Sage of Humanity

The situation became bizarre. Within the Taichu Realm, the doppelganger flew ahead using Sword Control, while numerous figures behind him pursued relentless as if chasing stars. Amidst the pursuit, threats and intimidation were incessantly shouted.

The doppelganger turned a deaf ear.

This made the cultivators in pursuit furious. They had been guarding against this happening, afraid that someone would appear out of nowhere to take advantage. But despite their precautions, it still happened. Now they don't know who the guy fleeing ahead is. If he escapes, they won't be able to find him later. Judging from certain external features, he appears to be a sword cultivator of the human race.

Some with keen eyes noticed something amiss: although the treasure gourd circled around the person, it didn't seem to be subdued, giving people hope.

During the pursuit and escape, time passed, some fell behind, but most remained like maggots in the bones, unable to get rid of. Moreover, nearby cultivators were drawn by the noise, making the number of people chasing the doppelganger not decrease, but gradually increase.

Several times, people intercepted from the front and sides, forcing the doppelganger to take evasive action, resulting in life-threatening situations.

The delay is getting a bit long. Successful treasure acquisition usually involves grabbing it quickly and then disappearing, with others not even knowing who got it. From this perspective, the doppelganger's treasure acquisition is very sluggish. If not for his speed, he would have been surrounded long ago.

If this continues, the situation will only get worse. The activity range within the current Taichu Realm is getting smaller, and the probability of being intercepted is increasing.

The sword gourd and the revolving treasure gourd beside him maintained a rhythmical vibration, showing no signs of stopping, like long-lost brothers pouring their hearts out to each other endlessly.

The doppelganger wants to ask them if they've talked enough. But asking is pointless. Although the treasure gourd has some spirituality, it is ultimately just an affiliated treasure of the supreme treasure, still lacking spiritual intelligence.

Hard measures are the only option!

Previously, he dared not rush to collect it, afraid of startling the treasure gourd. The doppelganger had inherent advantages, attracting the treasure gourd, already holding a significant advantage. However, the situation now shows that further delay brings too many variables.

With his mind set, the doppelganger mobilized his spirit force. The sword gourd trembled gently, preparing to unleash Sword Qi and initiate the Sword Array.

To forcibly collect, he must ensure that the treasure gourd, once startled, cannot escape. The doppelganger follows the path of a sword cultivator, and therefore can only use the Sword Array to block all directions.

However, in doing so, his speed will inevitably decrease significantly, leaving the doppelganger with little time, perhaps only a few breaths, before the pursuers catch up.

But just as the doppelganger was about to infuse his spirit force into the sword gourd, before he could act, the treasure gourd's vibrations suddenly stopped. It ceased rotating around him and instead hovered not far from his side.

The doppelganger furrowed his brow, staring at the treasure gourd, and tentatively reached out to grab it.

Without any evasion or resistance, the treasure gourd was grasped easily in his hand!

So you fear hard measures too, don't you?

...

Nan Xiong continued to dance on the knife's edge, accumulating an unprecedented feeling of frustration in his heart, almost making him vomit blood. Undeniably, this guy clad in cover armor is surprisingly powerful. If not for the group assisting him, he would have long been cut down.

He understood vaguely that he was targeted for being the one who stood out, but the opponent being relentless even when gaining the upper hand also truly angered him. He secretly vowed that one day he'd strip off that cover armor and see who this guy really is inside!

Suddenly, the furious assault receded, and the tall, crimson figure transformed into a streak of light, swiftly retreating, attacks landing on its back, echoing loudly, yet unable to cause the slightest harm.

After a moment, Nan Xiong gasped for breath, calming his mind, his eyes filled with grateful relief of narrowly escaping death.

He didn't know why the opponent suddenly left, as he felt his strength about to falter. If the opponent's assault had continued for another half a cup of tea's time, he likely would have faced dire consequences.

The opponent's assault was unreasonable, completely ignoring others and solely focusing on him. If not for his ample foundation, he couldn't have lasted this long.

Perhaps the opponent reached their limit too?

Wearing such cover armor surely places a significant burden on anyone in the Divine Sea Realm, making it hard for a common cultivator to maintain for long, hence the opponent retreated?

"Brother Nan!" Someone looked toward him, eyes filled with inquiry, asking about the next course of action.

The formidable enemy had retreated, presenting a dilemma for the gathered group. Should they pursue the cover-armored guy or go after the treasure gourd? Neither seemed wise.

The prior confrontation had shown the opponent's might, leaving them uninterested in another bout with him. As for chasing the treasure gourd... so much time had passed; who knows if the gourd had already been claimed? Pursuing now might be a mere waste of time.

