# Chapter 306: Heaven Net Earth Trap
That man appeared extremely sturdy, his arms as thick as Zhang Ruochen's thighs, his muscles resembling red-hot iron blocks.
"Bang!"
Another explosive sound rang through the air, shaking the entire valley and causing nearly all the leaves to fall from the trees.
That was the sonic boom produced by the Phoenix Feather Arrow when it was shot. Because the arrow's speed had exceeded the speed of sound, the arrow arrived first, and the sound followed after.
Being able to shoot an arrow that surpassed the speed of sound demonstrated that man's exceptional archery skill and immense strength.
With his archery ability, he could probably kill an enemy from dozens of miles away.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the two people before him and said, "Are you from the Four Directions Commandery?"
"That's right."
The woman holding the metal long whip, thrusting out her voluptuous chest, said coldly, "I am the consort of the Four Directions Commandery Prince, Jin Yeyun."
"The Four Directions Commandery Prince actually values me, a junior, so much that he even sent his own consort."
Zhang Ruochen added more firewood to the blaze, his expression natural as he looked at the other man. "Your archery skill is impressive. You must also be a martial arts mythical figure of the Four Directions Commandery, right?"
"Listen well, boy! I am the Commander of the Divine Arrow Battalion of the Four Directions Commandery, Yin Shan." The man holding the crimson great bow said roughly.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Unfortunately, the Four Directions Commandery colluded with the Black Market, violating the taboo of the First Central Empire. It no longer exists."
"Isn't that all thanks to you?"
Hearing this, Jin Yeyun's heart burned with fury, killing intent flashing in her eyes as if she wanted to devour Zhang Ruochen.
If not for Zhang Ruochen, she would still be a pampered, high-and-mighty noble consort. Why would she have traveled thousands of miles to hunt down a junior?
Now that the Four Directions Commandery no longer existed, she could only enter the Black Market and live in darkness, her former glory gone forever.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "Both of you are Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts mythical figures, but with your strength, killing me won't be easy. Anyone else? Come out now."
"Shua! Shua!"
From the darkness, more figures appeared, rushing into the valley at incredible speed.
"Four Directions Commandery, Western Palace Chief Steward, Cao Lin."
An old eunuch wearing a green-gray eunuch's robe landed behind Zhang Ruochen, a purple official hat on his head, his snow-white hair tied behind it.
"Four Directions Commandery, Imperial Guard Commander, Guo Shisan."
A bald man even more burly and fierce than Yin Shan, standing a full two meters and eight inches tall, charged to Zhang Ruochen's left side, wielding a broad heavy sword like a giant metal door panel.
Because his war sword was so heavy, his feet sank slightly into the ground under its weight.
Besides the four great experts—Jin Yeyun, Yin Shan, Cao Lin, and Guo Shisan—two more figures seemed to stand in the distant darkness.
Behind those two figures followed a squad of soldiers riding giant elephants.
The giant elephants were massive beasts, each nearly ten meters tall. The heavily armored soldiers stood on the elephants' backs, holding long spears, looking like black ghostly knights.
The entire valley had become a valley of death, the atmosphere oppressive to the extreme.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, tightening his clothes slightly, and glanced toward the valley entrance, smiling. "I didn't expect that to kill me, you'd even mobilize the Four Directions Commandery's most powerful army, the Giant Elephant Army. You think too highly of me! I just want to know—who is leading this mission to kill me tonight?"
From afar, an old man's voice came, "I am Jin Chuan, ranked tenth among the Four Directions Commandery's experts. I have been specially ordered by the Commandery Prince to take your head. Zhang Ruochen, we have set up a Heaven Net Earth Trap. Tonight, you won't escape even if you grow wings."
"So it's Senior Jin Chuan who has come. It seems escaping tonight is impossible." Zhang Ruochen said unhurriedly.
Zhang Ruochen's expression appeared calm, but inwardly, he was greatly shaken.
Jin Chuan had a very high reputation in Demon Ridge, ranked among the Four Directions Commandery's top ten experts. His martial arts cultivation was unfathomably deep, and it was said he had already cultivated a Martial Soul.
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the other shadow, feeling a sense of familiarity. "Zhang Tiangui?"
"Ninth Brother, long time no see."
Zhang Tiangui stepped forward a few paces, emerging from the shadow, revealing his sharply defined face. His eyebrows were dark green, his eyes sharp, giving him an imposing and confident aura.
He looked at Zhang Ruochen with a hint of pity in his eyes.
Although Zhang Ruochen had stolen the glory that originally belonged to him, he would still die tonight. Just thinking about it was pitiful.
Having such extraordinary talent, he could have become a person above others in the future, but before he could grow, he would die a violent death.
Zhang Tiangui's pitying expression was only natural.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Aren't you afraid the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion will find out that you've colluded with the people of the Four Directions Commandery?"
"Thanks to you, I am no longer a disciple of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion. I have officially become a member of the Black Market." Zhang Tiangui said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, showing an expression of understanding, then coldly scanned the martial artists of the Four Directions Commandery around him. "Zhang Tiangui, don't you want to fight me yourself?"
Zhang Tiangui clasped his hands behind his back, his body as straight as a spear, and laughed. "Ninth Brother, you are now a top one hundred expert on the Earth Ranking. I'm probably no match for you anymore. Don't worry—I won't give you the chance to kill me."
"Why waste so much words with that brat? Let's make our move now."
