Zhang Yan rode his sword flying away, and before long arrived at Star Stone South Road. Here flying peaks were densely packed, with one every several dozen to a hundred zhang. His tunneling light wove back and forth among them, and in a short while an open stretch appeared ahead. Looking out, all he saw were floating fragments of stone, broken branches and snapped leaves, still bearing the traces left behind by the fighting. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

At this moment his gaze shifted, and he suddenly saw a Devil sneaking behind a chunk of shattered rock, peeking about. He let out a faint, mocking smile, casually cast a bolt of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder over, and in an instant blasted it to ashes. Then he swept his eyes around once more, and seeing no further anomalies, he gave his great sleeve a shake, sent forth a streaking sword rainbow, and continued on his way.

After forcing Zhong Muqing back, Feng Haiyang pursued Huo Xuan and the other all the way, and relying on the aid of the Treasure Mirror, was always able to stay close behind them.

At first the two still used the Mirror Light to conceal their tracks, but later, seemingly realizing this was useless, they simply stopped bothering to cover themselves and focused solely on flying in light.

Unconsciously, the three had already reached East Starstone Road, and the distance between them was growing ever shorter.

While Feng Haiyang was flying, he suddenly felt something, and upon a quick probe, his eyelids involuntarily twitched as he thought to himself, "How did Zhang Yan escape from that Ten Thousand Mountains Map so quickly? That Xun Huaiying will likely catch up before long as well. I must hasten to overtake Huo Xuan, otherwise I’ll be entangled by those two again."

In that brief instant of distraction, the scenery around him underwent subtle changes. At first he did not notice, but after going a bit further, he clearly felt as if he had stepped into another realm, with countless willow-like streams of green energy pressing in toward his body.

He at once knew something was wrong and let out a loud shout. Gang Wind whirled up beside him, churning into a howling gale, Yin Thunder and Demonic Qi bursting forth incessantly, blasting apart the green energy coiling at his side. He shook his body once and, without the slightest hesitation, turned into a wisp of Yellow Smoke and fled.

The surrounding spiritual mechanism suddenly surged, and boundless Green Cloud wind currents pressed in, chasing after him relentlessly. Originally they were soft and cohesive masses, thin and Pure Spirit, without the least trace of smoke or fire, but once near his body they unexpectedly exploded with thunderous blasts, continually shaving away the Tribulation Water surrounding him. He simply ignored it, putting his entire mind into tunneling outward.

After a short while, Feng Haiyang suddenly felt his whole body lighten and knew he had forced his way out. With a flick of both sleeves he rose up to the Heavenly Vault above. Looking back, he saw the Green Light within the array dispersing, rising like a drawn curtain. Luo Qingyu emerged from within, standing atop a certain peak. He clasped his hands and said, "True Master Feng, Luo has been awaiting you here for quite some time. If you wish to pursue Brother Huo, then you must first pass this trial of mine."

Feng Haiyang cast several scrutinizing glances into the array and saw seventy-two array mountains rocking with wind and thunder, trembling without cease, as if brewing supreme might.

He thought inwardly, "This Array Diagram is exceedingly extraordinary. Even if I can break it, it will undoubtedly cost me no small effort; dragging on for one or two hours would not be impossible. Moreover, since this person does not fear fighting me one-on-one, he must be like Zhong Muqing, also carrying the Mingcang Sect’s Da Wei Cloud Palace. Crossing hands with him would be most unwise."

He gave a slight, cold smile, not bothering to say a single extra word. The Tribulation Water before him surged up, and he sent forth a thousand-odd Devils, driving them to flood downward. At the same time he gave his body a shake, once more turning into a wisp of Yellow Smoke, and in an instant shot toward the Heavenly Vault.

Luo Qingyu raised a brow slightly and lifted his hand. The seventy-two peaks beneath his feet immediately quaked with wind and thunder. Those Devils had barely entered before being blasted into pieces.

When he turned to look at Feng Haiyang again, he saw the latter had already flown far off in the distance, and he could not help but silently sigh in regret.

After his repeated Refining of this "Green Flat Smoke Array," compared with when he had been fighting Zhang Yan, it had already grown stronger by an unknown margin.

Moreover, when this array was deployed in places thick with mountain peaks, grasses, and trees, it was extremely hard to detect, and a Cultivator could fall into it unwittingly. He had originally planned to lure Feng Haiyang deep inside and then grind him down for a spell with that "Qingji Wind and Thunder Array Skill." Unfortunately this person’s Mana was exceedingly profound and he was extremely vigilant. The moment he sensed something amiss, he forcibly pulled back and retreated, leaving Luo’s efforts fruitless. Were it an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, he feared he would already have succeeded long ago.

"But that is no matter. Since this person has gone, it is just right to carry out the plan."

Luo Qingyu smiled faintly. With a tap of his foot, a Green Cloud rose up to support his body, lifting him into midair. After orienting himself, he did not go to chase Feng Haiyang, but instead raised a clear wind and headed toward the central route.

After flying for not too long, he saw a familiar tunneling light approaching from afar, and could not help a hint of joy showing on his face. He called out loudly, "Is that Junior Brother Zhang up ahead?"

Zhang Yan, seeing it was Luo Qingyu, could not help being slightly taken aback. Once they drew near, he restrained his tunneling light, raised a hand in salute, and asked in surprise, "Senior Luo, why are you here? Where are Brother Huo and Brother Zhong?"

Luo Qingyu likewise halted his Cloud Light and returned the salute with a smile. "I am here precisely under Brother Huo’s orders, to seek out Junior Brother Zhang." He glanced behind Zhang Yan and asked, "Where is Master Xun?"