Chapter 1594: Hunt in the Fog (Part Two)

The two of them had attacked in an instant, but after this momentary exchange, neither of them could continue to attack.

Just as they dodged each other’s attack, both of them extended their figures and once again disappeared into the vast dense fog of the forest.

Behind a large tree, after circling around in the dense fog, Li Yan quickly landed here. His already transparent figure was leaning against the large tree.

And his entire person also seemed to have merged with the trunk of the large tree.

His divine sense was quietly released, but just like before, he had once again lost track of the other party.

Li Yan’s previous plan was effective. As long as the other party used an art to attack, it would inevitably trigger changes in the laws of heaven and earth.

It was in that instant that Li Yan had found the other party’s hiding place.

‘How was that wind blade formed? I only sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations when it was already falling! If I hadn’t dodged a little earlier, even with my speed, I should have been hit by the other party’s attack.’

As Li Yan investigated, a strange look appeared in his heart.

He knew that this kind of variant spirit root cultivator was difficult to deal with, but he hadn’t expected the other party to be this powerful.

This was also the first time Li Yan had fought against a variant spirit root cultivator who surpassed his own level. After one round, he had not gained any advantage and had almost been killed by the other party’s counterattack.

Li Yan considered that a basic art like the Wind Blade Art, he had already cultivated to the Great Ascension stage during his Foundation Establishment stage.

He did not think that if he continued to cultivate it later, he would be able to make any further progress.

But seeing it today, his so-called Great Ascension stage was still just a joke.

In front of a true cultivator with a specific variant spirit root, he couldn’t even sense when that wind blade had condensed, or when it had reached above his head.

In the end, he had relied on his sense of crisis between life and death. Without even being certain, he had dodged, and only then had he escaped a disaster.

Otherwise, by the time he discovered the spiritual energy fluctuations when the wind blade fell, it would definitely have been too late, and he might have already been decapitated.

At this moment, Li Yan had already completely confirmed the other party’s identity. It was that very delicate-looking Han Zhumei. When she passed the first trial, this person had seemed very relaxed.

The speed at which the other party summoned the wind-attribute power was even faster than the changes in the world caused by the art. Li Yan had first sensed the heart palpitation, and then in the next instant, he had sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations above his head and in the distance.

Although the other party’s summoned wind-attribute power was almost traceless, when the attack was launched, it still allowed Li Yan to sense the appearance of spiritual energy fluctuations.

It was just that there was an extremely small difference in speed between the two.

The other party’s major realm was the same as Li Yan’s, but in the minor realms, they surpassed Li Yan by two levels. It was only because Li Yan’s divine sense and reaction were strong enough.

Li Yan felt that if the other party’s cultivation were to reach the initial-stage Void Refining realm, perhaps he would not be able to be certain of the concealment of this attack, and might not be able to dodge before the heart palpitation.

Previously, while Li Yan was planning to expose himself, he had already secretly used the “Nine Cauldrons Gui Water” to condense a heavy water pearl, which he held secretly in his palm.

As soon as he felt something was wrong, he immediately threw it out without hesitation!

But that woman’s movement skill was even more bizarre. It was not like his own, which involved turning in small angles, but was truly like a gust of wind.

With just a flash of her figure, she disappeared again. At this time, Li Yan once again could not search for the other party.

However, after one exchange, Li Yan’s true purpose had already been achieved!

After exposing himself and exchanging blows with the other party, as long as Han Zhumei held the same thoughts as him—on the one hand, searching for the location of the Broken Army Sect, and on the other hand, planning to assassinate their own high-level cultivators—now that she had encountered him, she would most likely not let him go.

Especially since the other party should have already guessed that he was also an expert in concealment. In that case, Han Zhumei would be even more unlikely to let him leave alive.

Otherwise, he would also cause huge hidden damage to the Bright Flame Sect.

So, at this time, Li Yan had actually firmly held the other party back and was not afraid that she could leave again…

On a huge plantain leaf, Han Zhumei’s equally transparent body stood quietly. Looking at the surging dense fog everywhere, she also withdrew her divine sense.

