NOVEL NEXT Chapter 154: A Chance Encounter
Chapter 154: A Chance Encounter
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"Forget it."
Lan Chang'an thought for a moment and decided not to join in on the fun.
With so many powerful cultivators involved, as long as the general direction was correct, whether he went or not was irrelevant.
He had a hunch that although the Huanglong Mountain was weaker in terms of strength, they had the upper hand in strategy. The route Fu Xuemei took to escape or the location where she planned to form her core might not follow convention either.
Wuqi Mountain was located southwest of Huanglong Immortal City.
The area surrounding Huanglong Immortal City was chaotic, with many prying eyes, so Lan Chang'an did not return directly.
Using the "Hundred Illusions Mask," he took on the identity of an unremarkable Foundation Establishment cultivator and detoured slightly to the northwest.
Heading south towards Liaoyuan Immortal City, a place filled with trouble, was definitely not an option.
Going east would be the opposite direction, closer to the Mo Family's territory.
Flying slowly for nearly a thousand li, Lan Chang'an sensed the fluctuation of a battle again.
"Even this far out, there's still killing and robbing treasures."
Lan Chang'an sighed, no longer surprised by the chaos he had encountered along the way.
He had adjusted his cultivation level to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, which saved him some unnecessary trouble.
"Quick, notify the Immortal! We've found the remaining members of the Huanglong direct lineage!"
Two li away, three Foundation Establishment cultivators were chasing down two injured cultivators.
The leader, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, looked excited as he crushed a Signalling Talisman.
"Huanglong Mountain's direct lineage?" Lan Chang'an's heart stirred.
After the grand formation of Huanglong Mountain was broken, the situation was chaotic, and few of the direct lineage of Huanglong Mountain could escape.
Key figures were closely monitored, and even if some managed to escape, they were likely minor characters.
Later, when the Immortal of Flame Departing Palace intervened, the mid-level cultivators on both sides also ceased fighting.
Those "lucky ones" who had painstakingly escaped from Huanglong Immortal City now faced life-and-death pursuit, only to end up on a dead-end path.
"Fellow Daoist! I am a direct disciple of Huanglong Immortal. Can you lend a hand?"
Among the pursued, a middle-aged man wearing a square cap sensed the presence of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator nearby and quickly called for help.
The man had a pale face and appeared gravely injured, but his cultivation was at the peak of the late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Despite his poor condition, if not for carrying an injured early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could have escaped on his own.
The early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was a young man in padded clothes, with a broken arm and severe injuries.
Lan Chang'an glanced at them indifferently and continued on his way, showing no intention of helping.
"Smart move."
The leader of the three pursuers, the middle-aged man in a blue robe at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, withdrew his wary gaze.
"Boss Gong, that kid seems to be Fu Xuemei's younger brother, Fu Dong!"
One of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment subordinates exclaimed.
"Fu Dong? He's a key figure! The Immortal instructed us to capture him alive at all costs."
The blue-robed middle-aged man was overjoyed, and the attack of his supreme-grade magical weapon eased slightly.
"Fu Dong?"
Lan Chang'an flew some distance away, remaining expressionless.
Suddenly, his heart tightened as he sensed a powerful spiritual pressure descending upon the battle area behind him.
Shua!
A figure clad in plain white emerged from the nearby mountains, fingers flicking through the air and summoning several intangible sword shadows that slashed through the sky and swept past three Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Puff! Puff!
Two of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators had gaping wounds in their chests, each bleeding profusely.
"An Immortal at the Fake-Dan stage is attacking!"
The blue-robed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator reacted quickly, placing his supreme-grade defensive magical weapon in front of him, only to have it torn apart by the invisible sword shadow.
The residual aura of the sword shadow cut through his magic robe, leaving behind streaks of blood.
The figure in white was a beautiful woman in her thirties or forties, dressed in a white silk robe. The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes couldn't hide her once breathtaking beauty.
"Aunt Ling!"
Junior Brother Cheng cried out in surprise.
"Bai Ling Immortal! She's the former Dao companion of Huanglong Immortal from a century ago!"
The blue-robed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator recognized the woman in the white robe and immediately retreated.
Bai Ling Immortal's eyes turned cold as a semi-transparent sword-shaped magical treasure appeared in her palm.
Just as she was about to strike,
A powerful spiritual pressure surged from behind the blue-robed middle-aged man, accompanied by the sound of something cutting through the air.
"Bold Huanglong Mountain remnant!"
