Chapter 143: Pursuit and Killing

Zu An rubbed his eyes, then clearly saw that they weren't vanishing *into* the mountain but rather walking *into* it.

This mountain wasn't truly small, spanning several hundred meters in circumference and rising nearly a hundred meters high. However, it had an unusual appearance. While ordinary mountains typically have uneven surfaces with various valleys and ravines, this one looked remarkably smooth. The trees planted on it appeared meticulously arranged, and the entire mountain exuded a sense of symmetry.

The zombie soldiers walked directly toward the base of the mountain. They seemed to vanish because there was an opening ahead, and they all entered it. Zu An quietly approached and discovered that what appeared to be a cave entrance at the foot of the mountain was actually a magnificent stone gate. Flanking the gate were numerous strange stone beasts. His knowledge of this world was still too limited to recognize their names or origins. It seemed he would need to find Shang Liuyu for some private lessons in the evenings.

He noticed that the two stone doors seemed to be closed. He pushed them, but they didn't budge. An extreme coldness emanated from his palm, causing him to shiver involuntarily. This place was truly sinister! Zu An walked around the vicinity and gradually came to a realization: this place strongly resembled a cemetery. As for the small mountain before him, perhaps it wasn't a mountain at all, but a massive tomb mound. In ancient China, during his previous life, the Qin and Han dynasties would pile earth to form mountains for tombs, while the Tang dynasty would excavate mountains for imperial mausoleums. Other dynasties, constrained by national power, lacked such grand ambition.

Zu An spent half the day researching but couldn't find a way to open the gate. Helpless, he could only give up. A rare treasure like the Traceless Illusion Lotus shouldn't grow in such an extremely yin and sinister place. Zu An could only comfort himself this way. Noticing that dawn had broken, he decided to return and meet up with Ji Xiaoxi first, to ask if she might know where the Traceless Illusion Lotus could grow.

On his way back to the valley, Zu An was still pondering how to open the stone gate when suddenly, his hairs stood on end as an extreme sense of danger washed over him. He quickly activated Sunflower Phantasm and dodged to the side. At that moment, a cold glint appeared from behind a large rock, pursuing him relentlessly like a persistent shadow. Zu An continuously used Sunflower Phantasm, finally creating some distance between them. He touched his chest, and his hand came away crimson. Clearly, he had been wounded by the opponent's sneak attack; if he hadn't dodged fast enough, he might have been cut in half.

"Oh?" The person, seeing their certain-kill move miss, couldn't help but feel surprised. Zu An scrutinized the person who had nearly taken his life. It wasn't a zombie or a ferocious beast, but a living human. Seeing the person's clothes and a vaguely familiar appearance, his heart stirred: "You're from the academy!"

"Oh, it's Teacher Zu. My sincerest apologies. I was just passing through the valley and noticed many zombie remains, which kept me on edge. When I detected movement, I thought a powerful zombie had appeared, so I hastily attacked. I never imagined I'd nearly injure you, Teacher. I'm truly sorry." The person's tone was as sincere as could be.

Zu An secretly sneered. That well-prepared strike; no one would believe the person hadn't seen him clearly. However, he showed no expression on his face, instead smiling cheerfully as he asked, "What's your name, student?"

"My name is Shi Shangfei, from the Earth Class," the person replied.

"Shi Shangfei?" Zu An's body visibly twitched. He chuckled and patted the man's shoulder, "What a great name, a truly great name." This guy's cultivation was probably high-tier Grade 3. Clearly, he had intentionally hidden his true cultivation level at the academy.

"You flatter me, you flatter me." When Zu An's hand landed on his shoulder, Shi Shangfei tensed up, afraid he might seize the opportunity to attack.

"By the way, why are you here alone? Aren't you with your teachers and classmates?" Zu An asked.

Shi Shangfei respectfully replied, "To answer you, Teacher, we encountered a pack of wolves on the way, and everyone scattered during the hasty escape."

"This secret realm seems much more dangerous than anticipated," Zu An couldn't help but exclaim.

"Indeed," Shi Shangfei echoed. "By the way, how did those zombies in the valley just now die?"

Zu An patted his own chest: "Naturally, it was I, your teacher, who displayed magnificent power, single-handedly slaying tens of thousands of them with my sword."

Shi Shangfei: "..." *This guy really brags without any regard for truth. If you had that ability, I'd eat this sword right here. Is this how he gained Miss Chu's favor, by being so shameless?*

Rage points from Shi Shangfei +300!

"Oh, Teacher Zu, you came with Ji Xiaoxi, didn't you? Why don't I see her?" Shi Shangfei had to be cautious; a companion whose whereabouts were unknown presented a significant variable.

"She went to pick wild fruits. Isn't she back now?" Zu An said, looking past him and smiling.

Shi Shangfei instinctively turned his head, but immediately realized something was wrong and hastily retreated. It was too late, however. Even tightly clutching his neck, he couldn't stop the blood from gushing out. "Why... why!"

He couldn't believe that a teacher would so easily strike to kill a student. He thought his acting was excellent and his explanation reasonable; even if the other party had suspicions, they shouldn't have attacked a vital point immediately.

