Chapter Eighty-Six: Entering Flight Mode

As he shot toward the sky at extreme speed, Lan Tian continued to think of countermeasures.

This could not go on. Although the Blazing Gold Divine Armor had enough energy for him to use, so there was no need to worry about running out, he could not simply keep wearing it down like this. His true strength was only at the ninth level of energy gathering, nowhere near the point where he could remain sleepless and tireless forever.

In fact, after the fierce battle just now, Lan Tian could already clearly feel his exhaustion.

"Pai, besides converting the Blazing Gold Divine Armor into flight mode, is there really no other way?" Lan Tian asked again. "Somehow I don't feel like this Flame Marsh is truly invincible. As long as I don't get hit, its body can't endure too many of my attacks either."

Lan Tian felt that this creature merely possessed middle-cloud strength, yet it was far less agile than he was in the Blazing Gold Divine Armor. Its attacks, if dodged in time, could not harm him at all. If not for the Heaven-defying Bloodfire being so outrageously unnatural, he could completely keep it engaged in a war of attrition, striking hard from time to time. Small victories accumulating into a great one, he could grind it to death with sheer persistence.

"You make it sound easy. Without the material advantage of the Blazing Gold Divine Armor, you think you could hurt Flame Marsh even a little?" Pai retorted. "If you have the ability, go find a substance on Earth that can damage Flame Marsh."

"Uh... you can't make assumptions like that. Let's stick to the matter at hand. The fact is, Flame Marsh can no longer withstand many of my attacks. If we exclude the Heaven-defying Bloodfire, I could absolutely kill it," Lan Tian argued stubbornly.

"The Heaven-defying Bloodfire is part of its body. Unless you drain all of its blood, the Heaven-defying Bloodfire is inexhaustible. How are you supposed to remove it?" Pai was speechless. This brat was actually wasting time on such meaningless ideas. If the Heaven-defying Bloodfire could be removed so easily, how could Flame Marsh have earned such a fearsome reputation in the universe?

"Then what do we do? If there really is no way, then in the end we can only activate flight mode..." Lan Tian racked his brains, but truly could think of no solution. He could not win in a fight, nor could he escape. If this continued, he would only be worn down to death.

"Hm... activate flight mode... let me think..." Pai fell into contemplation.

"Hey? What are you thinking? Damn it, has it gone berserk again? Why did its speed suddenly increase so much? Is this the tempo of a fight to the death?" Lan Tian's attention had been on his conversation with Pai the whole time. When Pai fell silent in thought, he casually turned his head to look, and at once his soul nearly fled from his body. Flame Marsh had actually closed to within less than a hundred meters behind him!

He hacked apart the surging bloodfire with a single sword strike and forced his speed up again. There was no choice. Whether it had gone mad or was simply growing stronger and stronger, Flame Marsh's speed kept increasing, and it was clear it was about to catch him.

At such close range, even inside the Blazing Gold Divine Armor, he was starting to struggle. It was truly too hot; he felt as though his entire body might melt.

"Activate flight mode!" Pai's voice sounded again, carrying a note of decisiveness. "After my calculations, if flight mode is activated, the chance of victory is one hundred percent. However, the chance of being discovered by the Source Orchid Empire is also one hundred percent."

"But one thing can be confirmed: if flight mode is not activated, everyone will die, and die very soon! Flame Marsh has fallen into a state of furious frenzy, and for some unknown reason it has actually stimulated its own potential. Its strength is rising at a terrifying speed. If flight mode is not activated now, then once it ascends another stage, I fear even a collision from flight mode alone may not be enough to kill it."

"Moreover, once the locator in the Blazing Gold Divine Armor is activated, the Source Orchid Empire's target will be you, the one wearing it, not Earth. Once you leave Earth, the empire will have little interest in such a primitive world."

"So activating the Blazing Gold Divine Armor's flight mode, killing Flame Marsh as quickly as possible, and leaving Earth as soon as possible is the greatest protection you can give to Earth!"

Lan Tian was struck hard in the heart upon hearing this. So... he was about to leave Earth?

Though he had always yearned for the splendor of the universe, he still felt deep reluctance toward Earth. Especially because he had to leave so suddenly, it only made his heart feel sour, like one being forced to depart from home and kin.

His parents and relatives, as well as Wang Ling, were all on Earth. Once he left, he did not know how long he would be gone, nor how many years it would be before he could return. He did not know whether there would still be a day for them to meet again...

"What are you hesitating for?! Are you an idiot? Once you kill Flame Marsh and obtain its essence blood, you will leap into the ranks of the universe's most top-tier cultivation geniuses. If you're lucky, you may even attain a special physique. Add to that your extraordinary comprehension, and even I cannot imagine where your future limit lies!" Pai cursed as though addressing a fool. "After leaving Earth, you don't need to go anywhere else. Head straight for Heaven-Breaking Tower to challenge it. Once you reach the higher levels, countless great figures will rush to take you as their disciple. At that point, what need will you have to fear a mere Source Orchid Empire?!"

"Then, even if you openly declare that you are my master's disciple, even if you openly declare Earth to be your private domain, the Source Orchid Empire would not dare to make the slightest move!"

"Are you an idiot?!"

"How does a fool like you have such high comprehension anyway? This is truly absurd!"

Lan Tian was scolded into a daze, yet his face broke into a wide smile. He had truly been confused by the situation. He had only been thinking that the universe was vast and boundless, and that once he left Earth he would be alone and without kin. He had not thought that his talent and comprehension were his greatest assets. With such capital, as long as he wished it, he would surely be able to join some powerful faction. With backing and support, why would he still need to care about that tiny Source Orchid Empire?

By then he could simply take charge of Earth directly and make it his private domain. Wouldn't that be delightfully satisfying, wonderfully exhilarating?

"Hahaha, Pai, you are truly my greatest lucky star!" Having understood everything, Lan Tian instantly felt enlightened. A trace of excitement flashed in his eyes as he hurriedly said, "Good, activate flight mode. Let's smash it to pieces!"

Without any need for Pai to instruct him further, Lan Tian acted at once. With a thought, the surface of the Blazing Gold Divine Armor suddenly disassembled. Countless components split apart and recombined. The original humanoid battle form transformed into an oval shape, resembling a small warship. No one knew where so many extra materials had come from, but the entire Blazing Gold Divine Armor grew several sizes larger.

When the final section finished recombining, flight mode was fully activated. The entire oval warship fit together seamlessly, and under the sunlight it gleamed with a crystal-dark radiance.

"Lock onto the target. Reverse acceleration!" Pai commanded.

Immediately, the Blazing Gold Divine Armor locked onto Flame Marsh and, with a shrill tearing cry through the air, shot off rapidly in the opposite direction.