Chapter 331

Chapter 331: Losing Direction

Though he knew Gui You Quan possessed higher cultivation than himself, Huangfu Ao had no intention of fleeing again, for this time, he was fully prepared!

Facing Huangfu Ao’s grave expression, Gui You Quan appeared utterly relaxed, not taking Huangfu Ao seriously at all. This was because he had lied to Lou Yun the previous time; although Huangfu Ao was also from that other world, his true strength was far from Gui You Quan’s, falling short by no small margin!

By now, Huangfu Xuanlan and every member of the Huangfu Family had appeared. Yet they all stood on the island, not a single one daring to fly into the air to assist Huangfu Ao against Gui You Quan.

For at this moment, the immense presences radiating from these two men felt like an invisible mountain, pressing down upon the entire island, rendering the Huangfu Family utterly incapable of movement!

Although Huangfu Xuanlan and the others knew Huangfu Ao’s strength surpassed their own, they hadn’t previously considered the gap overwhelmingly large. But here and now, under the crushing pressure emanating from these two transcendent experts who clearly belonged to another world, they finally realized how childish their initial thoughts had been. The realms of that world were wholly beyond their understanding!

Nevertheless, this stirred a faint doubt in Huangfu Xuanlan’s mind. Regardless of the other eight families, the cultivation method of his own Huangfu Family should be identical to that practiced by their counterparts in that world. Logically, even accounting for differences due to natural gifts and the like—each cultivator might exhibit some variance—it shouldn’t result in such a vast chasm!

His own magical weapon realm had reached emperor rank one-star, and he was practicing both magical and ordinary skills to achieve that emperor rank one-star level. Even if Huangfu Ao was emperor rank five-star, beneath the same major realm, it shouldn’t subject him to such an overwhelming pressure!

Could it be that the cultivation techniques and methods employed by the Huangfu Family of Spirit Weapon Star differed from those of their counterparts in that other world? And not just minor variations, but significant disparities?

This suspicion whirled in Huangfu Xuanlan’s mind, but he didn’t dare voice it. He knew all too well that while that other world seemed lofty and unreachable, the Huangfu Family there witnessed everything occurring on Spirit Weapon Star as if it were right before their eyes. If they learned of these disrespectful thoughts he harbored, replacing him as clan head would be a simple, all-too-easy matter!

Huangfu Xuanlan forced the thought down, buried deep within his heart. He lifted his head and focused intently on the impending battle between Huangfu Ao and Gui You Quan.

Gui You Quan and Huangfu Ao both radiated intense auras, yet neither moved first to strike, seemingly waiting for a flaw to appear in the other.

In truth, Gui You Quan refrained from attacking to buy time for Lou Yun to flee further, ensuring the Huangfu Family couldn’t catch him.

Huangfu Ao’s hesitation, however, stemmed from genuine fear. But seeing the light smile on Gui You Quan’s face, a sudden realization struck him—he grasped his opponent’s intention! A sharp, resonant cry tore from his throat; he could no longer contain himself and finally attacked!

Before the cry faded, Huangfu Ao took a fierce step in midair. Everyone’s vision blurred; he suddenly appeared just three paces from Gui You Quan.

His speed was such that even the Huangfu Family’s most powerful Grand Elder couldn’t track his movement. It was as if he had simply vanished one instant and reappeared the next.

Of course, had Lou Yun been present, his soul perception would have allowed him to clearly perceive Huangfu Ao’s shift.

As Huangfu Ao moved, Gui You Quan—who had refused to strike first—shifted his form simultaneously. His movement stunned everyone, for he vanished from sight entirely! They could plainly see that within the range of their vision, there was no trace of Gui You Quan!

People blinked, ensuring their eyes hadn’t deceived them. A few less courageous Huangfu Family members even murmured inwardly—could this man be an immortal?

Others saw nothing, but Huangfu Ao clearly knew Gui You Quan’s whereabouts, for a flicker of excitement flashed across his face. Then, head down and feet up, he gave a sudden twist and plunged directly into the seawater!

Seeing Huangfu Ao’s action, comprehension dawned on the crowd: Gui You Quan must also have surged into the sea. A puzzle lingered, though—why fight underwater instead of the air? Despite their terrifying strength, water resistance would inevitably hamper their abilities. Especially here in the Ghost Sea, where the water’s resistance was notoriously immense.

They couldn’t know Gui You Quan’s true objective for entering the water was to seize an opportunity for stealing the Divine Heavenly Weapons!

Though the sealed vault housing the Divine Heavenly Weapons must be incredibly robust, Gui You Quan cared nothing for such obstacles.

The reason for Huangfu Ao’s excitement upon seeing Gui You Quan flee below the surface was similar—his own ample preparations were also centered on the Divine Heavenly Weapons!

