As soon as the shout fell, Bai Hua glanced at the southern horizon, his brows furrowing even deeper, before returning his gaze to the people before him and saying in a deep voice:
"We're a team now. We'll go together if we have to, and we'll stay together if we have to. Li Bingrui, if you want to stay, we'll be with you."
As they spoke, Bai Hua's figure, which had floated in mid-air, fell down, followed by Xiao Yi Xian and Lian'er. Upon seeing this, Li Bingrui gritted her teeth in annoyance. After a while, she waved her sleeves and quickly left with the others.
A moment later, three figures arrived at the forest where Xiao Yan and the others had been. As they passed over the clearing, their expressions froze, and they instantly stopped in mid-air. Their three gazes fell simultaneously on the clearing below. With their powerful senses, they could clearly detect the presence of several people who had been there not long ago, and those presences were those of the people they were looking for.
"It's definitely them. They must have left less than half an hour ago. If it weren't for the fact that our search area was so vast, we probably would have caught up with them already."
"Hehe, Fourth Brother, calm down. Since they just left, finding them shouldn't be difficult. Keep heading north, and I think it won't be long before we meet them."
Upon hearing this, the old man on the left of the three, dressed in a gray robe, smiled faintly. He grabbed a seemingly ethereal air with his withered hand, which contained the aura of Xiao Yan and the others. He then easily crushed it with a clench of his five fingers.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the elderly man at the head of the group remained silent. He slightly raised his ruddy face, gazing at the distant horizon where the light was gradually dimming, yet a sense of unease stirred within him.
Night was approaching, which would cause some trouble for their pursuit plan. Although Bai Hua and the others had only been gone for a short time, he had a vague sense of unease.
"Let's go, catch up with them before dark if we can. We can't afford any more accidents!"
With a low shout, the other two old men beside him nodded emphatically. Then, the three of them leaped up again, transforming into three streaks of light, and flew swiftly toward the northern horizon at lightning speed.
As night fell, above the vast forest, Bai Hua carried Xiao Yan on his back, followed closely by Xiao Yi Xian and the others. The group flew with all their might towards the northern horizon. As the sky gradually darkened, their spirits did not slacken. They were facing a powerful expert at the Yuan Zong level. The darkness would not provide them with much cover, and if they were to become careless at this time, it could very well end their journey.
The whistling sound of wind cutting through the air echoed in their ears. The verdant forests below gradually dimmed in the cold wind. The distant peaks seemed to come closer and then further away, but the sense of crisis that lingered in their hearts never faded. Xiao Yan continued to use pills to hasten the recovery of his injuries, and the group's internal Origin Qi was unknowingly depleted by more than half. Night fell, and the whole world seemed to quiet down, but the group's nerves became increasingly tense. A strong sense of crisis enveloped them. Until one moment, Xiao Yan, on Bai Hua's back, suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, and at Xiao Yan's signal, the group stood on a certain mountain peak.
"Call..."
After nearly a day of rest, Xiao Yan's injuries had obviously recovered considerably, but even so, he was still unable to shake off his weakness. The reason he stopped with everyone at this moment was naturally because of those three old guys.
With his powerful Spiritual Strength, Xiao Yan clearly realized that the three Yuan Zong experts from the Tribulation Crossing Sect were now less than a quarter of an hour away from them. If they continued like this, the final result would naturally be that they would have nowhere to escape. Several Origin King leading a heavily injured Origin Emperor were facing three Yuan Zong level experts at the same time. The outcome was self-evident.
On the mountain peak, Xiao Yan rested briefly, and then, to the astonishment of the people around him, he once again gathered the three Heavenly Flames together, along with their Child Flame. Seeing this familiar scene, the others immediately understood what Xiao Yan was about to do.
He's trying to condense the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus!
With their strength alone, they naturally couldn't stop the three Yuan Zong. However, if the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus exploded, the resulting power would be able to hold them off for a while, and their group could use this to buy some more time. Although everyone present understood Xiao Yan's intentions, they couldn't help but worry about him for taking such a risk.
"Are you crazy? You're still recovering from serious injuries, and you don't have much power left in your body. If you were to condense the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus again, wouldn't you be playing with your life?!"
Bai Hua and Xiao Yi Xian's expressions were solemn. They were about to stop him, but the situation before them left no room for their intervention. They were well aware of the terrifying power of the Heavenly Flames. If they failed to stop him, Xiao Yan would probably be reduced to ashes in an instant, given his current physical condition.
"Call..."
Faced with everyone's worries, Xiao Yan smiled reassuringly. His pale face held a warm smile, but all that could be felt was exhaustion. Continuously using such high-level Dou Technique was not only difficult in itself, but also extremely taxing on his Origin Qi and Spiritual Strength. If this continued, it might leave Xiao Yan with irreversible aftereffects. However, now that the Heavenly Flames had merged, there was no possibility of stopping. Everything could only wait until the Fire Lotus was fully condensed.
As the Heavenly Flames gradually condensed between Xiao Yan's palms, three auras on the distant horizon drew closer and closer to Xiao Yan and his group. The group could even vaguely sense the location of Xiao Yan and his companions.
"Heh heh, is it because you can't run anymore, or do you know you're doomed and just wait to die?"
High in the sky, after locating Xiao Yan and the others, an old man couldn't help but sneer. To think they could escape the pursuit of three Yuan Zong experts was utterly absurd.
"Hurry up and catch up, be careful not to make any mistakes!"
Among the three, the elderly man who was in the lead breathed a sigh of relief, but still gave a wary reminder before leaping forward at an even faster speed.