Liu Jinxian's audacity to attempt killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator already placed her above the majority of low-level Qi Refining practitioners. Her courage, hidden cards, and methods were all extraordinary.
Having severely injured Steward Xu and still daring to give chase revealed a ferocity of temperament that far exceeded expectations.
Naturally, Wang Yu, now far away, remained completely unaware of the events that had transpired in such a short time. He only felt the violent disturbances coming from Profound Bone Mountain and ran all the faster.
Under the cover of the Night Concealment Charm, and with his current Qi Refining seventh layer cultivation, he could maintain his pace uninterrupted for four hours. If necessary, he could also consume top-grade Spirit Restoration Pills to replenish his expended spiritual power.
Thus, once he started running, he never considered stopping.
Top-grade pills, rare and precious in the outside world, were so plentiful in his hands he couldn't finish them all. After all, with both his Alchemy skill and recipe knowledge perfected, he had thoroughly grasped the underlying principles and techniques.
While variations in individual medicinal ingredients made it difficult to consistently achieve the perfect yield of nine top-grade pills per batch, he still had them in such abundance he could pop them like candy.
This also allowed him to circumvent the refining efficiency issues caused by his Waste Spiritual Root.
***
While Wang Yu was on his way to Maple Province Prefectural City, the heavily wounded Steward Xu was feeling increasingly lightheaded. The potent venom of the Jade Serpent Venom Thread Gu had been dealt with by sacrificing his arm.
However, the subsequent Golden Core-level strike had saturated his entire body with a secondary, yet still potent, Jade Serpent toxin. This poison corroded both bone and spirit, not only preventing his wounds from healing but also suppressing his liquid True Essence.
His Dantian sea felt hollow and empty, containing only two or three drops of True Essence. No matter how frantically he circulated his cultivation technique, he found it nearly impossible to draw spiritual energy from the outside world, as if his source had dried up into a barren wasteland.
His only consolation was that he could still seek aid from pills. He swallowed several treasured second-grade spirit pills he had kept for himself, temporarily suppressing the further deterioration of his injuries.
Yet, the skin and flesh all over his body remained putrid and green, oozing yellow pus, a constant, gruesome reminder that he needed to find a place to retreat and heal as soon as possible.
Otherwise, death was certain!
The blow from Liu Jinxian had completely shattered his mental state. The thought of avenging his daughter was tossed to the back of his mind; survival was now the priority.
Who knew if the girl chasing him had another trump card of the same caliber? He didn't dare gamble!
As these thoughts raced, Steward Xu quickly forced himself to regain composure.
Tracing the events back to the beginning, it all started with the Zhu grandfather and grandson from the Xu Clan Pill Shop. Those two had offended a true disciple from [Evil God Peak]. Acting on someone's suggestion, they had targeted him, ultimately embezzling over a hundred thousand spirit stones from his shop.
First, it was because he was a grassroots cultivator with no powerful backer, yet a second-grade alchemist with considerable assets—a perfect fattened sheep for the slaughter.
Second, the Zhu pair, seeking to use spirit stones to absolve their crimes, had chosen the Xu Clan Pill Shop based on hints from a subordinate of that Evil God Peak true disciple.
The whole thing had been a trap from the very start.
Then, partway through, this Wang Yu had jumped out, not only disrupting the Evil God Peak true disciple's scheme but also attracting a new, hungry wolf!
Enforcement Hall's Steward Zhuo came from a major family, part of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's upper echelons, with a Nascent Soul ancestor backing his clan. Evil God Peak, on the other hand, had long fallen into decline. For a true disciple of a peak to covet his mere hundred thousand spirit stones was truly beneath their station.
But regardless of the outcome, he, Steward Xu, was the one who got butchered.
Subsequently imprisoned in the dungeon, he had no choice but to find a way to satiate both Steward Zhuo and the Evil God Peak true disciple. He practically had to sell the pots and pans, going into deep debt, before barely managing to be released.
