Chapter 4518 — Either Get Lost or Die

There was no time for further hesitation. The Xishan Old Sect hurriedly ascended, hoping to spot Wei Zhao by sheer eyesight alone—after all, if Wei Zhao really did slip away right under his nose, he would become a laughingstock.

Yet below stretched a primeval forest, dense and lush beyond measure. Wherever his gaze fell, there were only tall, tightly packed canopies; with eyesight alone, the ground was utterly invisible. The old adage "climb high and gaze far" was of no use whatsoever here.

With no other choice, the Xishan Old Sect cast aside all the dignity befitting a giant of the evil path at the Mountain-Opening stage. He lowered himself at last, plunging into the dense forest, and began searching madly in every direction. Every lift of his hand and step of his foot obliterated vast swaths of woodland—even if he had to dig three feet into the earth, he swore he would drag Wei Zhao out.

Listening to the tremendous commotion the Xishan Old Sect was raising not far away, Wei Zhao could not help but be overjoyed. Enraging a giant of the evil path like the Xishan Old Sect was dangerous in the extreme, but such a reaction also proved that he had finally won himself a thread of survival. Until now he had been on tenterhooks the whole time, terrified that the Xishan Old Sect might descend upon him from above once again.

"Rest easy. This swamp mud has no other use, but for cutting off divine consciousness its effect is superb. That evil cultivator can't lock onto you with his divine consciousness, so naturally he can't drop in on you out of nowhere the way he did before," the ghostly thing said with a chuckle.

"Swamp mud can be that useful? Truly, you can't judge mud by its look. No wonder you had me roll around in it, Senior. Had I known, I'd have scooped up some extra to take back—it might come in very handy someday." Only then did Wei Zhao catch on, and he could not help but click his tongue in regret.

It still stank foully and stung the nose, but compared with the heaven-defying effect of completely shutting out divine consciousness, a trifling smell was entirely bearable. With a layer of swamp mud smeared over his body, he was in a sense wearing an invisibility cloak—fooling divine consciousness was far harder than merely fooling the eyes.

In the eyes of a connoisseur like Wei Zhao, this reeking swamp mud was a true treasure, its value in no way beneath those heavenly materials and earthly treasures—it was only that its application was somewhat peculiar in style.

"You brat, you're not even bothered by the filth." The ghostly thing gave a strange laugh, then warned, "Swamps like this are everywhere. If you want some, you can scoop it up whenever you like, but right now running for your life comes first. Though he can't lock onto you directly with divine consciousness, that evil cultivator won't let you off so easily. If he catches up again this time, even I won't be able to help you."

"Thank you for the warning, Senior." Wei Zhao's heart went cold. The commotion behind him was drawing nearer and nearer—the Xishan Old Sect was plainly grinding and crushing his way forward. Without another word, he turned and ran.

Seen from high above at this moment, with the forest lake as the center, vast stretches of primeval forest could be clearly seen being rapidly destroyed. The Xishan Old Sect was attacking indiscriminately in every direction, and even so, his speed was still far faster than Wei Zhao's Super Butterfly Microstep. When a giant of the evil path at the Mountain-Opening stage truly lost his temper, he was indeed no trifling matter.

This was, after all, the territory of the spirit beast clan, and the Xishan Old Sect had not wanted to raise such a commotion. A strong dragon does not overwhelm a local snake; if he truly provoked the spirit beast clan, he would have to swallow the consequences. But to find Wei Zhao, he had already thrown caution to the winds. Even if it cost him the chance to refine his ace puppet, he could not simply let Wei Zhao escape so easily.

Wei Zhao was greatly alarmed. At this rate he would inevitably be discovered by the Xishan Old Sect again, and when that time came, he would truly die without even knowing how.

This was the gap in strength! Even with swamp mud to block the locking of divine consciousness, even with a wondrous movement art like the Super Butterfly Microstep, he still found it hard to escape the Xishan Old Sect's pursuit. This kind of helplessness and despair was enough to crush anyone's will.

Yet beneath that tremendous pressure, what rose in Wei Zhao's heart was an extreme craving for power. At this very moment, there was only one thing on his mind: to grow stronger, to become even stronger!

If he were not at the peak of the mid Golden Core stage but at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage, then escaping would be no difficult matter at all. And if he went further still and became peak mid Mystic Ascension, then never mind protecting himself—he would likely have strength to spare to turn and kill this Xishan Old Sect. Why would he need to flee in such wretchedness?

In the end, set before these top-tier experts, Wei Zhao's current strength was still far from enough to matter.

Of course, all that was for later. If he could not survive this pass, all such fixations would be for nothing. If he could not even keep his life, what blasted use were fixations?

Wei Zhao was on the verge of being discovered by the Xishan Old Sect when, at that very moment, a vast and refined wave of divine consciousness abruptly surged out from him—not the usual circular dispersion, but a straight line that instantly connected to the Xishan Old Sect. A profound, unfathomable voice then rang out from the depths of his soul.

"What evil specter dares trespass upon the territory of my South Continent, seeking to start a war with my spirit beast clan?" The ghostly thing's voice was nothing like its usual casual tone; it carried an incomparable, terrifying pressure, every inch the domineering air of a top-tier elder.

Suddenly locked onto by such a powerful divine consciousness, the Xishan Old Sect, still in the throes of his furious rampage, was startled half out of his wits. Provoking a top existence of the spirit beast clan was the worst thing he had imagined; even a giant of the evil path like himself did not dare openly challenge the spirit beast clan—especially not here, in their very stronghold.

"I am the Xishan Old Sect. I beg your pardon for this rude intrusion. This sect has no intention of offending the spirit beast clan; I came only to hunt down a human cultivator who slew my personal disciple. I ask that you grant me some convenience." The Xishan Old Sect dared wreak havoc no longer and at once replied with courtesy.

From first to last, the Xishan Old Sect had not doubted the other's strength in the slightest. After all, the other's divine consciousness was even more refined and powerful than his own, so his strength could well be imagined. A giant of the evil path was still, in the end, only human; he would not dare rashly provoke such a horrifying, fearsome existence—and this was the spirit beast clan's territory.

"Either get lost or die!" The ghostly thing's tone grew ever more domineering and unyielding, as though he did not regard this giant of the evil path at the Mountain-Opening stage as worth a glance.

A flash of fury crossed the Xishan Old Sect's face, but in the end reason prevailed. He did not dare fall out with this mighty spirit beast, whose depths were hidden so well, then and there. With a cold snort, he had no choice but to turn and slink away.

Only then did the ghostly thing and Wei Zhao both breathe a sigh of relief. Being able to frighten off this giant of the evil path today had been pure luck; had even the slightest flaw shown in the process just now, the consequences would have been unthinkable. (To be continued.)