"Hahaha! It's too late to stop me now!"
Wang Lin let out a crazed laugh, wielding his butcher's knife like a whirlwind, cutting down everyone in his path.
Wherever he passed, it was like entering an unguarded realm. No soldier of the Empire's legion could hold him back.
"Princess, run! This man has lost his mind!"
Several Dou Spirit experts within the Imperial Army, specifically assigned to protect Yao Ye, rushed to her aid. But they too were struck down by the maddened Wang Lin.
Wang Lin's strength had surged, and with his reckless, desperate manner, even the Dou Spirit experts became little more than fodder before him.
"Troops, form a defensive line! Raise the military shields and advance—crush this madman!"
Yao Ye did not retreat but instead commanded her soldiers to erect a towering defensive barrier, tens of meters high, like a massive war machine rolling towards the canyon.
"Haha! Military shields? To hell with your shields!"
Wang Lin laughed maniacally. Like a tempest, he grabbed several members of the Happy Forest Whirlwind Gang, using them as human shields. With Dou Qi wings sprouting from his back, he leapt across the cliffs like an eagle, bounding between the canyon walls, heading straight for Yao Ye.
"No! Princess, flee now!"
The Dou Spirit protectors were horrified. Wang Lin had even unleashed his Dou Qi wings—no one here could stop this bandit.
"Hahaha! Trying to escape? Too late!"
Wang Lin hurled his human shields aside. They were promptly riddled with arrows from the Imperial Legion before they even hit the ground, and in an instant, Wang Lin was standing before Yao Ye.
With a swift motion, Wang Lin reached out, his hand targeting the princess on horseback.
"You dare!"
"Die, villain!"
The Dou Spirit experts' faces turned pale, and they rushed to intercept Wang Lin, their weapons aimed at him.
"Get out of my way!"
With a furious roar, Wang Lin's butcher knife whirled through the air, cutting one Dou Spirit expert in half. He pulled out more butcher knives, Dou Qi surging in his grip, and sent the blades flying toward the rest of the protectors.
Seeing the imminent danger, Yao Ye bit her lip and spurred her horse into retreat.
But with a flash, one of Wang Lin's knives shot through the air, piercing her horse cleanly through, causing the beast to collapse. Yao Ye fell from her saddle, barely managing to stay conscious.
Before she could react, the crazed Wang Lin was already upon her. In full view of her soldiers, he slapped away her golden spear and grabbed her by the shoulder, disappearing swiftly into the cliffs.
"Chase after them! Rescue the princess!"
"Kill every last one of those bandits!"
The Imperial Legion was in an uproar. All those above Dou Master rank chased after the fleeing Wang Lin, while the rest stayed behind to deal with the remaining bandits.
"The princess... is in serious trouble."
Amidst the chaos, a man who wielded the power of the heavens stood in the canyon, curious as he watched Wang Lin and Yao Ye disappear. This was Gu Changqing, who had mastered the way of the Dao so thoroughly that even arrows would bend away from him.
With Wang Lin now possessing the strength of a Dou King, thanks to his Dou Qi wings, catching him would be impossible for anyone here, barring the intervention of a Dou Emperor. Even sending Dou Kings after him might prove futile.
"Well, this looks like a chance for me to play the hero and save the beauty... and maybe get rid of Mo Li from the Mo family while I'm at it."
Gu Changqing's thoughts swirled, and in the next instant, he vanished along with his Amethyst Winged Lion.
---
"Where did that boy and the magical beast go?"
A soldier, keeping an eye on the canyon to prevent the remaining Whirlwind Gang members from escaping, rubbed his eyes in confusion. He could have sworn he saw a youth and a magical beast there moments ago.
"Damn it! Why did the Imperial Legion suddenly arrive? They've ruined my plans!"
On a remote path, Mo Li was fleeing on a black-scaled horse, cursing his luck. His plot against Gu Changqing had fallen through.
Worse yet, he had angered the Whirlwind Gang. If Wang Lin escaped, Mo Li knew the bandit wouldn't let him off easily.
Swoosh!
"Mo Li, you scum! How dare you plot against me? Where do you think you're going?"
Just as Mo Li cursed under his breath, an enraged shout filled with murderous intent echoed from behind.
A moment later, Wang Lin, clutching Yao Ye, flew towards him like a massive boar charging through the skies.
"Shit!"
"Captain Wang, I can explain! I didn't—"
"Explain to hell! Die!"
Wang Lin hurled a butcher knife, the blade whistling through the air toward Mo Li.
Mo Li, a mere Dou Practitioner, had no chance of dodging a Dou King's attack. In a single stroke, Wang Lin cleaved him in two, his eyes wide open in death, still filled with disbelief.
"Damn it, that scum got off too easy."
Wang Lin spat, before dragging Yao Ye into the nearby forest at speed. His strength as a Dou King was temporary, granted by a pill. Once its effects wore off, he would fall back to the rank of a two-star Dou Spirit, heavily injured. He needed to escape while he still had time.
---
By the time Gu Changqing arrived with his Amethyst Winged Lion, all he found was Mo Li's corpse and his bisected horse.
"Dead already? Well, that saves me the trouble."
Gu Changqing shook his head, uninterested in the dead man. With a swift motion, he continued his pursuit of Wang Lin.
---
Thud!
Inside a hidden lair deep in the magical beast mountain range, Wang Lin tossed Yao Ye's delicate figure onto a bed of straw that looked more like a wild animal's nest.
"Damn wench! You dared to lead an army against me? A princess, huh? The Imperial Legion, huh? Let's see how you enjoy being treated like this!"
He sneered viciously, preparing to take his revenge.
"You'd better release me now and run while you can, or when my great-grandfather arrives, you won't even have a grave to be buried in!" Yao Ye's voice was cold as ice, her eyes filled with fury despite the pain.
"Hahaha, your great-grandfather? Let me guess, it's Jia Xingtian, right?"
"Do you even know where you are? This is the lair of the Ape tribe. After I'm done with you, I'll toss you to them and let them have their fun. By the time your grandfather finds you, I'll be long gone."
Wang Lin laughed madly. He wasn't afraid. To bandits like him, death was just part of the game. Even if Jia Xingtian hunted him down, it would only mean his eventual death. But before that, he would enjoy every moment.
"This is... the Ape tribe lair?!"
Yao Ye's face turned pale. The Apes were vile magical beasts, notorious for their fondness for human women. Though they were only first- and second-rank beasts, no woman who fell into their hands ever escaped unscathed.
"Hahaha, let me feed you a Happy Pill first. Let's see if you can still act so high and mighty afterward!"
Wang Lin laughed wildly, stepping forward to forcefully pry open Yao Ye's mouth. With a rough motion, he shoved a bright red pill down her throat.