Chapter 783: A Way Out

Li Li Banfeng pushed the giant human head, walking up the hillside.

The scene was somewhat absurd, so absurd that the Bandit-Suppressing Army wasn't sure if they were still in the middle of a battle.

Following the orders of their generals and captains, the soldiers strictly maintained their formation, making adjustments at the opportune moment to form an encirclement around Li Li Banfeng and the giant head.

After completing the encirclement, they prepared for combat, yet looking at this comical head, quite a few soldiers still let out laughs.

"What is this thing?"

"Did a human head turn into a giant ball, or did a giant ball become a spirit?"

Li Li Banfeng quite admired this group of soldiers; when he first saw this head, he had been truly terrified, but these people didn't have a shred of awe.

The Bandit-Suppressing Army wasn't entirely fearless, but this was a battlefield; they were not only soldiers but also of noble birth, so even if they were afraid, they couldn't show it.

More importantly, they were numerous and emboldened each other, and so far, they hadn't seen this giant head display any aggression.

As the head rolled, when its face was forward, it saw the soldiers' smiles; when its face was backward,

it looked at Li Li Banfeng.

"They are cursing me, I heard it. I am a very fair person; I will never forget those who have helped me, and I will never forget those who have bullied me."

Upon hearing this, Li Li Banfeng felt this head's temperament was somewhat similar to his own, so he asked, "Senior, how should I address you?"

The head replied, "My name is Tou Tou Youlu. There is a saying about being 'at the end of one's rope' (zou tou wu lu), but I can find a road (lu) wherever I go (tou),

so I gave myself the name Tou Tou Youlu. They thought I hadn't read any books and gave myself a random name, and they even mocked me. I hate it most when others mock me."

Tou Tou Youlu rolled on the ground once more and suddenly closed its eyes.

Bang! Bang!

A series of sounds erupted all around; over a dozen soldiers who had mocked Tou Tou Youlu were instantly blasted into a pulp of flesh.

Under the protection of the Thousand-Man Strength Formation, these soldiers had extremely robust physiques, yet they were killed just like that by Tou Tou Youlu.

The key was that Li Li Banfeng still didn't know what technique Tou Tou Youlu had used.

Was it 'Looking at Flowers While Riding a Horse'?

Logically, there seemed to be a problem; normal 'Looking at Flowers While Riding a Horse' made the enemy unable to see oneself, but Tou Tou Youlu closed his eyes, making himself unable to see the enemy.

If a technique could be used like this, things would be simple.

After over a dozen soldiers were blasted to death, the Bandit-Suppressing Battalion finally entered a combat state. Li Li Banfeng and Tou Tou Youlu were climbing the slope, which was an upward assault; for an enemy attacking upward, there were simply too many ways to respond—logs, rolling stones, and arrows were all excellent choices.

Under the Thousand-Man Strength Formation, these seemingly ordinary attack methods erupted with astonishing power. Li Li Banfeng found it difficult even to dodge, while Tou Tou Youlu kept close to the ground, and Li Li Banfeng rolled left and right, clearly unable to maneuver.

Tou Tou Youlu said to Li Li Banfeng, "Do you feel that I am a bit of a burden?"

Li Li Banfeng thought about the scene when they first met: "I think you definitely have other ways to walk; you don't necessarily have to roll on the ground. You look so handsome, and the hillside is so hard—don't hurt your face."

Tou Tou Youlu stopped rolling and used the stump at his neck to stand on the hillside: "You have an eye for things. You know I look handsome; actually, you look quite handsome too."

Li Li Banfeng pointed behind him: "Let's talk about this later; let's dodge this log first!"

A log slid down the hillside toward Tou Tou Youlu's direction. Tou Tou Youlu ignored it and continued to say to Li Li Banfeng, "Don't look at me as having no hands or feet, but I am truly handsome. Not only am I handsome, but I can also fly."

As the words fell, the log was about to hit the back of Tou Tou Youlu's head. Tou Tou Youlu raised an eyebrow, and he flew up.

It wasn't that he flew up; it was that the log flew up, flying toward the Bandit-Suppressing Army on the hillside.

