Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen broke through the yellow sand, his gaze and Spirit Sense simultaneously sweeping in all directions. After confirming that no one was around, he soared into the sky and headed toward the Tianyuan Continent.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at his misfortune.
He had come to hunt down Mi Hai, only to be pursued by Xu Geng, who had seized Mi Hai's body.
The Divine Sense attack Xu Geng had unleashed was the same technique Song Wen cultivated: the Focused Spirit Stab.
However, the difference in their power was like heaven and earth.
Xu Geng had only condensed a single blade of Divine Sense, but its essence was refined to the extreme, heavy and peerless. Its power far surpassed Song Wen's.
The Divine Sense blade was swallowed by the Black Hole in Song Wen's Sea of Consciousness, but it still caused a violent impact.
Like a boulder dropped into a pond, the Sea of Consciousness churned violently, leaving Song Wen's consciousness momentarily dazed.
With a flash of inspiration, Song Wen feigned having his Sea of Consciousness torn apart by the Divine Sense blade, losing control of his body and plummeting into the sand dunes.
Immediately afterward, he activated a Minor Teleportation Talisman and swiftly fled.
His luck was good. He had teleported to the back of a sand dune. He quickly burrowed into the yellow sand, concealing his aura.
At that moment, Xu Geng's attention was drawn to the billowing yellow sand stirred up by Song Wen's fall. When he finally dispersed the sand, Song Wen had already vanished. Song Wen had hidden himself, his aura blending seamlessly with the surrounding sand, leaving Xu Geng unable to find any trace of him. Disappointed, Xu Geng turned away.
Song Wen flew for an entire day. The yellow sand below gradually transformed into gravel. He had reached the edge of the Endless Desert, the Gobi Desert. Beyond lay the Tianyuan Continent.
Suddenly, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted from ahead.
Song Wen frowned slightly. The border between the Tianyuan Continent and the Endless Desert was known for its thin Spiritual Qi. Such a powerful surge was highly unusual.
After a moment's thought, Song Wen suppressed his aura and flew low to the ground, heading toward the source of the disturbance.
Before long, four giant flying ships appeared in the sky ahead.
These ships formed the foundation of an unknown formation.
Within the formation, spiritual energy flowed and light interwove.
The intense fluctuations in spiritual energy that Song Wen had sensed earlier originated from this Formation.
This Formation felt strange to Song Wen. Unlike typical Entrapment Formations, Killing Formations, or Defensive Formations, it seemed designed solely to continuously emit waves of spiritual energy outward.
"Who are the people on these four Giant Flying Ships? Why are they deliberately releasing this abnormal spiritual energy? Could they be trying to lure someone here?"
Song Wen pondered this, intending to retreat to avoid getting needlessly entangled in conflict.
However, the vast, open expanse of the desert offered no concealment.
The people on the Giant Flying Ships, perched high above, had already noticed his arrival.
A figure suddenly leaped from one of the ships and charged toward Song Wen.
Focusing his gaze, Song Wen recognized the figure as Lan Chen.
"Yin Shuo, you're still alive? Mo Yexue said you were struck by Xu Geng's Divine Sense attack," Lan Chen asked through spiritual sense transmission.
Song Wen replied through spiritual sense transmission, "Thank you for your concern, Immortal Maiden. I was fortunate enough to escape."
Seeing that Song Wen was unwilling to elaborate, Lan Chen didn't press further, simply nodding lightly.
Song Wen then asked, "Immortal Maiden, why are you here?"
Lan Chen said, "I'm not the only one here. Mo Yexue, Yang Yu, and Gou Jun are also present. We intend to capture Xu Geng."
Song Wen immediately understood. The formation formed by the four Giant Flying Ships was likely designed to attract Xu Geng's attention and lure him into a trap.
"Capture Xu Geng?" Song Wen's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had heard a fantastical tale.
