Chapter 1586: Chemical Blood

"What's wrong? Brother Tu is still worried about that direction," the middle-aged man asked, his gaze flashing.

"Indeed. The compass is reacting to that direction as well. However, its reaction is erratic—sometimes very strong, seemingly the strongest of all directions, yet at other times, there's no reaction at all. It's quite peculiar," the old man said with a hint of suspicion, staring at the compass that had begun to flicker slightly in the air again.

"It seems either that person possesses a unique treasure that can interfere with the Heavenly Profound Compass's readings, or they are genuinely powerful, using some magical ability to conceal their cultivation, making it impossible for the compass to pinpoint their location accurately," the middle-aged man replied after a brief ponder, sounding uncertain.

"Perhaps. If it's the former, it's fine. But if it's the latter, we cannot let them go. Here's what we'll do: first, dispatch two feathered dragons to search that area and see what's happening. By the time we have results, you and I will have already dealt with matters in other directions. It won't be too late to make another trip then," the old man suggested. "Brother Tu, that's a shrewd move. Let's do it. If all goes smoothly, we can resolve matters here in half a day," the middle-aged man agreed with a chuckle. Clearly, he didn't find it particularly difficult to seize items from some Void Refinement cultivators.

The old man nodded at his words. With a sharp shout, the remaining two golden feathered dragons circled briefly above their heads before abruptly soaring towards the direction indicated by the compass. Moments later, they vanished without a trace. Following this, the old man and the middle-aged man no longer hesitated. Their escape lights ignited simultaneously, transforming into two startling streaks of light that shot through the air, heading in two different directions.

One of the streaks of light suddenly dimmed into a faint white glow mid-flight, eventually becoming almost imperceptible, as if wavering in and out of existence. The other startling streak, after flying for more than ten miles, exploded with a "bang," releasing a cloud of purple mist that engulfed the escape light. A short while later, the mist gently swirled and dispersed, revealing nothing within.

Above a stretch of hills, a non-human creature with a sallow complexion and a pair of strange tentacles on its head flew forward at a low altitude, a few yards above the ground, riding on a spirit beast resembling a gecko.

This gecko appeared small, only about a zhang in length, with its body covered in a faint yellowish glow that perfectly matched the color of the earth below. Under the cover of this glow, from a high vantage point, the non-human and the gecko were remarkably concealed, making it difficult to detect their tracks with the naked eye.

As the non-human propelled the spirit beast beneath him forward, he frequently glanced backward, seemingly still shaken by something.

This individual, a Void Refinement early-stage cultivator, was neither the green-skinned one nor the big-headed man. It seemed that on that day in Greenlight City, besides Han Li and the four big-headed individuals, there were other high-level beings hidden. They had somehow managed to evade the big-headed man's surveillance and had not contacted other high-level non-humans. However, this individual was exceptionally shrewd.

He had continuously concealed his cultivation in the city, deliberately avoiding associating with fellow cultivators like the big-headed man, lest he become too conspicuous and attract the attention of the Horned-Chi tribe. Seizing the opportunity when the city gates opened, he quietly mingled with lower-level non-humans and escaped to such a distant location.

Now, the non-human was over a thousand miles away from Greenlight City, a distance typically considered safe. Yet, his expression remained unsettled.

For some reason, an uneasy feeling had subtly enveloped him recently, as if a great disaster was imminent.

His 'Heart Demon' tribe was merely a small clan on the Thunderous Continent, but they possessed a rarely known innate ability to sense danger. Thus, he dared not underestimate this premonition, carefully observing his surroundings for any changes.

Suddenly, his expression shifted; he seemed to have sensed something. Clamping his legs, the gecko spirit beast beneath him immediately ceased its movement. Simultaneously, as his spiritual sense activated, a pair of bright red eyes emerged, continuously scanning the surroundings. The non-human's own tentacles on his head also twisted and swayed with the movement of his eyes.

Suddenly, a burst of white light erupted from the void beside the non-human. A faint figure flickered into view within it, raising a hand and bringing down a soaring sword light. The gleaming golden sword energy was blinding, reaching the non-human in an instant.

The non-human was startled. If unprepared, he might have been left with no choice but to await death. However, he had fortunately been alert moments ago. Thus, a black light suddenly flickered before him, and a small black shield mysteriously appeared. Simultaneously, a hum emanated from his body, releasing an eerie protective shield of red, yellow, and green.

The gecko below also abruptly shook its body. Its unusually long tail swished, transforming into a sweeping black shadow. At the same time, it opened its mouth and spat a ball of green liquid towards the figure in the white light. This liquid had an unusually foul odor, sickening enough to induce vomiting! This non-human was indeed worthy of being a Void Refinement cultivator, managing to react in so many ways in a mere instant.

