Book 10: Chapter 53: Chase Game

With the shattering of the magic cube, the law barrier enveloping the pyramid also dissipated.

“After them!” Gan Luo watched Qin Lun and the others shoot off in all directions and spat out the word, his face dark. However, only six Apostles rushed after behind Gan Luo, each chasing after one streak of light.

Although Qin Lun and his companions were now in Angel Bodies, their appearances had reverted to their original faces. Before scattering and fleeing, they had been targeted. Qin Lun and Robin were specially pursued by Gan Luo and Wolf, respectively.

As for the Hismere Guardians led by Saintess Ruxin, they didn’t chase after Qin Lun and the other Apostles. Instead, they split into several groups and raced after the direction Alex and the Gith Flight Officers had escaped.

The pursuers included six Chaos members, including Gan Luo, and the seventh was Wolf. The remaining eleven Apostles from both teams gathered together and charged towards the seven Apostles Qin Mei’s team had left behind.

This wasn’t because they didn’t want to all give chase. During the earlier battle with the Hismere Guardians, these eleven Apostles had been injured. Even though they received treatment afterwards, it still affected their combat power. They preferred staying behind to deal with those seven Apostles on Hismere’s side.

The mission prompts received at the last moment by the Chaos and Divine Light teams differed slightly from the Patroller Team’s. The countdown for remaining time was the same, but these two teams received an extra notification: within these six hours, they could still seize Mission Completion Rate for the Main Quest.

The Patroller Team, because they obtained the Final Gospel, collectively held 65% of the Mission Completion Rate. Qin Mei’s team, by looting the other legacy Ruins, held the remaining 35%.

Because Wolf’s targets to recruit differed from their own, and also to prevent Qin Mei’s seven Apostles from causing trouble, Gan Luo was forced into another agreement with Wolf, promising a portion of the mission rewards to the Divine Light team.

…

Qin Lun looked back at the figure relentlessly pursuing him and his heart sank. His worst fear had happened. Disguised within the Bingren Mecha, he had believed the Chaos member wouldn’t chase him. But now, the enemy clearly recognized him and considered him a primary target.

Though Qin Lun didn’t know who the person behind him was, the aura he felt wasn’t inferior to Wolf’s. He guessed it was the Chaos team’s sole High-Rank Apostle.

Judging by the pursuer’s speed, once the last vestiges of energy granted by the magic cube were exhausted, he would catch up very soon. After changing his main combat form from the Bingren Mecha to the Angel Body, his strength had increased, but his speed had become a weakness. It wasn’t as fast as the Bingren Mecha using the Particle Furnace.

Qin Lun’s eyes flickered as he scanned his surroundings. Suddenly, a faint smile touched his lips. His Angel wings beat hard once, propelling him down towards the forest below. After flying for over two hours, he was finally nearing his planned destination.

His pitch-black wings skimmed the treetops at high speed, tearing off numerous branches. Feeling an unusual sensation from behind, Qin Lun glanced back cautiously and flapped his wings more carefully.

He wasn’t yet accustomed to these Angel wings. Thankfully, they weren’t ordinary feathers. The jet-black plumage looked beautiful and elegant but was harder than steel. Cut-off branches had smooth, clean edges, sharp as divine weapons.

Most flora and fauna of the Paranto plane were large. The trees covering this wooded mountainside stood easily over a hundred meters tall with thick trunks. After folding his wings, they partly obscured him from Gan Luo’s line of sight.

Seeing Qin Lun land, Gan Luo charged towards the forest without hesitation. His transformed Mantid form was also ill-suited for flight; his true advantage lay in mobility on the ground.

Gan Luo crossed his bladed, saw-like arms in front of his chest, pursuing Qin Lun in an almost straight line. Any tree blocking his path was unceremoniously chopped down by his bladed limbs. From high above, a plume of dust trailed a straight path through the forest. Towering, thick trees fell to either side like harvested straw.

Gan Luo’s unstoppable momentum made Qin Lun’s pupils contract. He was instantly reminded of another High-Rank Martial Artist he had encountered: Kelly, the “Female Tyrannosaurus” of Lost.

However, their styles differed. Kelly’s combat was swift and ferocious. Fighting her felt like being trapped in a room filled with countless hyperactive bouncing balls—an experience agonizing to her enemies.

Gan Luo, conversely, struck Qin Lun like an indestructible cleaver. His wind-splitting, undefeated aura prickled at Qin Lun’s back, raising goosebumps on his skin.

His speed within the forest was actually faster than flying. He couldn’t just wait for death! The thought flashed through Qin Lun’s mind. Instantly, he stopped moving straight. Instead, he weaved like a serpent, using trees to mask his direction, occasionally stretching a hand to touch a nearby trunk.

