The sea churned violently beneath them as wave after wave crashed into one another, yet neither Lin Sheng nor the grey-robed cultivator paid it any attention.
The brief exchange had already told them everything they needed to know.
Lin Sheng understood one thing clearly.
He was not this person's opponent.
His attack, which could threaten an Early Purple Palace cultivator, had been received as casually as though it were nothing more than a passing breeze. The difference between them wasn't merely one of cultivation—it was the difference between someone who had spent centuries cultivating and someone who had only recently stepped into the third rank.
Likewise, the grey-robed cultivator had reached his own conclusion.
A trace of amazement lingered in his eyes.
"Remarkable."
"I've met countless geniuses over the years, but never one quite like you."
He slowly clasped his hands behind his back, his tone becoming noticeably calmer than before.
"A martial artist with a physique comparable to Purple Palace, a Martial Intent that has already reached the stage of Realisation and an attack capable of crossing an entire major realm..."
He paused before smiling faintly.
"If Qing'er lost to someone like you, perhaps it wasn't entirely unexpected."
Lin Sheng remained expressionless.
His Gangqi continued circulating silently through every meridian while Crystal analyzed every movement the man made.
The result was discouraging.
°[Estimated probability of victory: 0.7%.
Estimated probability of successful frontal escape: 3.4%]°
Neither figure inspired confidence.
The grey-robed cultivator seemed completely unconcerned by Lin Sheng's silence.
"In truth, I have no personal grudge against you."
"I simply wish to know what happened to my disciple."
"And..."
His gaze gradually sharpened.
"...how a martial artist managed to interfere with her memories."
Lin Sheng finally spoke.
"If I tell you..."
"...will you let me leave?"
The man chuckled.
"You won't."
"Because neither of us believes that."
Lin Sheng gave a small nod.
"Agreed."
The brief conversation had merely bought him time.
Nothing more.
The grey-robed cultivator suddenly disappeared.
Lin Sheng's pupils contracted.
Too fast.
His Mental Perception had only just caught a blur before an overwhelming pressure descended from above.
Without hesitation, he activated the Wind Riding Boots.
His Wind Martial Intent erupted beneath his feet as his figure shot sideways.
Boom!
The descending palm struck the sea instead.
An enormous depression appeared across the water before countless waves rushed inward to fill the crater, sending pillars of seawater soaring hundreds of meters into the sky.
Lin Sheng didn't even spare it a glance.
The instant he regained his footing, he transformed into a silver streak that raced across the endless ocean.
Running from someone overwhelmingly stronger wasn't shameful.
Only fools insisted on fighting battles they couldn't win.
Behind him, the grey-robed cultivator watched with visible surprise.
"Interesting."
"So this is the confidence you rely upon."
His figure blurred once before disappearing from sight.
Several breaths later, Lin Sheng's expression finally changed.
He could already feel the distance shrinking.
Even without looking back, the pressure bearing down on him became heavier with every passing breath.
Crystal's calculations updated almost immediately.
°[Target speed exceeds host by 27%.
Current probability of successful escape: 2.8%]°
Lin Sheng wasn't surprised.
An opponent who had effortlessly neutralized his strongest attack naturally wouldn't possess such an obvious weakness.
He continued accelerating.
Wind and lightning intertwined around his body while Gangqi poured relentlessly into the Wind Riding Boots. Every step carried him dozens of meters across the sea, leaving only rippling currents in his wake.
Islands, reefs and scattered rocks flashed past like fleeting shadows.
Yet no matter how much distance he covered...
The aura behind him continued drawing closer.
Five hundred meters.
Four hundred.
Three hundred.
The grey-robed cultivator neither hurried nor slowed, maintaining a steady pace that gradually erased the distance between them.
From beginning to end, his expression remained calm.
Like a hunter pursuing prey that had already exhausted every possible escape route.
"You cannot run forever."
His voice drifted across the roaring sea as though carried by the wind itself.
"I only wish to ask a few questions."
"If you continue resisting..."
"...I may accidentally cripple you."
Lin Sheng ignored every word.
Crystal had already abandoned calculating a direct escape.
Instead, countless routes rapidly unfolded across his vision.
Nearby islands.
Ocean currents.
Weather conditions.
Even the direction of the wind was incorporated into the calculations.
One route after another was rejected.
Then...
A single path illuminated.
°[Alternative escape route located.
Calculating success probability...
Mist Sea Forbidden Zone selected]°
Information immediately surfaced inside Lin Sheng's mind.
An ancient battlefield.
A forbidden region where dense mist covered thousands of li.
Divine sense was heavily suppressed once one entered, forcing even Purple Palace cultivators to rely primarily on their eyesight.
Success probability immediately rose.
Not high...
But far better than continuing this hopeless chase.
Lin Sheng abruptly changed direction.
