Chapter 72

Hao Qi and the others rushed from the safe area into the core area of the ruins. At first, it was relatively easy, but the deeper they went, the greater the pressure they felt. Although no Inner Force Realm puppets had appeared yet, the increasing number of Near-Inner Force Realm puppets made everyone truly understand what it meant for quantity to lead to quality.

Among those present, the strength of the Sutuka tribe elder was absolutely not weak. From Hao Qi's perspective, he was even stronger than the Wang Diao who had ambushed him before, and stronger than the Inner Force Realm experts from the Baicao Kingdom. His eagle claws were practiced to a state of simplicity, moving as if a true desert eagle were swooping down to the ground. Whether in terms of inner force, speed, strength, or technique, he was a top-tier Inner Force Realm expert.

Next was Su Shiyun. To be honest, Su Shiyun's inner force was on par with other Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family, almost equal in quantity and quality. However, her sword skills were truly at a very high level. She had a natural talent for martial arts and combat, and her sword skills were beginning to approach the realm of simplicity. Although her strength was slightly weaker than the Sutuka tribe elder, if they fought to the death, the outcome would likely be mutual destruction.

Then came the two Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family, whose strength was weaker than that of ordinary Inner Force Realm experts. In the current situation, dealing with Near-Inner Force Realm puppets was manageable, but if they encountered an Inner Force Realm puppet, even just one, it would be enough to put them at a disadvantage. This was why the Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family were hesitant and would not agree to proceed unless absolutely necessary.

Next was Zhang Heng, whose strength was almost negligible. His martial arts were rudimentary and he was not even at the Inner Force Realm. In the current situation, he was of little use.

Finally, there was Hao Qi, who could be considered the strongest among those present. His inner force, both in quantity and quality, far exceeded everyone else. He also possessed the new ability of the Luohan Subduing Demon Technique, and the hidden card of the Prajna Palm. It could be said that Hao Qi's strength far surpassed all the Inner Force Realm experts present.

This was the current strength of the team. To put it bluntly, if this team were to appear in any country in the Blue Sea, except for a major empire with Inner Qi Realm experts, they would be a team capable of shaking the foundations of any country. However, at this moment, in these ruins, they could only flee in panic.

Countless Near-Inner Force Realm puppets rushed out from various floors and hidden doors. These puppets were fearless, their bodies not made of machinery but also not of flesh and blood, with almost no fatal points. The only fatal point was the puppet chip inside their bodies, but this chip was located at an uncertain position between their chest and abdomen. Unless it could be found and destroyed instantly, the only way to kill them was to dismember them, which required a great deal of effort. Therefore, the group had to fight and retreat, unable to kill them but able to advance quickly by keeping a distance.

After advancing for several minutes, the distance they had covered was not as much as they had hoped. The layers of resistance significantly slowed them down, and the further they advanced, the stronger the resistance became. However, fortunately, no Inner Force Realm puppets had appeared yet. According to the Sutuka elder, they were very close to the core area, and perhaps they still had a slim chance of achieving their goal.

Suddenly, the lights inside the ruins turned red, and a sharp alarm sounded. Everyone was surprised, except for the Sutuka elder, whose face turned ashen and his body trembled violently.

"Someone has intruded into the control area and entered the ruins. They seem to be heading towards the core chip... It's bad! The security level of the ruins is increasing, and the permissions to obtain the core chip are growing. We're finished..."

As the Sutuka elder spoke, his face turned as pale as a corpse. He stopped running and stood there, trembling all over. Seeing him stop, the two Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family hesitated and also stopped. They had never wanted to participate, and now they were even less willing to advance.

When Hao Qi ran past them, he said, "Stopping now means death. Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well push forward. There might still be a slim chance of survival." Without waiting for their reaction, he rushed forward, and Su Shiyun, who followed closely behind, gave the three a cold look and also charged forward resolutely.

Seeing this, the three were startled and immediately rushed forward again. However, after only a few dozen seconds, they saw Hao Qi and Su Shiyun suddenly stop, engaging in combat with four red puppets.

Inner Force Realm puppets!

The four red puppets were Inner Force Realm puppets, which were extremely rare even in this ancient sect's ruins. It was only at this moment, when they were close to the core area, that these Inner Force Realm puppets appeared. Hao Qi alone faced three of them, while Su Shiyun engaged one. Zhang Heng lay on the stairs, a large gash on his waist. The battle around him sent metal pieces flying, preventing both from advancing and even putting them at a disadvantage.

