Lu Changfeng followed the changes in the terrain, pursuing them relentlessly.
The Xu brothers' trail led east from the ruins of the Eastern Market, through Yongxing Ward and past Tonghua Gate, stretching all the way beyond Chang'an City. The traces grew fainter and more scattered, as though someone had deliberately erased them.
Without slowing, Lu Changfeng sensed the traces left by the Earthwalking Immortal as they "swam" underground. Beyond the city, the terrain opened up. Rolling hills lay in the distance, while a dense forest stood nearby, its winding paths leading toward a low mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, a river barred his way.
Its water was clear and its current gentle. Weeds crowded both banks, and reeds swayed.
Lu Changfeng stopped beside the river.
The trail ended here.
He dabbed up some river water and brought it to his nose. Closing his eyes, he pushed Scenting Beauty to its limit, but found no scent of any of the three in the water. He then summoned the Eight Formations Diagram and used the Flying Dragon Formation to probe beneath the surface.
His mind connected to the diagram, and every detail of the riverbed appeared in his consciousness.
Water plants, pebbles, swimming fish, submerged logs-every detail was perfectly clear.
There was nothing unusual here either.
No abnormal fluctuations of energy, no concentrations of spiritual qi, no signs of artificial excavation.
Yet Lu Changfeng's brow furrowed even more deeply.
Precisely because it was too normal, it was abnormal.
He had made no mistakes during the pursuit. They should have revealed themselves at the water's edge, yet they had vanished without a trace. That could only mean they had prepared in advance and laid a barrier here. Moreover, the object anchoring it ranked above the Eight Formations Diagram.
*It doesn't matter