Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: All Means Exhausted
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"Hm? Still hiding among the boatmen. Cautious, but you're not going anywhere."
*Swish, swish, swish!*
A volley of golden arrows rained down. The mortal boatmen, unable to dodge, perished in the downpour.
A green light flared as a wood-element shield materialized, blocking three of the golden arrows.
*Whoosh!*
Seizing the opportunity, Chen Jianghe immediately cast Water Escape and fled.
"A high-grade protective talisman?"
"Sixth Brother, you go after him."
"The rest of you, with me. We'll surround these late-stage Qi Refining fat sheep."
A burly man with a full beard, wielding a greatsword, struck. A thirty-foot wave of blade energy cleaved the large boat in two and sent three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators flying.
Watching the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators scatter, he sneered and ordered his subordinate to pursue the fleeing Chen Jianghe.
"Yes, Big Brother."
Immediately, a middle-aged man in white robes with a handlebar moustache flew off on his sword, heading in the exact direction Chen Jianghe had escaped.
"The leader is a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator at the peak of Body Tempering! Everyone, split up and run!" the other ninth-level Qi Refining master shouted, immediately summoning his flying sword to escape.
On the large boat, seven of the thirteen late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were actually marauders. It was obvious this vessel had been targeted long ago.
From the moment they boarded, they had been marked as fat sheep.
Of the two ninth-level Qi Refining masters, one was a marauder—and their leader at that. Most terrifyingly, he had also perfected Body Tempering.
Both were at the ninth level of Qi Refining, but not only had the man reached the ninth level in his spiritual power, he had also cultivated Body Tempering techniques to their peak.
How could they possibly fight that?
The moment the ninth-level Qi Refining master fled, the remaining four late-stage cultivators also scrambled to escape.
But they were intercepted by the marauders, who had been lying in wait.
"I'll leave these small fry to you. As for that big fish... Hmph, he won't get away." The full-bearded marauder leader took out a high-grade Swiftness Talisman.
After activating it, his speed while flying on his greatsword instantly increased by thirty percent as he shot off after the fleeing ninth-level master.
Ten breaths later.
Chen Jianghe had already reappeared six miles away. Before his head even broke the river's surface, he felt a dangerous presence descend upon him.
Without the slightest hesitation, he slapped on another protective talisman.
*Bang!*
The flying sword slammed into the wood-element shield, merely causing cracks to appear without any sign of it breaking.
Clearly, a different person was attacking now.
Chen Jianghe took the chance to peek out and saw the marauder with the handlebar moustache once again directing his flying sword to strike him.
"An eighth-level Qi Refining marauder!"
"Bastard. To intercept me, they should have at least sent someone of equal cultivation. So ruthless."
Although this eighth-level marauder was using a mid-grade flying sword, Chen Jianghe still didn't dare to fight him.
He was too close to the main group of marauders.
If he got bogged down in a fight, he could be surrounded.
*Swish!*
A golden arrow shot down from the sky, instantly shattering the shield from Chen Jianghe's high-grade protective talisman.
"..."
Chen Jianghe realized that the ninth-level master was fleeing in the same direction as him. That must be why the pursuing marauder leader had spared a moment to cast a gold-element spell, helping the man with the handlebar moustache break his shield.
There was no time to curse.
Chen Jianghe leaped ashore and immediately used a high-grade Earth Escape Talisman, changing his direction of escape at top speed.
If he kept fleeing by water, he felt he'd be dragged to his death by that damned ninth-level cultivator.
Besides, with his current seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation, the distance he could cover with Water Escape was far short of the maximum range for a late-stage cultivator.
His only option was to use a high-grade Earth Escape Talisman.
"A high-grade Earth Escape Talisman? You've got quite a few talismans on you! A pity for you, I have a Spirit Tracking Talisman."
"Go!"
In an instant, the Spirit Tracking Talisman shot out a stream of spiritual power, branding Chen Jianghe the very moment he escaped.
