Chapter 68: Disaster Shifted East

Bai Feiyu fled in panic, like a stray dog, a group of battle golems chasing close behind. Though their faces were expressionless, their intent to devour him alive was unmistakable.

With a look of utter resignation, Bai Feiyu ran while clutching a rabbit. The poor creature dangled from his hand, its face etched with despair; who could have imagined that upon emerging, it would encounter such misfortune? Its reputation as a proud rabbit was utterly ruined.

Soon, as Bai Feiyu led the relentless battle golems in flight, he stumbled upon a group of disciples from the Sect of Returning Ruins. Spotting them from afar, he immediately shouted with all his might:

“Run for your lives! Trouble’s after me!”

“Don’t be afraid, Junior Bai! Your brothers are here to save you!” they shouted back.

“Get lost! Run now! You’re no match for these battle golems—don’t worry about me, just go!” Bai Feiyu snapped angrily at their attempts to help.

He knew better than anyone just how fearsome those battle golems really were. They were all at the Haoki Realm, and some had even reached the Shackles Realm; among them, ninth-level Haoki golems were numerous. With such power, not only would this group of Returning Ruins disciples be helpless, but even if every disciple in the sect—or, indeed, everyone who’d entered the Toba Ruins—were summoned, it would make no difference.

Right now, the only hope was to find a way to shake off these relentless golems.

Seeing Bai Feiyu’s agitation, the disciples hesitated, but then chose to trust him and swiftly retreated to a safe distance. After all, Bai Feiyu’s strength was well known; some had estimated he was as formidable as a half-step Shackles Realm master, perhaps even a true Shackles Realm cultivator. Yet even he was fleeing so desperately before these golems. The only explanation was that they were truly terrifying.

They had no choice but to withdraw and immediately report the situation to the sect through their communication jade slips, urging the sect to send reinforcements at once. They also needed to contact the other disciples, so that together they could mount a rescue for their junior brother Bai.

As Bai Feiyu ran, he realized these battle golems actually couldn’t catch up with him; he just needed a bit more time to lose them completely. With that thought, a cunning grin appeared on his face—he had an idea.

Since there were other sects’ disciples in the Toba Ruins, why not lead these battle golems right into another sect’s territory? Yes, let disaster fall elsewhere! Perhaps if the sect leader learned of his cunning, he’d even be rewarded with a mountain of spirit stones.

No sooner thought than done. With his plan clear, Bai Feiyu immediately led the golems toward the neighboring territory of the Golden Radiance Sect. Since these things wanted him dead, he might as well send them to wreak havoc on the competition. After all, there weren’t many Shackles Realm experts among the Golden Radiance Sect’s ranks; they couldn’t possibly withstand these battle golems.

By Bai Feiyu’s estimation, the Golden Radiance Sect had no hope of resisting. When the golems arrived, the entire sect would be forced into a wild, desperate retreat. The weaker disciples would need to be dragged along by their Shackles Realm seniors to avoid being slaughtered.

Meanwhile, within the territory of the Golden Radiance Sect, a squad was investigating nearby dwellings. They’d recently suffered losses to a spiritual array in one house and were deep in discussion about how to overcome their predicament. Suddenly, they heard a rapid, thunderous stomping.

“What’s going on? Is it an enemy attack?”

“Impossible. No sect commands an army of that size.”

“It must be the sound of a spiritual array. Some of our people must have triggered it nearby.”

“Let’s go help them!”

With that, the Golden Radiance disciples charged toward the source of the noise, their faces set and resolute, as if ready to march against ten thousand foes.

Soon, they saw Bai Feiyu, looking battered and desperate, running straight toward them. He would reach them in moments.

“Hahaha! Heaven smiles upon us! That fellow dares trespass on our turf!”

“Our brothers can hold out for a while—if we kill Bai Feiyu, it’ll be a tremendous feat!”

“This fool—he shuns the road to heaven and barges into hell itself.”

As they recognized Bai Feiyu, the Golden Radiance disciples laughed and rushed to intercept him. But as they got closer, they saw the swarm of battle golems chasing at his heels.

In an instant, they understood the source of the rumbling—and Bai Feiyu’s true plan: he’d lured disaster right to their doorstep.

“Damn you, Bai Feiyu! You’ll die for this—bringing those things here!”

“Brothers, let’s fight these golems—oof!”

“Fight? Are you blind? Even Bai Feiyu’s running for his life; the Returning Ruins lot are already gone. Do you think anything in these ruins is simple?”

“Then what should we do?”

“What else? Run!”

Chaos erupted as the Golden Radiance disciples scrambled to escape, desperate to lose the relentless golems. But despair quickly set in—the golems were fast, and the disciples were fleeing with the golems hot on their heels. There was no shaking them off.

Meanwhile, Bai Feiyu had already sprinted ahead, rabbit in hand. His cunning knew no bounds; his brazenness was infuriating.

“Quick, let’s lure these things onto the Returning Ruins’ territory!”

“No good—we’d have to double back, and that would put us right in the golems’ path.”

“Then what? Should we lead them to another sect’s land?”

“Brilliant idea!”

But as none of them knew the layout of the Toba Ruins, they had no way to steer the golems back toward the Returning Ruins’ territory. Though they were bitter about it, they could only hope other sects would share their burden for now.

As for that wretched Bai Feiyu, they’d settle the score with him another day—survival came first.

“Waaaaaah!” Bai Feiyu shouted as he fled, appearing even more desperate than the Golden Radiance disciples behind him. Yet even as he ran, a new scheme formed in his mind, and he bellowed at the top of his lungs:

“I am Bai Feiyu! I’ve come to your Golden Radiance territory to challenge your disciples!”

His shout poured oil on the flames, infuriating the Golden Radiance disciples even further...