The log was heavy and powerful, and several soldiers were smashed to death on the spot.

The Bandit-Suppressing Army immediately counterattacked. Over a hundred soldiers rushed out of the camp, stood in formation, and surrounded Li Li Banfeng and Tou Tou Youlu.

These hundred-plus soldiers were there to distract Li Li Banfeng and Tou Tou Youlu, while other soldiers prepared techniques to send this person on his way.

Tou Tou Youlu ignored these hundred-plus soldiers and continued to explain the flying matter to Li Li Banfeng: "I really can fly; I didn't lie to you—"

Pfft!

A soldier's spear pierced the back of Tou Tou Youlu's head.

Tou Tou Youlu raised both eyebrows and turned his head to look at that soldier.

He used a technique again, but he still didn't fly up; instead, the hundred-plus soldiers around him flew up.

Tou Tou Youlu turned his head to look, his eyes full of rationality: "Others are on the ground, and I am in the sky; this counts as me flying up."

The soldiers were flying in mid-air, trying to find a way to land.

Tou Tou Youlu continued, "I stay on the ground, and they go underground; that also counts as me flying up."

Bang! Bang!

The hundred-plus soldiers slammed into the ground, creating shallow pits, all of them falling into a pulp of flesh.

Li Li Banfeng widened his eyes: "Is this 'Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds'?"

Tou Tou Youlu was very happy: "Do you know this move too? This move is very effective for killing."

"Is this a killing technique?" Li Li Banfeng thought about the original intention of learning this technique. "Isn't this technique used for flying?"

Tou Tou Youlu sniffed: "It makes no sense for you to say that. If it were used for flying, why wouldn't it be called 'Riding the Wind to Fly'?"

Indeed!

What he said made a lot of sense!

Li Li Banfeng pushed Tou Tou Youlu and continued to walk up the hillside; wherever they passed, the enemy troops flew off the ground one after another.

The process of taking off was difficult; judging by his expression, Tou Tou Youlu also used quite a bit of strength.

But the process of landing was much easier, because from the moment they left the ground, the soldiers had already missed their positions in the Thousand-Man Strength Formation, and falling to the ground, their bones broke and flesh rotted.

Tou Tou Youlu was clashing head-on with the Thousand-Man Strength Formation without any technique, relying entirely on raw power.

The Bandit-Suppressing Army's offensive became increasingly dense. Tou Tou Youlu no longer rolled on the ground; he flew close to the ground.

The stump under his neck was less than ten centimeters from the ground, but he was indeed flying. The sand and dust on the ground gathered under his neck due to the airflow, wriggling up and down in clumps; if one didn't look closely, one would think he had grown feet under his neck.

A volley of arrows flew toward Tou Tou Youlu. Tou Tou Youlu stared at the arrows without dodging.

A ball of flame enveloped the air, and the arrows turned to ash in the air. Tou Tou Youlu slowly flew upward along the hillside, and wherever his gaze gathered, arrows and logs were all burned to nothing.

Li Li Banfeng asked, "Senior, you also know Fire Cultivation techniques?"

Tou Tou Youlu looked at Li Li Banfeng sideways: "I am a Traveling Cultivator; I don't know how to use Fire Cultivation techniques. This technique is called 'Holding a Torch and Walking at Night,' and it is a Traveling Cultivator technique."

A Traveling Cultivator technique that can set fires?

Tou Tou Youlu explained, "In the past, when I walked at night, I could never see the road clearly. Once I went the wrong way, I might get lost. I am most afraid of getting lost. I once encountered a thorn bush and couldn't get out for several days.

To avoid getting lost, I had to hold a torch when walking at night, but holding a torch was also troublesome because I had no hands.

I once stuck the torch in my ear, but when I rolled on the ground, the torch would often poke into my ear canal, which was very painful."

Li Li Banfeng thought carefully: "Senior, have you ever considered sticking the torch into your nostril?"

Tou Tou Youlu shook slightly, indicating he was nodding: "I tried that too, but when the torch was stuck in the nostril,

it would always burn my lips.

So I thought of a win-win solution: since I couldn't hold the torch, I would let the opponent light it themselves. Don't say, this method is quite useful."