That cultivator had also disappeared in a flash!

Her beautiful eyebrows were tightly furrowed, because before, her divine sense, under the interference of the surroundings, was in a state of unclear burrs.

She had only seen a black shadow flash past and had not seen clearly who the other party was.

‘The attacking art was a heavy water pearl condensed from water-attribute magical power. Its power and speed are extremely sharp, which really resembles a member of the Demon Clan. The attack style is very domineering and fierce, but did she deliberately conceal her demonic qi? Also… the wrong direction of that wisp of mist earlier, was it done on purpose to lure me out? Or is the art she cast really not perfectly cultivated?’

Han Zhumei speculated in her heart.

Just now, her divine sense had instantly locked onto the black shadow that flew out and attacked her, but it had already been continuously consumed and had dissipated into a cloud of water vapor.

It was a heavy water pearl condensed from a water-attribute art, but there was no demonic qi in the water vapor as she had expected, which made her a little suspicious of her guess.

Mu Guyue’s height was not much different from Li Yan’s, so in Han Zhumei’s glance, she could only determine that the figure should not be Ren Yanyu, but was very similar to Mu Guyue.

After one strike, the other party disappeared again. This made Han Zhumei, just as Li Yan had guessed, have no intention of leaving here at all.

Such a person had actually appeared in the Broken Army Sect. If not dealt with, the potential danger would be too great.

Han Zhumei felt that among her sect’s Spirit Transformation cultivators, apart from herself, the others would probably not be able to dodge a sneak attack from this person after they had hidden themselves.

She was an expert in stealth and assassination. She knew too well how terrifying people like her were. They were simply the nightmare of cultivators of the same rank.

Even a Void Refining realm cultivator, if not careful, could only die with regret.

And similarly, Han Zhumei was also convinced that the enemy opposite would not let her leave easily. Because, they were the same kind of person!

For a time, this patch of forest fell silent again. Both of them were searching for each other’s tracks, and at the same time, quietly waiting for the other to reveal a flaw.

Han Zhumei quickly recalled a question she had thought of before. Did the other party’s cultivation method have a flaw just now?

If so, it meant that the other party, after running this concealment cultivation method for a long time, would have a loophole, which gave her an opportunity to exploit.

But if not, then the other party was luring her to attack, which was a countermeasure.

‘Are you a cunning person, or is your cultivation not refined?’

Han Zhumei kept replaying the previous scene in her mind. The two of them were stationary in one place, and both were unable to find the other.

But as long as they moved slightly, with their perception of the world, they would have a chance to sense that the other party, due to walking, had caused a certain space to become different…

In the forest, after a long while, the wild beasts, finding that it had completely returned to tranquility, slowly drilled out from the ground or walked over cautiously from other places…

The two of them could use the laws of heaven and earth to merge with the surrounding environment, but it was impossible for them to become other living beings. And the aura within a living being’s body was also very difficult to imitate.

To truly achieve that step, such a cultivator would be a true immortal, with all sorts of transformations.

Time passed bit by bit. Han Zhumei was still patiently searching for the other party when her expression suddenly changed.

Because at the position of a large tree trunk, she had discovered a clue.

When her “Moon White Wind Clear” rode the wind and gently brushed past the forest, the outline of that large tree, formed by the wind’s resistance, was once again imprinted in her mind.

She had already scanned this large tree several times, but at this moment, it seemed to be different.

Because, the outline of the large tree seemed to be a little thicker than before. And, it was only slightly thicker by a tiny bit.

However, Han Zhumei was an expert in stealth and assassination, and a cultivator’s memory was, of course, unforgettable.

What’s more, over the years, her immersion in this path had made her remember every detail.

It had been overlooked before because she was focusing on investigating the suspicious area. At this time, on the trunk of that large tree, a brown giant python was slowly lowering a section of its body from a branch.

A part of that section of its body was vertically pressed against the tree trunk. And after the giant python’s body extended out, its triangular head extended horizontally, like a protruding tree branch.

