Chapter 4513 — Into the Sea
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Many thanks, Senior!" Wei Zhao hurriedly expressed his gratitude, then, while the Xishan Old Sect had yet to react and strike again, hastily re-invoked the Super Butterfly Microstep and fled. Even though he knew full well it was useless—that his opponent would surely catch up in an instant just as before—he still could not but flee, treating a dead horse as a live one; he could not simply fold his hands and await capture.
Sure enough, though the Xishan Old Sect, still shaken by the backlash, was somewhat dazed and bewildered, it could never simply let Wei Zhao go. Wei Zhao had fled but a short while when that signature black mist arrived as expected, appearing once more above his head.
But perhaps because it had just learned its lesson, the Xishan Old Sect did not strike at once. Instead, it calmly reassessed and scrutinized Wei Zhao. This was prime material for an ace puppet; it did not wish rashly to kill Wei Zhao even despite its slight internal injury, for that would easily damage the physical body—and if the ace puppet could not be refined because of it, the loss would be enormous.
The best method remained what it had just attempted: use the soul-snaring hand to wipe away Wei Zhao's consciousness directly. That was the ideal way to capture the material. But before that, it would first have to observe and find the right opening—otherwise, if it suffered another inexplicable spirit-sense backlash, the Xishan Old Sect would not be able to bear it!
What a pity that for a man of Wei Zhao's stubborn will, once his mind had slipped, breaking through his mental defenses a second time within a short span was far from easy. It required immense patience and intimidation.
Fortunately, the Xishan Old Sect lacked neither. So long as an ace puppet could be successfully refined, it would not mind harrying Wei Zhao for another half day—not even if it took a year or half a year. Cultivators, after all, were never short of time.
Wei Zhao fled madly with all his strength, yet from first to last could not shake the Xishan Old Sect's grip. And now, before his eyes, the southern shore was already at hand—and beyond it, the boundless sea.
"No other choice!" Wei Zhao gritted his teeth and at once prepared to veer west. While the Xishan Old Sect was still playing its game of cat and mouse and had not yet made its true killing move, he could only try to lure the thing toward the territory of that bunch at the center and let the two sides tear at each other like dogs.
Yet just as Wei Zhao was about to turn, a deep shout suddenly rang out in his mind: "Jump!"
"What?!" Wei Zhao was startled, but before he could properly weigh the pros and cons of leaping into the sea, his body had already reacted on instinct, obeying the infernal creature's command and plunging without hesitation into the ocean.
"Heh heh, you think jumping into the sea will free you from this sect's spirit-sense lock? How naive!" At the sight, the Xishan Old Sect arched a pair of green brows, the corner of its mouth steeped in a mocking, jeering curve.
To be sure, the sea mist did have the effect of isolating spirit sense. But first, the mist was not thick at present, and its isolating effect was nowhere near strong enough to leave even the Xishan Old Sect at a loss. Second, even when the mist was at its thickest, given the strength of the Xishan Old Sect's spirit sense, so long as the distance between them did not exceed five li, Wei Zhao still could not escape its palm.
Though it was early summer, the seawater was still piercingly cold; even with true qi deliberately shielding his body, Wei Zhao could not suppress a shiver. Goosebumps erupted over his whole body again and again in frantic waves. Had an ordinary person dared to jump in like this, no matter how good a swimmer, he would have frozen to death outright. R1152