"Little brat, where did you hide the demoness? Tell me now, and perhaps I'll spare your life!" roared Xuan Zhen. As he closed the gap, his expression darkened upon realizing Xiao Chen was carrying nothing. Panic set in. When Xuan Zhen detected Xiao Chen's aura earlier, he had rushed to pursue without carefully probing.
If Li Xiaoyi had truly escaped, today's mission would be a total failure. Even killing Xiao Chen wouldn't save him; only death awaited him at the hands of the Wanmo Sect.
"Haha! Old bastard, you'll never find her now. While you were busy chasing me, Li Xiaoyi slipped away long ago. Not even I know where she is now!" Xiao Chen taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
"You... you..." Xuan Zhen's vision darkened, nearly causing his spiritual energy to run amok. His eyes turned bloodshot as rage consumed him. "Little brat, if I must die today, I'll drag you down with me! I'll make you suffer a fate worse than death—flaying your skin and crushing your bones until you beg for the end!"
The venom in his voice sent a shiver down Xiao Chen's spine. This hatred was personal, primal, and unrelenting. Still, he had to keep taunting Xuan Zhen, to ensure the old man's anger clouded his judgment.
"Heh, big words from an old relic! Think you can catch me? Keep dreaming!"
"You insolent whelp!" Xuan Zhen's fury boiled over, his spiritual energy erupting wildly. His speed increased yet again, cutting the gap between them to a mere twenty meters.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Xuan Zhen snarled, forming a hand seal and releasing a massive spiritual hand that shot forward to grab Xiao Chen.
Sensing the incoming danger, Xiao Chen's instincts screamed. Without hesitation, he flung a handful of talismans behind him—Fireball, Water Needle, Binding Spell—creating a chaotic explosion of spiritual techniques.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The simultaneous activation of dozens of talismans unleashed a torrent of force, forcing Xuan Zhen to slow down and shattering the spiritual hand before it could reach its target.
The delay gave Xiao Chen a chance to widen the gap again, stretching the distance to over a hundred meters.
Xuan Zhen's expression twisted with fury, his light flaring as he resumed his relentless pursuit.
Each time Xuan Zhen closed the distance to twenty meters, Xiao Chen would hurl another volley of talismans behind him. Though low-level, the sheer quantity of talismans unleashed enough power to force Xuan Zhen to pause and defend himself. Each time, Xiao Chen used the reprieve to increase the distance between them.
After several cycles of this cat-and-mouse game, Xuan Zhen's roars of frustration echoed through the skies, his eyes burning with murderous intent that grew more intense with every passing moment.
Hours later, the chase brought them over a dense forest. Xiao Chen soared above the treetops, his expression grim. His stock of over a thousand low-grade talismans, painstakingly collected from the Black Mountain Bazaar, was now utterly depleted. All that remained were a few high-grade talismans.
Sensing Xuan Zhen closing in again, Xiao Chen's gaze hardened, and a sly smile played at the corner of his lips.
"Hmm? Why isn't the brat throwing talismans this time?" Xuan Zhen slowed his pursuit cautiously as he noticed Xiao Chen's unusual behavior. He had long suspected Xiao Chen might be a disciple of some prestigious sect; how else could the boy afford such an extravagant supply of talismans?
"Could he be planning a trap?" Xuan Zhen's eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping in. He adjusted his pace, carefully maintaining a distance of twenty meters, wary of stepping into an ambush.
"Old fox," Xiao Chen muttered under his breath, recognizing Xuan Zhen's caution. "Let's see how you handle this."
Feigning panic, Xiao Chen glanced over his shoulder repeatedly, his spiritual aura fluctuating erratically as if he were running on fumes.
"Could it be... that he's actually out of tricks?" Xuan Zhen's eyes gleamed. He increased his speed slightly, entering the twenty-meter range, his spiritual sense on high alert for any sudden moves.
Xiao Chen's lips curled into a faint smirk, though he quickly masked it with an expression of panic. His feigned desperation was not lost on Xuan Zhen.
"Clever brat," Xuan Zhen sneered internally. "He's trying to bait me. But does he really think I'd fall for such an obvious ploy?"
Readying a defensive hand seal, Xuan Zhen advanced cautiously, never letting down his guard.
"Old bastard, die already!" Xiao Chen bellowed, spinning mid-flight to hurl three high-grade talismans in Xuan Zhen's direction.
Even before they detonated, the immense spiritual pressure radiating from the talismans caused Xuan Zhen's expression to darken. These were no ordinary talismans; each packed enough power to rival a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator's full-strength strike.
Xuan Zhen acted instantly, summoning his signature treasure—a massive glowing ring that expanded to form a barrier around him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three talismans exploded, releasing dense clouds of mist that quickly coalesced into countless needle-thin streams of water, each one sharp enough to pierce steel. The deluge of high-grade Water Needle techniques bombarded Xuan Zhen's barrier relentlessly.
A cacophony of rapid impacts rang out as the needles assaulted the glowing ring, causing it to flicker and tremble violently. Xuan Zhen gritted his teeth, pouring additional energy into the artifact to stabilize it.
"Cunning brat! Trying to lull me into a trap and then strike when I least expect it!" Xuan Zhen snarled, his eyes blazing with rage. "But you're a hundred years too young to outwit me!"
As the mist dissipated, Xuan Zhen's barrier held firm, though his face was pale from the effort. He retracted the glowing ring, gripping it tightly as he advanced.
"Let's see what tricks you have left!" Xuan Zhen growled, his predatory gaze locking onto Xiao Chen, who stood frozen in place, his face a mask of terror.
"Your end is nigh, boy!"
The moment Xuan Zhen took a step forward, Xiao Chen jolted as if awakening from a nightmare. With a panicked shout, his light flared, and he turned to flee once more.