Chapter 139: Spirit Cultivator

In less than a breath, a large, three-meter-high hole appeared before him. Wang Yu burst out laughing, activated his 'Thousand-Mile Divine Stride,' and sprinted away.

Clang, clang, clang!

Inside the city, warning bells echoed through the sky. Nearby patrolling cultivators immediately noticed the disturbance and were instantly enraged.

Someone pointed at his rapidly disappearing figure and shouted, "Chase him! I'll inform Lord Song; make sure he doesn't escape."

"Understood!"

The prelude to a chase quickly began.

Several hours later.

The Withered Leaf Swamp.

As a well-known dangerous area nearby, its terrain was complex, filled with poisonous miasma, and its deep, treacherous wetlands harbored numerous demonic beasts. Alligators and Blackwater Pythons were the most notorious, as common as weeds and found anywhere in the swamp.

At this moment, in a certain mud pool, two eyes suddenly surfaced, darting around and locking onto the chaotic footsteps nearby.

Teams of armored soldiers, wielding long blades and wearing silver helms, spread out in the vicinity. Their cultivation levels were generally in the early Qi Condensation stage, but they seemed to have cultivated some body-refining technique, making them more formidable than their cultivation might suggest.

The squad leaders in several search directions all possessed an aura comparable to late Qi Condensation, but the most notable was a grey-robed old man in the center.

Foundation Establishment, Second Level!

“I saw that kid run this way; he must be nearby, Lord Song…”

The grey-robed old man waved his hand and smiled strangely: “Leave this to me. That kid is only in the late Qi Condensation stage; he can’t escape too far.”

“As for the rest of you, do not stray more than three hundred zhang from this area during your search. I will protect you with a spiritual sense secret technique.”

“Understood!”

“Yes, sir!”

A spiritual sense secret technique? Wang Yu, hidden in the mud pool, his eyes lit up. This was an extremely rare secret technique, no less valuable than any second-tier spell.

With the old man's cultivation at Foundation Establishment, Second Level, a fight wasn't impossible. He had to hit these pursuers hard, make them submit, and instill fear in them before he could escape deeper into the swamp.

Even Chang Xi wouldn't be able to continue tracking him. Once his goal was achieved, he would have truly escaped.

With a thought, Wang Yu quickly sank into the mud pool, moving from the bottom towards the bank. He pushed his 'Night Concealment Charm' and 'Invisibility Art'—both concealment techniques—to their limits.

Half an incense stick's time later, Wang Yu shuddered and immediately froze. He seemed to feel a pair of hands brush past him.

A searching spiritual sense secret technique? They're going all out!

On the bank, the grey-robed old man frowned, looking at the mud pool beside him. This area was not far from the entrance of the Withered Leaf Swamp, still within its outer perimeter. He was quite familiar with the land and knew that demonic beasts might be lurking beneath the mud.

“An alligator? It doesn't feel quite like one.”

Feeling perplexed, the grey-robed old man summoned his signature magic tool: a square lantern hanging from a reddish-brown wooden pole. The lantern's transparent, glazed casing had a translucent appearance, and faint grey light emanated from within.

As light passed through the glazed lantern walls, it refracted into various colors.

Second-tier High-grade Magic Tool: Glazed Soul Lantern!

This tool, when activated, could significantly enhance his spiritual sense, allowing him to quickly locate any potential issues nearby when combined with the 'Mountain Searching and Demon Hunting Secret Technique'.

“Hm?”

“Splosh—!”

Suddenly, mud splattered in all directions as a figure leaped out of the mud pool. To his surprise, the old man hadn't even detected him at such close range.

A faint dragon's roar echoed as a spiritual-energy-formed Infernal Demonic Flood Dragon coiled around the newcomer's arm. With a direct punch, the Flood Dragon instantly shot out, causing the air to explode with a loud crack.

What terrifying power, what a mighty punch!

Body-refining… Foundation Establishment?!!

Startled, the grey-robed old man immediately flew backward, but to his surprise, the unleashed Demonic Flood Dragon made a turn and continued to assault him.

“What exquisite control!” This was the essence of a body cultivator at Foundation Establishment. Although they temporarily lacked the divine ability to fly, they possessed various other incredible powers.

For example, after qi and spiritual energy combined, they weren't stored in his Dantian and Sea of Qi; instead, they dispersed throughout his limbs and bones. Depending on the cultivation technique, they would have different cores.

Wang Yu's core, naturally, was the Infernal Demonic Flood Dragon Spine!

Its existence was equivalent to the True Essence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, far superior in quality to the spiritual energy of a Qi Condensation cultivator. Body cultivators would only experience another qualitative change upon reaching the Third Tier.

Not far away, Wang Yu, riding his Blue Butterfly Sword, quickly pursued.

“You're still pondering an enemy's control technique when your life is on the line? It seems you don't want to live anymore.”

“Presumptuous!”

The grey-robed old man glanced at Wang Yu. Seeing the Demonic Flood Dragon still in pursuit, he quickly descended. The ground rippled like water, and a circular rock barrier rose, protecting the old man within.

The materialized Infernal Demonic Flood Dragon's power slammed straight into it.

Boom.

The massive impact shattered the rock barrier completely. At the same time, the silver-helmeted armored soldiers searching nearby heard the commotion and began to converge on the area.

Wang Yu snorted coldly.

“For a few spirit stones, you're risking your life?”

“Kid, worry about yourself.”

A glazed light burst forth as the somewhat disheveled grey-robed old man tossed the Glazed Soul Lantern in his hand upwards. A stream of grey flame shot out from the bottom of the lantern.

The temperature was similar to ordinary flames, but Wang Yu keenly sensed the power contained within; it was a special flame specifically targeting spiritual sense.

This person's methods are not weak.

His body twitched as he activated 'Phantom Step.' Ten Wang Yus dispersed in all directions. As his hand seals shifted, the ambient temperature began to drop, and the water on the ground gradually froze.

The old man scoffed.

“A mere illusion trying to deceive my spiritual sense? Dream on!”

The grey fire snake turned and immediately pursued Wang Yu's true body.

This caused his heart to sink.

In a fight at the Foundation Establishment level, some of his perfected spells would be ineffective, especially against an opponent with exceptional spiritual sense mastery. He was outmatched in that regard.

He had to get close and fight hand-to-hand!

The next instant, he unleashed 'Ice Coffin Charm,' and an oversized ice coffin completely encased both of them. Shrinking the battleground was one of his objectives. The light of his 'Lunar Dark Eyes' flashed in his pupils.

The pursuing grey flame was indeed problematic.

Nine phantoms, each capable of withstanding an attack from a late Qi Condensation cultivator, rushed forward, using their bodies to block the continuously erupting grey flames.

Wang Yu himself raised his sword-finger to his lips. Using the 'Flame Spitting Art,' he exhaled a large volume of cold flames. These flames didn't shoot out but instead circled continuously around Wang Yu.

This was the control power of a perfected spell!

The grey-robed old man's heart sank; he sensed something was wrong. From a distance, he pointed a finger at Wang Yu.

Spiritual Sense Attack Secret Technique: Soul Shattering Finger!!

At the same time, Wang Yu powerfully kicked out, and the Infernal Demonic Flood Dragon materialized once more, but this time it was enveloped in a thick layer of cold flames.

Its speed was suddenly three-tenths faster.

It narrowly dodged the incoming Soul Shattering Finger and violently struck the grey-robed old man. The old man was sent flying backward, embedded in the thick ice wall, letting out a piercing shriek.

His body was also burning with cold flames, which rapidly encased him in ice.

As for Wang Yu…