Wang Mengde steered his small spirit skiff south at full speed.
As he raced onward,
he used the Spirit Eye Technique to watch his surroundings at every moment, even the sky.
Qin Xiangnan had once boasted that his younger brother had already trained the Sword-Controlling Technique to the peak of Major Accomplishment.
If Qin Xiangbei was still on the island and learned that Wang Mengde had put to sea, he would almost certainly pursue him on his sword.
The small spirit skiff cut through the waves as it sped south.
After racing eighty li in one stretch, Wang Mengde suddenly stopped the skiff. He swept his gaze around again. No people. No demon fish.
Only then did he quietly turn the bow.
The skiff carved an arc through the water and headed east.
The storage bag lay in the waters east of Rosy Cloud Island.
He had not seen Qin Xiangbei or Liu Yiyi at the pier, but that did not mean they were not there.
The Spirit Eye Technique could see through things, but only ordinary objects.
He could not see through buildings protected by spiritual arrays.
Two such buildings stood beside Rosy Cloud Pier.
Of course, it was most likely that they had hired someone to watch the pier.
He could not afford to let his guard down.
A longer route and a little more time were better than being spotted.
In the cultivation world, one careless moment could doom him beyond redemption.
The spirit skiff glided east without a sound.
After another thirty li or so, Wang Mengde changed course again, heading for the reef where he had hidden the storage bag.
He traveled another twenty li.
Wang Mengde stopped the small spirit skiff.
He pushed the Spirit Eye Technique to its limit.
His gaze flashed like lightning across the sea's surface, its depths, and the sky.
In the deep sea, he found a demon fish at First-Level Lesser Demon cultivation.
On the surface, there was no sign of a fishing boat.
At the horizon...
Wang Mengde's pupils contracted slightly.
At the far edge of the western sky, a tiny speck of light was hurtling toward him at astonishing speed.
It was far away, but the Spirit Eye Technique had sharpened Wang Mengde's vision to a terrifying degree.
Spiritual energy surged through his eyes once more.
The speck grew a little clearer. It seemed to be a Flying Sword.
No one was near the sword.
No. That was wrong.
An extremely faint human outline stood on it, as if shrouded in an invisible curtain of light. Without looking closely, he would never have noticed it.
As the sword rapidly approached, the outline grew clearer.
The moment Wang Mengde saw its shape, he thought of who it must be.
Qin Xiangbei.
That bastard had stayed on Rosy Cloud Island for an entire year.
Wang Mengde narrowed his eyes. Qin Xiangbei was at Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement Peak.
According to his elder brother, Qin Xiangnan, he had mastered the Sword-Controlling Technique to the peak of Major Accomplishment and owned a defensive robe.
Wang Mengde himself was only at the middle stage of the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, but he had the Palm Thunder Technique at Perfection and the Water Arrow Technique at Peak Mastery.
If he fought with everything he had, he might manage to kill Qin Xiangbei.
But his chances were slim. Qin Xiangbei was Evergreen's disciple and might have other tricks. Wang Mengde could be the one who died.
Thoughts raced through Wang Mengde's mind. He made his decision in an instant.
He leaped from the small spirit skiff straight into the sea.
The instant he hit the water, he unleashed the Water Escape Technique with all his strength. He became a streak of light that shot away along the seabed.
Qin Xiangbei?
What makes him think he's worth risking my life for?
I have the Fate Panel. Neither my spells nor my cultivation have bottlenecks.
Give me a year at most, and I'll reach Fifth-Level Qi Refinement and bring the Palm Thunder Technique to Peak Mastery. Then killing him will be like killing a dog.
Right now?
There's no need to risk my life.
Deep beneath the sea, Wang Mengde moved like a fish, driving the Water Escape Technique to its limit.
At Perfection, the technique made him astonishingly fast in the water.
Up in the sky,
Qin Xiangbei's Flying Sword stopped abruptly.
He had seen Wang Mengde leap into the sea, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
That damned turtle. He's so cautious.
How can his Spirit Eye Technique be this powerful? He spotted me from so far away.
Qin Xiangbei had activated an Invisibility Talisman, concealing his body completely. Only his Flying Sword remained visible.
Yet from over ten thousand meters away, Wang Mengde had noticed him at once from the sword alone.
The Spirit Eye Technique at Peak Mastery was terrifying indeed.
Worse, that turtle had jumped straight into the sea without a moment's hesitation.
A turtle through and through.