The newcomer was a robust middle-aged Immortal with tanned skin, clad in a wide robe.
"It's him?"
Lan Chang'an, hiding three li away in a mountain depression, looked toward the pursuing Immortal.
The newcomer was none other than the Fake-Dan Immortal, Xiang Jinglong, who had once rewarded him with some spirit stones.
"I'll hold him off. You two go escape."
Bai Ling Immortal frowned slightly, sending a voice transmission to the Junoir Brother Cheng and Fu Dong.
"Aunt Ling, be careful."
The Junior Brother Cheng and Fu Dong flew towards the more remote Black Fog Mountain Range.
Behind them, Bai Ling Immortal and Xiang Jinglong clashed with thunderous force, leaving the surrounding hills pitted and scarred.
Bai Ling Immortal's semi-transparent sword-shaped magical treasure shifted between reality and illusion, weaving through the air with agility.
Xiang Jinglong wielded a massive axe-shaped magical treasure, relying on brute strength and body refinement attainments to press his advantage.
"Haha! While everyone else is heading south to intercept, I decided to go against the grain—and what a catch I've reeled in." Xiang Jinglong laughed heartily.
Earlier, he had discovered a hidden tunnel outside Huanglong Immortal City. After investigating, he found that it was severed in the inner city, seemingly a misdirection. Xiang Jinglong refused to give up and continued investigating until he concluded that the tunnel was merely a secondary branch.
He later found another similar tunnel, but again, it led nowhere.
Xiang Jinglong, however, persisted, meticulously studying the geography of Huanglong Immortal City, including its underground layout, eventually pinpointing the true secret exit.
Undoubtedly, this was a counterintuitive move.
But Xiang Jinglong chose not to follow the crowd, trusting his own instincts, and led his men to search the surrounding area.
"You go after those two. Keep an eye on Fu Dong if you're not confident of capturing him!"
Xiang Jinglong transmitted to the blue-robed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Rest assured, Immortal Xiang. Fu Dong is severely injured and will find it hard to escape." The blue-robed middle-aged man was full of confidence before stepping onto a beam of light and quickly going after Junior Brother Cheng and Fu Dong.
Not long after the blue-robed man left, another light approached from the direction of Huanglong Immortal City, exuding a thick Gray Dan aura.
It was a bald man in a purple robe, bearing multiple injuries and a slightly disordered spiritual aura.
"Fellow Daoist He, you arrived just in time." Xiang Jinglong was overjoyed.
After the battle at Huanglong Mountain, the tunnel in Fu Xuemei's cave had collapsed during the fighting, further damaged by the Junior Brother Cheng halfway through.
He Yuanwu had spent a long time investigating before finding the northwest direction of Huanglong Immortal City and rushed over upon seeing the signal.
"Ling... Aunt Ling?"
He Yuanwu was momentarily stunned when he saw the beautiful woman in white, his expression slightly awkward.
...
Junior Brother Cheng and Fu Dong were both injured, especially Fu Dong, whose lower cultivation dragged them down.
Soon, the blue-robed middle-aged man caught up to them.
Wary of a counterattack from the late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple or a hidden trump card, he didn't press too hard, preferring to wear them down from behind.
Exhausted, Junior Brother Cheng and Fu Dong could only retreat while fighting.
"Fu Dong."
As night fell, Junior Brother Cheng in the square cap spoke in a hoarse voice.
"You're too slow. If we run together, we won't be able to shake off our pursuer. Once we enter the Black Fog Mountain Range, where visibility is low, I'll hold him off while you escape."
"Brother Cheng, let me..." Fu Dong hesitated.
"I still have methods to preserve my life. Alone, I might even kill him. With you beside me, it would hamper my ability to combat him." Junior Brother Cheng said with a stern face.
Fu Dong lowered his head in shame.
"By the way, take this and give it to your sister if you get the chance."
Brother Cheng reached under his armpit, rubbing vigorously, and pulled out an ultra-thin skin pouch.
It was a special kind of micro-storage pouch with a space barely larger than a scoop of water.
Fu Dong took the skin-like pouch, and Junior Brother Cheng pushed him toward the Black Fog Mountain Range.
Whoosh!
Brother Cheng turned and charged toward the blue-robed middle-aged man.
Hearing the battle behind him, Fu Dong wiped his tears and continued into the mist-covered mountains.
...
Author:
Midway through writing tonight, there were two brief power outages, which slowed my progress and made it even harder to write. I could only wring out these few words...
(End of chapter)