Chapter 552: Run Away

The pursuers' initial burst of speed was far greater than Shi Chun's Wind Scales' starting velocity. Shi Chun turned his head, saw how quickly they were closing in, and immediately knew their cultivation had reached the Earth Immortal realm. What was alarming was that among the pursuers continuously emerging from the ground, there was more than one with similar cultivation and speed. Of course, some were slower in pursuit, probably only at the Human Immortal realm.

Before Shi Chun's Wind Scales could fully accelerate, and certainly before he could achieve escape velocity, the first pursuer to arrive attacked from a distance. With a mid-air palm strike, they sent a wave of force through the air, crashing forward like turbulent, breaking waves.

Hidden underground, Wu Jinliang and Xiao Sheng silently watched what was happening above, waiting anxiously and worriedly, unsure of the situation outside. Their plan was simple: either wait for Shi Chun to send them a message before leaving, or wait a bit to assess the situation before sneaking away.

"Are we really not going to help the boss?" Xiao Sheng asked, concerned.

Wu Jinliang, carrying his gourd and holding the three-in-one artifact, said in a deep voice, "Worrying too much is useless. At critical moments, following his instructions is the best choice. This is a lesson learned after many deaths."

Alright, Xiao Sheng had no choice but to shut up and remain silent.

On a hill with distinctive terrain at the other end of the ground, Jiang You'er stood, gazing into the distance. He had changed his clothes and put on a masked disguise. He was waiting for someone, or rather, he was there to rendezvous. He was there to receive the "true master" sent by what Huang Ye called "the higher-ups." This master was unfamiliar with the place, and their movements were not to be arranged or controlled by them. A master of that caliber would not handle matters personally, nor would they be summoned around like subordinates. They wouldn't do menial tasks; they would only act when necessary.

Their intervention when necessary was sufficient. As Huang Ye put it, with that master's help, as long as Shi Chun was confirmed to be in the area, escape would be virtually impossible.

Jiang You'er now understood Shi Chun's importance. Not only did he possess the "secret" revealed by Yin Tianlu, but he was also involved with the refining secrets of Fifth-Grade Immobilization Talismans, among other things. If they could get their hands on him, his value would be immense.

However, he still felt that they were overemphasizing this. Although he didn't know who this "master" was, the cultivation levels of the five great commanders who guarded the Phoenix Clan's sacred mountain were well-known – all at the Minor Attainment stage of the Heaven Immortal realm. For someone like Huang Ye, who was also at the Minor Attainment stage of Heaven Immortal, to call this person a "true master" implied unimaginable strength.

What was Shi Chun's cultivation level? According to reliable sources, he hadn't even broken through to the Human Immortal realm yet. To deal with such a person, more than twenty Earth Immortal cultivators had been dispatched, and the number of Human Immortal cultivators was as high as a hundred. With this pursuit lineup, if Shi Chun was really here, how could he possibly escape?

Of course, he also understood the concerns of the higher-ups. After all, the pursuit of a few of Shi Chun's subordinates outside the city might have already alerted Heaven Immortal realm masters, let alone targeting Shi Chun himself. What truly left him speechless was that their forces were already in position and had begun the encirclement of the target area, yet the master hadn't arrived. He didn't know where the master was coming from, whether the journey was very long, or if they were just putting on airs.

Huang Ye's message was that once the target was found, he should be immediately informed, and he would then relay the information to the master. From that, it seemed Huang Ye also felt a sense of helplessness. Huang Ye was indeed helpless. Although the master was sent by the higher-ups to assist them, it had always been difficult to command those of higher status. How could one expect someone sent from above to be willingly obedient? The master had only asked one question: "Can you confirm it's the target?" How could Huang Ye dare to give a definite confirmation? The result was predictable: he was told to confirm it first, with the assurance that once confirmed, the target wouldn't escape! Since the master was so confident, what more could Huang Ye say? He could only continue to push the plan forward.

