Chapter 79: Encounter

Days of continuous flight had left Zhang Nuo's body exhausted beyond measure. Seeing that no one had pursued him since their encounter, he slowed his flight speed.

On this day, feeling truly tired, Zhang Nuo landed on the ground, found a secluded corner, sat cross-legged, and began to recover his strength.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a day had gone by. Although his body had not recovered to its peak state, it was still much better than after the previous long-distance flight.

Standing up, Zhang Nuo stretched and gazed into the distance. He saw an endless plain, much like a vast grazing prairie, with a gentle breeze blowing across it, giving one a sense of comfort.

He checked the status of the Pills in his Storage Bag. Zhang Nuo had originally bought three bottles of 'Spirit Replenishing Pills', but after flying all this way, there was now less than half a bottle left.

This rate of consumption truly pained him. These three bottles of Spirit Replenishing Pills had cost him nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones; he hadn't expected that after a few days, this ten thousand Spirit Stones would be gone!

However, thinking back, it was worth it; compared to one's life, Spirit Stones were less important. After putting his things away, Zhang Nuo wanted to continue flying forward, but just at this moment, a roar of fury suddenly erupted from the sky!

"I've finally found you, old man! Let's see where you can run to now! Prepare to die! Pay with your life for my two disciples!"

Zhang Nuo shivered violently. This voice seemed to resound across the entire sky, and even more terrifyingly, the voice carried a kind of pressure that left his mind in chaos after hearing it; even the blood in his body began to churn. If he had been flying in the sky at that moment, he might have plummeted down.

Secretly thinking 'Not good!' to himself, Zhang Nuo hurriedly gathered his Qi and focused his mind. Only after a long while did it ease up. Judging by the voice, the speaker seemed to be still a thousand miles away, but it was clear that the opponent's cultivation had already reached the Golden Core stage; otherwise, the shout just now could not have carried such great Spiritual Pressure.

However, a distance of a thousand miles was nothing to a Golden Core Cultivator; perhaps it would only take an hour. This time, Zhang Nuo was truly afraid. Judging by the words just now, the opponent was very likely the master of the 'Scorpion Couple', Zuo Mutang.

With a movement of his Divine Sense, a Flying Sword shot out from the Sword Box. Zhang Nuo leaped onto the Flying Sword and fled with all his might in one direction.

Time was life to Zhang Nuo now! First, in terms of flight speed, Zhang Nuo was no match for a Golden Core Cultivator. Second, Zhang Nuo's current combat power had greatly declined due to days of fleeing; he feared that the moment he met Zuo Mutang, he would immediately fall into the man's hands. As for what would happen afterward, Zhang Nuo didn't even dare to think about it.

Fleeing at full speed, Zhang Nuo kept looking for places like towns. Once he entered a densely populated town, he could use the 'Nine Dragon Sword Case' to conceal his Spirit Power fluctuations, and perhaps he could find a glimmer of survival. But strangely enough, on this vast Tianjiang Plain, he had flown for several days without seeing a single town!

Zuo Mutang's body was wrapped in escape light, his eyes filled with killing intent. Just a short while ago, he had finally discovered Zhang Nuo's tracks through a secret tracking technique. He immediately used the Spirit Power in his body to launch a mental attack, hoping to use the shock of the technique to slow down Zhang Nuo's flight speed.

However, a moment later, he was disappointed. It was clear that the mental attack just now had failed; the opponent had only hesitated for a moment before fleeing quickly again.

But Zuo Mutang was not worried. Now the distance between him and Zhang Nuo was getting closer and closer. As long as he was given time, catching Zhang Nuo was only a matter of time.

Thinking of this, he urged his mind, and a large amount of escape light surged from his body again, his escape speed increasing by a few notches.

About an hour later, Zuo Mutang could see a black dot flying rapidly on the horizon. There was no need to guess; this person was Zhang Nuo, whom he had been tracking for many days. The murderous aura on his face suddenly surged, and with his escape speed fully unleashed, he charged toward the black dot on the horizon.

The person in front was indeed Zhang Nuo. While fleeing, his Divine Sense had been constantly alert to his surroundings. Suddenly, a massive Spiritual Pressure made his heart churn. When he looked back, he saw a brilliant rainbow shooting toward him like a meteor.

"A Golden Core Cultivator!"

The moment he saw the escape light, he let out a cry of alarm. His heart had already jumped into his throat! Zuo Mutang's escape speed was even faster than he had imagined.

"Brat! If you stop now, this old man can spare your life! Otherwise, I will make you wish you were dead!"

Zuo Mutang's escape light was approaching Zhang Nuo bit by bit, and the distance between the two was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. When he heard the opponent's words, Zhang Nuo accelerated his flight speed without even thinking!

What a joke! Stopping meant death, and not stopping also meant death! He might as well flee with all his might! Perhaps there would be a glimmer of a turn for the better. In fact, even Zhang Nuo himself didn't quite believe this thought.

On this vast plain, there wasn't even a single town, and he hadn't encountered a single cultivator; who would come to save him? Furthermore, even if he met a cultivator, who would offend a Golden Core Cultivator for his sake?

Seeing that Zhang Nuo still hadn't stopped, Zuo Mutang let out an angry shout! At the same time, he opened his mouth wide, and a ball of red light sprayed out. This ball of red light was only the size of a fist at first, but as it grew in the wind, it actually became over a foot long. After the red light dissipated, a Red Skull appeared in front of him.

Days of pursuit had pushed Zuo Mutang to the edge of madness. He had never imagined that killing a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator would take so much effort. The moment he saw Zhang Nuo, he made up his mind! He wouldn't kill him immediately; he would take him back and torture him to death bit by bit, only then could he vent the foul air in his heart!

"Get down here!"

Roaring in anger, the Red Skull in front of Zuo Mutang spun and shot toward Zhang Nuo! Zhang Nuo, who was flying at full speed, suddenly felt a terrifying Spirit Power fluctuation behind him. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he discovered a Red Skull rushing toward him.

In the blink of an eye, the skull was behind Zhang Nuo. With no time to think, five Flying Swords flew out one after another from the Sword Box on Zhang Nuo's back. At the same time, his hands flicked out incantations in rapid succession, all of which sank into the Flying Swords. In an instant, the five Flying Swords simultaneously transformed to half a zhang in size.

The overlapping sword bodies blocked him completely.

"Boom!"

A loud noise rang out. The Red Skull struck the five giant swords. As the sword bodies collided one after another, they dissipated most of the attack's power.

Despite this, as the red light burst forth, the five Flying Swords were knocked away. A massive fluctuation caused Zhang Nuo's body to shake, and he fell directly from the Flying Sword!