Gripped tightly by the throat, Bai Yun's expression remained remarkably calm, even relaxed. Slowly, he raised his right hand to his lips, taking a deep drag from the cigarette. His face lit up with unbothered satisfaction as he exhaled a thick plume of smoke straight toward Lin Fengtian's face.
Lin Fengtian didn't flinch. With a mere flick of his breath, the smoke dissipated harmlessly to the side.
"Stop pretending. This is undoubtedly your true body," Lin Fengtian declared coldly.
Hearing this, Bai Yun's calm demeanor cracked, and he glared at Lin Fengtian furiously.
"You're the one pretending! Your whole family are pretentious frauds!"
Lin Fengtian's grip tightened around Bai Yun's neck, the veins on his hand bulging with force.
"Idiot! Save your energy—your theatrics mean nothing to me."
Bai Yun gave a rasping chuckle, his voice filled with mockery. "Alright, alright. Enough games for me. Time to go! Oh, and farewell to you all!" With his head craned awkwardly under Lin Fengtian's hold, he nodded in mock courtesy to the surrounding elders.
Boom!
A dazzling burst of lightning erupted from Bai Yun's body, scattering crackling energy in all directions. The explosion caught Lin Fengtian off guard, forcing him to retreat in a blur of motion. Narrowly avoiding the brunt of the blast, he steadied himself in midair, his eyes narrowing in icy fury.
The faint glow of lightning dissipated, leaving only empty space where Bai Yun had once been.
Tricked again.
Lin Fengtian's thin, fox-like eyes gleamed with a cold, murderous light. This humiliation burned hotter than any flame. A lowly traitor—a mere ant in his eyes—had dared to toy with him, causing significant losses to the sect. His fists clenched tightly as his barely contained rage threatened to spill over.
"After him!" he bellowed, his voice as sharp as a blade.
In truth, both of the Bai Yun figures that had appeared were decoys—and yet, they were also real. He had mastered a technique far beyond ordinary duplication, allowing him to shift freely between the two bodies. One of them, using a precious escape talisman, had already slipped past the encirclement and vanished into the distance.
Some distance away, Bai Yun collapsed onto the forest floor, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. His reserves of mystical energy were nearly depleted, reduced to less than ten percent. The cost of maintaining the duplication technique alone had drained him significantly, and the frantic escape had left him utterly exhausted.
After a brief rest, Bai Yun forced himself to sit up, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a few spiritual stones. He began channeling their energy to replenish his reserves.
For now, the idea of finding a perfect hiding spot was futile. The enemy's spiritual senses could easily sweep through the area and locate him. However, Bai Yun took some solace in the fact that even spiritual senses required recovery. With that in mind, his strategy was simple—keep moving and avoid direct confrontation.
Two hours later, his energy fully restored, Bai Yun slipped into the "Cosmic Evolver" space. There, he quickly checked his supplies. Before activating his duplication technique earlier, he had taken advantage of the momentary distraction to purchase three additional escape talismans. With his original stock, each of his duplicates had been equipped with two talismans, allowing him to evade pursuit and break free from the spiritual detection grid.
However, this escape had come at a hefty price. His evolution points had dwindled to a mere 2,350. Letting out a pained sigh, he opened the task panel to check his progress.
Main Mission Remaining Time: 5 days, 16 hours, 35 minutes.
Emerging from the space, Bai Yun resolved to focus solely on surviving the remaining mission duration. He wouldn't waste time on side quests—facing the inescapable spiritual detection formation was challenge enough. Though it meant sacrificing potential evolution points, he preferred to play the long game. After all, with the "Cosmic Evolver" at his disposal, his rise to power was only a matter of time.
For the next few days, Bai Yun relied on the radar to evade the Xuanming Sect's forces. He never showed himself, always slipping away at the last moment. With each successful escape, his confidence grew. Once this mission was over, no matter the circumstances, the Xuanming Sect would face inevitable destruction.
On the final day of the mission, something unexpected occurred. Within a fifty-kilometer radius of the sect's territory, a sudden influx of outsiders appeared. Bai Yun, disguised with a human skin mask, wandered cautiously through the mountains, mingling with the crowd.
"Hey, young man! Wait a moment!"
A plain-looking man called out, halting a young boy ahead of him.
The boy turned, his expression wary.
"Relax," the man said with a friendly smile. "I'm Lin San. Just wanted to ask if you know why so many people have gathered here recently?"
The boy hesitated before replying, "Zhao Ming. What do you want to know?"
"I was just curious," Lin San replied. "What's brought all these people here?"
Zhao Ming tilted his head, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "You don't know? Then why are you here?"
"I saw the crowd and decided to follow along," Lin San explained, his tone casual. "So, what's the big event?"
"It's strange you don't know," Zhao Ming said, his suspicion piqued. "This has been the talk of the entire Northern Region."
Feigning surprise, Lin San quickly offered an explanation. "I've been in seclusion, breaking through to the middle rank of the Xuan Master realm. I just came out recently."
Zhao Ming's guard rose slightly at the revelation of Lin San's rank but maintained a polite tone. "Well, the rumors started a while ago. Supposedly, a traitor from the Xuanming Sect stumbled upon a great fortune, advancing from a lowly Xuan Disciple to a middle-rank Xuan Master in a short time. What's more, he's displayed abilities only those at the Xuan Emperor realm should possess. Naturally, this has thrown the sect into chaos, and people are flocking here to try their luck."
Lin San feigned amazement. "Such luck! That's incredible."
"Indeed. Many are here to hunt him down and claim his fortune," Zhao Ming said. "Even Xuan King-level experts have arrived. I doubt we'll have much of a chance."
Lin San gave a rueful smile. "I'm just here to watch the show."
With that, Zhao Ming excused himself and departed to rejoin his sect.
As the boy's figure disappeared into the distance, Lin San's expression darkened. Beneath the mask, Bai Yun's mind raced. If the difficulty of the main missions kept escalating, could the next task involve surviving against the entire Northern Region?
Shrugging off the thought, he smirked. "Who cares? I've got cheats—let them come."
Feeling emboldened, he strolled leisurely through the mountains. With so many people around, even the Xuanming Sect would struggle to pinpoint him.
Main Mission Remaining Time: 18 hours, 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the Xuanming Sect's grand hall, Lin Fengtian's icy voice rang out.
"Find out who leaked this information!" His gaze burned with fury. After a brief pause, he barked another order. "Send word to the Xuan Divine Sect. Have them dispatch reinforcements."
"Yes, Sect Master!"
The elders bowed respectfully, their voices ringing in unison.