Chapter 16: At Last, Escaping

Master Wang was fairly satisfied with the properties of the Thunder Department's Celestial Command. Although it could only be used three times, it was meant as a life-saving tool for Wang Yi—a deterrent more than a weapon. Given its purpose, such limitations were reasonable.

No longer dwelling on those thoughts, Wang opened his attribute panel to check the randomly awarded green-grade magical treasure from the temporary quest. Upon clicking "complete task," the treasure appeared before him.

He had no idea what kind of random magical item he would get, but soon found a bronze statue of a green horse had inexplicably appeared in his inventory. The statue stood about thirty centimeters tall and forty-five centimeters long, cast entirely from bronze. The horse raised its head and neighed, its body robust and limbs slender, exuding an air of noble vigor.

[Bronze Warhorse (Magical Treasure)]
[Quality: Green]
[Mount, Speed: 180]
[Equip Requirements: Strength 5, Agility 5, Riding Skill Level 1 or above]
[Trait 1: Divine Movement—Each hoof bears a Divine Movement Talisman. When activated with mana, each talisman increases movement speed by 50 kilometers per hour.]
[Trait 2: Wave-Stepping—The soles are inscribed with Wave-Stepping Talismans. When activated with mana, the warhorse can run atop water.]
[Description: A mount-type magical treasure. Equip it in the magical item slot to summon an inexhaustible bronze warhorse at any time. As long as you can control it, the warhorse will run at whatever speed you desire.]

The magical item seemed quite decent, though it only had two traits, which surprised Wang. He’d always assumed equipment traits started at three. Thankfully, he hadn't voiced that thought, or he would have been laughed at.

Wang hurriedly equipped the Bronze Warhorse in his magical item slot. Having surpassed level 20, he now had mana to activate it, making the treasure readily accessible.

Upon activation, a bronze-cast warhorse materialized beside him. The warhorse stood two meters tall and two-point-three meters long, its body entirely bronze, with intricate engravings on its legs—clearly the Divine Movement Talismans meant to enhance speed.

Before mounting, the warhorse stood motionless, resembling a bronze figurine.

But Wang knew the Bronze Warhorse could indeed run, and its quality was no less than his original green horse’s. He leapt onto its back, chose a direction, and let the warhorse gallop forth.

At the same time, Wang examined an item he had found on Black Commander—a vessel resembling a wine gourd. Its yellow skin had been worn black, and upon opening it, he saw a strange black liquid inside.

The liquid reminded Wang of the black blood that had spurted from Black Commander when he was slain, filling him with revulsion. Lacking any means to identify it, Wang simply tossed the gourd into his backpack.

He then rode toward the mountain’s edge, intending to reach Yanggu County and survey this world. When he first arrived, he thought it relatively safe, but in the blink of an eye, it had become a demon-infested ridge.

Could it be that the visions he saw upon entering this world were real? That a hundred and eight demons had been unleashed, turning the world into a realm of fiends?

Contemplating this, Wang controlled the Bronze Warhorse. Compared to a living horse, it had one advantage: no bumpiness, and it could run as fast as he wished, without slowing.

Initially, Wang kept the warhorse’s speed at 120, gradually acclimating before increasing it to 180. As for how the speed was measured, it was simple—atop the warhorse’s head was a virtual screen, displaying data only visible to its owner, much like players’ status panels, with the speed clearly marked.

It appeared the screen also supported maps and auto-navigation, but for some reason, those functions were currently unavailable.

After ten minutes of riding, Wang finally approached the edge of the mountain path. Just then, he noticed something lying on the roadside ahead.

Feeling tense, Wang summoned his Life-Cutting Blade. Gripping it in his right hand, he raised it and swept it horizontally toward the front.

Since enhancing his skill with the unfamiliar blade, Wang’s technique had become more relaxed. He could now execute sweeps he once couldn’t manage.

This time, his blade arced around the warhorse’s head, slicing from left to right, but in truth, stayed entirely on a single plane, its force undiminished.

After slashing, Wang squeezed the horse’s flanks and activated a pair of Divine Movement Talismans, boosting the warhorse’s speed by another hundred. He resolved to ignore the roadside and dash forward.

But just as he neared the end of the mountain path, only a few meters away, a fierce gust struck from behind, aiming straight at the back of his head.

Wang reacted swiftly. Realizing he couldn’t turn in time for a counterstrike, he ducked low and leaped from the horse, narrowly avoiding the blow.

The gust struck the Bronze Warhorse, shattering the newly acquired magical mount to pieces.

Fortunately, Wang saw that the Bronze Warhorse was a magical item, not a regular horse. As long as he had sufficient mana, he could summon another identical warhorse.

So he paid no mind to the destroyed mount, lunging forward toward the path’s end.

Only two or three meters remained—just two strides at his speed.

Wang accelerated and burst out of the mountain path. As he crossed its threshold, he felt as though he had broken through some barrier. All previous unease vanished.

He immediately sensed the world was suffused with yang energy; nearby, farmers led oxen to their fields.

Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing back, he saw the mountain road he’d traversed slowly enveloped in dense mist, catching only a glimpse of the corpses sprawled beside the path.

They were Wang Yi and his horses, who had fled earlier. Evidently, in the end, they too failed to return to the living world.