Tou Tou Youlu's gaze focused on a group of soldiers in front of him.

This group of soldiers felt a burning pain all over their bodies. Relying on the protection of the Thousand-Man Strength Formation, they stood in place, never moving.

The Thousand-Man Strength Formation could indeed withstand water and fire, but Tou Tou Youlu was just being tough. Watching this group of soldiers slowly smoke and sprout flames until they turned to ash, the surrounding soldiers became somewhat afraid.

A squad of soldiers took the initiative to attack, stepping forward to surround Tou Tou Youlu. Tou Tou Youlu made them take off on the spot, directly falling into a pulp of flesh.

A group of soldiers used 'Common Writing and Unified Regulations' toward Tou Tou Youlu: "This is a military camp, idlers keep out!"

The powerful technique's might made Tou Tou Youlu stop in his tracks.

Li Li Banfeng wasn't affected much; he didn't consider himself an idler and easily broke free from the technique.

But this sentence had a great lethality to Tou Tou Youlu; he struggled twice but failed.

Li Li Banfeng's ears suddenly heard A-Yu's voice: "Push Tou Tou Youlu two steps to the left!"

A-Yu was nearby; everyone used the same technique together, and there would be gaps between the interwoven techniques. A-Yu had observed where the gap was.

After walking two steps, Tou Tou Youlu broke free from the technique and muttered: "Who are you calling an idler? So what if I'm an idler?

Did I eat your family's rice?"

Every soldier who cast the Literary Cultivation technique was blasted into a spray of blood by Tou Tou Youlu.

After the blast, Tou Tou Youlu said very satisfyingly: "I am a person who holds grudges."

"Be careful, a war chariot is rushing down!" Li Li Banfeng heard A-Yu's voice again, hearing it very clearly.

Did this sinister woman have a hook attached?

A-Yu pointed out the way in the dark, and Li Li Banfeng helped from the side; the two broke many techniques along the way and gradually approached A-Yi.

The trapped A-Yi was extremely excited and threw the last bag of explosives at the enemy troops. With a loud bang, a group of enemy soldiers swayed. Tou Tou Youlu took this opportunity to use the 'Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds' technique, wanting to take this group of enemy soldiers for a flight, but there were too many of them, and they couldn't fly up for a moment.

Li Li Banfeng calmly sprinkled a drop of blood, and an invisible halo arrived at the feet of the enemy troops.

The soldiers felt their soles burning, and instinctively lifted their soles slightly.

Once lifted, they could never put them back down.

A group of soldiers flew into mid-air. Tou Tou Youlu wanted to throw them down, but he had no strength left; clashing head-on with the formation to cast techniques had consumed too much along the way.

It didn't matter if he couldn't throw them down; A-Yu had a machine gun there, and Li Li Banfeng had explosives here. Two bags of explosives detonated in the air, and shattered remains fell like rain. When the smoke cleared, A-Yi rushed out of the encirclement with a face full of joy.

Li Li Banfeng picked up A-Yi and shouted: "Down the mountain!"

Going down the mountain wasn't that easy; the hillside was full of enemy troops.

Tou Tou Youlu asked Li Li Banfeng: "Do you know how to use 'Breaking the Path to Open the Way'?"

Li Li Banfeng rushed to the front, using 'Breaking the Path to Open the Way' to disperse the enemy troops. After rushing for dozens of meters, the enemy troops who had stood their ground blocked the way. Li Li Banfeng's technique couldn't hold up, and he was even slashed by a Bandit-Suppressing Army soldier.

Tou Tou Youlu chased from behind and sighed: "Although we are friends, I have to be clear: your 'Breaking the Path to Open the Way' is practiced incorrectly; you haven't grasped the essentials at all."

Li Li Banfeng humbly asked for instruction.

In "Floating Clouds Asking at the Post," Li Li Banfeng had successively learned the essentials of 'Stepping Across Ten Thousand Rivers,' 'Looking at Flowers While Riding a Horse,' and 'Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds,' and his techniques had undergone a qualitative leap.

Now, the Traveling Cultivator Patriarch was personally guiding him; this was a rare opportunity, and he had to learn the essentials of 'Breaking the Path to Open the Way.'

