Chapter 203

Chapter 203: First Kill at the Condensing Essence Stage

After entering the dense forest, Yang Lingrui went straight to the thickest central tree and began meditating.

By the time the Eastern Wilderness cultivators’ screams faded, he’d nearly recovered his strength.

Rustle…

Trees trembled, shedding leaves.

The giant tree beside Yang Lingrui shrank until it revealed a human form.

He Shenglai swallowed the glowing green root back into his stomach.

The two exchanged glances, immediately turning to rush toward the Tiger-Chasing frontline.

With ten deaths at once, Eastern Wilderness would react quickly.

Being too near their frontline meant pursuers would come once located.

Two Tiger-Chasing talents delivered to their doorstep – including the infamous "yellow wind ghost" – guaranteed serious pursuit.

This time, Eastern Wilderness wouldn’t send Gathering Qi cultivators. They’d deploy Condensing Essence stage experts.

After running ten miles, icy energy blasted toward their backs.

Yang Lingrui raised a spiritual power barrier, but frost pierced through. He threw spiritual shield and diamond talismans – useless.

Within breaths, cold invaded his bones, creeping toward Qi Palace and heart.

"Hmph."

He Shenglai glanced backward. "Stay close."

A crimson flower bloomed in his palm. Petals scattered, forming fiery walls around them that repelled the chill.

Yang Lingrui’s numbness vanished instantly. This essence-driven cold felt familiar – like witnessing Condensing Essence techniques years ago.

"Lord He, this is true essence frost."

"Correct. Eastern Wilderness wants your ‘yellow wind ghost’ head badly."

He Shenglai smiled. This proved Yang Lingrui’s three-month slaughter had crossed their tolerance threshold.

BOOM!

Three icy walls thirty meters tall crashed down, blocking escape.

A rumbling voice descended:

"Young ones, stay awhile. This elder invites you mountainward."

Looking up, they saw a white-haired old cultivator in ice-blue robes descending.

"Oh? Earth Flame Flower?"

When he recognized the object in He Shenglai’s hand, surprise immediately flashed in Yang Lingrui’s eyes.

"To possess such a rare item, these two Tiger-Chasing youngsters must have significant backgrounds!"

"Capturing them would not only secure the original bounty but also earn a major merit!"

Eager at this thought, he waved his hand to summon a sack-shaped spiritual treasure. A tremendous sucking force erupted.

Yang Lingrui felt weightless as he floated upward, on the verge of being sucked into the bag.

Suddenly the ground rippled. Thick roots emerged, yanking him back to earth.

Before the two individuals, a thirty-meter cold mountain pine sprouted from the soil.

The pine immediately started devouring the surrounding cold energy, restoring normal temperatures.

"Another treasure!"

The white-haired old cultivator blinked when He Shenglai produced another treasure.

Both Earth Flame Flower and cold mountain pine were costly treasures he’d hesitate to purchase himself.

"Wood-element treasures… Tiger-Chasing group… The He Family of Wanzhong Forest!"

Realization dawned on the old cultivator, greed igniting in his eyes.

"Such protections prove high status – likely a direct lineage heir!"

"Fortune smiles! Catching a minor ghost and wealthy heir – my path to Condensing Essence mid-stage!"

Abandoning restraint, he unleashed his true essence. Ice encased the entire area.

Even the Earth Flame Flower’s protective glow flickered.

"Cease struggling against my full power!"

Frost-formed giant hands materialized, ripping the cold mountain pine from the ground.

Piercing cold overwhelmed the tree, flash-freezing it into crystalline ice.

CRACK!

The old cultivator clenched his fist, shattering the frozen pine to glittering dust.

He reached for the captives again, eyes blazing with visions of cultivation advancement.

Then his peripheral vision caught crimson light above.

"Danger!"

His mind screamed warning. Crushing an emergency talisman, he abandoned his prey and fled eastward as icy mist.

"Damnation! Why’s that calamity here?!"

All ambitions forgotten, survival became his sole focus as he raced toward Eastern Wilderness.

But the refuge remained distant. His icy gusts couldn’t outpace the pursuing red lightning.

Yang Lingrui saw only a scarlet flash. The fleeing mist solidified into a charred corpse crashing to earth.

"Hey Shenglai! You called it!"

A voice drifted in with the red thundercloud.

Hong Yao emerged slowly, declaring, "Let’s split the credit for the first Condensing Essence kill in this Eastern Expedition fifty-fifty!"

"Haha, Lord Hong Yao flatters me. As previously agreed, twenty percent suffices for my part."

He Shenglai turned with a chuckle.

Yang Lingrui finally grasped the situation.

He’d gravely miscalculated.

He’d assumed He Shenglai lured him here using tree shadows merely to eliminate pursuing soldiers.

Instead, the man had used him as live bait to draw Eastern Wilderness Condensing Essence cultivators into the open, allowing the ambushed Hong Yao to strike.

No Condensing Essence cultivators had perished in the Eastern Expedition until yesterday – only severe injuries had been reported.

Hong Yao’s group had been seeking chances to claim such a kill.

When Eastern Wilderness cultivators chased Yang Lingrui, He Shenglai seized the opportunity. His layered scheme isolated the white-haired old cultivator in the battle zone.

Capturing two Gathering Qi cultivators required no grand effort – unlike apprehending the central region’s Green Mountain Guest. One Condensing Essence expert sufficed.

This trap created ideal conditions for Hong Yao’s ambush.

He Shenglai’s familiarity with Hong Yao stemmed from her cultivation needs.

Thunder-attuned treasures remained scarce across the Zhuhu Dynasty. Only the He Family of Wanzhong Forest reliably produced Condensing Essence-quality thunderstrike wood.

Thus He Shenglai had known Hong Yao since childhood, while she’d witnessed his growth.

"My respects, Lord Hong Yao."

"So you’re the ‘yellow wind ghost’ haunting Eastern Wilderness soldiers’ nights! Yang Lingrui did ring familiar."

Hong Yao studied him briefly before asking, "Has your family produced successors practicing that hidden treasure cultivation method?"

She recalled gifting the Transformation Pill and now probed the Yang Family’s progress.

"The method’s requirements prove too stringent. Our house lacks suitable candidates presently."

Yang Lingrui kept Yuanhong’s existence hidden.

The boy ranked second only to Chen Yang in family secrecy.

"Naturally. That technique originated as forbidden arts before the National Master overhauled its foundations for the hidden treasure."