Chapter 45: Pursuit from All Sides

"Junior Sister Lan, call the Spirit Sparrow back. You all escort Master back to the mountain; I am going to avenge Master!" The young man's face was still filled with unspent rage.

"Alright!"

The young female cultivator's face was beautiful, yet incomparably cold, showing no expression. She flipped her hand to take out a blue Jade Talisman and crushed it. A ray of spiritual light pierced through the roof, then suddenly shot toward a large mountain in the southeast at an altitude of a hundred zhang.

Not long after, accompanied by a long cry, the Seven-Colored Spirit Sparrow came whistling over and hovered steadily above the Imperial Palace. Soon, a man and a woman escorted Yulong Zhenren as he rose into the air and landed on the back of the Spirit Sparrow. Then, the Spirit Sparrow spread its wings and soared away, vanishing into the clear sky as a seven-colored streak of light in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, another streak of Escape Light rose into the air and whistled toward the southwest.

Deacon Tong stood outside the Imperial Palace, watching the Escape Light chasing after them. His face twitched as he hesitated for a long while. Finally, he put away the Transmission Jade Talisman in his hand, revealed a cold sneer, and flicked his sleeves as he left.

He recalled that just yesterday evening, that Lu Yuan from the Taiyuan Sect had come to him with a bruised and swollen face to trade for some Spirit Talismans and Magic Treasures, saying that his recent fights had consumed too much and he wanted to get some good things for self-defense. He had actually taken out a Third-Tier Demon Wolf Core and several rare Spirit Materials to trade for two bottles of Gathering Qi Pill and one Spirit Talisman.

The Gathering Qi Pill was one thing; it was merely a type of Buqidan commonly used by Zhenyuan Realm cultivators.

But that Spirit Talisman was no small matter; it was the Treasure Pavilion's shop-protecting treasure, a Flame True Fire Talisman. Once activated, it could release a Magic Spell no less powerful than a full-force strike from an early-stage Danyuan Realm expert.

He felt very fortunate that when Xu Chen and the others attacked Yulong Zhenren just now, they did not use this spell.

Otherwise, if he were investigated afterward, he would undoubtedly die.

He had wanted to warn Liang Feng, but that insult had ultimately kept him from speaking.

The Yuqing Hall stood high above, but outer-sect Disciples were nothing more than cattle and horses raised by the inner sect. Aside from the wealth they painstakingly accumulated daily, what they obtained were merely pills and Magic Treasures that the inner sect looked down upon.

He reckoned that if he had a Heqi Pill, he would certainly be able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment.

But unfortunately, Heqi Pills were never given to outer-sect Disciples; they could only desperately strive to perform meritorious deeds to fight for those few Guiyuan Pills whose effects were better than nothing.

This kind of treatment already made those outer-sect Disciples with good aptitude feel resentful; their hard work and dedication were not met with the respect they deserved.

Speaking of which, he was a fellow Disciple of the same generation as Yulong Zhenren and of similar age, but one was in the outer sect and one in the inner sect, and their cultivation realms were worlds apart.

It was understandable that Yulong Zhenren looked down on him, but being pointed at and insulted by a junior made him feel deeply ashamed and angry, no matter how low his status was.

Liang Feng had gone to pursue them without knowing the details; he feared that once he left, he would not return.

But what of it? The Yuqing Hall had a vast foundation; losing one Danyuan Realm expert would not affect its status, and the death of another Zhenyuan Realm cultivator would have no impact on its strength whatsoever.

Let the Daoist Friend die, not me; this had nothing to do with him, an outer-sect Deacon who had essentially detached himself from the Yuqing Hall.

Only when Liang Feng died could he feel at peace.

The Yuqing Hall had arrived with high fanfare and returned heavily damaged, with a Danyuan Realm True Person's life or death unknown.

The cultivators from various Immortal Sects and families also scattered.

The foreign envoys and the dukes and nobles of the Song Kingdom who had come to offer birthday congratulations suffered heavy casualties.

In the Imperial Palace alone, over three hundred corpses were cleared away, and the number of injured was countless; the entire Imperial Palace square had been almost completely destroyed.

A hundredth birthday celebration, for which the Emperor of Great Song had originally intended to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, had turned into such an ending. As the news spread, the world was shaken.