This time, though, Qin Xiangbei would kill Wang Mengde.
Spiritual energy surged from his body, instantly dispersing the concealment of the Invisibility Talisman. He drove his sword toward the sea at top speed.
At the same time, he swiftly took a pale-blue talisman from his storage bag.
The Flowing Light Wave-Chasing Talisman.
He poured spiritual energy into it. The talisman turned into a beam of blue light and sank into his body.
Qin Xiangbei plunged beneath the sea on his sword.
Once underwater, the Flowing Light Wave-Chasing Talisman sent his speed soaring.
He was even faster than he had been on his sword.
He became a streak of blue light and raced after Wang Mengde.
He moved as fast as lightning.
Killing intent burned in Qin Xiangbei's eyes.
Wang Mengde had fled the moment he saw him. He had to be hiding something. Most likely, he was the one who had killed Qin Xiangbei's elder brother.
Wang Mengde, today you die.
Wang Mengde sped through the deep sea, keeping the Spirit Eye Technique active as he watched everything behind him.
A streak of blue light was closing in at an alarming rate.
It was noticeably faster than he was.
Wang Mengde's pupils contracted.
That bastard has a talisman this powerful, too?
He hesitated no longer. He drove his spiritual energy at full force, pushing the Water Escape Technique beyond its limits.
Boom.
His speed jumped by thirty percent.
But his spiritual energy consumption soared as well.
The energy in his dantian dwindled at a visible rate.
Wang Mengde's expression did not change. As he raced onward, he used the Spirit Eye Technique to calmly survey the seabed.
Ahead lay a dense maze of reefs.
He veered and shot into it like lightning.
Moving like a fish, he darted through gaps in the rock, weaving left and right with incredible agility.
Qin Xiangbei followed close behind, but his face instantly darkened.
Among the reefs, his advantage in speed vanished.
The Flowing Light Wave-Chasing Talisman was fast, but it needed open water.
In this dense maze, he did not dare accelerate fully. One careless move and he would slam into a reef.
That damned turtle, meanwhile, slipped between the rocks like an eel.
Whoosh.
Wang Mengde burst out of the reef maze and shot toward Rosy Cloud Island.
Qin Xiangbei emerged behind him with a dark expression and gave chase through the deep sea.
Wang Mengde kept diving into reefs along the seabed, preventing Qin Xiangbei from using his superior speed.
Whoosh...
When Wang Mengde darted out of the reefs yet again, Qin Xiangbei's face fell. His quarry was getting closer and closer to Rosy Cloud Island.
If the turtle made it back, Qin Xiangbei would not dare attack him. Wang Mengde was an Island Patrol Guard, after all.
Killing an Island Patrol Guard without cause would bring a staggering fine, one Qin Xiangbei could not possibly pay.
That damned turtle. What terrifying speed in the water.
How far has he trained his Water Escape Technique?
Qin Xiangbei had the Sword-Controlling Technique at the peak of Major Accomplishment, the boost of the Flowing Light Wave-Chasing Talisman, and cultivation at Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement Peak.
Yet Wang Mengde was only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement. Using nothing but the Water Escape Technique, he was still a little faster.
It was terrifying.
A cold gleam flashed in Qin Xiangbei's eyes.
He swiftly formed a hand seal. The Flying Sword beneath his feet broke away and shot at Wang Mengde like lightning, a fierce streak of sword light.
Die!
Wang Mengde caught sight of the incoming sword from the corner of his eye. His expression did not change.
He instantly formed five thick water arrows and fired them head-on.
Boom.
The water arrows slammed into the Flying Sword, releasing a violent surge of energy.
The sea shook, sending out rings of visible ripples.
The sword was knocked back, its speed plummeting.
In that brief moment, Wang Mengde escaped several thousand meters away.
Qin Xiangbei's face turned livid. He hastily recalled his sword, mounted it, and gave chase again.
But with so much distance between them, he had no hope of catching up.
Ahead, Wang Mengde drew closer and closer to Rosy Cloud Island.
Closer still.
Wang Mengde burst from the water and landed on the island's beach.
Then, with a few swift movements, he vanished from sight.
Qin Xiangbei hovered in the seawater, his expression darker than ever.
This time, he had used up two expensive talismans.
And he still had not caught that turtle Wang Mengde.
What a failure.
He hovered in the deep sea, glaring toward the place where Wang Mengde had disappeared, his eyes full of resentment and unwillingness.
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