Chapter 160: Scheming for Escape at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage (Part 2)

Chapter 160: Scheming for Escape at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage (Part 2)

He furrowed his brows slightly, guessing that the second-rank demonic beast was probably in the deeper parts of the cave.

Descending with his flying technique, Chu Ning slowly landed in the valley.

His gaze swept the surroundings, a hint of curiosity in his eyes as the shape of the valley and the position of the moon-shaped cave struck him as oddly familiar.

As he stepped into the valley, a realization dawned on him, and his expression softened.

"This place is somewhat similar to the ancient map of Shuiyun Cave that I saw in Wen Yanchao's abode on Shuiyun Island."

A hint of surprise flashed across Chu Ning's face, and he cautiously approached the moon-shaped cave.

When he was less than twenty paces from the cave entrance, his spiritual sense still detected nothing.

So, he reached into his spirit beast bag and released Ling Xiaobai.

"Xiaobai, go inside and lure that fellow out.

It's fast and can fly. Do you think you can handle it?"

Upon hearing Chu Ning's words, Ling Xiaobai proudly lifted her head.

Chu Ning recalled that even when she was just a first-rank mid-stage demonic beast, she had been able to escape pursuit from a first-rank peak demonic beast, so he felt slightly relieved.

Concealing his presence, Chu Ning watched as Ling Xiaobai cautiously entered the cave.

After about twenty breaths...

"Tweee!"

Accompanied by a shrill cry, a white blur shot out from the cave, followed by Ling Xiaobai.

About thirty feet behind her was a demonic beast resembling a rabbit, but with crimson wings and fiery red fur. Its eyes gleamed with a fierce light as it gave chase.

The two beasts darted past Chu Ning in the blink of an eye and soon disappeared from view.

Seeing this, Chu Ning's figure flickered, and he swiftly flew into the cave.

The cave's entrance was just a small moon-shaped opening a few paces wide, but the interior was expansive. Chu Ning found it to be at least fifty or sixty paces wide.

As for its depth, Chu Ning's spiritual sense could only penetrate about a hundred paces before it reached an obstacle.

Without hesitation, Chu Ning expanded his spiritual sense to its maximum range, scanning the area as he rushed forward.

In his spiritual sense's range, there were several excellent spirit herbs, but Chu Ning paid them no heed.

He continued at this rapid pace for about fifty paces before a delighted smile appeared on his face.

Chu Ning instantly recognized the white lingzhi herb, which he had become very familiar with.

Without hesitation, Chu Ning flew towards the rabbit's burrow and took out a large jade box, quickly harvesting all the herbs.

In a short while, Chu Ning had picked all the herbs clean and was about to leave.

But at that moment, his expression changed slightly.

In an instant, Chu Ning unleashed the Soul Restraining Technique.

At the same time, a strand of spiritual sense swept over him.

The next moment, Chu Ning's figure flashed, and he hid behind a large boulder.

At the same time, he completely restrained his aura.

He kept the Soul Restraining Technique active as well.

After just two or three breaths, a figure appeared outside.

It was the red-faced elder he had encountered earlier.

"Hmm, I heard there's a Fire-Winged Demon Beast in this cave. I wanted to catch it and make it guard the cave, but where did it go?" the elder muttered to himself.

As the elder spoke, the sound of fierce wind could be heard from outside the cave.

The red-faced elder stood inside the cave, his expression vigilant as he watched outside.

The next moment, a red figure flashed into view.

It was the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon that had left just a while ago.

Upon entering the cave, the demon's gaze first fell on the spot where the white lingzhi herb had been growing.

Seeing that all the white lingzhi grass had disappeared, it flapped its crimson wings, and its mouth opened to spew a stream of flames towards the red-faced elder.

In response, the elder coldly harrumphed.

He rubbed his hands together, and several huge fire knives slashed towards the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon.

The two clashing fire lights exploded in the air with a burst of shattering noise.

The next moment, the crimson flames spewed by the rabbit demon were completely scattered.

And the huge fire knives in the hands of the red-faced elder heavily slashed towards the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon.

However, the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon was extremely agile, and it dodged by flashing to the side in the air.

In the next moment, the demon flashed behind the red-faced elder and launched another attack.

But the elder seemed to have anticipated this, and he slashed another fire knife backwards.

This time, the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon didn't dodge or evade. Instead, it opened its mouth and swallowed the fire knife whole.

Simultaneously, its fiery red wings flapped, transforming into a streak of fire that shot towards the red-faced elder.

Seeing this, the elder didn't choose to defend directly. Instead, he waved his wide sleeve, and a white object appeared in his hand—an eight-trigram mirror.

At the same time, the mirror's surface shone brightly, and a white beam shot towards the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon.

Although the elder cultivated fire-attribute techniques, the artifact he used was clearly water-attributed.

It was unclear if this was his usual artifact or if he had specifically chosen it after seeing his fire-attribute spell being devoured by the demon beast.

