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Without any hesitation, Lu Chen immediately turned around and rushed towards the wall by the river.

"boom!"

He pushed off the ground with one foot, moving with lightning speed.

However, a figure appeared in front of him.

It was the gloomy-faced Qingzhu.

There were two other people on his left and right sides.

The three of them were all holding something that looked like a fishing net, with many sharp barbs attached to it.

They tossed the fishing net at Lu Chen.

Look at those sharp hooks; if you get caught in one, you'd probably be cut to pieces.

Lu Chen felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that this was a trap specifically set for him.

Catching a turtle in a jar!

His mind raced, but his body reacted even faster than his thoughts. He stepped on the wall, stopping his forward momentum, and began to run to the side.

However, there was another person standing to his side.

You can tell he's very strong just by looking at his posture.

The man was dressed in a Taoist robe, holding a whisk in his hand, with a faint, compassionate smile on his face.

Lu Chen's heart sank slightly. Not daring to delay, he changed direction again.

He also took out several iron caltrops and shot them towards the two people on Qingzhu's side.

Those two probably already knew about Lu Chen's methods, and somehow managed to pull out a shield from somewhere and hold it up in front of them.

"Boom!"

The immense impact sent the two flying, rolling several times on the ground. However, when the smoke cleared, they only suffered minor injuries and were not incapacitated.

Lu Chen was not discouraged even though he hadn't achieved anything here.

"You want to surround me? We'll see if you have the ability!"

When Lu Chen encountered danger, he didn't panic; instead, he laughed out loud.

That soft laugh made Yang Ce, who was blocking his way, look quite displeased, as if he had remembered something.

There were people in all three directions; the only way out was from the direction of the Sanyuan Temple.

Surrounded on three sides with one side open, that only path to survival, though seemingly a path to survival, is surely lurking with even stronger opponents.

With a thought, Lu Chen stopped changing direction and charged directly at Yang Ce.

You are the one!

The terrain there is more complex, making it suitable for escaping and hiding.

Moreover, he felt that Yang Ce's combat experience was quite average, making him easier to deal with.

He took out a few more caltrops and threw them towards Qingzhu and the Taoist priest, trying to slow them down for a while.

"Boom boom boom!"

The powerful and heavy throw, the extremely accurate hit rate, and the ability to turn and change direction made the others dare not underestimate him, nor dare they pursue him too aggressively, giving Lu Chen a chance to catch his breath.

Lu Chen looked at Yang Ce, who was standing close by, and drew his steel knife with a clang.

Yang Ce thought disdainfully, "Relying on such clever tricks as hidden weapons is ultimately beneath us; it's all about real strength!"

He drew his soft sword with elegant movements, yet each strike was deadly, aimed at Lu Chen's vital points.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Chen and he had exchanged dozens of clanging attacks.

"This guy doesn't seem so strong after all!"

This thought suddenly popped into Lu Chen's mind.

Yang Ce was somewhat shocked.

They previously thought that this person was only good at sneak attacks, had strong hidden weapons, excellent lightness skills, and was slippery and difficult to deal with, but was weak in close combat. So they devised a plan to surround and attack him, cut off his escape route, and he would naturally become a featherless phoenix, unable to escape.

Unexpectedly, this person's strength was still hidden!

His hands trembled as he made each cut.

This person is incredibly powerful!

He had already reached the Lesser Completion of the Innate Realm, having opened the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, with only the most important Ren and Du meridians remaining unopened. His strength was over 40,000 jin.

However, he never expected that the person in front of him was no less powerful than him!

No, they should be even stronger than me!

Was this person born that way?

But why couldn't we see his true energy?

What kind of monster is this?

Yang Ce was unaware of this; his face gradually turned pale, and he began to back away.

Qingzhu and Chen Xianjun, the abbot of the Taoist temple, also caught up at this time.

Lu Chen was somewhat excited at this moment.

He suddenly realized that his strength had increased significantly!

"Could it be that the nourishment from the energy of heaven and earth has strengthened my physical body? But isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"

He felt a surge of joy, and a trace of golden energy enveloped the blade.

"call out!"

The sharp steel blade sliced ​​through the air, reflecting a cold glint.

The golden blade sliced ​​through Yang Ce's precious soft sword in two as easily as cutting tofu. Then it cut diagonally across Yang Ce's clothes, only to be stopped by a gentle force, as if it had struck an air balloon, and slid off the slope.

Lu Chen frowned.

This person has so many life-saving items on them!

He didn't get entangled with Yang Ce, but kicked him hard.

"Bang!"

Yang Ce had just been nearly sliced ​​in two by Lu Chen's blade, leaving him terrified. Before he could react, Lu Chen kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backward like he was folded in half. He crashed into a section of the wall, causing bricks to shatter and the wall to collapse, burying him in dust.

Lu Chen rushed straight out from there.

"Young Master!"

Behind him, Qingzhu exclaimed and approached Lu Chen, unleashing a powerful palm strike.

Chen Xianjun also quickly approached, flicked his whisk, and the fine threads tightened, like sharp blades, whistling as they struck Lu Chen's back.