The Spirit Tracking Talisman was a special type of high-grade talisman.
When used, it could brand a target with spiritual power, allowing the user to discern their location within a thirty-mile radius for a quarter of an hour.
It was quite valuable.
A single talisman cost as much as thirty spirit stones. Typically, only top-tier marauder groups would purchase them.
After all, their targets were usually late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. If they targeted a mid-stage cultivator, the target's entire net worth might not even add up to thirty spirit stones.
Using a Spirit Tracking Talisman on a mid-stage cultivator could easily result in a loss on the job.
It was even possible to lose everything invested.
Ten miles away, in a forest, Chen Jianghe didn't hesitate to use another high-grade talisman. A high-grade Earth Escape Talisman flashed with spiritual light.
Fifty breaths later.
Chen Jianghe emerged from the ground. He first glanced at the sky and saw that the damned ninth-level cultivator was no longer headed in the same direction. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Seven late-stage Qi Refining marauders, and one of them was even a ninth-level master who had perfected Body Tempering."
"It's a good thing I sensed them in advance. Otherwise, I doubt I could have escaped their encirclement."
Chen Jianghe's heart still pounded with fear.
If he hadn't gone down to the bottom deck beforehand and pretended to be a boatman, he probably wouldn't have even had time to use a talisman in the marauders' initial surprise attack.
He would have had to reveal Xiao Hei's existence prematurely.
However, the outcome was good. He had safely evaded the marauders' ambush.
But he didn't dare let his guard down. He flew west rapidly, manipulating the Qi around him.
After encountering the marauders, the cultivators had scattered. He would have to travel to Qinghe Market City alone.
He had read the *Yun Clan Journal*, which contained a map of the Tiannan region, so he wouldn't get lost.
First, escape with his life.
Once the danger had passed, he could return to the Wandering Immortal River and follow its main current west to reach Qinghe Market City.
He had only been flying for thirty breaths when his expression suddenly changed.
A streak of sword light was rapidly approaching from behind. Its purpose was clear: it was chasing him.
"I didn't lose him?"
"Impossible. I used two high-grade Earth Escape Talismans in a row, covering twenty miles in a hundred breaths. Even a ninth-level master shouldn't be able to track my aura anymore."
Though doubt filled Chen Jianghe's mind, his flying speed suddenly increased by thirty percent as he pushed himself to his limits.
But there was a huge difference in speed between flying by manipulating Qi and flying on a sword—the former was nearly half as fast and also consumed more spiritual power.
At this rate, he would be within the handlebar-moustached marauder's attack range in less than ten breaths.
He had no means of fighting back other than his talismans.
The opponent was using a mid-grade flying sword, while he hadn't even bought a low-grade one.
As for magical arts, the opponent was at the eighth level of Qi Refining.
He was completely outmatched.
Even if he let Xiao Hei out, his defense would be adequate, but his offense would be lacking.
He could use a Lightning-Inducing Talisman, but what if there were other marauders behind this one?
Once he was tied down, his talismans would eventually run out.
Eight breaths later.
The marauder with the handlebar moustache was only a few hundred meters from Chen Jianghe. Without wasting words, he sent his flying sword streaking forward in a swift attack.
"Escape!"
Chen Jianghe landed and used another high-grade Earth Escape Talisman.
The flying sword hit nothing but air and returned to the man's feet.
"Hmph, let's see how many talismans you have."
The man with the handlebar moustache sneered, stroking his upturned moustache. Seeing that Chen Jianghe only dared to flee with talismans, he made an assumption.
He guessed that Chen Jianghe had no magical artifacts.
No artifacts meant he wasn't from a prominent clan.
How many talismans could a lone cultivator possibly have?
Five or six at most.
Just as he suspected, Chen Jianghe indeed didn't have many protective talismans left. He had bought five in total and had already used two.
However, he still had seven Five-Element Escape Talismans.
"Hm? Another high-grade talisman!"
