Eternal Heavenly Emperor

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Chu Hao looked at the middle-aged man's face for a while, then suddenly said, "You're also from the Seven Wolf Stockade, aren't you?"

The middle-aged man's expression clearly stiffened before he said, "I don't know what nonsense you're talking about!"

In his heart, Chu Hao had already confirmed that the inside man was not just Ba Hu, but also this middle-aged man! So, when he heard that they were about to evacuate immediately, he spoke out against it to buy time.

"This man is also from the Seven Wolf Stockade, he wants to leave you behind, the intent couldn't be more obvious!" Chu Hao turned his head and said to Yang Suyun.

Although she didn't have much authority, she was still the employer, so her words carried some weight.

"Nonsense!" the middle-aged man jumped up, "My identity is crystal clear. On the other hand, this guy joined us halfway, who knows what his background is!"

They accused each other, causing the others to be uncertain about who to believe for a moment since both sides seemed to make some sense.

Just then, the last person also emerged from the mine.

"We're still one short, we'll set off once Ba Hu arrives!" Yang Suyun made the decision firmly.

They had planned to leave today anyway, so Yang Suyun's decision naturally won the support of the crowd.

If they really had to wait for Ba Hu to come out before leaving, they would never get to leave in their lives!

Chu Hao shook his head and said, "Ba Hu won't be coming out!"

"You, you killed him?" The middle-aged man suspected to be the bandits' inside man was first startled, then jumped up and yelled in a frantic rage.

Without any doubt left, Chu Hao confirmed that this person must be in league with Ba Hu, otherwise, he wouldn't have had such a violent reaction. He scanned the crowd, and everyone else also showed a guarded look towards him.

"Before Ba Hu died, he confessed with his own mouth that he was the son of the Third Master of the Stockade, Ba Houyuan, and that he was the inside man for this mission, planning to launch an attack today after gathering detailed information about everyone's strength!"

His claim, with specific names, greatly added to its persuasive power, causing the crowd to waver.

"Let's get out of here first!" Yang Suyun still decided to trust Chu Hao.

Everyone nodded, valuing their lives above all. Other issues could be dealt with later.

"Not a single one of you is going to escape!" Amidst a loud yell, "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh," at least thirty people leaped out from the bushes, each dressed in tight-fitting clothes and with a purple headband tied around their heads.

It was too late!

Chu Hao sighed inwardly, but even if the others had listened to him and set off immediately, with the little time they had, they wouldn't have gotten far and would still have been caught up to! There were only 16 of them, minus one inside man, effectively leaving only 15. The enemy had twice their number!

This battle... to fight head-on was surely a road to death!

They had to break through once the fight began!

"May I ask if you are the Third Boss Ba from the Seven Wolf Stockade?" Yang Suyun's old servant suddenly addressed the leading bandit. He didn't actually recognize the man but, having come to believe what Chu Hao said, he could guess the bandit's identity.

"That's right, it's Lao Tzu!" the leading bandit scanned the group and suddenly changed expression, saying, "Where's Ba Hu?" He directed that question to their inside man.

"Third Master, the young master has been killed!" The inside man trembled with fear, his face ashen as he spoke.

"What!" Ba Houyuan was immediately furious, shook his Nine-Ringed Blade, and said with a murderous look, "You bastards dare to kill Lao Tzu's son, I will tear you all to pieces!"

"Kill them for me!" He waved his hand, signaling for the attack to commence.

The enemy outnumbered them, and each of the bandits was strong. After just a few exchanges of blows, Yang Suyun's people lost their will to fight and scattered, fleeing in all directions.

"Pursue! Don't let a single one escape!" Ba Houyuan roared.

"Third Master, the one who killed the young master is that kid!" The inside man pointed at Chu Hao.

Ba Houyuan's murderous intent soared to the sky. Whoosh—he made a swift slash with his blade, and in an instant, the inside man's head was severed. Until his last breath, the inside man couldn't comprehend, his eyes wide open in disbelief, probably harboring a strong question: Why was he killed?

"You stood by and watched my son die, if not you, who else should be buried with him?" Ba Houyuan scoffed.

Unfortunately, the inside man couldn't hear it anymore; otherwise, he would have been angry enough to come back to life—how unjust his death was!

Ba Houyuan watched the direction in which Chu Hao fled, shook his Nine-Ringed Blade, and said, "The rest of you go after the others, leave this kid to me! Remember, if you let even one escape, I'll skin you all alive!"

"Yes, Third Master!" The bandits all answered resolutely and chased after them.

Chu Hao moved swiftly; although he had greatly improved his strength, the bandits included Martial Artists of the Middle Mahayana realm, against whom he could barely stand a chance one-on-one, let alone against such overwhelming numbers.

"Kid, I'm going to chop you into pieces!" Ba Houyuan chased after him furiously.

This Third Master was not only in the Middle Mahayana realm but also at least in the Fourth Tier. Wielding the Nine-Ringed Blade, he didn't care what was in front of him, slashing his way in a straight line to pursue!

Chu Hao could only flee, as he had no ability to confront such a powerful adversary.

Although Ba Houyuan was strong, Martial Artists did not have much difference in running speed, so he couldn't close the distance for the time being—however, over the long run, the stronger would prevail with endurance.

