"Senior, I've already shaken off these Soaring Tribes cultivators three times and left a large distance between them each time, but they were always soon to catch my trail. Could it be there is some spiritual sense strengthening technique that is beyond the Great Development Technique? How can they catch sight of me so far away?" Han Li asked, his complexion deathly pale from strain.
At that moment, Han Li had already lifted the Soullock Seal and was flying through the air in an azure streak. He had done this three times already to make use of the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique each time, bringing Han Li's body to the brink of crisis.
If he wasn't using several high-grade secret techniques to forcefully suppress his baleful Qi backlash and his use of a dozen drops of Myriad Spirit Milk to make up for the blood essence requirement of Bloodshadow Evasion, he feared he wouldn't be able to press on.
And under such strain, he had already lost three years of his cultivation. If it weren't for the many medicine pills he had taken, it was quite possible that he would've dropped to an entire level of cultivation.
With his body pushed to its limits and the late-Nascent Soul cultivators pursuing him, he found himself in dire crisis. But before he figured out how the Soaring Tribes Immortals were tracking him, he couldn't rashly make use of the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique. Otherwise, he'd be ruining himself only for them to eventually track him down.
Monarch Soul Divergence coldly snorted and said, "Although I am completely confident in my Great Development Arts, I don't dare to boast it as the number one spiritual sense technique in the cultivation world. There aren't many who possess aptitude greater than mine, but they do exist. The possibility of them possessing a particularly powerful technique is miniscule.
However, those chasing you aren't tracking you down through an immensely powerful spiritual sense. Instead, they are tracking you through inhuman means."
When Han Li heard this, he came to a sudden realization. "Inhuman means? You mean that demon beast?"
"That's right. Didn't you sense something similar to a demon beast behind you? Its appearance is exactly the same as what the Soaring Tribes mortal described of their patron god, the Endless Sky Beast. Those people from the Endless Sky Temples most likely summoned the beast to deliberately reclaim the face they lost from having their Nascent Soul Immortals killed by you. It isn't odd for something not from this world to be able to track you down."
Han Li frowned and hesitantly asked, "The Endless Sky Beast? I've made note of it, but this particular beast only possessed magic power around the level of a grade seven demon beast, far inferior to the Moulan's sacred bird. How can it possess such abilities?"
"Hehe, I've heard you speak of your continent's war against the Moulan and how they summoned a projection of their sacred bird with the assistance of a treasure. It merely possessed an illusory body and emerged in this world from nowhere. From what I sensed, the demon beast following you should have a genuine body. If that's the case, the Endless Sky Beast seemed to use an ability similar to the Elder Devil's possession through the use of some other beasts as a medium to bring itself into this world. Do not underestimate the abilities this incarnation possesses. If you give it enough time, it will grow into a fearsome existence. To the best of my knowledge, there are several other similar incarnations that descended into this world, but they are all fearsome to behold. And they are rarely ever seen by common cultivators."
"There are such kind of beings in our mortal world? However, there is no time for me to further discuss this matter with you. Regardless of whether this is a demon beast or a holy beast, does Senior have a method of escaping its pursuit? It will be greatly troublesome if the seal continues to be lifted." As Han Li swept his spiritual sense behind him, he spotted three cultivators and a demon beast in the distance behind him and grew apprehensive as a result.
Monarch Soul Divergence answered, "There are countless strange beasts in the upper realms. Who knows what kind of amazing abilities it is using to track you. Your Qi restraining abilities are quite to my satisfaction as well. It appears there are no good methods apart from slaying this beast. However, I can instruct you on a simple method of feigning death, capable of extinguishing all signs of life from your body, but I do not know how useful this will be. After all, the demon beast might not be tracking you down through your aura."
Han Li grew silent and then a cold glint flickered from his eyes. He fiercely said, "Fine, then I will kill this beast."
Monarch Soul Divergence said with alarm, "I fear you won't have the opportunity to kill that beast. It is being accompanied by two Grand Immortals and that masked mid-Nascent Soul stage woman should be the Endless Sky Saintess. Her abilities shouldn't be anything to underestimate either."
"If I don't take the risk, there will be no opportunities. I will have to treat my second Nascent Soul as a disposable resource if I am to succeed." Han Li said with an icy tone.
Silvermoon then said, "Master, if you plan on doing that, I also wish to help you."
After hearing her, Han Li asked, "How are your injuries? Will you be able to persist in drawing their attention away as an artifact spirit?"
