Chapter 106: The Pursuit
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In the deep sea, countless ordinary demonic cultivators were returning from the land. Meanwhile, prodigious talents from various demon clans swam from all directions, surging toward the shore. Deep beneath the ocean floor, in a resplendent palace shimmering with gold and jade...
“You still haven’t perfected this method of transformation!” a cultivator wearing a golden crown spoke from a high throne.
Below him stood a young cultivator.
He nodded slightly, then shook his head. “It indeed needs improvement, but it’s still quite refined in many aspects!”
The crowned cultivator nodded. “I really don’t understand; among the younger generation of humans, you’re undeniably a prodigy. If you don’t focus on cultivation, why come here?”
The young cultivator smiled. “Cultivation is far too simple. People always need to find something more challenging to do!”
The crowned cultivator was speechless. “Clearly, you want to use humans as experiments and make us demons take the blame, and you say it so grandly. Your shamelessness knows no bounds!”
“Heh, senior, don’t you like taking the blame?”
The crowned cultivator chuckled. “Not exactly like, but after so many years, this continent has been too peaceful! Peacefulness isn’t necessarily a good thing!”
The young cultivator nodded thoughtfully.
Peace comes from order.
Order comes from a stable ruling class.
Too much stability isn’t good—at least not for the demon clans.
Suddenly, he asked, “Did you agree to their proposal?”
The crowned cultivator nodded. “Why wouldn’t I? By observing the potential of the younger generation, we can gauge the development of the entire human race. I suppose they want to see how our demon race is progressing as well.”
The young cultivator said, “Very well. Those few exceptionally successful individuals will continue to infiltrate. If nothing happens, don’t disturb me—I’ll keep refining the transformation method!”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
The crowned cultivator watched his retreating figure and murmured, “What a strange person... but I like him!”
Outside Linhai County, Su Yizhao floated in midair.
His expression was tense as his eyes locked onto the ground.
Within a hundred-mile radius, the demon cultivators in the mines had nearly all perished beneath his flying swords.
Yet just moments ago, a demon cultivator had somehow caught all his flying swords.
That demon was deep within the underground mines.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...”
Nine flying swords pierced the ground and returned to Su Yizhao’s side.
In the depths below, the demon cultivator’s expression was grave as he stared upward.
The entire mine was a river of blood and strewn with corpses, saturated with a thick stench of blood.
Countless surviving human cultivators and mortals were fleeing toward the mine’s entrance.
Su Yizhao and the demon cultivator were separated by eight zhangs (about 26 meters) of thick earth, locked in a standoff.
Neither could see the other with the naked eye.
Yet their spiritual senses had probed back and forth many times.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz...”
The humming of the Nine Sons United Sword echoed in Su Yizhao’s ears.
He was certain the demon in the mine was a genius among demon cultivators.
Though also from the illusory realm, this demon was leagues beyond the others he had slain.
Suddenly, the demon turned and fled.
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To chase or not to chase?
Su Yizhao’s mind raced.
The demon was already fleeing deeper into the mine.
Gritting his teeth, Su Yizhao moved his right hand.
Immediately, the Nine Sons United Sword unleashed countless sword lights, stabbing fiercely into the earth.
He followed closely, plunging downward after the sword light!
“Boom!”
The myriad sword lights struck the ground, causing the earth to tremble.
A tremendous roar spread across the hundred-mile radius.
The ground cracked open instantly, forming a deep chasm, and Su Yizhao fell perfectly into it.
Before he could steady himself, Su Yizhao charged after the demon.
“There’s a sound over there!”
“Go check it out!”
A hundred miles from Linhai County, a group of cultivators suddenly startled and rushed toward the source of the noise.
At this moment, human cultivators and mortals began streaming out from the mine entrance.
“Finally, back in the light of day!”
“My fate wasn’t sealed after all!”
“I think it was Junior Brother Su who saved us!”
...
The crowd froze as they emerged from the mine.
Above them, a group of young cultivators scrutinized them.
“Tattered clothes, weak cultivation—worse than even mountain villagers!”
More human cultivators and mortals poured out of the mine entrance, all haggard and faint.
“Hey! What happened here?” one cultivator asked from above.
“You—you all are...!”
The crowd, like startled birds, dared not answer.
“Haha, we’re prodigies from Vast City. Ever heard of Vast City? Come on, tell us what happened!”
Once assured they were human cultivators, the crowd relaxed and began to recount their ordeal.
Half a cup of tea later...
“What? A single human cultivator saved you?”
The dozen or so cultivators in the sky showed expressions of astonishment.
Impossible.
They were the first to arrive here!
And a single human cultivator killing so many demons?
They could never do that!
It must be a lie—what would these mountain villagers know?
“It’s true! Absolutely true! That person seemed to be Junior Brother Su from our Xuanqi Sect!” one cultivator in the crowd spoke up.
“Pfft!” The cultivators above immediately dismissed their doubts.
If he was an elite disciple of Xuantian Sect, they were somewhat inclined to believe it.
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Xuanqi Sect?
What sect is that?
“Enough!” the cultivators in the sky said, unwilling to hear more falsehoods. “That sound seemed to come from there. Let’s go have a look!”
Deep within the mine, Su Yizhao pursued relentlessly.
His spiritual sense locked tightly onto the demon cultivator thirty miles away.
The demon looked calm and unhurried but was moving at incredible speed.
Though the mine was narrow, it posed no obstacle to Su Yizhao.
Yet from the moment the chase began, they had always been thirty miles apart, even after half an hour.
Impossible!
Su Yizhao thought.
He immediately unleashed the Seventh-Rank Great Perfection technique, “Soaring Leap.”
In an instant, he flashed forward, now only ten miles away.
A moment later, he had crossed twenty miles.
Impossible!
Shock flashed across his face.
In his spiritual sense, the demon cultivator was still thirty miles away—no closer at all.
The demon wasn’t fleeing, but seemingly leading him somewhere.
Su Yizhao was puzzled.
This demon had the ability to catch his flying swords and his strength was formidable, even without using divine arts.
Why run away?
Why not just fight outright?
Half an hour passed again, the chase and flight continuing.
Suddenly, Su Yizhao’s expression changed slightly.
The demon turned and smiled at him.
Su Yizhao immediately slowed his pace.
The demon then swung his fists wildly, striking the cave walls over a hundred times.
The walls cracked and shattered under the onslaught.
“Boom!”
A tremendous roar sounded as a surge of seawater rushed into the breach.
Suddenly, Su Yizhao understood.
The demon was escaping back to the deep sea.
Sure enough, the seawater flooded in, and the demon, like a fish in water, shot toward the broken cave entrance.
The fierce seawater surged through the mine.
Su Yizhao took a deep breath, rapidly forming hand seals.
At once, myriad sword lights cleared a path as he charged headlong into the rushing sea...