Chapter 809: There Must Be Something Wrong Beneath the Water!

All sorts of factors had come together, and Niu Youdao had thoroughly driven Chu Fengping into humiliated fury. Of everyone present, he was the one least willing to see Niu Youdao escape.

The forces of the three states rapidly coordinated. One group rushed ahead along the river to intercept him; two swept along the banks to encircle and seal off the area; one searched the surface; another submerged to search underwater; and still others blocked the rear. They had practically cast a net across Heaven and earth to capture him.

Sword in hand, Xiao Ruying ran across the waves, taking an especially active part in the hunt.

She had never stopped resenting Niu Youdao for rejecting her. In her own eyes, she had become an enormous joke to everyone else, a woman no one wanted even when offered for free.

She felt she had suffered an unbearable humiliation. She wished she could personally tear Niu Youdao into ten thousand pieces.

Niu Youdao, after plunging into the rushing current, had no time to flee far. He knew perfectly well that he could not escape by simply continuing to run. That road led only to death. The instant he entered the water, he used spiritual power to pulverize the huge bundle on his back into dust.

There had never been any Spirit Seeds inside it. Under such circumstances, the overseas cultivators could not possibly have handed all their Spirit Seeds to him and allowed him to carry them away alone.

Outsiders, however, had no idea what his true relationship with the overseas group was.

The moment the evidence was destroyed underwater, he used a bend in the river to slip ashore. Spiritual power shielded his body so not a drop of water clung to him. He darted deep into the forest and hid himself in an obscure corner.

Thunk!

He casually drove his sword upright into the ground. Then his hands began moving at astonishing speed, every motion urgent.

He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a soft object rolled into a ball, and unfolded it. It was a disguise mask. Holding it in both hands, he raised it and pressed it over his face.

His fingers raced over his features until the false face adhered perfectly. Then he released it, seized his belt, and pulled. His robe fell open.

He stripped off his clothes with a shake, hung one of the inner garments over the sword standing in the ground, then put the outer layer back on. Afterward he snatched up the other coat hanging on the sword and switched the two layers, moving what he had originally worn inside to the outside and vice versa.

In the blink of an eye, his clothes had changed and he had become another person. The black garment he now wore, together with its embroidered markings, proclaimed exactly where it came from.

Misty Pavilion.

That was right. The clothing that had gone missing from one of the Misty Pavilion guards stationed at the exit from the ancient forest had been stolen by him.

From the moment Sha Rulai forced him into a dead end, Niu Youdao had been searching constantly for every possible means of preserving his life.

The moment he entered the Tiandu Secret Realm, he had set his sights on Misty Pavilion's people. If every road ended in death anyway, what would he not dare to do?

Even without Sha Rulai forcing him into a dead end, he still would have acted if given the opportunity. His situation was dangerous, and he had to secure as many chances of survival as possible.

Having discovered something this useful, how could he possibly let it pass?

A man who dared go to the Great Snowy Mountains and steal a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit was hardly going to fear stealing a set of clothes.

From his conversations with Misty Pavilion personnel, he had picked up a useful clue: the stream was where the guards at the entrance obtained their water.

Afterward, he had stabilized Chu Fengping long enough to buy himself time, then slipped away and secretly returned to that stream.

He hid nearby and waited. Only after a full two or three days did an opportunity finally appear, allowing him to make his move and succeed.

Now, after completing his disguise with movements so fast they blurred, he did not dare remain in place for long. He shot out immediately, adjusting his clothing as he fled. After weaving through the forest for a while, he sensed something was wrong and suddenly sprang to the top of the canopy, where he stood with his hands clasped behind his back and waited calmly.

Before long, the groups sweeping around from both sides closed in. When they discovered a Misty Pavilion man standing there, watching everything with detached indifference, everyone who saw him froze for an instant and became cautious.

The Misty Pavilion man seemed to have no interest in interfering. Ignoring them, he turned and flew away.

The searchers had no attention to spare for him. Capturing Niu Youdao was what mattered now, so they continued their work.

...

After receiving word from their own people rushing up from behind, the forces of Han and Song immediately changed direction and doubled back toward the area being searched by Yan, Wei, and Qi.

"Why did those two groups stop chasing?"

Taishu Shanyue, leading the forces of Jin and Zhao in pursuit of the overseas group, noticed that only his side was still rushing after them at full speed. He immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Elder! Elder Taishu! Wait! Urgent news!"

The cultivators pursuing from Jin and Zhao naturally had different levels of cultivation. Some ran fast, others slowly. Voices passed forward from the rear, relaying the shout.

Hearing that there was urgent news, Taishu Shanyue stopped and waved for everyone else to keep pursuing.

"What happened?" he asked when the messenger finally reached him.

The man shook his head. "I don't know!" He pointed behind himself, indicating that he had merely passed the message along.

After a short wait, Ji Yude, Xiaoyue Pavilion's man planted among Jin's forces, arrived and reported urgently, "Elder, we may have been fooled. The overseas group was probably Niu Youdao's bait. They may have handed all their Spirit Seeds over to him. I personally saw Niu Youdao slip away alone carrying a huge bundle. The people from Yan, Wei, and Qi must have discovered it too, because they've already gone after him. I didn't see any of them coming back while I was on my way here, so they must have confirmed that the goods are with Niu Youdao. On the way over, I also saw Han and Song turn around. They seem to have discovered something as well."

