Under the pale winter sun, the labor convicts were herded by a large group of guards to a stretch of barren land. Dust rose with every step.
Zhong Gaoliang unrolled a large paper diagram, squinted, and announced loudly,
"According to Tianzun's decree, Gaojia Village will build a new road from here straight to Fengyuan Town! Your task is simple—dig toward that direction until you reach it!"
A tired chorus of "Yes, sir…" rolled through the line as shovels hit the ground.
Zao Ying's sharp eyes swept across the workers, then the guards. After a moment, she whispered to Shan Sier,
"If these people suddenly riot, your guards won't be able to stop them."
Shan Sier nodded calmly. "True. They won't."
"Then why aren't you the least bit worried?"
He looked up at the drifting low cloud above and smiled faintly.
"Because it's impossible to fail."
"...What?"
Zao Ying blinked, confused.
As the convicts worked, she suddenly noticed something—eight men were behaving oddly. They dug half-heartedly, inching ever closer to the work site's edge.
She leaned in.
"Manager Shan, those eight over there—you might want to keep an eye on them."
Shan Sier only glanced their way, then lifted his head again.
The small divine cloud had already drifted above the eight men.
He smiled.
"No need to worry, Chief Zao. It's under control."
Just as he said that—chaos broke out.
Lao Nanfeng suddenly sprang up, shoving the nearest guard so hard the poor man toppled over backward with a thud. That guard wasn't much of a fighter—just a reformed villager pressed into duty—no match for a battle-hardened frontier soldier.
Lao Nanfeng darted forward like lightning.
His seven men followed, sprinting in perfect sync.
They were fast—blindingly fast. In modern times, they would've qualified as national-level athletes. In seconds, they had cleared the outer perimeter and vanished behind a dirt mound.
The rest of the guards just stood there, dumbstruck.
A few heartbeats later came the belated cry:
"Prison break! They're escaping!"
Zao Ying frowned.
"Manager Shan, should I take my men on horseback and bring them back?"
Shan Sier chuckled, shaking his head.
"I appreciate the offer, Chief Zao, but there's no need. Sit back and enjoy the show—we'll handle this."
Then he raised his voice for all to hear:
"Hold your ground! Nobody move! Those eight won't get far—Tianzun will deal with them personally!"
At that moment, every guard looked up.
A soft gasp rippled through the crowd.
Above, the small divine cloud had begun to follow the escapees.
The guards grinned.
"Ah, Tianzun's watching!"
"Then no problem!"
"Let's see if they run faster than a god can fly!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Meanwhile, Lao Nanfeng and his seven companions were tearing across the countryside.
Over hills, across ditches, northward—they ran like men possessed.
They didn't know the local terrain, but they knew one thing: this was Chengcheng County. And north of here was Huanglong Mountain.
If they could reach the mountain forests, they'd vanish. No one would ever find them.
High above, Li Daoxuan watched the eight tiny figures running for their lives.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Should I just slap them flat with my hand? Nah… too easy. Boring!
If they love breaking out so much, let's see how they handle a real prison break.
He began rummaging through the pile of miniature toys he'd bought back home.
After a moment, his eyes lit up.
"Perfect—Hamster Adventure Maze!"
It was a half-meter-wide toy box filled with cruel little obstacles:
spinning plastic blades, fake cockroaches, flipping platforms, water pits, bouncing balls—all designed to make a hamster struggle its way to the treat at the far end.
Li Daoxuan grinned wickedly.
He adjusted his divine view northward, found a flat patch of ground, and carefully placed the "Hamster Adventure" box down on it.
He poured in some water, set the rolling balls, positioned the fake bugs, loaded the batteries, and flipped the switch.
Preparation complete.
Back to the fleeing prisoners.
They were still running at full speed, panting, glancing over their shoulders.
The work site was far behind now—no pursuit in sight.
Lao Nanfeng laughed out loud.
"We made it!"
The others cheered.
"Hah! I told you following Nanfeng bro was the smart move!"
Lao Nanfeng puffed his chest.
"Just a bunch of amateur guards—how could they ever trap me? Once I hit Huanglong Mountain, I'm gone for good! Never coming back to that cursed place!"
One man whispered,
"Not taking revenge?"
"Revenge?" Lao Nanfeng snorted. "Didn't you see that giant golden hand? As big as a house! How do you fight something like that? If we get out alive, that's blessing enough!"
The man nodded quickly.
"Right, right, I was just asking…"
Lao Nanfeng went on,
"When I escaped, I didn't even hurt that guard—just pushed him down. No need to make them mad enough to hunt us down later."
High above, Li Daoxuan chuckled.
Huh. At least you've got some restraint.
Too bad it won't save you. You still broke the rules—and Tianzun always enforces the rules.
He slid on his golden Infinity Glove, flexed his fingers, and—
BOOM!—slammed his palm toward the earth.
The eight fugitives were mid-sprint when the air above them suddenly darkened.
They looked up—and froze.
A colossal golden hand descended from the heavens and slammed into the ground before them, shaking the hills.
It was the same divine hand they'd seen during the battle outside Chengcheng County.
All eight screamed and dropped to the ground in terror.
"It's over!"
"We're doomed!"
Their faces turned ashen.
They knew escape was impossible now.
Maybe—if they were lucky—they'd get "lenient punishment" for not killing any guards.
But just as they were thinking that, the massive golden hand moved.
It lowered behind them, palm upright like a towering wall, and began pushing forward.
"Run! It's coming at us!"
"Run, damn it, run!"
The eight scrambled to their feet and bolted ahead—
straight toward the enormous Hamster Adventure Maze that Li Daoxuan had placed before them.
And above, Dao Xuan Tianzun's amused voice echoed faintly through the clouds—
"Let's see how far you mice can run."