Lan Chen and the others had barely escaped Xu Geng's clutches. Now, they were daring to capture him alive? It sounded utterly preposterous.
Lan Chen explained, "As the Divine Blood Gate's Vice Sect Leader, Xu Geng must possess all the sect's secrets. If we can capture him, we'll uncover the truth behind the Blood of Fallen Immortal. Moreover, he has just seized Mi Hai's body and hasn't yet mastered Mi Hai's Spiritual Power. This is the perfect opportunity to capture him."
Song Wen nodded. "You're right, but how can you be sure you can capture him? Xu Geng's Divine Sense is at the Divine Transformation Realm. How will you withstand his Divine Sense attacks?"
Song Wen had personally experienced Xu Geng's Focused Spirit Stab and had a clear understanding of its power.
According to Song Wen's assessment, even top-grade Soul Defense Magical Treasures would struggle to effectively weaken Xu Geng's power. If Lan Chen and the others possessed supreme-grade Soul Defense Magical Treasures, they might manage to mitigate it slightly.
Lan Chen said, "While Xu Geng's Divine Sense attack technique is formidable, it's not invincible. All Spirit Sense-based attacks have a weakness: they're weakened by living beings with souls. On the four Giant Flying Ships behind us, each carries hundreds of thousands of mortals. If we place these mortals in front of us, Xu Geng's Divine Sense attack technique will be unable to threaten us."
Song Wen was slightly taken aback. Lan Chen and the others had devised such a brilliant method to counter Divine Sense attacks.
"I've learned a valuable lesson," Song Wen said, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect.
As they spoke, Mo Yexue, Yang Yu, and Gou Jun flew over.
Mo Yexue nodded slightly at Song Wen and cupped her hands in a greeting.
"Daoist Yin Shuo, thank you for rescuing my disciple half a year ago."
Song Wen replied, "Fellow Daoist Mo, there's no need for such formality. It was a simple matter."
Gou Jun stared at Song Wen with icy eyes. Perhaps because they were preparing to face the ever-present threat of Xu Geng, he had no intention of settling old scores with Song Wen at the moment.
"Yin Shuo, why were you near the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall?" Gou Jun asked coldly.
"To ambush Mi Hai. After the Divine Blood Hall incident, his Mixed Yuan Temple repeatedly targeted my Asura Sect. I planned to eliminate him, but he was seized by Xu Geng. It saved me the trouble," Song Wen replied truthfully.
Gou Jun asked, "Did you encounter Xu Geng again during your escape?"
Gou Jun only knew that Song Wen had appeared near the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall. When Song Wen was struck by Xu Geng's Focused Spirit Stab, he had already fled far away. Moreover, Mo Yexue had intentionally concealed this fact, so Gou Jun and Yang Yu were unaware that Song Wen had been attacked by Xu Geng's Divine Sense.
Song Wen replied, "If I had encountered Xu Geng, I wouldn't have escaped alive."
Gou Jun looked slightly disappointed and turned back to the giant flying ship.
At that moment, Yang Yu suddenly spoke.
"Daoist Yin Shuo, it's been ten years. Your cultivation has advanced even further."
Song Wen replied, "My cultivation has only improved slightly. I wouldn't dare compare myself to Daoist Yang Yu. Congratulations on reaching Peak Nascent Soul. The Divine Transformation Realm is within reach."
After exchanging a few polite words with Yang Yu, Song Wen bid farewell to the group.
However, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he flew several hundred miles behind the four giant flying ships and watched quietly.
Song Wen also wanted to know whether Lan Chen and her companions, who were lying in wait, would be able to lure Xu Geng into their trap and successfully capture him.
But after waiting for half a month, Song Wen still hadn't seen any sign of Xu Geng.
He wondered if Xu Geng had entered the Tianyuan Continent from another location, gone to another realm, or returned to the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall.
Song Wen decided not to linger any longer and flew back to Yishi Ridge.
(End of the Chapter)
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