Translator: CinderTL
Yang Yu watched the nine transparent, razor-sharp blades hurtling toward him, his expression growing grave.
Suddenly, a palm-sized jade plaque appeared in his hand.
The jade plaque emitted waves of white light, enveloping a ten-yard radius around him.
The nine transparent blades pierced through the white light, tearing it apart with ease. The light offered little resistance to the Focused Spirit Stab.
This jade plaque was merely a mid-grade Soul Defense Magical Treasure, utterly inadequate against Song Wen's Peak Nascent Soul spiritual sense attack.
The Focused Spirit Stab plunged directly into the monster's head, where Yang Yu had transformed.
The monster reeled as if struck by a mortal blow, its crimson outer shell beginning to convulse violently.
Then, a long gash suddenly split open across the monster's head, and a human figure was squeezed out by the convulsing shell.
It was Yang Yu.
His expression remained unchanged, clearly unaffected by the Focused Spirit Stab.
The Blood Wraith Beast had taken the brunt of the Focused Spirit Stab's attack for him. As a result, writhing in excruciating pain, it had been forced to break its fusion with him.
Yang Yu hastily summoned a shield.
The shield erupted with dazzling golden light, shielding his head.
Purple Mansion Divine Thunder descended!
Like a purple waterfall, it instantly engulfed Yang Yu's figure.
Hundreds of miles away, Song Wen, who had used the Substitute Technique to escape, watched this scene with a hint of disappointment.
Clearly, the Purple Mansion Divine Thunder had failed to harm Yang Yu.
Taking advantage of the fact that the three pursuers hadn't yet caught up, Song Wen activated the Blood Escape Technique, fleeing once more. He vanished into the distance, finally stopping at the foot of a towering mountain over three hundred miles away.
There, he retrieved the Two-Faced Buddha. He spat a mouthful of vital essence onto it, staining the statue a sinister crimson.
An indescribable, eerie aura surged from the Buddha, coiling around Song Wen's body.
In an instant, his aura became chaotic and unstable.
Pressing himself flat against the ground, Song Wen swiftly vanished into the dense forest.
Xue Mei and the other two remained calm as Song Wen fled.
"Xue Mei, quickly cast your spell to locate Ji Yin's position. He's already used five Substitute Puppets, and he probably has few left. Moreover, he's repeatedly used the Blood Escape Technique, so even if his vital blood has been replenished, it should be running low by now. This is the best time to eliminate him," Gui Ni said.
Xue Mei nodded and flipped her palm, revealing a transparent jade bottle filled with green smoke.
She formed a magic seal and infused it into the bottle.
But in the next moment, the calm expression on Xue Mei's face vanished completely.
The green smoke in the bottle merely flickered a few times before remaining still, failing to guide her toward Song Wen as she had expected.
"What's wrong?" Gui Ni asked.
Xue Mei frowned deeply, her expression grave.
"My tracking technique has failed. I can't locate Ji Yin's position."
"You can't track Ji Yin's location?" Yang Yu's expression darkened, his voice laced with anger. "Xue Mei! Gui Ni! When you came to me, inviting me to join forces against Ji Yin, you repeatedly promised that no matter how he fled, you would find his hiding place. Now you're telling me you can't find him at all!"
Xue Mei said, "Fellow Daoist Yang Yu, please calm down. The Asura Sect has been destroyed, and Ji Yin is now alone. He can't possibly cause much trouble. Surely, with your strength, you aren't afraid of Ji Yin?"
"Personally, I fear Ji Yin not at all. But the Beastmaster Sect has hundreds of thousands of sect members and disciples, as well as numerous properties scattered across the land. If Ji Yin disregards his status as a Nascent Soul cultivator and targets the ordinary disciples and properties of my sect, he could throw the entire Beastmaster Sect into chaos within days," Yang Yu said, his face flushed with anger.
"Enough, Fellow Daoists. This isn't the time for squabbling," Gui Ni interjected. His expression was also grim. The problem facing the Beastmaster Sect was the same one his own Profound Yin Sect would soon face.
Gui Ni continued, "Ji Yin definitely hasn't fled far. Let's split up and search in different directions. We might still find some clues. If any of us discovers something, don't try to fight alone. Immediately send a message to the other two."
The three followed the plan, heading off in different directions.
However, after searching a radius of ten thousand miles, they found no trace of Song Wen.
When they regrouped, Gui Ni said, "Xue Mei, try your technique again. See if you can sense Ji Yin's location."
Daoist Xue Mei took out the transparent jade bottle and cast the Thousand Miles Breath Tracking Technique once more. The green smoke inside remained unresponsive.
"It seems Ji Yin really did escape," Yang Yu said, his expression as dark as water.
Gui Ni said, "After the fierce battle, Ji Yin's Spiritual Power was severely depleted, and he sustained injuries. He'll definitely seek a place to heal and recover his strength. Xue Mei, you've had dealings with him before. Do you know of any places he frequents or anyone he's close to?"
Daoist Xue Mei shook her head. "Knowing Ji Yin, he wouldn't go anywhere he usually goes right now. Instead, he'd choose an unfamiliar place to avoid detection. Ji Yin is extremely cautious and trusts no one, especially when injured."
"Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?" Yang Yu's voice carried a hint of worry. "Wait for Ji Yin to come seeking revenge? He's only at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm now, and even with the three of us working together, we couldn't eliminate him. If he breaks through to a higher cultivation level, who among us will be able to stand against him?"
Song Wen's final strike, though it hadn't injured Yang Yu, had left him deeply shaken.
At that moment, Yang Yu was already plotting how to acquire a High-Grade Soul Defense Magical Item.
"Perhaps I should find an opportunity to visit the Mixed Yuan Temple and the Nine Palaces Sect," he mused inwardly.
Just then, the azure smoke within the transparent jade bottle suddenly shifted, drifting slightly towards the northwest.
"Ji Yin is in the northwest, about tens of thousands of miles from here," Daoist Xue Mei said urgently.
But before her words could fully register, the azure smoke returned to its original state.
"Damn it, I've lost his location again," Daoist Xue Mei said.
Gui Ni said, "Ji Yin must have some method to nullify your technique. But such a method likely comes at a considerable cost and has a limited duration. If we pursue him now, we might still catch up."
The three of them transformed into streaks of light, hurtling towards the northwest.
Song Wen wore a look of helplessness as he spat out another mouthful of blood, staining the Two-Faced Buddha crimson.
The Two-Faced Buddha was undeniably useful, but every two hours, it devoured twenty percent of his vital essence.
At this rate, no matter how much vital essence he possessed, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy the Two-Faced Buddha's hunger.
This meant he couldn't truly shake off Xue Mei and her companions' pursuit.
"Looks like I have no choice but to go to the Chaotic Sea," Song Wen thought grimly.
Going to the Chaotic Sea now wouldn't disrupt his original plans. He had intended to go there once he reached the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul mid-stage to absorb the cultivation of Yin Shuo and Ye Hua, thereby breaking through to the Late Nascent Soul stage.
Song Wen changed direction and flew toward the Endless Desert.
To avoid revealing his trail again, he continued dripping vital essence onto the Two-Faced Buddha.
(End of the Chapter)
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