The man's brow furrowed. Through the Spirit Tracking Talisman, he sensed the spiritual brand on Chen Jianghe once again rapidly pulling away from him.
"This is bad. If he uses one more high-grade talisman, he'll escape the range of my Spirit Tracking Talisman."
Immediately, the man slapped a Swiftness Talisman on himself. His speed instantly increased by thirty percent as he raced after Chen Jianghe.
"One Swiftness Talisman, one Spirit Tracking Talisman... I've already spent forty-five spirit stones on you. I hope you don't disappoint me."
A high-grade Swiftness Talisman was worth fifteen spirit stones. It could increase a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator's speed by thirty percent for half a quarter-hour.
Fifty breaths later, Chen Jianghe once again sensed the presence of the man with the handlebar moustache. This time, he was certain there was some kind of mark on him.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for the man to still be tailing him after he had already escaped for forty or fifty miles.
"This won't do. I can't keep this up. My Five-Element Escape Talismans will run out eventually."
"I have to get back to the river."
In the river, he could use the Water Escape art, which was much faster than flying by manipulating Qi. It would allow him to engage in a battle of attrition with his pursuer.
This way, using a single Five-Element Escape Talisman could keep his pursuer at bay for two hundred breaths.
Immediately, relying on his sensitivity to water-element spiritual Qi, Chen Jianghe began flying in the direction where it was most dense.
When the man with the handlebar moustache closed to within three hundred meters, he used another high-grade Earth Escape Talisman without hesitation.
"A high-grade Talisman Master?"
Sensing Chen Jianghe use yet another high-grade talisman, the man's face first lit up with joy.
But then he shook his head.
"He can't be a high-grade Talisman Master. Otherwise, he wouldn't be running. Even at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he would have already turned around and killed me."
High-grade Talisman Masters were artisans with abundant resources.
They almost never lacked high-grade flying swords and might even possess high-grade defensive artifacts.
Therefore, even a seventh-level cultivator would have a chance to kill an eighth-level one who lacked high-grade artifacts.
Besides, as a high-grade Talisman Master, would he be short on high-grade talismans?
If one high-grade attack talisman couldn't kill you, what about ten used at once?
But a moment later, he began to have his doubts. If he wasn't a high-grade Talisman Master, how could he have so many high-grade Earth Escape Talismans?
This was the fifth one.
Each high-grade Earth Escape Talisman was worth fifteen spirit stones. Seventy-five spirit stones had already been spent.
The man's heart ached just thinking about it.
That was all his loot. Even if he had to hand over half to the stronghold, he'd still have over thirty spirit stones.
It was almost equal to his investment for this job.
At this moment, the man became even more convinced that he could reap a huge reward from Chen Jianghe. Ignoring the drastic increase in spiritual power consumption, he pushed his speed up another notch.
Furthermore, based on his knowledge, this fat sheep, Chen Jianghe, was likely an elder from some cultivator clan.
Out on a procurement mission for his clan.
Otherwise, he couldn't possibly be carrying so many escape talismans.
In other words.
Chen Jianghe definitely had a lot of spirit stones on him.
"I hope you give me a pleasant surprise. If so, I can finally leave Qingfeng Stronghold."
The man swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill and continued to increase his speed, chasing after Chen Jianghe.
Several dozen breaths later.
Chen Jianghe cast a water-repelling charm, leaped into the Wandering Immortal River, and used the Water Escape art.
"I still have five Five-Element Escape Talismans and five Qi Recovery Pills. I refuse to believe I can't shake you."
Chen Jianghe calculated the distance. He had been chased for over seventy miles, yet he hadn't seen any other marauders.
It was highly likely, then, that this man was chasing him alone.
If it was just one person, Chen Jianghe could find a way to take him out.
The precondition was that the man had no high-grade defensive artifacts. Otherwise, there was truly nothing he could do.
After escaping another thirty miles, Chen Jianghe swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill, restoring his spiritual power to sixty percent.
For safety, he would not let his spiritual power drop below sixty percent.
