"They came after all." Lin Yan's gaze chilled. His pursuers were clearly skilled at tracking and extremely patient, only gradually revealing their movements in the relative quiet of early morning.
He showed no sign that anything was wrong and continued toward the city gate, his mind racing. There were two of them. Judging by their presence, neither had a low Soul Power Level. They were at least Soul Elders, perhaps even higher. A head-on clash was certainly not the best approach.
Once he passed through the gate, the official road grew steadily busier with farmers heading into the city early, as well as travelers and merchant caravans setting out as early as Lin Yan. Those two presences remained behind him, seemingly also searching for a suitable moment to strike.
Without betraying anything, Lin Yan slipped into a small merchant caravan bound for the next town, using its people, carts, and horses as cover. He deliberately slowed down, falling to the rear of the caravan and observing in secret.
The trackers appeared to be two men in ordinary gray fitted outfits. Their looks were unremarkable, making them difficult to spot in a crowd. But the sharp glances they occasionally cast toward Lin Yan betrayed their target.
After they had followed him for a stretch, the official road began winding into hilly terrain, with increasingly dense woods on either side. People grew scarce here. It was the perfect place for murder and robbery.
Lin Yan knew he could wait no longer. He picked out a bend ahead, and the moment the caravan's carts and horses briefly blocked the view from behind, Soul Power silently surged beneath his feet. Like a phantom, he instantly broke away from the caravan and darted into the dense woods beside the road!
"Hm?" The two trackers clearly had not expected Lin Yan to be so alert and decisive, and their reactions lagged a beat. When they rushed around the bend and discovered their target had vanished, their expressions changed at once.
"After him! He went into the woods!" one of them barked under his breath. Both plunged into the forest without hesitation.
Lin Yan raced through the woods, pouring Soul Power into his legs and pushing his speed to the limit. At the same time, he used the trees and branches to keep changing direction, trying to shake his pursuers.
He was quite confident in his speed. After all, his daily weighted training had not been for nothing. Now, he had already removed the weights and put them in his Storage Soul Tool.
However, the two trackers were extremely fast as well, and clearly experienced. Like maggots clinging to the bone, they dogged his heels, the distance between them even slowly shrinking.
"Boy, you can't escape! Hand over the thousand-year Blood Ginseng and Spirit-Clearing Spring, and perhaps we'll spare your life!" A cold shout came from behind, carrying the pressure of Soul Power in an attempt to unsettle Lin Yan's mind.
Lin Yan turned a deaf ear to it, calmly analyzing the situation. They had specifically demanded the thousand-year Blood Ginseng and Spirit-Clearing Spring. Sure enough, they had been sent by that effeminate man at the auction. Continuing this chase through the woods would consume an enormous amount of his Soul Power. Sooner or later, they would catch him.
I have to find a way to shake them off, or... finish them!
His gaze swept across the terrain ahead, and he spotted an especially dense, dimly lit patch of woodland. A plan formed in his mind. He changed direction and charged toward it, secretly circulating his Soul Power. The mysteries of withering and flourishing intent flowed through his mind, while his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul quietly stood ready in his palm.
As he charged into the dim woodland, Lin Yan abruptly slowed, as though exhausted. He leaned against a thick ancient tree, panting lightly, but his sharp gaze swept behind him.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two gray figures caught up almost simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right, hemming Lin Yan in from two angles. Both wore mocking smiles, like cats toying with a mouse.
"Go on, run! Why aren't you running anymore?" sneered the man on the left, who had a scar on his cheek. Three Soul Rings rose around him-one white, one yellow, and one purple. He was a Three-Ring Soul Elder.
The tall, thin man on the right remained taciturn. He also released his Soul Rings, likewise one white, one yellow, and one purple. His Soul Power fluctuations were a little stronger than the scar-faced man's.
"Boy, be sensible and hand the things over. Spare yourself some physical suffering." The scar-faced Soul Elder advanced one step at a time.
Lin Yan looked at them, but there was no panic on his face. Instead, a strange calm appeared.
Meanwhile, pale blue blades of Blue Silver Grass from his hands, hanging at his sides, had already silently merged into the ground beneath his feet.