"To catch that slippery fellow, they've really gone all out this time!" Jiang You'er, watching from a distance, sighed with emotion.

Beside him, Yin Tianlu, being observed, was secretly wondering who these people were. How could they seal off such a large area? How many Earth Immortal level masters would it take to achieve this? To this day, he still didn't know whose hands he had fallen into.

Just then, a thunderous boom echoed from a distance. The few people on the hill abruptly turned to look. Although they didn't know why, they vaguely guessed that the target might have been found. Jiang You'er wanted to rush over and see, but he looked back at the distant horizon – the master hadn't arrived. He couldn't just run off because he was the only one present who knew the rendezvous code, and codes for high-level contacts couldn't be easily shared with others. This left him in a dilemma. Nevertheless, he motioned to his subordinate, indicating Yin Tianlu, saying, "Take him to identify the person first."

"Understood." Two guards immediately took the order and led away the helpless Yin Tianlu, as if dragging a chick.

Meanwhile, Shi Chun was instantly in grave danger, shimmering scales flying off his body. With just one palm strike, the pursuers shattered the Wind Scales he was controlling. Fortunately, Shi Chun, seeing the unfavorable situation, had taken precautions. The moment the Wind Scales burst apart, a flying dragon expanded and soared out, its head held high as if letting out a silent roar, its power forcefully shaking off the lingering attack. At the critical moment, it was the Flying Dragon Sword that was unleashed for protection. After blocking the strike, the circling figure of the flood dragon enveloped Shi Chun, guarding him. As soon as this treasure appeared, the first pursuers rushing in, unsure of its nature, dared not act rashly and abruptly stopped in mid-air.

Shi Chun, standing in mid-air on his Cloud-Stepping Boots, knew that his escape speed couldn't match these people's. Fleeing now was useless; he had to face them. However, he still rapidly retreated, hoping to create as much safe distance as possible for Wu Jinliang and the others. But the enemy forces quickly shattered his delusion; subsequent pursuers rapidly flashed behind him, encircling him from all directions.

Shi Chun waved his left hand, and the Boundless Banner instantly appeared in his grasp, fluttering vigorously in the strong wind. With another wave of his right hand, six sharp, crescent-shaped golden wheels flew out, circling around him for protection. There was no other way; he was still unfamiliar with these treasures and felt uncertain about using them directly in combat. He could only simultaneously deploy several layers of protection to feel secure.

The pursuers' order was to capture him alive, so they didn't directly beat Shi Chun to death. Both sides thus entered a brief standoff. Shi Chun's spiritual eye scanned the encircling forces and realized something was wrong: many were not demon cultivators, and some even carried demonic essence. These weren't people from the Blazing Fire Sect; were they from the Demonic Dao? How did the Demonic Dao find him? He was somewhat puzzled by this.

Just then, two guards arrived, escorting Yin Tianlu. Upon seeing Shi Chun, Yin Tianlu immediately shouted, "That's right, it's him! He's Shi Chun!" Hearing this, one guard immediately pulled out a mother-child talisman to report to Jiang You'er. Yin Tianlu then pointed at Shi Chun, sneering and yelling, "Shi Chun, you dog-thief, you've met your match today!"

Seeing this guy, Shi Chun knew his judgment was correct: it was indeed the 'Sky Net Sword-Bone Umbrella' that had exposed him. But how did this bastard get mixed up with the Demonic Dao? He was still pondering how to deal with the current situation, but Yin Tianlu's appearance and attitude helped him make a decision. Given the opponent's demeanor, it was clear he wouldn't be given an easy time. So he flipped his right hand, and a mirror landed in his palm – it was the "Three Corpses Mirror."

Others might not recognize it, but Yin Tianlu had seen it before. Seeing the mirror pointing directly towards his side, he immediately glanced at the black banner in Shi Chun's hand and exclaimed, "Be careful..." A fan-shaped black light had already shot out, enveloping that area and instantly silencing him. Within the area illuminated by the black light, in broad daylight, everything went pitch black for an instant. They couldn't see their fingers in front of their faces, hear any sound, or smell any scent.