However, upon seeing the elder's attack, the rabbit demon didn't dare to take it head-on.

It swiftly dodged to the side.

For a time, the man and the demon engaged in a fierce battle within the cave.

In terms of strength, the red-faced elder in the middle Foundation Establishment Stage was naturally stronger.

Moreover, he had artifacts that could counter fire-attribute techniques.

However, the elder seemed to want to capture the demon beast alive, as he didn't go all out with lethal attacks.

But the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon was extremely fast, and it wasn't easy for the elder to capture it easily.

And since the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, it possessed a certain level of intelligence. It now understood the situation it was in.

After several rounds of intense fighting, the demon flapped its wings and suddenly opened its mouth, releasing a powerful column of fire.

The next moment, seeing that the situation was not in its favor, the demon beast flew straight towards the cave entrance.

"Trying to escape?"

The cultivator angrily shouted, his body flashing as he transformed into a red light and chased after the demon, heading towards the cave entrance.

At the same time, he threw a white object that flew even faster than him, overtaking the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon and reaching the entrance first.

The next moment, the red-faced elder performed a hand seal, and the white object suddenly opened up.

It was a large white net! The Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon had no time to react and flew straight into the net.

Simultaneously, the white net quickly contracted, trapping the second-rank demon beast inside.

The Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon struggled inside the net, but to no avail.

"Hahaha!"

The red-faced elder walked up to the net, lifted it up, and laughed triumphantly.

His laughter echoed through the cave as he walked back inside.

Chu Ning's expression changed slightly as he hid behind the boulder, feeling a sense of crisis.

Although he hadn't been able to see the entire battle, he had caught glimpses of it through the cracks in the boulder.

This elder not only had high cultivation but also possessed a wide array of skills and artifacts.

He had easily captured a second-rank demon beast that was comparable to a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment Stage.

Chu Ning felt that if he had faced the demon beast directly, he wouldn't have been very confident in his chances.

He had originally thought that the elder was only after the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon.

But now, seeing that the elder didn't leave after capturing the demon, Chu Ning began to worry.

"If he really searches every corner of the cave, it could be troublesome."

Chu Ning frowned in thought, contemplating an escape plan.

At this moment, he dared not make any movements, not even daring to peek through the cracks of the boulder for fear of being detected by the elder's powerful spiritual sense.

Indeed, the red-faced elder, who had re-entered the cave, scanned the area with his gaze and spiritual sense.

"It's you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Chu Ning, mindful of the elder's formidable cultivation, refrained from making any hasty moves and responded politely, "Greetings, Senior. This spirit beast is mine, and I apologize if it has inadvertently offended you."

The red-faced elder's gaze swept over Chu Ning and then toward the Crescent Moon Cave in the distance. "Why have you come to this place?" he asked.

"I heard that Luoxia Island is abundant in spiritual herbs, so I came to take a look," Chu Ning replied casually. "Fortunately, the spirit beast I keep is quite fast, so I thought of using it to lure out the Fire-Winged Rabbit Demon and explore the Crescent Moon Cave to see if there's anything valuable inside."

"But I had barely entered the cave when you arrived," Chu Ning added.

As Chu Ning spoke, Ling Xiaobai circled back and landed by his side.

The red-faced elder slowly advanced, his eyes fixed on Chu Ning. "Then how did you evade my spiritual sense?"

At this question, Chu Ning's heart sank, and he hesitated for a moment before answering, "I have a treasure that can block spiritual sense detection."

"A treasure that can block spiritual sense detection?" The elder's eyes glinted with interest. "Let me see it."

Chu Ning quickly interjected, "This treasure has limitations. It cannot block the spiritual sense of cultivators at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage or above, nor can it defend against spiritual attacks. It's very useful to me, but it's of no value to you, Senior, given your profound cultivation."

The red-faced elder gave a cold snort. "Whether or not it's useful to me is not for you to decide. Hand it over for my inspection."

Chu Ning's expression turned conflicted.

The elder snorted again, his impatience growing. "Are you trying to force me to take action?"

"I dare not!" Chu Ning exclaimed, his face betraying his anxiety as the elder closed in, now only fifty paces away.

"I can offer this treasure to Senior," Chu Ning said, "but I hope Senior will grant me a promise in return—to let me leave safely."

"Fine, I agree!" The red-faced elder readily consented without a moment's hesitation.

Chu Ning forced a bitter smile. "I dare to ask Senior to swear an oath binding your heart demon."

At this request, the red-faced elder's eyes widened in anger. "How dare you! I, Song Yao, may not be the leader of the Thousand Islands Alliance, but I am a prominent figure within it. My word should be enough. Why should I swear an oath binding my heart demon? Are you trying to force me to take action?"

As he spoke, the aura of his fiery cultivation billowed around him, an imposing force even from a distance.