"Are you... sure you want to rob me?" Lin Yan's voice was low, carrying an inexplicable rhythm.
The scar-faced man froze, then grinned viciously. "Still talking tough with death at your doorstep! Do it!"
Before his words had faded, he and the tall, thin Soul Elder attacked simultaneously. The scar-faced man's First Soul Ring lit up, and his hands transformed into sharp claws that tore through the air toward Lin Yan. The tall, thin Soul Elder flickered like a ghost, circling toward Lin Yan's flank. An eerie gleam flickered at his fingertips, clearly indicating some kind of poisonous Soul Skill.
Facing the pincer attack of two Soul Elders, Lin Yan's eyes blazed.
Suddenly, the two Soul Elders felt as though something had cinched around their bodies, yet they could see nothing on themselves.
It was the blades of Blue Silver Grass Lin Yan had already laid down, upon which he had used his First Soul Skill, Illusory Color Concealment.
This sudden change caught both Soul Elders completely off guard! Their movements were instantly obstructed. The scar-faced man began frantically clawing at the places where he felt something constricting him, but failed to sever it. The tall, thin Soul Elder's surprise attack was also completely disrupted by this sudden development.
"What's going on?!" Shocked and furious, the scar-faced man struggled desperately, but the more he struggled, the more things seemed to coil around him, tightening further!
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Lin Yan moved!
Like a leopard that had long been gathering its strength, he pushed off the ground and shot forward, aiming straight for the slightly closer scar-faced Soul Elder! The instant he lunged, a longsword appeared in his hand, its blade trembling lightly with a faint hum.
Lin Yan flicked his wrist, and sword light flared. Like an unceasing stream, it traced a smooth, rounded arc-the "Coil" formula of the Tai Chi Sword Technique. Rather than thrusting straight in, the sword light gently settled against the arm the scar-faced man hastily raised to block. A sticky pulling force instantly followed.
The scar-faced man felt as though the claw Soul Skill he had unleashed with all his strength had sunk into a mire. His force was diverted, leaving his center wide open! Just as horror appeared in his eyes, Lin Yan's sword tip darted like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, following the opening that pull had created to strike the vital points across his chest and abdomen!
"Pfft!" The scar-faced man shuddered violently and spat out a mouthful of blood. His gathered Soul Power scattered instantly, and his entire body crumpled limply to the ground.
Having dealt with one man, Lin Yan did not pause. Using the momentum, he spun around and swept his longsword toward the tall, thin Soul Elder. Horrified at the sight, the tall, thin Soul Elder lit up his Second Soul Ring. His speed surged as he tried to break free of his restraints and retreat.
But Lin Yan was faster! His sword moved with his body, following like a shadow, its tip never straying from the vital points all over the tall, thin Soul Elder's body. The few dark gusts of force the Soul Elder hastily fired from his fingers were all easily swept aside and diverted by the smoothly flowing sword light.
Slash!
With a faint sound, the sword light swept past, precisely severing the tendons at the tall, thin Soul Elder's ankle. He screamed, lost his balance, and pitched forward. Lin Yan followed through with a stroke, slicing open his neck.
From his sudden attack to finishing off the two Soul Elders, the entire process had taken only a few breaths. Lin Yan panted lightly, his face somewhat pale. Controlling Blue Silver Grass over a wide area and unleashing the Tai Chi Sword Technique at full strength had consumed an enormous amount of his Soul Power and mental power.
He dared not delay. He swiftly withdrew his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and longsword. At the same time, with a thought, he squeezed out his remaining Soul Power and once again used his First Soul Skill, Illusory Color Concealment. His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul surged from his right hand and swiftly wrapped around his entire body, its colors shifting to blend perfectly into the surrounding environment. Even his presence was almost completely concealed-this was precisely an advanced application of his First Soul Skill, Illusory Color Concealment.
Once his camouflage was ready, Lin Yan neither stayed where he was nor retraced his route to the official road. Like a silent shadow among the trees, he crept deeper into the dense forest, away from the road. He needed to take a long detour and plan his route anew, ensuring it was absolutely safe before returning to Nuoding City.
The sun sank in the west, and silence returned to that dim stretch of woodland, leaving only the two Soul Elders who had died there.