Chapter 312: Are You Looking for Me?

The innkeeper still remembered Yun Che, mainly because the huge sword Yun Che carried on his back had left a strong impression. Yun Che asked him for directions to where he could buy a mount, then calmly walked out and headed straight for the location where mounts were sold.

"Someone is following you," Jasmine warned.

"I know," Yun Che murmured.

"You're in trouble this time," Jasmine said gravely. "There are eight people in total, all at the Sky Profound Realm! Four of them are among the eight Sky Profound experts from the Burning Heaven Clan whom you've met before! The strongest one among them... is Fen Moli, who tried to attack you at Heavenly Sword Villa! You are absolutely no match for him alone, let alone with the other seven... it's very dangerous!"

"Hmm!" Yun Che nodded, his face calm. "To kill me, they dispatched eight Sky Profound experts, with Fen Moli personally leading them. They certainly think highly of me... However, they won't make a move just yet."

"Why?" Jasmine asked.

"First, if it gets out that they sent eight Sky Profound experts, led by their Grand Elder, just to kill one person like me, the Burning Heaven Clan would become a laughingstock. Second... although the Burning Heaven Clan hates me to the bone, they still have to be wary of the Azure Wind Imperial Family and the Frozen Cloud Asgard, both of whom are connected to me, as well as my current reputation in the Azure Wind Empire. So, since they view me as a fish in a barrel, they will naturally choose to act when no one else is around rather than doing so now."

Among these eight people were four of the eight Sky Profound experts who had accompanied Fen Juecheng to the Azure Wind Imperial City for the marriage procession. Yun Che was certain that the strongest among them, Fen Duancang and Fen Moran, were present. It seemed that as soon as he left the city, they immediately sent a message to their clan. In a fit of rage, the Burning Heaven Clan directly sent Fen Moli to lead the effort to kill him. Fen Moli’s group must have rendezvoused with Fen Duancang’s group midway, and then all eight of them came together!

The Burning Heaven Clan’s informants were spread across the land. Coupled with his hasty departure from the city without any attempt to conceal his tracks, it was not surprising that the Burning Heaven Clan would discover his whereabouts and lie in wait for him here.

Deploying such a lineup clearly demonstrated the Burning Heaven Clan's profound hatred for Yun Che. At the same time, it also showed their apprehension towards his current strength... After all, his ability to abduct Fen Juecheng while under the protection of eight Sky Profound experts warranted such an exaggerated formation.

Yun Che quickly found the place selling mounts. The variety of mounts sold here was greater than in typical small cities. A large portion consisted of low-level profound beasts captured and tamed from the edges of the Death Mire. The most expensive among them was the low-level True Profound Beast, a Unicorn. Yun Che spent fifteen purple profound coins to buy a Unicorn, then immediately mounted it and rode towards the Death Mire.

From behind, a contemptuous voice rang out: "He's going to the Death Mire on a mount? Judging by his appearance, he doesn't even have a contracted profound beast. He must be some low-born brat."

"Stop talking nonsense. Lock onto his aura and don't lose him. Once we reach the Death Mire, it's time to act."

"Is it possible he's discovered us?"

"His profound energy aura is only at the Earth Profound Realm. There's no way he could have discovered our movements. This time, he won't be able to escape. Let's go!"

The Unicorn galloped wildly, and soon they entered the Death Mire. The surrounding adventurers looked astonished to see someone riding a mount into this area. Profound beasts were densely populated in the Death Mire, and mounts were easily startled here. Not only were they impractical for travel, but they could also easily lead one into danger.

As they entered the Death Mire, an eerie aura enveloped them. The Unicorn beneath him began to show restlessness and clear signs of apprehension, but Yun Che patted its head, urging it to continue at full speed. Before long, over a dozen True Profound Beasts charged towards him, drawn by the commotion. Yun Che waved his arm, and a dozen streaks of Phoenix Flames swept out, instantly killing the approaching True Profound Beasts and leaving the nearby adventurers wide-eyed in astonishment.

In the outer reaches, even with his mount, Yun Che moved unimpeded; no True Profound Beast could get close to him. As he delved deeper, he gradually entered the area where Spirit Profound Beasts roamed. This region was dangerous for most people; a glance revealed scarcely any figures, and after a short distance further, no one could be seen at all.

The route Yun Che chose was the very one he had taken two years ago when he first entered the Death Mire. Although two years had passed, he still remembered the distribution of profound beasts and the geographical features along the way very clearly. Soon, the location from his memory appeared in sight. He glanced behind him, took a deep breath, suppressed his profound energy aura as much as possible, and then slapped the Unicorn's flank hard. The Unicorn cried out in pain and bolted forward as if its life depended on it... At that moment, Yun Che suddenly leaped off the Unicorn, releasing a momentary blue glow from his body.

"Frozen Cloud Wall!"

With a soft sound, a translucent, pale blue barrier instantly formed around Yun Che, further greatly isolating his already suppressed aura. At the same time, Yun Che's yellow profound aura shot out from his arm, forming a blurry human-shaped illusion that rode on the Unicorn's back, quickly moving away with the galloping beast.

