Chapter 178 - 154: Pursuit, Death

Chapter 178: Chapter 154: Pursuit, Death

In the Spirit Fields on the mountaintop.

After infusing another mu of a Spirit Field with vital spiritual energy, Xu Li stood up. He frowned as he looked at the gaunt figure in the distance, who seemed so frail he might be carried away by the wind.

After a moment of thought, he turned and walked toward the small courtyard at the center of the mountaintop.

Hao Yuegui glanced at him, then looked back at the emaciated Yan Shaoyuan. A sour feeling welled up inside her.

’He arrived so full of life, yet he’s ended up in such a tragic state.’

Hao Yuegui sighed and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, on a large boulder at the edge of the mountaintop.

Bai Shui, dressed in a tight-fitting Profound Robe, sat cross-legged atop it, looking down at the Spirit Fields below with a calm expression.

On a treetop not far away, an ordinary-looking man sat cross-legged, resting his chin in his hand as he watched him, lamenting inwardly, ’Why won’t you just leave...’

For the past few days, he had been on edge, keeping a constant watch on Bai Shui, terrified that he would do something reckless and implicate him in the process.

Just as he was complaining to himself, Bai Shui slowly raised his arm.

A hand covered in dark spots, as withered as a chicken’s claw, came into the man’s view. Bulging blue veins clung to the arm like dormant worms, a truly terrifying sight.

With a slight thought, Bai Shui circulated the Spiritual Power in his body toward his arm. But when it reached his shoulder blade, it felt as if it had hit a piece of dry wood. The Spiritual Power struggled to enter, only to leak out into the air through his ruined meridians.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Bai Shui let out a wretched laugh, despair filling his eyes.

The vitality in his left arm was depleted and its meridians were destroyed. Not only had his strength been greatly diminished, but advancing to the Mid-Meridian Condensation realm in the future would now be incredibly difficult.

A hateful glint appeared in Bai Shui’s eyes. He gnashed his teeth and growled, "Li Changsheng... Tan Hu..." Then, with a sudden leap, he bounded several times and left the island.

He landed on the shore.

Bai Shui turned, shot a sinister glare back at the island, and channeled Spiritual Power to his feet, speeding off toward the northern part of the Spiritual Land.

Not long after he crossed a hill.

A five-colored, worm-like creature covered in fine, root-like tendrils slowly crawled out of a hollow in a large tree on the hill.

Following his aura, the creature moved like a phantom, leaping silently from tree to tree, always staying a hundred meters behind Bai Shui.

’He’s finally gone...’

Watching Bai Shui’s retreating figure, the man in the treetop breathed a sigh of relief. He then leaped onto the large boulder and fixed his gaze on Bai Shui.

He watched him leap over hill after hill until he had left the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land.

A smile appeared on the man’s face. He turned, humming a little tune as he headed toward the mountainside.

’Good that he’s gone. Maybe now he’ll have a chance to live.’

In the small courtyard at the center of the mountaintop.

Li Changsheng, who was chopping vegetables, paused. He turned his head to look outside, a strange expression in his eyes.

"Lord Steward, Xu Li is here to see you."

Just then, Xu Li’s voice called out.

’What’s he doing here?’ Li Changsheng thought, puzzled. He then frowned and muttered to himself, "Could it be about Yan Shaoyuan?"

After a moment’s thought, he put down the Bone-Chopping Knife, wiped his hands, and walked out.

Li Changsheng opened the courtyard gate and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Xu, what can I do for you?"

"I..."

For some reason, as Xu Li looked at his smiling face, the words he was about to say caught in his throat.

The Steward Li before him looked the same as always, yet he gave off a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

Seeing him dazed, Li Changsheng asked in confusion, "What’s wrong?"

Xu Li snapped out of it, quickly cupped his hands, and said with an embarrassed smile, "My apologies, Lord Steward. My mind was wandering."

"Come in and talk."

Li Changsheng gave him a speechless look, then turned and led him into the house.

Xu Li glanced at Xiaohua and her family off to the side and was inwardly surprised. ’The Steward’s pigs are getting more and more robust.’

He didn’t have time for a closer look and hurried to follow.

