Chapter 417: Chapter 288: Battlefield of the Gods: The Demon Lord Descends, Suppressing the Four Directions (Part 1)

’It seems I need to interfere with them somehow,’ the Pale Knight thought.

Suddenly, a thought took root in his mind, growing stronger and stronger, as if another version of himself were whispering in his ear.

That woman was charging at him alone, separated from her group. With no one to support her, this was a golden opportunity. Perhaps he could use it to kill her in a single blow.

As a dignified member of a Secret Organization, an Ancient One who looked down upon the changing tides of the world, fleeing so pathetically from a few mere secular Martial Artists was far too humiliating.

He should seize this chance to teach them a lesson, to show these youngsters their place and reclaim his dignity as an Ancient One.

Once this idea took hold, the fury in the Pale Knight’s heart blazed hotter. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he abruptly stopped. The Pale Bow materialized in his hand, and he immediately drew it, nocked an arrow, and took aim at the rapidly approaching Zhou Qingchen.

A faint glow pulsed around the Pale Knight. The arrow he was now charging seemed far more powerful than any before it.

But in the next moment, his pupils contracted violently, and his body trembled.

’Wait, something is very wrong!!’

’Why would I have such a thought?! It might seem logical, but it doesn’t fit my way of thinking.’

’This isn’t me!!’

The instant that thought had formed, the hairs on the Pale Knight’s body stood on end. A horrifying chill ran down his spine, and a cold sweat broke out on his skin.

’Is this their doing?!’

’They actually influenced my judgment?!’

"The distance is too great. The effect is still too weak, as expected," Ding Huiyuan sighed. He was in the middle of his pursuit, with scriptures swirling around his body.

His True Word Technique had just been at work. He had sensed the Pale Knight’s presence from afar, connecting with his Life Magnetic Field and allowing the technique to take effect over a long distance.

However, the long distance had drastically weakened the True Word Technique’s effect. Even though the target’s guard was down and the influence was perfectly logical, he had still detected it almost immediately.

A true Ancient One was certainly no simple foe.

What Ding Huiyuan didn’t know, however, was just how deep a psychological scar his True Word Technique had left on his opponent.

On the battlefield, having one’s judgment compromised was a fatal weakness. Worse still, he had no idea when his mind might be influenced again. His thoughts were in turmoil.

An incredibly fast female Martial Artist, the young man Yi Beidou who gave him a deeply unsettling feeling, and now someone who could silently influence a person’s mind.

If he were truly surrounded by this group, he probably wouldn’t be able to escape even if he fought for his life.

The glow around his body immediately receded. The time he’d spent stopping to shoot, combined with his brief mental shock, had allowed Zhou Qingchen to close the distance.

Once she was within a hundred meters, Zhou Qingchen was confident she could tie him down with her Jinghong Sword.

The Pale Knight had no intention of giving her that chance. He could no longer be bothered with any plans to stall them; his own escape was paramount.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

His body grew even paler. A dense, dark light, identical to the glow of a Black Arrow, enveloped him. Pustules rapidly broke out across his skin, with some even bursting and leaking pus. His once-handsome face instantly became hideous.

But instead of weakening, his physical constitution grew even stronger.

Pale Body.

Disease was the source of the Pale Knight’s power. He had conquered it.

Different pathogens could stimulate different aspects of human potential. The Pale Knight’s body had been modified to largely adapt to the negative effects of diseases while retaining the full extent of the physical potential they unlocked.

Although he had not yet condensed the anomalous organ known as the "Soul," years of accumulation meant his body also contained a certain amount of Earth Immortal Cells. This greatly enhanced his physical attributes like speed and strength, and in turn, increased the power of the Secret Techniques he could use.

In an instant, he transformed into a ghostly shadow, flickering into the distance at an even more terrifying speed. Zhou Qingchen found she could no longer close the gap.

"What’s your status?" The Eye of the Sun, sensing the Pale Knight’s abnormality, inquired through the golden pendant.