Years of accumulated resources were gone, leaving only a few life-saving spirit pills and a scant couple of magical instruments. Even his stock of second-grade talismans had been cleaned out.
Upon his release, he then received the news of his daughter's death, and again, the name Wang Yu was involved. And so, he had snapped completely!
Running through the sequence from beginning to end,
Steward Xu's eyes regained their clarity. He glanced back at the figure doggedly pursuing him and muttered to himself:
"There's no turning back once the arrow is loosed. Although I was at fault initially, such a vindictive, unforgiving nature almost predestines the outcome…"
Apologize? Judging by her current demeanor, that would be utterly useless!
Compensate? His family wealth had been utterly devoured by those two hyenas. All he had left was his wretched life; he couldn't afford to pay anything.
The fingers of his remaining left hand formed a sword seal, swiftly striking several major acupoints on his body. Using a secret technique attached to his cultivation art, he temporarily stabilized his condition, then swallowed several more pills to restore his True Essence.
Almost imperceptibly, his speed decreased slightly.
He maintained a pace just beyond Liu Jinxian's reach, yet kept himself visible. If the distance grew too large, he slowed down; if she closed in, he accelerated, acting like a living lure drawing her deeper and deeper.
He was buying time, waiting for his empty Dantian to gradually recover.
He had nothing left to lose. Why should he fear some damn Golden Core background? The few remaining Xu clansmen in the sect were just leeches clinging to him anyway.
No daughter. No family wealth. Burdened with odious debts.
He dared to do anything now!
Including—finishing off Liu Jinxian!!
Getting his bearings, he adjusted his course and flew directly towards the location of Maple Province Prefectural City.
Liu Jinxian, chasing closely behind, naturally noticed his strange behavior. At first, she felt a twinge of apprehension, wondering if he was deliberately luring her into a trap.
But upon realizing the change in direction, she理所当然地 assumed he was afraid: "Trying to reach the Prefectural City? You think I won't dare kill you in public?! — You're seeking death!"
A moment later, the pavilion-style flying artifact she rode picked up speed again.
......
......
Those running on the ground were naturally slower than those flying in the sky, especially when the latter included a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a privileged second-generation cultivator relying on a powerful artifact.
Despite his head start, Wang Yu, relying solely on his two legs, was quickly overtaken. Noticing the unusual sights in the sky, he could only seek shelter beneath a massive rock.
Using the shadows in combination with the Night Concealment Charm, he hid himself thoroughly, watching with astonishment as two streaks of light—one gray, one green—chased each other across the heavens.
It resembled a race.
But the clearly visible, severely wounded state of one party stirred something in Wang Yu's heart. Confident in the peerless might of his Divine Strength Corpse Arm and his various perfected spells, he believed he had no match among Qi Refining cultivators.
Having witnessed Steward Xu's battle with the Direbone Lion King, a killing intent began to rise within him.
His only reservation was the other party's Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Although he didn't know how Liu Jinxian had managed to injure him to this extent, it truly was an opportunity to resolve this grudge. For the man to come seeking him from thousands of miles away showed the depth of his hatred!
If he missed this chance, he would have to live in hiding for many years, only able to deal with the problem after breaking through to Foundation Establishment himself.
"Opportunity knocks but once."
With Liu Jinxian taking the lead, what did he have to fear? If he could truly eliminate this major threat, he wouldn't need to scrape by in the unfamiliar Maple Province Prefectural City.
Completing his Profound Bone Mountain mission peacefully and returning to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect was the proper path.
"Let's do it!"
His mind made up, Wang Yu immediately gave chase. He reasoned that Liu Jinxian, as the daughter of a Golden Core expert, must possess trump cards that surpassed her cultivation level.
As long as Steward Xu could be killed, even if he got no spoils of war, he would be perfectly satisfied.
However.
Two hours later.
Wang Yu had completely fallen behind the fleeing and pursuing duo, left to merely follow the lingering aura left by Liu Jinxian as he pressed forward.
**(End of Chapter)**