Tou Tou Youlu said: "Breaking the Path to Open the Way is my favorite technique; you must learn it seriously."

After speaking, he lay horizontally on the ground and rolled down the hillside all the way.

At first, one could occasionally see his face, but before long, Tou Tou Youlu spun faster and faster, so fast that the ground smoked, like a fireball, directly crashing into the enemy troops.

The first row of enemy troops was directly smashed into pulp, along with grass and stones, splashing everywhere. The rear row of enemy troops had their vision blocked; those who held the formation were directly shattered, while those who fled preserved their lives.

Rushing all the way to the foot of the mountain, Tou Tou Youlu spat out a mouthful of mud and sand and asked Li Li Banfeng: "Friend, did you learn it?"

Li Li Banfeng looked back: "I just want to know, how do you use 'Breaking the Path to Open the Way' when going up the mountain?"

"Going up the mountain is truly too difficult!" Tou Tou Youlu sighed and hurriedly took Li Li Banfeng and A-Yi to run away.

The three ran toward the entrance of Gourd Village, with the Bandit-Suppressing Battalion in hot pursuit. Li Li Banfeng and A-Yi were both seriously injured,

and Tou Tou Youlu was also exhausted.

Qiu Qiu Daxiang shouted from the roadside: "Brother, run quickly; leave the rest to your brother."

A-Yi said with tears in her eyes: "Wife, I didn't pamper you in vain!"

The three had just left when the pursuers arrived. Qiu Qiu Luoye grew in size, swung his long nose, and shouted at the crowd: "Who wants to come and die?"

The Bandit-Suppressing Army didn't answer him, lining up in formation and rushing forward directly.

"Wait!"

Sun Sun Tiecheng folded his hands and shouted at the crowd: "You stand in formation and then fight us, so you can't say we are bullying you."

This person looked very honest, and what he said made sense. The formation definitely had to be set; without the formation, they couldn't fight the people of Puluo Continent.

There were ready-made marks on the ground. Everyone looked at the marks and stood in their respective formations.

A deputy general suddenly remembered something: this was the Tifeng Battalion, not the Qingrui Battalion; why would they need to look at marks to stand in formation?

But the soldiers didn't notice this. The Bandit-Suppressing Battalion had three camps, and no matter which camp they were in, when learning the formation, they had to look at the marks to stand at the beginning.

Although they could line up without marks, they stood more accurately with marks. Everyone felt this was a matter of course, and no one thought that this was actually a case of 'going down the slope with the donkey.'

Where did these marks come from?

By the time the deputy general came to his senses, it was too late. The slope was built, the donkey had gone down, and hundreds of people in Gourd Village rushed out with machine guns and explosives.

The deputy general ordered the formation to be adjusted, but the soldiers couldn't adjust; the marks were right under their feet, and if they didn't step on the marks,

they always felt they had stepped in the wrong place.

By the time the two sides started fighting, it was too late to adjust. A-Yun drove a tank and had already rushed into the Bandit-Suppressing Battalion's formation.

A-Yi picked up a machine gun and laughed loudly: "Big sister, our big brother still has real skills."

"This useless person is only useful this once!" A-Yu took out a powder box, patted some powder on her face, and followed Sun Sun Tiecheng onto the battlefield.

Xiang Xiang Hongying was also looking for a powder box. Zhao Zhao Xiao Wan walked out of the Leaving Suishenju and slapped Xiang Xiang Hongying: "Apply powder later; follow your husband to kill the enemy first."

Li Li Banfeng stood beside the Leaving Suishenju, grabbing the handle on the iron gate, holding his hat with his hand, and rushed toward the enemy formation along with the spewing steam.

In Chaoge City, Lan Qiao Yi led his troops to surround Lao Huoche, Lianbuda, and He He Jiaqing.

He He Jiaqing was seriously injured, holding a lotus leaf tightly in his hand.

The first leaf had been given to Lao Huoche; this was the second one. Before the Great Melting Pot turned, He He Jiaqing had managed to pluck this leaf off.

But after plucking the leaf, how could he take it out?

