Chapter 2607: Pursuit and Kill

From a distance, a dragon's roar echoed through the heavens and earth. A massive crimson flame erupted, engulfing an area several miles wide.

Su Qinghe's expression tightened, and he flew towards the source of the sound.

Wang Gonghu stood high in the sky, with a crimson flood dragon coiled around him. On the ground, there was a massive fiery pit. Daoist Fire Toad lay within the huge crater, his body charred and bearing a large bloody hole.

Wang Gonghu held a miniature Nascent Soul in his hand, performing a soul-search on it.

"Exalted Master Sky Spider!"

Wang Gonghu frowned.

Daoist Fire Toad had a very good private relationship with Exalted Master Sky Spider's disciples. Exalted Master Sky Spider was a rogue cultivator at the Void Refinement stage. All four, including Daoist Fire Toad, knew about the existence of the Lightning Absorbing Bead, but Daoist Fire Toad had instructed the other three not to reveal it to outsiders. They had originally intended to force Su Qinghe out of power, kill him, and exchange the Lightning Absorbing Bead with a major force for elixirs to help them reach the Void Refinement stage. Unfortunately, they did not succeed.

"How is it? Have the other God Transformation cultivators been killed?" Wang Gonghu asked in a deep voice, concerned about the trouble if the news leaked.

"One escaped. She had a sixth-grade escape talisman. Your clansmen are already in pursuit. Fellow Daoist Wang, how many people know about the Lightning Absorbing Bead?" Su Qinghe asked via spiritual transmission, his expression tense. If the news leaked, the Tianyuan Sect would no longer be peaceful.

"All four of them knew about the Lightning Absorbing Bead. Daoist Fire Toad didn't tell a fifth person. As for whether the other three told anyone else, that's hard to say," Wang Gonghu said, frowning.

A tall, slender young man in a golden robe, with handsome features, flew over. He was Su Yunxin, Su Qinghe's descendant, and possessed a cultivation at the early God Transformation stage.

"Yunxin, issue orders to gather the disciples. The entire lineage of Junior Martial Brother Lin and his followers must be eliminated," Su Qinghe instructed. If Wang Gonghu hadn't arrived, he would have died today. They needed to eliminate the root cause and get rid of any Tianyuan Sect disciples who defied him.

Su Yunxin acknowledged the order and departed. With the sect's protective formation now activated, no Tianyuan Sect disciple could escape.

"Fellow Daoist Su, tell me about the origin of this Lightning Absorbing Bead!" Wang Gonghu ordered, wanting to understand the bead's history.

Su Qinghe dared not conceal anything and answered truthfully.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, for safety's sake, please take Yunxin and leave! I will remain here. I hope you can help Yunxin advance to the Void Refinement stage. Our Tianyuan Sect has stored some treasures; please take them all with you," Su Qinghe said earnestly. He estimated that the news would be difficult to keep secret, so it was better for Su Yunxin to leave.

"Our Wang family can provide spirit elixirs and sixth-grade defensive formations. Whether he can advance to the Void Refinement stage depends on himself." Wang Gonghu didn't promise too much, as a sixth-grade formation might not be able to withstand the immensely powerful special lightning that Su Yunxin might attract. A Lightning Absorbing Bead born from a sixth-grade demon beast could be most effective when used to set up a tribulation array.

Sky Thunder Spirit Transformation Talismans were used up with each use. After Wang Ruyan and Wang Changsheng left, the family had no new Sky Thunder Spirit Transformation Talismans, and it was difficult to acquire treasures like Five-Element Lightning Heaven Talismans at large auctions. They could only have Bai Yuqi set up several more sets of sixth-grade formations, supplemented by sixth-grade pills, to help clansmen attempt to reach the Void Refinement stage. This, however, was not a long-term solution. With a tribulation array, the family could cultivate more Void Refinement cultivators, and the success rate for clansmen attempting to reach the Void Refinement stage would be higher. It was important to note that the Wang family had over a hundred God Transformation cultivators, with no fewer than twenty at the late God Transformation stage. If they had a tribulation array, the number of Void Refinement cultivators in the family could significantly increase.

Wang Lihe returned, his brows tightly furrowed. "She had a sixth-grade escape talisman. I couldn't catch her," Wang Lihe stated truthfully.