Not only was the Immortal World in an uproar, but the common people of Great Song were also experiencing undercurrents. Coupled with the impending war between the Emperor and the rebellious Pingxi King, the entire Song Kingdom was suddenly plunged into a precarious state.

And the root cause was nothing more than three low-level cultivators from the Taiyuan Sect who had inexplicably saved a woman, taken a Spirit Medicine, and then incited this sudden turmoil between the immortal and mortal worlds.

Not to mention the Emperor Zhao Rui, who had been humiliated and retreated in hatred; after all, these were mortal affairs, which were inconsequential to Immortals.

Now, as the news spread through the Immortal World, the events that occurred during the birthday banquet gradually became clear.

The Great Song imperial court, the Xianren Gumu, the Ziyang Sect, the Taiyuan Sect, and the Yuqing Hall—these forces that usually had nothing to do with each other were all closely linked in this birthday banquet, forming an intricate web of grievances and entanglements.

Of course, what the Immortal World discussed most was still the feud between the Yuqing Hall and the Taiyuan Sect. Three small Kaiyuan Realm cultivators had actually beaten a Danyuan Realm True Person of the Yuqing Hall into a coma and nearly killed him on the spot. This piece of gossip was worth talking about with great relish, and they never tired of it.

But at this moment, the core protagonists of this matter, the three cultivators from the Taiyuan Sect, were fleeing for their lives.

After Jiu Shixiong took Xu Chen and Zhao Xuan and fled for over two hundred miles while popping pills, Zhao Xuan regained consciousness, and Xu Chen also continuously repaired his Soul using the Soul Bead along the way. Finally, both of them recovered their ability to control their swords, so the three of them each flew on their swords to escape, their speed much faster than before.

After three hundred miles, dusk fell, and all three felt their strength failing, so they could only stop to find a hidden place to sit and rest.

In the Kaiyuan Realm, the Meridians and dantian are not yet stable, and the Aperture are not yet sealed, so the storage of Qi is limited. If it were only for an hour or two of high-speed travel, it would not be difficult, but after three or four hours, even with the replenishment of Great Origin Pills, they had to constantly circulate their techniques. This would cause great pressure on the Meridians and Soul, and damage was inevitable.

If they did not rest, the Meridians could suffer permanent, irreparable damage, eventually leading to damage to their Dao foundation, which would be extremely detrimental to future cultivation.

And just as the three were forced to stop and rest, Guo Ming, who had been tailing them, had also arrived nearby.

However, he did not know that two cultivators from the Ziyang Sect were also following behind.

And behind the three of them, another streak of Escape Light arrived even more rapidly; it was Liang Feng, the disciple of Yulong Zhenren, who had set off nearly an hour later.

Xu Chen and the others naturally knew that this was a journey of flight for their lives, but due to their low strength, they could only hide and dodge.

Guo Ming was not having an easy time either; after all, he was only in the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm. However, in order to catch up with Xu Chen and the others, he could only follow along while cursing and popping pills. Therefore, after landing, he did not dare to go directly to trouble Xu Chen and the others, but instead found a higher mountain peak nearby to sit and recover his Qi.

The young man in white, accompanied by his Junior Sister Lin Qiuya, soon landed in a forest not far behind. Seeing the green dot in the Copper Mirror, it should be less than three miles away, so he was not in a hurry to catch up and began to observe the surroundings while concealing his aura.

Not long after, a long whistle suddenly came from several miles behind. A streak of Escape Light tore through the dark sky and arrived near the mountain ridge where Xu Chen and the others were hiding in the blink of an eye.

"You three bastards from the Taiyuan Sect, come out and die!"

Liang Feng stood on his sword at an altitude of several dozen zhang, releasing the terrifying aura unique to the Zhenyuan Realm. His voice shook the surrounding several miles like thunder, while his Divine Sense searched the mountains and plains like flowing water.

Xu Chen and the others, who were sitting in a cave, were instantly awakened.

Zhao Xuan said with a pale face, "Oh no, the people from the Yuqing Hall have caught up."

Jiu Shixiong gritted his teeth and said, "We can't run anymore; he will find us sooner or later. It seems we have no choice but to fight to the death."

As he spoke, Jiu Shixiong stood up, took out his Storage Bag, wiped away his Soul imprint, and handed it to Zhao Xuan, saying, "Junior Sister and Junior Brother, take the Blood God Grass and go quickly. I will hold him off."