However, the figure in the white light was even more astonishing. The golden sword energy it released flashed, penetrating directly through the surface of the black shield and striking the three-colored barrier. The black shield itself silently split into two halves and plummeted from the void. The non-human's expression changed instantly. With a "boom," the golden light struck the three-colored barrier, erupting in a dazzling brilliance. Subsequently, various colors of light intertwined, emitting continuous explosive sounds. Surprisingly, the three-colored barrier managed to block the golden sword light.

At that moment, the liquid ball flashed and struck the white figure, and the gecko spirit beast's tail also swept past.

However, the white figure's form flickered slightly, its body appearing as if ethereal. Both attacks passed right through its body in a flash, striking only empty air.

"What kind of divine ability is this?!" The non-human exclaimed in alarm, his eyes focusing intently on the opponent. With a swift flick of his wrist, a spiritual light flashed in his hand, revealing a pale silver talisman. He was about to activate it with another shake of his wrist.

But at that very moment, a gentle breeze suddenly swept through the void behind the non-human. Following it, a faint, almost invisible figure mysteriously appeared, carried by the wind. This figure was completely translucent and showed no signs of life upon its appearance, as if it were a mere phantom.

Meanwhile, the non-human below remained completely oblivious to the anomaly behind him. With a raised hand, the talisman in his grip transformed into countless silver lightning bolts that shot towards his formidable enemy.

Thunder roared loudly as the silver lightning bolts erupted, instantly engulfing the figure in white light. It was unclear what kind of divine ability this silver lightning was, but after being released, a scorching heat instantly filled the surrounding void.

However, upon seeing the immense power of the lightning, the figure, whose face was almost transparent, instead revealed a sinister smile. Suddenly, its entire body lunged forward, transforming into a streak of green light. An unbelievable scene unfolded.

The three-colored barrier, which had withstood the golden sword light, proved utterly ineffective against the green light formed by the figure from behind. The green light flashed past, piercing through the barrier in an instant, then shimmered and entered the non-human's body. The non-human's protective spiritual light also appeared to have no effect whatsoever. A shrill scream suddenly erupted from the non-human's mouth!

The non-human shot into the air, but after flying just a dozen yards high, he convulsed violently and plunged downwards. His flesh and blood rapidly shriveled and vanished at a visible rate. Before he even hit the ground, only a thin layer of skin remained, drifting lightly down. It seemed even the non-human's soul had dissolved completely.

Without its master's guidance, the once formidable lightning instantly vanished, revealing the figure in white light once more.

With a flash of golden light from its hand, the figure instantly sliced the gecko into several pieces. Then, it stopped, motionless.

"Hehe," a triumphant chuckle emerged from the thin skin. Then, this fragment of skin strangely expanded, and in an instant, a non-human identical to the one before reappeared, alive and well, in the original spot.

The non-human raised his hands and examined them, a strange smile appearing on his face. With a shift in his gaze, he suddenly beckoned to the figure in the white light.

Immediately, the figure slowly approached, its white light receding to reveal its true form. It was none other than the middle-aged man from the Horned-Chi tribe!

However, at this moment, his expression was eerily blank, like a puppet.

"This Blood Transformation and Soul Separation ability is truly formidable. It's a pity that it cannot be used again until the absorbed essence and blood from the previous victim are refined. Otherwise, using it in combat would be truly unstoppable," the "non-human" murmured regretfully, looking at the "middle-aged man" before him.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, a storage bracelet shot out. It spun around, and a large pile of miscellaneous items tumbled down.

After sweeping his spiritual sense over the items, he unceremoniously grabbed, and several boxed items were pulled towards him. He began to open them one by one, examining them closely. Before long, his expression turned grim. Although there were some relatively rare items in the pile, none were what he was looking for.

Without a word, he pointed at the storage bracelet, and a sweep of green light instantly rolled down, reabsorbing all the items back into the bracelet.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the "non-human" suddenly seemed to remember something. He hastily fumbled around his body with somewhat unaccustomed movements. As a result, besides two talismans and a few small items, there was nothing else.

He let out a cold snort, then shook his head helplessly. With a hand seal, a streak of green light flew out from the top of his head. With a flicker, it transformed back into the eerie translucent figure.

The non-human, meanwhile, seemed like a deflating balloon, instantly collapsing into a thin layer of skin on the ground.

The translucent figure did not linger long in the air. After a single flicker, it mysteriously merged into the middle-aged man's body.

The middle-aged man's body trembled slightly, and he involuntarily closed his eyes. Simultaneously, an unusual green light began to circulate erratically over his skin. After a good while, the middle-aged man let out a long breath and opened his eyes again. His previously dull and rigid gaze now glowed with full spiritual radiance, just as it had been before.