Zhao Ping'an watched the signal flares appearing one after another in the distant sky and murmured in surprise. Then, with his perfected Yellow Grade Lightness Skill, Soaring Dragon Void Steps, he surged toward Wu'an Mountain, his body like a dragon diving into the sea.
Wu'an Mountain was in chaos. Countless herb farmers cowered in corners, trembling, while the guards had suffered heavy casualties. Severed limbs were scattered everywhere.
The Blazing Blade Sect had suffered the heaviest losses.
That was right—the Blazing Blade Sect. For reasons known only to him, Song Lieyang had sent every available member of the sect to search for Tian Yiming near Wu'an Mountain, with ten stewards at the late Houtian Martial Artist stage leading them.
Perhaps he thought that since this was the territory of Zhao Ping'an, a peak Grandmaster, Tian Yiming wouldn't dare come here, making it the safest place around. And he could curry favor with a Grandmaster at the same time—a perfect solution.
But things had gone in precisely the opposite direction from what he had expected. Tian Yiming had been fleeing for over a month and had long since run out of supplies. He also knew nothing about the Sun Family's situation. Injured and desperately in need of Spiritual Medicine, he had come straight to Wu'an Mountain.
Song Lieyang was probably kicking himself by now, but he was hiding in the city and had no idea what had happened here.
A few minutes later, Zhao Ping'an arrived at Wu'an Mountain. Seeing the shattered gates, collapsed buildings, and blood and corpses strewn everywhere, his face darkened.
"Damn it, Tian Yiming! You're asking to die!"
Gritting his teeth, Zhao Ping'an took in the scene and dashed toward his own loft. The medicinal herb storehouse was right beside it.
The storehouse was already in ruins. The doors were smashed, the herb racks toppled, and dozens of Second-grade Spiritual Medicines that had ripened this month were gone. The Third-grade Spiritual Medicines weren't yet ripe, while the other party had no interest in the First-grade ones.
"Tell me! Which way did Tian Yiming go? How long ago?"
Zhao Ping'an scanned the area, then flashed over to a guard who had somehow survived. His expression dark, he demanded an answer.
"M-Milord, that way! He ran that way. He only just left!"
The guard was clearly startled. Stammering, he pointed in a direction.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao Ping'an shot off at full speed, soon vanishing into the forest.
Tian Yiming raced through the woods, his face grim. A bulging bundle was tightly strapped to his back. Every so often, he pulled out a strangely shaped Spiritual Medicine and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it down greedily.
The Spiritual Medicines on Wu'an Mountain were cultivated, so they weren't as potent as those that grew wild. They were also all common varieties with broad uses, so Tian Yiming recognized them and didn't have to worry about accidentally eating something poisonous.
"I can't believe so many people are searching for me. Looks like the Hall of Worship reached South Ridge City ahead of me. And this Wu'an Mountain didn't have a single Third-grade Spiritual Medicine, yet I got spotted anyway. What a loss!"
As he fled at full speed through the forest, Tian Yiming grumbled to himself.
After all, Second-grade Spiritual Medicines were mainly for Houtian Martial Artists and a few cash-strapped Xiantian Early Stage Martial Masters. To him, a peak Sixth Level Grandmaster, they were barely better than nothing.
At most, they could ease his injuries a little. There was no way they could fully heal him in the short term.
"Almost there. Just another four hundred li and I'll reach the Yellow Marsh Dynasty. I hope I don't run into a patrol!"
Looking at the rolling hills, Tian Yiming pushed himself to run even faster.
"Tian Yiming, where do you think you're going?"
Suddenly, a cold, contemptuous voice sounded beside Tian Yiming's ear, accompanied by a shrill whistle.
Tian Yiming's expression changed. He immediately shifted a zhang to the left. His Human Grade Great Accomplishment Lightness Skill, Illusory Body Folding Steps, was what had allowed him to flee all the way from the imperial capital, Profound Water City, to the South Ridge City region.
It let him abruptly change direction, in any direction, even while sprinting at full speed.
On top of that, his hearing was naturally extraordinary, and he had honed Sound Location to its limits. With Illusory Body Folding Steps, it had saved his life countless times.
This time was no exception.
"Bang!..."
Tian Yiming, who had shifted aside, couldn't make out what had whistled past the spot where he'd just been.
But he saw the object punch through tree after tree. The sheer force made his scalp prickle. He knew his Protective Qi couldn't possibly stop it.
The moment Tian Yiming came to a halt after shifting aside, a figure suddenly crossed dozens of meters and blocked his path.
It was Zhao Ping'an, who had pursued him all the way here.
With Zhao Ping'an's speed, he should have caught up long ago. But Tian Yiming wasn't stupid; he hadn't fled in a straight line, instead taking a huge detour through the woods.
If Zhao Ping'an's Body Cultivation hadn't already reached the Martial Venerable realm, greatly sharpening his senses and allowing him to quickly spot the faint traces in the forest, he might well have lost the trail.
"Young man, I advise you not to wade into this mess. You might have the life to take the treasure, but that doesn't mean you'll live to enjoy it!"
Looking at Zhao Ping'an's ridiculously youthful face, still covered with the faintest fuzz above his lip, Tian Yiming slowly drew the gleaming Soft Sword at his waist. He kept his left hand behind his back, brows furrowed as he gave his threat in a low voice.
Though he couldn't gauge Zhao Ping'an's true cultivation, the hidden weapon just now and the Lightness Skill that had allowed him to catch up were enough to make Tian Yiming wary. In the hand behind his back, he gripped a fist-sized iron ball covered in spikes: the Shocking Heaven Thunder Zheng Hetong had mentioned.
But experts above the Grandmaster level had quick reflexes, especially those with powerful Lightness Skills. That thing was even harder to land a hit with against them.
"Ha ha ha ha! That's rich. A mere Sixth Level Grandmaster has the nerve to try to scare me? And you killed my people and stole my Spiritual Medicines. A mess? This little puddle isn't deep enough to call a mess!"
Tian Yiming's words made Zhao Ping'an laugh.
"All right, you can die now. Before you do, I'll show you that this so-called mess of yours is nothing but dog shit in my eyes!"
As Zhao Ping'an spoke, Qi rapidly spread over his right hand. A massive Qi Great Saber appeared, three meters wide and nearly thirty meters long.
It was the Eighth Layer of Great Grandmaster's maximum attack range: over eight zhang, almost nine. It was already close to the so-called Forty Meter Great Saber of his past life.
"G-G-Great Grandmaster?!"
Tian Yiming's expression shifted from grim to shocked, then swiftly to terror. He cried out, stammering.
But it was already too late.
With a casual sweep of Zhao Ping'an's right hand, the nearly thirty-meter Qi Great Saber in his grasp swept forward as lightly as a feather, cutting through Tian Yiming's neck in an instant.
The long sword in his hand, which looked every bit as sharp, was also severed in two.
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