"By decree of the Xun Monarch, may the Celestial Street be illuminated!"

"Unobstructed and unstoppable, ten thousand transformations in the profound darkness!"

"Decree!"

Sensing the tyrannical aura that suddenly swelled and erupted behind him, Qi Yun shot forward while simultaneously forming a hand seal, chanting a spell, and circulating his True Qi to cast his Magic.

A green gleam flashed at his fingertips. As he unleashed the Clear Wind Technique, currents of air swirled beneath Qi Yun’s feet, and the hem of his robes billowed like wisps of smoke.

The moment he plunged into the mountain forest, his form dissolved into a flowing wind, ignoring the jagged rocks and gnarled branches blocking his path as he completely merged into the gloomy world.

"Hmph! Trying to run? Too late!"

Zhou Hao strode out from the shadow of a thick stone pillar, his expression impassive. His indifferent gaze swept over Wu Tao’s still-warm corpse on the ground. With a flick of his palm, the jet-black Flying Sword whizzed back and landed securely in his grasp.

"Trash!"

Zhou Hao took a single step, his wide sleeves billowing like waves. His figure suddenly blurred, transforming into a streak of motion almost impossible for the naked eye to follow.

At the same time, a gloomy, eight-bearer palanquin formed from dense black mist seemed to materialize out of thin air beneath him.

The Ghost Palanquin moved in utter silence, carrying the seated Zhou Hao forward with ghostly speed. It treated the rocks and trees as if they were nothing, passing straight through them as if it had become ethereal itself.

’Gone?’

Zhou Hao’s eyebrow twitched when a thorough search of the area revealed no trace of Qi Yun.

’Could his Magic be even faster than my Ghost Palanquin?’

After a brief moment of hesitation, Zhou Hao immediately realized the truth.

’Impossible!’

’A mere Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator couldn’t possibly do it, even with the help of a Magical Artifact.’

’In that case, there’s only one possibility... an Illusionary Body Concealment Technique!’

’As expected of a Foundation Establishment Master’s Direct Disciple.’

It took only a moment for Zhou Hao to deduce the reason for Qi Yun’s disappearance. He was decisive and sharp, wasting no time.

"You must have used this same technique to ambush and kill Tang Shun."

His indifferent eyes scanned the area before him as Zhou Hao formed a hand seal. Deep within his eyes, a strange, grayish-green gleam quietly emerged.

"Fengdu’s decree, may the Nine Netherworlds be illuminated!"

"Earth spirits hide their forms, wood sprites conceal their shadows!"

"Let soul-sand guide the lamp, let grievances point the way!"

"Through myriad tribulations, see all; let nothing hide its form!"

"Capture!"

Chanting the Spell, Zhou Hao bit his fingertip without hesitation. A crimson Blood Bead seeped out, which he used to quickly trace a complex and sinister Fengdu Mountain Talisman in his palm.

With a fierce surge of True Qi, the blood Talisman in his palm went PFFT and dissolved into a puff of green smoke, which burrowed into the cracks of the earth beneath his feet.

RUMBLE—!

The ground suddenly bucked and heaved violently.

Five mounds of earth, radiating dense Yin Qi, swelled up like boiling water. A teeth-grinding scraping sound came from within, as if some monstrous things were about to break through the soil!

Immediately after, five clumps of ghastly green phosphorescence ignited out of thin air on the tips of Zhou Hao’s five fingers. The eerie light flickered and instantly coalesced into a sharp, fiery arrowhead, pointing coldly toward a specific direction deep within the mountain forest.

"Five Ghosts Tracking Technique! Arise!"

Zhou Hao pointed, completing the Spell. The five grave mounds exploded with a deafening roar, and amidst piercing, vicious shrieks, five ghosts burst forth, wrapped in a Yin Wind.

Several hundred meters away, as Qi Yun calmly watched these events unfold, Zheng Yi’s voice transmission sounded in his ear.

"Go! It’s the Five Ghosts Tracking Technique. If those five little ghosts latch onto you, you won’t be able to get away."

Hearing Zheng Yi’s warning, Qi Yun turned and fled, though he couldn’t help thinking to himself.

’Just as I thought. High-realm Cultivators more or less all have some kind of tracking method. The Invisibility effect of the Clear Wind Technique is just too weak against a true tracking Secret Skill...’

’I wonder if a future update will strengthen this mechanic!’

Five faintly visible, cackling ghostly figures weaved through the forest, following the phosphorescent light’s guidance as they lunged toward Qi Yun at extreme speed.

