“Whoosh!”
The sound of tearing air sliced through the curtain of rain.
Shen Xiuhan's face was deathly pale as he pushed his movement technique to its absolute limit.
He unleashed the Swift Swan, Swimming Dragon technique with all his might, simultaneously integrating various movement and charging techniques from the Thirty-Six Paths Sky-Collapsing Kick.
At this moment, his figure was like a slippery fish or a moth darting toward a flame. His legs spun like wheels, leaving a trail of afterimages in the curtain of rain.
But it was still not enough...
The faint sound of rushing wind was already approaching from behind.
A biting, undisguised killing intent surged toward him like a physical force, sending a chill down his neck.
Duan Xiao's pursuit was far faster than he had anticipated!
A Huajin expert pushing himself to the limit was simply not something an Anjin cultivator could match.
Don't panic. Don't lose focus. There's still a chance...
Shen Xiuhan gritted his teeth, threw his head back to swallow an elixir, and channeled his heavily depleted Anjin force to push his speed a notch higher.
As he sprinted, Shen Xiuhan took a quick glance at his palm.
It turns out that as long as there are enough Yuan Stones, a sword array actually has a chance to kill a Huajin expert... Unfortunately, the energy of the Yuan Stone is completely depleted, and I don't have a second one!
On the back of the jade plate, the Yuan Stone, which had once been lustrous and brimming with flowing light, was now completely dim and covered in cracks, resembling a piece of dried wood stripped of all moisture.
With a flick of his fingers, Shen Xiuhan swept it into his storage bag, his mind racing:
My only option now to escape this pursuit is to head toward the West Market Pier and rely on the miraculous effects of the Overturning Sea Bead to see if I can survive.
That spiritual artifact can conceal my aura and presence, allowing me to move through water like a fish. If I can dive into the lake, I'll have a great chance. But the problem is...
Shen Xiuhan's breathing was ragged, and his chest throbbed with pain. The residual injuries from that previous palm strike were still acting up inside him.
He swallowed the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, a dark shadow passing over his eyes:
A Huajin expert is simply too fast. At my current speed, I'll probably be caught before I even make it out of the South City!
“If that's the case...”
Shen Xiuhan wiped the rainwater from his face, steadied his breathing, and called out in his mind:
Intelligence!
In his vision, golden characters cascaded down like a waterfall.
【Daily Intelligence activated!】
【Intelligence 1: Zuo Muxian, the chief disciple of the Chiming Academy of the Star-Plucking Sect, has been heavily injured and is currently fleeing toward Nanxiang Prefecture. His pursuer, commonly known as Wei Wusheng, is a Punishment Executioner Eunuch of the Great Qi Xuanjing Division. This person's cultivation has reached the Inner Gang Rank, having condensed four of the nine seals, and he is also a trusted confidant of Prince Changle, Jiang Su!】
Gangjin!!
Shen Xiuhan's heart skipped a beat, and his expression instantly turned incredibly grim.
Zuo Muxian failed to show up as agreed because something indeed went wrong... But I didn't expect him to be intercepted by a Gangjin expert, and one from the Xuanjing Division at that...
The Xuanjing Division.
Its name was derived from the phrase “a bright mirror hung high,” symbolizing absolute clarity and justice. Acting on behalf of the Emperor to investigate everything with extreme scrutiny and patrol the realm, it was an imperial oversight agency established single-handedly by the current Emperor Yuan, possessing immense, towering power.
The division was led by a Director, two Deputy Directors, and four Chief Eunuchs, with the Punishment Executioner Eunuch being the head of the four Chief Eunuchs!
Wei Wusheng not only held a prominent position in both the court and the commoner world, but he was also a trusted confidant of imperial royalty. His background was terrifying!
But the question was...
Why would such a grand figure come to Changyun County for no apparent reason? And why did he happen to heavily injure Zuo Muxian at this exact critical juncture?
Countless thoughts swirled in Shen Xiuhan's mind, but he could not make sense of it.
When it came to imperial royalty and Gangjin martial artists, it was simply impossible for someone of his current standing to fathom their intentions.
Unable to afford any more distractions, he immediately looked at the second piece of intelligence.
【Intelligence 2: Xiao Wu has slain Bai Benji, the head of the Bai family. He also personally executed Elder Bai Futai and Consecrator Dong Wu, and heavily injured Consecrator Chen Qiyuan. He is currently rushing to Fish Island with trusted confidants like Song Huatang and Xiao Wen, intending to execute Lu Juncheng and rescue the surviving children on the island.】
It seems things are going quite smoothly on Xiao Wu's end...