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"Boy, I'm going to boil you alive, chop you into pieces, and feed you to every ferocious beast here!" Ba Houyuan shouted fiercely, his rage towards the murder of his son uncontrollable.

Chu Hao didn't waste any energy responding, simply making use of the terrain to weave through complicated areas, delaying Ba Houyuan's pursuit as much as possible.

One fled and the other chased. Sometimes Ba Houyuan was faster, closing in on him, and at other times Chu Hao was quicker, using the terrain to widen the gap again. The problem was that Chu Hao was only at the Third Tier Lesser Mahayana realm, and in terms of endurance, he couldn't compare with Ba Houyuan.

"Hahaha, how much longer can you run? Soon, you'll be a dead pig!" Ba Houyuan roared, "I've changed my mind, I don't plan to kill you right away! Lao Tzu wants to bring you back to the stockade, I'm sure many will take an interest in that pretty boy ass of yours!"

Killing intent flashed in Chu Hao's eyes as he secretly decided that once his cultivation greatly improved, he would definitely sweep through Seven Wolf Stockade!

But for now, his only option was to run!

After another half hour, he had reached the edge of the forest.

Whiz!

His figure shot out, and suddenly in front of him a plain unfolded, covered in lush wild grass, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Cousin, you've made me search so hard for you!" a voice suddenly rang out, it was Liu Yang.

This guy!

Chu Hao knew full well that his cousin hadn't come all this way out of concern to escort him to safety, but was there to finish him off instead! Dying outside the city meant even the City Lord's Mansion couldn't investigate!

This place was beyond the reach of the king's law!

However, it was too much of a coincidence; it could be used to his advantage!

Chu Hao instantly stopped in his tracks and spoke with an extremely surprised tone, "Cousin!"

"Cousin, it's very dangerous to be out here alone!" Liu Yang said with feigned concern, but his face was already filled with murderous intent.

Kill this kid, and Fortune Full Building will bear the Liu surname!

"Thanks for your concern, cousin!" Chu Hao said, then pretended to be panicked, "Cousin, we've been found out for killing Ba Hu, run!"

What's he talking about?

Even with Liu Yang's wit, he was momentarily stunned; he couldn't understand a word.

Boom!

Just then, a figure burst out from the forest, holding a Nine-Ringed Blade, seething with killing intent!

Even though Ba Houyuan was trailing behind, he had heard the conversation between Chu Hao and Liu Yang clearly. He immediately swung his blade in a wide arc, bellowing, "So you had an accomplice! No wonder you could kill my son even though you're weaker than him! Damn, both of you are going to die by Lao Tzu's hand!"

He hadn't actually fought with Chu Hao, only guessed that the latter's strength must be weaker than his son's. How else could his talented son have been killed by someone weaker?

But it was a different story with an accomplice!

With Liu Yang's intellect, a quick listen to Ba Houyuan's words was enough for him to figure out what was going on—Chu Hao had killed Ba Houyuan's son, and the latter was in pursuit! In that moment, he felt like slapping himself!

What were you blabbering on for? If you had struck with a palm earlier, this would have been over by now! But because of his loose tongue, Ba Houyuan now believed he and Chu Hao were in league!

A blade swung down!

Liu Yang had no choice but to parry; although he knew this was all a misunderstanding, would Ba Houyuan show any mercy?

"Cousin, well done!" Chu Hao took the opportunity to slip away from the fray, clapping from the sidelines, "Cousin, let's join forces and take down this Third Master of the Nine Wolves Stronghold, then claim the bounty for his head!"

"You still want to claim a bounty on Lao Tzu's head?" Ba Houyuan screamed in fury, flames nearly shooting from his eyes, "Wishful thinking! Lao Tzu will kill you all!"

His ferocity ignited, swirling the Nine-Ringed Blade even more viciously.

"Your Excellency, please don't misunderstand, I didn't kill your son, and although Chu Hao is my relative, our relationship is decidedly not friendly!" Liu Yang defended without attacking, desperately trying to explain to his opponent.

He didn't care whether Chu Hao died by his own hand or if bandits and robbers did the deed for him.

"Cousin, with our strength, we should have no problem dealing with him. Why bother deceiving him? Waiting for him to let his guard down before striking is a bit too treacherous!" Chu Hao continued to provoke on the side.

Ba Houyuan immediately grew wary; this young man was truly cunning, almost falling for his trickery! Indeed, this fellow was a sly one, not to be trusted!

With that thought, he actually began to feel a bit of admiration for Chu Hao! Hmm, when the time came to kill him, maybe he would stab him one less time!

His assault became even more aggressive, because Liu Yang, having taken "part" in killing his son, was also a valid target in his rage. He had no qualms about first severely injuring Liu Yang, then dealing with Chu Hao—the other kid was too weak, whereas the man before him was a worthy adversary not to be underestimated.

Liu Yang was helpless; he was indeed not as strong as Ba Houyuan, and this mad onslaught forced him to fight with all he had, or else he would perish!

"Yes, cousin, don't hold back against him, go all out!" Chu Hao urged on the side.

Ba Houyuan felt a slight sense of triumph; Liu Yang indeed showed his "true colors." Failing to trick him, Liu Yang's attacks became even more ferocious—he may not match his son in intelligence, but he was nothing short of a brute.