Zhao Xuan, however, turned and shoved the Storage Bag to Xu Chen, saying, "Junior Brother, take it and go quickly! Perhaps the Senior Brother and I can hold him off for a while!"

Just as Xu Chen was about to speak, a powerful Divine Sense suddenly landed on the location where the three were hiding, and at the same time, Liang Feng's cold voice rang in their ears: "At this point, you still want to escape? None of you will escape today; come out together and die."

"Boom—"

Before the words had even faded, a sword light illuminated the night sky like a bolt of silk. Amidst the shaking of the earth and mountains, a crack several zhang long was split open in the cave where they were hiding, and broken stones and wood splashed in all directions like hail.

Three figures leaped out from the cave, and two Flying Swords whistled toward Liang Feng in the air.

"Grains of rice daring to shine with the brilliance of fireflies!"

Liang Feng sneered, and his sword swung out two blades of light. With two loud bangs, the two balls of spiritual light exploded in mid-air, and both Flying Swords were knocked away. At the same time, Liang Feng's figure flickered and arrived in front of the three in the blink of an eye, slashing his sword down toward Jiu Shixiong.

Clang—

Accompanied by a harsh roar, the sword struck heavily against an Array Disk. Amidst the bursting light, Jiu Shixiong let out a muffled groan as his body plummeted rapidly.

Liang Feng had intended to continue the pursuit, but another Flying Sword came whistling over, slashing in from the side, forcing him to turn and deal with the Flying Sword.

Jiu Shixiong steadied his stance, recalled his Flying Sword, and roared, "Be careful, this is a sword cultivator from Yuqing Hall; do not be careless."

"Hahahaha, carelessness leads to death, and being careful leads to death all the same; three pieces of trash in the Kaiyuan Realm dare to provoke my Yuqing Hall."

Liang Feng's laughter was filled with boundless killing intent; with one move he repelled the Flying Sword, and at the same time, he pressed his hand forward, and a streak of green light suddenly attacked Xu Chen.

Xu Chen's hair stood on end; this strike carried the sound of wind and thunder, and there was even a faint glimmer of lightning churning within it—it was clearly a rare Wind Thunder Spell, and its power was astonishing.

"Junior Brother, look out!"

Zhao Xuan cried out, lunging forward to push Xu Chen away; the green light slammed heavily into Zhao Xuan, who let out a miserable shriek, tumbled away, and fell off the cliff.

"You bastard, die!"

Jiu Shixiong roared as he crushed a Spirit Talisman; a pale green Wind Blade several zhang long appeared out of thin air, transforming into an afterimage as it slashed toward Liang Feng.

"To think it's a second-grade Spirit Talisman, that's somewhat interesting!"

Although Liang Feng said this, he was actually somewhat fearful inside, yet he did not retreat; instead, he flicked his Flying Sword, and the sword light flared brilliantly as a bolt of lightning appeared out of thin air, crashing heavily into the Wind Blade.

Amidst a loud boom, the spirit light exploded into a ball of light amidst the flashing lightning and thunder, then swept across dozens of zhang like a hurricane; the terrifying explosion was like a sun interwoven with green and red lighting up the night, visible from dozens of miles away.

The Spirit Qi shockwave produced by the explosion leveled a mountain ridge below, instantly turning a large number of trees into powder.

However, before the light of the explosion had faded, another green Wind Blade several zhang long suddenly appeared in mid-air, piercing through the light waves of the explosion to slash at Liang Feng.

"Hmph, petty tricks!" Liang Feng snorted coldly and threw the precious sword in his hand, which transformed into a streak of golden light to meet the Wind Blade.

There was another loud boom, and amidst the shaking of heaven and earth, rolling Spirit Qi brilliance surged a hundred zhang into the sky, and the mountain ridge below was shaved off another layer.

Yet, just as the explosion began, three more green lights flashed in mid-air, transforming into three Wind Blades of the same size that slashed toward Liang Feng from three directions in a crisscross pattern.

This time, Liang Feng felt flustered; it was too late to recall his Flying Sword, so he could only hurriedly manifest a defensive Magic Treasure to cover his entire body while simultaneously forming hand seals to release two Thunder Techniques in succession to block them.

But just as the lightning flashed, a powerful, unparalleled Divine Sense suddenly pierced into his Sea of Consciousness along with a blue light.