Trees touched by Qin Lun mutated at a visible speed. Like living things, they extended branches reaching to entangle Gan Luo. The more vigorous trees intertwined, growing together into thick wooden walls right before him.

Gan Luo’s pursuit finally slowed. This wasn’t due to the walls being too strong, nor because he tired. His sight was blocked, the enemy frequently vanishing from view, causing his chase path to drift.

Seeing his tactic work, Qin Lun finally breathed a sigh of relief, a spark of delight on his face. The law power of the “Final Gospel” hadn’t just transformed the Angel Clones into true Angel Bodies. It had also weakened the Star Void law’s suppression of Apostles. Some abilities previously sealed within Qin Lun could now manifest in a roundabout way.

His power to briefly stimulate forest growth and command it to obstruct Gan Luo wasn’t just Holy Thorn at work. It connected to his Moonlight Elf Bloodline, a lineage ability he rarely used: Elf Whispers!

“Why the useless struggle?” Gan Luo bellowed, annoyed. “You dared face Wolf! What, you won’t fight ME?”

“Who are you?” Qin Lun asked, not turning his head.

“You don’t know who I am?” Gan Luo’s expression turned strange.

“Looking like that? Who could recognize you!” Qin Lun snapped back irritably.

“Oh… fair enough!” Gan Luo peered down at his mantid form and was momentarily speechless. “Hey, kid! Stop running! You won’t get away! Stop and talk!”

“Win first!” Qin Lun tossed the reply, and silence fell immediately after as both concentrated on pushing forward.

The situation still leaned in Gan Luo’s favor. The Chaos vice-Leader realized Qin Lun, while changing direction frequently, wasn’t fleeing blindly. He was clearly leading them both towards a specific point.

“Over three hours left,” Gan Luo mused, a smile touching his lips, his eyes flashing with interest. “Fine. Show me what tricks you have!” At this moment, this chase suddenly became interesting.

Qin Lun knew escape was nearly impossible without aid. He’d already stalled for over two hours out of six, managing it only because of the energy gifted by the magic cube. Flying, he had matched Gan Luo’s speed. But with that energy depleted now, relying solely on an unfamiliar Angel Body, he couldn’t delay much longer.

Hope finally sparked when a tall wooden palisade appeared ahead. Qin Lun accelerated, charging straight towards it.

Viewed from above, the tall palisade formed an irregular oval atop the small mountain peak. Inside were elevated huts made of wood and thatch. A pile of ash marked the center—remnants of a bonfire—resembling a primitive settlement.

As Qin Lun approached, angry roars echoed from within the village like warnings. Seeing both Qin Lun and Gan Luo ignoring them, scattered humanoid figures began to emerge around the perimeter.

These beings had distinct features, wore hide loincloths, brandished large wooden clubs or stone axes. Their faces still showed thick, ape-like hair, but strangely, a single vertical eye sat in their foreheads. These were the giant Three-Eyed People Qin Lun had seen in the projections.

The Three-Eyed blocking the path didn’t alarm Qin Lun; it pleased him. This was exactly his destination.

The residual consciousness projection Sanova left within the magic cube, just before fading forever, had gifted Qin Lun and the others with a map of Paranto and instructions on leaving the plane.

Leaving Paranto was straightforward. Once the Final Gospel found inheritors, the energy web blocking the wormhole entrance vanished. They just needed to tear space at specific points. Of course, Qin Lun and the others could simply return directly to the Star Void from within Paranto, making this exit plan redundant for them.

What could help Qin Lun now was the map Sanova provided. Naturally, the Paranto landscape changed over ten-thousand years. The map didn’t explicitly label this Three-Eyed village.

Combining the map data with the projections Robin’s group had recorded earlier, Qin Lun had pinpointed this settlement. With Gan Luo hot on his heels, another smaller problem ahead didn’t bother him. Chaos was his ally; only chaos gave him a chance to snatch his goal.

Gan Luo pursuing him realized this too. He cursed softly under his breath and pushed his speed even faster.

“Hah!” Qin Lun chuckled lightly. His inky black wings snapped wide open. He lifted off the ground, gliding ten meters high toward the palisade ahead.

Just as Qin Lun burst from the forest edge like lightning, appearing in front of the astonished Three-Eyed people, something utterly unexpected happened.

“%@…” Seeing Qin Lun clearly, the Three-Eyed people collectively froze. They visibly shivered. They chanted unfamiliar, guttural cries, simultaneously dropped their weapons, dropped to their knees, raised their arms high… and threw themselves to the ground in deep supplication.