Lan Qiao Yi was acting like a madman; who knew how many first-class weapons had been dispatched throughout Chaoge City? Just after escaping to the Seventh City, Lao Huoche felt they were already at a dead end.

Lianbuda said anxiously: "What should we do now?"

He He Jiaqing held the lotus leaf tightly; this lotus leaf was simply too precious. Even if he had to risk his life today, he didn't want to hand it over.

Lianbuda didn't want to fall into the hands of the Inner Continent. He covered his body with grease and gritted his teeth: "If it really doesn't work,

we can only fight them to the death."

Lao Huoche shook his head: "Don't be anxious; I know another place."

The two followed Lao Huoche and walked onto a corridor. This kind of corridor was very common in the Seventh City, used to connect various pavilions. It was said that there were 777 pavilions in the Seventh City, one pavilion one world; once you walked the wrong way, you couldn't get out.

Lao Huoche walked through the corridors for ten minutes or so, and the pursuers were gradually shaken off.

But Lianbuda was also dizzy: "Shiba Lun, I don't know how to walk out now; I'll leave the leading to you later."

Lao Huoche shook his head: "We can't get out now; we have to stay here for a while."

Walking down the corridor, Lao Huoche came to a pavilion, walked around it once, and lay on the ground.

He saw a hole in the northeast corner of the pavilion.

"Come, follow me." Shiba Lun curled his body and drilled into the hole.

He He Jiaqing followed him in.

Lianbuda had gotten fat recently, and his body got stuck at the entrance. He squeezed out quite a bit of oil, and only then did he manage to slide into the hole.

It was pitch black inside the hole. The two followed Lao Huoche and crawled for a long time before finally crawling to an open space. When they stood up and stretched their muscles, a train whistled past them.

This train didn't burn coal or oil; it used electricity.

Lianbuda and He He Jiaqing had both been to the Outer Continent, and seeing this electric train, both were stunned.

"Shiba Lun, have we arrived at the Outer Continent?" Lianbuda lowered his head and checked the style of the tracks; they were indeed Outer Continent style.

Lao Huoche shook his head: "This isn't the Outer Continent; this is the dream of the Outer Continent people."

He He Jiaqing thought for a moment: "Senior, have we arrived at the Dream-Tying Pavilion?"

Lao Huoche nodded.

Lianbuda laughed: "You old thing, there's a hole in the Dream-Tying Pavilion; how did you know? Do you have something going on with Meng Xiao Qian?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lao Huoche waved his hand, "I saw that hole in a dream."

Zhao Zhao Lanmeng hadn't boasted; he said he had dug a tunnel into the Dream-Tying Pavilion, and there really was such a tunnel.

Only, Lao Huoche felt it was strange.

Meng Xiao Qian already knew where this tunnel was; why didn't she block the hole?

He He Jiaqing was still worried: "Won't Lan Qiao Yi bring people to chase into the Dream-Tying Pavilion?"

Lao Huoche laughed: "Hehehe, let him chase; this place is huge. I'd like to see how long he can chase!"

The laughter echoed in the Dream-Tying Pavilion, and Meng Xiao Qian woke up from a nightmare.

Lan Qiao Yi searched everywhere but couldn't find the thief who stole the lotus leaf. Just as he was angry, Dingye City sent a battle report.

The Qingrui Battalion was attacked, with over 46,000 soldiers lost.

The Tifeng Battalion was attacked, with over 18,000 soldiers lost.

Lan Qiao Yi's body swayed, feeling he couldn't stand steadily.

He supported the Minister of War, Que Que Yuhan, beside him, and asked the messenger: "How is the Cuihuo Battalion?"

"The Cuihuo Battalion was not attacked."

Que Que Yuhan let out a long breath and said to Lan Qiao Yi: "My lord, fortunately, the Cuihuo Battalion was preserved."

Lan Qiao Yi was expressionless, standing in the night wind, saying nothing.

The Bandit-Suppressing Battalion he had painstakingly built had a total of 100,000 people.

The Tifeng Battalion had over 20,000 people, and only a fraction remained; they were the elite of the Bandit-Suppressing Battalion.