The two Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family were shocked. They rushed into the battle, attacking one of the Inner Force Realm puppets together, finally evening the odds. The Sutuka elder, watching Hao Qi's battle with bright eyes, let out a long cry and rushed into Hao Qi's battlefield, swinging his claws furiously and temporarily driving back two Inner Force Realm puppets. He then urgently said to Hao Qi, "Don't stay here. Your strength is so great, don't bother with the Inner Force Realm puppets along the way. Just push forward. I'll attract the puppets behind you, and the others can also attract some. It all depends on you!"

At the same time, Su Shiyun also shouted, "Hao Qi, go! You're the strongest. We'll attract the puppets here. Go quickly!"

Zhang Heng, holding his abdomen, laughed and said, "That's right. I've been a burden on this journey, but if I can help attract some puppets here, it won't be in vain."

The two Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family turned pale. They were speechless because, as Hao Qi had said, advancing still offered a slim chance of survival, but staying to attract the puppets meant certain death. They felt like they were being used as pawns and thus could not say anything.

Hao Qi looked at the hope in the Sutuka elder's eyes, the hope in Su Shiyun's eyes, and the hope in Zhang Heng's eyes, and then at the fear in the eyes of the two Inner Force Realm experts of the Su family. He shook his head and suddenly shouted, "No, Zhang Heng! Not just you, but all of you are a burden!"

As he spoke, Hao Qi raised his palm, and a golden Buddha seal appeared in his palm. He then struck one of the Inner Force Realm puppets, and at the same time, his inner force circulated according to the Luohan Subduing Demon Technique.

"Luohan Fist!"

"Prajna Palm!"

"Luohan Subduing Demon Technique!"

Using the pinnacle of the Luohan Fist as the foundation, he unleashed the long-accumulated Prajna Palm,叠加了罗汉伏魔劲的力量，这一瞬间郝启打出的这一掌威力巨大得难以想象，这也是自他拥有内力之后，所打出威力最大的一掌。一掌直去，那只内力境傀儡只来得及微微抵挡了一瞬，下一瞬间，巨大的力量将其完全贯穿，佛印直接打断了这只傀儡，剩余的力量就直轰向了墙壁，巨大的力量直接贯穿入了不知道多深，紧接着，这一层楼梯处的墙壁直接崩塌了下来，讲所有人都掩盖在了其中。

十多秒后，众人就从这处崩塌的墙壁里慢慢立起了身来，他们就看到郝启顶立在崩塌的金属块中，在其下方则是张恒躺倒处，而在墙壁外则传来了剧烈的打击声响。

“你们全是拖累，所以剩下的道路我一个人去，速度还快些。”

郝启咧嘴一笑，说话间就要掀开金属块冲出去，而苏诗烟看着郝启顶立的身影，莫名的，她眼泪流了出来，直接大声吼道：“你根本不必做到这一步的啊，那些骨头汤算什么，你不来的话，什么事情都不会牵扯到你，你为什么要这样呈英雄啊！”

“……估计……”郝 Qi's hand paused, and he looked at Su Shiyun's tears, and at Zhang Heng's agitated struggle to sit up. He was silent for a moment before saying, "It's sentiment."

"Sentiment related to chivalry, related to promises. I admire those who value their word as much as a thousand pieces of gold, those who can make a promise with three cups of wine and consider it as heavy as the five mountains. I admire such people, but I cannot do it. In reality, there are too many heavy burdens and too many heavy costs that force me to break those promises. So I admire and envy them, and I hope that one day, I can become such a person, to fulfill my promises in any situation, without regret, in life and death. That was in my past life, so in this life..."

"So..."

"Zhang Heng, please travel the seven seas for me, see the sights that no one has seen, seek what no one has sought, and achieve what no one has achieved. That would be enough."

"Finally..."

Hao Qi threw away the metal block, bowed to Su Shiyun, and laughed, "When I was an orphan, poor and destitute, a single meal of kindness, today I must..."

As he spoke, Hao Qi suddenly lifted all the metal blocks above him and rushed out, striking the upper floor with a Buddha seal. More metal blocks buried the group again, and Hao Qi's voice, amidst the continuous collapse and explosions, faintly reached Su Shiyun's ears.

"Life and death, one promise!"

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