Jin Yeyun's long, shapely legs bent slightly, then she sprang up, flying into the air and splitting into three graceful figures.
"Shua! Shua!"
The metal long whips in the hands of the three figures swung out simultaneously, turning into three golden spirit snakes, forming spinning patterns in the air as they attacked Zhang Ruochen's neck, waist, and legs respectively.
All three metal whips seemed solid, not like illusions.
Others couldn't see through Jin Yeyun's movement technique, but Zhang Ruochen could see it very clearly.
His pupils connected to his meridians. A thin layer of true qi appeared on the surface of his pupils, with strands of spiritual fire flowing within the true qi, greatly enhancing his eyesight.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen charged forward, splitting into nine figures—nine shadows.
From nine directions, he drew his sword, striking at Jin Yeyun simultaneously.
"Not good. That brat has cultivated a spiritual-grade upper-class movement technique. I'll go assist the Consort."
Guo Shisan ran forward, each step covering two zhang. He raised his broad heavy sword with both hands, his arms lifted above his head. True qi surged from his pores, forming a spherical Heavenly Firmament Shield ten meters in diameter.
"Rainbow Split Sword."
As Guo Shisan swung his sword, black true qi spewed from the blade's edge, transforming into a ten-meter-long giant sword shadow that slashed toward Zhang Ruochen's nine figures, cutting off his path.
As the former Imperial Guard Commander of the Four Directions Commandery, Guo Shisan's martial arts cultivation had reached the late stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. Moreover, he was a Unique-level martial artist himself, capable of fighting across realms. The sword strike he unleashed with full force was naturally extraordinary.
Even Yan Qingwu, ranked among the top one hundred on the Earth Ranking, was far inferior compared to Guo Shisan.
The sword qi Guo Shisan unleashed was like a waterfall, cascading down from midair.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to halt his sword momentum. His nine figures merged into one, and he struck his sword against the back of Guo Shisan's heavy sword, producing a "bang" of metal collision.
A terrifying force traveled through Zhang Ruochen's arm, numbing his five fingers.
"Such terrifying power."
Zhang Ruochen's heart sank. If just Guo Shisan alone was this difficult to deal with, then how powerful was Jin Chuan, one of the Four Directions Commandery's top ten experts?
"As expected of a top one hundred genius on the Earth Ranking. To be able to block one of my sword strikes, you have some skill."
Guo Shisan pursued, pressing forward step by step, each step accompanied by a sword slash.
Although Guo Shisan had a burly build, his swordsmanship was quite accomplished. His sword style was broad and sweeping, impenetrably tight. Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen's movement technique was agile; otherwise, he would have already been cut down by his sword.
"Boom!"
The heavy sword in Guo Shisan's hand brushed past Zhang Ruochen's shoulder and struck the ground, leaving a thirty-meter-long, three-meter-deep, half-meter-wide sword scar on the earth.
One could imagine that if this sword strike hit a person, the entire body would be shattered by the sword qi, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
"Shua! Shua!"
Jin Yeyun stood at a distance, swinging her metal long whip, assisting Guo Shisan by continuously attacking Zhang Ruochen's legs, suppressing his advantage in movement technique.
One close, one far.
One focused on power, the other on agility—they coordinated perfectly, each move seeming to push Zhang Ruochen toward a dead end.
While fending off the attacks of Guo Shisan and Jin Yeyun, Zhang Ruochen observed his surroundings, searching for a path to escape the valley.
At the valley entrance were Jin Chuan, Zhang Tiangui, and a squad of Giant Elephant Army—definitely a dead end.
On the other three sides of the valley: to the left stood an old eunuch with unfathomable cultivation; to the right stood a man holding a crimson great bow.
These two were clearly top-tier experts, impossible to deal with in just two or three moves.
Thus, only the back side of the valley was the sole path of survival.
The back side of the valley was a hundred-zhang-tall cliff, its stone wall smooth and barren of vegetation. Perhaps for this reason, the experts of the Four Directions Commandery hadn't bothered to guard it.
But Zhang Ruochen felt something was off. The Four Directions Commandery had dispatched so many experts to kill him, setting up a Heaven Net Earth Trap—why would they leave Zhang Ruochen a path of survival?
Could it be that they had deliberately left a path, which was actually also a dead end, waiting for Zhang Ruochen to walk right into it?
No choice. Even knowing that the other side might have set an ambush, Zhang Ruochen had to take that path.
"No wonder the Commandery Prince insisted that I personally lead the mission to kill Zhang Ruochen. This child is indeed formidable. He hasn't even reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm, yet he can already withstand the combined attacks of Guo Shisan and Yun'er. If he breaks through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm, how terrifying would he be? Even martial artists ranked in the top fifty of the Earth Ranking might not be this strong!" Jin Chuan said.
Zhang Tiangui smiled. "Zhang Ruochen only appears relaxed. In reality, he has already reached his limit. Under the attacks of Commander Guo and Consort Jin, he should be cut down by the sword within fifty moves."
Jin Chuan was slightly surprised and couldn't help but glance at Zhang Tiangui, thinking to himself, *This child has sharp eyesight, able to see through Zhang Ruochen's true situation.*
Based on Jin Chuan's judgment, Zhang Ruochen had indeed been forced into a disadvantage by Guo Shisan and Jin Yeyun. Unless Zhang Ruochen had hidden strength, he would surely die within fifty moves.
(There will be another chapter tomorrow during the day. The exact time is uncertain; it should be in the afternoon.)