A black wind raged ahead.
A streak of azure light and a pink shadow pursued relentlessly from behind.
In mere moments, the three had left the city behind, Tonglin County quickly receding as they entered the eastern suburbs. Like a gale, they traversed forests and fields.
Though Leng Jian could summon black winds to accelerate, he could not fly high. He merely enveloped himself in the black wind, pushing his speed to the limit, skimming over treetops.
Shen Ying’s speed was slightly faster than Lu Zheng’s. Her form seemed weightless, drifting with the wind in an elegant posture, appearing slow but actually swift. She scattered peach blossom auras from her hand, shooting into the black wind to slow Leng Jian down.
Lu Zheng channelled his blood qi, employing the Divine Travel Technique. Like an azure shadow, he stepped on treetops, propelling himself forward several yards with each bound. In a wuxia novel of the Jin Yong style, this would be peerless qinggong; yet now, he trailed at the rear.
“You said you’d kill me, didn’t you? Why run?”
“Do you know what this is called? Sending your head from a thousand miles away. No, wolf head.”
“By the way, I actually love dog meat the most. It’s warming and nourishing. And I hear wolves are related to dogs. Did you know my preference and leave a foreleg on purpose?”
“Wolf meat rolling thrice, even immortals can’t stand steady!”
“Brother Wolf, my family is large; one foreleg isn’t enough. How about you do a good deed and leave a hind leg too?”
“Tsk tsk, too much blood wasted. Mix with water, let it congeal, blanch it; tastes great!”
“Howl!”
A wolf’s cry echoed, blade light gleaming fiercely.
Lu Zheng didn’t block it directly but flickered aside, dodging Leng Jian’s strike and closing the distance once more.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Peach blossom auras pierced the black wind. Leng Jian grunted, but his speed didn’t drop. Instead, the black wind intensified, scattering the peach blossom phantoms and carrying him faster.
“Swift!”
Lu Zheng uttered softly, waving his hand lightly. Ten paper talismans shot out, targeting the black wind.
Though the black wind shredded the talismans, icy chill arrived as expected, condensing layers of white frost mist in the surrounding air.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
“Roar!”
Lu Zheng pressed closer, slashing with his blade. A fierce tiger phantom roared forth, charging at Leng Jian.
“Pfft!”
Leng Jian spat another mouthful of blood but kept moving, riding the wind swiftly. He didn’t forget to hurl a threat. “You’ll pay for this; you’ll all die!”
Though Shen Ying and Lu Zheng tried desperately to intercept, Leng Jian was an old demon after all. Even gravely wounded, if determined to flee, he couldn’t be stopped.
Moreover, he had seen through Shen Ying’s nature. “Hmph, a mere incense deity; let’s see how long you can pursue!”
“Lu Lang, we’re nearing the hundred-mile limit from Peach Blossom Ridge!” Shen Ying transmitted urgently.
“No matter; he’s already severely injured. Even if I chase to Wild Wolf Mountain, I’ll finish him!” Lu Zheng said coldly.
Lu Zheng knew time was on his side, but releasing a tiger back to the mountain would leave future events beyond his control. Who knew if the demon could summon an ancestor?
In the xianxia world, any mishap was possible. Lu Zheng had read countless novels and didn’t want to experience those classic web novel tropes, whether he was the protagonist or not.
So, strike while he’s weak; take his life!
“Just you?”
“Just me!” Lu Zheng scoffed. “If you’re capable, stop and fight me?”
As he spoke, three more Condensing Chill Talismans shot out.
Now beyond the hundred miles from Peach Blossom Ridge, Shen Ying could only halt far back, watching Leng Jian and Lu Zheng disappear. Her brows furrowed, lips pursed; then she turned and flew back to Tonglin County.
Left alone, Lu Zheng pursued Leng Jian.
Lu Zheng’s absolute speed wasn’t as fast as Leng Jian’s, but with Leng Jian missing an arm and heavily wounded, his pace couldn’t reach its peak. Instead, Lu Zheng occasionally closed in, using either Condensing Chill Talismans or Tiger Roar Blade, leaving no time to catch his breath.
Whenever Lu Zheng drew near, Leng Jian grew fearful and accelerated to escape. Having suffered greatly from the Binding Curse earlier, he wasn’t foolish enough to give another chance.
Thus, their distance remained neither too close nor too far. One chased, one fled, leaving black and azure afterimages under the moonlight, speeding onward.
“Rustle rustle.”
Lu Zheng occasionally sensed probing gazes upon him: some powerful, some weak, some curious, some faintly hostile. He knew they were spirits and demons of the wilderness.
Yet none intervened; they all kept far away.
Once, a presence appeared ahead but hastily yielded. As Lu Zheng passed, he glimpsed a hunched old man, unsure of his origins.
Eastward they went, night fading, red sun rising.
They had chased and fought all night. Lu Zheng alternated blood qi and Divine Travel Technique, using mostly Condensing Chill and Exorcism Talismans for attacks. Even after a night’s battle, his blood qi and true qi remained sufficient. Moreover, the jade seal’s qi fortune light in his mind not only enhanced true qi and blood qi but also replenished them, though at some cost.
As long as qi fortune light remained in his mind’s jade seal, exhausting him was impossible.
On the other side, Leng Jian’s face was ashen. The red dawn glow on his face brought no colour. He truly hadn’t expected Lu Zheng to entangle him all night.
By his reckoning, with Shen Ying withdrawing early, Lu Zheng would either trail without attacking, allowing recovery, or expend fully to delay, eventually tiring and falling behind.
But what was this now?
They had left Yizhou, entered Yaozhou, traversed over a thousand miles, nearly reaching his Wild Wolf Mountain!
How the hell do you still have energy to chase?
Leng Jian glanced back at Lu Zheng, met by five streaks of white cold light, carrying waves of chill.
Blade light flashed, cold qi scattered. Leng Jian snarled. “Useless!”
“If useless, why block?” Lu Zheng retorted, then reached to find his accumulated Exorcism Talismans depleted.
Since Exorcism Talismans had an advanced version in the Exorcism Curse, unlike the irreplaceable Condensing Chill Talismans, Lu Zheng had prioritised stocking the latter. Exorcism Talismans were few, mostly old stock; unexpectedly, the battle exhausted them.
But, observing Leng Jian’s aura, he was nearly done.
Lu Zheng flipped his palm, retrieving a wooden plaque from his bosom. Under Leng Jian’s grave gaze, he circulated true qi, focused his mind, and a golden light shot from the plaque, illuminating Leng Jian.
It was the artifact seized from the Dao-robed middle-aged man, which Lu Zheng named the Golden Radiance Curse.