Nan Xiong calmed himself, tidied his clothes, and spoke, "I will recuperate for a few days; you all can do as you wish. I, Nan Xiong, will remember your aid this time."

Everyone nodded, satisfied with his acknowledgement, without needing to say anything further. They scattered in groups of two or three, though most chose still to follow the direction of the treasure gourd, clearly unwilling to give up.

On the other side, the doppelganger was still escaping. Many people had witnessed the treasure gourd being taken, causing pain in their hearts, and threats and intimidation words became more frequent, especially from the cultivators at the forefront, each shouting incessantly.

Some demanded that the doppelganger obediently hand over the treasure gourd; otherwise, they would leave him with no place to be buried.

Some wanted the doppelganger to leave his name so they could have a good chat with him.

Others used the domain as a threat...

The doppelganger originally did not want to cause further trouble. Now that he had obtained the treasure gourd, he only needed to wait for the real body's response and could teleport to him at any time, leaving no trace behind, and no one would know where the treasure gourd went.

But these guys were too chatty, their noise was unbearable.

Moreover, Lu Ye thought that teleporting away so openly in front of everyone's eyes did not seem very appropriate, as it might reveal one of his trump cards. It would be best to have some cover when teleporting.

With this thought, a plan was formed.

A moment later, the cultivators at the forefront of the chase were delighted to find that the human race sword cultivator who had seized the treasure gourd was slowing down.

They couldn't help but rejoice, knowing that this was unmistakably a sign of severe spirit force depletion.

This would be unusual for a magic cultivator, but if it was a sword cultivator, it was understandable. As everyone knew, sword cultivators were the sharpest in combat, but correspondingly, they had the weakest endurance. In conflicts with other factions, sword cultivators often reached a conclusion or life-and-death outcome in a very short time, and rarely engaged in prolonged battles. When this happened, it indicated that the sword cultivator had fallen into a disadvantageous position.

This was a situation every qualified sword cultivator sought to avoid.

Now, the sword cultivator's increasing slowness was undoubtedly an indication of struggling to continue.

This gave the chasing cultivators hope. They were spurred on as if on performance-enhancing drugs, channeling all their energy into the pursuit.

As time passed, the distance between them closed, gradually reaching within attack range, and thus, magic spells began to fly toward the sword cultivator.

The sword cultivator's situation looked increasingly dire, his figure darting left and right like a flickering lantern.

The forefront of the pursuers consisted of three figures: two human and one Winged Race. The two human cultivators were in the lead due to their exquisite escape techniques, while the Winged Race relied on their natural ability. This guy had a pair of gray wings and was naturally adept at flying, ranked among the fastest in flying speed across the stellar space races.

Seeing the sword cultivator staggering without falling, the Winged Race member gritted his teeth and said, "Fellow Daoists, this isn't working. We need a decisive method."

The two humans were well aware of this principle, but the power of the spells they could cast during the chase was limited. High-powered spells required time to build momentum, and currently, there was no time to do so.

"What does this Winged Race Fellow Daoist suggest?" one of the humans asked.

The Winged Race said, "I have a technique that can be decisive. I ask for your help." Saying so, he quickly transmitted a message regardless of their consent.

Although they were unfamiliar with each other, there was a basis for cooperation at this moment. Settling the sword cultivator came first; the ownership of the treasure gourd could be decided afterward!

This needed no explanation; everyone understood.

The two humans exchanged a glance, nodding to each other, and shortly after, they released wonderful techniques aimed at the sword cultivator, this time attacking from left and right, restricting the sword cultivator's maneuverability.

Almost simultaneously as they acted, the Winged Race member's body shuddered; under one wing, a black feather shot out, breaking through the air in an instant.

The single black feather swiftly split in flight, suddenly filling the sky with traces of black feathers, covering a vast area and tightly surrounding the sword cultivator's region from view.

Every black feather contained immense lethality. The feedback from the feathers allowed the Winged Race to accurately sense that the sword cultivator ahead had been struck into a thousand holes!

A shrill scream emerged, abruptly cut off.

He couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Many thanks to both of you!"

Saying so, he transformed into a black streak, dashing into the area covered by black feathers at an unbelievable speed.

The two humans saw this and immediately cursed loudly, knowing they had been used. No one expected that the Winged Race member would have such a trick; with this wonderful technique, he could have caught up to the sword cultivator long ago. However, lacking the assurance to capture him, he had kept it hidden, seeking the chance to deceive them into assisting, then snatching the opportunity himself.

The sword cultivator was likely doomed considering that scream; it was hopeless. The treasure gourd was probably going to be snatched by the Winged Race.

This angered them beyond endurance, and fueled by rage, they attacked once more, aiming forward.