Chapter 100 - 95: Exhausting All Means

Chapter 100: Chapter 95: Exhausting All Means

"Hmm? Still hiding among the boatmen? Very cautious, but you’re staying right here!"

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.

Golden arrows rained down. The mortal boatmen couldn’t dodge in time and perished beneath the deadly shower.

A burst of green light erupted as a Wood Attribute shield blocked three of the golden arrows.

WHOOSH.

Chen Jianghe seized the opportunity and immediately cast the Water Escape Technique to flee rapidly.

"A High-Grade Protection Talisman?" The bandit leader sneered. "Sixth Brother, go after him. The rest of you brothers, follow me and surround these lucrative Late-Stage Qi Refining targets."

A burly man with a full beard grasped a massive broadsword. With a single strike, a thirty-meter blade aura cleaved the large ship in two, sending three Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators flying. Watching the scattering Qi Refining Cultivators, he smiled disdainfully and dispatched his subordinate to chase the fleeing Chen Jianghe.

"Yes, Boss."

Immediately, a middle-aged man in white clothes with an Eight-Character Moustache departed using Sword Control, heading in the exact direction Chen Jianghe had fled.

"The bandit leader is a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator at Body Refining Perfection! Everyone, split up and run!" shouted the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator. He directly summoned his Flying Sword and fled.

On the large ship, out of the thirteen Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, seven were surprisingly Tribulation Cultivators. Clearly, this vessel had been targeted long ago. From the moment they boarded, they had become the lucrative prey of these Tribulation Cultivators.

Of the two Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivators on board, one was unexpectedly a Tribulation Cultivator—and the leader of the gang, no less. Most terrifyingly, he was a Cultivator at Body Refining Perfection. Both were at the Ninth-Layer of Qi Refining, but the bandit leader had not only reached the Magic Power Realm of the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining, he had also cultivated a Body Refining art to Perfection.

How were they supposed to fight that?

The moment the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator fled, the remaining four Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators also scrambled to escape, only to be intercepted by the well-prepared Tribulation Cultivators.

"Leave these small fries to yourselves. As for that big catch... hmph, he won’t get away." The fully bearded Tribulation Cultivator leader took out a High-Grade Divine Speed Talisman. Upon activating it, his flight speed on his broadsword sharply increased by thirty percent as he chased after the fleeing Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator.

Ten breaths later.

Chen Jianghe had already appeared three miles away. Before his head even broke the river’s surface, he sensed a dangerous aura descending upon him. Without the slightest hesitation, he instantly activated another Amulet.

BANG!

The Flying Sword slammed into the Wood Attribute shield. It only caused cracks to form on the shield, with no signs of shattering. Clearly, his attacker had changed.

Taking advantage of the moment, Chen Jianghe peeked his head out and glanced back, only to see the Eight-Character Moustache Robber Cultivator driving his Flying Sword toward him for another strike.

He thought, "An Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Tribulation Cultivator! Bastards. If they wanted to intercept me, they should have at least sent a Tribulation Cultivator of equal Cultivation. They have no humanity at all."

Although this Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Tribulation Cultivator was using a Middle-Grade Flying Sword, Chen Jianghe still didn’t dare fight him. They were too close to the Tribulation Cultivation Gang. If he got bogged down in a fight, he would likely be surrounded and attacked.

WHOOSH!

A golden arrow shot down from the sky, instantly shattering the shield formed by Chen Jianghe’s High-Grade Protection Talisman.

Speechless, Chen Jianghe realized that the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator was fleeing in the exact same direction as him. Because of this, the pursuing bandit leader was able to spare some Heart and Mind to cast a Gold Element Technique, helping the Eight-Character Moustache break his shield.

There was no time to curse.

Chen Jianghe leaped ashore and directly used a High-Grade Earth Escape Talisman, changing his escape route at top speed. If he continued fleeing by water, he felt he would be dragged down to his death by that damned Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator. Moreover, with his current Seventh-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation, the distance he could cover with the Water Escape Technique was far from the maximum range of the Late-Stage Qi Refining realm.

He had no choice but to use the High-Grade Earth Escape Talisman.

"A High-Grade Earth Escape Talisman? You have quite a few Spirit Talismans on hand! What a pity I have a Spirit-Chasing Talisman. Go!"

In an instant, a burst of Spiritual Power shot from the Spirit-Chasing Talisman, imprinting itself onto Chen Jianghe the very moment he made his escape.

The Spirit-Chasing Talisman was a special type of High-Grade Spirit Talisman. Upon use, it could imprint a trace of Spiritual Power onto the target, allowing the user to track their location within a fifteen-mile radius for fifteen minutes. It was extremely valuable. A single one cost up to thirty Spirit Stones, and generally, only top-tier Tribulation Cultivation Gangs would buy them. After all, their targets were almost exclusively Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators. If their target were a Qi Refining Cultivator, the victim’s entire net worth combined might not even amount to thirty Spirit Stones. If they used a Spirit-Chasing Talisman on a Qi Refining Cultivator, they would easily take a loss on the job and might even lose their entire investment.

In a forest five miles away, Chen Jianghe didn’t skimp on his High-Grade Spirit Talismans in the slightest. The Spirit Light of yet another High-Grade Earth Escape Talisman flickered.

Fifty breaths later.

Chen Jianghe emerged from underground. He first glanced up at the sky. Realizing that the damned Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivator was no longer heading in his direction, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

He thought, "To think there were seven Late-Stage Qi Refining Tribulation Cultivators, including a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator at Body Refining Perfection. Thank goodness I noticed beforehand. Otherwise, it would’ve been nearly impossible to escape their encirclement."

Chen Jianghe’s heart palpitated with lingering fear. Had he not entered the bottom cabin early and disguised himself as a boatman, he likely wouldn’t have even had time to use a Spirit Talisman during the Tribulation Cultivators’ sudden, explosive massacre. He would have had to expose Little Black’s existence prematurely. Fortunately, the outcome was favorable. He had safely evaded the Tribulation Cultivators’ premeditated trap.

However, he still didn’t dare drop his guard. Utilizing Qi Manipulation, he rapidly flew westward. After encountering the Tribulation Cultivators, the passengers had scattered in all directions. Now, he would have to make the journey to the Qinghe Marketplace alone. Having read the Yun Family Magazine, which contained a territorial map of the Celestial South Domain, he wasn’t worried about getting lost along the way.

First, he needed to escape with his life. Once the storm had passed, he would return to the banks of the Youxian River and follow its main current westward, which would lead him straight to the Qinghe Marketplace.