But Shi Chun's right eye's special ability allowed him to see the positions of the people within the black light. The six crescent-shaped golden wheels encircling him flashed away with a whoosh, shooting into the black light like six streaks of lightning. In that direction, the unsuspecting interceptors were still casting spells and maintaining vigilance, looking around blankly. They didn't even realize the sharp edges of the golden wheels were upon them. Only when they suddenly felt excruciating pain did they realize, but it was too late. Their heads were separated from their bodies, and blood splattered mid-air.

It was a direct slaughter; the six golden wheels effortlessly eliminated the several pursuers blocking the way, incredibly fast, in the blink of an eye. Then they shot towards Yin Tianlu and the others behind. "Run, quick, run..." Yin Tianlu yelled, but his captors couldn't hear him. He was patting their arms and gesticulating, but his captors couldn't see him either. By the time they understood the meaning of his frantic tapping, it was too late. Not even knowing where the attack came from, the two guards, along with Yin Tianlu, were instantly sliced into pieces, their blood spraying mid-air. Before losing consciousness, Yin Tianlu's eyes were filled with despair and regret. If he had known this, why would he have orchestrated this whole thing, just to meet Shi Chun?

And since Shi Chun had already acted, he wouldn't stop. The black light from his "Three Corpses Mirror" swept across, and the six golden wheels mixed within it also swept along, slaughtering. The group of besiegers scrambled to dodge. Although they didn't know what this black light was, they could all guess that being hit by it wouldn't be good. But the black light had a wide range, and no matter how fast they moved to dodge, given their cultivation levels, they couldn't be faster than Shi Chun's speed in rotating the mirror. Consequently, others caught in the black light panicked and lost their composure, being dismembered by the six golden wheels that came together to slaughter.

On the other side, Jiang You'er received the confirmation that the target was found. He immediately sent a message to Huang Ye, then urgently transmitted messages to all surrounding capture teams to quickly close in. As for the group that had surrounded Shi Chun, seeing themselves in peril, some immediately disregarded the order to capture him alive, prioritizing their own safety. Someone hastily conjured a flying sword, hacking wildly towards Shi Chun. *Boom!* Although the flying dragon circling around Shi Chun managed to block it, it was visibly stunned and momentarily sluggish.

Once someone took the lead, others quickly followed suit. The roaring sounds immediately shook the heavens and earth, forcing Shi Chun into a frenzied state where he couldn't afford to use the "Three Corpses Mirror" on people. Without the "Three Corpses Mirror"'s power to sever the three senses with its black light, the six golden wheels posed much less danger to the Earth Immortal realm masters. The latter could at least deal with them calmly. And the circling flying dragon dharma idol also couldn't protect Shi Chun perfectly. A treasure sword found an opening, breaking through the flying dragon dharma idol's defensive cracks like thunder, slashing directly at Shi Chun. Shi Chun shook the black banner in his hand to block, immediately causing the attacking sword light to vanish into thin air.

After several consecutive instances, someone from behind exclaimed, "Be careful, it's the Boundless Banner!" Due to the large number of people and the need for secrecy, most individuals didn't know who the target of the operation was beforehand, and thus had little prior information about the target. After a few exclamations, and with other reinforcements rapidly arriving, the besiegers adjusted their attack target and began to bombard the Flying Dragon Sword. How could the Flying Dragon Sword withstand the combined bombardment of so many Earth Immortal masters? In an instant, it was battered and teetering. The six golden wheels quickly retreated, switching from attack to defense, assisting the Flying Dragon Sword.