As he spoke, Chu Ning reached into his storage bag and pulled out an object, throwing it towards the red-faced elder.

The elder reached out and grabbed it.

But as soon as he held it in his hand, he paused, his expression turning furious.

"You dare to play tricks on me, you're asking for death!"

The item in his hand was not a treasure, but an ordinary artifact refining material.

As the elder reached out to grab the object, Chu Ning turned and flew sideways, escaping.

Without any hesitation, Song Ye unleashed his spiritual sense, pressing it forcefully towards Chu Ning.

At the same time, he moved forward, chasing after Chu Ning.

The use of spiritual sense to suppress and attack was a common tactic employed by Foundation Establishment cultivators against Qi Refining cultivators.

For cultivators who couldn't use spiritual sense, this was an overwhelming strategy.

Song Ye didn't even bother to use any spells.

He was confident that his spiritual sense attack would be enough to make Chu Ning collapse.

He didn't even need to lift a finger.

"Boom!"

Just then, Song Ye's spiritual sense struck Chu Ning.

But the next moment, Song Ye felt a sharp pain in his head, as if something was piercing his mind.

"Spiritual Sense Backlash!"

Song Ye immediately realized what was happening.

His face turned pale, and his body, which had been flying away, staggered and landed on the ground.

It took several breaths before Song Ye could regain his composure.

He quickly reached into his storage bag, took out a jade bottle, and swallowed a pill.

His pale face gradually regained some color.

Then, Song Ye lifted his head, but there was no sign of Chu Ning in front of him.

Anger rose on his face.

He immediately transformed into a red escape light and chased after Chu Ning in the direction he had fled.

As a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, Song Ye hadn't neglected his surroundings despite the backlash he had just experienced.

Although he couldn't see Chu Ning, he could roughly sense the direction of his escape.

"I'll peel the skin off that brat!"

Song Ye growled in anger.

He was not only furious with Chu Ning but also determined to obtain the so-called treasure that could block his spiritual sense.

"Not only can it shield my spiritual sense detection, but it can also backlash against spiritual sense attacks.

I must have that treasure!"

Song Ye's anger intensified as he thought about it.

Chu Ning had first claimed that the treasure couldn't defend against spiritual sense attacks, and then he had thrown him an ordinary artifact refining material.

It was as if Chu Ning had played him for a fool twice in a row.

With these thoughts, Song Ye's escape technique sped up even further.

Soon, he could vaguely see the green escape light in front of him.

"You think you can get away, brat? You're not going anywhere!"

Song Ye shouted angrily into the air, not bothering to conceal his pursuit.

His shout echoed through the air, clearly reaching Chu Ning, who was hundreds of feet away.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's face changed color several times.

This Elder Song was too strong, and even with the black dagger, Chu Ning wasn't confident that he could inflict significant damage with a single strike.

Moreover, the elder seemed to be cautious and alert.

That was why Chu Ning hadn't dared to activate the black dagger when he threw the object earlier.

As for a direct confrontation, Chu Ning didn't have the arrogance to believe he could withstand a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

So, his first instinct was to flee.

Initially, he had hoped that the elder would use his spiritual sense against him, allowing Chu Ning to use the Soul Restraining Technique to buy himself more time to escape.

But he hadn't expected the elder to catch up so quickly.

Gritting his teeth, Chu Ning pushed the Divine Wind Escape technique to its limit.

However, this was only an improved version of the technique, and it couldn't reach its maximum speed. Although it had felt fast before, it was now much slower than the elder's speed.

The distance between the two was rapidly closing.

Chu Ning grew increasingly anxious.

"Tweee!"

At that moment, Ling Xiaobai suddenly cried out.

At the same time, her voice echoed in Chu Ning's mind through spiritual sense transmission.

"East side, there's a restriction there!"

"A restriction?"

Chu Ning was initially startled by Ling Xiaobai's words, but then he was overjoyed.

"Little White, are you sure?"

"Yes, I flew by this area earlier and sensed the presence of a restriction."

With Ling Xiaobai's confirmation, Chu Ning immediately changed direction and flew towards the east.

Behind him, Song Ye pursued relentlessly.

After flying for about ten miles, Song Ye had narrowed the distance to just over a hundred feet.

Chu Ning asked anxiously, "Little White, are we there yet?"

"We're here!"

Ling Xiaobai replied through spiritual sense transmission.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning immediately followed her instructions and flew downwards.

However, Song Ye was now less than a hundred feet behind him.

Chu Ning glanced sideways and could vaguely see the elder holding the white net.

With a bite of his teeth, Chu Ning infused his spiritual power into the black dagger he had already taken out, and threw it towards Song Ye.

"A damaged artifact!"

As he pursued Chu Ning, Song Ye recognized the black dagger and exclaimed in surprise.

His face was filled with astonishment.

As he spoke, a simple and ancient gourd emitting a yellow light appeared in his hand.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end