Chapter 1748: Tacit Understanding

Ming Qi was skimming along the ground, moving like a gentle breeze, blowing the light rain sideways… She looked up at the sky. The rain in this area had become sparse. Amidst the half-dark, half-white clouds, a patch of pale sunlight appeared.

After escaping the array last night, she hadn’t dared to stop. If she escaped only to remain within their Divine Sense range, she would still be in danger. Thus, she had gritted her teeth and used a Sky-Horizon Talisman, which made her heart bleed. Such talismans were rare in the markets. She and her sister only had four in total, making them incredibly precious. Buying just one likely cost them their entire fortune; it was one of their ultimate life-saving means.

She wasn’t sure what the cultivation of the strongest enemy was, but the array they had laid had terrified her. Even with all her strength, she had barely broken through. She hadn’t encountered such a situation in years.

One talisman had sent her eighty thousand miles away. What made her even more frustrated was that she hoped the teleportation would bring her closer to Xianhe Manor. She wanted to at least finish her task, or the loss would be even greater. But as usual, the result was the opposite of what she hoped for.

Once the teleportation ended, the first thing she did was check if anyone was following. Then, she scanned the nearby cultivators. After confirming they were harmless, she approached a Nascent Soul cultivator. In his nervousness, the man answered all her questions. Ming Qi had him produce a jade slip map and identified her surroundings.

She was stunned to find that she was far off-course from the Manor. This frustrated her deeply as she began to think. She didn’t know if Yang Zun and the others could escape that bizarre array. If they couldn’t, should she still head to the Manor? Who were the enemies? How many were there? What was their strength?

She didn’t know. She could only guess based on the person who had hunted her. That man was a late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator. In a normal fight, Ming Qi was confident she could win, but it would take time. The brawny man seemed brutish, but he followed the path of assassination. This suggested the other enemies were even stronger.

It was possible there were Void Refining experts. Ming Qi had sensed that the core of the Man-shaped Pass was the most dangerous area, so the ones sent after her and Li Yan likely weren’t the strongest. After much thought, she decided to head to the Manor. She had already lost a precious Sky-Horizon Talisman; she wouldn’t accept such a loss. Furthermore, in a few years, certain areas of Huangqi Valley would open, and she didn’t have much time. Both she and her sister desperately needed Contribution Points.

Thus, after identifying the direction, she flew toward the Manor through the night. This time, she moved much faster than she had with Yang Zun. she could use techniques she couldn’t show before others, and her concealment was better.

However, she didn’t know that while her estimation was high, her enemies were actually led by a late-stage Void Refining expert. If she knew, she would have turned back immediately. Encountering such a person would mean death, even with all her trump cards. Unknowingly, Li Yan had saved her life again.

Ming Qi’s speed increased, bringing her within twenty thousand miles of the Manor by midday. But as she drew closer, she slowed down. Observing the terrain, she sensed a lingering danger. Putting herself in the enemies’ shoes, she realized this was their last chance. They would likely ambush the remaining routes to the Manor. Even if they weren’t the same group, would the ones in that array really let her go?

After flying for a while longer, she stopped flying high and stayed close to the ground, using the terrain to enhance her concealment. She scanned the area warily. Her goal was to reach the Manor, and even if she were discovered, it had to be in a situation where it was difficult for them to act.

Suddenly, she froze. With a flicker, she hid behind a large tree. Her movement didn’t even stir the grass; everything remained as if moved only by the wind. She couldn’t believe what her Divine Sense was telling her, so she scanned the direction again. After a few seconds, her confusion deepened…

‘How is it him? Where are the others?’

Just now, her sense had caught a streak of light cutting through the sky, flying rapidly forward. Startled, she had hidden and probed, only to find the aura in that light was quite familiar. However, the aura was unstable, flickering between strong and weak. She soon remembered whose aura it was: Li Yan.

But why was he alone? He had also escaped that array? Had everyone else died? And how had Li Yan escaped? Ming Qi knew how difficult that array was to break…

Questions flooded her mind, but she couldn’t find an answer. However, Li Yan was clearly heavily injured. Ming Qi made a decision; she didn’t follow him immediately but trailed him from a distance. She was confident in her concealment; she had never met anyone of the same rank who could see through her.

She wondered if Li Yan was bait. Perhaps the enemy had let him escape to draw out others like her. Thus, the two of them flew forward one after the other. Soon, they were within three thousand miles of Xianhe Manor.

At this point, a sharp light flickered in Ming Qi’s eyes. With a surge of magical power, she suddenly accelerated. She revealed herself in her flight, heading rapidly toward Li Yan. Here, many Divine Senses from the Manor had already appeared. This wasn’t a restricted area, and with their own array and numerous experts, they only maintained basic security. The experts wouldn’t do the work of mere disciples.

Ming Qi sensed some hidden, terrifying auras. Even if there were enemies left, they wouldn’t dare act here.

“Senior Brother Li!”

Li Yan, who was also probing his surroundings, saw a streak of light approaching and heard a clear, pleasant voice. Sensing he was safe, he relaxed and came to a halt, his Divine Sense scanning the newcomer! When he saw it was Ming Qi, a look of shock appeared on his face, his eyes filled with suspicion and doubt.

Ming Qi saw this and knew her appearance had caught him off guard. Li Yan stood there, looking stunned. But in his heart, he was sneering. He had sensed her long ago; why else would he have “coincidentally” revealed himself here?

The streak of light flickered and arrived before him. As the light faded, Ming Qi’s delicate face was revealed. She looked at Li Yan, who was covered in blood. Several large holes had been torn in his black robes, the edges stained with blood. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“Junior Sister Ming? You… you aren’t dead?”

Li Yan looked at her with shock, as if he were seeing a ghost. His aura fluctuated wildly as he raised his guard.

“What are you saying, Senior Brother? I was hunted, but I managed to escape. I couldn’t find any of you afterward. Why are you alone? Where are Senior Brother Yang Zun and the others?” Ming Qi shook her head and gave a simple reply.

“They are all dead!”

Li Yan looked at her with suspicion, as if trying to determine how much of what she said was true. But seeing that she had stopped a hundred yards away, he answered her question.

“They are all dead?” Ming Qi’s shock wasn’t faked. In her mind, if Li Yan could escape, then Yang Zun and the others should have had someone escape with them.

“Yes. They realized they were in a trap and broke out from the core. By then, Xu Yihua had already fallen. We reunited, and knowing you were being hunted, we tried to find you but couldn’t. Before we could search further, five enemies emerged from the core. They were all late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators, and we had to team up to resist. Soon, we were in danger. Perhaps because I was the weakest, most of the attacks were focused on Yang Zun and the other two. They also activated the array to kill us. It took less than thirty breaths… everyone went all out. In the end, the three of them died, taking four enemies with them. The last enemy was heavily injured, and I managed to… cough, cough… kill him!”

Li Yan’s breath became erratic, and he began to cough violently, cutting his story short. Ming Qi listened, her eyes becoming calm. Some people from the Manor were already flying toward them. She suddenly asked another question.

“Everyone is dead… how unexpected! Did you bring the cargo, Senior Brother?”

“Cough, cough… Yes… I have it!” Li Yan covered his mouth with his sleeve. A sickly flush appeared on his face, and when he moved his hand, his sleeve was stained crimson.

Ming Qi merely said it was unexpected and didn’t press for more details about yesterday’s battle. Instead, she asked directly about the items. Li Yan, as if still terrified and unwilling to speak of the previous day, didn’t hide the fact that he had brought the items.