Chapter 55

Southwest of Guangyuan Marketplace, dozens of li away in the mountains, just a few zhang above ground, a small, unremarkable flying boat glided silently with extreme stealth.

But as it passed over a vast expanse of dense forest, a dark shadow suddenly flashed across the sky—a massive bone boat emerged, wreathed in swirling black mist.

Instantly, startled cries rose from the small flying boat, and five or six figures shot out, attempting to abandon the vessel and flee.

But it was already too late.

The massive bone boat trembled slightly, and from beneath its hull rolled forth thick black mist, drowning the entire airspace below.

Within the mist, icy winds howled, ghostly wails and wolf-like cries echoed, accompanied by a series of thunderous explosions and desperate screams.

Moments later, when the black mist retracted, the airspace below was utterly empty—nothing remained.

With a rumbling boom, the massive bone boat lifted again and flew off, soon shrinking into a tiny black dot on the horizon.

After a long while.

Beneath the trees, atop a thickly leafed giant tree, a seemingly ordinary thick branch twitched faintly, then transformed into a tall human figure—it was Wang Yu.

He had reversed his green robe, revealing a camouflaged pattern of green and brown on the inner lining, and pressed his body tightly against the trunk at an unnatural angle.

If he remained perfectly still, from a distance, no one could tell a person was hidden there.

Wang Yu stood on the branch, watching the retreating bone boat, and exhaled deeply.

Had he not fled fast enough, and had he not been inspired by Tian Ziying’s deceptive cloak to specially line his robe with camouflage before arriving at the marketplace, he would have met the same fate as those on the flying boat.

With this simple concealment method, as long as no Foundation Establishment cultivator personally hunted him with spiritual sense scanning the area, he had a good chance of escaping alive.

Moreover, what sect was this Black Soul Sect? How could it be so ruthless as to directly attack Guangyuan Marketplace across national borders?

With six against one, that Four Symbols Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator riding the tiger probably couldn’t survive.

Judging from the style of the flying boat and its artifacts, this Black Soul Sect was likely the rumored demonic sect—think of the demonic ways of the Four Fiends of Lanshan; any ordinary cultivator falling into their hands would know their fate.

Thinking of this, Wang Yu’s heart turned cold. He leapt swiftly down from the tree and sprinted onward, away from the marketplace.

Though he no longer had the Wind-Supporting Talisman’s enhancement, his current physical strength could carry him running nonstop for a full day and night without excessive fatigue.

After more than half an hour.

In another forest, Wang Yu, sprinting furiously, suddenly halted.

He raised his head in confusion, scanning the surroundings for a moment.

Why was it so silent? Not even the sound of birds could be heard.

“Activate Overclock.”

Wang Yu muttered a demonic incantation; his eyes glowed with crystalline light, and his five senses rapidly amplified to an unbelievable state.

The next instant, his face paled. He dropped flat, thrusting his limbs with explosive force, leaping sideways like a beast.

Almost simultaneously, from the other side of the forest, a whistling sound pierced the air—dozens of bone crossbow bolts, thirty or forty in number, shot forth and turned the spot where Wang Yu had stood into a honeycomb of holes.

“Useless waste. Can’t even take down a low-level rogue cultivator.”

A coarse shout came from the other forest; over a dozen giant trees crashed down, revealing a wide open space.

There stood a row of over a dozen figures—but at the front, two black-robed men stood side by side.

One was a bald, muscular giant with a face full of coarse flesh, bare-handed, with two blood-red leather pouches hanging at his waist, glaring fiercely at Wang Yu.

The other was a stick-thin man, one hand holding a black banner, the other gripping a white bone tablet, smiling apologetically at the bald giant.

“Brother, don’t be angry. I didn’t expect him to detect us in advance—perhaps he carries some kind of sensing artifact. Such artifacts are rare; once I capture him, I’ll present this artifact to you.”

Behind them, the neat line of figures were nothing but white, gleaming skeletons—most with smooth, polished bones and faint black mist swirling around them, but a few had no black mist at all, instead covered in fresh, dangling flesh; each skeleton held a bone crossbow, about a foot long, aimed directly at Wang Yu.

What the hell are these things?

Wang Yu glanced at the skeletons, his skin crawling. He then noticed the insignia on the corners of the two men’s robes: each bore a skull emblem.

At that moment, the bald giant snorted coldly and continued scolding the thin man.

“Hmph. I told you before—these White Bone Demons are a waste of resources and pathetically weak. Anything they can handle, we could crush with a flick of our fingers. And anything we can’t handle, they’re useless.”

“Hehe, I know that, brother. But this time the target is just a bunch of weak rogue cultivators—they should still be useful. Besides, they already succeeded once, letting me acquire a few new White Bone Demons.” The thin man chuckled.

Hearing this, Wang Yu’s face darkened. He glanced again at the few skeletons with fresh flesh, then stomped his foot and shot straight upward, leaping onto a nearby giant tree. With swift hand-and-foot movements, he leapt repeatedly, vanishing into the canopy of another tree.

“Did that brat run away?”

“Brother, it looks like he did.”

The bald giant and the thin man froze.

“Then what are you waiting for? Chase him!” The bald giant snapped back to his senses and roared, reaching out with one hand toward the air where Wang Yu had stood.

With a “whoosh,” a gleaming white bone fork shot up from the ground.

Had Wang Yu remained where he was, he would have been skewered through the heart.

“Damn. All that show for nothing. I was going to let him lower his guard and wipe him out in one strike. Now we’ll have to work harder.” The thin man sighed, flicking his white bone tablet toward the line of skeletons. Instantly, a stream of black mist erupted from the tablet, engulfing every skeleton.

A hissing sound—then a white bone serpent, four or five zhang long, burst from the mist. The skeletons vanished completely.

The two men leapt onto the serpent’s back. Black mist surged around them as they rose into the air and chased after Wang Yu.

Wang Yu leapt unpredictably between the giant trees, using the branches’ elasticity like a monkey.

Though he had not yet learned the Four Ape Howls, his superior physical strength and limb coordination under Overclock allowed him to mimic monkey movements effortlessly.

Now, wind roared past his ears; in mere breaths, he had fled over a hundred and twenty feet—but the hissing sound behind him still sank his heart.