Two black shadows, like meteors chasing the moon, streaked across the sky and land like wisps of smoke, vanishing into the dense forest beyond the mountain in the blink of an eye! When the many pursuers who followed finally arrived, the two figures had long since disappeared without a trace...

Cao Guofeng and his party reached this point. Staring at the continuous stretch of green mountains and forests, he couldn't help but sigh, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

In the preceding battle, he had suffered an unexpected blow right at the start, leaving him with internal injuries, and the subsequent high-intensity passive defense against incoming palm winds only worsened the damage... Barely managing to hold on until this point, the internal injuries finally erupted uncontrollably!

The might of a Saint Venerable expert was truly extraordinary! Among those who had followed, a grey-robed elder stepped forward, asking in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?" The speaker was none other than Miao Jingyun, the Master of the Phantom Mansion.

Bai Qifeng coughed, recounting the entire sequence of events from beginning to end. He concluded, "It was fortunate the Mansion Master had made prior arrangements.

If it had been just the seven of us brothers, we would likely have faced certain death tonight." Miao Jingyun was startled, struck by confusion, and murmured, "But I didn't arrange for anyone..." At these words, the expressions of Cao Guofeng and the others instantly changed! The Mansion Master would never lie, especially at a moment like this.

That meant... who was that black-clad figure?

"Pursue them! No matter what, that black-clad attacker must be captured!

I want to see who dares to dispatch a Saint Venerable master to harm a child!" Miao Jingyun commanded angrily, simultaneously casting a warning glance, sharp as a blade-wind, towards Zhan Wuyun, the head of the Zhan family, who had just arrived. The warning in his eyes sent a chill down Zhan Wuyun's spine...

Although Miao Jingyun was taken aback by Cao Guofeng's words, he was a man steeped in experience, and his decision was swift. With a single order, the dozens of experts sent by the Phantom Mansion to provide aid simultaneously plunged into the vast, dense woods, immediately commencing a carpet search!

The lowest cultivation level among them was at least Saint Fourth Level, with the majority being Saint Emperor masters, and indeed, several Saint Venerables were included. After all, it had been confirmed from Cao Guofeng’s group that the attacker was a Saint Venerable expert; without corresponding opposition, this wouldn't be a rescue, but suicide...

Jun Moxie moved forward at a rapid pace, his killing intent growing denser with every step. Despite the fierce malice in his heart, Jun Moxie was not in a hurry to counterattack.

After all, the pursuer behind him was a Saint Venerable expert, possessing terrifying strength far surpassing his own. Taking him down would be no simple task; a rash counterattack was unlikely to succeed!

Therefore, Young Master Jun needed patience, waiting until he found an ideal location and moment to strike, eliminating this fellow who dared to swat flies on a tiger's head in one decisive blow! Regarding the Saint Venerable expert behind him, Young Master Jun was certain he had never met him before.

The two who had surrounded him at the Zhan family residence previously were also Saint Venerable masters, but they didn't resemble this man. Nevertheless, Jun Moxie was certain this person must be from the Zhan family, and furthermore, someone of significant standing within it!

Yet, only a single day, or perhaps just half a night, had passed before the Zhan family dispatched such an important figure to deal with him. This demonstrated that the Zhan family's hatred for him had escalated to the point of utter loathing, even impatience!

You won't let me live easily, is that it? Since our positions are now clearly defined, and merely destroying your secret base apparently wasn't enough to satisfy you?

To ensure that I and those around me suffer a bit more, I suppose I'll have to orchestrate another great upheaval for your Zhan family! I learned the principle of "better the companion dies than I" when I was very young!

Ahead, the mountains were high and the forest dense! Jun Moxie took the lead, plunging straight into it!

Zhan Xiaoxiao, a life forged in battle, would hardly be intimidated by a mere patch of woodland before him. Moreover, through Zhou Cai’s observation, he had confirmed that while the mysterious person who carried off the owner of the Ethereal Constitution possessed profound skill, there was still a measurable gap between them, leaving no room for fear.

Naturally, he followed inside! With a whoosh, the two—separated by only about twenty zhang—instantaneously vanished completely into the thicket!

It was early summer; the forest floor was covered in freshly grown, thick grass. Once a person dove in, they would disappear from sight, unable even to keep their heads above the foliage, let alone in the deep darkness of the night?

Zhan Xiaoxiao’s profound Profound Energy allowed him to see in the dark as if it were daylight, complemented by his omnipresent, potent divine sense, making him confident that this obstacle was trivial. However, the moment he entered the interior of the forest, he instantly sensed that something was amiss.

During the previous pursuit, he had clearly ascertained that the true strength of the mysterious figure ahead was inferior to his own, yet his methods were extraordinarily devious and erratic! He was clearly slower than Zhan Xiaoxiao in terms of absolute speed, but the manner of his escape was a masterful display of cunning maneuvers!

