"Already a lead?" Yang Yu exclaimed with a glimmer of hope, turning his gaze to the shifty-eyed youth. "Speak quickly."
"Master, come this way! There are footprints near the edge of the cliff," the boy replied, his voice filled with urgency.
Despite his initial cultivation being at the Qi Refinement stage, the boy displayed considerable cleverness as he led Yang Yu to the precipice. Two or three other practitioners at the Spirit Gathering stage were drawn over by the commotion.
As they landed at the cliff's edge and peered down, the faint outline of footprints indeed came into view. Particularly alarming was the footprint at the brink of the abyss, which bore the marks of an immense force.
Upon spotting this trace and then gazing into the depths of the chasm, a collective gasp escaped their lips.
"From the looks of it... the enemy jumped into this abyss for some reason," one of the early-stage Spirit Gathering cultivators remarked, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
Yang Yu's eyes flickered as he scanned the sky.
"Hmm... I suspect otherwise. This footprint may well be a deliberate ruse left by our adversary to divert our attention, leading us into the depths while he escapes through another route." The elder among them, a middle-stage Spirit Gathering cultivator, spoke with a knowing smile, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
Yang Yu nodded in agreement. "Precisely; we must not be fooled by this illusion."
He then commanded, "Everyone, listen up! Spirit Gathering practitioners will survey from above, while those at the Qi Refinement stage will spread out and search. Our target is a young man; do not overlook any suspicious signs."
"Yes!" the group responded in unison, scattering in various directions.
Yang Yu soared into the air, scanning the surroundings, but his expression darkened further.
A mere Qi Refinement stage youth had not only slain his two personal guards but had also stirred the forces of the entire region. This was nothing less than a slap to the face of the illustrious Yang family of Kyoto.
If they failed to capture this individual, what dignity would remain for the Yang family?
Moreover, an unsettling suspicion gnawed at him: the youth seemed to possess an unusual identity, having been in close company with the ethereal Yun Xianzi not long ago. During their farewell, her cold demeanor hinted at something more, as though she were deliberately prolonging their encounter...
Could it be that this youth was linked to Yun Xianzi...?
Yang Yu's expression fluctuated, but he quickly brushed aside the thought. He found it hard to believe that the distinguished heir of the Medicine Immortal Valley would take an interest in a mere Qi Refinement practitioner.
Nonetheless, this only strengthened his resolve to capture Yang Fan alive.
"He must be taken alive for thorough interrogation…" Yang Yu's aura surged with a palpable pressure, a fierce glint radiating from his eyes.
In the Abyss
Deep within the chasm, in a shadowy area several miles from Yang Yu, Yang Fan found himself standing on damp, decayed earth, flanked by walls thick with creeping vines and moss.
At this moment, he had emerged unscathed from the depths.
Logically, a fall from such a tremendous height would spell certain doom. The speed of descent from a sheer cliff would render any impact lethal, even upon hitting the water's surface.
Yet here he stood, untouched.
His gaze darted around warily, his inner life mist blending seamlessly with the environment. His consciousness had entered a state of omniscience, allowing him to perceive the surroundings within a two-hundred-foot radius.
In his hand, he gripped a three-foot-long azure flying sword, its faint luminescence casting vibrant colors into the otherwise dim cavern. This sword was one of the two spirit weapons he possessed, gifted to him by his master Liu Wuhen upon his advancement to the Spirit Gathering stage.
For practitioners within the first three realms of the nine-fold cultivation, spirit weapons were the most formidable artifacts. Many less fortunate cultivators of the Spirit Gathering stage lacked even a single spirit weapon.
With the aid of this weapon, combined with his late-stage Spirit Gathering sense, Yang Fan was able to fly with the prowess of a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, gracefully descending into the abyss.
However, his magical power restricted him to a modest flight, hence his choice to jump rather than escape through the air.
As he advanced, a shadow suddenly lunged out from a cave in the rock wall ahead.
Yang Fan smirked coldly and unleashed his azure sword, which shot forth like a green arc, striking the shadowy figure before it could reach him.
With a splatter of blood, a black bat was cleaved in two by his strike.
"This place is not safe!" Yang Fan's expression shifted as he clutched the azure sword tightly and swiftly retreated from the cave.
Before long, a swarm of black bats erupted from the cave, a chilling and overwhelming sight.
These black bats were no ordinary creatures; they were all first-tier demon beasts. Individually, two or three might struggle against a Qi Refinement cultivator, but in such numbers, they posed a formidable threat—intimidating enough to deter even a Spirit Gathering practitioner.
Relying on his acute senses, Yang Fan deftly evaded many threats within this abyssal gorge.
After half an hour of navigation, he encountered several low-tier demon beasts, all of the first tier.
Fortunately, he detected the majority in advance, allowing him to sidestep them with ease.
"The terrain around 'Xiuyu Pavilion' is treacherous, whether it be the Qingjiang River or the perilous deep mountains; every inch is fraught with danger. Yet, this allows me to implement my plan. Let's see how they will search for me." A cold smirk crept across Yang Fan's lips.
His immediate priority was to find a secluded spot to conceal himself for a span of ten days or more. In such vast wilderness, those pursuing him would become like headless flies, inevitably giving up.
Only those at the Spirit Gathering stage or higher could fly, and only they posed a true threat to Yang Fan.
Yet, with his late-stage Spirit Gathering perception and the enhanced "omniscience" mode, even a standard Spirit Gathering practitioner would be at a disadvantage against him.
Recalling his own experience as a nascent Spirit Gathering practitioner, when his senses could barely extend to a dozen yards, he now could, under "omniscience," perceive a radius of two hundred yards.
Continuing his advance, Yang Fan sensed a cave ahead, from which wafted an ominous scent of blood.
Inside the cave lay a venomous serpent, measuring nearly ten feet in length.
A chill ran down Yang Fan's spine as he sensed the creature's formidable life force, and the deadly poison that coursed within it.
In terms of vitality, this serpent rivaled even Spirit Gathering practitioners.
"This serpent must be a pinnacle first-tier demon beast…"
Yang Fan hesitated momentarily. As a pharmacist, he needed materials from such poisonous creatures to concoct elixirs or poisons.
Moreover, he was considering studying toxic arts, making this serpent's venom essential for his endeavors.
Yet, a pinnacle first-tier demon beast was incredibly powerful, and the potent poison within it would deter most Qi Refinement cultivators.
Demon beasts were categorized into nine levels, corresponding to the nine major realms of human cultivation, and each level was further divided into initial, intermediate, advanced, and peak tiers.
Before him was clearly a peak first-tier demon beast, boasting overwhelming strength.
Yang Fan took a deep breath and cautiously approached the cave's entrance, allowing his life mist to flow subtly around him.
He restrained his aura to its utmost, only triggering a response from the serpent when he neared the cave.
Whoosh!
A chilling wind surged from the cave, accompanied by a dreadful stench of blood.
In an instant, the ten-foot-long black serpent lunged forth with blinding speed, its gaping maw revealing toxic fangs glimmering with a gray-green sheen.
Such incredible swiftness!
Yang Fan's heart raced, and he retreated instinctively.
Suddenly, the serpent expelled a cloud of gray-green poison mist, enveloping a radius of several feet within moments.
Yang Fan held his breath reflexively, but some poison mist still clung to him, causing his clothes to corrode and dissolve, beginning to eat away at his skin.
"This serpent is terrifying!"
Yang Fan realized he had underestimated the creature. The poison mist that had tainted his skin began to take effect.