Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Pursuer Meng Shan

Director Xuan chose Meng Shan because he knew that Meng Shan had his own unique tracking methods.

Meng Shan will surely be able to find Xia Yang's whereabouts.

Afterwards, Director Xuan slowly walked to the window.

He looked up at the bright moon in the night sky and sighed softly, "Xia Yang, oh Xia Yang..."

"Now, it's up to you whether you can seize this glimmer of hope."

The moonlight shone on his face, revealing a complex and indescribable expression.

Meanwhile, on the other hand...

As soon as Xia Yang stepped out of the city gate and chose a direction, he began to run at full speed without hesitation.

Although Qian Xunji had ordered him to leave, Xia Yang's unease remained undiminished.

"Never entrust your life to the kindness of others."

As Xia Yang sped through the night, he silently recited to himself.

This belief sustained him as he quickened his pace, his Soul Power flowing rapidly within his body, propelling Xia Yang's figure through the night, leaving a blurred trail.

Before long, a dense forest appeared in front of them.

Xia Yang plunged in without hesitation and continued to weave through the woods.

In the forest, the thick tree trunks provided the best cover for the Xia Yang.

Of course, those tangled tree roots also continued to hinder Xia Yang.

So, after running for nearly an hour, Xia Yang's breathing began to become heavy.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

In the forest late at night, apart from Xia Yang's own footsteps and panting, there was only the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

Just then, a strange sound came from behind Xia Yang.

"Swish--"

Xia Yang listened carefully and immediately recognized it as the sound of a garment brushing against the bushes.

"Rustle..."

This is the soft sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves.

"They came for me?"

Xia Yang's heart tightened, and he immediately became more vigilant.

The sound from before is rapidly approaching, heading towards his current location.

To confirm his guess, Xia Yang deliberately changed direction and ran towards a dense forest on his right.

While running, Xia Yang had to be distracted to avoid the overhanging branches and listen carefully to the sounds behind him, keeping him in a state of high tension.

"Whoosh--"

The rapid breathing was particularly clear in the silent forest.

Sure enough, a moment later, the familiar footsteps sounded again.

The footsteps behind maintained the same speed and direction as before.

Clearly, the other party had located his position.

"They really came for me!"

Xia Yang gritted his teeth, a surge of anger rising within him.

"That Qian Xunji!"

Xia Yang originally thought that since he had completely severed ties with Bibi Dong as required, Qian Xunji would spare his life.

But now it seems he was too naive.

Upon careful recollection of the original plot, the reason Qian Xunji spared Yu Xiaogang was simply because he was wary of the power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Xia Yang, on the other hand, was just an ordinary Soul Master with no background, probably no different from an ant in the Pope's eyes.

"Since we can't escape, let's fight!"

A resolute glint flashed in Xia Yang's eyes.

Judging from the pursuer's speed and endurance, the opponent's Soul Power cultivation was clearly superior to his.

If he continues to flee like this, he will likely be at the mercy of others once his Soul Power is exhausted.

Rather than that, it would be better to find a suitable place to fight with our backs against the wall; perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope.

The idea quickly took shape in Xia Yang's mind as soon as it arose.

Therefore, Xia Yang made a quick decision, changed direction, and turned back towards an open space he had passed on the way there.

This was a clearing surrounded by trees, where moonlight poured down without obstruction, illuminating the center.

Xia Yang stood in the center of the open space, fully activating the Hunyuan Technique to recover his depleted Soul Power as much as possible.

The Bone Martial Soul faintly appeared on the surface of the body, forming faint patterns.

Before long, the pursuers arrived.

The newcomer stopped in the shadows at the edge of the woods, seemingly observing the situation in the clearing.

The moonlight cast a clear, bright glow on the open ground.

Xia Yang looked up at the dark forest opposite him and said loudly, "Since you came for me, why don't you come out and meet me?"

After a brief silence, a figure slowly emerged from the woods.

Meng Shan was dressed in a gold outfit embroidered with snake patterns, a faint smile playing on his lips.

However, the cold light emanating from his triangular eyes sent chills down one's spine.

Meng Shan walked leisurely and stopped a few feet away from Xia Yang.

Then, Meng Shan looked his junior brother up and down, whose Soul Power was far inferior to his own.

"You're Xia Yang?"

Meng Shan spoke, his voice steady, yet carrying a hint of pressure.

It's me.

Xia Yang responded calmly.

"Hand over the Spirit Bone."

Meng Shan extended his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Who told you I have Spirit Bone?"

Xia Yang countered with a question, trying to buy more time to recover his Soul Power.

Stop pretending to be confused.

Meng Shan sneered and said, "His Holiness the Pope personally ordered, Director Xuan relayed the order, to retrieve the Spirit Bone you stole."

"I advise you to hand it over obediently, and maybe I can still leave you with a whole corpse."

As soon as he finished speaking, golden light emanated from Meng Shan's body, and a uniquely shaped longsword appeared out of thin air in his hand.

The sword's blade snaked like a snake, gleaming with a cold, golden light under the moonlight.

This is Meng Shan's Martial Soul, the Golden Snake Sword.

Seeing this, Xia Yang knew that there was no turning back now.

So he took a deep breath and pushed the Hunyuan Technique to its limit, his Soul Power surging and flowing through his meridians.

"Martial Soul: Bones."

Xia Yang gave a low, deep shout, adopting a fighting stance.

At the same time, the bone patterns on Xia Yang's body became increasingly clear, emitting a faint purple halo.

On the open ground, the two stood facing each other, their murderous aura subtly spreading under the moonlight.

Meng Shan made the first move.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple.

Four Spirit Ring suddenly rose from the foot of Meng Shan.

The light from the Spirit Ring shimmered with dazzling colors under the cool moonlight.

"First Soul Skill: Spirit Snake Blade!"

With a low shout, Meng Shan unleashed his Martial Soul.

His figure swayed like a willow in the wind, and his long sword danced swiftly in his hand.

In an instant, more than a dozen golden, serpentine sword lights, as solid as metal, shot out and rushed straight at Xia Yang's face.

"First Soul Skill: Icefire Roar Bullet!"

Xia Yang neither dodged nor avoided, but squatted down with his legs slightly apart, and struck out with both palms in quick succession.

Countless palm-sized purple energy balls shot out from his palm.

Immediately afterwards, a massive array of energy spheres met the sky-filling serpentine sword energy.

"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"

The muffled thuds of sword energy slicing through energy spheres echoed continuously.

At the same time, the impact of the exploding energy ball repeatedly dissipated the sharp sword energy.

In just a few breaths, this first round of probing came to an end amidst the aftershocks of the energy collision.

In the first round, both sides were evenly matched.

"Impressive! No wonder he can cause such a stir at the Martial Soul Academy."

Meng Shan sheathed his sword and stood there, his gaze holding a hint of scrutiny, yet his tone was full of admiration.