Chapter Forty-Eight: Flight

Five Nascent Soul masters stood in grave confrontation with a little fox—a scene that should have been laughable, yet no one present found reason to smile. The pressure emanating from the little fox, Rou’er, was overwhelming, even for Gu Daozhen, whose cultivation was the highest among them; he felt a faint sense of unease.

Gu Daozhen’s abilities were formidable—he was at the late peak of the Nascent Soul stage. If even he considered this encounter troublesome, the other four could only be more apprehensive.

Gu Daozhen spoke, issuing orders: “Dao Yan, you and Sect Leader Liu of the Mingyue Blade Sect go after Gu Xingyuan and Chen Mu. Be sure to eliminate Chen Mu before he has a chance to grow. The three of us will handle matters here.”

Dao Yan acknowledged, “May you triumph in battle, elder brother. I’ll go ahead.”

With that, Dao Yan headed in the direction Gu Xingyuan had fled.

Rou’er, seeing the two pursue Chen Mu and Gu Xingyuan, was enraged. A huge, illusory fox tail swept toward Dao Yan, but Gu Daozhen and the other two intercepted it with their own spells.

Watching Dao Yan and Liu Zhongdao disappear into the distance, Rou’er could only pray that Chen Mu would survive this ordeal. Her delicate face grew cold, her small body trembling, and gradually began to stretch and grow until she towered two meters tall.

This transformation made Gu Daozhen and his companions even more wary. A monstrous fox the size of two or three grown men lashed her three massive tails, her snow-white fur pure as midwinter, crowned with dragon horns that radiated a sacred and solemn aura. This was Rou’er’s true form: the Three-Tailed Dragon Fox.

Rou’er’s alluring eyes now glinted coldly at the three men. With a roar, dragon fox ghostfire spewed from her mouth, surging toward the Nascent Soul cultivators.

“Not good!” Gu Daozhen muttered, instantly urging his companions to activate their defenses. A pale yellow barrier appeared, enveloping the trio.

The ghostfire slammed against the barrier, rapidly flickering and dimming. Rou’er unleashed wave after wave, attempting to shatter it, but the shield—conjured by three Nascent Soul cultivators—was not so easily broken. If anything, it would take time.

Gu Daozhen knew the barrier would only last for the time it took a stick of incense to burn. When it finally shattered, they would have to face the strange flames directly.

He turned to the royal elder and the Seven Stars Pavilion master. “Hold fast against this beast’s assault for just a moment. I’ll use my arts to deal her a grievous wound.”

The other two exchanged glances and nodded, pouring all their Nascent Soul power into maintaining the pale yellow shield, freeing Gu Daozhen to focus.

Gu Daozhen began his spell; the sky darkened as clouds gathered, thick bolts of lightning crackling within. He snarled, “Beast! Taste the highest thunder technique of the Jadefall Dao Sect—Jadefall Thunder!”

Azure lightning rained down, striking Rou’er’s body.

...

Meanwhile, Gu Xingyuan was fleeing at full speed, carrying Chen Mu on his back, desperately trying to shake off Dao Yan and Liu Zhongdao who pursued relentlessly. Their flight through the forest sent leaves and branches rustling in their wake.

At that moment, Chen Mu, long unconscious, began to awaken. The first face he saw was that of Gu Xingyuan, his nominal master, which startled him. When he tried to move, he found himself weak and wracked with pain from broken bones, sweat cold on his brow.

Gu Xingyuan, seeing Chen Mu awake, said, “You’re awake? Hold tight—we’re running for our lives. You’re still badly injured. Once we’re safe, I’ll explain everything.”

Running for their lives? It made sense. Chen Mu vaguely remembered killing many people; being hunted was inevitable. But why was Gu Xingyuan, his nominal master, carrying him? Where was Rou’er?

He recalled the events before he passed out, and when the destruction of Starwatch Valley came to mind, tears of regret streamed down his face.

“Master, Starwatch Valley has been destroyed... It’s all my fault. I brought ruin upon it.”

“Mm... Yes... I already know. You’re not to blame. If there’s fault, it lies in human greed. Jadefall Dao Sect made their intentions clear to me; I thought I was doomed. Thankfully, your fox predecessor held them off, or we would never have escaped.”

“Fox predecessor? You mean Rou’er?” Chen Mu asked, surprised.

“That’s her name? Yes. Senior Rou’er is now holding up Gu Daozhen, the Jadefall Dao Sect leader, the royal elder, and the Seven Stars Pavilion master, all of whom are Nascent Soul cultivators.”

“Is Rou’er in danger?”

“She shouldn’t be. From what I’ve seen, their strengths are well matched.”

Hearing this, Chen Mu’s anxiety eased.

“But don’t celebrate yet. Two powerful enemies are chasing us: Jadefall Dao Sect’s deputy leader, Gu Dao Yan—Gu Daozhen’s younger brother—and Liu Zhongdao, the Mingyue Blade Sect leader.”

Chen Mu was silent. He was responsible for all this; it was clear their target was him.

“Master, leave me here and run. The trouble I caused, I alone should bear.”

“What nonsense! Since you’re my disciple, how can I abandon you? Besides, we escaped only because Senior Rou’er created this chance. If we run, we run together!” Gu Xingyuan rebuked him.

