Chapter 106: Pursuit

  The outer regions of the Ten Thousand Mountains stretched for millions of miles, a vast expanse of towering mountains, ancient trees, winding rivers, and dense forests that seemed endless. Ferocious beasts roamed freely, making it a dangerous place for solo travelers—unless they were exceptionally powerful.

  After bidding farewell to Hong Ying, Yang Tian plunged into the dense forest without hesitation, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the previous location. Xiao Bai ran ahead, clearing the path and scaring off any lurking beasts.

  After running for fifty miles through the rugged terrain, Yang Tian found a heavily forested mountain. Using his broken sword, he carved out a small cave, sealed the entrance, and settled inside.

  The life-threatening danger he had sensed earlier still lingered in his mind. Although the immediate threat had passed, he couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—had been tracking him.

  The cultivation world was full of strange and powerful artifacts. While Yang Tian had never encountered such things personally, he knew better than to take chances.

  "I hope it was just my imagination..." Yang Tian muttered, peering through a crack in the rocks to scan the surroundings.

  Two hours later, a sudden surge of energy rippled through the air. Yang Tian's eyes narrowed as he focused on the source of the disturbance.

  In the distance, the sky abruptly changed color, and an overwhelming aura spread across the land. Within a hundred-mile radius, all the beasts dropped to the ground, trembling in fear.

  Cracks began to form in the void, and as the energy grew more intense, a strange light burst forth, revealing what appeared to be a fingernail-sized object.

  "They really are tracking me..." Yang Tian's expression darkened as he watched the scene unfold. A massive hand emerged from the void, shattering the space and creating a hundred-zhang-wide rift.

  Five figures stepped through the rift. The leader was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, his eyes glowing with divine light. He was handsome, with an air of elegance and grace.

  Beside him stood a slender and graceful woman, her features delicate and otherworldly. Her long black hair flowed in the wind, and her white robes fluttered as if untouched by the mortal world.

  The other three were less impressive, especially the youngest, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy in luxurious robes, his cultivation level noticeably weaker.

  The group descended to the ground, carried by an immense force. The young leader glanced back at the boy in robes, his eyes cold and disdainful.

  The boy noticed the look and frowned, but he dared not argue. The leader's strength and status far surpassed his own.

  "How did they find me?" Yang Tian's face turned grim as he watched the group land. The earlier tracking must have been the work of a powerful cultivator.

  "They're really going all out, sending such experts after me," Yang Tian muttered, clenching his fists. He quickly moved the boulder blocking the cave entrance and dashed out with Xiao Bai.

  Yang Tian pushed the Eight Desolation Steps to its limits, not daring to stop for even a moment. He feared they might have some method to track his movements.

  "Roar!" Just as Yang Tian had covered about ten miles, a deafening beast's roar echoed from behind.

  Yang Tian's expression shifted. He climbed a towering ancient tree and scanned the direction of the sound. In the distance, he could see figures wreaking havoc.

  "How are they tracking me?" Yang Tian clenched his fists, his face dark with frustration. He glanced at Xiao Bai on his shoulder and murmured, "Little guy, it's a good thing you're here. Let's hope the beasts slow them down."

  Yang Tian sprinted forward like a leopard, leaping over mountains and deliberately heading toward areas teeming with beasts. He ran aimlessly, putting as much distance as possible between himself and his pursuers.

  The roars of beasts continued to echo behind him. The five pursuers were repeatedly delayed by the ferocious creatures, though they quickly dispatched them. Still, the distance between them and Yang Tian grew.

  "Why isn't that brat being attacked by the beasts?" the boy in robes cursed, his expression growing darker. They had already encountered dozens of beast packs.

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  The young leader glanced at the boy and sneered. "Gu Mo, you three stay here. Gu Xuan and I will go ahead. Try not to get eaten."

  "You..." Gu Mo frowned but didn't dare protest. The leader's strength and status were too high to challenge.

  "Looks like they don't want to share the credit," one of the others muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed. The rewards for capturing Yang Tian were too great to pass up.

  Gu Qi's gaze lingered on Gu Xuan, her ethereal beauty stirring something in him. His eyes gleamed with desire as he glanced at her figure.

  Suddenly, Gu Qi produced a jade gourd. With a wave of his hand, the gourd expanded to thirty zhang in size, radiating immense pressure.

  "Gu Xuan, this Jade Gourd is incredibly fast. We can't afford to waste any more time. Let's go," Gu Qi said, stepping onto the gourd and assuming a refined demeanor.

  Gu Xuan hesitated for a moment before gracefully stepping onto the gourd. Her expression remained cold and distant.

  "Hold on," Gu Qi said, his eyes lingering on Gu Xuan's figure. He patted the gourd, and it shot forward at incredible speed.

  "This is so unfair. Gu Qi gets all the advantages," one of the younger pursuers grumbled. The rewards promised by the clan were too tempting to ignore.

  After running for half an hour through the endless mountains, Yang Tian emerged from a beast's den only to hear a loud whooshing sound from behind.

