With a definite direction, Nuoche and the other two picked up their pace considerably.
The three didn't huddle close together; instead, they fanned out, maintaining a steady speed while advancing in parallel to widen their search area.
Along the way, they paused periodically to reconfirm their heading. Fortunately, they managed to spot traces at every turn, keeping them consistently on the right track.
After a full day of pursuit, Nuoche and Tuner, positioned on the left and right flanks, spotted a burst of light flaring in the sky—a signal from Yuexi. Realizing he might have found something, the two converged swiftly on his position.
Upon arriving, they found Yuexi standing in an open clearing. He beckoned to them. "Come look at this."
They followed his gaze. Ahead of them lay a massive tree shattered by violent force. The break along the stump was relatively clean, though it was now covered in all manner of bizarre organisms, with a sickening swarm of insects crawling in and out of the crevices.
Both watched with keen interest. This was the second time they had encountered traces of the target's strikes.
From what they could deduce, it had been felled by pure jin. The release and containment of force had been completely effortless—not a fraction too much, not a fraction too little, just enough to bring the great tree down.
That alone wasn't particularly remarkable, nor did it show anything truly extraordinary; any random third limit fighter could easily accomplish the same.
Yet Yuexi remarked, "There's something more to this."
After scrutinizing their surroundings several times, a gleam seemed to flash behind Tuner's dark sunglasses. Flakes of dust and earth lifted from the ground, crudely simulating the outline of a figure.
Nuoche looked over. In the distance stood a tall, upright silhouette that bore an uncanny resemblance to their target. Even though it was formed merely of swirling dust, a decisive, razor-sharp aura radiated from it.
Just then, a beast resembling a cross between an ox and a deer, likewise rendered from dust, bounded past the broken tree. The silhouette casually threw a punch in this direction. In a flash, a wave of fist jin pierced clean through the creature's body, striking the massive tree behind it.
Had he overshot his force?
No!
The ox-deer creature bolted away completely unharmed. Meanwhile, the dust continued to trace upward along the broken stump, reconstructing the tree's original form and revealing a massive serpent coiled high in its branches.
When the ox-deer creature ran beneath the branches, the serpent had lunged down to strike. It was at that exact moment that the distant surge of jin passed straight through the running prey and slammed unerringly into the serpent's open maw. The force drove its head back into the trunk, blasting the serpent's skull to pieces while the residual shock snapped the tree in two.
The silhouette then strolled over without breaking stride, casually harvested a piece of mutated tissue from the serpent, turned, and calmly walked away.
Watching the reconstructed scene, the three could see that the entire incident had lasted only a brief moment. Yet the target's observation, judgment, and subtle mastery of jin had made the feat look entirely effortless.
Yuexi pondered for a moment. "Do you two see it?"
Nuoche nodded. The force the target had used against his prey was a mere wisp of deft jin, achieving his goal at the absolute minimum cost.
"He's conserving his energy as much as possible," Nuoche said. "That's normal. He came here to hunt and cultivate. Naturally, he wants to save his accumulated power for cultivation."
"Could it be possible that he's injured, though?" Yuexi asked.
Nuoche considered it. "We can't rule it out."
On their way here, they had seen the battleground where Chen Chuan fought the yaogui. Although much of the evidence was ruined, the destruction in several spots had reshaped the terrain itself, leaving areas where vegetation had yet to regrow. There was plenty to glean from that.
In particular, the yaogui's warhammer still lay abandoned on the ground. Gauging from that weapon, they could tell that the mutated ancient martial artist was exceptionally formidable—perhaps someone who had once attained an even deeper level of cultivation. That would explain why neither of the two Generals of State Subjugation had managed to secure a foothold here back then.
On the other hand, the fact that both generals had managed to withdraw intact indicated the creature's prowess had its limits; it couldn't have retained the full combat power it held before mutating.
Regardless, it was a terrifyingly powerful foe. For the target to defeat it single-handedly spoke volumes about his strength, as evidenced by the shattered landscape. Still, it seemed unlikely he had walked away without paying any price.
They deduced this because, based on the traces, the target had likely clashed with the mutated martial artist more than once. The first time, he had retreated of his own accord, evidently lacking the strength to win; only after thorough preparation did he fight again and finish the opponent off.
