Chapter 254: Trapped

The bald monk's figure moved like the wind, fleeing into the distance, while Lu Hui and Zhang Lan chased after him.

Mo Hua stayed behind.

The battle within the valley gradually drew to a close; the criminal cultivators were either dead or subdued, and Dao Ting Si suffered minimal casualties.

After a while, Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai also appeared at the valley's entrance; they intended to pursue the bald monk but were stopped by Mo Hua.

"Father, let me go with you—Uncle Ji doesn't need to come."

Ji Qingbai hurriedly said, "That won't do."

Mo Shan glanced at Mo Hua, then understood, saying, "Big Brother Ji, you don't need to go."

"This matter arose because of me..."

Mo Shan shook his head. "The Kong family bullied others with power—this matter arose because of them, not you. The fault lies with them."

Ji Qingbai frowned. "But..."

Mo Hua smiled mysteriously. "Uncle Ji, rest assured."

Before Ji Qingbai could insist further, Mo Shan and Mo Hua had already activated their movement techniques and chased after the bald monk.

Ji Qingbai remained where he was, recalling Mo Hua's smile, his mind filled with doubt: "What exactly is Mo Hua planning?"

Mo Hua and Mo Shan moved swiftly, pursuing the bald monk, occasionally stopping to consult the South-Pointing Compass to confirm the general direction.

The bald monk, being chased by Zhang Lan and Lu Hui and forced to expend all his strength on his evasion technique, would inevitably generate spiritual energy fluctuations, leaving a clear trail on the South-Pointing Compass.

Not long after, Mo Hua's spiritual sense detected the lingering spiritual afterimage of the bald monk.

Wind-elemental roots produce spiritual energy that is pale white—easy to identify.

The bald monk, alone, hid cautiously within a patch of forest, but Zhang Lan and Lu Hui were nowhere to be seen.

He had apparently temporarily shaken them off with his movement technique.

"Father, he's over there."

Mo Hua pointed out the bald monk's location.

Mo Shan's spiritual sense was inferior to Mo Hua's, but his eyesight was excellent; upon hearing Mo Hua's words, he glanced once and spotted the bald monk crouched among the shrubs.

He flashed forward, heading straight for the bald monk.

At the same time, the bald monk spotted Mo Shan's figure. He spat an oath and, with no choice, forced his spiritual energy to activate his movement technique once more, fleeing farther away.

The bald monk cursed inwardly.

He had already deceived Zhang Lan and Lu Hui—he had planned to rest and recover his spiritual energy—but now someone else had found him again.

Still, he had full confidence in his movement technique; over the years, his success had come entirely from his wind-elemental evasion art.

As a criminal cultivator, no matter how strong your cultivation, speed matters more.

As long as you run fast enough, enemies won't catch you, and Dao Ting Si won't apprehend you.

Over the years, criminal cultivators with higher cultivation and stronger Dao methods had all either died or been crippled.

Only he, relying on his movement technique to cling to life, had survived—and even risen to become a boss!

Over the years, he'd been hunted countless times; this situation was nothing unusual.

But gradually, he sensed something was wrong.

His movement technique was faster than the hunter behind him, yet no matter how far he ran, whenever he stopped to rest, the hunter quickly caught up again.

It was as if an eye had been fixed on him, unwavering.

"What's going on?" The bald monk's heart turned cold.

He carefully examined himself and realized a faint spiritual sense clung to him like a parasitic insect.

Had he not been fully focused, he would never have noticed it.

The more concealed the spiritual sense, the stronger it is!

Cold sweat poured down the bald monk's back. "Whose spiritual sense is this?"

Could it be that a Foundation Establishment cultivator is watching me?

The bald monk panicked, his footing faltered, and Mo Shan seized the opening—he flashed forward and brought down a blazing knife strike.

The blade's light blazed like fire, surging with crimson spiritual energy.

The bald monk's heart froze; he pushed his movement technique to its limit to evade, but still fell short by a hair—the blade sliced his arm, searing pain flared, and blood spurted.

The bald monk had no choice but to stop and confront Mo Shan.

Mo Shan said nothing, not a word—he simply raised his blade and attacked.

The bald monk tried to stall with words, but seeing Mo Shan gave him no opening, he cursed inwardly and gritted his teeth, engaging Mo Shan in combat.

Their blades clashed, wind and fire spiritual energies colliding, force radiating in all directions.

Within just a few exchanges, the bald monk realized he was no match for Mo Shan—defeat was inevitable.

If defeat was certain, he must prepare early.

The bald monk fought a few more rounds, then suddenly retreated, raised his right hand, and summoned several talismans.

Mo Shan was startled and halted his advance.

At the same time, the bald monk activated the talismans.

Dust erupted from the ground; earth-elemental spiritual energy surged upward in successive waves, striking Mo Shan.

Mo Shan could only retreat.

The bald monk's gaze sharpened, and he turned and fled.

This talisman was called Earth-Shake Talisman—he had taken it from the storage pouch of a family of three cultivators he had killed.

Now, he activated it solely to drive back Mo Shan and escape.

Once he activated his movement technique again and created distance, it would be far harder for Mo Shan to catch up.

Of all movement techniques, wind evasion is the fastest!

In Great Heishan, he had killed countless people and seized their goods, and so far, no one had been able to stop him.

The bald monk's lips curled into a faint smile; wind-elemental Qi coiled around his body, and he turned to leave, casting one last scornful glance at Seeing Mo Shan.

But the moment he took a step, he sensed something was wrong.

He felt as if something had locked him in place—suddenly, he couldn't move!

The bald monk looked down and his pupils shrank.

At some point, water vapor had spontaneously formed chains around him, binding him tightly to the spot!

"Damn it!"

The bald monk's heart lurched in alarm; he snapped his head up—and there, Seeing Mo Shan was already charging at him with a blade like roaring fire.

The bald monk strained with all his strength and finally broke free from the spell's grip just before Seeing Mo Shan's blade struck him.

He hastily raised his own blade to block Seeing Mo Shan's strike.

He had broken the spell and blocked the blade—but the chance to flee was gone.

The bald monk raged, fighting Seeing Mo Shan while bellowing: "Who the hell ambushed me?!"

The bald monk's furious roar echoed through the surroundings.

But Mo Hua, hidden among the trees, naturally did not answer—after all, if it was an ambush, he couldn't show himself.

How could it be called an ambush if he showed his face?

Mo Hua sat lazily on a tree branch, holding a freshly picked wild fruit in his left hand, his right hand raised, palm open in the air, his spiritual sense locked firmly onto the bald monk.

A cat-toying-with-a-mouse look of amusement played on Mo Hua's face.

He had been right—the Water Prison Art was indeed a perfect counter to cultivators skilled in movement, slippery as eels—and it worked even better than he'd expected.

Whenever the bald monk tried to flee, Mo Hua cast the Water Prison Art to pin him in place.

The Water Prison Art bound him for roughly two breaths—during those two breaths, the bald monk had no chance of escaping from the experienced Seeing Mo Shan.

The bald monk had tried several times—and each time, he failed to escape.

Every time he saw an opening, that strange art would bind him again.

Fast, precise, and utterly unpredictable.

The more he fought, the more his heart clenched, the colder his blood grew.

His famed mobility technique, which had let him roam free across Great Heishan, was now completely nullified by this unknown, eerie art!

If things continued like this, he would die here today.

This is an extra chapter added.