Lu Chen channeled his energy, covering his back, and took the two blows head-on.

"puff!"

The powerful and heavy attack of the Azure Lord did not exert the expected force. Instead, the sound was somewhat dull, as if it hit cotton.

The faint golden light emanating from Lu Chen flickered, and Chen Xianjun's whisk struck with a whooshing sound.

The golden light was ultimately no match for the combined attack of the two; it swayed like glass before disappearing into their bodies.

Lu Chen's mind raced. He deliberately stirred his blood and qi, bit his tongue, and spat out a mouthful of blood. He staggered forward a few steps.

Then, he used the same trick again, using the force to rush forward, and threw out several more iron caltrops, aiming them at Yang Ce, who was buried in the bricks and tiles of the wall.

Qingzhu and Chen Xianjun wanted to give chase, but when they saw Lu Chen's move, they were so frightened that their hair stood on end. They quickly turned around and blocked the iron caltrops.

"Boom boom boom!"

Several loud, explosion-like sounds rang out, and when the three emerged from the smoke and dust, Lu Chen had vanished without a trace.

"Young master, are you alright?"

Qingzhu helped Yang Ce up and asked with concern.

"How is he? Were you hurt?"

Yang Ce, however, was not concerned about himself, but instead inquired about Lu Chen's injuries.

"This old servant struck him with a palm, and Abbot Chen also struck him. I saw him vomit blood; he must be injured."

"Even if he's at the peak of the Innate Realm, he wouldn't be completely unharmed after our combined attack. Judging from his condition before he left, he almost tripped and fell while walking; he must have suffered considerable damage!"

Chen Xianjun echoed this.

Yang Ce then nodded.

"He was seriously injured in today's ambush, so he probably won't be so reckless again and will definitely be more cautious. It will be difficult for us to catch him; we'll need to think of another way!"

Yang Ce patted the large footprint on his body and looked at his broken soft sword.

"This person is rather strange. He has accomplices. The elixir must be refined as soon as possible; we cannot delay any longer, or things may change!"

"yes!"

The three of them were talking when the commotion from their earlier fight attracted a lot of onlookers.

A patrol of soldiers also ran over at this moment.

"What happened? Who are you guys?"

The young officer in the lead stepped forward and coldly questioned them, staring at them with hostility.

"So it's General Li. This is my Sanyuan Temple. We were sparring just now, and we accidentally made a bit too much noise. It's all fine now, and no one was injured. It's just that the wall has been in disrepair for years and it collapsed by accident. We will send someone to clean it up later."

Chen Xianjun, the abbot of Sanyuan Temple, stepped forward with a smile and subtly slipped a silver note to the young general.

Li Liang sneered, threw the silver note back, and shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing? Are you bribing me in public?"

Chen Xianjun looked somewhat embarrassed.

Yang Ce watched this scene with cold eyes.

Li Liang waved his hand dismissively: "I suspect you guys are doing something very dangerous. I need to take you in for an investigation. If there are no problems, you'll be cleared of any wrongdoing! Now come with us!"

"Who do you think you are, to presume to ask us to cooperate with your investigation?"

Qingzhu stepped forward and cursed in a sharp voice.

"That's utter nonsense! We didn't do anything!"

"Nothing was done? Then what happened here? Why did the wall collapse?"

Li Liang ignored all explanations, and several soldiers behind him stepped forward with spears.

A flash of coldness crossed Yang Ce's eyes: "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are. If you disrupt the city's order, you're under my jurisdiction. What, you're not happy about it? Or do you want to rebel?"

Li Liang's eyes were dangerous; he seemed to be expecting the group to make their move.

"Heh!" Yang Ce's voice was chilling. "Very well! I hope you can remain this tough later!"

"That's not something you need to worry about! Please go ahead!"

Yang Ce, Qing Zhu, and Chen Xianjun exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

Lu Chen was just injured and ran away, so he shouldn't be coming back anytime soon. Therefore, going with them isn't a bad idea.

In broad daylight, they couldn't directly confront the city guards unless they truly wanted to die.

Li Liang immediately led the three men and Qingzhu's two disheveled followers carrying wire fishing nets away.

Inside the secret chamber of the Sanyuan Temple, the four people who had been guarding the place looked at each other in bewilderment. After whispering among themselves, one of them quietly left.

Lu Chen stood atop the crowd.

He stood on a tree, listening to the whispers of the people around him. Through the leaves, his gaze fell on the person who was leaving, and he quietly followed suit.

"It seems that the general was likely a ploy by Hu Bufan and his group. Now that Qingzhu and the other two are away, perhaps this is an opportunity!"

Lu Chen followed the Taoist priest who had just left and arrived at a secluded alley, Wuyi Alley.

"Were the children moved here?"

Lu Chen hid behind and watched as the Taoist priest knocked on the door. He moved his lips, presumably to give a secret signal, before the door opened.

He glanced at it, memorized the location, then turned around and quickly returned to the Sanyuan Temple.

The three were taken away, which gave us a good opportunity to explore the place once more!