The Daoists and Demon Spirits pursued the Eerie closely. Their spells were no longer as dense or fierce as before, and their pursuit had grown somewhat scattered.
Months of severe drought had restricted the Eerie. Away from the rivers, it had lost its foundation, and more than half its abilities had been stripped away. The blood-red color around it had dimmed, yet people and horses kept straying within reach. Bringing one down replenished a little of its strength, allowing it to hold on in fits and starts until now.
Even with their practiced use of the Lightening Body Technique and Divine Movement Technique, the Daoists were exhausted by the chase. Only the Demon Spirits could keep pace with it.
The chase dragged a long plume of dust across the barren, drought-stricken fields.
The Daoists differed in cultivation and in the spells they specialized in. Some were fast and some slow, and gradually they became scattered all over the place.
Various spells blocked and intercepted the Eerie, forcing it to change course and skirt the village ahead where people still lived, sending it hurtling toward the distant mountains. Seizing an opening, Jin Si climbed a high ridge, raised his head, and swiftly swept his gaze over the terrain ahead.
The undulating mountains looked more familiar the longer he studied them. They were the mountains behind the Medicine King Temple!
His heart sank. He immediately spread out his Thermal Sensing, scanning again and again. Fortunately, the wilderness was empty, with no human-shaped heat sources.
He looked around and carefully searched once more with his various senses, but found no trace of any cultivators.
As he calculated where to position himself for the next interception, the wind suddenly shifted. A current of air slowly rolled up from below the mountain, carrying a jumble