Scram!

Woken so abruptly, the other two were still somewhat dazed, but hearing Li Guanqi's warning, they sprang to their feet. The pounding sensation in Li Guanqi's chest had him on edge. The instant the three of them darted out of the cave, a colossal sword light descended from midair, slashing down within an inch of their bodies! Boom! A terrifying force sheared the massive mountain—more than two hundred zhang tall—straight in two! A sinister silhouette stood suspended in midair. That horrifying aura was revealed for only a split second, but it was enough for Li Guanqi to realize the immense gulf between them and this pursuer. "At the very least, a Nascent Soul cultivator! And by no means a weak one!" What was more, the killing intent rolling off the figure was entirely undisguised! Without a second thought, Li Guanqi roared, "Run! We're no match for him!" In a flash, all three pushed their speed to the absolute limit. Li Guanqi pushed his Traceless Nether Step to its peak, moving so fast that only a blurred white streak seemed to slice through the void. Dragging the two through the air, a massive pair of wings abruptly unfurled behind his back! The Wind Thunder Wings repaired by Qin Xian had finally come into play. As Li Guanqi poured primal energy into them, the enormous wings erupted with rumbling bursts of thunder. His speed shot up by another thirty percent! Yet even so, the Nascent Soul cultivator behind them remained hot on their heels, barely a few hundred zhang away. Li Guanqi's thoughts raced. He couldn't fathom what had gone wrong or how someone had managed to track them to this place. *For the Longevity Grass? That makes no sense... A Nascent Soul cultivator can't even use it.* *Could he be securing it for a junior in his clan?* *Did that woman sell us out? No... that can't be...* *She had no reason to do that at all.* There was no time left to ponder. The pursuer was closing in faster and faster. Ye Feng spoke with a grim expression. "Who on earth is this guy? Why is he trying to kill us?" Li Guanqi had no time to explain. The assailant had concealed his aura and appearance, clearly determined to keep his identity hidden. If not for Li Guanqi's premonition of danger, the three of them would have perished under that first stroke of sword light. Whoosh! Boom! A sword beam wrapped in roaring flames tore forward. Li Guanqi swerved violently, dragging the two along and barely dodging the strike! The sword beam ripped into the earth, blasting open a fissure a hundred zhang across! Scorching fiery might swept in all directions, baking the ground pitch-black. Li Guanqi's expression shifted slightly. Mingled within that flame, he had caught sight of faint traces of eerie blue. Though subtle, the blue hue was unmistakable. Yet its aura was vastly different from Cao Yan's. Had Li Guanqi looked down, he would have noticed Cao Yan staring back at their pursuer, his face twisted in venomous hatred! Every casual swing of the pursuer's blade sealed off Li Guanqi's flight path. Though he dodged desperately, the distance between them shrank inch by inch! Uneasy, Li Guanqi called out to the sword spirit in his mind, but received not the slightest response! Suddenly! Three beams of sword light shot toward them in a triangular formation! This time, there was no dodging! A fierce glint flashed in Ye Feng's eyes as he gripped his sword, preparing to spin around! A spark of fire ignited in Cao Yan's gaze as gauntlets snapped onto his fists, readying him to strike. Just then, a tremendous force seized the collars of their robes and hurled them backward! Ye Feng was flung in the opposite direction, crying out involuntarily, "Boss!" Cao Yan's eyes widened, filled with conflicted emotion as he shouted, "Brother Li!" Primal energy surged through Li Guanqi as the Wind Thunder Wings beat violently! Two of the sword beams skimmed past his chest and back, but the final strike could not be avoided. In that split second between life and death, Li Guanqi whipped the sword casket off his back and slammed it across his front! Clang! The sword beam crashed into the sword casket with an earth-shattering blast. Like a kite with a broken string, Li Guanqi plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground! Crash! The colossal impact smashed him into the earth, carving out a crater more than a dozen zhang deep! Pfft! Li Guanqi coughed up a mouthful of blood. Every bone in his body felt shattered, his internal organs were jostled out of place, and even his spleen had ruptured slightly. Just as he struggled to his feet to face the enemy, an unexpected figure suddenly materialized between the two sides! The figure who had intervened was precisely the man Qianqiusui had dispatched. Cloaked in black robes, the man said with a solemn tone, "These three are people my master asked me to look after. Would you be willing to give some face, Fellow Daoist, and let the matter drop?" The moment his words fell, a sneer came from the pursuing black-robed figure. "Face? Do you deserve it?" "I'll give you three breaths to scram!" "Otherwise, I'll slaughter you along with them!" The man's face tightened. He knew the pursuer was not uttering empty boasts, but a lethal threat. The pursuer truly possessed the strength to back it up! The man's expression shifted several times before he said in a low voice, "My master is the owner of Yunding Auction House, Qianqiusui! I hope you can give her some face. Everything can be negotiated!" "If it is wealth you seek, simply name your price." The pursuing figure chuckled softly, tossed over a medallion, and said chillingly, "I have no time for your nonsense. Get lost!" His voice was completely devoid of emotion, laden with the arrogant authority of someone who looked down from on high. Sensing danger, Li Guanqi immediately shot into the air, grabbed Ye Feng and Cao Yan, and fled! He had originally hoped the intervening man could hold off the pursuer, but it was clear the pursuer did not take the man seriously at all. Though both were Nascent Soul cultivators, the disparity between them was vast! The moment the man caught the medallion, he saw the characters carved upon it. His heart seized violently, and he immediately bowed low, raising the medallion above his head with both hands! Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he said in a strained voice, "This humble one failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please do not take offense, my lord!" "Yunding will play no further part in this!" Boom! The black-robed pursuer shot past the man and murmured, "At least you have sense. You've spared your clan from total annihilation." The man remained bowed, not daring to lift his head for a long time. Watching the pursuer resume the chase, he pulled out a jade slip and spoke in a heavy voice. "Master, someone is hunting them down. I cannot intervene." Soon, Qianqiusui's grave voice came from the jade slip. "Ying, what happened?" The man named Ying said somberly, "All I can say is... if I intervene, every last one of us will die!" Up in the sky, a look of struggle flashed across Cao Yan's face, but his eyes soon hardened with resolute determination! With a violent wrench, he broke free of Li Guanqi's grip and yelled, "His target is me! Run!" Reluctance painted Cao Yan's face, and his voice trembled as he sent a mental message: "I don't want to drag you two down with me... Take care!!"