In a mere flicker of time, Ye Qin, steering the Black Cloud Barrier, hurtled forward through the mountain passes of the Bian River Gorge, fleeing Lujia Fortress dozens of li behind him, the fortress receding to a mere speck in his wake. His speed was so prodigious that most of the Lujia cultivators and guests were preoccupied chasing the other five or six cultivators from the Chaos Lands; few were willing to exert the effort to pursue him.

Yet, Ye Qin’s tension did not ease in the slightest; he urged the Black Cloud Barrier onward at top speed. Ye Qin clearly sensed a Foundation Establishment cultivator pursuing him from behind, closing the distance rapidly, now only a mere few dozen zhang away.

He glanced back, and a chilling look instantly settled on his face. “Yan Wei!” This Foundation Establishment cultivator, also originating from the Green Pill Sect, presented a considerable headache.

Yan Wei had established his Foundation cultivation very early, and Ye Qin had no prior interactions with him. However, he had heard the man’s name whispered within the Green Pill Sect: a disciple from a major immortal cultivation family, a natural cultivator whose Single Spiritual Root potential exceeded eighty, hailed as one of the Green Pill Sect’s finest talents in root potential, and among the Foundation Establishment cultivators most likely to reach the Golden Core stage.

He had even clinched the championship in the Green Pill Sect’s Foundation Establishment Disciple Grand Competition. This individual was immensely famous within the sect, his strength considered first-rate.

Precisely because of this renown, Ye Qin was extremely reluctant to clash with Yan Wei, preferring to flee as far as possible. Setting aside the question of whether he could win, once entangled with such a formidable opponent, escape would be incredibly difficult.

Should the Lujia cultivators catch up, his fate would be sealed. Naturally, he wanted no part in a prolonged engagement with Yan Wei.

Furthermore, Ye Qin harbored another concern that deterred him from easily engaging Yan Wei: although he had disguised his appearance, since both he and Yan Wei hailed from the Green Pill Sect, exposure was a distinct possibility. If Yan Wei discovered he was a Green Pill Sect disciple, there would likely be no sanctuary left for him in the Spirit Mist Cultivation World.

Having offended the Lujia Ancestor, even escaping Lujia Fortress would render him unable to remain in this realm. “Come out now, stop hiding your head and tucking your tail!

Let me see exactly which cultivator possesses such audacity to cause trouble at Lujia Fortress!” Yan Wei was oblivious to Ye Qin’s current thoughts; he had already caught up, laughing boisterously. Then, he casually produced several mid-tier talisman papers, slapped them out, and the papers instantly transformed into massive fireballs, aggressively slamming toward the Black Cloud that enveloped Ye Qin.

This comment was approved, hurry! Keep going!

This message was passed through a table, I will also use a table to message! Yan Wei knew nothing of Ye Qin’s artifact, the Black Cloud Barrier, and was quite cautious.

He neither released his own artifact nor dared to recklessly charge into the cloud. Attacking with talismans was undoubtedly the best method for a probing strike, to gauge the true power contained within that black cloud.

Simultaneously, it forced Ye Qin out of concealment. The Black Cloud was fast but not exceptionally agile.

As the several large fireballs struck the cloud, in that instant, the cloud shifted its form, the rolling darkness swallowing the massive fireballs whole. The cloud mass swelled slightly, and the potent fireballs vanished as if they had dissolved—like a drop of water absorbed by a vast wad of cotton; it had virtually no discernible effect.

Ye Qin was quite surprised. The Holy Emperor had mentioned that this flying artifact also possessed defensive capabilities, able to significantly weaken external attacks.

He knew this in theory, but he hadn't anticipated that even mid-tier spells would pose no real threat to the Black Cloud Barrier. Yan Wei was equally taken aback.

An attack of that magnitude yielded no discernible effect as a probe. Refusing to believe it, he flipped his hand, revealing another stack of more than ten mid-tier talisman papers, which he launched in rapid succession at the Black Cloud with fierce intensity.

Ye Qin inwardly cursed the prodigal expenditure. Mid-tier talismans seemed to cost him nothing.

At this moment, he drew his hand back, transforming the vast expanse of the black cloud into a palm-sized cluster, which he swiftly tucked into his storage pouch. Retracting the Black Cloud Barrier, Ye Qin patted his storage pouch in mid-air, and a pair of snow-white Bat King Wings materialized on his back.

Although the Black Cloud Barrier artifact, once used by the Holy Emperor, was wondrously mystical, Ye Qin had not yet fully mastered it; handling it felt clumsy. It was adequate for pure escape, but slightly strained for direct confrontation with other cultivators.

Against Yan Wei, he needed to rely on his most familiar offensive and defensive methods. With a violent beat of the snow-white wings, Ye Qin shot upward, flashing fifty zhang higher, then swiftly turned to face Yan Wei head-on.

The more than ten powerful mid-tier talismans Yan Wei had launched naturally missed their mark. “Oh?

That bat wing spirit artifact of yours is quite fine. How did you acquire it?” Yan Wei hovered in mid-air, supported by his Sky-Flying Fire Wheel, his gaze focusing on Ye Qin, his interest clearly piqued.

This cultivator, completely shrouded in black, had so easily evaded his two assaults. He must possess some degree of true strength.

Ye Qin did not wish to prolong this. Yan Wei’s attacks would only slow his retreat; he needed a method to definitively shake this pursuer.

He glanced back toward Lujia Fortress; no other cultivators seemed to be rushing over yet, granting him a small measure of relief. He then turned to scrutinize Yan Wei.

