Chapter 194

Chapter 194: Setting the Trap to Kill

Using the power of the top-quality symbol, Shangguan Qianxue escaped from her antagonist once again.

But already injured, her strength was now greatly diminished, and her speed had notably slowed.

If not for the bell shielding her from part of the Illusionary Power’s effect, she probably would have collapsed long ago, given her injuries.

Just then, she keenly sensed a presence rapidly closing in from behind.

"How is this so fast?"

Shangguan Qianxue’s heart jumped with alarm. Ignoring her injuries, she quickened her pace.

Behind her, Zhou Luo saw this and a slight curve lifted the corner of his mouth.

With his movement technique and current condition, catching up to her would be effortless.

Right now, he intentionally maintained that neither too close nor too far distance, precisely to drain her strength continuously.

His best case scenario would be encountering another group of bandits like Ma Zhi, forcing her to stop and fight.

Only then could he better seize that top-grade magical artifact.

Although Shangguan Qianxue was an Immortal Sect disciple, that status held little weight here in the Longfeng Mountain range.

Zhou Luo had merely bumped into her by chance; they had no prior connection. Given the chance to take the treasures she carried, he wouldn’t let it pass.

Without a map, Shangguan Qianxue couldn’t determine her exact location.

She could only desperately flee outward. Only by escaping the Illusionary Forest could she possibly Deliver the Message to her fellow sect members and grasp a sliver of hope.

Earlier, she had tried to contact her sect.

But she hadn’t expected the Illusionary Forest to block all communication methods, robbing her of her greatest reliance.

There were quite a few Qinyuan Sect disciples training in the Longfeng Mountain range. She believed that as long as she sent word, someone would come to her aid.

Watching the woman’s chosen path from behind, Zhou Luo muttered to himself, "Why is she running towards the central region?"

The closer one got to the central region, the higher the likelihood of encountering bandit attacks, and the strength of the cultivators there would be significantly greater. What she was doing was practically akin to suicide.

Zhou Luo couldn’t let her proceed like that.

Otherwise, he himself would go from being the hunter to becoming the hunted.

So he decisively changed his attire, transforming into a middle-aged man, and prepared to intervene.

Boom—

Just then, a massive explosion suddenly erupted ahead.

Immediately after, a surge of crimson spiritual energy exploded outwards, carrying a violent, savage aura.

Bathed in the red light, a man in a grey robe appeared before Shangguan Qianxue, wearing a crooked grin.

"Well, this is an unexpected windfall."

Seeing him and sensing the vast power emanating from him, Shangguan Qianxue’s face turned deathly pale.

Eighth level of Qi Refinement!

She never dreamed she would encounter a powerhouse at the eighth level of Qi Refinement here.

It truly seemed the heavens meant for him to perish.

The man eyed Shangguan Qianxue, his gloomy gaze lingering on her flawless figure as he licked his lips. "Luck is on my side today, stumbling upon such prime goods."

The moment she spotted him, Shangguan Qianxue didn’t hesitate an instant before darting toward the opposite direction.

Trapped before a wolf and behind a tiger,

the only hope of survival lay in making the two tear each other apart.

Shangguan Qianxue’s judgment was sound.

Yet she never anticipated the "tiger" behind her to be nothing but a helpless lamb.

Zhou Luo frowned at the eighth-level Qi Refinement cultivator, slapped a spiritual symbol onto himself, and swiftly escaped toward another route.

He had no intention of meddling in this mess.

An eighth-level Qi Refinement expert—without his formations, he stood no chance of overcoming such a foe.

All he could do was bid farewell to that top-grade magical artifact.

Meanwhile, the man watched Shangguan Qianxue flee without concern, his grin undiminished.

"Stay, beauty. Serve as my alchemical furnace, and I’ll grant you ecstasy like never before,"

he declared, sleeves swirling as spiritual energy burst forth, propelling him forward like an arrow.

A powerful force erupted,

the crushing aura of eighth-level Qi Refinement rolling toward her.

Shangguan Qianxue instantly felt her body grow heavy, her spiritual energy sluggish.

Worse still, her awareness detected the presence behind her—Zhou Luo—actively escaping instead of aiding.

With no other choice, she hurled her final top-quality symbol backward.

The talisman detonated, unleashing terrifying power.

Confronted by the surging force of the spell, the man had no choice but to retreat temporarily.

Shangguan Qianxue seized the moment, pushing her injured form to sprint desperately away.

Observing from the shadows, Zhou Luo noted she had finally chosen the right path this time.

Watching the man hindered by the talisman, his mind raced through calculations.

It appeared the opponent’s strength was less imposing than feared.

Perhaps his spell formations stood a chance of eliminating the threat.

With that thought, he quickened his pace and vanished toward another direction.

Elsewhere, the talisman bought Shangguan Qianxue precious time.

Ignoring her wounds, she raced forward through the Illusionary Forest.

Behind her, the man weathered the talisman’s assault, now disheveled and wrathful—he hadn’t expected her to possess another top-quality symbol.

Its power was fierce but insufficient to kill him.

He swallowed a potion, unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, and tore after her.

Amidst the Illusionary Forest, pursuer and pursued darted between the trees, a deadly chase unfolding under the canopy.

Along the way, other cultivators also noticed this scene and harbored ill intentions, but upon sensing the oppressive aura emanating from the pursuer, they retreated back, minds clouded by apprehension.

Time passed, and as the man drew closer, Shangguan Qianxue grew increasingly frantic.

She had intended to take another potion.

But the potions she had prepared for this outing were nearly exhausted. Even her spiritual symbols were few in number. She had no other means left.

Were they truly destined to perish here?

Her face filled with despair.

She recalled the man mentioning something like an "alchemical furnace" earlier. It seemed this pursuer was a disciple of the Hehuan Sect.

If captured, what awaited her might well be a hellish fate from which there would be no recovery or escape.

That was utterly unacceptable to Shangguan Qianxue.

If escape truly proved impossible, the only option left seemed to be ending her own life.

"Come this way."

Just as despair threatened to engulf Shangguan Qianxue, a rich voice suddenly sounded.

Her heart lurched. Unable to think clearly, she instinctively charged towards the source of the voice.

With death imminent, no one could remain calm or make rational decisions.

In that moment, the voice was like a drowning man’s Last Hope. Perhaps the straw was illusory, but the instinct was to seize it regardless.

"You cannot escape."

Behind her, the man’s body glowed crimson. His speed surged explosively.

In an instant, he was right behind Shangguan Qianxue.

He reached out his right hand, intending to seize her.

BOOM—

At that precise moment, a thunderous blast erupted. Brilliant spiritual radiance flooded forth, suddenly enveloping the entire surrounding area in dazzling light.

The pursuing man hesitated, recognition dawning on his face.

An array?

The next second, countless blades of light materialized in the air and shot towards him like lethal projectiles.

The man’s eyes darkened slightly, his face hardening with murderous intent. He summoned a blood-red magic sword. With a sweep of the blade, he unleashed a blinding, sweeping sword light to parry the incoming attack.

Shangguan Qianxue seized the precious moment to gasp for breath.

"Over here," the voice sounded again.

Shangguan Qianxue hurried towards the speaker and quickly located him.

It was a middle-aged man, holding an array control disc, concentrating on manipulating the protective formation’s effects.

Shangguan Qianxue did not recognize this man, but since he had just saved her life, her face naturally reflected profound gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me, Senior!"