Chapter 347 - 235: Belated Revenge, Double Harvest

Chapter 347: Chapter 235: Belated Revenge, Double Harvest

Their initial collaboration was complete, establishing a sliver of trust. But their connection was still shallow, not one for deep confidences.

But Lin Changheng could already foresee the usefulness of this connection.

After all, it was a Great Commerce Association in Song’s First Immortal City. It might even become a future channel for him to acquire Demon Beast Essence Blood.

After another detailed chat, the two bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.

...

Less than an hour later.

The Qiu Family Ancestor, whom Lin Changheng had been secretly observing, finally rose. The color returned to his face, a healthy flush appearing, which likely meant his condition had recovered.

However, his expression remained dark, betraying his state of mind.

SWOOSH!

After scanning his surroundings and finding no particular gazes on him, he flared his black robes, mounted his Escape Light, and flew west.

Lin Changheng waited until the man had flown some distance away, his figure nearly a tiny dot, before leisurely rising to follow.

But just as he rose.

Another Cultivator in green robes beat him to it, zipping off in the Qiu Family Ancestor’s direction with a WHOOSH.

"Hmm?"

Lin Changheng’s eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. ’So, someone else is after him?’

The Qiu Family Ancestor’s dejected act and sorry state were all meant to suggest he had gained nothing in the Secret Realm, but clearly, someone didn’t believe him and wanted to find out the truth.

Lin Changheng had initially suspected the same, but his goal wasn’t to steal treasure—it was murder and revenge!

So, it didn’t matter how the Qiu Family Ancestor played his part; Lin Changheng didn’t care. He wanted the man’s life.

It was essential to strike him down now, while he was still at the Peak of Early Stage Foundation Establishment, and not give him any chance to grow stronger.

Lin Changheng felt no guilt about this. He had even considered waiting until the man was old and frail, preying on the weak and aged...

Now that someone else had gone ahead, he had to hold back. He waited until the Green Robe Cultivator had flown on for a bit before leisurely following.

’Since someone wants to play the part of the "mantis stalking the cicada," I might as well be the "oriole from behind."’

’Waiting for them to fight and injure each other, then killing them both at once for a double prize... that wouldn’t be bad at all.’

Mid-flight, Lin Changheng felt a pull and glanced back.

In the distance, the Riverfront of the Secret Realm—a place of flowing splendor that had driven countless Cultivators to risk their lives—was already blurring and shrinking between the clouds and mountains. Eventually, it became an insignificant dot on the horizon, like the end of a loud, tumultuous dream.

Though he hadn’t entered the Secret Realm itself, his trip had been fruitful. Yet, it had also shown him even more of the world’s treachery and strife.

The contest for the Great Dao had always been this way.

He felt neither joy nor sorrow, nor any lingering attachment. He was only thinking whether, sixty years from now, he could break through the Foundation Establishment Stage and become a Core Formation Cultivator.

’If not, could he perhaps enter and explore this Secret Realm, the one forbidden to Core Formation Cultivators?’

’And take all its treasures for himself?’

Tearing his gaze away, he refocused his attention on the two nearly imperceptible black dots of Escape Light in the far distance.

His Divine Sense, like an invisible spiderweb, trailed the Green Robe Cultivator from a great and extremely careful distance. Meanwhile, he operated the Concealing Breath Demon Technique to suppress his own aura, flying low under the cover of the mountains and forests below, following at a steady, unhurried pace.

His strategy was simple, and also the most effective.

’Wait.’

Wait for the impatient ’mantis’ to lose its cool and attack the ’cicada.’

Wait for the seemingly clueless ’cicada’ to reveal its hidden sting or trump card.

Wait until their Magical Combat is at its peak, their Magical Power is depleted, and they are both heavily wounded.

Only then would he, the even more deeply hidden ’oriole,’ silently emerge to reap the greatest rewards at the lowest possible cost.

The mountain wind rushed past his ears, carrying the scent of damp earth and vegetation. Lin Changheng’s gaze was as calm as still water, but deep within his eyes flickered a cold calculation and the patience of a Hunter.

...

The Qiu Family Ancestor was at the Peak of Early Stage Foundation Establishment, while the Green Robe Cultivator behind him was at the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment.

The Green Robe Cultivator was clearly an old hand, using the superiority of his Divine Sense to trail the Qiu Family Ancestor from afar, consistently maintaining a distance of two li.

He had also cast some sort of Magic, making his figure blurry. Without a close look, one might mistake him for a part of the verdant scenery, making him difficult to discern.

But while he was feeling pleased with himself, he had no idea that someone was following him from four hundred zhang behind.

Their Divine Sense was also stronger than his, leaving him completely unaware.

"Damn it..."

The Qiu Family Ancestor’s expression was grim as he cursed inwardly.

Though he was only at the Peak of Early Stage Foundation Establishment, he had lived for many years. His experience in Magical Combat and his intuition for danger were by no means weak. Moreover, his five senses had been sharper than an ordinary person’s since childhood!

The prickling sensation of being watched from behind, like thorns on his back, and that faint, persistent aura he couldn’t seem to shake—it all told him one thing: he was being tailed!

He had tried sudden bursts of speed and diving into complex terrain in an attempt to shake them.

But it wasn’t long before that locked-on feeling returned.

His pursuer’s Divine Sense was clearly far superior to his own, and their tracking skills were exceptionally polished.

The Qiu Family Ancestor was both shocked and furious. ’Just which blind bastard is it?!’

The Secret Realm had just ended, which was prime time for murder and robbery. He had already been focused on getting away as quickly as possible, even feigning dejection and loss, but he never expected to become someone’s target anyway.

The haul from his trip to the Secret Realm flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth, resolving to bring it back to his family, no matter the cost.

This was the spark of hope that would let them face the crisis brought on by the covetous Black Water River Xu Family!

It was the very foundation of the Qiu Family’s current struggle for survival!