Free Web NovelChapter 204: Chapter 204: Escape
"Master Qin, let’s conclude our sparring for today."
The Five Heroes gave Qin Ya a respectful salute and departed with the unconscious Lin Hongyu. Yun Loxi, who had been observing from the sky, descended. Gazing at the vibrant Qin Ya, he smiled. "Congratulations on your advancement, Master Qin."
Qin Ya gave a faint smile. "Thank you for watching over me, Cloud Island Master."
"Of course."
.........
「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Over the past ten days, Qin Ya’s comprehension of the Ice and Fire Momentum had gradually solidified. He had even touched upon a trace of its profound mysteries, allowing him to feel the barrier between himself and the Extraordinary realm. It seemed almost within his grasp.
It was like a thin sheet of paper, ready to tear with a single poke.
But Qin Ya knew that without a fortuitous opportunity, breaking through this paper-thin barrier would still take a considerable amount of time. Beyond that, he also dissolved the dozen or so Exquisite Jades he had brought back from Hidden Dragon Valley, discovering quite a few treasures within.
After all, Exquisite Jade was used to seal the Marvels of Heaven and Earth.
Among these dozen or so Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects were many items like the Primordial Marrow, which were used to strengthen one’s True Essence. After consuming them, Qin Ya’s True Essence had grown considerably stronger. Now, based on his True Essence alone, Qin Ya could instantly kill most cultivators at Celestial Essence Realm Perfection.
It was a fine, sunny day.
Suddenly, a bell began to toll, its sound echoing throughout the entire Vast Sea Divine Palace.
The toll was deep and boundless, like a sound from beyond the heavens.
The sound of the bell washed over all Thirty-Six Islands of the Vast Sea Divine Palace. Everyone who heard it, from the high-ranking Island Masters to the disciples engrossed in their cultivation, felt their expressions shift. A single thought surfaced in their minds...
The Supreme Elder was out of seclusion!
"It’s been ten years. The Supreme Elder is finally out of seclusion."
"Rumor has it that the Supreme Elder was already a top-level expert at Celestial Human Realm Perfection ten years ago. Now that a decade has passed, I wonder if he has advanced even further."
"He’s out of seclusion. I must go pay my respects."
......
For a time, the entire Vast Sea Divine Palace was in an uproar.
Yun Loxi, who had been listening to Qin Ya’s teachings on the Alchemy Dao, found his expression shifting. ’Of all the times to come out of seclusion, it had to be now,’ he muttered.
He was clearly annoyed that the Supreme Elder’s timing was interrupting his study of the Alchemy Dao. He gave Qin Ya an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Master Qin. The Supreme Elder is out of seclusion, so I must take my leave."
Qin Ya nodded. "Don’t worry about it, Cloud Island Master. You should go."
After Yun Loxi left, Qin Ya rubbed his chin and murmured to himself, ’The Supreme Elder of the Vast Sea Divine Palace... His cultivation must be at least in the Celestial Human Realm, and he might have even reached the level of a Martial Arts King. I’m a bit curious.’
A Martial Arts King was a true powerhouse in the Azure Sky Realm.
Every King was an unimaginably terrifying existence.
Just as Qin Ya was lost in thought, an overwhelming sense of mortal danger suddenly enveloped him. His heart seized, and the hair on his skin bristled. Without a shred of hesitation, he moved. Pushing the Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique—a fusion of the Speed Trend and the Wind’s Great Trend—to its absolute limit, he instantly vanished from the spot.
The instant he moved, a purplish-black mist engulfed the spot where he had been sitting, gradually corroding it into nothingness.
Qin Ya’s heart leaped, his pupils contracting to pinpricks!
He spared a single glance at the purplish-black mist before shooting off into the distance.
’Escape! I have to escape!’
’This danger is too terrifying, far beyond anything I can handle. There’s no other option but to run. Who is it? Who wants to kill me?!’