The Qingrui Battalion had over 50,000 people, and only a fraction remained; although they weren't elite, they were royalty.

In one battle, over 60,000 royals were lost. They didn't die in Puluo Continent, but died in Dingye City, died on the land of Great Shang.

Lan Qiao Yi's mind was blank. The cold wind was biting, and in the sound of the wind, there seemed to be the wailing of wronged souls.

It shouldn't be said 'seemed'; there was a ghost sitting and crying beside him. There was no telling how many such ghosts there were in Chaoge City.

Lan Qiao Yi ordered Que Que Yuhan to contact Nian Nian Shangyou as soon as possible and have him return to Chaoge.

For some reason, in such a situation, the first person Lan Qiao Yi thought of was actually Nian Nian Shangyou.

Nian Nian Shangyou refused to return to Chaoge. He replied to Lan Qiao Yi that he was trapped in a bitter battle around Hao City.

It wasn't quite a bitter battle, but this battle was very intense.

Nian Nian Shangyou had Lu Lu Tangsheng send out a hundred Rotten Fin Rays to besiege Xuyi City. The Rotten Fin looked like a half-rotted ray fish; in fact, this was a type of Inner Continent person. They lived on land for years and could also fight after going into the sea.

Unlike other water division soldiers, the Rotten Fin's way of attacking enemies was using poison. Their rotting dorsal fins had highly toxic branches. Over a hundred Rotten Fin Rays released poison together, poisoning Xuyi City.

Xuyi City lost its mobility, and Nian Nian Shangyou led his troops directly into the city, fighting Ma Wu and others on the main street.

This battle was truly a fierce one. Ma Wu, He He Yuxiu, and Qin Qin Tianjiu were all experts on the clouds, and Bashuan and Boluo were masters from the outside world. Nian Nian Shangyou failed in two fierce attacks, so he simply brought along Lu Lu Tangsheng's two private first-class weapons.

Lu Lu Tangsheng felt the pain: "Brother Nian, I have fought in the army for half my life, and this is all I have!"

Nian Nian Shangyou lowered his voice: "I just received news that something happened in Chaoge, and something happened in Dingye City.

Lan Qiao has suffered repeated defeats; whether we can win or not depends on us."

Lu Lu Tangsheng thought carefully. Nian Nian Shangyou was a favorite of Lan Qiao Yi; listening to him should be correct.

He personally brought the two first-class weapons into Xuyi City. The first weapon was a 'Three-Eyed Fire.' This kind of weapon was not common in the Shang Kingdom. Gunpowder was difficult to ignite in the Inner Continent. The Shang Kingdom generally wouldn't bring such backward firearms onto the battlefield.

Ma Wu was still wondering what use this fire had. Lu Lu Tangsheng loaded the bullet and fired a shot at Ma Wu.

Bang!

The gunshot wasn't loud, and the bullet's power didn't seem great either. Ma Wu had a magic treasure on him; he didn't intend to dodge, planning to take it head-on.

Boluo knocked Ma Wu away, avoiding the bullet. Boluo could see some clues; the bullet fired by the fire seemed to be a living thing.

Lu Lu Tangsheng fired another shot. Ma Wu dodged again, and the bullet hit the Dragon Bone Waterwheel.

The bullet suddenly burst inside the Dragon Bone Waterwheel, and over a hundred fat, wriggling worms crawled onto the waterwheel and kept gnawing.

They gnawed very excitedly. Every time they gnawed, they had to suck hard; this was their nature—they couldn't forget to drink blood while eating meat.

But after gnawing for a while, these worms gradually lost their strength; the Dragon Bone Waterwheel had no meat at all.

The waterwheel drew some water from the pond and sprayed the water and worms all over Nian Nian Shangyou and Lu Lu Tangsheng's bodies.

These worms drilled straight into their flesh. Nian Nian Shangyou caught the worms while cursing Lu Lu Tangsheng angrily: "You useless thing,

using a weapon, and you can come up with such a losing move!"

They weren't the only ones hit by the worms; the soldiers behind them were also affected.

Ma Wu saw the opportunity and shouted to the crowd: "Follow me, drive them out of Xuyi City!"