Zu An couldn't help but sigh: "If you act like a prostitute, don't expect to be honored as a virtuous woman. If you had chosen to confront me head-on from the start, with your strength, killing you wouldn't have been this easy. But you just *had* to show off your acting in front of me. Don't you know my old nickname was 'Sanlitun Tony Leung'?"

Although he didn't know who Tony Leung was, Shi Shangfei understood that he had been seen through from the beginning. Thinking this, he felt both regret and anger.

Rage points from Shi Shangfei +723!

"You... don't be so pleased with yourself. I've already informed my companions. You... you'll die soon too." Shi Shangfei's face turned crimson, and the blood flowed even faster.

"Oh, I'll thank your companions for you. I was originally relaxed and might have kicked the bucket the moment they attacked, but thanks to your warning, I guess *they'll* be the ones dying then." Zu An squatted down beside him, smiling.

"You..." Shi Shangfei felt like he was about to faint from anger. *This guy wouldn't even let me die in peace.*

Rage points from Shi Shangfei +856!

"Stop 'you, you, you, me, me, me-ing'. As a mere extra, you should have an extra's self-awareness. You've been dying for so long and still haven't died; the director will start cursing. Seeing you in such an awkward state, I'll give you a hand." As Zu An spoke, he pulled Shi Shangfei's hands away. Without his hands to cover it, the blood from Shi Shangfei's neck immediately spurted out. Finally, unwillingly, he took his last breath.

*I thank you, you bastard!*

Rage points from Shi Shangfei +1024!

Zu An searched his body and found only some dried rations, a few pieces of silver, and several primeval stones. The quality of the knife in his hand wasn't great either, clearly inferior to the weapons the Chu family had provided Zu An. "Damn, a pauper!" With his current net worth of a million taels of silver, he couldn't be bothered with such items.

Zu An cursed under his breath, then began contemplating the recent danger. Previously, when he fought against Pei Mianman and Xue'er, though dangerous, their cultivation levels were much higher than his, so that situation was normal. But this person, whose cultivation was similar to his, had almost killed him with a single strike. It seemed he was still too careless when surviving in the wilderness. Right, he just mentioned he had informed his companions...

Just then, a sharp whooshing sound pierced the air, and a dark flash shot towards him. This time, Zu An was prepared. With a swift movement, he darted three feet to the side. Without the slightest hesitation, he rolled away again to evade. In that very instant, three feathered arrows quivered where he had just stood, and in other potential hiding spots nearby!

Judging by the speed and power of the arrows, they were significantly more potent than those from the zombies on the battlefield earlier. However, this didn't necessarily mean they were harder to deal with, as the zombies attacked in formation, unleashing large volleys of arrows. This time, despite the higher skill of the archer, there was only one! Engaging ranged units in close combat is an eternal truism.

Thus, the moment he dodged, he immediately rushed towards the opponent without pause, confident that with the "Evil-Warding Swordplay," he could kill the archer once he closed the distance. Just as he was about to burst past the archer, three more people suddenly appeared beside him. One wielded a sword, another a saber, and the third a spear. Although their weapons were different, their coordination was incredibly precise, perfectly covering all his vital points.

Zu An abruptly halted his momentum, turned, and bolted. Judging by the aura these people had just unleashed, the weakest was at least early Grade 4, and the one with the spear was even high-tier Grade 4. Although his "Evil-Warding Swordplay" was extraordinary, the disparity in cultivation levels was too great. He might not fear them in a one-on-one fight, but with them combining forces, he would be in a very difficult situation. After a major battle, he might be able to kill one or two of them, but he would most likely be killed by their companions as well. His life was precious; even trading his life for theirs would be a loss.

Those people also hadn't expected him to be able to turn back in mid-air, completely defying physics. They were momentarily stunned, then immediately gave chase. At this point, the archer had recovered, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at Zu An's fleeing back. The archer confidently loosed an arrow, but who knew that Zu An, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, twisted his body at the crucial moment and dodged it.

Archer: "???"

Zu An secretly congratulated himself on his luck. Because he had been wary of the archer from the start, he immediately dodged upon hearing the whoosh of the arrow. Of course, it was also thanks to the unpredictable movements of Sunflower Phantasm; otherwise, even if he had been prepared, he wouldn't have been able to dodge so easily. At this moment, the Grade 4 cultivators chasing him from behind were also filled with surprise and uncertainty. How could this guy run so fast? One must know that after reaching Grade 4, agility significantly increases, even allowing for brief leaps and glides. Logically, their speed far surpassed that of a Grade 3 cultivator. Yet, after chasing him together for so long, while they weren't being completely outpaced, they hadn't managed to catch up either!

Zu An, desperately using Sunflower Phantasm, was also secretly complaining. He now finally understood why, in the martial arts films he watched in his previous life, some people could pull off a somersault and surge ahead while performing qinggong. The pursuers behind him were vividly demonstrating this principle to him. Every time these people leaped and maneuvered, the distance between them and Zu An would shorten significantly. If they didn't need to land to gather momentum and couldn't continuously leap, he would probably have been caught long ago. Although Sunflower Phantasm greatly increased his speed, the most crucial aspect of this movement technique lay in the word "Phantom." It wasn't known for its straight-line sprinting ability, which was why, despite running for so long, he still hadn't shaken them off.