Chapter 814: Pursued
Unexpectedly, a grand patriarch from the Hidden Families had been deceived by a young upstart, whose whiskers had barely grown. He Guantian’s mood was imaginable.
In his lifetime, he had only been bested by one man, Damian Southcastle, who seemed to be his destined nemesis. From the outset of his career, Damian steadily outmatched He Guantian and, despite relentless pursuit, ultimately remained unbeaten.
However, 549 years ago, He Guantian finally seized an excellent opportunity. Together with another top-tier entity, whose cultivation was not inferior to his, they ambushed Damian Southcastle in the Kunlun Ruins.
Even so, the man hailed as the foremost martial artist persisted for three full days under the combined assault of two top-tier masters.
One might wonder who else within this “prison” could possess the strength and spirit to withstand the joint attack of two “Half Saint” practitioners relying solely on their own power.
That man, true to his name, seemed invincible!
After three days of intense battle, with Ethereal Essence flowing wildly through the Kunlun Ruins, even the formidable exotic beasts that roamed there dared not show themselves, shivering amidst the explosive outbursts of Ethereal Essence.
Even now, recalling that battle, He Guantian found it thrilling.
Although in the end, he and another powerful figure within the Hidden Families triumphed, slaying the invincible Nangong at the very edge of the Kunlun Ruins.
But the cost of victory was immense!
After the battle, He Guantian could not return to the Hidden Families from the Kunlun Ruins but instead fled frantically to this place, where foul energies gathered, and there he remained for over five hundred years.
As for the other entity, his fate was no better, with an arm forever lost in the ruins.
After reminiscing, He Guantian furiously exclaimed, “In my prime, I could even kill Damian Southcastle, yet now to be tricked by a mere boy is utterly ludicrous, utterly ludicrous indeed!”
His sinister laughter echoed through the rainforest, sending numerous animals shivering, with even the mighty beasts lying down, submitting towards the direction of the laughter.
Meanwhile, in a certain part of the dense forest.
A bald, muscular man’s eyes hardened as he thought, “Such an outburst of Ethereal Essence, this person’s cultivation is truly extraordinary!”
For a practitioner from the Hidden Families to say such, the reputation of the “Eternal Elder” was indeed well-deserved.
This bald man was Mu Jiu, who was on his way in search of Xiao Shun.
And why he had found the other’s whereabouts, he himself did not know.
Because the exact location was provided by an elder, who could absolutely not leave the Hidden Families, and who had never even met Xiao Shun. How could he so confidently disclose the location unless he could divine the secrets of heaven?
Of course, Mu Jiu did not believe the elder from the Gu Clan could divine anything; after all, that was a task for the snobbish Taoists of Hongmeng and the Palace of Supreme Clarity.
Moreover, those self-proclaimed righteous Taoists were quite hostile towards their Gu Clan and would never help divine any secrets of heaven.
This deepened Mu Jiu’s perplexity, but being somewhat of an optimist, he didn’t dwell much on the incomprehensible and was more interested in another matter instead.
He had yet to locate Xiao Shun, but the recent laughter had piqued his curiosity.
Thus, the daring Mu Jiu headed deeper into the rainforest.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the woods.
Xiao Shun tossed away an empty small bottle, grateful for the “Scent Concealer” Elder Er had provided, which had indeed been a great help.
From the resentful laughter that echoed behind him just moments ago, he knew his deductions were correct. The old man He Guantian had indeed placed something akin to a tracking spell within these items. Fortunately, he had been cautious, otherwise, he would have faced significant trouble.
“Hehe, I’ve broken your spell here in this rainforest. Let’s see how you find me now, no matter how powerful you are!”
With that, Xiao Shun patted his large backpack proudly.
Initially, he had prepared to return empty-handed from this trip to the rainforest, but unexpectedly, He Guantian had practically handed him a few significant gifts, which was both amusing and frustrating.
While the outcome was favorable, the process had been perilously dangerous.
Xiao Shun didn’t realize that his careful prudence had saved him a lot of trouble.
After all, just before this, He Guantian had placed a particularly malicious spell on the “Mandragora” that would control anyone who touched it during a specific period.
However, his plan ultimately failed, and he could only watch helplessly as Xiao Shun waited out the five minutes needed for the spell’s duration to expire.
Left with no other choice, He Guantian sent out the “Hallowed Chromatic Earth,” into which he had also cast a spell, this time a more sophisticated tracking spell than the previous anti-tracking one. But again, it was thwarted by Xiao Shun’s meticulous caution.
This seemingly calm exchange was fraught with deadly intent, but Xiao Shun, with his caution and carefulness, had completely unraveled the other’s schemes.
“Hehe, my master always warned me, when in a moment of triumph, one must not lose composure. Although the old man has tricked me often, he’s spot on about crucial matters, which has been immensely beneficial to me!”
Xiao Shun laughed helplessly, his longing for his master growing stronger.
It had been five or six years since he last saw his master, and he couldn’t deny missing him; after all, his master was like a grandfather to him!
After collecting his thoughts, Xiao Shun slung on his backpack and stepped out of the lush, sprawling tropical rainforest.
His luck lately could be described as getting whatever he wished for, with everything progressing towards the most perfect outcome.
At the Sundown Bazaar, within the mining veins, and then in Laogua, his luck continued unabated.
Xiao Shun hoped this fortune would continue all the way to the “Kunlun Ruins.”
If so, he might even secure the two treasures.
However, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and Xiao Shun was unaware that Mu Jiu, who had come to track his movements, had already reached the spot where he had previously stood.
Staring at the dense black fog before him, Mu Jiu’s eyes filled with shock.
“This is the Original Poison Fog!”
As soon as he spoke, he suddenly heard a voice in his ear.
“Young man, who are you, and how can you recognize this fog?”
This voice startled Mu Jiu, as it was too clear and distinct, as if someone was speaking right beside his ear.
With this thought, he hastily retreated several steps and scanned his surroundings, but all he saw was darkness; there were no signs of anyone.This is from NôvelDrama.Org.
His heart raced uncontrollably. With his level of cultivation, it was unthinkable that he couldn’t detect who was playing tricks on him.
Retreating behind a large tree, he called out to the empty, silent surroundings.
“Who are you?”