A Swift Escape and Lingering Questions

Seeing the elder, whom the Heart God Sect disciples addressed as Elder Song, reach out to grab her, Chi Qiu remained unperturbed. Her spear thrust was precise, the spearhead colliding squarely with Elder Song’s outstretched palm.

Bang!

The instant they made contact, Chi Qiu felt as though her battle spear had struck solid metal or stone, a grating sound of metal on metal echoing from the point of impact.

The force of the impact sent Chi Qiu stumbling back several steps. Failing to land a decisive blow, the elder pressed forward once more, a mental assault radiating from his palm, swiftly enveloping Chi Qiu.

“Little thief, don’t you dare flee!”

Chi Qiu retreated with an ethereal lightness. Yet, the mental assault, though potent, felt no more than a mosquito shaking a tree against her soul; it failed to budge Chi Qiu in the slightest.

She gestured to Su Hanxing, who was on the other side, eager to join the fray. The gesture conveyed her desire for them to leave quickly, avoiding further entanglement.

Su Hanxing nodded subtly upon seeing Chi Qiu’s signal. Then, his form flickered as he channeled his true qi into a sword thrust, intercepting Elder Song’s attack path towards Chi Qiu and successfully forcing him to halt.

“Elder Song of the Heart God Sect, we shall part ways for now, but fate will surely bring us together again.” Su Hanxing stood before Chi Qiu, a challenging smile playing on his lips. With a final sword strike, he rapidly retreated, preparing to flee the scene.

“My Heart God Sect’s domain is not a place for you two juniors to come and go as you please.” Elder Song’s expression darkened as he saw Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing attempting to escape.

“Heart God Sect disciples, heed my command! Form the array!”

Elder Song swept his sleeve. A wave of spiritual energy surged from his body, spreading with astonishing speed, intent on catching Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing. Behind Elder Song, each Heart God Sect disciple produced a large banner. Using spiritual energy as a guide and true qi as an aid, they planted these banners into the void.

Swiftly, a formation diagram materialized. The moment it formed, the diagram shot into the sky, then rapidly expanded. In mere four or five breaths, it stretched for dozens of li, clearly about to overtake the fleeing Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing.

“Little Chi, be careful!”

Su Hanxing glanced back. He saw a colossal black-and-white formation diagram, blotting out the sky, where true qi, spiritual energy, and soul force intertwined. It descended with an unstoppable, crushing might.

“We must leave this place quickly. If we’re caught within this formation, our identities might be exposed.” A flicker of unease finally crossed Su Hanxing’s face. This sky-shrouding grand formation indeed posed a significant threat to them both.

Chi Qiu nodded in agreement. Then, she lightly tapped her foot, employing the Falling Leaf Steps, and her speed instantly increased.

“No, this won’t do. While my footwork is agile enough for dodging and weaving, it still lacks considerable speed.” After taking a few steps, Chi Qiu noticed that Su Hanxing, who had been behind her, had already caught up to her side. She shook her head with a hint of helplessness, turning to Su Hanxing.

“Since that’s the case…” Su Hanxing looked at the massive formation diagram about to bear down upon them, making a silent decision. “Little Chi, I apologize in advance for any offense.”

Su Hanxing steeled his resolve. He channeled his full true qi to his feet, silently activating the divine ability ‘Starfall Step’.

“Offense for what?” Su Hanxing’s cryptic words left Chi Qiu bewildered. No sooner had she spoken than a burst of starlight erupted before her. A figure flashed past with imperceptible speed, pulling Chi Qiu into a tight embrace.

Chi Qiu’s mind instantly went blank. The whistling wind in her ears made her instinctively cling to Su Hanxing, while the powerful pressure against her back and waist, however, left her body feeling somewhat weak.

With Chi Qiu now in his arms, Su Hanxing carefully noted the sensation of the person he held. In truth, Chi Qiu was still wearing her dark scale armor beneath her black robe, thus, even if Su Hanxing could spare a thought to feel, he would only perceive the cold, hard scales.

Having activated the divine ability ‘Starfall Step’ in such a manner, Su Hanxing flickered four times in less than a breath’s time, successfully escaping the formation’s range.

“How could they be so fast?”

Elder Song watched in horror as Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu burst out of the formation’s range in less than a breath. His expression turned exceedingly grim.

“This footwork, it’s so familiar, as if I’ve seen it somewhere before…”

Elder Song’s expression fluctuated wildly. His eyes followed the two figures of Su Hanxing, who quickly vanished from sight, yet his mind was filled with the image of starlight erupting beneath Su Hanxing’s feet.

Although they had escaped the formation, Su Hanxing did not cease his movements. He continued to employ his divine ability, only after traversing several hundred li did he finally halt.

“Can… can you let me go now?” Chi Qiu saw that they were out of danger, yet she remained cradled in Su Hanxing’s arms, her feet unable to touch the ground. She struggled to control her tone, speaking softly.

“Little Chi, the situation was urgent just now, so I…” Su Hanxing’s expression shifted, and he hastily released her. Only then did Chi Qiu find her footing on the ground.

“I don’t blame you. I understand the circumstances.” Chi Qiu removed the black robe draped over her, returning it to Su Hanxing.

“That’s good, that’s good…” Su Hanxing stammered as he took the robe. Yet, his mind was still replaying the recent scene.

“Now that we know the elder’s location and strength, we can go to the Imperial City to seek Chai Niang for our reward.” Chi Qiu patted her scales, speaking with a smile.

“It certainly took a lot of effort. I hope the reward from Chai Niang is commensurate with our efforts.” Su Hanxing nodded, acknowledging the considerable danger of this reconnaissance. “Fortunately, both you and I were peak experts in the God Concealing stage; otherwise, today’s events wouldn’t have concluded so simply.”

Chi Qiu summoned a flying boat, and she and Su Hanxing boarded it. She then steered the flying boat in a different direction, entering the Imperial City through another gate.

“This Elder Song’s strength is quite formidable, far superior to the Heart God Sect disciples who challenged the arena today.”

Aboard the flying boat, Su Hanxing reclined leisurely on a long couch covered in sable fur. He sipped the spiritual tea Chi Qiu had prepared, sighing contentedly.

“His strength is indeed quite formidable. Without resorting to tribulation lightning or borrowing the might of the Great Dao, I wouldn’t be his match in a direct confrontation.”

Chi Qiu sat gracefully opposite Su Hanxing. She poured herself a cup of spiritual tea and took small sips.

“Little Chi, your physical body is somewhat frail, and your cultivation methods aren’t Heaven-tier, so it’s perfectly normal not to overpower him in a direct clash. However, once you infuse the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth into your every move, even I find myself unable to counter you.” Su Hanxing chuckled, offering words of comfort.

“As for my cultivation methods and physical body… I don’t know how long it will take to improve them. But today did bring a pleasant surprise. I never imagined that after my soul entered the Dragon Orb, the Heart God Sect’s soul-attacking techniques would be utterly ineffective against me.” Chi Qiu shook her head slightly as she spoke.

“Senior Yinglong once said that this Dragon Orb could protect one’s mind and soul. It certainly seems to be true now. I just wonder what powerful individual could have shattered Senior Yinglong’s Dragon Orb…” Su Hanxing mused, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Chi Qiu nodded, but remained silent, simply and quietly sipping the spiritual tea in her hand.

“Look, the Imperial City is almost here. We should disembark from the flying boat.”

Su Hanxing pointed into the distance. There, a colossal black city wall, like an insurmountable chasm, appeared far away, stretching on and disappearing beyond the limits of their sight.