After using the Water Escape art once more, Chen Jianghe used a high-grade Water Escape Talisman to increase the distance between them.
This time, the man with the handlebar moustache grew anxious.
The effect of the Spirit Tracking Talisman was about to wear off.
The same went for the Swiftness Talisman; its effect was also fading.
Yet he discovered that Chen Jianghe still had high-grade escape talismans, while he himself was out of Swiftness and Spirit Tracking Talismans.
Marauders were not wealthy.
If they were, they wouldn't be marauders. It was a life of licking blood off a blade's edge; no one would willingly choose it, except for the high-ranking leaders.
After handing over half of their plundered resources, the rest was all used for cultivation,
Being able to prepare a Swiftness Talisman and a Spirit Tracking Talisman before a job was already a huge investment.
Normally, these two talismans were enough to slaughter any fat sheep.
But he had never expected to run into someone like this, someone who had so many escape talismans, all of them high-grade.
"I only have two Qi Recovery Pills left. If I can't catch him in the next half quarter-hour, I'll be in danger."
"But I've already sunk fifty spirit stones into this!"
The man hesitated.
He was a marauder, not a fool.
Once his two remaining Qi Recovery Pills were gone, if he still couldn't catch Chen Jianghe, he would be the one in danger.
But to give up after investing so much...
It would be like his last job was all for nothing.
"I'll use up the recovery pills. If I can't catch him while keeping seventy percent of my spiritual power, I'll give up."
With this thought, the man took another Qi Recovery Pill and maintained his high-consumption sword flight.
Chen Jianghe advanced within the Wandering Immortal River using Water Escape, while the man with the handlebar moustache flew on his sword above it.
Neither dared to stop for even a moment.
Another thirty miles passed in a flash.
In a quarter of an hour, he had fled nearly one hundred and forty miles.
Chen Jianghe swallowed his last Qi Recovery Pill. Watching the pursuer close in again, he felt this was no longer a simple marauder.
It was as if he had some deep-seated blood feud with the man, like he'd killed his father and stolen his wife.
Chasing for one hundred and forty miles... The man had clearly lost his head.
He no longer possessed the caution a marauder should have.
After all, it wasn't unheard of for marauders to be lured into traps. Dog-eat-dog situations could happen anywhere.
"Forget it, I'll use a Water Escape Talisman."
Chen Jianghe sensed his pursuer's speed decreasing slightly, a clear sign of dwindling spiritual power.
To avoid being baited himself...
He decided it was better not to fight. If he got injured, it could affect his lifespan.
"He has more!"
The man's bitter expression twisted. He took out his last Qi Recovery Pill, swallowed it, and his speed surged once more.
"Bastard! How can you have so many high-grade escape talismans?"
Normally quiet and introverted, he finally couldn't help but curse out loud.
"That's seven of them! One hundred and five spirit stones!"
"You bastard, if you'd just given me a hundred spirit stones, I would have let you go!"
At this moment, a deep hatred for Chen Jianghe bloomed in the man's heart. It was no longer a simple matter of robbery and murder.
He wanted to swallow Chen Jianghe alive.
All those resources were supposed to be his, wasted away in this chase.
On the river's surface, twenty miles away.
Chen Jianghe poked his head out, his gaze complex as he watched the approaching pursuer. His spiritual power had already dropped to fifty percent.
If he wanted to keep running, he would have to use a Water Escape Talisman.
Otherwise, if his spiritual power ran out, he would be in real danger.
However, after a chase of one hundred and sixty miles, the other party's resources for recovering spiritual power were likely almost depleted as well.
For the first time, Chen Jianghe felt such a strong urge to fight. He had no path of retreat left.
"Xiao Hei, you'll test him out in a moment."
Chen Jianghe sent a telepathic message to Xiao Hei.
"Master, don't be rash. How about you let me out? I can carry you and run."
"Alright. In that case, no need for testing."
Since he had decided to act, he would strike with the full force of a thunderbolt.