"One of them has the ability to influence a person’s thoughts. I can’t stay. I have to get away as fast as possible, or I’ll be in danger myself," the Pale Knight said grimly.

For a moment, even the Eye of the Sun fell silent.

To think that this group of secular Donghua Martial Artists not only included someone like Yi Beidou, but that the others also possessed terrifying techniques. Each was formidable in their own right and could not be underestimated.

"Use the city’s arrangements to escape quickly. Return to the main battlefield," said the Eye of the Sun.

They had truly underestimated the Donghua Martial Artists and hadn’t made corresponding preparations beforehand.

But it was of little consequence. By the time these people reached the main battlefield, it would already be in its final stages.

If those fellows still dared to make a move then, the beings who possessed a "Soul," along with the remaining core forces of the Illuminati, would naturally take care of them.

「Elsewhere.」

Just as Zhou Qingchen’s pursuit brought her to a certain part of the city, the Pale Knight up ahead suddenly stopped, swiftly nocked an arrow, and fired at her. The arrow was incredibly fast.

WHOOSH!!

However, Zhou Qingchen was exceptionally agile. She dodged the arrow with a single flicker.

But the arrow, having missed her, struck a room in the building to her side.

BOOM!!

A blazing light pierced through the wall, transforming into what seemed like countless illusory, thorn-covered vines that spread out from the wall, swarming toward Zhou Qingchen the instant she flickered.

Caught off guard, Zhou Qingchen was inevitably affected by this power.

However, these vine-like shapes, condensed from a magnetic field, didn’t seem to possess much killing power. They merely left Zhou Qingchen feeling paralyzed as her Life Magnetic Field fluctuated.

HAH!!

She let out a low shout, and crystalline Sword Qi erupted around her, slicing the surrounding thorns to pieces.

"An Array?"

Zhou Qingchen’s expression soured. Because of that momentary obstruction, the Pale Knight had completely widened the distance between them and vanished ahead.

Under these circumstances, further pursuit was all but impossible.

What had erupted just now was indeed the power of an Array. To deal with potential attacks, the Illuminati had made thorough preparations, placing numerous trigger-activated, single-use Arrays throughout the city, intended to harass or obstruct enemies at critical moments.

BOOM!!

A huge tremor shook the ground beside Zhou Qingchen, and cracks spread out in concentric circles. Yi Beidou had caught up and was now at her side.

Yi Beidou looked in the direction the Pale Knight had disappeared. His Tribulation Sense was still locked onto the man, but with the enemy determined to flee in his home turf of Constantinople, catching him was nearly impossible.

"Don’t bother chasing him," Yi Beidou said.

"These old bastards are as slippery as eels," Zhou Qingchen said coldly.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Just then, several more figures landed beside the two of them.

It was Ding Huiyuan, Huang Tianhu, and Meng Qianyuan.

Meng Qianyuan’s face was still somewhat pale; he hadn’t fully purged the effects of the Pale Knight’s plague.

None of them looked pleased.

They had only just entered the city and had already witnessed the might of a true Ancient One, who was completely different from the avatars they’d faced before.

A single man had suppressed all five of them with bizarre and unpredictable abilities, and in the end, had even managed to escape. In any other situation, this would have been a humiliating battle, one where they were utterly played with.

Yi Beidou, however, didn’t seem to think much of it.

He was well aware of the abilities and methods of these beings and had never underestimated these hidden existences. Suffering a small setback when the enemy was prepared was perfectly normal.

"There’s no need to chase him. He can run, but there’s a battlefield in this city that cannot be run from."

Yi Beidou’s gaze shifted toward the part of the city where the magnetic field was most concentrated and turbulent.

Anomalous phenomena shot into the sky. The heavens and the earth shifted and trembled. It was like the end of days, like a Battlefield of the Gods.

The hidden existences there wouldn’t be able to leave just because they wanted to.