Escape

Yin Spirit Power could only deceive the other person's perception of him.

He looked like empty air, but his body was actually still there. If a Precious Chicken flew into him, a Qi Refining disciple's extraordinary five senses would probably detect something amiss immediately.

As the Precious Chicken flapped its wings and flew toward him, inspiration struck Wang Ba in that critical moment. He turned slightly sideways, narrowly avoiding the accident.

The Precious Chicken fluttered over to the scrap of chicken feed, completely unaware of the "surprise" it had just given its owner.

"Chicken number 86, is it? I'll remember you!"

Wang Ba glanced at the Precious Chicken, adjusted his pace, and headed out of Mountain Manor once more.

He had marked all the chickens in Mountain Manor, so he identified this Precious Chicken's number at a glance.

Utterly unaware that a great calamity was about to descend upon its head, the Precious Chicken ate the scrap of Chicken Feed, then waddled off clucking, its rump swaying.

Along the way, Wang Ba did his best to avoid soft ground, lest he leave footprints for the other person to spot.

Mountain Manor's gate drew ever closer.

One step.

Two steps.

Feeling the rapid consumption of Yin Spirit Power in his Yin Spirit Mansion, Wang Ba forcibly suppressed the urge to dash outside.

He could already see the weathered marks on Mountain Manor's gate and the white stains the Precious Chickens' droppings had left on its threshold.

At last, he stepped over the threshold.

Yet the Yin Spirit Power still showed no sign of stopping.

Wang Ba gritted his teeth and carried the bucket of chicken manure, doing his best not to show anything unusual.

Step by step, he descended the stone stairs leading down from Mountain Manor.

He tried his hardest to relax, to keep his footsteps light.

He reached the bucket of chicken manure he had left earlier, then continued forward without pausing at all.

One step, another step, another...

His heart sank with every step.

What's going on? Why hasn't the Yin Spirit Power stopped? Was my guess wrong? Or have I already been discovered?

Either possibility was fatal!

But he had no choice but to gamble!

Lying low was only a means, not an end.

And now, lying low was no longer an option!

He gritted his teeth.

Once again, Wang Ba suppressed the thought of fleeing at a sprint, taking deep breaths over and over as he walked calmly onward.

With every step, he kept his attention fixed on the Yin Spirit Power in his Yin Spirit Mansion.

Without his noticing, fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and body...

At last!

After Wang Ba had walked who knew how many steps, the spinning Yin Spirit Power abruptly stopped!

Relief washed over Wang Ba, and his vision immediately swam.

He knew it was because he had exhausted himself mentally.

But he did not stop. Forcing himself to keep going, he continued slowly forward at the same pace as before.

He walked another twenty-odd steps.

The Yin Spirit Power never stirred again.

Only then did Wang Ba truly breathe a sigh of relief. He fought the urge to collapse onto his backside and looked back, only to discover that he was over a hundred meters from Mountain Manor.

The Immortal Ascension Society is far too cautious! They're monitoring such a huge area! An ordinary Servant Disciple would have no chance of escaping.

But it looks like I guessed right. Their surveillance of me is fixed in place, rather than following me.

It was like a surveillance device placed above Mountain Manor.

Although it covered a large area, it could not move at will.

And now that he had left Mountain Manor, Wang Ba faced two choices.

He could return to Mountain Manor now and continue pretending he knew nothing.

Or he could leave the Sect immediately!

Go! I can't wait any longer!

A trace of resolve surfaced in Wang Ba's eyes, and he quickly made his decision.

Although he had brought nothing with him on this trip out of Mountain Manor except the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture and the Bone-Burying Secret Art—not even his Spirit Stones.

And it was still a long time before his planned departure from the Sect.

All his preparations had come to nothing.

But the invisible pressure from the Immortal Ascension Society left Wang Ba no choice but to abandon them.

After all.

As long as he was still alive, there was hope for everything!

These thoughts flashed through Wang Ba's mind in an instant. Without hesitation, he carried the bucket of chicken manure and strode toward South Lake Village, keeping his Yin Spirit Power active.

Only when he reached a patch of grass far from Mountain Manor did Wang Ba put down the bucket of chicken manure and hide it.

Whenever he encountered anyone along the way, he immediately hid, never allowing anyone to discover his trail.

Soon, he caught sight of the stunningly beautiful South Lake beside South Lake Market.

The shimmering lake and mountain scenery offered more beauty than the eye could take in.

But he was in no mood to appreciate it. Unconsciously, he squeezed the jade pendant Zhao Feng had given him last time.

He recalled Zhao Feng saying that a great upheaval was about to befall the Sect.

Could this great upheaval be the Immortal Ascension Society?

The thought flashed through Wang Ba's mind.

But he immediately shook his head. Soon, all this damned rotten business would have nothing to do with him.

Once he left the Sect, no upheaval could reach him.

To avoid encountering anyone from the market, he deliberately took a long detour and finally caught sight of South Lake Village.

But just then, the Yin Spirit Power in his Yin Spirit Mansion began spinning rapidly again!

What's going on?! Is someone looking at me? And it's spinning even faster than it did with Yu Changchun!

Wang Ba's heart lurched!

For an instant, he felt as though his heart would leap into his throat!

But soon, to Wang Ba's surprise, the Yin Spirit Power rapidly stopped spinning.

Is a Sect disciple passing by?

Wang Ba cautiously tilted his head up. Sure enough, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a streak of light flash through the distant sky and plunge into South Lake Village ahead.

Hmm? South Lake Village?

Wang Ba hesitated, but still headed toward South Lake Village.

Although Sect disciples rarely visited places inhabited by mortals, it was not unheard of.

After all, some cultivators' families lived in South Lake Village.

Yet before he had taken more than a few steps, Wang Ba's expression changed drastically!

The crimson droplets in his Yin Spirit Mansion began spinning wildly at an unprecedented speed!

In just an instant, well over half a drop of Yin Spirit Power vanished!

And out of the corner of his eye, he saw a brilliant streak of light surging with astonishing Spiritual Qi plunge into South Lake Village at a terrifying speed!

He could vaguely make out a fleeting glimpse of purple within that streak of light.

An Inner Sect disciple!

Qi Refining... no, Foundation Establishment!

Is this a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!

The Yin Spirit Power spun furiously for less than a breath before stopping.

Yet the shock it gave Wang Ba lingered, refusing to subside.

This was his first time seeing someone who might be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although it had been only a fleeting glimpse, the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi around that person were so dense they were almost tangible, making him feel like an ant standing before an enormous primordial beast.

Shock and terror etched themselves deep into his memory, impossible to forget!

Following close behind came a trace of unease:

Foundation Establishment cultivators hold lofty positions, and ordinarily I never see one. Why would one go to South Lake Village too?

A Qi Refining cultivator arrived earlier, and now there's a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Could something have happened in South Lake Village?

Has Rat-Head Gou Mu been exposed?

If that's really the case, should I still go to South Lake Village?

Wang Ba's mind teemed with doubts.

Yet he had no answers at all.

Although he wanted to go to South Lake Village and see what was happening.

With a Foundation Establishment cultivator in South Lake Village now, if he appeared right under that person's nose, he would probably soon be exposed when his Yin Spirit Power ran out.

And if he went without concealing himself, he would likewise be exposed immediately if anyone from the Immortal Ascension Society was in South Lake Village.

Wolves ahead and tigers behind; he could neither advance nor retreat.

After taking several deep breaths in succession, he quickly made his decision.

He changed direction and headed for South Lake Market.