Chapter 89: I Hate Faxiu

Outside the Sky-Rending Gorge lay a vast, flat plain. This terrain was incredibly disadvantageous for Lu Ye's current situation, as there was nowhere to hide.

He pulled out his map to check. Beyond this plain was a mountain, and on the other side of the mountain flowed a large river. After crossing the river and traveling a few dozen *li*, there was a market town.

"To the mountain!" Lu Ye decided instantly. He didn't know what methods a Spirit Creek Realm Seventh-Layer cultivator possessed, but given his current predicament, entering the mountain was his only chance of survival.

However, the mountain was not close. Even Amber, with its speed, would need an hour to reach it.

Lu Ye secretly prayed that Dong Shuye wouldn't be too fast.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back. Turning to look, Lu Ye was startled. From the direction of the Sky-Rending Gorge, a speck of flowing light was rapidly approaching. Without needing to think, he knew it was Dong Shuye, pursuing him. Despite the great distance, Dong Shuye immediately spotted Lu Ye riding Amber, his hawk-like gaze fixed firmly on him from afar.

The prickling sensation Lu Ye felt was precisely the killing intent emanating from his pursuer.

*He can fly?* Lu Ye's heart sank.

He had originally believed that, relying on Amber, he had a good chance of escaping his pursuer. After all, Amber was very fast when it ran, and in this urgent situation, it was already giving its all.

But he had never expected Dong Shuye to be able to fly!

The situation was gravely unfavorable. With one person running on the ground and the other flying in the sky, Amber clearly wouldn't be able to escape.

Just then, however, Dong Shuye's figure suddenly descended towards the ground. Before Lu Ye could figure out what was happening, the man shot back up into the sky and continued to approach.

A moment later, Lu Ye understood clearly: the man wasn't flying, but gliding. Yet, each glide covered hundreds of feet, making him much faster than Amber.

The situation wasn't as dire as he'd first imagined, but it was by no means optimistic.

The distance between them was steadily closing. At this rate, Dong Shuye would catch up in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

As expected, a Spirit Creek Realm Seventh-Layer cultivator was indeed extraordinary. Dong Shuye had every reason to be confident in pursuing him.

*I need to find a way*, Lu Ye thought briefly, then pulled out a Spirit Talisman from his storage bag.

He now only had nine Spirit Talismans left. Too many had been used during his three-day battle with Luo Ji, and these remaining nine were all defensive or auxiliary in nature.

The Spirit Talisman Lu Ye took out was called "Windwalk," an auxiliary talisman that could increase speed. Lu Ye had never had a chance to use it before, but now was the perfect time.

He activated his spiritual power and slapped the talisman onto Amber. Instantly, a layer of spiritual light enveloped Amber's body, then quickly gathered around its four paws, wrapping them in a sensation of lightness.

Aided by the spiritual light, Amber's speed increased dramatically.

Although it still couldn't completely shake off Dong Shuye's pursuit, it could now prolong the chase.

The chase continued, one pursuing, one fleeing, steadily approaching the large mountain. The killing intent in Dong Shuye's eyes almost solidified, erupting like flames.

He had initially believed that personally eliminating this "Mountain Tiger" would be effortless. Yet, he had underestimated the speed of the large white tiger, and now his opponent had even used a Spirit Talisman to assist, making the pursuit even more difficult.

However, this did not deter Dong Shuye's resolve to kill Lu Ye. The Young Sect Master had been killed under his supervision, and when this was reported, the elders within the sect were thunderously enraged, especially the Sect Master, who had explicitly declared that his useless son could not die in vain, and the killer must pay with his life!

If cultivators of the Cloud River Realm were permitted to enter the Spirit Creek Battlefield, Dong Shuye even suspected his own Sect Master would have personally come to kill Lu Ye.

Because of the death of that fool, Dong Shuye had been reprimanded. His previous defeat against the Mystic Gate in a declared war had already worsened his standing within the sect. If he could avenge the Young Sect Master, he might still maintain his current position, but if not, he would certainly find himself in an impossible situation within the Nine Star Sect.

Therefore, no matter what, the killer *must* die!

What if his opponent used Spirit Talismans? He still couldn't escape. The distance was continuously closing. Once he was in the right position, a single spell would be enough to take the life of that "Mountain Tiger"!

After the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, the distance between them was only a thousand *zhang*. The power of the Windwalk Spirit Talisman was depleted, so Lu Ye took out another one and slapped it onto Amber.

This was also his last Windwalk Spirit Talisman; the Sect Master had only prepared two for him, and after this one was used, he would have none left.

After another incense stick's worth of time, the large mountain ahead was clearly visible. In just a little more time, Amber could carry Lu Ye into the mountain, where finding places to hide and conceal himself would be much simpler.

However, Dong Shuye had already pursued him within three hundred *zhang*. This distance was extremely dangerous. Lu Ye felt his heart pounding erratically, an indescribable sense of suffocation pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Two hundred *zhang*, one hundred *zhang*...

Lu Ye felt strong spiritual energy fluctuations behind him. Turning to look, he saw Dong Shuye, who was gliding in pursuit, holding one hand towards him. Before Dong Shuye, a fiery red spiritual energy disc slowly rotated.

"The Mystic Gate has already deployed all its forces to attack the Nine Star Sect's stronghold! Do you still have time to chase me?" Lu Ye hastily shouted.

Since the Mystic Gate had used him, there was no need for him to keep their secrets. In this life-or-death crisis, he would naturally do anything to buy time.

Dong Shuye clearly froze for a moment upon hearing this. His instincts told him Lu Ye wasn't lying, and his mind was slightly perturbed, causing the spiritual energy disc in his hand to waver. Immediately afterward, he roared, "Slandering words! You try to disturb my mind! Prepare to die!"

Spiritual light burst forth as dozens of fist-sized fireballs rained down like meteors, covering the area where Lu Ye was. They came one after another without pause.

Lu Ye's eyelids twitched. Although he knew a Spirit Creek Realm Seventh-Layer cultivator was not to be trifled with, he hadn't expected them to be this powerful!

Furthermore, judging by the signs of Dong Shuye's attack, he was clearly a spell cultivator!

Luo Ji had also been a spell cultivator.

*I hate spell cultivators!* Lu Ye gritted his teeth, shifted his body on Amber's back, now facing backward, hand on his saber hilt, waiting with full concentration.

As the fireballs rained down, Amber darted left and right, dodging the attacks. The fireballs were incredibly powerful, leaving craters where they hit the ground, sending flames spraying and burning fiercely.

Taking even one of these spells would mean losing a layer of skin, if not dying.

On Amber's back, Lu Ye continuously swung his saber, while his Defend Spirit Mark also flickered incessantly.

He either sliced or blocked the fireballs that Amber couldn't dodge. The splashing flames burned him, causing pain all over his body, and Amber whimpered continuously, smelling of roasted meat.

When the last fireball fell, Lu Ye and Amber were mostly unharmed except for some burn injuries, but Lu Ye's hand holding the saber trembled violently.

A spell from a Spirit Creek Realm Seventh-Layer cultivator was not easily countered.

This particular spell was a wide-area attack, intended to kill Lu Ye in one go. Its destructive power was clearly dispersed, yet he still needed to exert his full strength to block each individual fireball.

Moreover, Dong Shuye had cast this spell in a hurry. What would it be like if he cast it with full effort?

This time, it seemed very likely to be a grim outcome!