The black-robed old servant was far more powerful than Jiang Jichen had imagined!
In his rage, Spiritual Power surged like a tide, transforming into a powerful attack. The ancient tree where Jiang Jichen had just been standing exploded, turning into a cloud of dust.
Innate Third Layer!
Jiang Jichen could finally clearly sense the black-robed old servant's true Cultivation.
With such strength, he could have easily annihilated the wolf pack, including the Cyan Wolf King.
The Cyan Wolf King's earlier retreat was likely more because it had sensed the black-robed old servant's power.
Faced with such a tyrannical figure, Jiang Jichen's current strength was no match for him. His only option was to flee for his life.
The black-robed old servant was currently in a state of fury, striking without mercy. If he caught up, Jiang Jichen wouldn't have the slightest chance of survival.
Jiang Jichen, holding the girl called Little Yue'Er, pushed his Shadow Step to its limits, sprinting through the Moonlight Forest.
However, the black-robed old servant was at the Innate Third Layer of Cultivation, and his speed was still greater than Jiang Jichen's. It was only a matter of time before he was caught.
"Brat, you can't escape! I'll make sure you die a long, tortured death!"
the black-robed old servant said grimly from behind.
Though his words were menacing, his heart was still filled with unease.
'If I lose that little girl, my master won't spare me when he returns.' Therefore, he chased Jiang Jichen with all his might, absolutely refusing to let him get away with the girl.
One chased, one fled. Although it was nighttime, the outer edges of the Moonlight Forest were brightly lit by the glow of Moonlight Grass, and their speeding figures could be seen clearly.
Such a commotion naturally alerted many people.
Besides, the Moonlight Forest was at its busiest right now.
The emergence of a Secret Treasure, the Moonlight Trial Competition, and the training missions of disciples from various Sects were all happening at the same time and in the same place.
The Moonlight Forest had gathered not only almost all the talented young Spirit Cultivators from the Celestial Pearl Country, but also numerous Innate Realm experts. Some people had even spotted figures at the Minor Grandmaster Level, above the Innate Seventh Layer.
The talented young Spirit Cultivators were here to train and make a name for themselves, while the Innate Realm experts were mostly after the Secret Treasure in the depths of the Moonlight Forest.
"Heavens, an Innate Third Layer expert is hunting a Mortal Realm boy!"
"How is that possible? A Mortal Realm Spirit Cultivator is escaping from an Innate Third Layer expert? That's just heaven-defying."
"If I'm not mistaken, that boy seems to be Jiang Jichen. And he's carrying a little girl."
"What? This..."
...
Many people flew up into the ancient trees, taking action to get a better view. They saw Jiang Jichen's figure speeding ahead, with the black-robed old servant closing in from behind. The situation was extremely dangerous; he could be caught at any moment.
But Jiang Jichen's Step Technique was profound. Just as it seemed the black-robed old servant was about to catch him, he would suddenly accelerate, barely pulling away again. The old servant's attacks all missed their mark. Jiang Jichen's figure was like an illusory shadow, able to gather and disperse, ethereal and unpredictable.
"Isn't Jiang Jichen's Spirit Cultivation crippled? How can he use a Spirit Cultivation Step Technique?"
"I don't sense any fluctuations of Spiritual Power. Could it be a special Martial Skill Step Technique unique to Body Refiners?"
As many were lost in their doubts, Jiang Jichen continued to flee deeper into the Moonlight Forest.
A moment ago, on the brink of life and death, his mind had unexpectedly entered a mysterious state. Everything in the world appeared with absolute clarity in his eyes. From the lightest wisp of wind to the smallest ant, even hundreds of meters away, he could perceive their existence with perfect clarity.
Because of this, he could also anticipate the black-robed old servant's attacks and react a step ahead.
And in this state, his Shadow Step reached the level of the Great Success Realm, becoming ethereal, shadowless, and silent.
The black-robed old servant behind him was utterly shocked. The brat in front was merely a Mortal Warrior, yet he could repeatedly dodge his attacks, and his speed wasn't that much slower.
'What kind of Step Technique is that? It doesn't seem like a Spirit Cultivation Step Technique, because I can barely sense a trace of Spiritual Power. But it can't be a Martial Skill Step Technique either, because only Innate Realm Body Refiners can execute a Step Technique with such an ethereal and unpredictable quality. And with the Dao of Body Refining Broken, no one can reach the Innate Body Refining Realm.'
The black-robed old servant thought to himself. He couldn't make sense of it, only feeling that this brat who had appeared out of nowhere was full of secrets.
"No matter what secrets you have, you will inevitably fall into my hands. Then, under my methods, I'll make you tell me everything you know. Hmph!"
he said coldly from behind Jiang Jichen. The grayish-cyan Spiritual Patterns on his body grew brighter, and the Spiritual Patterns under his feet intertwined and flashed. Each step flickered like a sudden burst of speed, crossing a hundred meters in an instant and closing the distance to Jiang Jichen to a mere ten meters.
Previously, at such a perfect distance, the black-robed old servant would have certainly launched an attack. But after Jiang Jichen had dodged him time and time again, he now gave up on attacking and decided to catch up to him for a close-range kill.
With his speed and Cultivation, if he focused solely on the chase, he could certainly catch and surpass Jiang Jichen quickly.
Soon, the distance closed to five meters. Jiang Jichen could feel the thrumming of the Spiritual Patterns on the black-robed old servant's body.
"Brat, stop your pointless death throes. Are you feeling helpless and desperate now? Filled with endless resentment, asking yourself why you aren't stronger?"