It was impossible for the target's strength to leap forward overnight, meaning he must have relied on sound tactical planning. Thus, the theory of him being injured was quite reasonable.
Tuner remarked impassively, "We shouldn't overestimate the target, nor should we underestimate him. Even if he was injured, ingredients are abundant in this forest. After all these days, he should have recovered by now."
Nuoche felt a touch of regret. In places scoured by the Flame of Spirituality, it was difficult for Tuner to reconstruct the scene; otherwise, they could have observed the specifics of that battle instead of guessing.
Yuexi cracked his knuckles. "Let's move. I can sense that the target isn't far from us now."
Just one day later, they came upon a river flowing in their direction of travel. Judging by the heading they had established and the varied traces along the way, the target was very likely following this river downstream, which made gathering water and hunting prey equally convenient.
This made things even easier for them; all they had to do was follow the waterway.
Another day passed, further confirming their assessment. Moreover, the signs of disturbance around them were relatively fresh—likely within the past two days.
Tuner said, "Gentlemen, the person we're looking for should be right ahead. Judging by the humidity, there's likely a substantial body of water up front. The target is probably utilizing the resources there for cultivation. If we maintain our current pace, the traces suggest we're no more than half a day's journey away."
Hearing his assessment, the other two grew solemn.
Yuexi said, "It's already afternoon. By the time we get there, it will be dark. Why not press on a bit further, find a place to rest, and confront him tomorrow?"
Nuoche and Tuner both agreed. Nights in the Confluence were terrifying and eerie. If their opponent was just ahead, they preferred to avoid engaging in the dark and instead fight by day.
Nuoche asked, "The people from the former imperial house haven't arrived yet. Should we wait a little longer?"
Tuner said, "The former imperial house might not arrive on time. We can't afford to wait for them, nor should we rely on them. Their only useful role is to draw the attention of the Jibei Circuit garrison and Center City."
Yuexi said, "Exactly. Having them around makes it easier for us to get spotted, and we wouldn't feel comfortable anyway."
Nuoche had no objection. Sometimes having an extra person didn't add combat strength; instead, it just forced you to spend more effort guarding against them.
As night began to fall, the three found a suitable spot. They drove protective-warded posts into the ground, pitched a tent overhead, and lit a protective bonfire.
Deep within the Confluence, such protective posts and fuel burned up quickly. Being bulky and numerous, they were a hassle to transport. Even so, had they not been about to face their target and needed to get into peak condition, they wouldn't have brought them out so readily.
Before the bonfire, the three held their final tactical discussion before the battle, including an escape plan should things go awry. Although they believed their chances of victory were high with all three working together, a comprehensive plan was still necessary.
Their tactics weren't overly intricate. The more complex a plan, the harder it was to execute and the lower the margin for error. Furthermore, their alliance was only temporary; next time they met, they might well be enemies. None of them would reveal all their tricks, nor could they coordinate with unspoken harmony. They could only establish a rough framework and align on the broad strokes.
Once the discussion concluded, Nuoche returned to his tent. For this operation, he had specifically prepared an unusual weapon—one he had gone to great lengths to acquire—because he suspected the target had a peculiar obsession with armed opponents.
Holding it in hand might draw the other's strikes and attention, which could be used to pin him down or disrupt him.
It seemed somewhat fanciful, yet for a martial artist, it made perfect sense. When you attained certain power, you had to surrender something or embrace specific fixations. Even if his estimate proved wrong, it would only waste a bit of effort. But what if he gambled right?
Early the next morning, they set out again along the river. After a night's rest, they had shaken off the fatigue of days of relentless pursuit. Restored to peak condition, they quickened their pace.
After just half a day, a magnificent estuary opened before them, where the river rushed out into the boundless sea.
At that moment, the eyes of all three narrowed, and they halted in unison. Roughly four or five kilometers away, a figure stood upon the beach. Waves surged past him, parted by the field surrounding his body, while a long saber stood thrust into the sand beside him.
Not far ahead of the figure lay a whale-like creature. The mountain-sized silhouette was inherently awe-inspiring, yet when placed next to the lone figure beside it, it somehow became easy to overlook.
And the very instant they caught sight of him, as if sensing their gaze, the figure turned his head and looked directly toward them.
Chapter 902