The old man with the horse face started in surprise, suddenly throwing out a punch. A thick mass of black energy, like a tornado, instantly enveloped that streak of golden light before spinning rapidly.

The golden light and the black energy drastically weakened, vanishing simultaneously in a moment. "Hah!"

The black arrow paused slightly in the air before plummeting toward the swamp below.

At that moment, the two Heavenly Spirit realm experts couldn't help but exchange a look, seeing expressions of astonishment and disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Is that... Divine Power?"

"Indeed, it is Divine Power! However, this meager amount of Divine Power is not enough to deal with us."

"Chase!" Baidu Yishi Yaowang Tieba updates quickly for you to share.

The two soared through the air, traveling with lightning speed, but due to that brief delay, the distance between the parties had stretched again by several hundred meters...

In the ravine at the edge of the Spirit Banishment Marsh, figures loomed, and clamor rose and fell incessantly.

However, no one ventured another step deeper into the swamp. It wasn't that they dared not, but that they were unwilling. That enormous black eagle circled high overhead; even from their position, they could occasionally catch sight of it. If they entered the swamp, they would only end up as forced laborers for the giant eagle and the green-robed bandit.

Initially, some held onto a slim hope that the giant eagle and the green-robed bandit wouldn't be so coincidentally there to discover them, but now, every last trace of hope had vanished. Rather than cautiously searching for herbs inside, it was better to stay put in the city and rest well.

Even so, thinking of the medicinal herbs within the Spirit Banishment Marsh kept them restless. They couldn't sit still in Wei Tian City, so they came out for a stroll, just in case the two bandits—one airborne, one grounded—collected enough herbs and left, allowing them to rush in immediately.

"Oh no, the black eagle is coming!"

Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek drowned out all the surrounding chatter. Everyone instinctively looked up, seeing a small black dot rapidly shooting towards them above the Spirit Banishment Marsh. Soon, they could make out its general shape: it was indeed that black eagle.

"Run!"

Someone shouted this unexpectedly, triggering a domino effect as everyone surged out of the ravine. The further they ran, the more their hearts pounded. Had the black shadow failed to get herbs in the swamp and decided to vent its frustration on them? For a moment, those Spirit Masters who had suffered under the black eagle turned pale, filled with overwhelming regret, running madly as if cursed, wishing their parents had given them two extra legs.

A few bolder Spirit Masters were still gazing upward when they suddenly yelled, "That green-robed bandit is right on the eagle's back."

"They really are together." Baidu Yishi Yaowang Tieba updates quickly for you to share.

Everyone had already suspected this, and now with confirmation, they dared not linger, pushing their spiritual power to its limit. Actually, they were somewhat puzzled. Given the black eagle's and the green-robed bandit's ability to move freely in and out of the Spirit Banishment Marsh, why would they come here after driving everyone away? They could just stay inside and collect herbs in peace.

Perhaps they had a penchant for robbery?

"Hahahaha, look, look! There are two people chasing them from behind! They are being driven out..." A burst of ecstatic laughter sounded from behind. A few Spirit Masters, gathering their courage, turned back for a look and indeed saw two figures pursuing the black eagle and the green-robed bandit.

These people quickly widened their eyes and stopped in their tracks. Their actions quickly influenced the other Spirit Masters. Thus, in the blink of an eye, everyone who had been running in panicked chaos stopped dead. Each craned their necks, looking up, and some even roared with excitement.

"..." Baidu Yishi Yaowang Tieba updates quickly for you to share.

"Excellent! Serves them right! Those two bandits are finally getting what they deserve!"

"They chased others around for so many days, and now they get a taste of being chased themselves! I hope those two chasing them rob them of all their herbs!"

"Huh, strange. How can those two Heavenly Spirit Masters still be flying above the Spirit Banishment Marsh today?"

"Are there not enough strange things happening these days? Didn't that green-robed bandit move through the marsh effortlessly? And all those herbs just appeared out of nowhere."

"Could there really be an illusionary realm hidden here?"

"Hard to say, but even if there is one, it's not for us. Let's just watch. Now that two Heavenly Spirit Masters have shown up, within two days, there will be at least twenty Heavenly Spirit Masters coming here! Look, look, the distance between them seems to have shortened again."

"Speed up, speed up! Catch up to them..." Baidu Yishi Yaowang Tieba updates quickly for you to share.

"..."

"Push it! Push it! Don't let them catch up!"

Qing Yue hopped excitedly on the ridge of the Phantom Eagle King, cheering it on. "Only a few hundred meters left, and we can fly out of the Spirit Banishment Marsh!" She wasn't entirely confident in the Phantom Eagle King's speed, as the distance between the parties had shrunk again to about a hundred meters.

"Last one! Hold it!"

Nie Kong summoned the final black arrow from his pack.

"Swoosh!"

Without hesitation, Nie Kong drew the bowstring fully, and the black arrow flew off the string, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle, heading toward the leading horse-faced old man.

"Clang!"

The horse-faced old man slammed his palms, fully charged with Dark Spiritual Power, together in front of him. A fierce sound, like clashing metal, erupted. His entire body was knocked back nearly a hundred meters by the impact of the black arrow before he could finally stabilize himself in the air. Beside him, the other black-robed elder had just arrived.

Discarding the dissipating golden light of the arrow, his palm felt both sore and numb. The horse-faced old man's face was contorted in anger. Nie Kong had drawn his bow four times; three of those black arrows had been aimed directly at him. Although he had managed to evade or shoot down every arrow, the feeling of being targeted was intensely humiliating.

Seeing the distance widen again, the horse-faced old man laughed in fury. "Ridiculous! You think escaping the Spirit Banishment Marsh..." means you've escaped certain doom? I'd like to see you all try to evade the pursuit of the Gan Ling Divine Palace!"

"Divine Palace?"

Nie Kong was momentarily stunned. What a narrow road they traveled; he hadn't expected the first to arrive at the "Spirit Banishment Marsh" to be two Heavenly Spirit experts from the Divine Palace! Moreover, both of these fellows cultivated Dark Spiritual Power, which might connect them to the Dark Spirit Master who appeared in Jiyang City back then.

This was fine; he could use them as stepping stones, a small installment of interest collected for Hua Mei! Baidu Yishi Yaowang Tieba updates quickly for you to share.

With this fourth arrow obstructing them, the Phantom Eagle King finally rushed out above the Spirit Banishment Marsh when the distance between them was just over a hundred meters. Qing Yue immediately beamed with joy. "Phantom, you are magnificent! Grandma will definitely reward you. Starting today, you are Grandma's true grandson!"

"Oh!"

Hearing this, the Phantom Eagle King nearly spat blood and plummeted. Does the great master have no interest in being your fake grandson, yet is interested in being your real one? But now wasn't the time to argue with Qing Yue. The Phantom Eagle King flapped its wings once and swooped down like a bolt of lightning toward a nearby mountain peak.

At last, there was no need to run anymore! Baidu Yishi Yaowang Tieba updates quickly for you to share.

Nie Kong let out a breath of profound relief...

... ...RH