Chapter 163: Relentless Pursuit

Jiang Yu and her companions, of course, after letting the five flying birds go, raced to find a place to hide.

Seeing the fourth sun blazing overhead and soon the fifth rise, the Tianyuan cultivators stranded on this side of the river became frantic.

"Comrade Xia, they've already crossed the river; what should we do? Should we also catch some birds to fly over?"

"The Eastern Continent cultivators over there clearly don't want to let us borrow a boat to cross," a demonic cultivator who wanted to leave quickly said, unsure whether to blame Jiang Yu and the others for not waiting.

Earlier, among the four demonic cultivators in the group, on the way through the forest to here, one had already fallen and another was seriously injured.

Although two Daoist cultivators also fell, they still held an absolute numerical advantage.

When they rushed to the riverbank and learned the crossing was difficult, they discovered Eastern Continent cultivators were ferrying across with a specially made bone boat.

At that moment, our side offered spirit stones, but they wouldn't let us board, and of course the boatman also refused to let other Eastern Continent cultivators sit.

The issue is the boat's capacity is limited; overload would sink it.

Thus, Qi Haohao of the Wanxian Sect informed them that Jiang Yu and several others were seeking a way here.

A late‑Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Profound Heaven Sect surveyed everyone and said, "I hope we all cooperate to catch the birds this time, and not fight each other as we did while traversing the forest."

"If no one objects, we'll rest for a quarter hour before moving."

"Wen Xin, why did you run so far?"

"Senior brother, there's an empty pill bottle here."

"Inside there's also a note…" Wen Xin unfolded it and saw Jiang Yu's bird‑catching method.

Because of that note, Jiang Tu was ribbing Jiang Yu: "Do you also want to be the saint you talk about?"

"Maybe it's actually an Eastern Continent cultivator who picked up the note."

"Even if they're Tianyuan cultivators, believe it or not, they won't thank you; once they reach the second and third layers, they're all your competitors."

"I'm wrong, I won't do it again." Jiang Yu knew that if she didn't readily admit fault, her companions would keep nagging her for an hour or two.

She relaxed her spirit and looked around; the forest on the second layer of the Cave Heaven was taller than that of the outermost layer.

Hundreds‑meter‑tall peaks were everywhere, and the trees, flowers, and grasses between them were exceedingly lush.

Even a random tree was a dozen or so zhang tall; any sky‑piercing bamboo before them would be considered a junior among juniors.

As her divine sense expanded, soon she saw two squads of cultivators appearing between the two mountains, so she broke off her conversation with Jiang Tu and instantly sent a warning to everyone.

However, just as she began transmitting, the two squads unexpectedly started attacking each other.

At that moment, other teammates flew closer to the spot she indicated.

Deng Yuanwu suggested directly, "Shall we take another direction?"

"Senior sister, it's Lu Ruochan and Senior Brother Liao of the Enforcement Hall," Jiang Yu said, having discerned the two figures in the duel, her sword flashing swiftly.

Xia Bing, arriving later, surged ahead; his Ice Serpent Sword shot out a long icy blue blade, reaching the duel site faster than Jiang Yu.

In contrast, Deng Yuanwu, also in late Foundation Establishment, was still slower than Jiang Yu; only when he saw Tao Wenchè among the besieged did he speed up and fly over.

Meanwhile, further back, Guo Ye and Guo Jue shared a sword, and he did not exert force to fly.

Guo Jue hurriedly said, "Senior brother, let's hurry."

"No rush; we're only in early Foundation Establishment, but you see most of the duel is late Foundation," Guo Ye said, but before he finished, Guo Jue leapt off his flying sword, chasing with his own black‑gold bowl.

He landed just in time, shielding Jiang Yu from a long whip striking from behind.

"Thanks, Guo Jue; I'll escort senior sister over there." Just then, as Jiang Yu plunged down, she saw Lu Ruochan's protective light shield shattered by a hammer, while several flying needles also shot toward her.

Jiang Yu shouted a warning; Lu Ruochan evaded most of the needles, but one struck her shoulder, and in the blink of an eye her hand and face turned a violet‑ink hue.

