Chapter 13: Escape

In the pitch-black night, Linlang’s magnificent feathers blended into the darkness, a storage bag with all their necessary items hanging from her neck.

Huo Zhi closed her eyes as Linlang held her in a low-altitude flight. Though mentally prepared, her cultivation technique nearly faltered. Linlang’s strength after recovering from her injuries was truly immense—she could actually lift and carry Huo Zhi.

Huo Zhi had initially thought of turning into a little fox, but 006 had said that while her volume would decrease, her weight wouldn’t lighten. The cultivation world still followed the conservation of mass. Huo Zhi was speechless at that.

Linlang quickly flew to the edge of the barrier and set Huo Zhi down. The two immediately began their pre-agreed division of labor.

Linlang was responsible for breaking the barrier talisman array with Fire Bullet Talismans, while Huo Zhi was in charge of activating Ice Barrier Talismans, surrounding their position with them, layering them to grow thicker and taller.

The basic Ice Barrier Talismans had poor effect—only two or three centimeters thick and one meter tall.

Ahead, Linlang relentlessly unleashed Fire Bullet Talismans, while their surroundings were continuously encased in ice. It was truly a clash of ice and fire.

“Host, Qin Ceyi is coming!” Huo Zhi had just deployed a little over twenty ice barriers when 006 called out.

What was bound to come, had come!

“He’s here! Speed up!” Huo Zhi hurriedly sent a Sound Transmission to Linlang, and she herself scrambled to place ice barriers around them.

“Yu’er, what are you doing? Why are you not being obedient anymore?” A male voice, laced with a cold sneer, transmitted over.

It was Qin Ceyi.

Hearing Qin Ceyi’s voice made Huo Zhi feel both disgusted and terrified. She hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly. Too few ice barriers had been placed; they wouldn’t hold for long.

“My Yu’er has become quite capable. Where did you get these shoddy Ice Barrier Talismans? Quite amusing!” And indeed, as Qin Ceyi’s voice arrived, a loud bang followed, sending shattered ice flying in all directions. The ice barriers Huo Zhi had used to block Qin Ceyi all crumbled into pieces, the stacked ice losing balance and toppling over. A few shards splashed onto Huo Zhi’s face.

Ignoring the stinging pain on her face, Huo Zhi retreated several steps back and triggered another dozen or so talismans. No longer placing them in an orderly fashion, she hurled them all in the direction of Qin Ceyi within her Spiritual Sense’s range, some acting like rocks thrown at him.

In the darkness, Qin Ceyi stood atop a Boat-Shaped Talisman Artifact, suspended mid-air, his face full of malice and gloom, his earlier benevolent mask long gone. He hadn’t expected his supposedly well-behaved and docile disciple to dare attempt escape in the middle of the night!

And colluding with that little Cinnabar Bird Demon to flee together!

With their meager cultivation and these inferior talismans from who-knows-where, did they actually think they could run?

What a joke!

After destroying several layers of ice barriers, Qin Ceyi prepared to use an Object Retrieval Talisman to grab Huo Zhi. But more ice blocks flew towards his face. He deflected them with the Sword-Shaped Talisman Artifact in his hand, cutting through them as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Qin Ceyi thought that was it, but as soon as he deflected them, more came!

“How many of these do you have?! You only have less than a hundred spirit stones!” Qin Ceyi sneered as he continued sweeping through them with his talisman artifact.

He knew exactly how much wealth Huo Zhi had, knew the assets of every disciple on his Lotus Mist Peak.

Even if Huo Zhi had robbed everyone, it would still be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

In the darkness, Huo Zhi remained silent, continuing to fling out Ice Barrier Talismans while mixing a Freezing Talisman drawn on Yellow-Grade Talisman Paper into the barrage. This type of talisman could encase anything within its range in a block of ice over a meter thick.

If it hit accurately, Qin Ceyi would be trapped in ice, giving them a little more time.

“Yu’er, what are you trying to do? Do you realize…” Qin Ceyi transmitted his voice to Huo Zhi while casually deflecting the ice barriers, when suddenly he felt a bone-chilling cold envelop him. His body, previously suspended by his talisman artifact, plummeted to the ground—he was trapped by the Freezing Talisman.

Huo Zhi didn’t dare relax. She continuously triggered Ice Barrier Talismans, piling them onto the massive block of ice.

“How is it? Speed up!” Huo Zhi asked Linlang while still throwing talismans.

“Almost!” Linlang transmitted back. She was, of course, holding nothing back at this moment. She had already triggered over fifty Fire Bullet Talismans and was also secretly using the Nether Soul Thread to assist. The barrier’s talisman array was growing thinner and thinner, on the verge of breaking.

“Yu’er, I’m getting angry!” As the voice came, the small glacier Huo Zhi had covered with ice blocks began to tremble violently.

