NOVEL NEXT Chapter 442: The Hunt Narrows In
After a moment of thought, Lu Yi pulled out two Transcendence-level pills from his storage artifact and triggered the fusion.
A clear chime rang through his Sea of Consciousness.
Ding!
[Perfect fusion complete. You have obtained a top-grade Nirvana Peering-level pill: Immortal Vein Breaking Barrier Pill!]
A glimmer of light flickered, and the pill appeared in his storage artifact.
Excellent. Lu Yi's eyes lit up as he rubbed his thighs, barely holding back his excitement. He quickly retrieved the pill.
"Oh? You've got something like that?" Jiang Chen raised a brow, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Not bad."
Lu Yi gave a small laugh. "It's nothing." Without another word, he tossed the pill into his mouth and settled down to refine it.
Jiang Chen's smile faded. He rolled his eyes. "Really? Did you forget what I said? Cultivating here is just asking to get exposed."
"Ah, I forgot myself!" Lu Yi finally remembered they were still running from a mortal pursuit. His cheeks burned with shame.
"Forget it." Jiang Chen waved it off. "If we get discovered, Ying Luo can just tear open space and move us somewhere else."
"Big brother…" Ying Luo clung to his finger, eyes wide with a pleading look. "You can't dump everything on me. I'm still a kid."
Jiang Chen smirked. "I'll make it worth your while."
Her eyes lit up. "Deal!" She nodded eagerly.
Without hesitation, she pulled out a chunk of Space Essence Gold bigger than her own body and swallowed it in one bite.
Jiang Chen muttered under his breath, "She really does love to eat," then turned his gaze back toward Lu Yi.
Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, watching from inside the Void Tribulation Soul, had never seen such a Nirvana Peering-level pill before—proving it could only have come from fusion.
Jiang Chen studied Lu Yi, eyes narrowing. Not as excited as before… looks like he's burned through all his fusion chances.
He kept his focus on Lu Yi, waiting.
Not long after swallowing the pill, a surge of energy burst from Lu Yi's body. Jiang Chen felt the ripple immediately—Lu Yi had broken through to the late-stage of the Transcendence realm.
"I did it! Late-stage Transcendence!" Lu Yi's eyes lit up with joy.
Jiang Chen let out a low chuckle. "Impressive. You're clearly not like most human–demon hybrids."
Lu Yi grinned but offered nothing more. "I'm a little different, yes. The details… well, let's just say they're complicated."
Without Lu Yi realizing, Jiang Chen had already pulled up his attribute panel.
[Name: Lu Yi
Status: Protagonist
Heavenly Fate Value: 79,460 / 79,460
Aptitude: Peerless Grade
Innate Talent: Saint Demon Heart (Primordial Chaos)
Heaven-Defying Trump Card: All Things Infinite Fusion System (Level 4)
Realm: Late-stage Transcendence
True Combat Power: Middle-stage Nirvana Peering
Cultivation Methods: Purple Crest Immortal Gold Record (Void Tribulation, Core Technique), Howling Thunder Nirvanic Inferno Blade Technique (Nirvana Peering, Great Accomplishment), Red Cloth Meridian Spirit Book (Dao Palace, Perfection)...
Main Equipment: Luminous Heavenly Fury Blade (Nirvana Peering, Upper-Grade)
Trust Level: 65 / 100]
As expected of a protagonist template. Not only did his realm rise, his combat power jumped a step as well, Jiang Chen thought, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Lu Yi was turning into a real headache. Even with his plans disrupted, he still had more than enough resources to fall back on—advantages he'd carried from the start.
Jiang Chen pushed the thought aside and let his expression return to calm. "The universe is vast, full of endless paths. For now, focus on steadying your foundation."
"Got it." Lu Yi gave him a quick glance before sitting down to cultivate. He seemed to be holding something back, but Jiang Chen showed only casual interest, no hint of greed. That alone made Lu Yi relax a little more around him.
Settling in, Lu Yi began consolidating his breakthrough.
Jiang Chen settled into cultivation as well, though part of his focus stayed on the world outside. Among the returning cultivators from the Immortal Martial Continent, many still answered to him.
Getting simple, useful information from them was effortless.
Before long, word came back: Sun Tianhan and others from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect were on the move, and several Nirvana Peering realm experts from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace had slipped into Purple Crest Immortal Sect territory, digging for clues about Lu Yi.
Back before we reached this mountain range, I didn't bother to mask Lu Yi's aura, Jiang Chen thought. By now, Sun Tianhan and his group must know we're in Southern Breeze Mountain Range and are hunting us down. And with their influence, the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace won't be far behind.
A glimmer of calculation crossed his eyes. Unless something unexpected happened, he intended to stick with his original plan—drag things out, wear down Purple Crest Immortal Sect's patience with the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace, and push the two sects toward open conflict.
And if things went off script? He'd deal with it when the time came.
...
In the nearest city to the Southern Breeze Mountain Range, the teleportation array flared with blinding light.
Several figures stepped out, Sun Tianhan at the lead.
"Move! The tracking mark's been broken, but they can't be far. We head into the Southern Breeze Mountain Range right away." His expression darkened as he shot ahead without waiting.
He hadn't expected their best tracker to be completely thrown off by Jiang Chen and Lu Yi.
The rest didn't hesitate.
Nine Nirvana Peering realm experts streaked after him like comets, blazing across the sky as they dived toward the mountains.
The group arrived at the last location marked by the broken tracking imprint.
"Search every inch! Dig thirty thousand feet if you have to—just find them!" Sun Tianhan's gaze swept the barren mountains, frustration written all over his face.
The others spread out at once, divine senses flooding the range in a sweeping search.
Then, six streaks of light cut across the sky and closed in fast—Wen Renxiu and his people from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace.
"Damn it, they're here already!" Sun Tianhan's glare locked onto them, his anger boiling over. "To strut around so openly in our Purple Crest Immortal Sect territory… outrageous!"
This was supposed to be the Purple Crest Immortal Sect's core domain. The fact that Wen Renxiu's group could move without hindrance said only one thing—too many within their ranks had already been compromised.
"Daoist Sun! What a coincidence." Wen Renxiu cupped his hands with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Have you come across any trace of Jiang Chen and Lu Yi since they disappeared?"
"You shameless dog!" Sun Tianhan's killing intent burst out. "Do you think I wouldn't dare cut you down right here?"
"Oh, dare? Of course, of course. Who would doubt Daoist Sun's courage?" Lang Xingyuan drifted forward, his grin mocking. "So—you really have found Jiang Chen and Lu Yi? How wonderful."
"You're all looking for death! I'll send you there myself!" Lu Puxing roared, his aura flaring wildly as he shot straight at Wen Renxiu's group.
"Junior Brother Lu, wait! Catching Lu Yi and the others comes first—we can't let them slip away again!" Yuan Liangjun's face tightened as he and the others rushed to restrain him, but Lu Puxing tore free of their hold and charged ahead.