Wolf Sprint

In the blink of an eye, Li Qingfeng had already ascended the high wall.

The Soul Banner in his hand shrank to three feet, blocking the flying sword's thrust.

Borrowing the force, he leaped again, most of his body clearing the small courtyard.

Li Qingfeng dared not slack off for a moment. As he landed, he tucked his head and rolled forward, springing another several zhang away.

The young man snorted coldly: "Trying to flee."

Mana surged. Eagle Leap stepped off the Black Armor Soldier's shoulder like a dragonfly skimming water, clearing the small courtyard in a few bounds and latching onto Li Qingfeng's trail.

The young Immortal Master wasn't idle. He summoned the wooden sword, now transformed into a streak of spiritual light.

His right hand shifted through seals as his lips murmured the sword incantation.

"Go."

The dark wooden sword arced through the air and once again shot toward Li Qingfeng's head.

Li Qingfeng could only parry desperately. Though he shielded his vitals with the Soul Banner, stray sword-light still sliced into him, drawing blood.

In the chase, the two had already closed in on the towering Prefecture City.

The Prefecture City could not stop a Qi Refiner.

Even one merely at the early stage of Qi Refining could not be stopped.

"Hmm."

The Soul Banner stirred again.

Gripping the three-foot banner, Li Qingfeng checked the mana in his dantian. Only six strands remained.

Not enough for a single use of the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts.

Even unleashing the Main Soul Fiend would only buy him three breaths of time.

Li Qingfeng's Spirit Official Dharma Eye confirmed that this young Immortal Master was formidable, but he had never verified the Main Soul Fiend's actual strength.

If the Main Soul Fiend couldn't hold him off, then this final gamble would be a death sentence.

Watching his mana dwindle further, Li Qingfeng decided not to wait for death.

No matter what, he would trust the Main Soul Fiend.

Brother Ghost was a strong one.

Either way, being caught meant death. Dying in battle meant death. Better to strike than to wait for the end.

At least he would die a worthy death.

"To hell with it!"

Li Qingfeng roared, swinging the three-foot Soul Banner with all his might.

The Red-Haired Fiend crawled out from the banner.

But to Li Qingfeng's shock, the fiend did not attack their pursuer. Instead, it grabbed him by the collar and opened its blood-soaked maw.

At that moment, Li Qingfeng was still dazed. He had never imagined that after emerging, the Main Soul Fiend would turn on him.

"My life ends here."

"Maybe... dying like this is fine." Li Qingfeng did not resist, his face ashen.

Yet what stunned him even more was that the Main Soul Fiend did not bite him.

A tattered spirit talisman dropped from the fiend's mouth.

It slapped onto his forehead with a soft smack.

Then the Main Soul Fiend planted its feet, its body arching like a drawn full-moon bow.

With a sudden heave.

It hurled him away with brutal force.

Li Qingfeng's last two strands of mana surged into the talisman. Light flashed, and his figure vanished into the vast darkness like a meteor streaking across the sky.

Tu Shan Jun turned to face the young Immortal Master who had given chase.

He had only two breaths of time left.

The young Immortal Master roared in fury: "What a vicious, ferocious fiend!"

He had been about to catch the Black-Cloaked Man, but this fiend had used something to triple the man's speed.

Now the fiend stood blocking his path.

The longer he was delayed here, the slimmer his hope of catching that man.

"I'll cut you down." The Immortal Master formed a hand seal.

He chanted the incantation, driving his spiritual sword straight at Tu Shan Jun's head.

Tu Shan Jun watched it all, his expression calm.

Without holding back, he charged straight into the attack.

The flying sword mercilessly pierced through Tu Shan Jun's head.

But in that final instant, Tu Shan Jun also slammed his ghostly claw heavily onto the young Immortal Master's body.

The young Immortal Master's eyes flew wide open; he hadn't expected this Red-Haired Fiend to be so fierce, enduring the dharma sword just to land a palm strike on him.

With a bang.

The young Immortal Master was sent flying backward, spitting blood.

At the same time, Tu Shan Jun's ghostly form dissolved into black mist and vanished on the spot.

The Immortal Master scrambled up, staggering two steps.

He spat out blood-flecked saliva.

His ribs were broken, and he had lost track of the Black-Cloaked Man, leaving him no choice but to abandon the chase.

Glaring hatefully in the direction Tu Shan Jun had disappeared, the young Immortal Master roared, "Damned Demon Cultivator, damned fiend!"