Silvermoon smiled and said, "I am the artifact spirit of Master's magic treasure. No matter how severe my injuries may be, so long as Master's flying swords aren't destroyed, I will not die. Master doesn't need to worry much on my behalf. At most, I will only remain asleep in Master's magic treasure for a few years."
After some consideration, Han Li sighed and said, "Alright. Since our current situation is far from good, I will have to trouble you."
Afterwards, Han Li learned the incantation for feigning death from Monarch Soul Divergence. With that memorized, he then immediately placed his hand on the top of his head.
His second Nascent Soul appeared in a flash of black light and spat out the Yin Sifting Banner from its mouth. It then shook the flag without end and leaped into the air. In the blink of an eye, black clouds gathered around them in a storm, darkening the sky for a whole kilometer and filling the air with devilish Qi.
"Take this. If the Endless Sky Saintess chases after you with the beast, use this sword to strike it down." Han Li said with an imposing tone. Then with a wave of his hand, he summoned a small crimson sword and tossed it into the black clouds. It was the Blood Devil Sword.
Afterwards, a piercing shriek echoed from the clouds and the sword flew off with astonishing momentum.
Han Li glanced at the devilish cloud in the distance with a sullen expression. Then, he summoned a small bottle with a flip of his hand and poured a drop of Myriad Year Spirit Milk into his mouth.
His body brightly glowed with spiritual light and he tore through the sky in an azure streak.
...
"What's going on? If I'm not mistaken, the foreign cultivator's Nascent Soul materialized and fled on its own?" When the purple-haired woman saw this, she couldn't help but yelp in astonishment.
The elegant man shook his head and said in a grave tone, "That can't be right. If an ordinary Nascent Soul materializes, its body cannot move on its own. However, that person is now fleeing in a different direction from his Nascent Soul. Could it be he cultivated something similar to the Three Corpse Soul Technique?"
The purple-haired woman wore a pensive expression and said, "If he's trying to use a doppelganger technique in an attempt to escape us, he won't succeed. The Nascent Soul won't be able to escape us either so long as we pay attention to its whereabouts. Now that an intact Nascent Soul has fled, it shouldn't be something like the Six Soul Divisions Technique that Fellow Daoist Gui cultivates. Could it be this is a legendary second Nascent Soul?"
The Saintess frowned and felt a wave of alarm.
The elegant man turned his head to the Saintess and asked, "Did the Holy Beast sense anything strange?"
"It can't," the Saintess sighed, "the Holy Beast only managed to bring a trace of its spiritual sense into this world. It will need over a hundred years of cultivation before it can completely make use of its spiritual sense. Its abilities are limited as its cultivation is only at the level of a grade seven demon beast."
The elegant man pondered for a moment before saying, "This will be somewhat troublesome. Since we can't distinguish which one is genuine, we cannot allow either one to flee. How about I take on the Nascent Soul while you two pursue the man with the Holy Beast. With my abilities, it shouldn't take much time to deal with a mere Nascent Soul."
"That plan sounds reliable," the purple-haired woman said with a smile. "With me by the Saintess' side, nothing should happen to her. While that Nascent Soul might not be his primary soul, don't kill it for now. First, try to find the method to breed the Gold Devouring Beetles from it."
"Of course," the elegant man said, "I've considered that as well."
The Saintess felt there was no problem with this plan either and agreed.
The elegant man parted ways with the other two and flew after Han Li's second Nascent Soul in a thirty-meter long green streak of light, disappearing from view. The Endless Sky Saintess and the purple-haired woman didn't change direction and continued pursuing Han Li.
Soon, the two traveled over fifty kilometers and closed the distance between them and Han Li.
...
"We should only be about thirty kilometers away from them. Silvermoon, it's time for you to leave." Han Li's sleeve trembled as a small silver wolf flew out from it, landing at Han Li's side. Then in a blur, Silvermoon took the shape of Han Li's form.
Han Li's face wore a wry smile in response, but since there was no time, he said nothing else and summoned a storage pouch and a thumb-sized azure pearl before handing them over to Silvermoon.
Han Li explained, "Since you're a tool spirit without a flesh body and won't be able to nimbly control magic treasures, bring the Gold Devouring Beetles with you and the lightning pearl. If that demon beast follows after you, consider nothing else apart from wounding the beast. It will be fine so long as you disable it for the time being."
"Master, be at ease. If the Endless Sky Beast follows me, I will not allow it to easily escape." In Han Li's image, Silvermoon took the two treasures and tore through the sky in a silver streak.