The patterns on this python’s body were almost identical to the bark of this tree. Both the color and the wrinkles on its body that looked like they were cracked were almost the same as the bark of that giant tree.

However, Han Zhumei discovered that after the giant python came down vertically, there was a tiny gap between the abdomen of that small vertical section of its body and the tree trunk.

If not for her divine sense, with the naked eye alone, one would probably have to get very close to discover that tiny difference.

That inconspicuous difference was as if the python’s abdomen could not stick tightly to the tree trunk due to the ups and downs of the bark texture.

“A trap?”

After discovering this, Han Zhumei did not act immediately, but had been observing that large tree all along.

Gradually, she discovered that the image of the tree trunk that was a circle thicker than she remembered was beginning to return to normal with almost imperceptible changes.

“That’s not right. Her cultivation method seems to have a flaw. Could it be that during long periods of operation, there will be a brief problem at some point?”

Han Zhumei discovered that the giant python, completely unaware, had its abdomen pressed tightly against the tree trunk again…

She observed for a while longer, but did not find any other abnormalities with that large tree, and Han Zhumei remained motionless.

Until two hundred breaths later, she saw that large tree, with imperceptible changes, become a little thicker again…

Not long after, it once again returned to the size she remembered before. And Han Zhumei still stared intently at that large tree. Time passed quickly, and a quarter of an hour had passed…

‘Mu Guyue’s cultivation method, if not intentional, then it really has some kind of flaw. It probably takes at least two hundred breaths or more before it appears for some reason!’

Han Zhumei thought of that small patch of mist again. At first, there was no change, but it was only after a period of time that a clue appeared.

“Two abnormalities appeared, both during the process of concealment…”

Thinking of this, her transparent body slowly floated away from the plantain leaf with the wind in the fog.

It was just that her floating speed was as slow as a turtle’s, and her direction was not straight towards that large tree, but floating to one side.

She knew that once she unfolded her speed, the other party would immediately notice. And at this moment, she was truly just relying on the blowing of the wind, going with the wind.

She suppressed the strangeness brought about by her riding the wind as much as possible. Han Zhumei still had a certain degree of confidence in this kind of stealth method. This was her strongest stealth method.

She was completely relying on the power of the wind in the air. But in order not to really float far away, she would always sense the various wind directions in the air.

Because when the wind blew against any obstacle, it would change direction. Then she would take the opportunity to step on another gust of wind. This process was very exhausting.

These winds, in the eyes of others, were formless things, and they only knew that their blowing had a general direction.

But all of this, in Han Zhumei’s perception, was like floating ribbons of different directions everywhere in the world.

And they were ubiquitous. So Han Zhumei’s overall direction, although she did not float directly towards that large tree, she was secretly, while constantly changing the wind direction she stepped on, already floating in the area around that large tree.

Slowly, as she floated, she had almost formed a complete circle!

This was exactly the method Han Zhumei wanted to adopt. She didn’t care if the other party had set up a trap. She could slowly circle the other party.

The places she passed, the wind left behind a bit of wind spirit that only wind-attribute cultivators could possibly detect.

Wind spirit was a wind rhyme that wind-attribute cultivators could only condense bit by bit through years of hard cultivation.

It was also a kind of magical power, but it was a special kind of magical power cultivated by a variant spirit root cultivator.

Wind spirit was originally condensed from the wind attribute and was the essence of her magical power. And it was not like ordinary magical power, which was consumed once it was used.

She could also recall the unused wind spirit back into her dantian.

But once the wind spirit was consumed, Han Zhumei would need to cultivate for a long time before she could recover it bit by bit. Therefore, wind spirit was quite precious to a wind-attribute cultivator.

But in order to kill this unknown powerful enemy and prevent the other party from secretly assassinating her own sect’s cultivators, she had to eliminate this person.

After the wind spirit merged into the wind, there would not be the slightest sense of incongruity.

Because, it was originally wind. A large net was slowly forming!