These two clingy bastards were relentless in their pursuit. Leo burned with rage. After fleeing over a dozen miles through the mountain paths, dodging other adventuring teams along the way, he'd even narrowly avoided a head-on encounter with a second-grade serpent demon beast—startling him badly. If he'd faced a demon ahead and pursuers behind, he'd have been dead for sure.

  "That damned Kai! If I ever run into him again, I'll make him pay." As he fled, Leo cursed Kai vehemently. If that coward hadn't abandoned them, they might have stood a chance. But Kai's desertion had taught Leo another harsh lesson. After enduring the black-robed old man's attempt to seize his body, he had come to understand the cruelty of the cultivation world and had grown more vigilant toward other cultivators. He thought that by secretly keeping an eye on Zen, he could defuse the team's crisis. With their team's strength, they should have been able to hold their own against another squad.

  What Leo hadn't anticipated was that Kai—who had seemed so reliable at the start—would flee at the critical moment. Perhaps Kai, severely weakened, judged they had no chance of victory. Perhaps he had already obtained what he needed for his sect task and no longer needed to risk life and limb alongside them.

  "People's hearts change. That's why Kai ran." Leo reflected. "In the cultivation world, amidst treacherous hearts and tangled interests, the only constant—the only thing you can always rely on—is your own strength." If he could survive this crisis, he vowed to be even more cautious.

  But this immediate crisis was far from easy to overcome. All told, he had only been cultivating for three or four years, and had learned spells even more recently. His pursuers—Big Forehead Freak and the brocade-clad burly man—had both been cultivating for nearly two decades. Ruthless and hardened, they were loose cultivators with at least several kills to their names. Their mastery of spells was something Leo, a newcomer to the cultivation world, simply could not match.

  Even when both sides used the same techniques—Wind Riding Technique, Lightbody Technique—the gap between them continued to shrink. If he hadn't brought along some escape-oriented talismans, he would have been caught long ago. As the distance closed, Leo slapped on another Swift Foot Talisman, momentarily increasing his speed.

  "You little brat! You can't escape! Hand over the spirit items in your storage pouch, and Uncle Zoth promises to spare your life!"

  Zoth, chasing behind, was frantic with frustration. His cultivation was slightly weaker than Big Forehead Freak's, his spiritual power not as deep. He had to constantly take spirit stones from his pouch to replenish his energy, lest he be too depleted for the coming fight. He hadn't gained any spoils yet, but had already consumed several spirit stones—a painful loss.

  Big Forehead Freak sneered, "No need to fret, Fellow Daoist Zoth. This one is meticulous, and he carries so many escape-oriented talismans. Clearly, he's quite wealthy. As long as we take him down, we'll more than recover your losses."

  "True enough. Once his Swift Foot Talismans and Wind Dash Talismans run out, let's see where he flees! He's cost me several spirit stones already. When I catch him, I'll skin him alive and tear him apart—that's the only way to soothe my anger!" Zoth gnashed his teeth.

  The sounds of fighting erupted ahead. Leo, with nowhere to turn—heaven or earth—now had to contend with combat up ahead. Drawing closer, he saw Skyler, wielding his black iron rod, locked in a life-or-death struggle with a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator armed with a spirit blade.

  "Fellow Daoist Leo, help me!"

  Skyler's cultivation was lower than his opponent's. After his fierce battle with the Silver-winged Centipede, his energy had not yet recovered, and he was now being suppressed. Spotting Leo sprinting toward him, he cried out in surprise and hope—but then he caught sight of Big Forehead Freak and the brocade-clad burly man Zoth in hot pursuit. Skyler's mouth snapped shut. His heart sank. He had thought salvation was at hand, but it had only brought calamity.

  Leo couldn't spare a thought for Skyler—he could barely save himself. Ignoring the fellow deserter, Leo kept his head down and ran.

  A scream rang out. Skyler, distracted by the sight of Leo and his pursuers, had his chest split open by a sword strike. Blood gushed forth; flesh curled back, revealing bone beneath.

  "Die!" The sword-wielding man pressed his advantage, exultant. Skyler, grievously wounded, raised his iron rod in desperate defense. But after several blows, his strength failed him. The rod was knocked aside.

  With a grin, the swordsman seized the moment and cleaved Skyler's head from his shoulders. The bloodied skull rolled across the ground.

