The Man in the Rain

Whoosh!

"Let's head back for today!"

Shi Yi stopped cultivating. Looking at the torrential rain still pouring outside the cave, he shook his head slightly.

When he had come over just now, he had not brought the Anchor Points with him.

Now that he was leaving, he had no intention of changing the Anchor Points either.

The reason he had not placed the Anchor Points here from the start was that this place was not as well concealed as the location he had chosen.

If someone came here to shelter from the rain, they might arrive at this spot as well. To be safe, he naturally would not change locations.

A thought flickered through his mind. Just as Shi Yi was about to leave, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

He saw people in the Dan River.

The two were fighting in the Dan River, one ahead and one behind.

If that were all, Shi Yi would not have paid much attention. He had no interest in other people's affairs.

The key was that the two combatants actually possessed methods of flying through the air. That was why Shi Yi had taken notice.

Clearly, these two were people who possessed cultivation techniques capable of becoming immortals.

The qi and blood in their bodies were still exceedingly vigorous. Even from such a distance, Shi Yi could see them clearly.

That was because, in his eyes, their surging qi and blood were simply too conspicuous!

They were far stronger than anyone he had seen in Anyuan Town.

And while the two clashed in midair, he could also see streams of blue aura.

This was the aura that had appeared previously, when a massive ring of lightning had formed in the sky amid flashes and rolling thunder.

"Looks like my guess was right."

"Becoming immortals is connected to that blue aura as well."

Shi Yi had more or less confirmed the speculation in his heart.

At this moment, the two were still clashing above the Dan River.

More accurately, it was one chasing and one fleeing. The woman in purple behind was pursuing the man in black ahead.

"Ning Xueyan, have you gone mad?"

"It's just an Ash-Dyed Buddha Treasure with no use at all. You chased me all the way from the Divine Capital to this place, and now you still dare use Daoist arts in a thunderstorm? Are all you people from the Divine Constable Bureau truly willing to throw your lives away?"

Forced to use Daoist arts to evade the purple-clad woman's longsword, the man in black spoke in a furious frenzy.

Daoist cultivators generally would not use Daoist arts during thunderstorms.

For the radiant might of Heaven could shatter ten thousand laws and intimidate the yin spirit.

If Heavenly Lightning fixed its gaze upon one, a single strike would generally be enough to make them die and their Dao vanish.

There was no Heavenly Lightning now, but heavy rain still fell, and lightning might flash down at any moment.

"Duan Qianze, if you people from the Kongkong Sect dare steal from the Inner Treasury Vault of the Divine Capital, you must be prepared to die."

"Hand over the Buddha treasure, and I can still spare your life, allowing you to atone for your sins in Changping Prison."

"Otherwise, this day next year will be your death anniversary!"

Ning Xueyan, dressed in purple, stared coldly at Duan Qianze without slowing down.

She continued using Daoist arts to empower herself, shifting through the air.

The longsword in her hand slashed toward Duan Qianze once more.

She was holding back while using Daoist arts now, wary of Heavenly Lightning. Otherwise, a Daoist expert who had condensed a Core Elixir could already control objects to kill enemies.

"Damn crazy woman! You people from the Divine Constable Bureau are all insane!"

"Aren't you under orders to recover the Vajra Bodhi of Great Putuo Temple?"

"Then I'll destroy this Vajra Bodhi right now and see how you complete your mission!"

Duan Qianze glanced at the sky and spoke in furious exasperation.

Many of his methods required the enhancement of Daoist arts. In this torrential rain, especially after the earlier flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, he did not dare unleash all his abilities recklessly.

As Duan Qianze spoke, he revealed the Vajra Bodhi Bracelet on his wrist.

This was the Buddha treasure he had stolen from the Inner Treasury Vault of the Divine Capital. It was said to have once been worn by the abbot of Great Putuo Temple, an exceptionally precious Buddha treasure.