Jiang Yu hurled a fire talisman at the assailant, regardless of whether it hit, then spun back, grabbing Lu Ruochan, trying to break out of the swirling attack light sphere.

Meanwhile, Xia Bing and Deng Yuanwu were on the other side assisting two other sect brothers, unable to intervene here for the moment.

"I'll cover," Guo Jue said, landing and throwing his black‑gold bowl overhead, instantly forming a light shield that protected the three, impervious to any surrounding spell attacks.

Jiang Yu turned and handed him a handful of talismans: "Throw them out."

She had little of her own talismans left, but her master had prepared many for her this time.

"Junior brother, over here," Guo Ye, who arrived swiftly, neatly released a large bell and hung it outside the battle circle.

"Lu senior sister, hold on," Jiang Yu, half‑cradling Lu Ruochan, fed her two top‑grade detox pills, yet saw no effect.

Lu Ruochan's consciousness was hazy: "Jiang Yu? Am I about to die and hallucinate?"

"It's me; senior sister, you won't die," Jiang Yu stayed close behind Guo Jue, who was smashing talismans to clear a path, followed him as he broke through the front blockers, and ran into the large bell that Guo Ye had lifted.

Dong—

After the person entered, Guo Ye quickly set the large bell on the ground; occasional sword flashes couldn't even scratch its excellent defensive surface.

Guo Jue lifted the moonlight stone, saw Lu Ruochan's swollen hand and face, and almost dropped the stone.

He recognized the poison, "She may have been poisoned by the Beauty's Tears of the Eastern Continent Five Poison Sect."

This toxin contains the venom of the three‑legged golden toad and the purple‑tear Borobara flower; ordinary detox pills cannot remove it.

Moreover, if the antidote isn't taken within half an hour, the person inflates as if blown up, eventually exploding and dying.

Jiang Yu asked the flying little snake, "Bi Luo little snake, can you cure it?"

"I am the Nine‑abyss Azure‑scale Snake, of the Azure Dragon bloodline."

"I asked whether you can cure it?!"

"I can't."

"Please, Guo Ye cultivator, guard number one and two; I'll go outside to find someone for the antidote." Jiang Yu recalled that the poison needle was fired by a woman in apricot‑yellow ritual robes.

As she spoke, she slipped to the edge of the large bell, and together with Guo Jue, lifted it outward.

Guo Ye didn't have time to call back his junior brother; he glanced at the snake that hadn't left and asked, "Why did you stay?"

"Mind your own business, coward," the emerald snake replied, observing the poison's effect from the Beauty's Tears.

And Guo Ye, after hearing that, felt a breath blocked in his chest, unable to exhale; when a crowd of Daoist and demonic cultivators were dueling, what fault is there in grabbing his junior brother for self‑preservation?

He exhaled a deep foul breath, refusing to engage the beasts, then spread a mat, placed the drifting‑consciousness Lu Ruochan onto it, and immediately used his divine sense to observe the battle outside.

Only Jiang Yu's lightning‑fast movement was seen as she charged into the battle formation toward the apricot‑yellow female cultivator dueling a Ten Thousand Swords Sect cultivator.

Meanwhile, her foolish junior brother acted as a human shield behind the opponent, knocking away various spirit lights.

At this moment, Jiang Yu no longer courtesied Guo Jue, saying simply, "Inhale, close your eyes and count breaths."

Her target was the apricot‑yellow female cultivator; anyone who stood in front of her in the duel, regardless of who they were, was bombarded by the tear‑inducing pills she hurled, causing them to cough and tear up.

That's utterly unchivalrous, actually using such an unstoppable artifact.

Amid a barrage of curses, Jiang Yu leapt toward the apricot‑yellow female cultivator, and the bamboo fan she wielded whirled to the cultivator's nape.

The female cultivator about to knock the sword cultivator down felt a sudden chill behind her, and amid the crackling, several layers of electric arcs surged.

She sidestepped and jumped, only to see a bamboo fan flashing with lightning arcs pursuing relentlessly.