Qi Yun pushed the Clear Wind Technique to its absolute limit. He became a flowing wind, making sharp turns through the forest and skimming just above the ground, his speed not the slightest bit slower than his pursuers.

And so, he had started a game of cat and mouse with the five ghosts on Piaohai Mountain.

"You little thief! Quite slippery, aren’t you."

Seated in his Ghost Palanquin, Zhou Hao perceived Qi Yun’s tenacity through his connection with the five ghosts, and a cold smirk touched his lips.

"A pity, but this is where it ends!"

Circulating his True Qi, Zhou Hao’s chest puffed out slightly. He then opened his mouth and spat a ghastly green mist onto the Fengdu Mountain Talisman.

This Fengdu Mountain Talisman was the source of the five ghosts. Now, having received this enhancement, the five ghosts chasing Qi Yun also began to glow with a faint green light.

As if receiving a precise command, the five ghostly figures stopped their blind pursuit. Instead, they coordinated with each other, instantly spreading out to flank him. Like a great net of Yin Qi rapidly closing in, they sealed off all of Qi Yun’s escape routes in the blink of an eye!

With his path blocked in front and behind, the five ghosts relentlessly drew closer, tightening their encirclement.

’Is there no escape...’

Watching from the shadows, Zheng Yi frowned slightly. Zhou Hao was Song Kun’s third disciple, with a Cultivation at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

Although his Cultivation level was among the lowest of the disciples, on par with the youngest one, his talent for Magic was exceptional. Coupled with his love for research, few within the same Realm could match him.

Sending someone so skilled in using various methods showed that Song Kun was absolutely determined to capture Qi Yun.

Just as Zheng Yi was hesitating, wondering if he should intervene to help Qi Yun escape...

...he saw Qi Yun, after only a brief moment of hesitation, leap forward and charge toward the nearest little ghost.

"Do you think my little ghosts are made of paper?"

Noticing this, Zhou Hao sneered. He had spent eighteen years cultivating these five little ghosts. Their bodies were saturated with resentful Yin Qi. A single pounce was enough to freeze a person on the spot with their frigid, resentful aura.

Those with slightly weaker Cultivation would be frozen to death on the spot.

"If you can break through, I’ll let you..."

Before his harsh words were even finished, the situation changed dramatically.

Qi Yun, who was fearlessly charging the ghost blocking his path, reached into his robes and pulled out a large handful of already-activated Evil-Exorcizing Talismans, which hummed with immense Dharma Power.

These Talismans were Qi Yun’s trump cards.

Unlike the "youth edition" he had sold before, he had poured his utmost Heart and Spirit into drawing these Talismans.

While their power couldn’t quite match the masterworks drawn by professional Talisman Masters in the Treasure Market, they were only a notch below.

And now, he had grabbed fifty or sixty of them at once!

BOOM—

A blinding golden light erupted, as if a furious, miniature sun had suddenly risen over the gloomy Piaohai Mountain.

A vast and surging Power of Evil-Breaking converged into a destructive golden tide, instantly engulfing the ghost that blocked his path.

Two sharp, solidified streams of Sword Qi, cleverly hidden within the torrent of golden light from the Talismans, struck like vipers, accurately piercing the little ghost’s core!

In that instant, a shriek so shrill it seemed to warp space itself—filled with endless agony and venomous hatred—tore through the dead silence of the forest!

CRACK—

At the same time, a crack suddenly appeared on the Fengdu Mountain Talisman in Zhou Hao’s palm.

This meant that the little ghost he had raised for eighteen years... was toast.

The golden light faded, and the Yin Qi dissipated.

Qi Yun’s figure reformed at the edge of the explosion. He was panting slightly and his face was a little pale, but the corners of his mouth lifted into a triumphant grin.

He turned his head, his gaze piercing precisely through the gaps in the trees to lock onto the face in the distant Ghost Palanquin, which had instantly turned ashen.

"I think I heard someone say just now that if I could break through, they’d let me... let me what, again?"

Qi Yun’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly across the several hundred meters.

Provocation!

A blatant provocation!

Flashing Zhou Hao a world-famous hand gesture, Qi Yun laughed heartily, his body dissolving into a flowing wind as he sped away toward the deeper, more treacherous regions of the mountains without a backward glance!

Left behind were Zhou Hao, his face alternating between green and white, and Zheng Yi, who watched from the shadows with a look of surprised amusement.

’This kid... he’s either outrageously bold, or he’s just got a death wish!’

...