"You—you—"
When had the Grand Elder ever been provoked like this? Since advancing to the Unity stage, he had been respected wherever he went. Even Patriarch Huo dared not show him any disrespect. Now, a junior just breaking into the Out-of-Body stage was acting so arrogantly. It was maddening!
"What do you mean 'you'?"
Song Wanníng's expression turned cold as she attacked the Grand Elder again.
Baili Shang was covered in blood but could no longer afford to delay.
…
"Huo Jinchuan, where do you think you can run to now!"
Patriarch Huo chased relentlessly, cornering Huo Jinchuan again with no escape.
His face was grim. Who would have thought dealing with Huo Jinchuan would take so much time and effort? Fortunately, the Grand Elder was holding steady. Otherwise, letting those two escape would have been a huge loss.
"Huo Yang, are you really going to push me to a dead end?"
At first, Huo Jinchuan was furious to the point of madness. But as time passed, even anger drained from him, leaving only numbness. He couldn't understand how Huo Yang could keep tracking him no matter where he hid.
"Why can you always find me, no matter where I go?"
He asked this question again, not expecting an answer. But this time, Huo Yang did not hide the truth. Because even if Huo Jinchuan knew, he could not avoid it. It was time for Huo Jinchuan to face reality.
"This is all thanks to the person you brought. If not for that woman giving me a map, I wouldn't be able to keep track of your position at all times. Stop struggling. Wherever you go, I will see you. You are destined not to escape."
Huo Yang sneered. Want to fight me? Even Heaven itself stands with me.
"What?"
Huo Jinchuan was stunned, unable to react for a long moment. He even suspected Huo Yang was lying. How could Song Wanníng possibly know his location?
"Hmph, Huo Jinchuan, in your next life you better not become my son!"
Huo Yang's patience had run out. If it weren't for his determination to utterly destroy Huo Jinchuan, he wouldn't waste such effort. His disgusted gaze swept over Huo Jinchuan. "Because you're not worthy."
With that, he struck again with thunderous force, aiming to kill and reduce him to dust.
Huo Jinchuan's brow tightened, a mix of despair and hatred flashing in his eyes. He had painstakingly studied for hundreds of years, only to be defeated by a woman. How laughable. Facing imminent danger and no escape, he could only grit his teeth and endure.
Boom—
Huo Jinchuan was blasted away by a palm strike. A flash of light followed as his chest was pierced. Blood sprayed everywhere.
In that moment, Huo Jinchuan felt death drawing near. He had no strength left to fight back, lying on the ground twitching like a dead dog.
At that moment, his eyes revealed the pain of two lifetimes, his Dao heart utterly shattered. The world was unfair. He had tried so hard, yet could not change his fate.
Why?
He screamed silently, struggling like a trapped beast fighting his last breath.
Huo Yang gave a cruel smile.
It was hard to believe this man was his own flesh and blood.
"Go die!"
A cold gleam flashed in Huo Yang's eyes as he struck Huo Jinchuan heavily again.
"You should have apologized to Meng'er long ago! Ha ha ha—"
He suddenly laughed aloud, watching as Huo Jinchuan took the final blow.
But just then, an unexpected change happened.
The previously sealed cave suddenly appeared a glowing door. That strike did not annihilate Huo Jinchuan. Instead, it pushed him into the door of light. Huo Jinchuan's figure vanished instantly, and the door closed quickly as if it had never existed.
Huo Yang was stunned. It felt as if everything was custom-made for Huo Jinchuan.
Even exhausted, he still escaped death!
What did this mean?
A deep unease rose in Huo Yang's heart.
Could it be that the Heavenly Dao was protecting Huo Jinchuan?
"Damn it!"
He furiously smashed the cave around him, quickly leveling it to the ground. If Huo Jinchuan really had Heaven's protection, then he was finished.
One day, he would become a soul beneath the blade of the growing Huo Jinchuan. Perhaps even now, he was nothing more than a stepping stone for Huo Jinchuan's rise. Realizing this, Huo Yang was enraged.
Man can conquer Heaven. He refused to believe he could not kill that bastard Huo Jinchuan. Huo Yang did not give up. Pulling out the map again, he searched for Huo Jinchuan's trace.
Suddenly, a transmission talisman gave off an unusual signal.
It was from the Grand Elder.
The signal was urgent but contained not a single word, showing he was in serious trouble. Huo Yang immediately thought of Song Wanníng and Baili Shang, his face twisted. Could those two have escaped again?
He kept a stern expression and sent a message to the Grand Elder.
"Don't rush. Follow those two. I will decide how to capture them once I arrive."
Song Wanníng and Baili Shang possessed many treasures. He feared the Grand Elder would suffer losses. After sending the reply, he checked Huo Jinchuan's position again. The red dot flickered faintly on the map, unclear.
He squinted. That bastard probably entered some kind of space fragment, causing the location to be inaccurate. The situation was urgent. He frowned, torn over which side to kill first.
When the Grand Elder sent a second signal, no complete sentence came through. Huo Yang's heart skipped a beat. A sense of crisis rose, making him anxious and unable to calm down.
"This isn't right. Could the Grand Elder be in danger?"
Huo Yang instinctively felt something was wrong. His brow furrowed. Without hesitation, he flew toward the Forbidden Land.
"You must hold on. I'm coming soon! If you're in danger, hide immediately. Do not confront them head-on!" He sent several transmission talismans while flying, worried something had gone wrong.
Outside the Forbidden Land, when the Grand Elder heard the talisman message, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Hide?
It was already too late.
The Grand Elder lay on the ground, severely wounded.
Not far away, Baili Shang and Song Wanning's clones also collapsed to the ground, completely drained of spiritual and demonic energy, their injuries serious.
They were all on the verge of death.
This was also why the Grand Elder could break through the formation to send a signal to Huo Yang. The formation's master was almost spent, weakening its power.
Yet Song Wanníng herself still stood upright, barely dirty at the hem, showing no visible injuries.