After they entered the house and sat down.

Li Changsheng asked softly, "Go on, what is it?"

Xu Li looked a little reserved. He cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Steward, I’ve noticed something is wrong with Master Yan Lingzhi."

"Oh? How so?"

"He..."

Xu Li frowned in confusion. "For some reason, he’s getting thinner by the day." He added worriedly, "I’m afraid he might..."

Li Changsheng’s gaze flickered slightly. He nodded. "I understand. Is there anything else?"

"Uh... no, that’s all." Xu Li paused, stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and replied.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you. I’ll invite you all for a gathering another day."

Just then, Li Changsheng’s expression shifted slightly. He stood up quickly and, while still speaking, turned and walked toward the stairs.

When he reached the stairs, he suddenly turned his head and instructed Xu Li, "In a bit, go outside the lake and check on the Spirit Plants, like the Bone Refining Flower, Muscle Forging Grass, and Bright God Flower. See how long they have until they’re mature."

"Yes, Lord Steward."

Although he didn’t know why he was given this order, Xu Li was perceptive enough not to ask and simply accepted it.

Li Changsheng nodded and turned to go up the stairs.

Xu Li stood there for a moment, thinking, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.

He closed the courtyard gate.

Xu Li looked up at the wooden house, scratched his head vigorously, and then turned to leave.

On the third floor of the wooden house.

Li Changsheng sat cross-legged on a soft couch, holding his breath and focusing his mind.

After just a moment.

His vision went dark. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a void of primordial chaos.

Li Changsheng’s gaze swept over the countless stars until it landed on the largest one. His consciousness swiftly poured into it.

In a disorienting flash, the scene before him changed completely.

The world had turned a bright gray. He was surrounded by large trees wreathed in gray mist, and beyond them lay a profound darkness.

Xiaohai was currently wriggling among the branches of a large tree.

And on the branch of another large tree, about a hundred meters away from it, was a ball of aquamarine flame.

"Bai Shui..."

With a flicker of his thoughts, Li Changsheng gave the command: "Go."

Upon receiving the command, Xiaohai’s consciousness surged with excitement.

A five-colored spiritual light quickly enveloped its body. Its root-like tendrils swayed, releasing a thin gray mist that concealed it from view.

SWOOSH...

Xiaohai’s body coiled and then shot out, crashing directly into the ball of aquamarine flame.

Huh?!

Bai Shui, who was circulating his Cultivation Technique to recover his Spiritual Power, felt a sudden palpitation in his spirit. He quickly opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

When his gaze swept over a certain spot in the air, his vision blurred for an instant, and he looked right past it.

The tremor in Bai Shui’s spirit did not stop; instead, it grew even stronger.

’What’s going on?’

The instant that thought flashed through his mind, the stray hairs on his forehead suddenly lifted.

The next instant.

A flash of five-colored spiritual light filled his vision.

An immense terror suddenly surged through Bai Shui’s heart. He raised his arm in horror, trying to block it, but it was too late.

The five-colored spiritual light flashed past. BANG... Bai Shui’s head exploded into a mist of blood. A thin layer of ice crystals rapidly spread across his entire body, freezing him to the branch.

HISS...

Xiaohai stopped on the treetop, reared up its upper body, and let out an excited hiss.

Then, it dove headfirst into Bai Shui’s chest.

A moment later.

Xiaohai, now carrying a storage pouch, leaped a few times through the forest and disappeared from sight.

Not long after Xiaohai had left.

A streak of turquoise spiritual light descended from the sky and landed on the large tree.

"Gasp..."

Looking at the shriveled husk of a man slumped on the branch, Ma Rong couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. His gaze quickly swept his surroundings.

The dense mountain forest around him made his hair stand on end.

Ma Rong waved a hand to collect the human husk, then activated the Magical Artifact in his hand, transforming into a streak of turquoise light that shot into the sky.

Ten Thousand Serpent Lake, the mountaintop courtyard.

Li Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, smiled, and walked down the stairs.

Before long.

Smoke from the kitchen chimney began to rise once more. Little Wooden Head’s branches and leaves swayed, creating a pleasant, tinkling sound.