"Haha... The wails of the weak, the despair of the weak! I enjoy witnessing it the most!"
the black-robed old servant said grimly. At that moment, he burst forward again, closing the distance to less than three meters from Jiang Jichen.
By this point, he was 99% confident he could capture and kill Jiang Jichen. But now he was in no hurry. Just as he said, he wanted to savor the sight of Jiang Jichen's powerless struggles and his expression of utter despair.
Although Jiang Jichen's performance had been strange, his combat power had to be extremely weak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been forced to just flee for his life without any ability to fight back.
In a head-on confrontation, the black-robed old servant was confident he could crush the boy with a single finger.
At this moment, the black-robed old servant felt everything was under his control. His voice carried a tone of supreme arrogance, as if he were looking down on all living things. "Brat, the weak..."
"Weak, my ass!"
However, just as the black-robed old servant was about to speak, Jiang Jichen, who had been fleeing for his life, tapped his foot against an ancient tree in front of him.
"BOOM!"
The ancient tree snapped in half, and Jiang Jichen shot backward at extreme speed, charging head-on toward the rapidly pursuing black-robed old servant.
"Die, you old creep! Eat my fist!"
Before his voice had even faded, Jiang Jichen had already balled his fist and thrown a devastating punch at the black-robed old servant.
Faced with this punch, the black-robed old servant couldn't dodge, nor could he block. In fact, he didn't even have time to react.
Even as an Innate Third Layer expert, given the unexpected situation of his own forward momentum and his opponent's sudden reversal, he had no choice but to take the punch head-on.
Besides, the black-robed old servant had never imagined that a weak Mortal Warrior focused only on escaping would dare to turn back and attack him. It was audacity to the extreme!
'Still, how could an attack from a mere Mortal Warrior possibly harm me? What a ridiculous, foolish move.'
The moment he saw Jiang Jichen's attack, this was the thought that flashed through the black-robed old servant's mind.
But just as the thought arose, he felt his body jolt. Then, his Spiritual Patterns shattered, and he was sent flying.
It all happened too suddenly, too quickly, too unbelievably.
The moment he was sent flying, he felt a tremendous force surge into his body. His Spiritual Power defenses couldn't block it in the slightest. The force rampaged inside him, directly injuring his internal organs. He spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and a trace of paleness appeared on his gaunt, dark face.
This all takes time to describe, but it happened in the blink of an eye.
The black-robed old servant finally came to his senses. At this moment, he was like a furious lion, feeling that he had suffered the greatest humiliation of his life.
He had actually been sent flying and forced to vomit blood by a mere Mortal Warrior!
If word of this got back to the Blood Evil Sect, he would become a laughingstock. He would never be able to hold his head high again; it would be a stain on his entire life.
But wasn't this the attack of a Mortal Warrior? How could it have harmed him?
Along with his fury, the black-robed old servant was filled with endless questions.
'That was Physical Strength! No wonder my Spiritual Power patterns couldn't block it at all. But he's only at the Body Warrior Realm. How could he possibly unleash power close to that of an Innate Body Refiner?'
The black-robed old servant had no time to think. The moment he landed, he circulated his Spiritual Power, forcibly suppressed his injuries, and reacted with the greatest possible speed. With a roar, he sent endless Palm Shadows striking forward.
"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM..."
The ancient trees in a radius of over ten meters were obliterated, turning into dust that filled the air. All life in the immediate vicinity was annihilated. Any Cultivator below the Innate Realm caught within would have undoubtedly perished.
Of course, he wasn't at all worried about hurting the little girl. A mysterious power protected that enigmatic child, and the attacks of an ordinary Innate Spirit Cultivator could not harm her in the slightest.
Normally, the most he could do was imprison the mysterious little girl. This time, he had no idea how she had managed to break free from her confinement and escape.
Given the little girl's own speed, she naturally would have had no chance of escaping. But unexpectedly, she ran into Jiang Jichen.
What was even more unthinkable was that an ant at the Mortal Realm had rescued the little girl right under his nose.
The black-robed old servant's furious strike was terrifyingly powerful. He refused to believe that the hateful Mortal Warrior could possibly survive such an attack.
However, when the world fell silent and the dust settled, the space around the black-robed old servant was empty. There was no sign of the little girl, nor of the Mortal Warrior.
He only saw splatters of blood on the ground, but all traces of Jiang Jichen and the little girl were long gone.
Some of the onlookers who had followed to watch the excitement saw this astonishing scene and were struck with disbelief. Only after a long moment did they begin to exclaim in amazement.
"Jiang Jichen is only a Body Refiner, yet he dared to counter-attack an Innate Third Layer expert? And he even succeeded, sending that old man in black flying and making him vomit blood! My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, are they?"
"What kind of courage and what a calm mind must it take to launch such a stunning counter-attack against an Innate Third Layer expert while fleeing for your life?"
"That's all one thing, but the hardest part to accept is that he actually escaped from the pursuit of an Innate Third Layer expert! No one can find any trace of him... This..."
...
The crowd's astonished words reached the black-robed old servant's ears, making his expression uglier than ever. But that was nothing. The most terrifying thing was that he had lost the little girl. When his mysterious master returned, he would have no way to explain himself. He knew just how important the little girl was to his master.
"You think you can really escape? Blood Trace Soul Chasing Skill, track!"
The black-robed old servant let out a cold shout and used a Secret Technique. He determined the direction of Jiang Jichen's escape and gave chase once more.