William blinked forward with his group a dozen times in quick succession, keeping his movements erratic so the enemies couldn't predict his next location.
Hun Dao was following close behind with his own Space Magic, but even though he was faster than William, the Illusion Magic made it hard to track William. He flashed ahead of where William was teleporting from, only to find that the boy had doubled back and he was now even further away than he started.
"Damn it! You're going to suffer when I catch you!" he roared after William who was already a few kilometers away. The other Cultivators couldn't keep up at all and most were almost a dozen kilometers further.
William's Illusionist's Cloak kept track of all the Cultivators at the same time, feeding him real-time data with the Arrays that helped him to predict where his enemies would be. He noticed an additional signature had appeared in the last few minutes, even faster than the rest of the group.
William was already nervous before, but seeing the unknown variable approach his position at the speed of light terrified him to no end.
If only I hadn't dispersed that Tribulation! William cursed in his mind. He could have broken through again and had a better chance of escaping if he hadn't angered the Heavens, but how could he have expected his current predicament?
Supreme Left and a group of Cultivators at his level. What kind of a welcome party was that?
"Master William, I can stop them for a while." Flame Dragon Uri suddenly said.
William looked at the dragon whose expression was resolute, "You can't risk your life for me, not here, not now. We can escape soon."
"Master William, you must have used up much of your Mana by now, and Atticus looks even worse. Let me stall them while you escape." Uri wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Fine, but we're doing things my way. Stall them for ten seconds and I'll get us out of here." William replied as he ordered Atticus to remove the Illusion Magic while consuming a Mana Regeneration Pill that he had refined before he left.
The snake didn't need to hear the order twice, as his bloodshot eyes called back the Illusion Mana in an instant. Atticus' Mana reserves were almost zero, and the snake was just a few seconds away from experiencing Mana Sickness.
The group of Cultivators locked onto their positions the moment the illusion faded away. The Space Mage Hun Dao blinked over and would arrive in just a few seconds, so William didn't have much time to enact his plan.
William gave the snake a pill to recover, then pulled out the Array Wheel that hadn't been used in a while. Stored on the Array Wheel were improved versions of the previous Arrays William created, much more powerful than before.
In an instant, three Complete Barrier Arrays with an absorption function appeared around the group. William modified the Arrays to allow Uri to exit the Arrays, then watched as the dragon let loose a pillar of flame from his mouth that lined up in the direction of both Hun Dao's current position and his exit point.
Hun Dao was forced to cancel his teleportation and defend himself with a defensive wall of Wind, which redirected the flame around his body. The man looked at the source of the flames, his eyes widening in shock as he instantly recognized the creature before him.
He retreated a few hundred meters to regroup with the fast-approaching Cultivators, then prepared a large, modified Wind Blade that would counter any further flames from the dragon.
The Cultivators' vast experience was made obvious when they didn't become arrogant and instead created a simple formation that would prevent any one of them from being picked off during a fight.
Uri didn't expect his flames to have an effect on the group. His only intention was to stall for William, who seemed to have a plan.
He roared at the Cultivators, "Do not provoke us. We have already said we are peaceful."
"Then announce yourself!" Hun Dao replied with an expression of anger. He was still annoyed that a weaker Cultivator had evaded him for so long, and a bit jealous that his Space Magic was weaker than his opponent's.
"Very well. I am Flame Dragon Uri, second brother of Royal Leader Uriah from the Dragon Continent." the dragon's booming voice resounded through the region, causing many citizens in a nearby town to cover their ears.
"The brother of Uriah? Ha! He Ascended long ago, your claim has no power here!" Hun Dao replied but in reality, he was a bit nervous. If Uri was the brother of the Leader of Dragons, wouldn't that spell trouble for him in the future when he Ascended? Would Uriah look to him for revenge?
Supreme Left reached the group in this moment, "Dragon, we have no quarrel with you, but with him." he nodded his head in the direction of William, who was still consuming Mana Gathering Pills.
"If you have a problem with him, I have a problem with you. Now, leave us be." Uri would have been more aggressive here, but he knew the difference between him and this group was too large, even if he was a dragon that could fight above his Realm.
Against one Tribulation Transcendence Cultivator, Uri was unstoppable. But against even five would spell disaster for him, much less twenty. He eyed his opponents with arrogance but didn't say anything further.
"William!" Supreme Left suddenly called out to the hooded figure that was consuming pills.
William paused for an instant while consuming his pills, but it was enough for Supreme Left to notice. He cursed inwardly as he realized his cover had been blown by such a small movement.
The blonde youth's smile grew, "Got you."
Supreme Left never expected that this person was actually the kid he was waiting for all this time. This was the best chance to acquire the treasures that William had gained. Even better, the boy seemed to know how to bypass the rules of the Gravitas Ruins that automatically kick you out after 60 days spent inside.
"Boy, I admire your bravery for leaving the only sanctuary that could protect you from me, but your stupidity hasn't changed."
Supreme Left communicated telepathically to the entire group at once, this is the boy you are looking for, I'm now sure of it. He's probably terrified out of his wits right now.
William raised his head so his mouth could be clearly seen from under the hood. Contrary to Supreme Left's expectations, he was smiling. The Detection Arrays told him that the last figure had already arrived, but the count didn't match the number of people he could see.
William maintained his smile as he said, "It seems you think you have the right person, but how can you be so confident? Perhaps the one hidden in your shadow knows something I don't?"
The group became confused. Hidden in the shadows?
Supreme Left didn't want to fall for William's trick, but he secretly checked his own shadow, only to sense a very familiar presence that alarmed him to no end. Read complete versıon only at NoveI★Fire.net
He stepped to the side to gain some distance from the shadowy figure, but his movements suddenly stopped. Piercing through his heart was a long metal pole covered in Arrays, wielded by a partially condensed arm made of shadows.