Hearing Qin Ceyi’s voice, Huo Zhi’s hand trembled, and her technique almost shattered. Every sound around her felt like a death countdown. Qin Ceyi was about to break through!

Just as Huo Zhi was about to ask Linlang about the progress again, her shoulder was gripped tightly once more—Linlang had seized her shoulder with her claws.

“Go!” Linlang transmitted to Huo Zhi, swiftly flying out of the gap that had been blasted open in the barrier.

The barrier’s talisman array began to heal itself at a visible speed behind them. At the same moment, from within the layers of ice, Qin Ceyi let out an angry roar. With a deafening boom, the small glacier exploded, chunks of ice blasted outward by a tremendous force. Qin Ceyi walked out from the center, his expression grim and menacing.

The Boat-Shaped Talisman Artifact rose into the air again, carrying Qin Ceyi out of the Lotus Mist Peak’s barrier as he gave chase.

And yet, although Linlang’s speed was not bad, she was still not as fast as Qin Ceyi’s talisman artifact, nor could she fly out of his perception range.

The moment Qin Ceyi emerged, he fully extended his Spiritual Sense and, guided by the compass disc’s pointer in his hand, pursued Huo Zhi at full speed. He closed in on them rapidly. The Object Retrieval Talisman in his hand activated, and a massive hand formed from Spiritual Qi, as if it had eyes, shot swiftly towards Huo Zhi. Before Huo Zhi could react, it directly grabbed her body hanging in the air.

The Spiritual Qi of the Core Formation Stage was vast and mighty; even from a distance, the force was immense.

Huo Zhi was bound by the formless giant hand, the pulling force dragging her downward and backward.

Linlang, clutching Huo Zhi’s shoulder, was also pulled downward by that force.

“Yu’er, stop struggling. You can’t escape. I’ve already sent a Sound Transmission to my Martial Nephew, the sect leader, asking him to activate the Sky Mist Sect’s Mountain Protection Grand Array,” Qin Ceyi’s voice came.

Huo Zhi’s body tried to mobilize Spiritual Qi, but she couldn’t move a single wisp. Her body felt as if it had been locked in place, making even transformation difficult.

Huo Zhi thought, Crap. This was no ordinary Object Retrieval Talisman; it had simultaneously sealed the circulation of Spiritual Qi within her. She guessed Qin Ceyi also didn’t want her to panic and reveal the true form of her Heavenly Fox Physique for the rest of the sect to see.

If that was the case, Huo Zhi had no way to activate talismans, couldn’t even access her storage bag, let alone trigger those talismans.

“Linlang, my Spiritual Qi is sealed. Drop me, you go first! Qin Ceyi’s target is me.” Seeing the situation before her, Huo Zhi gritted her teeth and told Linlang.

Huo Zhi quickly considered her options: she could use her talisman-drawing ability to protect herself. If that failed, she would reveal her Heavenly Fox Physique and let the entire sect fight over her, letting them tear each other apart while she found a chance to escape.

But that would be far too dangerous; it would attract cultivators with even higher cultivation. Just thinking about it made Huo Zhi tremble.

Linlang stiffened when she heard Huo Zhi’s Sound Transmission.

She hadn’t expected that at this moment, Huo Zhi would tell her to leave first.

“Linlang, go quickly! I have my own methods. If you don’t leave now, the Mountain Protection Grand Array will be activated!” Huo Zhi urged Linlang again, reaching up to pry Linlang’s claws loose. At the same time, she pulled the storage bag off her own body and hung it on Linlang’s claws.

In the darkness, Linlang’s claw was pried open one talon at a time by Huo Zhi. She released Huo Zhi, whose feet landed back on the ground.

Without the burden, Linlang’s body soared effortlessly to a higher altitude, climbing rapidly and flying into the distance.

Seeing Linlang fly away, Huo Zhi’s heart relaxed. Her body was then violently pulled by a great force back in Qin Ceyi’s direction.

“Yu’er, you should know, you can’t survive without me. Silly Yu’er, your cultivation technique was taught by me. Only I can resolve its flaws,” Qin Ceyi’s voice came again.

Hearing Qin Ceyi’s hypocritical tone and ominous words, Huo Zhi didn’t know what other tricks he had prepared, but her scalp tingled with horror.

As she was dragged closer, Huo Zhi could clearly see Qin Ceyi’s lewd face twisted into a strange smile, making her skin crawl with revulsion and raising goosebumps. She was urgently organizing her words, trying to negotiate with Qin Ceyi, when suddenly, a burst of fiery red exploded in front of her, blocking Qin Ceyi’s sinister visage. The vast expanse of fiery red severed the Spiritual Qi Hand of Qin Ceyi’s Object Retrieval Talisman!