Under normal circumstances, with his superior power, a few split-palm strikes during the chase would, even if they failed to kill the person ahead instantly, at least delay him momentarily. But this man moved continuously in a serpentine pattern—darting east one moment, west the next—elusive and confusing, making it impossible even for his powerful divine sense to lock onto his precise location!

Especially when changing direction, he would suddenly accelerate with astonishing speed... Before a turn, Zhan Xiaoxiao had managed to close the distance to an extremely short span of ten-odd zhang, needing just a final burst to catch up.

But after rounding the bend, Zhan Xiaoxiao would find the distance between them had reopened by seventy or eighty zhang, and this phenomenon repeated itself time and again... This was undeniably strange!

Now that both parties had entered the dense forest, this peculiar sensation became even more pronounced. The mysterious person wasn't alone; he was carrying that boy with the Ethereal Constitution, yet how could he vanish so completely in an instant?

It was as if a drop of water had dissolved into the ocean, leaving absolutely no trace! How was this possible?

Once inside such an intensely overgrown forest, there should be tracks everywhere for anyone skilled in tracking! Yet this fellow hadn't disturbed a single blade of the tender grass!

Where on earth did he vanish to? Zhan Xiaoxiao was utterly baffled and helpless.

He finally gathered his energy, shot upwards, and surveyed the surroundings. He finally spotted a patch of grass about a hundred zhang ahead undulating slightly like gentle waves...

"Hmph! Although his technique is clever, it's still amateurish!

You won't escape my grasp today!" Zhan Xiaoxiao moved, pursuing in that direction without hesitation... The chase and flight continued, and in the blink of an eye, they emerged from that patch of forest on another side, plunged into another mountain range, then veered again towards yet another set of peaks...

They repeated this pattern, seemingly moving ever further away from the location of the Phantom Mansion's main palace! Zhan Xiaoxiao naturally grew more confident the further they traveled.

If you had tried to flee back toward the palace, I might have hesitated, considering factors like avoiding inevitable encounters with overwhelmingly strong enemies, or revealing my identity. Perhaps then I might have let you go!

But by fleeing wildly away, you can only blame your own poor fortune! At this moment, the two were already more than two thousand li from the Phantom Mansion's main residence!

Evidently, there were no greater masters residing nearby! Here, I, Zhan Xiaoxiao, am king!

I reign supreme! Did you imagine you could exhaust me with speed?

That is sheer fantasy, the rambling of a madman! In a flash, several more mountains receded beneath their feet.

The two charged up the highest peak before them almost simultaneously, and then dove off in unison! Below was a canyon!

It was desolate, with hardly a tree in sight—a true wasteland, yet also a natural arena! Zhan Xiaoxiao plunged down with speed like lightning!

But then he suddenly halted, freezing in place! Because directly ahead, the black-clad, masked figure who had fled in a manner nearly identical to his own was standing quietly, hands clasped behind his back, apparently waiting for him.

Most surprising of all, the black-clad figure carried nothing whatsoever. The human-shaped object he had been clutching had long since disappeared!

He stood there, seemingly unperturbed by the near two-thousand-li forced march. His posture was relaxed, his frame straight, his breathing almost imperceptible, showing no signs of exertion.

Could it be that he was waiting for me! This thought suddenly occurred to Zhan Xiaoxiao.

Could it be that it wasn't just me wanting to kill him, but he also harbored the intent to kill me! And yet, both our battles were somewhat clandestine, so he led me all the way here!

Thinking this, Zhan Xiaoxiao nearly burst into laughter! Even looking across the entire domain of the Phantom Mansion, how many people could claim certainty of defeating, or even killing, him?

Perhaps a few, but certainly not including this mysterious person before me! For someone whose power was clearly inferior to his own to harbor the delusion of killing him was pure absurdity!

"You were waiting for me? Planning to kill me!" Zhan Xiaoxiao’s tone was cold and sharp.

This was markedly different from his usual manner of speech. Under any circumstances, he would never reveal his true identity as the ultimate master.

Even facing this unknown masked stranger, he would not use his natural voice. Unexpected things can happen; what if this person somehow managed...

Zhan Xiaoxiao failed to perceive at that moment that his mindset had subtly shifted upon seeing the opponent waiting there safely! He was no longer utterly certain!

The preceding chase had already convinced him that the opponent was his for the taking, someone he could easily dispatch with a single move! But now, seeing the other stop calmly and wait, he didn't feel the usual satisfaction of an enemy trapped and cornered.

Instead, a flicker of unease settled in his heart. It seemed...

he might have walked into a trap set by the enemy! Zhan Xiaoxiao, who had been utterly confident of victory, holding ten-tenths certainty of easily killing his opponent, now found his internal calculation shifting unconsciously to a concern about 'what if this person manages to slip away...'(To be continued.

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