"No wonder those two groups stopped chasing! Why would they leave all the profit to us alone?" Taishu Shanyue's expression twitched. He abruptly turned and shouted, "Stop! Stop chasing!"

What the hell was the point of continuing? Catch up to those overseas demons and monsters, fight them to the death, gain nothing, and suffer casualties that would only benefit the other forces? Why would he do that?

Seizing Spirit Seeds came first. The overseas demons and monsters were secondary.

As soon as he issued the order, the people spread along the pursuit line began shouting forward layer by layer to pass it on.

Boom!

Three demon cultivators who had been caught joined forces and blasted a Qiyun Sect disciple away.

Yet the Qiyun Sect disciple hit the ground and immediately threw himself back into the fight, behaving as though the supposedly lethal blow had done nothing to him.

This was Qiyun Sect's unique secret art, the Blazing Flame Golden Body Art. It was an exceptionally profound method that cultivated both the internal and external body. It was said that once cultivated to a certain level, one's sinews became steel and one's bones iron, impervious to blade and spear.

That was why Qiyun Sect disciples were so ferocious. Against opponents of roughly equal cultivation, unless they were killed outright, they seemed almost impossible to beat down. Their bodies simply did not possess as many vulnerable points as other people's. They were difficult to injure and dared to fight to the death as if they had no regard for their own lives.

A group of Qiyun Sect disciples rushed in immediately afterward. Working together, they finally killed the three demon cultivators they had caught.

Then the order from behind reached them. The Qiyun Sect disciples who had joined forces stopped pursuing and quickly turned back.

...

"Why isn't anyone chasing us anymore?" Hong Gaitian looked back while fleeing at full speed and exclaimed in surprise.

Lang Jingkong, who had also been glancing back repeatedly, said grimly, "Could Niu Youdao's plan to draw the enemy away really have worked?"

"If he really drew them all after him, I'm afraid the odds are against him," Hong Gaitian said uneasily.

Fuhua snapped, "If he goes to lure the enemy, he at least has a slim chance of survival. If the Spirit Seeds in our hands are taken, he won't be able to get past Misty Pavilion at all!"

Whether Niu Youdao's diversion had worked or not, no one on this side dared stop. They continued fleeing for their lives.

Against the combined forces of all seven states, they truly were no match. Running was their only choice.

...

Yan Li's heart was pounding. He had seen it with his own eyes and confirmed that the person in the distance earlier really had been Niu Youdao.

With so many people sealing off the area and searching, how could he possibly escape?

Yan Li did not know exactly what Niu Youdao was trying to do. He had followed Niu Youdao's plan, but he had never expected Niu Youdao to personally take such a deadly risk.

He knew that drawing the forces of the various states into an encirclement had been Niu Youdao's design from the beginning. What he had not realized was that Niu Youdao intended to drive himself into a dead end in the process. Was it really necessary to gamble with his life like this?

Yet his concern soon seemed unnecessary. They searched and searched, but there was no trace of Niu Youdao anywhere.

"Impossible! He was carrying such a huge pile of things. Did he vanish into thin air? Can he shatter the void and disappear? Get back in the water! Search every inch of the riverbed again. Don't miss a single corner or a single underwater cave!"

Unable to find Niu Youdao, Chu Fengping stood on the bank of the gorge and erupted, barking furious orders.

Before long, the forces of Han and Song arrived and joined the search.

Finally, Jin and Zhao arrived as well and joined in.

Both banks of the rushing gorge, the water within it, the approaches ahead and behind, the flanks on either side—so many people searched across such a broad area that escape should have been impossible.

And yet Niu Youdao could not be found.

Yan Li found an opportunity to gather the Elders in charge of the three states and reminded them, "Looks like he got away."

Chu Fengping said, "There must be something wrong beneath the water!"

"Forget what's wrong with the water," Yan Li said. "A much bigger problem is about to land on us."

The others looked at him in confusion. Tianhuo Sect Elder Qian Fucheng frowned. "Us? What problem?"

Yan Li warned them, "The atmosphere has already changed. Haven't you noticed the other forces watching us from time to time? If everyone searches and searches but still finds nothing, do you think saying there's something wrong beneath the water will be enough to explain it? They'll suspect we're only putting on an act. They'll think we've already gotten what we came for. I shouldn't need to tell you what happens then."

The moment he said it, everyone felt a chill.

After his warning, they observed more carefully and discovered that the other forces truly were watching their side from time to time.

Eventually, as the search dragged on, the people of Yan, Wei, and Qi suddenly withdrew without saying a word.

They had no choice but to leave quietly. If they alerted the others, danger might descend immediately.

This was precisely the outcome Niu Youdao had spent so much effort arranging and had hoped Yan Li would bring about. He wanted to completely destroy and end the seven states' continued search for Spirit Seeds, preserving his side's numerical advantage.

With the right people offering timely reminders, the strange behavior of Yan, Wei, and Qi indeed jolted the others awake.

No matter how much effort people put in, throughout history it had never been able to withstand sabotage from within.

"Fuck! Those slippery dogs played us! Find them!" Realizing what had happened, Taishu Shanyue stood atop the gorge and cursed furiously.

How could he not be anxious? No matter how hard Qiyun Sect searched for Spirit Seeds from now on, it was unlikely they could surpass the amount already held by the three groups that had fled. Powerful as Qiyun Sect might be, it could not possibly wipe out every other faction. They were not made of clay. If Qiyun Sect lost too much strength, it would never survive the final hurdle at the exit.

[End of Chapter 809]