Chapter 335: Earth Dragon Ostrich

He Pingsheng slowly regained the speed and distance he had lost.

After more than half an hour, he finally caught up to the first group.

He saw far ahead the figures of the Thirteenth Imperial Prince and the Ninth Imperial Prince.

But what worried He Pingsheng was that those two were not alone ahead.

Besides the two princes, seven or eight cultivators in moon-white robes still followed closely, and one disciple even led both princes.

Clearly, this first wave consisted entirely of imperial family disciples.

Earlier, Princess Wei Chuan had said there were four or five princes here.

So were these cultivators divided among several princes, or were they all loyal to the Ninth and Thirteenth Princes?

Unknown.

If they were all the Thirteenth Prince's men, it would be troublesome.

With He Pingsheng now alone, though his speed could catch up, if even three of them attacked him at once, his speed would surely drop again.

What to do?

How to break the deadlock?

"Everyone, do not act rashly!"

He Pingsheng spotted the Thirteenth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince naturally spotted him too.

Seeing He Pingsheng closing in, the Thirteenth Prince immediately ordered: "The black mud pool is not far—don't stir up trouble. As long as he doesn't overtake me, no one is to attack him. Don't end up chasing a fox and getting covered in stink!"

"If he tries to overtake me, everyone attack without holding back—stop him!"

This was the Thirteenth Prince's strategy.

Around the Thirteenth Prince were his several subordinates.

Ten or so zhang behind him was the Ninth Prince.

Another ten or so zhang behind the Ninth Prince was He Pingsheng.

Soon, He Pingsheng reached the Ninth Prince's side.

The two were nearly level.

"Brother Xu…" the Ninth Prince sent a voice message: "Shall we cooperate?"

He Pingsheng knew the next challenge would be hard, so he deliberately slowed slightly and replied: "How do you propose we cooperate?"

They ran while exchanging voice messages.

Their speed was high.

The Ninth Prince said: "In another incense stick's time, we'll reach the black mud pool!"

"The Black and White Lotus Root isn't as hard to obtain as other things—whomever arrives first gets it!"

"And there's only one segment!"

"Help me out!"

"Let me get the Black and White Lotus Root—I swear I'm not ungrateful!"

"I'll reward you well!"

"A substantial reward!"

He Pingsheng said: "What can you give me?"

The Ninth Prince asked: "What do you want?"

He Pingsheng said: "I want the Black and White Lotus Root!"

"Hehehe…" Hearing this, the Ninth Prince laughed: "Brother Xu, you want the Black and White Lotus Root to trade for the Blood Jade Purple-Skinned Jujube, right? Fine… once I trade this for the Blood Jade Purple-Skinned Jujube, I'll give it to you immediately!"

"You know I'm already at Foundation Establishment Level Twelve—I don't need the Blood Jade Purple-Skinned Jujube to break through!"

He Pingsheng said: "No… you misunderstood…"

"What I mean is!"

"I want both!"

"Alright… fine…" the Ninth Prince gritted his teeth: "To be honest with you, I don't need the Black and White Lotus Root either!"

"Because it's not even ripe!"

"But I must obtain it!"

"Because my father said whoever gets the Black and White Lotus Root will receive a generous reward!"

"And it's not just about the reward—you understand, right?"

"After I use it, I'll give it to you!"

"No problem!"

He Pingsheng looked ahead.

The black mud pool was not far off.

He still hadn't thought of a way to break through.

Without cooperating with the Ninth Prince, it would be extremely difficult for him to break past the Thirteenth Prince's defenses.

Cooperation was nearly his only path.

"Fine!" He Pingsheng said: "A gentleman's word is binding—don't lie to me, or you'll regret it!"

The Ninth Prince said: "Rest assured—if I betray you, may I die a miserable death."

"Brother Xu… accelerate ahead and draw the Thirteenth Prince's attention—make his subordinates all swarm you!"

"And you?" He Pingsheng asked.

The Ninth Prince chuckled: "Don't worry—I still have a trump card. When I play it, my speed will surpass yours right now!"

Damn.

He Pingsheng raised an eyebrow: So this guy was prepared this thoroughly?

No wonder he hadn't used his trump card yet—using it now would be useless, since the Thirteenth Prince's men had already blocked the path ahead.

If he tried to overtake the Thirteenth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince's men would swarm him.

But now, if He Pingsheng tied up the Thirteenth Prince's men, the Ninth Prince could break free.

Excellent!

While you two fight over it, I'll slip through the chaos.

"Fine… but I have one condition: before we exit, you must hand me the Black and White Lotus Root!"

"Once I'm out of the secret realm, I'll give it back to you!"

He Pingsheng wasn't foolish—he wouldn't agree so easily: "And if you break your promise, I'll help the Thirteenth Prince take it from you!"

"No problem!" the Ninth Prince said: "I only need the credit—everything else doesn't matter!"

"Good!" He Pingsheng activated fourfold speed under his feet!

Simultaneously, he unleashed fivefold burst speed.

Boom…

Boom…

Boom boom…

Golden light erupted nonstop from He Pingsheng's feet—his speed surged rapidly, and within six breaths he caught up to the Thirteenth Prince, then leaped forward to take first place.

"Attack!"

The Thirteenth Prince sent a silent command.

Almost simultaneously, all his subordinates launched attacks at He Pingsheng.

Several assaults howled toward him.

But the Thirteenth Prince did not attack.

He needed to compete for the Black and White Lotus Root—he had to preserve his own speed.

He Pingsheng dodged left and right, while also counterattacking with a wave of his hand.

As a result, his speed and that of the subordinates all slowed.

The Thirteenth Prince and the Ninth Prince surged ahead, leaving them far behind.

The black mud pool loomed ahead.

"Hahaha…"

The Ninth Prince laughed, waved his hand, and tossed out a beast from his spirit beast pouch.

It was a massive creature resembling an ostrich.

After releasing it, the Ninth Prince mounted the giant bird directly.

The bird couldn't fly, but its running speed was extremely fast.

"This is… the Earth Dragon Ostrich?" He Pingsheng was stunned.

The Earth Dragon Ostrich was not only huge in size but also ran at incredible speed and could carry heavy loads.

Crucially, it was a beast!

For instance, the Earth Dragon Ostrich beneath the Ninth Prince was at Foundation Establishment Level Nine.

Its speed was extremely fast—roughly triple that of an ordinary cultivator running.

"Hmph…" the Thirteenth Prince sneered: "You have one? Do you think I don't?"

The Thirteenth Prince waved his hand and released a snow-white tiger from his spirit beast pouch.

He mounted it instantly and chased after them, moving faster than the Earth Dragon Ostrich.

It reached nearly four times the speed—roughly equal to He Pingsheng's maximum sprint.

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince instantly surpassed the Ninth Imperial Prince.

The White Tiger is fast, but it has one flaw: it is not a demonic beast.

It is most vulnerable to attack or interference.