Chapter 246

At this moment, Jiang Yu kept watch opposite the inn where Wu Sha Lao Er was lodging; this time she no longer distracted herself with other matters, but focused intently on tailing him.

"During the day you can book this teahouse private room, but what about at night?" Jiang Tu, bored, could only jump onto the table and speak with Jiang Yu.

"You could also rent a room at the inn; she couldn't possibly stay there for another ten or so days."

"Will the inn tell you which room she's staying in?"

"It might or might not; when hunting in the mountains you have to hole up in the woods for days waiting for an opportunity, so this bit of waiting is nothing."

"I don't believe she'll keep using the teleportation array." Knowing that using the teleportation array costs spirit stones, Jiang Yu herself has spirit stones but is reluctant to consume them so constantly.

She speculated: "The other party likely found out earlier than I did; the demonic sect's newly discovered spirit stone mine has set up a market."

As a loose cultivator, one often goes to such places to seek opportunities.

Otherwise, why would she have teleported here?"

Jiang Tu retorted: "Maybe she wants to stay at the Union of Bliss Sect."

I see on the map that a few thousand li further west is a city belonging to the Union of Bliss Sect.

Or perhaps head north to the Blood Net Sect.

"That makes sense."

"Then what?"

"Wait." If she hadn't encountered him, Jiang Yu would have let it go, but not only did she meet him, she also kept watch for over ten days.

To give up now would make the sunk costs obviously high.

Besides, the opponent is also a mid‑Golden Core cultivator—perfect for honing my skills.

And the opponent did not disappoint Jiang Yu; after resting half a day and a night at the inn, he left the next morning.

Wu Sha Lao Er certainly did not appear in his original guise but revealed his true face.

However, no sooner had she left the city gate than she noticed two tails behind her; she snorted coldly and flew toward a less‑populated direction.

Not long after, the two Foundation Establishment late‑stage cultivators chasing her realized they had lost her, and, annoyed, they thought of returning to the city.

But as soon as they turned around, Wu Sha Lao Er was smiling at them and said, "What are you doing following me?"

"Fellow Daoist..." the two male cultivators were about to speak when suddenly a sword light flashed from the opponent's hand, and in the blink of an eye it sliced off their heads.

"Hehe, overestimating oneself." Wu Sha Lao Er snatched both of their storage bags and casually tossed their corpses down from midair.

But just as she tried to fly away, she suddenly felt a chill behind her and instinctively leapt several zhang away.

At the same time, she swung her sword toward the incoming blade light.

Dong

Two sword lights collided in midair; she saw that female Golden Core cultivator from before, who launched another strike without pause, forcing her to hastily meet it.

But Jiang Yu's sword lights came one after another, faster and faster; within a few breaths she could only parry, yet she couldn't even manage a single block.

After barely withstanding the assault, the opponent suddenly unleashed a lightning‑charged bamboo fan, aiming to shatter her body‑protecting spiritual light from the side.

In an instant, the sword light and lightning left her scrambling to cope, her internal spiritual power rapidly draining.

Fortunately, she had just bought a defensive jade talisman that could block the lightning strikes.

But the opponent's sword was too sharp and swift; this style of continual spiritual‑power drain made Wu Sha Lao Er want to flee at once. She thought it and did it—while straining to block, an escape talisman hidden in her sleeve quietly activated.

By the time Jiang Yu sensed the opponent trying to escape, it was already a bit late, because the lightning bamboo fan had not broken through Wu Sha Lao Er's defense, so it couldn't immediately strike her escape talisman.

Moreover, once she fled, she would certainly be over a hundred li away; even though Jiang Yu's divine sense surpassed that of peers, it could not reach that far, and she instantly lost track of her.

"Long Hun, quickly sense where she is." Jiang Tu seized Long Hun and flashed out the Dragon Pearl.

"Beyond three hundred li, I can't sense it." Long Hun, when alive, was merely a ninth‑stage dragon king comparable to a great empress, and its divine sense extends only within three hundred li.

Jiang Tu lamented, "What a pity; I should have joined Jiang Yu in the attack just now."

"Jiang Yu intends to hone her skills in real combat; what's the point of you helping her fight?" Long Hun tossed out that remark and flickered back into the Dragon Pearl.

Jiang Tu: "If she runs this time, she'll be hard to find next time."

"No matter, fate will bring us together again." The five who had tried to kill Jiang Yu that day have already been slain four of them by them; the remaining one is not in a hurry to kill.

She released her cloud flying device, saying, "Let's go; now let's head to the spirit stone mine to see the current state of South Solemn in person."

"Don't you find this slow?" Jiang Tu didn't understand why she didn't just fly with the lightning bamboo fan.

"Using the fan would likely reveal my identity; many people saw me use it in the Great Luo Cave Heaven." Moreover, the main reason is that yesterday, while buying a map, she idly purchased a jade slip about a rising star in the cultivation world.

Inside it not only introduces Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Origin Continent over the past decade, but also describes what magic treasures various people use.

Her name, as well as the lightning bamboo fan she once used, are depicted therein.

She thought, that Wu Sha Lao Er will likely learn who she is soon; it's a pity she didn't manage to wound him.

……

At the same time, after using several escape talismans in succession and confirming safety, Wu Sha Lao Er punched and snapped a century‑old tree.

"Damn it! The escape talismans I bought at great cost in spirit stones have been used up half in an instant.

The defensive jade talisman has also cracked; which sect does this female cultivator belong to?" She suddenly recalled something and immediately pulled out a jade slip from her storage ring to examine.

After a long while, she let out a long breath: it turned out to be Jiang Yu of the Grand Void Sect, who had not appeared for years and emerged straight into mid‑Golden Core.

After a moment's thought, she decided to hide for a few years at the Yin Demon Sect, figuring that Daoist disciples would not venture deep there for training.

It's a shame about the newly discovered spirit stone mine; she can't go take a look.

Moreover, the spirit stone mine is only a few thousand li from where they fought; the cloud flying device isn't slow, and Jiang Yu also asked her master to add an invisibility formation to it.

Don't think this short distance is trivial—Jiang Yu has already encountered three skirmishes along the way, but by deliberately avoiding them she safely reached the spirit stone mine.

Of course, the mining area cannot be approached, and when passing overhead one can see that the mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist, indistinct—clearly a formation.

Jiang Yu merely lingered a bit longer in the air when two extremely powerful divine senses swept over her.

They were the Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the mine; her cloud's invisibility could not fool them at all.

If she hadn't flown away quickly, her cloud would likely have been struck by a fist in the next moment.

She sent another message to Mo Yizhou, asking where the market was located, and as soon as she got the exact directions, she headed straight there.

The market wasn't big, with only one main street lined with wooden houses on both sides, but there were plenty of people.

Judging by their attire, most were disciples of the Heaven Demon Sect and the Union Joy Sect, all at Foundation Establishment or higher, with no Qi Refining cultivators present.

Jiang Yu again disguised herself as a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, strolling down the main street to look at the stalls set up by cultivators on both sides.

Not long after, she had walked the entire length and found that most of the shops on either side were teahouses, wine shops, and inns; there were hardly any pill or artifact shops—only two, and they happened to be directly opposite each other.

No need to guess; they were surely run by the Heaven Demon Sect and the Union Joy Sect, but few cultivators went inside, most preferring to browse the street-side stalls.

She also crouched in front of a stall, wanting to examine a piece of black mineral stone on it.

But just as she picked it up, a mental transmission sounded in her ear: "Jiang Yu."

Jiang Yu followed the direction of the transmission and looked behind her.