Escape

Lingyuan Mountain. Song Changxin held the message talisman he had received early that morning and paced softly inside the small building.

"The clan leader's message said Qingming went down the mountain early in the morning. That brat still hasn't returned, and it's nearly dark already. Could he have sneaked back to Mujiao Town again?"

He had no idea how long he had been running west. By now, Song Qingming was utterly exhausted. Seeing no one behind him, he found a large boulder, hid behind it, and sat down to meditate and restore his Spiritual Energy.

Yet he had barely sat down when a streak of red light shot straight at his forehead. Song Qingming hurriedly twisted aside, while the Blazing Sun Sword in his hand released a burst of fire toward his attacker. But it was blocked by an Azure Shield raised by the other party.

Looking at the black-clad bandit some distance away, Song Qingming's head ached. This fellow had pursued him for several hours, from afternoon until dusk. Every time Song Qingming thought he had shaken him off, the man would reappear behind him before long. Yet whenever the black-clad bandit caught up, he was in no hurry to stop him, as though he were deliberately toying with him.

Song Qingming was covered in wounds, and the spiritual power within him was nearly exhausted. Though only one black-clad bandit was chasing him, Song Qingming understood that whether in cultivation or combat ability, he was far inferior to this man.

After being caught and fighting several times, he had been completely suppressed every time. Their cultivation levels were worlds apart; in a head-on clash, he had no chance of winning at all.

After running north for a while, Song Qingming felt more and more that something was wrong. The old man had said they should split up, claiming it would increase both their chances of escape, but the direction he had pointed out for him was clearly a dead end.

To the north lay a desolate, uninhabited region. Further ahead was Yunwu Mountain, where demon beasts roamed. Running this way offered no chance of calling for help; he was certain to be caught. Song Qingming now felt that he had already entered Yunwu Mountain.

If the old man himself ran along the main road to the south, his chances of survival would increase greatly. In his haste, Song Qingming had failed to think it through and fallen into the old man's trap. From the beginning, that old bastard had intended for him to draw away one of their pursuers, increasing his own odds of escape.

After another bitter battle, the exhausted Song Qingming fled to the edge of a cliff. Before him lay a bottomless precipice, and behind him came the pursuing black-clad bandit. In his current state, rashly jumping into that unknown abyss would likely kill him even faster.

As he watched the danger slowly closing in behind him, Song Qingming was nearly overcome by despair when the corner of his eye caught sight of a dark Cave Entrance beneath the cliff not far away, half-hidden beneath hanging vines. It looked like an abandoned nest of some large bird. With nowhere else to go, he did not hesitate. He leaped several times along the steep cliff face and slipped into the cave.

"Kid, after running for so long, you can't run anymore, can you? You think hiding in there means I can't find you? Don't worry. I'll give you a quick death."

Song Qingming had only been inside the cave for a moment when the black-clad bandit's arrogant voice reached him.

This black-clad bandit was named Zhu Wu. Originally an ordinary Rogue Cultivator from Wuling County, he had fled into Eagle Nest Ridge more than ten years ago while being hunted by an enemy. He had then simply joined this notorious Rogue Cultivator organization entrenched in the northeast of Wei State, taking up the business of murder and robbery.

After tasting the sweetness of easily obtaining Spirit Stones by hunting other Rogue Cultivators, Zhu Wu became impossible to stop. The cultivation resources earned through this life-risking trade had allowed his talent of Five Spiritual Roots to cultivate smoothly to the peak of the Fifth Level of Qi Refining.

As Zhu Wu slowly entered the cave, he cast a small illuminating Fireball Technique from his left hand while cautiously spreading a Five Elements Barrier with his right to protect his entire body. The cave was not large to begin with. After taking barely a dozen steps, he had already reached its end.

Zhu Wu looked around, somewhat puzzled. He had circled the area several times, yet still could not find where his prey was hiding.

"Could that kid be hiding—" Just as Zhu Wu raised his head to look toward the cave ceiling, an Azure Profound Iron Sword descended from above with an angry shout. It was Song Qingming, who had been hiding atop the cave.

Faced with Song Qingming's all-out strike, wielding the sword with both hands, Zhu Wu did not dare be careless. He hurriedly took out an Iron Shield Artifact and held it above his head. The two artifacts collided with a thunderous bang, sparks scattering in every direction. Only after dust rained down from the walls on both sides did the two men each retreat several steps and steady themselves.

Zhu Wu still guarded the Cave Entrance firmly. Looking at Song Qingming inside, he revealed a cold, contemptuous sneer.

"This is quite a fine burial ground—quiet and secluded. I imagine your clansmen won't find you easily here."

Song Qingming did not respond to Zhu Wu's verbal provocation. He merely released spiritual power from both hands, wrapping it around the Black Iron in his grasp. The Mysterious Iron Sword gave a soft cry, tore through the air, and shot toward Zhu Wu at high speed.

Hmph, this kid was clutching at straws in desperation. With his current cultivation, using external spiritual power to control an artifact—wasn't that just handing his own artifact over to his opponent?

Seeing the Mysterious Iron Sword fly toward him, Zhu Wu took a few steps back and easily subdued it with the flying sword in his hand. Just as he was about to claim Song Qingming's Mysterious Iron Sword for himself, he suddenly noticed an Earthy Yellow Light emanating from beneath his feet.