Yan Wei held aloft a high-tier Fire Feather Fan, while underfoot, a massive Sky-Flying Fire Wheel spun rapidly, radiating flames. He presented the image of a dashing young master.

This Fire Wheel was merely a high-tier flying artifact, inferior in speed to the Black Cloud Barrier. The fact that Yan Wei could keep pace indicated he was employing some other secret technique.

“Sir, you are from the Green Pill Sect, why are you fighting so desperately for the Lujia family, chasing me like this?” Clad in black, Ye Qin paused in silence, hovering with the Bat King Wings deployed, cautiously on guard, his voice deliberately lowered and rough as he questioned. “Hah!

Naturally, I, Yan Wei, am not selling my life for the Lujia family. However, if I allow you to simply flee in such a blatant manner in broad daylight, where would my reputation stand?” Yan Wei chuckled lightly.

“I see you possess some capability, courage, and strength. I don't wish to kill you.

Return to Lujia Fortress with me, and let the Lujia family deal with you. If the matter you committed there was minor, I can act as an intermediary to secure a reconciliation between you and the Lujia family.

What do you say?” “Sir speaks lightly. The Lujia cultivators would likely need to kill me a hundred times over to quell their fury.

Do you know what the seven or eight of us from the Chaos Lands did in Lujia Fortress?” Ye Qin said calmly, subtly attempting to mislead Yan Wei, striving to divert his attention and cause him to misjudge Ye Qin’s origin and identity. “Oh?

What did you do?” Yan Wei fanned himself with the Fire Feather Fan, showing genuine interest. Causing such an uproar that the entire Lujia Fortress was in chaos, prompting Luyuan Hong, the young master, to desperately plead with the core disciples of the family to intervene—this affair could not be simple.

He naturally desired more detailed information. “Beneath the secret chamber of the Lujia Ancestor, there is a Water Spirit Pool, and beside the pool grows a Spirit Fruit Tree.

As one of the finest disciples of the Green Pill Sect, you should know the immense value of that Spirit Fruit Tree, correct?” “What? There is such a thing?… You went to steal the Lujia family’s Spirit Fruit?

No wonder you dared attempt such a mad venture… Hand over the Spirit Fruit you possess, and I will let you go immediately.” Yan Wei’s expression shifted instantly, his gaze sharpening. Spirit Fruits are among the rare spiritual medicines capable of breaking through the bottleneck of the Golden Core stage; no Foundation Establishment cultivator in the world would not be tempted.

Even he, upon hearing such news, would harbor the insane impulse to steal them. “There are only three Spirit Fruits, and they are all on the other three high-tier Foundation Establishment cultivators.

How could I possibly have one? If Your Excellency returns now, you might still have a chance to snatch one or two from them.” Ye Qin finished coldly, then paid Yan Wei no further heed, turning and flying away rapidly.

Whether using the Spirit Fruit as bait would convince Yan Wei to abandon pursuit, he had no absolute certainty, but he had to test the waters. Yan Wei watched Ye Qin depart, then glanced back toward the distant Lujia Fortress.

Indeed, he hesitated, wavering between whether to pursue and capture Ye Qin, or immediately return to Lujia Fortress to see if any chance remained to seize the Spirit Fruits from those high-tier cultivators. But Yan Wei quickly regained his composure.

Lujia Fortress was teeming with Foundation Establishment cultivators, but having missed the optimal window, the best opportunities were now scarce. He would have no share in them even if he returned now.

Pursuing Ye Qin might offer a greater possibility of extracting more wealth from him—perhaps Ye Qin himself carried a Spirit Fruit. At the very least, Ye Qin’s Black Cloud Barrier was an exceptionally fine, top-grade artifact.

“Heh, your cunning is good, trying to trick me into going back, but it won't be that easy. Today, your dog life is forfeit!” Yan Wei’s eyes darted around, and having quickly calculated the gains and losses, greed flared within him.

He laughed wildly, urging the Sky-Flying Fire Wheel in pursuit. He hurled out the Fire Feather Fan in his hand, which transformed into a massive fire fan several zhang long and wide, sending continuous clouds of fire sweeping toward Ye Qin from all directions.

Ye Qin, besieged by billows of fire clouds, saw his expression darken; it seemed this Yan Wei intended to fight him to the death. He beat the Bat King Wings on his back fiercely, skillfully dodging the fiery attacks.

He held nothing back now. While evading the assault, he reached into his storage pouch and withdrew a dark, low-grade Evil Ghost Fork, launching a counterattack toward Yan Wei.

He had obtained this during his training in the Great Zhou Kingdom, from a low-level Foundation cultivator named Che Long within a small mine shaft. “Go!” Ye Qin roared.

This ghost fork, entwined with thick green mist, was over ten zhang long. It carried surging green vapor and exuded a heavy, sickening stench of blood as it lunged fiercely toward Yan Wei and the Sky-Flying Fire Wheel beneath his feet.

This evil fork artifact was extraordinarily poisonous; ordinary cultivators contaminated by the green mist upon the fork would immediately suffer a significant reduction in strength, and even their artifacts were easily damaged. Ye Qin had rarely used this Ghost Fork since acquiring it, but employing it against Yan Wei now was perfect.

It would further solidify Yan Wei’s conviction that he was a cultivator from the Chaos Lands, and moreover, an evil sect member. “Evil Cultivator!” Yan Wei’s expression drastically changed upon seeing the ghost fork, and he cried out in shock and rage.

The refining of such foul, evil implements required vast amounts of the essence and souls of living people; otherwise, successful refinement was impossible. Even a mere low-grade evil artifact was enough to make Yan Wei blanch, forcing him to quickly evade.