Shen Xiuhan quickly scanned the text, and his eyes suddenly lit up as a plan came to mind:
What if I expose that Duan Xiao's acts of "refining human pills" have been brought to light, using that to threaten him into backing down, lest he face a joint annihilation by the righteous path of the prefecture capital...
But the moment this thought arose, he immediately snuffed it out:
No!
This plan is akin to snatching chestnuts from the fire. It's far too dangerous.
If I stop, what's to stop this old demon from slaughtering me on the spot and then fleeing far away?
Besides...
Shen Xiuhan's eyes narrowed slightly:
I have a nagging feeling that this old scoundrel is clinging to my trail so relentlessly not to stand up for the Bai family at all!
Rather...
He probably knows that the inheritance of the Diaohai Pavilion lies on Dongyi Island. Having seen through the details of my cultivation technique, he must have concluded that the inheritance is in my hands!
When Bai Xiuan and Bai Fufeng were slain by me earlier, he hid in the shadows and watched them die without lifting a finger, precisely to use my hand to get rid of them so he could monopolize the opportunity!
This old fox is ruthless and cunning. Ordinary intimidation and borrowed authority won't be enough to scare him off!
His thoughts spun rapidly as he quickly looked at the subsequent intelligence.
【Intelligence 3: In Xiao Wu's plan, Ji Ning was supposed to guard the secret passage of the Bai Mansion to cut off any hope of escape for their trusted aides. However, he is currently being pursued and has no time to spare. Out of options, Han Li fought Elder Bai Zunxian and the eldest young master, Bai Jing, all by himself. Han Li managed to slay the former, but Bai Jing took advantage of the chaos to escape.】
【The exit of the Bai family's secret passage is located at a dry well in the Outer City. Bai Jing managed to evade the pursuit of the Wang family, only to run into Luo Tangyin. The latter appeared to put up a full effort to stop him, but only traded a few casual blows before feigning defeat and letting Bai Jing escape.】
Ji Ning is being pursued, and Bai Jing escaped... and he was even let go in secret by Luo Tangyin...
Shen Xiuhan glossed over this third piece of intelligence and stopped reading.
He already had one foot in the grave. How could he have the luxury of worrying about Bai Jing's survival or Luo Tangyin's schemes?
Surviving was the only thing that mattered!
None of the first three pieces of intelligence could resolve his current predicament, causing Shen Xiuhan's heart to sink slightly as he looked toward the fourth.
【Intelligence 4: The one pursuing Ji Ning is Luo Changming, the County Magistrate of Changyun County and head of the Luo family. This person has long coveted the Ji Family Chamber of Commerce and fleet, and has always enjoyed suppressing the Ji family.】
【After witnessing Ji Ning unleash a sword-glow at the Longxiang Martial Feast, he became wary. He originally intended to take advantage of today's events to massacre the entire Ji clan. However, upon noticing the chaos at the Bai Mansion midway, he temporarily altered his plan, intending to use the chaos to secretly execute Ji Ning first.】
【Ji Ning is already heavily injured and is currently fleeing toward the south of the city. Wary of being discovered, Luo Changming is pursuing him without dealing a killing blow, intending to wait until Ji Ning escapes to a desolate area outside the city before destroying his body to erase all traces.】
Whoosh!
In an instant.
Two pale golden points of light leaped into Shen Xiuhan's vision, one after the other!
The distance from him...
...was merely a single long alley, a few hundred paces away, and not far from the Mei Courtyard!
A sudden turn of events!
Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up brilliantly, the dark haze in his mind instantly swept away. The wild joy of finding a path to survival in a desperate situation flared up in his chest like a raging fire!
Luo Changming...
Good, good... What a perfect chase!!
In the next breath, Shen Xiuhan accelerated once more, his legs spinning like flywheels as he shot forward like a bolt of lightning!
Over thirty paces behind him, the curtain of rain was shattered by a burst of qi, and Duan Xiao's figure emerged like a ghost. Seeing this, he let out a cold laugh:
“Fleeing? Where can you possibly run?”
Shen Xiuhan turned a deaf ear, his gaze locked onto the two constantly moving points of light. His feet did not pause for even a fraction of a second.
Separated by only a single street.
A few hundred paces.
To him, it was a distance of only a few breaths!
...
Rate on N.U.
