based on what he knew of King Shangping, the man would certainly not give up easily. He would surely make another move — perhaps even now, he had already laid an inescapable trap somewhere, just waiting for Jiang Chen to walk right into it.
If Jiang Chen hadn't been carrying Huang'er, if this weren't such a sinister valley — if Huang'er could move freely — he wouldn't have minded playing with the old man for a while, until he played him to death.
But right now, Jiang Chen couldn't afford to play games.
The Emperor's Armor Talisman only lasted one shichen, and half of that time had already passed. Yet King Shangping seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Perhaps that old man King Shangping has guessed that I'm using the Emperor's Armor Talisman. So within this one shichen, he might not come looking for trouble!"
The thought brought Jiang Chen a faint sense of irritation.
He would have preferred a quick, decisive battle, even if it meant burning every trump card he had. But this constant hiding made him even more restless.
Moreover, this was demon territory. All signs pointed to the Demon Race stirring from their slumber.
Still, one shichen — Jiang Chen calculated — should be just barely enough to get him out of this valley.
Fortunately, while Huang'er's condition wasn't good, it hadn't yet reached the breaking point. Sealing off her five senses and six consciousnesses had clearly been the right choice.
Without that seal, under these circumstances, her spiritual consciousness would have been far more vulnerable to corruption.
Along the way, King Shangping had indeed vanished completely.
Though Jiang Chen was unsettled by this, he didn't let it disrupt his pace. He continued forward with Huang'er.
He had already traversed more than half the valley. If King Shangping truly stayed hidden, he could push through in one burst and cross the remaining stretch.
Once through this valley, Jiang Chen's chances would be much better.
...
Lü Shinan's mood was anything but simple. Destroying King Shangping and allowing the Demon Lord to obtain a physical body — by all rights, this should have been cause for celebration. Yet Lü Shinan couldn't bring himself to feel happy.
The Demon Lord had given him a deadly mandate: he must pin Jiang Chen down for three days.
Lü Shinan was frantic. "Three days? That kid's strength is unfathomable. Never mind three days — three shichen, even with my abilities, might be impossible to pull off, let alone three days! The Demon Lord certainly thinks highly of me, doesn't he? What am I supposed to do?"
As he was deliberating, Lü Shinan's surveillance through the shapeshifting bones along the route had already detected Jiang Chen heading in his direction. Not fast, but within half a shichen, he would arrive.
"No matter — brute force is definitely out of the question. Let me see if I can pull off the same trick, launch a sneak attack, deal with him the same way I dealt with King Shangping."
Once his mind was made up, Lü Shinan sprang into action.
About half a shichen later, Jiang Chen entered the area.
The moment Jiang Chen stepped into the region, his spiritual awareness sharpened. In the distance, beneath a large tree, someone appeared to be sitting, leaning against the trunk.
Jiang Chen activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil for a closer look — and sure enough, it was a person, and a familiar one at that.
"Lü Shinan?" Of course Jiang Chen remembered. Back when the alliance was formed, Lü Shinan had sought him out privately, wanting to team up, but Jiang Chen had politely declined.
Seeing Jiang Chen approach, Lü Shinan's face registered what appeared to be shock. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth and called out in a low voice: "Brother Huang?"
Encountering Lü Shinan in this bizarre place, and noticing the man seemed somewhat injured, Jiang Chen still didn't let his guard down.
"Brother Lü, what sort of act is this?" Jiang Chen regarded him with a faint smile.
Lü Shinan's face was ashen as he replied with a bitter laugh: "What sort of act do you think it is?"
Jiang Chen had no interest in guessing games. He smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to leave with Huang'er.
Lü Shinan couldn't help but ask: "Brother Huang, what happened to your friend?"
Jiang Chen replied coolly: "Just a small mishap. No need for you to worry about it, Brother Lü."
Lü Shinan wiped the corner of his mouth, a bitter smile on his face that nonetheless carried a sincerity hard to doubt: "Brother Huang, don't you want to know how I got hurt?"
Jiang Chen remained indifferent: "Not interested."
Lü Shinan let out a soft sigh. "I never expected that while I considered you a friend, Brother Huang, you'd treat my goodwill like donkey liver. Back then I sought you out for an alliance and was rejected. Now, because of your affairs, I nearly lost my life to King Shangping. And yet, you still keep everyone at arm's length."
"King Shangping?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Just earlier, I ran into King Shangping by chance. He looked rather disheveled and said you two had fought a great battle, then asked me to help him. I refused, so he decided to take his frustration out on me. That's how things ended up like this. Brother Huang — King Shangping has definitely set an inescapable trap ahead for you. Be careful."
Jiang Chen was silent for a moment. His Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil fixed on Lü Shinan as he studied the man with deep meaning. Then he suddenly tossed over a pill: "This is a supreme healing medicine. Consider it a favor."
Lü Shinan smiled bitterly: "Does Brother Huang really intend to charge into the dragon's den alone?"
"That's not something you need to worry about." Regardless of what Lü Shinan said, Jiang Chen would never agree to travel alongside him.
He had no habit of keeping company with strangers, and he would never entrust his safety to one.