  "Well done! Now, help me cut off that brat!" Zoth was overjoyed. He had long grown impatient with the chase. Having another man—even if it meant sharing the spoils—was far more acceptable than this futile pursuit.

  "On it!" The swordsman pocketed Skyler's storage pouch and angled left to intercept Leo.

  Leo snorted. He hurled several Smoke Mist Fruits. Billows of black smoke rose, obscuring their view. Seizing the cover, he slapped an Earth Escape Talisman onto himself and vanished into the ground.

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  "Where'd he go?" Zoth's face darkened.

  "An Earth Escape Talisman. He can't have gone far. Search the area." Big Forehead Freak's expression was grim.

  The three split up and began scouring the vicinity. Soon, Big Forehead Freak picked up Leo's trail.

  Glancing back, Leo saw the swordsman had joined the hunt. This changed his mind about simply fleeing. He was unfamiliar with these mountain paths. More such encounters might lie ahead. His escape talismans would eventually run out. He needed to find a suitable spot to deal with that damned Big Forehead Freak and the burly man. But first, he had to shake off the weakest of the three—the swordsman. Facing two opponents required careful planning; facing three meant certain death. And he did not wish to die.

  Crushing a spirit stone that had depleted its energy, Leo resumed his desperate flight. He burned through several more Earth Escape and Wood Escape Talismans, finally losing the slower swordsman. Only the other two still trailed him, barely keeping pace.

  After another twenty miles, Leo ducked into a small grove. Startled birds took flight behind him—unmistakable sign that Big Forehead Freak was closing in.

  A murderous glint flashed in Leo's eyes. These two were dogging him without mercy, forcing him into a desperate counterattack.

  Leo scanned the area and stopped on a relatively flat patch of grass. He produced several formation flags from his storage pouch and planted them around him.

  Sensing his pursuers drawing near, Leo activated a Wood Escape Talisman and merged into a nearby tree trunk, thick as two men.

  Whether Earth Escape, Wood Escape, or Water Escape Talismans—if one remained still, they consumed relatively little spiritual energy and could last longer. Movement drained them quickly. Moreover, these low-grade talismans couldn't fully mask a cultivator's aura. So when Big Forehead Freak and Zoth entered the grove, they immediately sensed something amiss.

  "What's this? He's stopped running?" Zoth's eyes darted around as he muttered.

  "Yes. I can sense he's nearby. Maybe his talismans are nearly spent. He knows we'll catch him eventually, so he's trying to hide in these woods. He's most likely used an escape talisman. But its energy won't last long. I'm curious to see what tricks he still has." Big Forehead Freak, confident, relaxed slightly. "Once we root him out, his time is up."

  "Right. He's made us chase him long enough. Let's see how he dies." Zoth grinned savagely. The two advanced, searching carefully for any sign of Leo. Soon, guided by the faint aura of the activated talisman, they approached the flat grassy area.

  Leo observed them from his hiding spot, measuring their approach. Zoth was in the lead, Big Forehead Freak slightly behind. This deviated from his original plan, which had been to trap the stronger Big Forehead Freak with the Fortifying Element Array. But the Wood Escape Talisman's energy was nearly depleted; he could wait no longer. As Zoth stepped within the range of the planted flags, Leo muttered under his breath:

  "Fortifying Element Array—rise!"

  Hum! The flags, previously concealed beneath the earth, burst forth from the ground. They fluttered violently in wind that wasn't there. Four flags, arrayed at the four cardinal directions. Their tips gleamed red, yellow, blue, and cyan respectively.

  "Damn! An ambush!" Both Big Forehead Freak and Zoth cried out in alarm. They sprang backward. Big Forehead Freak leaped several meters clear, unimpeded. Relief washed over him. But Zoth slammed into a cyan light barrier with a resounding thwack. He cried out in pain as four colored shields descended, rotating between the flags, merging into a single, shifting four-colored dome that sealed him within a space of only a few meters.

  "You think this flimsy toy can trap me? Dream on!"

  First, he—the hunter—had fallen into his prey's trap. Then, he'd smashed his face against some barrier. Zoth was incandescent with rage. From his storage pouch, he produced his spiked club. He slapped his spirit beast pouch. The massive black ape materialized once more. He would shatter this barrier in seconds, charge out, and smash that scheming bastard into pulp!

