Chapter 256 - 30: Tracking, Hiding, Taking the Pill
It was as if a ferocious beast lurking in the shadows had locked its eyes on him; the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
’Someone’s caught up!’
Chen Ye’s pupils shrank. With practically no hesitation, he kicked off the ground with explosive force. His body instantly blurred into an afterimage as he veered off the main road and plunged into the dense forest nearby.
He didn’t look back, nor did he even use his Divine Sense to check who was pursuing him.
He knew that any superfluous attempt to investigate at a time like this was courting death.
’The only thing to do now is run!’
’Run with all my might!’
The very next second after he charged into the forest, a white figure, moving so fast it was almost impossible for the naked eye to follow, appeared in the spot he had just vacated.
It was Xiao Zhanbai, who had been chasing him relentlessly all the way from Qingzhou Prefecture City!
𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Gazing at the trembling trees and the faint fluctuation of Energy that had yet to dissipate in the air, a cold sneer touched Xiao Zhanbai’s icy features.
"Trying to run? As if you could escape."
Without a hint of hesitation, her figure blurred as she followed him into the dense forest.
Inside the dense forest, ancient trees towered so high they blotted out the sun.
Chen Ye’s figure moved like an ape, nimbly leaping and weaving between the trees.
But the cold, powerful aura behind him was like a maggot feasting on his bones, locked onto him so tightly that he couldn’t shake it no matter how he changed direction.
’It’s that woman, Xiao Zhanbai!’
Her frosty face surfaced in Chen Ye’s mind.
He couldn’t think of anyone else it could be.
’But why?’
’Why is she trying to kill me?’
’Could my Identity have been exposed?’
’Impossible!’
Chen Ye’s mind raced, running through the possibilities.
From killing Li Gu to meeting her and her sister yesterday, he was confident that he hadn’t left a single opening.
’Then the only possibility is that Celestial Sword Manor found a clue I’m not aware of through some other channel.’
’For example, was there someone else from White Bone Mountain who knew Li Gu was coming to kill me?’
A cold glint flashed in Chen Ye’s eyes.
’It’s very likely!’
’It seems I’ve underestimated the resources of a major Sect like Celestial Sword Manor.’
But dwelling on that was useless now.
The priority was shaking off the tenacious woman on his tail.
’Her Cultivation is at least at the Sea Condensation Realm!’
And judging by that incomparably sharp Sword Intent, she was probably even stronger than Tao Yong of the Puppet Sect.
But Chen Ye didn’t panic. He took a deep breath, pushed his Inner Qi to its absolute limit, and kicked his speed up another notch.
He was fast, but Xiao Zhanbai behind him was even faster.
The distance between them was closing, bit by bit.
Fifty yards...
Thirty yards...
Ten yards!
Chen Ye could already feel the frigid Sword Intent behind him, so close it made the skin on his back prickle and go numb.
"Chen Ye! You can’t escape! Surrender obediently!"
Xiao Zhanbai’s cold voice drifted from behind him, laced with a tone of lofty judgment.
’Fuck you!’ Chen Ye cursed inwardly.
’Does this damn woman really think I’m just a fish on a chopping block?’
At that thought, a vicious glint flashed in Chen Ye’s eyes. In mid-air, he abruptly spun around. The Jingzhe Saber in his hand cut a bizarre arc through the air as he unleashed a ferocious slash at Xiao Zhanbai, who was hot on his heels.
The goal of this slash wasn’t to injure his enemy, but to buy time.
Needle’s Point!
An impossibly condensed glint of saber light shot toward the point between Xiao Zhanbai’s eyebrows with incredible speed.
"Such a paltry trick, and you dare to show it off?"
A trace of disdain flashed in Xiao Zhanbai’s eyes.
She didn’t even draw her sword, merely forming a sword-finger with two of her fair, jade-like fingers and tapping lightly at the glint of saber light.
TING!
A crisp sound echoed.
An invisible burst of Sword Qi shot from her fingertips, striking the very tip of Chen Ye’s saber with unerring precision.
An immense power then surged up the blade and flooded madly into Chen Ye’s body.
Chen Ye felt the web of his hand go numb, and the tremendous force sent him flying backward.
’So strong!’
’Is this the power of a Sea Condensation Realm expert?’
However, Chen Ye used the momentum to flip in mid-air, kicked hard off a tree trunk behind him, and shot off again like a cannonball deeper into the forest.
"Still trying to run?" The anger in Xiao Zhanbai’s eyes flared when she saw this.
’This guy is as slippery as an eel. How infuriating!’
But words were useless now. She sped up and continued the pursuit.
The dense forest, perpetually shielded from the sun, was heavy with Yin Qi.
In many areas, this had given rise to formless ghouls and Resentful Spirits.
Sensing the presence of the living, they emerged to absorb the Yang Qi, only to be instantly shredded and dispersed by a piercing, tyrannical Saber Intent.
Chen Ye then sprinted past at extreme speed, leaving behind disturbed trails of Yin Qi that lingered in the air.
Only a moment later, Xiao Zhanbai shot past in pursuit. The very same ghouls and Resentful Spirits, not yet fully reformed, were smashed apart once more.
At this point, a fire of frustration was burning inside Xiao Zhanbai.
She had been chasing him for several hours but still couldn’t catch him. It was a profound humiliation.
After all, she was a Sea Condensation Realm Cultivator being run in circles by someone in the Unobstructed Realm. If word of this ever got out, she’d never be able to show her face in public again.
That was precisely why Xiao Zhanbai couldn’t give up. She gritted her teeth and continued the chase.
The chase continued, and before either of them realized it, the sky began to grow dark.
But just after she passed a small hill, Xiao Zhanbai suddenly lost all trace of Chen Ye.
"Hm?" Xiao Zhanbai raised an eyebrow slightly, but she didn’t panic.
She refused to believe he could have escaped. He had to be hiding somewhere nearby.
"Come on out. You really think you can hide from me?" Xiao Zhanbai said coolly, her eyes scanning every corner of the surrounding area.
But the desolate forest remained silent. There was no reply.
"To be honest, I’m quite impressed. It’s no small feat to kill an Elder from White Bone Mountain while only at the Unobstructed Realm. This whole affair doesn’t have to be a big deal. If you’re willing to come back with me, I promise you’ll live." Xiao Zhanbai began to employ psychological tactics.
Still, there was no response. Growing impatient, Xiao Zhanbai irritably swung her sword in a wide arc, slicing through all the trees and undergrowth in a several-dozen-foot radius.
"Hiding like a coward. Do you really think you’ll make any progress with your Saber Technique like that?"
Meanwhile, on an unremarkable tree behind a small hill some distance away, a figure lay silently in wait, perfectly still in the darkness.
Hearing Xiao Zhanbai’s taunts, the corners of Chen Ye’s mouth curled up slightly. He silently pulled an Elixir Pill from within his robes.
A Nascent Condensation Pill!
He then opened his mouth and swallowed it.