Rather than continuing toward the island chain he had originally planned to investigate, his figure veered northwest toward an endless stretch of white mist hanging above the distant sea.
Behind him, the grey-robed cultivator frowned.
"The Mist Sea?"
He understood what Lin Sheng intended almost instantly.
Entering that place would greatly reduce the advantage provided by his superior cultivation.
For the first time since beginning the pursuit, his speed noticeably increased.
Crystal's voice echoed once more.
°[Warning.
Estimated interception before reaching the Mist Sea: Nine breaths.]°
Another window appeared immediately afterward.
°[Alternative auxiliary solution available.
Mental Spirit Thorn.
Recommended enhancement: Spiral Compression.
Estimated stun duration against target: 2.6 seconds]°
Lin Sheng didn't hesitate.
Within his sea of consciousness, the newly formed Spirit Platform trembled as immense spiritual power surged toward the blazing Yellow Origin Sun. Instead of condensing an ordinary Mental Spirit Thorn, he compressed it repeatedly until the attack resembled an invisible spiraling drill.
The pressure surrounding his soul intensified.
One breath.
Two breaths.
The compression reached its limit.
Lin Sheng's eyes flashed.
The invisible attack vanished.
Almost simultaneously, the pursuing cultivator's expression changed.
A violent pain erupted inside his sea of consciousness.
"Hmph!"
The Niwan Palace instinctively erupted with spiritual light, forming an invisible barrier that intercepted most of the incoming force.
The Spiral Mental Spirit Thorn crashed directly against it.
Although the barrier successfully blocked the majority of the attack, the remaining impact still shook his spirit violently, causing his consciousness to blur for an instant.
"...A spiritual attack?"
Disbelief flashed across his face.
A martial artist...
Actually possessed a soul attack capable of affecting a Purple Palace cultivator.
Even if it only lasted a few breaths...
It was enough.
By the time he forcefully expelled the lingering pain from his mind, Lin Sheng had already crossed the invisible boundary separating the ordinary sea from the endless white mist.
The grey-robed cultivator's eyes turned cold.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pursued him inside.
The moment he entered the Mist Sea, however, his expression finally changed.
The divine sense he had cultivated for centuries seemed to collide with an invisible wall.
Its range plummeted dramatically.
The endless sea disappeared beneath layers upon layers of white mist, swallowing both hunter and prey as though they had entered another world entirely.
The moment he stepped into the Mist Sea, Lin Sheng felt the world change.
The bright sky vanished behind layers of dense white mist, while the sea beneath his feet became strangely silent. Even the crashing waves sounded distant, as though muffled by an invisible barrier.
His Mental Perception spread outward instinctively.
Almost immediately, he noticed the suppression.
It wasn't as severe as divine sense, but it was still affected.
The range that normally extended nearly eighty li rapidly shrank until it stabilized at just over twenty li.
Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
"So even Mental Perception is affected..."
Crystal immediately completed its analysis.
°[Unknown suppressive field detected.
Mental Perception reduced by approximately 72%.]°
Suppression significantly weaker than conventional divine sense.
That last line eased Lin Sheng's mind.
Although heavily weakened, his perception still far exceeded that of ordinary Purple Palace cultivators inside the Mist Sea.
Without stopping, he continued weaving through the thick mist, deliberately changing direction every few breaths while using reefs, small islands and drifting rocks to conceal his movements.
Several breaths later...
His perception finally caught the familiar aura again.
The grey-robed cultivator had recovered.
---
The man's expression had become considerably gloomier.
His divine sense, which normally covered close to a hundred li, had now been compressed to less than five.
Everywhere he looked was nothing but endless white mist.
He could no longer sense Lin Sheng's exact location.
Remembering the spiritual attack from earlier, his face darkened.
"A martial artist..."
"...actually possesses such methods."
His Niwan Palace had protected him from serious injury, but that brief lapse in concentration had been enough to let his prey disappear.
Still...
He wasn't worried.
Slowly raising his right hand, he spread his fingers.
Resting in his palm was a tiny black insect no larger than a fingernail.
Its body shimmered with faint crimson patterns while its antennae continuously twitched.
The insect slowly crawled in a circle before finally stopping, its head pointing toward one particular direction.
The grey-robed cultivator smiled faintly.
"As expected."
"No matter how well you hide..."
"...you cannot escape the Soul Tracking Gu."
He gently closed his palm.
The tiny Gu insect burrowed beneath his sleeve as he calmly stepped forward.
Unlike before, he no longer hurried.
Within this sea of mist, speed meant little if one chose the wrong direction.
His prey could only keep changing course.
Eventually...
The Gu would lead him straight there.
Far ahead, Lin Sheng suddenly slowed.
Crystal had already noticed something.
°[Warning.
Target has resumed pursuit.
Estimated direction correction inconsistent with visual tracking]°
Lin Sheng's expression gradually became solemn.
His opponent...
Had another way to find him.