Chapter 1609

"Yes, sir!"

The several guard captains hastily bowed and accepted the order.

Their bodies trembled, then immediately activated their movement techniques to chase after the direction Ximen Wudi had fled.

Meanwhile, the ancestral elder of the Gongsun clan sneered, then swiftly pursued in the direction Ximen Wudi had escaped, moving at utmost speed.

Whoosh!

The next instant, the old man's figure shot after the direction Ximen Wudi had fled.

Ximen Wudi saw both of them chasing behind him, a cold smile flickering on his lips—he directly activated his movement technique, moving at utmost speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye from that area.

When the middle-aged woman saw Ximen Wudi flee, her expression changed instantly, and she hurried after him.

"Hmph, I'd like to see you run where now?" The old man stared at the direction Ximen Wudi had fled, his face darkening to its utmost.

At this moment, the middle-aged woman also followed after him.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A series of tearing-air sounds echoed out.

"That old witch is catching up!" Ximen Wudi gritted his teeth, feeling the old crone rapidly closing in on him.

"Let's see how much skill you have to catch me!" Ximen Wudi clenched his teeth and accelerated further.

Ximen Wudi's cultivation level was one rank higher than the old man's, so his speed far surpassed the old man's; though the old crone moved swiftly, she still could not keep pace with Ximen Wudi.

"Damn it! What strange movement technique is this bastard using? My speed can't match his at all!" The old crone fumed, relentlessly driving her immortal energy to accelerate.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could never catch up to Ximen Wudi's figure.

Even after exhausting every technique she possessed, she could only trail far behind him, the distance widening further and further.

At this moment, the old crone's face twisted into a monstrous snarl.

"Damn it! This brat's speed is too fast—if this continues, I'll eventually lose him, and then I'll truly be ruined!" She cursed inwardly, swiftly pulling out a jade talisman and crushing it.

"Come here, you fool!" The old crone growled.

Immediately, her body materialized from the void.

"Huh?" Ximen Wudi's expression changed slightly—he halted his movement.

The next second, he emitted an aura of utmost terror, his figure flickered, and vanished from his original spot.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh…

Ximen Wudi fled while activating various divine arts and secret techniques.

In a single breath, he vanished from beneath the old crone's very eyes.

"Damn!"

"Damn it!" The old crone cursed, without hesitation, she turned and retreated.

The old crone's strength was extremely powerful; while Gongsun Wudi fled, she followed after him and also spotted Ximen Wudi.

"Hmph, today you won't escape!" The old crone sneered repeatedly, then her body violently swelled, transforming in an instant into a mountain-sized form—her speed became even more terrifying than Ximen Wudi's.

"Damn it, how could this happen?"

Ximen Wudi's expression changed.

Though his cultivation level was one step higher than the old crone's, his speed could not compare to hers.

"Damn it, I refuse to be hunted down by a mid-stage Saint Lord!"

Ximen Wudi roared: "This time, I'll kill you and avenge my fallen brothers!"

His face twisted into a mad expression—he knew escape was impossible, so he prepared to fight to the death.

His right arm shot out, and a Jin Huang flame instantly ignited.

"Explode!"

As he punched forward, the Jin Huang flame erupted instantly, transforming into a sea of fire.

This flame carried an aura of terrifying power.

This power was sufficient to incinerate an early-stage Saint King outright—how much more so a mid-stage Saint Lord?

Puff! Puff! Puff…

The Jin Huang flame spread through the void; the old crone had no time to react before she was engulfed in Jin Huang flames.

"Damn you, you brat, how dare you hurt me? I'll make you pay with your life!" The old crone shrieked in agony.

Her body, scorched by the Jin Huang flames, instantly turned to ash.

"Damn it! You actually killed that old crone?" On the other side, a white-robed maiden stood midair, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

"I didn't expect it either. My speed is fast, but I still couldn't shake off that old crone—her strength far exceeds mine. To completely lose her, unless…" Ximen Wudi sighed bitterly.