"Damned!"

Li Qingfeng moved as lightly as a swallow.

His speed had clearly increased two or three times; in the blink of an eye, he had shaken off that young Immortal Master.

Most importantly, his mana consumption was minimal—just a thread of mana was enough to sustain the talisman's operation.

The talisman was meant for life-saving moments, requiring hardly any mana to activate.

Li Qingfeng fled tirelessly.

In a moment of desperate flight like this, there was no room for other thoughts.

Surviving was all that mattered.

He crashed through brambles, crossed forests, and scaled mountains.

Finally, he found a dilapidated temple deep in the mountains.

After fleeing for several hours, his mana exhausted, he finally had a place to rest. Li Qingfeng's mind relaxed a little.

His body went limp, collapsing onto the temple floor.

Drowsy and dazed, he actually fell asleep.

The night passed without words or dreams.

Jolting awake, Li Qingfeng's eyes flew wide as he realized a serious problem.

In the past, whenever he slept, he would enter the mountain peak's training cliff.

But this time, he had slept soundly.

A peaceful sleep was good for ordinary people, but it made Li Qingfeng's heart sink, carrying a vague sense of foreboding.

"Brother Ghost?"

Clenching his fists unconsciously, Li Qingfeng looked at the Soul Banner in his hands.

He suddenly understood why he had that ominous feeling.

Back then, the Main Soul fiend had stayed behind to hold the line.

The moment he thought of the Main Soul fiend still back there, Li Qingfeng shot to his feet.

Though he had stumbled into the path of cultivation on his own, the Main Soul fiend had helped him greatly, even leaving him the talisman at a critical moment so he could escape with his life.

He couldn't abandon Brother Ghost and leave alone.

Li Qingfeng carefully tucked away the damaged talisman and returned to the site of the battle.

Watching from afar.

The ground was a mess; there was no sign of the young cultivator from last night, nor of Brother Ghost.

An inexplicable dread rose in Li Qingfeng's heart.

It was a deep, restless fear from the bottom of his soul.

Though Brother Ghost was a Main Soul fiend, their relationship was that of both teacher and friend.

Now, it seemed he might have met with misfortune.

He gripped the Soul Banner tightly.

"No way, you're so strong, how could you die."

In his entire life, Li Qingfeng had only ever seen one true powerhouse—Brother Ghost.

With a flip of his hand, he suppressed the Mountain Goblin; with a single palm strike, he killed Zhang Gui.

Li Qingfeng himself couldn't even last half a move against the Main Soul fiend.

Others might die, but how could someone so strong die?

Yet he knew this was just his own refusal to believe.

He couldn't accept that the Main Soul fiend was dead.

Li Qingfeng suppressed his grief.

He clenched his teeth.

But tears fell against his will.

Drip. Drip.

They landed on the banner's surface.

Soaking the black fabric of the Soul Banner.

The Soul Banner, which once held a restrained cold gleam, was now veiled in gray.

Li Qingfeng's eyes were bloodshot, and he ground his teeth. "If I do not avenge this, I, Li Qingfeng, swear I am no longer a man!"

He gazed toward the Prefecture City.

He could not return yet.

The young Immortal Master's eyes flickered with spiritual light—a mark of the Spirit Official Dharma Eye.

If he went back and was scrutinized closely, his identity as a Qi Refiner would surely be discovered.

Then many people would be implicated.

In a place as large as the Prefecture City, many people died every day. The disappearance of a scholar would not draw anyone's attention.

As long as he did not expose himself, everything could still be managed.

Li Qingfeng turned and left.

He did not even dare to leave a grave for Brother Ghost.

He was afraid.

Afraid that leaving traces would allow someone to track him.

Until he had slain his enemy, he would never leave his name behind.

Returning to the ruined temple, Li Qingfeng tore his inner lining into strips to bandage his wounds.

Feeling hunger, he spent the morning recovering his spiritual power.

Eight strands of spiritual power were enough for survival.

Li Qingfeng hunted two wild rabbits in the mountain forest.

He rubbed sticks to make fire.

In this nameless ruined temple, he lit a campfire.

Fortunately, it was still late spring, and the weather was not harsh.

With spiritual power supporting him, his wounds healed quickly.

The rabbit meat, lacking salt, was not unpleasant. After devouring both rabbits, Li Qingfeng sat cross-legged to restore his vitality.

He could not stop—there was still much to do.