NOVEL NEXT Chapter 425: What Was I Expecting?
Chapter 425: What Was I Expecting?
Lin Fengmian immediately picked up Shangguan Qiong and bolted, flying toward the Joyful Union Sect at breakneck speed.
On the projected map, the red dot marking their location also began to move slowly, sending chills down his spine.
Damn it, it’s tracking us in real time?
Seeing his panicked expression, Shangguan Qiong asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Somehow, we’ve been exposed. All the Heavenly Deception Sect disciples’ tokens are showing our location,” Lin Fengmian said grimly.
“What?”
Shangguan Qiong was also startled. After a moment of thought, she said, “Could it be because of the token?”
“Not sure. Let’s swap it and find out!”
Lin Fengmian soon encountered a Foundation Establishment stage disciple flying toward him, holding a token.
The disciple’s face lit up with joy, thinking that he had stumbled upon a golden opportunity.
But the next second, he was cut down by Lin Fengmian’s sword and died without understanding what had happened.
Lin Fengmian tossed his own token aside and took the disciple’s token, continuing on his way.
However, the red marker on the token still followed him steadily, making his heart sink.
“It’s not the token!”
Lin Fengmian calmly analyzed. “This kind of tracking spell doesn’t work without a reason. There must be something on one of us that’s being tracked.”
“Either it’s the Soul Pursuit Seal on me or the Soul Death Curse on you, Sect Master. We just don’t know which one it is.”
Shangguan Qiong thought about it and nodded his head. “So what do we do now?”
Lin Fengmian smiled. “For now, let’s try an experiment.”
“What experiment?” Shangguan Qiong asked in confusion.
“To find out which one of us is being followed.”
With that, Lin Fengmian set Shangguan Qiong down on the ground and covered her with dead leaves and branches, disguising her as a corpse.
“Sect master, wait for me here. I’ll be back soon!”
After saying this, he changed his appearance again and dashed off.
Shangguan Qiong watched Lin Fengmian run off faster than a rabbit, secretly wondering if she should activate the Lingering Poison Insect to kill him.
But after some thought, she decided against it. Even if she were gone, as long as he was still around and worked with Yu’er, the Joyful Union Sect and Yu’er would be fine.
She watched as Lin Fengmian disappeared into the distance and closed her eyes, waiting for death.
After all, the mark was most likely the soul death curse that Cao Zhengyu had placed on her.
She was absolutely certain that if the mark was on her, Lin Fengmian would abandon her and run away.
Time passed by second by second, and Shangguan Qiong felt as if each moment lasted an eternity, her heart sinking lower and lower.
She couldn’t help but laugh at herself. What was I expecting?
Did I really think that this child would come back for me?
About fifteen minutes later, a figure came rushing toward her from the distance, and Shangguan Qiong’s heart sank.
The tracking mark was indeed on her!
But when she sensed the fluctuations of the Lingering Poison Insect from the approaching figure, she was stunned.
The figure skillfully picked up Shangguan Qiong and started running. Shangguan Qiong asked uncertainly, “Lin Fengmian?”
Lin Fengmian, who was now wearing yet another face, looked down at her and smiled. “Who else could it be?”
“The mark is on you?” Shangguan Qiong asked in surprise.
“No, it’s on you,” Lin Fengmian said without batting an eye.
Shangguan Qiong stared at Lin Fengmian in disbelief, her lips pursed and her gaze softening.
“Then why did you come back?”
Lin Fengmian grinned. “I couldn’t bear to leave you behind, Sect Master!”
“Besides, I still have your Lingering Poison Insect inside me. If you die, I won’t survive either.”
Shangguan Qiong smiled faintly. “You won’t be able to escape with me. Song Yuanqing is definitely on his way here.”
Lin Fengmian’s lips curled slightly and he said with pride, “How do you know if we don’t try?”
Shangguan Qiong stared at Lin Fengmian and then chuckled helplessly.
This guy’s skills might not be top-notch, but his ambition and arrogance were sky-high.
Soon, three figures appeared ahead, flying toward them-three disciples from the Heavenly Deception Sect.
When they saw Lin Fengmian carrying Shangguan Qiong, they shouted, “Stop!”
Lin Fengmian’s Golden Crow Sword flew out, and he roared, “Sword Stream!”
A dense barrage of sword light shot toward the three of them, catching them completely off guard.
Lin Fengmian knew that being caught or delayed now would mean certain death, so he held nothing back.
A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes as he unleashed his full power with a single sword strike.
One sword to decide the outcome!
The leader of the three hastily summoned a shield of cyan spiritual energy, but it was pierced in an instant. In a flash, the sword passed through his body.
Lin Fengmian took a deep breath and used Phantom Trace to create several illusory clones.
The remaining two were startled by his ferocity and stood their ground, focusing on defense. However, the clones were all illusions.
Lin Fengmian’s real body stood in front of the two, coldly smirking as he beckoned with a finger. “Come!”
Feeling mocked, the two cursed, “You want to die!”
But one of them suddenly let out a scream as a golden light pierced through his body.
It was the Golden Crow Sword that Lin Fengmian had thrown earlier. It had returned and struck the unprepared disciple, killing him instantly.
The remaining disciple realized that Lin Fengmian’s earlier gesture wasn’t directed at them but at the sword.
In just two exchanges, two of the three were dead. The last one was terrified and turned to flee.
Lin Fengmian coldly smirked, gripping the Golden Crow Sword as he chased after the fleeing disciple. However, he didn’t kill him immediately, instead forcing him to run towards the Joyful Union Sect.
Shangguan Qiong was puzzled, but didn’t have time to ask before the world seemed to spin around her.
She was thrown over Lin Fengmian’s shoulder, her view limited to his back, making her look like a helpless woman kidnapped by a bandit.
She struggled and shouted, “Lin Fengmian, what are you doing?”
Lin Fengmian responded with a sharp slap to her rounded buttocks, the sound crisp and clear.
He said coldly, “Sect master, if you want to live, stay still. If you fall into their hands, it’ll be worse for you than for me.”
Lying over his shoulder, Shangguan Qiong was both furious and humiliated, but eventually settled down.
Moments later, another disciple from the Heavenly Deception Sect flew in from the side.
Seeing Lin Fengmian carrying Shangguan Qiong while chasing after the other disciple, he was momentarily confused.
“Senior Brother, I’ve captured his accomplice. Help me catch him!” Lin Fengmian accused first.
“Senior brother, don’t listen to him. He’s the one who…”
Before the fleeing disciple could finish, the newcomer was cut down by Lin Fengmian’s sword.
Lin Fengmian flicked the blood off his sword and smiled at the fleeing disciple, who now saw him as a demon who had come to claim his life.
“You can choose to keep running or die here.”
The Heavenly Deception Sect disciple, filled with despair, had no choice but to continue running for his life toward the Joyful Union Sect.
Shangguan Qiong was also surprised. She hadn’t expected Lin Fengmian to come up with such a clever tactic.
But there was no denying the fact that it was effective.
The fleeing disciple, now a decoy, was forced to run for his life, drawing the attention of the others.
Meanwhile, Lin Fengmian used the distraction to eliminate the other disciples one by one, steadily advancing.
By now, Shangguan Qiong could sense Shangguan Yu’s location through their special connection.