Yun Che, encased in the ice barrier, slipped into a nearby rock crevice like a fish, vanishing with a turn of his body. The Frozen Cloud Wall was a relatively common profound art within the Frozen Cloud Arts. Its purpose was not defense, but concealment of aura. Of course, such concealment couldn't be perfect; a powerful expert like Fen Moli, if concentrating, could still detect his presence. However, Yun Che had intentionally adjusted his profound energy aura throughout this journey to be nearly identical in strength to the profound aura he had just released. The profound aura accompanying the Unicorn was enough to confuse their senses, at most causing a momentary misdirection in their lock-on.

The Burning Heaven Clan experts, with their focus locked onto the profound aura, wouldn't divert most of their attention to probing for concealed auras nearby. The concealment ability of the Frozen Cloud Wall should be sufficient to evade them!

In less than ten breaths, eight figures appeared at Yun Che's previous location. A deliberately low, cold voice rang out: "I think the time is almost right... Grand Elder, should we act now?"

"Hmph!" Fen Moli's voice echoed. "I truly wish to capture him and bring him back to the clan to endure all our tortures. Letting him die here like this is far too easy for him... Act now! Remember, this kid is full of tricks, and his techniques are strange and unpredictable. Don't waste words with him; kill him directly!"

As Fen Moli's voice faded, the eight individuals, who had been in a state of concealment, immediately unleashed their full profound energy, transforming into eight scorching gales that lunged in the direction the Unicorn had gone.

"Beast, prepare to die!"

How could a low-level True Profound Beast compare in speed to a Sky Profound expert? In the blink of an eye, the Unicorn appeared in their sight. A roar, like thunder, erupted, but before it had completely faded from their ears, all eight individuals were simultaneously dumbfounded... because there was no sign of Yun Che on the back of the galloping Unicorn! Even Yun Che's aura had suddenly vanished without a trace at that moment.

"Damn it! That brat played us for fools!!"

Fen Moli's lips turned purple with rage, and his whole body trembled. He had assumed Yun Che was already a fish in a barrel, someone they could dispatch in moments. He never expected that they, eight of the Burning Heaven Clan's top figures, would be tricked by a junior who should have been easily subdued!

"Could he have discovered us long ago?"

"What cunning tactics! He managed to deceive all our senses!" Fen Moli gritted his teeth in fury. He waved his arm. "He must have escaped in another direction, but he can't have gone far... We'll split up and search! Mo Yu and I will go back, while Duancang and Moran, each take two men and head east and west, respectively... Go!!"

At Fen Moli's command, the eight quickly split up and dashed off in three directions, moving as fast as lightning.

Whoosh!!

A scorching gust of wind swept past the rock wall where Yun Che was hiding. In his fury, Fen Moli's speed was nearly double what it had been before. All eight individuals vanished from sight in a flash. After waiting a few breaths, Yun Che leaped out from the rock wall, suppressing his aura, and swiftly headed north.

These eight would never have imagined that Yun Che had been hiding just behind them, less than two hundred zhang away, between two low rock walls.

Yun Che knew very well that although he had temporarily shaken them off, it was only a matter of time before they caught up again. Therefore, relying on his memory, he specifically chose terrain that was complex, varied, and easily obstructed visibility.

The sky gradually darkened. Unbeknownst to him, Yun Che's steps had entered the territory of Earth Profound Beasts. This was an incredibly terrifying area, the first true "deadly" region of the Death Mire. Even a single Earth Profound Beast was formidable, but here, they appeared in groups. Even a Sky Profound expert would have to proceed with extreme caution in this place.

Upon reaching this point, Yun Che actually breathed a sigh of relief. Earth Profound Beasts were everywhere here, and the profound energy aura at the Earth Profound level permeated the area. Under such interference, it would undoubtedly be several times harder for the Burning Heaven Clan members to find him.

"Be careful... they're catching up!"

Just as Yun Che relaxed slightly, Jasmine's warning suddenly rang out.

Yun Che's heart tensed. He quickly held his breath and leaned against a piece of withered wood. "How many people?"

"Only one... his profound energy is at Sky Profound Realm Level Four. It seems they've completely dispersed to search."

Just then, an old man in crimson robes approached from a distance in the sky, then suddenly stopped mid-air. His eyes, like those of a hungry eagle, swept over the ground below, as if he had faintly discovered something.

Yun Che unhurriedly stepped out from behind the withered wood, crossing his arms and smiling. "Are you looking for me?"

If the person chasing him now was Fen Moli or Fen Duancang, he would have turned and fled. If any two of them appeared simultaneously, his heart would have sunk... But an old man at Sky Profound Realm Level Four appearing alone... was he here to be an easy target?!

Although Sky Profound Realm Level Four was an extremely powerful existence in the Azure Wind Empire, five months ago, Yun Che had already thoroughly defeated Yun Canghai's profound aura, which was restricted to Sky Profound Realm Level Four, leaving it utterly defenseless. This level posed no threat to him now.