This Time, Let's See Where You Run

Su Fan looked at the corpses floating on the river in the distance and couldn't help but gasp.

Yesterday, a monster had turned Luqu County upside down, and today, more than twenty corpses were floating over.

Let alone the mortals in the city, even he felt his scalp tingle.

At this moment, a group of soldiers boarded several boats and left the dock, rowing towards the corpses on the river.

They used hooks and sickles to pull the corpses from the river onto the shore, then piled them up and burned them with firewood. For a time, flames soared into the sky.

Watching the clusters of flames ignite on the opposite bank, Su Fan sighed.

He wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon.

After such a major incident, no ship owner would dare to set sail from the dock. Who knew if there were still corpses floating on the river?

If any of those corpses mutated, it would be too late to cry, and they would be devoured by monsters.

There was no other way, so Su Fan had to stay at Old Hu's place temporarily.

Hu Guanghai was quite happy about it, wishing Su Fan would stay even longer.

Just then, a group of people emerged from the city. The leader wore official robes, and beside him was an old Taoist with an immortal-like demeanor.

Su Fan scanned with his divine sense. This old Taoist was actually a cultivator, at the Qi Refining First Layer.

Looking at his age, his lifespan should be nearing its end.

"The county magistrate has arrived..."

After hearing Old Hu's words, he pointed at the old Taoist.

"And that Taoist master?"

"He's a Celestial Master from Qingsong Temple in Haiyang Prefecture. It's said he knows immortal arts. I heard the magistrate invited him from the prefecture city overnight..."

Su Fan nodded, feigning confusion, and said, "Qingsong Temple, Celestial Master..."

"Our Qi Kingdom's emperor reveres the Tao. Every prefecture city has a Celestial Master."

Su Fan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't someone from the True Demonic Sect, it was fine.

What use was inviting him? With such low cultivation, could he slay demons or eliminate monsters?

He was even called a Celestial Master, yet he probably couldn't even deal with a wisp.

If he hadn't eliminated that monster yesterday, it was debatable whether Luqu County would still be standing, and who knew how many people would have died.

A thought stirred in Su Fan's mind. He remembered the "Heavenly Demon Talisman" that the Ghost King Sect had launched last time.

Could that black smoke be the soul of a demon from beyond the heavens?

Su Fan had seen records of extraterrestrial demons in an ancient book.

Legend had it that since the ancient era, demons from beyond the heavens had frequently invaded this world of cultivation.

Extraterrestrial demons were powerful and extremely brutal, feeding on humans.

Each invasion plunged the cultivation world into catastrophe.

It was said that the spiritual veins in the Western Wilderness were very rich in the ancient era, and the area was several times larger than it was now.

It was precisely because of the invasion of extraterrestrial demons that the essence regions of the Western Wilderness had now turned into a death trap.

He had to admit, that strange black smoke did resemble the soul of an extraterrestrial demon.

That corpse might have been possessed by a demon soul, causing its body to mutate and turn into such a ghastly appearance.

But extraterrestrial demons hadn't appeared for thousands of years.

As night fell, Su Fan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

His cultivation progress had been extremely slow for the past half a year.

If he were in Shaoyang Market Town, he could have reached the peak of Qi Refining Sixth Layer within three years.

But in the mortal world, twenty years would be a stretch.

Just then, Old Hu, who had gone to inquire about news in the city, returned.

He entered the room and gulped down a mouthful of tea.

"I heard from people in the yamen that two ships sank at Sishui Crossing a few days ago. These corpses on the river are from the people on those ships."

Hearing Old Hu's words, Su Fan immediately frowned.

"How did the ships sink? And who reported the sinking?"

Old Hu shook his head. "I don't know about that. People from the prefecture city and the county were sent today. We'll get news tomorrow."

Su Fan pondered for a moment and asked, "Is Sishui Crossing far from Luqu County?"

"It's not far. If you ride a horse, it takes about two to three hours..."

That wasn't far at all, huh?

"Oh, and I also heard that ships often sink at Sishui Crossing in recent months. When you take a boat to the Zhao Kingdom, be alert when you reach Sishui Crossing."

Su Fan nodded and asked, "Do they know when the ships will start sailing again?"

"I haven't heard of any ship captains daring to leave right now."

Su Fan couldn't help but sigh when he heard this.

He really didn't want to wait any longer; his cultivation progress had been too slow during his months in the mortal world.

The next day, not long after Su Fan got up, Old Hu arrived.

"Brother, something big has happened..."

Su Fan was a bit dazed after listening to Hu Guanghai.

"What's going on?"

"Sigh... don't even mention it. The boat the county sent out also sank at Sishui Crossing."

Su Fan's eyes widened in shock when he heard this.

There must be something wrong at Sishui Crossing, and it should be related to the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons.

Black Profound City, Bone Boat Docking Point.

Gu Qinghuan, wearing a black veil hat, disembarked from the Bone Boat.

She glanced at the Black Profound Mountain Range in the distance before heading towards Black Profound City.

She had stayed in Shaoyang Market Town for several months without sensing Su Fan's presence.

Gu Qinghuan had to admit that the little thief had slipped away again.

Was this rogue cultivator truly her nemesis?

Just as she was about to collapse, people from the Wang family of the True Demonic Sect arrived at Shaoyang Market Town to investigate the disappearance of their family disciple, Wang Zhi.

Gu Qinghuan understood instantly upon receiving the news.

This rogue cultivator was truly bold to dare kill someone from the True Demonic Sect.

Even bolder, he had impersonated the other party and taken a Bone Boat to Liangzhou.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became; that kid was too cunning.

Gu Qinghuan wished she could immediately rush to Liangzhou and kill that little thief with her own hands.

She didn't want to delay any longer and boarded a Bone Boat bound for Liangzhou that very night.

This time, Gu Qinghuan didn't let her master follow her; she wanted to resolve this matter herself.

She entered the city and, following the address her master gave her, arrived at a courtyard in the inner city.

After presenting her master's token, she met a Golden Core Elder from the True Demonic Sect.

This Golden Core Elder was a master of divination and was quite famous among the many Demonic Sects in the Western Wilderness.

However, his lifespan was nearing its end, and he had no hope of breaking through.

Therefore, he accepted all comers and often performed divinations for others.

He wanted to accumulate more cultivation resources for his numerous descendants before he died.

As long as he received Spirit Stones, he would do anything, let alone divination.

Gu Qinghuan paid a considerable fee, and the elder agreed to perform a divination for her without a second thought.

The elder's divination skills were indeed profound.

Her guess was confirmed: the little thief was in Liangzhou.

The other party also sold her a Compass magic tool and infused Su Fan's aura into it.

As long as she held the compass and followed the direction of the arrow, she wouldn't get lost.

Gu Qinghuan held the compass, her heart filled with excitement.

Even though she was wealthy and had paid so many Spirit Stones, she still felt a pang of heartache.

But these Spirit Stones were well spent.

"Little thief, let's see where you can run this time..."

Leaving the small courtyard, Gu Qinghuan didn't even eat a bite of food. She left the city and, controlling her magic tool, flew in the direction indicated by the compass's arrow.

Su Fan never dreamed that Gu Qinghuan, that demonic woman, would actually chase after him again.