Chen Mu, moved, said no more.

After a moment, Gu Xingyuan asked, “Chen Mu, where is your master? If we find him, maybe there’s hope...”

“Master? What master?”

“Don’t play dumb—it’s the Wood Daoist. Where is he?”

Chen Mu hesitated, then confessed, “Master, the Wood Daoist never existed. I was impersonating him. The Wood Daoist was really just me and Rou’er together under a cloak...”

Gu Xingyuan was dumbfounded. He never expected Chen Mu to have fabricated the Wood Daoist. His heart sank; it seemed this crisis would have to be resolved by himself.

Though Gu Xingyuan was fleeing with all his might, carrying a wounded man greatly slowed him down. The sounds in the forest behind grew louder—they were being overtaken.

Dao Yan called out, “Brother Gu, stop running. Accept your fate—how can you outrun us carrying someone?”

Liu Zhongdao jeered, “Old Gu, who’d have thought you’d see this day? How does it feel to be hunted? If you hand over Chen Mu, maybe we’ll let you live.”

Gu Xingyuan’s face was grim. He flew deeper into the forest, avoiding towns—those were within the Great Xia’s territory, where wanted notices for them would surely be posted.

When he reached a great river, Dao Yan and Liu Zhongdao finally caught up.

Gu Xingyuan stood with his back to the river, gazing resolutely at the two men who had landed before him.

Liu Zhongdao mocked, “Old Gu, go on, run! Let’s see if you can escape our grasp. I advise you to be sensible and hand over Chen Mu.”

“Liu Zhongdao, I will not surrender Chen Mu,” Gu Xingyuan replied calmly. It was clear that only a fight remained.

“Sect Leader Liu, stop wasting words. I’ll hold Gu Xingyuan—go finish off that brat Chen Mu,” Dao Yan said.

The two moved. Dao Yan attacked, Liu Zhongdao aimed to kill Chen Mu on Gu Xingyuan’s back. Dao Yan unleashed the Jadefall Sword Technique, sword energy slashing toward Gu Xingyuan’s vital points. Gu Xingyuan countered with the Brahma Star Sword Art, but carrying Chen Mu prevented him from fighting at full strength.

Then Liu Zhongdao struck by surprise. Gu Xingyuan sighed inwardly; it seemed their journey would end here.

At that moment, Chen Mu activated the Tortoiseshell Talisman he’d received from the Lord of Fan City, creating a protective screen. The barrier lasted only a moment before Dao Yan and Liu Zhongdao’s attacks shattered it, leaving Chen Mu gravely injured again.

But in that brief instant, Gu Xingyuan managed to pierce Dao Yan with his sword, star-lit blade inflicting a serious wound.

Dao Yan was injured, but Liu Zhongdao was not. Liu Zhongdao swung his blade at Chen Mu with deadly force.

Chen Mu desperately activated the Tortoiseshell Talisman again, but this time luck failed him.

The barrier shattered; blade light struck Gu Xingyuan and shredded Chen Mu’s flesh, severing his meridians—his body split, half of it gone.

Gu Xingyuan, eyes blazing, drove his sword through Liu Zhongdao’s shoulder, then abandoned his blade and leaped into the river with Chen Mu.

“Damn it! Don’t let them escape!” Dao Yan shouted furiously.

The river currents were swift, and the two vanished without a trace.

“Brother Gu, don’t worry. Though Gu Xingyuan escaped, I’m certain that Chen Mu is dead. My strike destroyed half his body—such injuries would kill even us Nascent Soul cultivators, let alone a Meridian Realm youth. As for Gu Xingyuan, let the royal court hunt him down,” Liu Zhongdao consoled Dao Yan.

“Mm, that’s all we can do.”

...

Meanwhile, Rou’er was locked in fierce battle with Gu Daozhen and the others. She had suffered several strikes of Jadefall Thunder, leaving her badly wounded, but the three men fared little better; the royal elder’s arm was incinerated by dragon fox ghostfire, and all three were battered and breathless.

As the battle raged, Rou’er was suddenly alarmed—her spiritual connection with Chen Mu was severed.

“Stupid log, don’t you dare die...” Rou’er panicked. Glaring furiously at Gu Daozhen and his companions, she threw caution aside and unleashed her innate divine art—Illusory World’s Immortal Annihilation Curse. Instantly, the three men stood stupefied.

They fell into a dreamscape: surrounded by wealth and beauties, enjoying endless splendor, standing at the pinnacle of power. The visions entranced them.

Suddenly, the scene shifted—all the beauties became skeletons, riches turned to venomous snakes and scorpions, their strength vanished, and a wave of death swept over them.

Gu Daozhen and his companions’ meridians rioted, their souls fading under an invisible force.

But at that moment, Rou’er was forced to halt her divine art—the limits of her cultivation compelled her to stop.

She had already pushed herself to the brink, overextending her power, but it was not quite enough.

Exhausted from using her innate skill, Rou’er grew extremely weak. Seeing her foes deep in illusion and gravely injured, she swiftly cast the Shadow Phantom Concealment technique and slipped away.

Gu Daozhen and his companions regained consciousness, immediately coughing up blood.