Parting Ways

The hook serpents were actually battering the restriction. For now, the disturbance was not yet severe, but under their relentless assault, the fluctuations in the restriction would only grow more violent. The beasts might even breach it, drawing the attention of others, at which point the secret within the grand hall would be laid bare to the world. Once people entered, they would find that the spiritual herbs had already been harvested and discover the lingering traces left behind by the deaths of Yu Kong and the others... Luo Xingnan turned on his heel and fled. Shangguan Lifeng dared not linger to treat his injuries either. Rolling over, he pushed himself up from the ground and swiftly wiped away the blood on his body. Qin Sang erased the lingering auras in the hall and left a restriction behind to stall for as much time as possible. Feigning normalcy, he sped down the mountain and soon arrived before the entrance to the guardian grand array, relieved that he had alerted no one along the way. The areas around several Spirit Treasure Pavilions were far from calm, with fighting erupting from time to time. No one had yet noticed anything amiss in the Offering Hall. Qin Sang and Luo Xingnan exchanged glances, entering the guardian grand array almost at the same time. It was still the same wind formation as when they had entered. Both Shangguan Lifeng and Qin Sang were familiar with its shifting patterns, and before the formation could unleash its full power, they easily found the wind tunnel marking the exit. "What are your plans once we are outside?" As they sped toward the wind tunnel, Qin Sang called out to the scholar in white. The scholar in white understood what Qin Sang meant. After a brief hesitation, he replied, "I am accustomed to acting alone, so I will not be traveling with you fellow daoists. Until we meet again." This answer was entirely beyond Qin Sang's expectations. He had not anticipated that, with Luo Xingnan watching them like a hawk, the scholar in white would actually choose to go it alone. Unless the man was confident he could shake off Luo Xingnan's pursuit. Qin Sang recalled Yunyouzi mentioning earlier that the scholar in white was exceptionally skilled in escape arts; it seemed he truly had something to rely on. Qin Sang frowned in silence, but Shangguan Lifeng asked in a low voice, "Are you not worried that Luo Xingnan will murder you for your treasures? You saw his character with your own eyes—do you truly believe he will let things rest? If we do not join hands to resist him now, won't we just be lambs to the slaughter?" The scholar in white countered, "Join hands to resist? Resist how? The Golden Ring Formation is destroyed, Daoist Yunyouzi is utterly spent, and you, Fellow Daoist Shangguan, are gravely wounded with no time to heal. Can you swing your blade once or twice now? I am not adept at combat. Even with Daoist Qingfeng, we would still be lambs to the slaughter." Shangguan Lifeng choked on his words. "Luo Xingnan is injured as well, and Daoist Qingfeng has a talisman treasure..." "Luo Xingnan also has a talisman treasure." The scholar in white sighed softly. "I have a piece of advice, though I know not if it is my place to speak it... If you fellow daoists have no certainty of shaking him off, you had best consider carefully what to give up. Of course, besides surrendering to Luo Xingnan, there might be other ways. There are quite a few late Foundation Establishment experts in the immortal's cave right now; you could always find someone to offer you protection..." As they spoke, the wind tunnel was right before them, and the surrounding gale clusters had begun to coalesce. "I have said my piece. Until we meet again!" Cupping his hands, the scholar in white suddenly accelerated and took the lead, leaping straight into the wind tunnel. Outside Qiuhong Market. Severed limbs of cloud beasts littered the ground, but not a single human figure was in sight; everyone was hunting for treasure inside the immortal's cave. A streak of light flashed from the cavern. It was the scholar in white. Without pausing for breath, he retrieved a spirit talisman from his mustard seed bag, circulated his spiritual power, and gave the talisman a gentle slap. The talisman shattered, and a wisp of clear wind drifted out, settling upon him. Then, a pair of ethereal azure wings emerged on his back. With a gentle flap of the wings, his speed surged exponentially, proving even a fraction faster than Luo Xingnan's earlier pace. However, before the scholar in white could fly far, a blinding light streaked past like a falling star, overtaking him entirely at an astonishing speed. Within the light was none other than a bamboo boat. During this time, Qin Sang had not been idle either. Gripping spirit stones in his hands, he had swallowed an untold number of elixir pills. His spiritual power had recovered by more than half, enough to sustain the spirit bamboo flying boat for a while. Unfortunately, it would not last very long. Dumbfounded, the scholar in white stared blankly. He had seen Yunyouzi use the spirit bamboo flying boat before, but it had only been slightly faster than an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. He never expected that unleashing the spirit bamboo flying boat's full speed could be so astonishing. Then, the scholar suddenly realized something. His expression changed drastically. Slapping his mustard seed bag, a palm-sized incense burner flew out. The bronze censer was engraved with coiled dragons. Three dragon heads converged at the top, curling trails of smoke drifting from their jaws. *Pfft!* The scholar in white opened his mouth and spat a large mouthful of vital blood directly onto the censer. The moment the blood touched the censer, it was completely swallowed up. Stained a gory crimson, the censer erupted with a thick plume of smoke that twisted in the air, accompanied by faint dragon roars. The three carved dragons seemed on the verge of coming alive. Having lost his vital blood, the scholar turned deathly pale. A flicker of anguish crossed his eyes, but he steeled his heart and spat a single word: "Detonate!" *Boom!* The incense burner shattered on command. All the smoke within surged out, coalescing into a gigantic dragon. Just then, Luo Xingnan quietly materialized. The Yin-Yang diagram on the compass in his hand spun, unleashing a blast of white light. Right before the beam struck the scholar, the draconic smoke gave a silent roar, violently whipping its body to shatter the light and sparing the scholar from being trapped by the Yin-Yang Compass. Under the scholar's control, the draconic smoke then lunged straight at Luo Xingnan. Without sparing a glance for the outcome, the scholar flapped his wings and flew off in the opposite direction of Qin Sang and his companions. By the time Luo Xingnan dissipated the smoke, both the spirit bamboo flying boat and the scholar had fled some distance, heading in completely opposite directions. Luo Xingnan's face darkened, but without hesitating long, he abandoned the scholar and pushed his speed to the absolute limit, pursuing the spirit bamboo flying boat. Though he could not immediately catch up, Luo Xingnan was not in the least bit anxious. The terrain was wide open; trailing far behind was all he needed. He did not believe Qin Sang, burdened with two wounded companions, could maintain such breakneck speed for long. Sure enough, before long, the glow of the spirit bamboo flying boat speeding along the distant horizon suddenly dimmed. It wobbled as if unable to sustain flight, then changed direction and swooped down into a mountain range. This was an obvious sign that the cultivator powering the magic tool had depleted their spiritual power. Luo Xingnan's eyes lit up, and he pursued without hesitation. The peaks here were sheer as if cleaved by blades, exceptionally steep and treacherous. Qin Sang brought down his streak of light. Sweeping his gaze across the area, he spotted a cave. Stowing the spirit bamboo flying boat, he asked Shangguan Lifeng, "Fellow Daoist Shangguan, are you willing to make a move against Luo Xingnan?" "He helped me avenge my master's death, and I repaid that favor as promised. Then he betrayed me, so we can consider our accounts settled." Shangguan Lifeng spoke decisively, his voice ringing with resolve. "Daoist, you brought me along as you fled instead of abandoning me. I am eternally grateful for you saving my life! If there is any place I can be of use, just say the word. Though my strength is meager, I will do everything in my power!"