In Huangfu Ao’s eyes, Gui You Quan plunging into the ocean actually suited his purpose perfectly; it expedited his own access to the Divine Heavenly Weapons!

Seeing both super experts vanish beneath the sea—and knowing their cultivation levels made observing the underwater battle unlikely—the Huangfu Family members turned their eyes to Huangfu Xuanlan.

"Clan Head, shouldn’t we pursue Lou Yun?"

Silent for a moment after hearing the question, Huangfu Xuanlan shook his head. "No. Don’t pursue. Lou Yun has been gone a long while. At his speed, we likely couldn’t catch him. We’ll wait here and see the outcome of this battle."

This decision took everyone aback. They glanced at each other in confusion; why would the Clan Head abandon the chase?

"Clan Head," spoke Huangfu Xuanlan’s second brother, "Lou Yun’s strength isn’t great. He hasn’t been gone that long. We probably still have a chance to overtake him. Allow me to pursue!"

Huangfu Xuanlan snapped, glaring fiercely. "I said no pursuit. Did you not hear me?"

The words silenced them all instantly. No one dared utter another syllable—though intense bewilderment swirled within each mind. What had come over the Clan Head today?

Little did they know, a seed of disrespect had already taken root in Huangfu Xuanlan’s mind. Consequently, he felt less compelled to zealously uphold the ancestral mandates passed down through generations of the Huangfu Family.

Regardless, with the Clan Head clearly unwilling to chase, the others could only obey his command. They stationed themselves along the shore, eyes locked anxiously on the inky, black waters, awaiting the outcome of the struggle between Huangfu Ao and Gui You Quan.

…………

Lou Yun abandoned Gui You Quan and fled deep into the vast ocean alone. Hoping to avoid pursuit by the Huangfu Family, he didn’t pick a fixed direction, instead constantly altering his course as he fled.

While this aided escape, it also meant he gradually lost his bearings within this boundless sea devoid of landmarks.

Seeing the sun now high at the sky’s center, Lou Yun halted atop the Dream Emperor Sword. Surveying his surroundings, he mentally calculated the time: one night and half a day had passed since leaving the Huangfu Family. Even if the Huangfu Family pursued him, he should have successfully shaken them off. Yet, where exactly was he?

Scratching his head, Lou Yun conceded he truly didn’t know his location. However, he wasn’t worried about his own predicament; his thoughts dwelled instead on Gui You Quan. Had the man who stayed behind to intercept Huangfu Ao and buy him escape time encountered any danger? Logically, given Gui You Quan’s formidable strength, even if he couldn’t win, escaping shouldn’t pose a problem.

Sustaining full-speed flight for so long, despite the Thunderstorm Fire within him constantly generating Xiao Huo to replenish his spiritual energy, his reserves were clearly insufficient to meet the demands. He decided to find a place to rest thoroughly and wait for Gui You Quan.

He had so utterly lost himself, though, that he held no confidence Gui You Quan could possibly find him.

Standing in the air, Lou Yun gazed into the distance. With his soul manifest, his innate senses had become incredibly potent. He easily spotted an island on the far horizon.

Lou Yun decided to head to that island for a brief rest. There, he could replenish his spiritual energy and hopefully wait for Gui You Quan. Perhaps the remarkably resourceful man genuinely could locate him.

Controlling the Dream Emperor Sword, Lou Yun flew directly toward the island, simultaneously lowering his altitude. By the time he reached the island’s boundary, he was skimming barely above the ground.

His spirit perception extended deep into the island. He urgently needed to discern if anyone was present and, if so, the strength of those inhabitants. In his current state, avoiding any conflict was paramount.

The island was immense, seemingly boundless at a glance. Its topography featured undulating mountains and abundant vegetation. Especially striking was an extremely steep mountain in the island’s depths that pierced the clouds—its rock was an unsettling red color. Not vividly crimson, yet striking enough to be deeply unsettling.

Lou Yun’s spirit perception probed continuously deeper into the island. Images corresponding to the sensed terrain materialized in his mind in real-time, shifting as his perception swept the area.

He’d coined a name for this new exploratory method granted by his soul: Spirit Vision. To him, it felt like the soul itself was observing, not mere spiritual perception.

Though the Spirit Vision’s range only stretched a hundred meters, Lou Yun moved with exceptional speed. Within moments, he’d covered an area spanning twenty to thirty li. Within this zone, he detected only animal life—no human presence.

Twenty to thirty li was less than a hundredth of the island’s likely immense area. Surveying it entirely might require half a day—time Lou Yun didn’t possess, his spiritual energy reserves depleting too rapidly. He decided to rest within the already scanned area. Even if others were on the island, they shouldn’t disturb him here.

Decision made, Lou Yun suppressed all his auras. Guiding the Dream Emperor Sword, he descended slowly until his feet touched the soft, sandy ground.