  Zoth swung his club, slamming it against the barrier.

  Thud! The club struck something as solid as bronze or iron—and rebounded.

  Zoth's hands went numb. His expression shifted. He had only used half his strength, yet the barrier hadn't budged.

  Refusing to accept it, he struck twice more with greater force. The black ape joined in, slapping with its massive palms. It pushed. It rammed with its body. They tried everything. After exhausting themselves, both man and beast were panting heavily. The Fortifying Element Array stood unmoved, utterly unchanged.

  Leo sneered. The Fortifying Element Array could trap a Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivator. Zoth, only at the fifth layer, even with his ape, was no match for it.

  Big Forehead Freak was on full alert, leaving no opening for a surprise attack. Leo quietly slipped an antidote pill into his mouth, then stepped out from the tree trunk where he had been hiding.

  "So this is your game. You've got a formation array. But you've used it up now. If you've no other tricks, I think you're ready to die."

  Big Forehead Freak's laugh was cold, menacing. A fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator—even an alchemist—had already expended so many talismans, neutralized Zen, and trapped Zoth in a formation. He refused to believe that, in a fair fight, Leo could possibly be his match. Even if the boy was an alchemist with some wealth, that didn't translate to combat ability. Big Forehead Freak and his team had ambushed and killed dozens of cultivators, plundering their storage pouches. He was no pauper either. And that formation array—it had effortlessly trapped Zoth, a formidable fighter. Once Leo was dead, that array would be his.

  Greed glinted in Big Forehead Freak's eyes. He pressed his hand to his waist, drawing a black meteor hammer. Simultaneously, the swarm of Shadow Ants buzzed forth.

  "You think these low-grade Shadow Ants can stop me? Dream on!" Leo sneered, his face full of contempt. He activated a Diamond Shield Talisman to protect himself, gripped his spirit sword, and charged straight at Big Forehead Freak.

  "Soon, you'll know my power!"

  Big Forehead Freak snorted derisively. This kid's only reliance was his Diamond Shield—perhaps some other defensive talismans. Once those were spent and his shields were gone, how would he fend off the ant swarm? Limited by his cultivation and insufficient spiritual sense, Big Forehead Freak could only command seven ant squads. If he could control three or four more, he'd be confident even against a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Against Leo, a whole layer beneath him, sixty to seventy Shadow Ants were more than enough.

  Led by seven head ants, the Shadow Ants divided into seven squads, converging on Leo from multiple directions.

  Leo unleashed over a dozen spells in succession—Wind Blade, Fireball, Ice Arrow—several of which were blocked by the head ants. The head ants were visibly more resilient than ordinary Shadow Ants. Though struck by low-grade spells, they merely wobbled in the air like drunks; it was far from fatal.

  Big Forehead Freak snorted and rotated his squads, replacing those led by injured head ants with fresh ones, maintaining relentless pressure on Leo.

  Soon, one squad of Shadow Ants, exploiting a gap in Leo's assault, latched onto his Diamond Shield and began gnawing furiously.

  Leo's expression flickered. He cast a Whirlwind Spell, scattering a few ants—but immediately, another squad swarmed in from another direction, joining the feast on his shield.

  "Frostbite Technique!"

  "Fire Arrow Technique!"

  A layer of frost, then a volley of fire arrows. Four or five Shadow Ants, reeking of scorch, dropped to the ground.

  "Useless. Unless you can kill every last ant, I'll just wear you down." Big Forehead Freak cackled. At least three or four men had died this way, at his hands. He knew this method well.

  "No. I will kill them all!" Leo's Diamond Shield, under the assault of dozens of Shadow Ants, began to tremble, then shattered like fragile glass. Hastily, Leo activated another Diamond Shield Talisman, encasing himself once more, and resumed his slaughter of the ants.

  But Big Forehead Freak protected his head ants meticulously. Whenever one was wounded, he immediately replaced its squad with another. And as ants died, Big Forehead Freak merely chuckled, patted the gourd at his waist, and sent out fresh replacements.

  Though Leo had killed nearly thirty ants, the number swarming him never diminished, thanks to Big Forehead Freak's replenishment.

  After the third Diamond Shield was gnawed apart, Leo activated another talisman—this time, an Earthen Spirit Shield. Its defense was slightly inferior to the Diamond Shield.