"This is? Damn it, where did this Earth Prison Talisman come from?" Zhu Wu turned angrily toward Song Qingming, only to see both of Song Qingming's hands pressed to the ground. The spiritual power in his body instantly activated the Earth Prison Talisman buried beneath Zhu Wu's feet.

The Earth Prison Talisman was a mid-grade Defensive Talisman. It could use spiritual power to instantly gather nearby earth and trap a target for a brief moment. Zhu Wu was swiftly wrapped into a sphere by the surrounding soil.

At that moment, Song Qingming, who had waited for so long, exhausted what little spiritual power he had left. With both hands, he shoved the huge sphere out of the Cave Entrance with all his strength, then kicked it down the hundred-zhang cliff outside.

Watching the enormous ball of earth slowly vanish from sight, Song Qingming collapsed at the Cave Entrance and let out a long breath.

This Spirit Talisman had originally been given to them by Song Changxin out of fear that they might encounter demon beasts at Funiu Mountain. Unexpectedly, it had been used when he returned alone. During his earlier battles, Song Qingming had never found a chance to use it to escape.

It was only when he spotted this cave that an idea flashed through his mind. Using this sole trump card on him, he had set this trap.

About the time it took to burn an incense stick later, a somewhat bedraggled figure flipped up from below the cliff and entered the cave. The cave was already empty, and the earth collapsed during their battle had even blocked nearly half the Cave Entrance.

This man was Zhu Wu, who had earlier been ambushed by Song Qingming and knocked off the cliff. But now, he no longer had his former confidence and arrogance. His black Dharma Robe was badly damaged, a trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth, and his furious eyes brimmed with savage malice.

"I was truly careless. That damned brat—when I catch you, I'll make you beg for death!"

After climbing back onto the cliff, Zhu Wu released a strand of spiritual power to sense his surroundings. He spat out a few vicious words, then swiftly pursued deeper into Yunwu Mountain.

Not long after Zhu Wu left, the previously silent cave at the cliff's edge rang with the sound of earth cracking apart. A thin figure slowly emerged from the pile of dirt at the deepest part of the cave. It was Song Qingming, who had pretended to flee deeper into Yunwu Mountain not long ago.

Song Qingming knew well that he was covered in injuries and had little spiritual power left. The Earth Prison Talisman certainly could not trap his opponent for long. If he fled directly in his current state, he would most likely still be caught.

His opponent had been able to pinpoint the direction of his escape all along, so he surely possessed some unique tracking method. In his current condition, Song Qingming had no more cards to play. If he were caught again, he would truly be fish on the chopping block.

Faced with such a dangerous situation, Song Qingming calmed down and chose to gamble on his luck. First, he raced madly over several mountain peaks in the direction of Yunwu Mountain, deliberately leaving traces of his escape along the way.

He then doubled back halfway to the cave where he had originally hidden, concealing himself in a pile of earth that had collapsed during their fierce battle. Fortunately, luck was on his side this time. He had indeed fooled the anxious Zhu Wu.

After clearing the clumps of dirt from his body, Song Qingming cautiously walked out of the cave. Once he confirmed there was no danger nearby, he quickly departed along the road he had come from.

At dawn the next day, Song Qingming, having escaped death, appeared outside Lingyuan Mountain. Looking at the incomparably familiar mountain-protecting formation before him, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for the past two days, finally settled. Though he had suffered enormous losses this time—losing the Mysterious Iron Sword that had accompanied him for nearly ten years and using up the Earth Prison Talisman Ninth Uncle had given him—he had at least returned safely.

After passing through the formation, he took a small path, intending to circle back to his little bamboo house and tend to his injuries first. He truly did not want the mortal clansmen, who depended on Immortal Masters like them for protection, to see him in such a miserable state.

Just as he drew closer and closer to his small house, he unexpectedly discovered a tall figure standing in the courtyard outside.

"Ninth Uncle, I—"

Seeing Song Qingming covered in wounds, Song Changxin raised a hand and cut off the words that followed, telling him to return inside and treat his injuries first.

Half an hour later, under Song Changxin's careful care, Song Qingming had taken several Blood Replenishing Pills. Color had returned to his face, and the external wounds on his body had all been properly treated by Song Changxin.

The wounds inflicted by artifacts were not serious and would heal quickly. But after repeatedly fighting and exhausting the spiritual power within him, he had somewhat injured his vitality. It would take at least one or two months of patient recovery before he could fully recover.

After carefully examining him and confirming that Song Qingming had no other serious injuries, Song Changxin's heart, which had been suspended these past two days, finally eased.

While receiving treatment, Song Qingming slowly recounted to Song Changxin, word for word, the life-and-death crisis he had encountered the previous day.

"These Eagle Nest Ridge bandits are becoming more and more lawless. They actually dared to come to Qinghe County to murder and rob. The occasional unexplained disappearances of cultivators over the past year or two were most likely connected to them. I must quickly inform the clan leader of this news.

"Fortunately, you remained calm in the face of danger and returned safely this time. The Cultivation World is fraught with danger everywhere. You all must grow stronger quickly, so you can have a little more ability to survive."

After listening to Song Changxin's instruction, Song Qingming nodded thoughtfully. In the end, he had been so miserable this time because his cultivation was too low. If he had possessed Late Qi Refining Stage cultivation at the time, the one who should have fled would have been his opponent, and this crisis would never have existed.

The path of cultivation had always been one where the weak were prey to the strong. The weaker one was, the more dangers one faced.