Chapter 193 The Depths of the Mountain Range

Zuoqiu Ze arrived at the same spot moments later, having traced Xiao Chen and Murong Xian'er. He scanned his surroundings but saw no one. He believed that they hadn't gone far but he was both parched and exhausted after chasing after them for half the day. Naturally, he was tempted after seeing the clear spring. Just as he was about to walk toward the shore, he became suspicious of traps. He laughed out loud and said, "I saw you, b*stard! Let's see where you'll run this time! Die!"

Murong Xian'er jumped in fright. She was about to stand up when Xiao Chen immediately stopped her. He shook his head at her.

Zuoqiu Ze perked up his ears to listen. When he heard no sound of movement, he laughed loudly again. "I caught you, little girl! Be obedient and come back with me to receive your lesson!"

He got up to all sorts of antics on the shore by himself. Perhaps he was worn out by his one-man show and perhaps it was because he received no response at all. After determining that the duo hadn't laid down traps for him here, he immediately walked to the creek. Just as he was about to cup some water in his hands, he suddenly noticed water marks on the ground. He took a few steps downward but didn't go far before he shook his head and returned.

He took out his sword and stirred the water with it. Only after seeing that nothing strange was happening that he felt comfortable enough to get down and touch the water. Unexpectedly, the second he came into contact with the water, a column of fire flared up from underneath. A loud explosion resounded, the blast sending him flying more than 30 meters high.

Zuoqiu Ze was as startled as he was furious. What shocked him was the white radiance flying at him. Fortunately, his cultivation was reasonably high. With a quick maneuver of his hand, his Dark Soul Sword also detected the white radiance. It flew in front of him, blocking the ambushing sword, and then in the direction that the ambushing sword came from. He instantly spotted Xiao Chen and Murong Xian'er behind the boulder and yelled angrily, "Bastard! I swear I'll kill all nine generations of your family!"

His clothes were in tatters and his face was scorched black. Blood kept flowing down his nose. Half of his hair was burned to a crisp, with the other half was burned to a curl. Even though he wasn't respected in his clan, at least he had his grandfather and great-grandfather doting on him. More importantly, his time outside the clan was never without grandeur. Who had ever seen him in such a pathetic state?

The moment he considered that everything was the work of a mere Foundation Building Realm brat, his anger reached its peak. He must not allow Xiao Chen to leave the Changyin Mountain Range alive today. If news spread about this, he as the Young Master of the Zuoqiu family wouldn't have the face to stay in Canglan City.

With a strong wave of his hand, a golden seal talisman flew toward the boulder that Xiao Chen was hiding behind. The talisman was the size of a palm and radiated a golden glow. Its surface was scribbled with all sorts of strange script. It was covered in layer upon layer of mystic arts with a straightforward fixation on engulfing all living things in this world.

"This is bad," Xiao Chen thought. The power of a seal talisman refined by a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was undoubtedly extraordinary. He unleashed his Immortal-override Steps, dragging Murong Xian'er with him, to dodge to the side. However, they had run no more than 30 meters away when he sensed a strong suction force from behind. The force was dragging him back to his previous location.

His Divine Sense swept the area behind him. What he saw was everything, be it the boulders or towering ancient trees, being sucked into the golden seal talisman.

Zuoqiu Ze was acting like a madman. He laughed heartily and said, "B*stard! I don't want your treasures anymore; I want your life!"

Xiao Chen was astonished. This reminded him of an ancient magic treasure called the Golden Dipper of Time. Inside the Golden Dipper of Time was a space-time itself that was capable of sucking in all living things in the world. No god, immortal, demon, or devil could escape once they were caught in the space-time. Xiao Chen began to fear that Zuoqiu Ze's seal talisman contained a space-time.

Once he was sucked into the space-time, not only would his body be crushed immediately, but his soul would also be digested within 24 hours.

Gale whizzed all around. They were close to being sucked into the time-space. Just as Xiao Chen was worrying about coming up with a countermeasure, Murong Xian'er suddenly said, "Brother Xiao Chen, didn't Senior Mo Xuan, the Timekeeper, gave you a mirror?"