"Immediately gather the clansmen and prepare to withdraw," Wang Gonghu instructed. He had to reach the market city, as Void Refinement cultivators might arrive at any moment. The nearest large market city was tens of millions of miles away. Small market cities did not have teleportation arrays to large market cities. The Tianyuan Sect's main headquarters had a teleportation array that could transport them to a market city established by the Tianyuan Sect. Although this market city was not large, it could save some time.

Wang Lihe immediately gathered the clansmen, and together with Su Yunxin and dozens of other Tianyuan Sect disciples, they left the Tianyuan Sect.

Exalted Master Sky Spider was a rogue cultivator who made his living by hunting demon beasts. He was currently at the early Void Refinement stage. He had already survived two major Heavenly Tribulations, and his third was not far off. He had been inquiring everywhere about tribulation-substituting treasures. Hearing that such a treasure might appear in a certain market city, he specifically brought his disciples there. Unfortunately, he failed to bid for the tribulation treasure, which was ultimately acquired by a Void Refinement cultivator from a major force.

In a secluded small courtyard, Exalted Master Sky Spider sat in a green stone pavilion. A pale-faced young woman in a green skirt was reporting something to him.

"What? The Lightning Absorbing Bead? Are you sure?" Exalted Master Sky Spider's eyes gleamed brightly as he pressed for confirmation.

"Absolutely certain. However, that Lightning Absorbing Bead might have fallen into the hands of a cultivator from the Wang family," the young woman in the green skirt said cautiously. She had been injured by the Wang family cultivators and found it hard to accept this humiliation. She decided to inform Exalted Master Sky Spider, hoping they might recover the Lightning Absorbing Bead. Even if she didn't tip them off, she assumed the Wang family wouldn't let her go anyway.

"Let's go. Take me to pursue them. Does the Tianyuan Sect have a large teleportation array?" Exalted Master Sky Spider instructed. Ordinarily, he would still be wary of the Wang family. However, without a tribulation-substituting treasure, he was certain to die during his third major Heavenly Tribulation. Forget about the Wang family's disciples; he would even seize from Xuanqing Sect disciples without hesitation. If he couldn't pass his third major Heavenly Tribulation, he would die regardless.

"The Tianyuan Sect has a teleportation array that can send people to a small market city, which is over seven million miles from a large market city. I had tampered with Su Yunxin beforehand, so I can locate him within ten million miles. This was originally to prevent his escape, but it will come in handy now. As long as they bring Su Yunxin with them, we can definitely catch up. Knowing Senior Martial Brother Su, he would certainly let Su Yunxin leave with the Wang family cultivators," the woman in the green skirt answered truthfully.

"Let's go, depart immediately."

Outside the market city, Exalted Master Sky Spider released a golden centipede with four wings on its back. This was a fifth-grade high-rank Four-Winged Flying Centipede. Exalted Master Sky Spider and three God Transformation cultivators flew onto the Four-Winged Flying Centipede. With a flap of its wings, the centipede transformed into a streak of light and darted through the air.

Qingtao Valley was a small market city established by five cultivation families. Nascent Soul cultivators were regularly stationed there, but most of the visiting cultivators were Core Formation cultivators, and Nascent Soul cultivators were rarely seen. The teleportation arrays connecting Qingtao Valley to the outside world were all located in Qingtao Hall.

A certain teleportation array suddenly glowed brightly, revealing Wang Gonghu and three others. Wang Gonghu dismissed the others, instructing them to flee in separate directions. He and the remaining two, along with Su Yunxin, proceeded towards the large market city. As soon as they appeared in Qingtao Valley, they quickly attracted the attention of other cultivators. Wang Gonghu paid no mind to it. They had already teleported millions of miles, and their other clansmen did not know their route. He assumed Exalted Master Sky Spider and Rogue Cultivator Golden Scorpion would not be able to catch up.

Outside the market city, Wang Gonghu released his crimson flood dragon, and the four of them flew onto it. The crimson flood dragon swayed its head and tail, ascending high into the sky and disappearing into the horizon.

Over an hour later, the teleportation array lit up brightly, revealing Exalted Master Sky Spider and three others. The young woman in the green skirt held a constantly flickering green dharma plate with a golden light spot on it. "They haven't gone far," the young woman in the green skirt asked excitedly. Two of Exalted Master Sky Spider's disciples performed a soul-search on the cultivators guarding the array, confirming that Wang Gonghu and the three others had indeed been there.

"Let's go, don't let them escape!" Exalted Master Sky Spider waved his hand, taking the young woman in the green skirt and the three others, and left Qingtao Valley in pursuit.