Chapter 306: Chapter 305: The Relentless Pursuit
"You’re quite something, to be able to smile in a situation like this."
"Perhaps I have a reason to be confident you can’t kill me?"
The corner of Qin Ya’s mouth twitched up. Facing this expert at Celestial Human Realm Perfection, he could feel his every move was under the other’s control. If he made the slightest unusual move, he would be met with an attack as fierce as a raging tempest.
"I am quite curious. From where does your confidence stem?"
"Why don’t you come and find out for yourself?"
"Then be careful."
With no more words exchanged, the Celestial Human Realm Martial Artist slowly raised his hand. A Celestial Human Power, far denser than that of Shangguan Bei and the others, began to gather. It was laced with an incomparably thick, bloody stench. In a daze, Qin Ya seemed to see ferocious, wailing skeletons as the Evil Qi charged straight at his spirit!
The palm had yet to strike, but its power already sought to seize his soul!
His Divine Thought erupted with full force, dispelling the Evil Qi. He drew the Ting Xiao, his True Essence circulating without reservation. With a sudden burst, a streak of Thunder Sword Qi, accompanied by waves of destructive power, materialized from the void and shot violently toward the Palm Qi!
"To dare strike first in the presence of a Celestial Human... your courage is commendable!"
The bald old man’s tone held a hint of admiration, but he then indifferently waved out his Palm Qi. A wave of Palm Qi carrying an endless Blood Evil Smell collided in mid-air with the supremely hard and fierce Destruction Thunder Sword Qi. The resulting force stirred the clouds for thousands of feet.
Ripples of energy spread out. An occasional passing bird caught in the shockwave was pulverized into a bloody mist before it could even cry out. Qin Ya bore the brunt of the impact and was blasted over a hundred zhang away.
SWOOSH. Qin Ya didn’t notice a sliver of Blood Qi immediately wrap around his body. This wisp of Blood Qi was so subtle that even the Ting Xiao Sword failed to detect it at first. Seeing this, a slight smile touched the corners of the bald old man’s mouth.
’Qin Ya, you can’t escape now!’
PUH! Even with Scenic Landscapes protecting him, Qin Ya was still injured by the recoil. The Qi and Blood in his body churned, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately took out the Ghost Face Mask and put it on, vanishing from sight. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the Ting Xiao Sword suddenly trembled, warning him to flee—fast!
Startled, Qin Ya didn’t dare to be careless. He unleashed his Mysterious Speed and quickly fled into the distance. The bald old man’s brow furrowed slightly, as if searching for Qin Ya’s location, but his own speed didn’t falter in the slightest as he pursued close behind.
’What’s going on? How can he still find me?!’
Qin Ya’s brow furrowed, his eyes filled with surprise. He pondered constantly, but he didn’t dare to slow down one bit, pushing his Mysterious Speed to its limit as he shot into the distance!
’The intel was right. The kid really did get Shadowless’s Concealing Ability. It must be that Ghost Face Mask. What a treasure!’
Shadowless was the first member of the Blood Nether Association who had come to assassinate Qin Ya. He was famous in the assassination circles of the Hundred Cities for his powerful Concealing Ability. The Blood Nether Association members in the Hundred Cities had long suspected he possessed some Secret Treasure to achieve such an effect, but Shadowless was very cunning and had never revealed any openings.
After Shadowless’s death, this bald old man—one of the few Quasi-Blood Evil Level assassins of the Blood Nether Association in the Hundred Cities—had sent people to monitor Qin Ya. Finally, when Qin Ya defeated the Three Great Noble Families, he had at last revealed this Concealing Ability!
This was one of the reasons why, despite being a Quasi-Blood Evil Level assassin, he was willing to come kill Qin Ya himself. Besides the orders from the Blood Nether Association’s upper echelon, he was also extremely interested in this Concealing Ability. As the bald old man tracked Qin Ya’s position, he praised inwardly: ’This mask truly is extraordinary. If I hadn’t planted a Blood Qi marker on Qin Ya beforehand, I really wouldn’t be able to find him.’
’And this Qin Ya really lives up to his reputation. To think his speed could reach such a level. Although I have to divide my attention to sense his location, which limits my speed considerably, I am still at Celestial Human Perfection. I actually can’t catch up to him for the moment.’ At this thought, the bald old man’s brow furrowed, and he immediately threw a palm strike.
The Palm Qi shot toward a point in space like a gale. A moment later, a majestic Thunder Sword Qi erupted from that very space to collide with the Palm Qi, creating a shocking tremor. From within the isolated space, Qin Ya’s brow tightened. ’This assassin can definitely sense my position,’ he thought. ’But how?!’
He pondered this, but he didn’t dare to slow down!
"You can’t escape!"
The bald old man shouted, then sent two more blasts of Palm Qi enveloping Qin Ya. Qin Ya erupted with his full power, his Thunder Sword Qi carrying the ripple of the Mysteries of Destruction, and forcibly blocked the two palm strikes. However, the recoil damaged his internal organs. His concentration faltered, and he was forced out of the isolated space.
Seeing this, the bald old man’s eyes lit up, and his speed suddenly surged.
In an instant, he was in front of Qin Ya. His palm, glowing with a bloody light and carrying astonishing power, unhesitatingly reached for the Ghost Face Mask on Qin Ya’s face.
’Damn it!!’
Seeing this, Qin Ya immediately focused his mind, re-entered the isolated space, and escaped in a flash. At the same time, he swallowed a Top Level Healing Elixir to recover from his internal injuries. Recalling the bloody hand from a moment ago, Qin Ya couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.
He had been so close—so close to losing his life!
He could even smell the scent of death!
’I’ve already died once. This time, not even heaven and earth can take my life from me!’ Qin Ya’s eyes were bloodshot as he inwardly gritted his teeth. His True Essence erupted with all its might, and his speed actually increased a little more. This startled the pursuing bald old man in the distance, and a dark look appeared on his face.
’Damn it, I was so close just now. And to think his speed could increase even more. Is it a burst of potential from facing a life-threatening situation, or a breakthrough in his Cultivation under pressure?’ The bald old man’s brow tightened. Either possibility meant that the difficulty of killing Qin Ya had just increased.
’But as long as the Blood Qi is on you, you won’t escape!’
A cold smile appeared on the bald old man’s lips. He continuously sent out blasts of Palm Qi, trying to strike Qin Ya down while chasing him. But because he was spending a great deal of mental energy to track Qin Ya’s location, he was using less than half of his true power.
Even so, Qin Ya was repeatedly pushed to the brink of death. If not for Scenic Landscapes and his large supply of Elixirs, he feared he would have been killed by this old man long ago.
’I have to think of something!’
Suddenly, an idea struck Qin Ya. He took a Jade Ring from his Storage Ring and put it on his hand. Activating it with his True Essence, a barrier immediately appeared around him. When the bald old man’s attack slammed into the barrier, it shattered, but most of the force was neutralized. The remaining power then struck Scenic Landscapes and was reduced by more than half again.
With this, the attacks Qin Ya sustained were no longer a major concern.
He channeled his True Essence, and the Jade Ring on his hand bloomed with light, causing the barrier to reappear.
This Jade Ring was something Qin Ya had obtained from the Shangguan Family’s Treasure Vault. It was a defensive Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact. Although it couldn’t compare to Scenic Landscapes, it was still exceedingly precious.
With these two layers of protection, Qin Ya no longer had to worry about the bald old man’s attacks. He pushed his speed to its absolute limit and shot into the distance. The pursuing bald old man was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, his own speed increasing as well...
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