Only then did Xiao Chen recall that the Bagua Mirror of the Cosmos that Moxuan Zi gave him. He pressed his fingers together, recited an incantation, and immediately lifted the mirror. Back when Moxuan Zi gifted him this mirror, the former had already taught him its usage and Divine Incantation. Following his spell, the mirror started enlarging in the air until its two sides—one black, one white—were revealed.

The black side of the mirror instantly emitted a drawn-out ray of black light at the seal talisman. The talisman rapidly expanded until it exploded loudly and swept its surroundings with a wave of violent force. Everything that came into contact with this force disintegrated into dust in a split second.

Zuoqiu Ze's expression changed drastically. Even though he was prepared for the explosion, his arm was nonetheless injured the moment he tried to dodge. Without his protective talisman, he feared he would likely be badly mutilated by now.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen was situated even closer to where the explosion took place. It was impossible for him to grab Murong Xian'er and escape the place at such short notice. However, the white side of the Bagua Mirror of the Cosmos suddenly emitted a white radiance, enveloping them both in its glow. The light caused every force that hit it to rebound. When the gale all around finally quieted down, the mirror shook and fell onto Xiao Chen's hands. It turned into a regular mirror again.

In the distant, Zuoqiu Ze was beyond furious that the talisman that he used had nearly taken his life while his target had escaped unscathed. He was both angry and resentful. He forcefully squeezed out fresh blood from his battered arm and wiped it on his Dark Soul Sword. Then, he began reciting spells nonstop.

In an instant, the Dark Soul Sword transformed into a 300-meters long shadow of a sword. It lunged downward, aiming for Xiao Chen with fierce momentum. Wind started rising within the valley that had just regained its calm moments earlier, tossing trees and rocks into the air. Zuoqiu Ze was determined to chop Xiao Chen until his body was no more.

"Hehe! That's the Soul-extinguishing Blood Curse of the Zuoqiu family! Go to hell, you b*stard!"

The sword attack was so fierce that it seemed impossible for them to dodge. Murong Xian'er paled drastically. "Brother Xiao Chen!"

A somber-faced Xiao Chen racked his brain, where numerous thoughts flitted across almost instantaneously. In the end, he pushed with all the force he could muster and produced a force that enveloped Murong Xian'er. After sending her more than hundreds of feet away, he put his two fingers together and pointed them at Zuoqiu Ze. His Unsullied Sword immediately turned into a white radiance that shattered the sky to fly toward its target.

Zuoqiu Ze's expression changed subtly. "This b*stard should be running away. Why is he confronting me head-on?" he thought. The white radiance was getting closer and closer to him. Evidently, it was meant to take his life. He had a very bad feeling about this. "Is this b*stard trying to drag me down with him?!"

He was currently using his family's mystic arts to control the Dark Soul Sword, leaving him no room to trigger another talisman to block attacks. After racking his brain, he ultimately decided to give up the attack. His life was of the greatest importance, after all. He thought it wasn't worth it to give up his life in trying to kill this b*stard.

The moment he retrieved his sword, however, Xiao Chen's Unsullied Sword created a gash on his face. Zuoqiu Ze was positively livid. When he was about to go after Xiao Chen, the latter had long disappeared into the depths of the mountain range.

Zuoqiu Ze narrowed his eyes. It was obviously noontime, but the depths of the mountain range seemed to be shrouded in a boundless dark fog. He could feel a subtle but vicious murderous aura coming from it. However, his fury had impaired his rationality and made him toss his great-grandfather and grandfather's warnings to the back of his mind. His figure blurred out of view as he chased after them.

Meanwhile, in an unknown corner deep into the mountain range, dried-up branches and wilted leaves were piled up high to form a thick layer on the ground. A putrefied arm slowly emerged from the ground.

"My dear disciple, you stole my soul back then. 60 years had passed in the blink of an eye. Once I snatch that woman's soul, I'll look for you…"

The hollow-sounding voice reverberated through the forest, making the place that saw no daylight all year round feeling a touch eerier.