After Great Putuo Temple had been breached, it had fallen into the hands of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Great Zhou Imperial Family had invited many experts to inspect it, but they had found no secrets within the bracelet. Once they confirmed it was an ordinary Bodhi Bracelet, they had left it to gather dust in the Inner Treasury Vault of the Divine Capital.

As a member of the Kongkong Sect, Duan Qianze had wanted to make a name for himself after entering the world, so he had chosen the Inner Treasury Vault of the Divine Capital.

This Buddha treasure had been the item he chose to steal.

Because this Buddha treasure had once been worn by the abbot of Great Putuo Temple, it was quite famous, yet it was not some incomparably precious rare treasure. After stealing it, he had even specially studied it using the Kongkong Sect's investigative methods, but he had found nothing extraordinary. It was much like an ordinary Bodhi Bracelet, possessing only the effect of calming the mind and soothing the spirit.

Its actual use did not match its fame. After stealing it, the trouble it caused should have been smaller.

As a member of the Kongkong Sect, he also knew that not every item carried by experts was a treasure. Some were merely ordinary things.

The abbot of Great Putuo Temple was also a monk. It was perfectly normal for him to wear an ordinary Bodhi Bracelet.

Basically, any monk with even a little fame would do the same. Their hands and necks would bear Bodhi seed bracelets and prayer beads, often quite a few of them.

When Ning Xueyan had pursued him earlier, he had not abandoned the Vajra Bodhi Bracelet because he had been confident he could escape.

For members of the Kongkong Sect, stealing was only one part of their skills. They also needed sufficiently powerful escape abilities.

Being able to escape even while pursued by a Gold Constable of the Divine Constable Bureau would be enough to make his name resound far and wide.

But who could have known he would happen to encounter a thunderstorm, with all his methods restricted?

Especially since lightning had flashed and thunder had rumbled just now, he had not dared use Daoist arts at all.

Now he had been driven into a corner.

With a forceful squeeze from Duan Qianze, the Vajra Bodhi Bracelet in his hand shattered apart. Bodhi seeds scattered in every direction.

"Duan Qianze, you're courting death."

Ning Xueyan's face turned icy as killing intent spread from her body.

She ignored the scattered Bodhi seeds. All she wanted was to kill Duan Qianze before her.

A dim light shimmered across the sword in her hand. She was directly using Daoist arts to empower the longsword.

Thunderstorms were unsuitable for using long-range Daoist arts, as they could easily trigger backlash. Enhancement-type Daoist arts were somewhat safer.

"Madwoman, crazy woman."

Duan Qianze's expression became even uglier at the sight.

He had shattered the Vajra Bodhi Bracelet in the hope that Ning Xueyan would go search for the Bodhi seeds rather than fight him to the death.

This woman's actions had exceeded his expectations time and again.

The two had already fought several times before. He was no match for Ning Xueyan and could only turn and continue fleeing.

Above the Dan River, one chased and one fled, disappearing into the heavy rain.

"The Divine Capital Divine Constabulary, the Kongkong Sect, the Vajra Bodhi Buddha treasure of Great Putuo Temple... Daoist arts are really becoming more and more interesting!"

Shi Yi had excellent hearing, and he had heard every word of their conversation.

Seeing those two powerful masses of qi and blood vanish, he knew that the pair had already left.

"Of the Vajra Bodhi seeds shattered just now, one with the brightest golden light seemed to have fallen at the foot of the mountain on my side."

Shi Yi had watched the two fight, but they had been somewhat far away, so he could only see vague traces.

By comparison, those unusual lights were far more conspicuous.

Red qi and blood, blue Daoist arts, and the golden Vajra Bodhi were easier to make out.

"Should I go down and take that brightest Bodhi seed?"

Shi Yi hesitated slightly.

Through his Double Pupils, he could see it shining with golden light. Clearly, it was no simple treasure.

The two had chased and fled over this Buddha treasure, so they clearly would not give it up.

There was even a strong chance that they had left tracking methods on it.

Once their battle ended, they would likely return to search for the Buddha treasure. If he took it away, it might bring him trouble later.