Time passed unnoticed.
The saint-level array pattern had already been activated more than a dozen times. Ye Qiu and True Person Longbrow had fled hundreds of thousands of li, perhaps millions.
“Old fogey, how much further to the Southern Ridge?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Almost there, almost there.” True Person Longbrow grinned. “Another twenty-odd activations and we should reach the Southern Ridge.”
Bloody hell, and that’s supposed to be “almost”?
Ye Qiu nearly spat blood.
“Good thing we have enough spirit stones, or we’d be dead meat by now.”
True Person Longbrow continued, “Little brat, we’ve run so far. This poor daoist is tired. How about we stop and rest a bit?”
“Have you lost your will to live?” Ye Qiu snapped. “The moment a saint catches up, we’re finished. Less talk, more fleeing.”
True Person Longbrow was unconcerned. “Don’t panic, little brat. We’ve come this far. Even a saint would find it hard to catch us now.”
“This poor daoist is exhausted. I’m not moving.”
With that, he put away the saint-level array pattern.
“You—” Ye Qiu began, but Longbrow cut in, “Quick, give me a bottle of warm milk to restore some strength. We’ll leave right after I drink it.”
Speechless, Ye Qiu pulled a yoghurt from his Cosmos Bag. Then he noticed the little white fox inside the bag, secretly gorging on snacks.
It held a cola in its left paw, crisps in its right, and dozens of empty snack packets lay scattered in front of it.
Ye Qiu’s anger flared again.
While he and Longbrow were running for their lives, this glutton was living the good life. Infuriating.
“Rice bucket!”
Ye Qiu cursed under his breath. If they didn’t need the little fox to guide them into demon territory, he would definitely have taught it a lesson.
“Eat less,” he couldn’t help saying.
“Ye Changsheng, don’t worry. This fox never eats for free. When you’re in real trouble, this fox will step in and solve it for you,” the little white fox declared in an elderly tone.
“With your pitiful cultivation, you think you can solve my problems? Don’t make me laugh.” Ye Qiu ignored it, took out a yoghurt, and tossed it to Longbrow.
Longbrow twisted off the cap and tossed it aside. Before he could finish drinking, a terrifying pressure suddenly blanketed everything.
“Not good. A saint has caught up!”
Longbrow frantically activated the array pattern again, dragging Ye Qiu away.
Moments after they vanished, a rift tore open in the void. Li Chaohui stepped out.
“This Ye Changsheng may be young, but he’s quite good at running.”
Li Chaohui’s eyes swept the ground and landed on the discarded yoghurt lid.
He reached out. The lid flew into his palm. He studied it, puzzled. “What is this thing?”
“I’ve never seen it before.”
He brought it to his nose and sniffed.
“No spiritual fluctuation, yet there’s a faint fragrance. Could this be some divine medicine I’ve never encountered?”
After a brief hesitation, he slowly stuck out his tongue and licked the lid.
“Delicious.”
Li Chaohui looked delighted. He thought to himself, Looks like Fairy Nangong was right. That kid really does have treasures.
At that moment, movement came from behind. Li Chaohui quickly pocketed the lid.
Nangong Jingyun stepped out of the void rift and asked, “Old Li, where’s the kid?”
“Got away.” Li Chaohui said, “I arrived just as they vanished.”
“Then hurry and chase. If he escapes, we’ll lose face.” Nangong Jingyun stepped into the void rift with him and continued the pursuit.
Half an hour later.
Ye Qiu and True Person Longbrow appeared inside a stone forest. The instant they materialised, Li Chaohui and Nangong Jingyun emerged from another rift.
“Not good.”
Longbrow was about to activate the array pattern again when Li Chaohui slapped downwards.
“You’re not running this time.”
His palm swelled to the size of a millstone, rumbling like thunder, several metres wide, crashing down with terrifying force.
“Old fogey, put the array pattern away now!” Ye Qiu shouted urgently.
But before Longbrow could react, Li Chaohui’s palm shattered the saint-level array pattern in one strike.
Boom!
The shockwave spread, producing a deafening explosion. Massive fissures spider-webbed across the ground, which completely cracked apart.
Ye Qiu and Longbrow were hurled backwards, coughing up blood.
They had no time to heal. They immediately pushed their movement techniques to the limit, trying to flee.
“Stay right there!”
Nangong Jingyun waved a jade hand. A formidable aura locked down a thousand-li radius. Ye Qiu and Longbrow were instantly immobilised.
“Little brat, the array pattern is gone. We can’t escape.” Longbrow’s face was filled with despair.
Ye Qiu’s heart sank to the bottom. Without the array pattern, escape was impossible at their level.
At that moment, Nangong Jingyun tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a jade finger and smiled sweetly. “Young man, don’t be afraid.”
“The Heavenly Venerable ordered us to bring you back alive, so we won’t kill you.”
Li Chaohui was blunter. He barked, “Kid, hand over your treasures if you want to live. I’ll spare you.”
Ye Qiu thought: If I hand them over, that’s when I’m truly dead.
After all, Supreme Venerable Wuji coveted those very treasures.
“Young man, you surely understand why the Heavenly Venerable wants you alive. And you also know what fate awaits you once we deliver you.” Nangong Jingyun smiled. “But I have a suggestion.”
“Give me your treasures, and I’ll let you go.”
Ye Qiu knew she was lying. The moment he surrendered anything, she would silence him.
To experts of their level, he was no more than an ant.
“Just give them to me and I’ll let you both walk away. I’m so pretty; I never lie.” Nangong Jingyun treated Ye Qiu like a three-year-old, posing coquettishly while trying to coax him.
“Little brat, this woman is up to no good. Don’t trust her,” Longbrow transmitted.
“As if I needed you to tell me. I saw through her ages ago,” Ye Qiu replied. “We can’t just sit here and die. We need a plan.”
“We’re completely locked down. How do we run?” Longbrow was dejected.
“We could try the Cosmos Cauldron. But that would require the young qilin’s essence blood; it might die,” Ye Qiu said.
“We’re about to die ourselves. Stop worrying about a divine beast’s life. Survival first,” Longbrow urged.
Ye Qiu said, “Since you don’t care about divine beasts, give me your Xuanwu. I’ll use its essence blood to activate the cauldron.”
“No way. That’s my only divine beast.”
While they were transmitting, Nangong Jingyun’s figure flickered. In an instant she appeared right in front of Ye Qiu.