Shi Chun, having retracted the "Three Corpses Mirror," still stood motionless in mid-air, calm and composed, letting them besiege him. His hands weren't idle either; he conjured the "Soul-Devouring Mace" and tossed it above his head. To the besiegers' bewildered gazes, a majestic pagoda appeared, and a torrent of wild sand burst forth with it, like a celestial river pouring down. Someone exclaimed, "How many artifacts does this guy have?!" The sound was swallowed by the roaring yellow sand, which expanded like a tornado.

The wildly spinning whirlwind of sand grew larger and faster, its power intensifying. The heart-binding grass on the ground was instantly pulverized by countless sand grains, and even large rocks were no exception. The raging sand disintegrated everything, as if devouring souls and bones. The entire world seemed to be churned up. The group of attackers quickly found it unbearable and had to flash out of the enveloping wind column. There was no other way; their protective qi shields couldn't withstand the endless high-speed erosion of the sand grains. The group began to bombard the huge wind column from the outside, but the attack's power was diminished layer by layer and dissolved before it could penetrate deep into the sand column. Under the immense kinetic energy, the attack power was like ripples continuously splashing on the water's surface.

Wu Jinliang and Xiao Sheng, who could feel the humming vibrations even deep underground, poked their heads out and were immediately assaulted by the swirling dust and scattered grass. Their figures, vaguely visible in the dust, stood up. They watched the thundering massive wind column connecting heaven and earth in the distance, both utterly shocked.

"What is that?" Xiao Sheng spat out some sand and asked.

"Who cares what it is? If we don't run now, when will we?" Wu Jinliang grabbed him and pulled him along, urging him to hurry.

On the hillside, Jiang You'er stared blankly at the massive wind column in the distance. Shi Chun also hadn't expected the "Soul-Devouring Mace"'s defensive power to be so formidable. Delighted, he immediately pulled out the "Three Corpses Mirror" and aimed it. With the sand column obstructing, they couldn't see him, but he could see the people outside. The six protective golden wheels also began to spin rapidly, moving along with the quickly rotating wind column. With the cooperation of the "Three Corpses Mirror"'s black light, they resumed their attack on the people outside.

The situation instantly turned into a one-sided assault. Regardless of the destructive power, wherever the black light reached, people panicked and scattered like startled birds and beasts. Only a fool would try to withstand an attack method that offered no chance of retaliation.

Suddenly, the black light disappeared, and the roaring, spinning motion also ceased. Only the swirling dust in the sky continued to spread across the land. The fleeing attackers immediately realized something was wrong. When they got closer to investigate, sure enough, there was no sign of the target.

Before long, someone flew down beside Jiang You'er and reported urgently, "My lord, the target escaped. The dust cloud is too vast; we don't know where the target fled to." What wasn't mentioned was that with the elusive black light combined with the murderous golden wheels, who would dare to spread out and search within that huge dust cloud?

Jiang You'er looked at the approaching dust curtain, dumbfounded and muttering, "I'm not blind..." With so many masters besieging him, and yet he still escaped, Jiang You'er didn't know how he would report this to his superiors. Everyone said that fellow was slippery and hard to catch; today, he truly experienced it. After the personnel reassembled, the reported casualties pained him even more: seven Earth Immortal level masters were killed, and more than thirty Human Immortal realm cultivators were lost. Crucially, the perpetrator's cultivation was not even at the Human Immortal realm, and it was just one person!

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared on the hilltop as if teleporting, startling everyone. It was a sallow-faced person in gray robes, with such an ordinary appearance that they looked just like a commoner. The newcomer made a hand signal, and Jiang You'er immediately made a return signal with his fingers, cursing inwardly, *Are you here to attend a funeral for the dead?*

The newcomer asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

Jiang You'er suppressed his anger and said, "You're too late, the target has already escaped."

"Escaped?" the newcomer retorted, his eyes suddenly glowing with a bloody red light. While his intimidating blood-red gaze surveyed the surroundings, he said coldly, "As long as he appeared here, he can't escape. Just take me to the last place he was seen."