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
He recalled, one by one, the people he had offended since arriving at the Vast Sea Divine Palace.
Chu Lingfeng, Zhang Hua, Zhang Siyang, Lan Qijin...
’I haven’t been at the Vast Sea Divine Palace for long; I’ve only offended a handful of people. And there’s only one person who has both the power and a strong enough reason to kill me...’
’Lan Qijin!!’
’No, the aura radiating from that purplish-black mist is completely different from Lan Qijin’s.’
’If it’s not Lan Qijin, is it someone he sent?’
’No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about this. I need to get out of here, fast!’
Qin Ya’s mind raced, but he pushed his Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique to its absolute limit, streaking toward the edge of the island. He was moving faster than he ever had in this life or the last, all for a slim chance at survival. Yet, despite his speed, the black mist followed close behind.
"Heh heh, you actually managed to dodge an attack. How interesting."
An ancient, sinister voice drifted from within the mist, its tone laced with the mocking amusement of a cat playing with a mouse.
Qin Ya’s expression was grim, but he didn’t slow down. Even wearing the Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact, Scenic Landscapes, he didn’t feel the slightest bit safe.
The mist behind him inspired a profound sense of terror.
"Go on, run. Make this a little more fun for me."
From within the mist, Ying San watched Qin Ya with amusement. In his eyes, Qin Ya was already a dead man. Luoyun Island was only so large, surrounded on all sides by a vast ocean. Unless you were an Extraordinary expert who could fly, there was nowhere to run.
Qin Ya streaked across the center of the island like a fleeting shadow. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"So fast! Who was that?"
"Huh? I thought a gust of wind just blew past me."
"Terrifyingly fast."
"And what is that black mist?"
The many disciples active on the island were astonished by the fleeting shadow, and the cloud of mist that followed it was even more terrifying to behold.
’Damn it, I haven’t seen a single Extraordinary expert.’
Clearly, his attacker had specifically chosen this moment to strike.
The timing was too perfect—attacking him just as the Vast Sea Divine Palace’s Supreme Elder was coming out of seclusion. If someone told Qin Ya there wasn’t something fishy going on, he wouldn’t believe them even if it cost him his life.
Soon, Qin Ya reached the edge of the island.
’It’s no good. I can’t get help on Luoyun Island. I have to get away from here.’
With a thought, Qin Ya stepped onto the surface of the sea. Where his foot landed, the water instantly froze into a sheet of ice. Using the ice as a foothold, he shot off into the distance.
"Oh? It seems I’ve underestimated you."
The voice from the pursuing mist let out a soft "oh" of surprise.
He hadn’t expected Qin Ya to have a way to travel across the open water.
"Well, I’m done playing."
An indifferent voice came from the cloud of mist. The fog then dissipated, revealing an old, wrinkle-faced man with black hair and a black robe. He gave a cold smile, slowly raised his palm, and gave a gentle push. An endless torrent of black mist erupted forth.
The black mist surged toward Qin Ya like a tidal wave.
It was significantly faster than he was.
"Damn it!"
Qin Ya cried out in alarm as his True Essence surged, fully activating the Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact, Scenic Landscapes. In the blink of an eye, the black mist completely swallowed him.
The black mist was filled with an aura of decay that clung to Scenic Landscapes like a cancer, constantly eroding the Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact’s defenses.
"Ice Flame!!"
With a sharp cry, an ice-blue flame erupted to cover Qin Ya’s entire body, forming a suit of Flame Armor. When the black mist encountered the Ice Flame, it was like meeting a mortal enemy. The two energies clashed violently against the surface of Scenic Landscapes.
’Run!’
Qin Ya burst out of the black mist’s encirclement and continued to flee into the distance.
"He’s unharmed?!"
Seeing the Ice Flame on Qin Ya’s body, Ying San looked visibly startled.
"To have touched upon such profound mysteries at such a young age... Incredible."