  "Damn it!" Yang Tian turned to see a massive shadow hurtling through the air about ten miles away. His face darkened as he frantically scanned the surroundings.

  "I have no choice but to gamble," Yang Tian muttered, clenching his fists. He dashed into the dense forest and quickly found a stone cave, slipping inside.

  Inside the cave, Yang Tian summoned the Golden Crow Divine Furnace. The furnace hovered above him, radiating intense heat as it expanded to thirty zhang in size.

  Yang Tian lifted the lid and jumped inside. The furnace shrank rapidly, eventually becoming as small as a grain of sand. Moments later, it floated into a crack in the cave wall.

  Inside the furnace, Yang Tian sat cross-legged, his energy draining rapidly. He consumed several handfuls of ancient elixirs and kept his eyes fixed on the cave entrance.

  Not long after Yang Tian hid, the jade gourd landed nearby. Gu Qi and Gu Xuan stepped off, their expressions puzzled.

  "Come out," Gu Qi called coldly, though his eyes betrayed his confusion. He scanned the area quickly.

  "Trying to trick me? Not happening," Yang Tian thought, relieved. The aura these two emitted was terrifying. They were no ordinary Profound Realm cultivators, and Yang Tian stood no chance against them.

  "Strange. How did his aura disappear?" Gu Qi muttered, pulling out a crystal ball. The ball, which usually glowed brightly, now remained dim.

  "So that's how they're tracking me. No wonder they've been dogging me like this," Yang Tian realized, his lips twitching. He began searching his body for any traces of tracking energy.

  "Gu Xuan, it seems the boy has a treasure that shields him from detection," Gu Qi said, his frustration evident as he scanned the area.

  Gu Xuan nodded slightly, her cold eyes sweeping the surroundings but finding nothing.

  "It must be the divine patterns on the Golden Crow Divine Furnace. I didn't know they could block tracking," Yang Tian thought, realizing that some kind of tracking energy had been planted on him.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Gu Qi began punching the surrounding area, his fists shattering boulders and upturning the earth.

  "Go ahead, tear the place apart," Yang Tian sneered, watching through a crack in the cave wall. Gu Qi's strength was formidable, but Yang Tian remained hidden.

  After a while, Gu Qi's expression turned icy. He drew a golden sword and began slashing at the mountains.

  "Clap! Clap!" The commotion attracted the other three pursuers, who arrived with curious expressions.

  "Serves you right," Gu Mo muttered, noticing the dim crystal ball in Gu Qi's hand. Clearly, they had lost track of Yang Tian.

  "Attacking randomly won't help. He might already be far away," Gu Xuan said softly, her voice calm and composed.

  "You're right, Gu Xuan," Gu Qi said, his expression softening as he turned to her with a gentle smile.

  "Let's split up," Gu Xuan suggested. With a graceful leap, she flew off on a beam of light.

  "You three, spread out and search," Gu Qi ordered, his smile fading as he watched Gu Xuan leave. He then dashed off in another direction.

  "Gu Mo... the Ancient Holy Land!" Yang Tian's eyes turned cold as he watched Gu Mo leave. A fierce killing intent surged within him.

  He remembered the arrogant woman who had tried to crush him with a single finger.

  "Just wait. I'll make you pay," Yang Tian muttered, his voice dripping with venom.

  Inside the cave, Yang Tian remained hidden in the Golden Crow Divine Furnace. His energy was draining rapidly, and without the nearly million ancient elixirs in his spatial ring, he would have been exhausted long ago.

  Yang Tian's spiritual sense scanned his body, searching for the strange energy that allowed them to track him. However, the energy was elusive, constantly shifting and impossible to pinpoint.

  "Will this work?" Yang Tian wondered, focusing on the Ancestral Dragon Ring in his sea of consciousness. The ring hovered like an eternal monument, surrounded by a dragon-shaped jade pendant and countless "battle" characters.

  Yang Tian poured his will into the Ancestral Dragon Ring, hoping it would respond. The ring was his greatest trump card, though he had no idea how to fully control it. But with no other options, he had to try.

  Time passed...

  After continuous attempts and exhausting his energy, Yang Tian was on the verge of giving up when the Ancestral Dragon Ring suddenly trembled.

  "Did it work?" Yang Tian's eyes lit up. He redoubled his efforts, pouring his will into the ring until the trembling grew stronger. Finally, the ring shook violently.

  "Roar!" A small black dragon emerged from the ring, its dark eyes scanning Yang Tian's body. It then exhaled a cloud of black mist, which enveloped Yang Tian.

  As the mist touched his skin, a faint, ethereal light was drawn out. Just as the black dragon was about to devour it...

  "Boom!" The light erupted with a dazzling radiance, sending a shockwave that shattered the surrounding rocks. The energy surged violently.

  "Not good!" Yang Tian's face paled. He hadn't expected the tracking energy to burst out like this. The commotion would surely attract his pursuers. Just as he prepared to flee, the black dragon moved.