"Unless what?" The white-robed maiden asked.

"Unless my cultivation breaks through to the late-stage realm!" Ximen Wudi said: "Only then could I possibly fight her. Even if I break through to late-stage, I'm not guaranteed to win. After all, she's already a peak Saint Lord, while I'm only early-stage. Though her speed can't match mine, escaping her is by no means easy."

The maiden frowned, a hint of worry crossing her face: "Your cultivation has just broken through to early-stage—breaking through to late-stage in such a short time is extremely difficult!"

Ximen Wudi shook his head, his gaze fixed on the horizon: "This is the only chance—I must seize it."

His voice was utterly resolute.

The maiden looked at Ximen Wudi, a strange gleam shining in her eyes: "If you've decided to do this, I support you. But… you must remember—you must survive. Otherwise, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

1346 Ximen Wudi glanced.

1346 Ximen Wudi glanced.

"Don't worry—I'm not that easy to kill. If I died so easily, how could I ever make you sad?" Ximen Wudi grinned.

Upon hearing this, the maiden's cheeks flushed slightly, and she gave Ximen Wudi a coquettish glance.

"By the way, you said you came from the Northern Continent to the Central Continent? Which continent are you from?" Ximen Wudi asked.

The young girl nodded, her tone tinged with sorrow: "I am from beyond the Xuan Yang Domain."

Deep in Ximen Wudi's eyes, a flicker of confusion passed, then he suddenly understood: "No wonder your strength is so terrifying—you're from beyond the Xuan Yang Domain!"

He paused, then asked: "Do you know where the Holy Emperor City of the Xuan Yang Domain is located?"

The young girl shook her head: "Beyond the Xuan Yang Domain, there are three great regions—one in the Southern Frontier, and our Xuan Yang Domain belongs to the weakest of the Eastern Region. As for the other two regions, I don't know them either. But I've heard that the two major powers in the Eastern Region each have several late-stage Holy Kings residing among them, one of which is our Xuan Yang Domain's Holy Emperor City."

"The Eastern Region! That is my homeland—I must return!" Ximen Wudi clenched his fist, his eyes burning with heat and longing.

"You want to go back?" the young girl suddenly asked.

"Of course I do!" Ximen Wudi nodded firmly, his voice resolute.

"Do you know you've already stirred up trouble?"

"I know."

"But even if you possess Saint Lord-level strength, you're still insignificant before the Holy Kings of the Central Continent. Even if your cultivation breaks through to the mid-stage realm, you still cannot stand against those Holy Kings—your age is far too young compared to theirs. You're no match. So leave this place quickly, lest someone discover you and bring ruin upon your entire family!"

"Thank you for your kindness, but… even if I leave now, I may still not escape that old crone's pursuit." Ximen Wudi sighed: "You've seen my nature—I cannot abandon searching for my biological parents. So… I will find them. If I can even meet them once, it will be the greatest honor of my life!"

"Alright!" the young girl sighed: "Then you must be extremely careful. I'll take my leave now."

"Mm." Ximen Wudi nodded.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

In the world beyond the Xuan Yang Domain, he had no sect, no relatives or friends—but there were countless former companions, fellow students, and seniors there. His cultivation was only just at the early stage of Holy King.

Those former companions and peers were all extremely powerful; each possessed unique secret arts or martial techniques, and some had even cultivated special scriptures, their strength formidable indeed.

"That mysterious old crone—I will never let her go!" Ximen Wudi vowed fiercely within his heart.

Ximen Wudi gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with intense battle lust.

At that moment, his heart seemed ablaze with Xiong Xiong flames, filling his entire body with boundless fighting spirit.

The young girl departed, and Ximen Wudi once again entered seclusion, striving to break through to the Holy King realm.

And the young girl slipped away without a sound.

……

"Boom—boom—"

A giant serpent flew through the air, its body supremely agile, spiraling and darting with fearsome might.