A loud explosion erupted in the dark night forest, destroying the corpse of the fifth leader, and two people nearby were blown away.
After all, they were Innate Grandmasters, and their dodging speed was quite fast. Although their hair was disheveled and their clothes were torn, they weren’t killed by the explosion, just slightly injured.
"What a vicious tactic."
"Damn it, don’t let me catch you, or I’ll make you wish you were dead."
The two men’s faces looked unpleasant.
Shen Wang caught sight of the firelight out of the corner of his eye, then heard the explosion.
He judged the distance and sneered, "I’ve just started studying the Detonator Talisman, only made two. Otherwise, I would have given you a bigger one to eat."
The Detonator Talisman is a powerful type of talisman, difficult to make. Due to the violently contained Spiritual Qi, it’s highly risky and prone to explode during its creation, thus requiring high demands on materials and experience.
Shen Wang only made them after seeing them in the Talisman Collection, but he succeeded in making only two lower-grade Detonator Talismans. He wasn’t sure if he had killed the pursuers with them.
Judging the distance and sound of the pursuers, he frowned, "However, they caught up so fast. Seems like they take you quite seriously."
"It shouldn’t be, I’m just an ordinary shopkeeper, not even reaching Innate yet. Is it necessary to send so many people after me?"
Paper Kite pondered, "Could it be for their reputation?"
"If they keep pursuing, find an opportunity to leave a survivor to ask."
Shen Wang still found it puzzling. Even for reputation, it shouldn’t be . He merely rescued a Postnatal Martial Artist, and there were even Innates in that cage.
"Your belongings should have all been taken away, right?"
"Yes, they took them, and the Spirit Stones exchanged from those talismans by my husband were also robbed by them."
Paper Kite felt deeply ashamed.
"No worries, the guy I just killed already let me earn them back."
Shen Wang didn’t care.
In such a situation, as long as one can save their life, everything else is just material.
He mused, "Strange, they shouldn’t value it this much. But now, having killed one of their leaders, the enmity is already set; Paper Kite’s matter can be dealt with later."
Casting aside a talisman, Shen Wang changed direction somewhat.
Soon, another talisman in his hand began to burn.
"Still chasing, they sure hold grudges."
Shen Wang glanced at the terrain.
Now it’s already lost, but he’s sure he’s moving away from the Black Water Stronghold.
He dared not linger, first widening the distance to prevent the opponent from having any other reinforcements.
"As long as the ones chasing aren’t Foundation Establishment or Grandmasters, there’s no problem."
Shen Wang triggered the Wolf Step, still weaving through the forest.
His stride was well-suited for the forest, with trees covering their traces while obstructing the pursuers, preventing them from being encircled.
The ones chasing were Martial Artists, and none were Sword Flight users, allowing Shen Wang to drag it out with the pursuers at his leisure.
He affixed two more Light Body Talismans to Paper Kite, whose body was as light as a swallow, swiftly traversing the forest like a kite being pulled by him.
The benefit of a strong body became evident, as Shen Wang only needed to channel the Dragon-Suppressing Force to maintain long periods of action at a high speed.
From midnight till dawn, Shen Wang ran over a thousand miles.
Seeing the daybreak, Shen Wang abruptly stopped, attached a Defense Talisman to Paper Kite, and placed her in a bush.
"Wait here quietly, don’t make any noise."
Shen Wang said, then leaped up, turning back.
He sensed that the pursuers were still behind and hadn’t given up.
A few miles away, two obviously gasping figures followed the trail.
One wore green clothes, with a tall figure, a long blade hanging at his waist, and short hair, a middle-aged Swordsman.
The other was an old man, with grizzled hair, coarse cloth, carrying a smoking pipe, who at first glance seemed like an old farmer.
Both of their clothes were somewhat torn, and their hair was charred black, suffering from the Detonator Talisman’s impact.
Behind them, there were no subordinates left due to the long-distance rush.
"Damn it, is this bastard really that good at running, running all night!"
The green-clothed Swordsman cursed, feeling foul.
"Fourth, don’t be hasty. We’re in this state, but he’s carrying someone, he’ll be in even worse shape. He can’t escape."
The old man in coarse cloth was confident, someone who ran over a thousand miles in half a night, even a high-grade Grandmaster would be greatly exhausted.
"Once we catch up, I’ll give him a death by a thousand cuts."
The middle-aged Swordsman sneered; having bottled up a stomach full of anger, he naturally wouldn’t let this person off easily.
The old man in coarse cloth observed the trail while speaking, "This man shouldn’t be from the Yun Family; we haven’t seen any contact people, so there’s no need to be polite."
"I heard that woman found a man, could it be this man? He’s somewhat capable, not only secretly took the woman along but also killed the Profound Yellow Hand fifth leader."
The middle-aged Swordsman speculated.
"It should be; if he were from the Yun Family, we should have encountered other experts by now, and we wouldn’t be without any news."
The old man nodded, "Be cautious later, his cultivation is not below you and me. Even two against one carries some risk."
"Hmph, I’m an Eighth Grade, you’re a Ninth Grade, why should we fear him?"
The Swordsman was confident, in Martial Arts Innate Grandmaster terms, there was a significant disparity, and together, they could directly confront a Foundation Establishment Cultivator or a Grandmaster.
"This person uses talismans, don’t be careless."
The old man took a breath from his pipe, instantly invigorated, and a thick red True Qi surged, like a ring of flame, and his speed suddenly increased.
The Swordsman followed suit, they were both between Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation, possessing abundant True Qi, still retaining considerable cultivation despite chasing all night.
The two dashed through the forest one after the other, shaking off a lot of dew along the way.
In the cold of midwinter, many trees in the mountains were leafless; with the brightening light, the view gradually opened up, though fog rose in the mountains at this time.
While passing through a patch of fog, a chaotic burst of firelight suddenly came at them, and the two instinctively dodged to the sides. The firelight exploded as it passed, it was a Fireball Talisman.
The Swordsman, still resisting the blast’s aftermath, was caught off guard by a slash containing formidable Evil Qi that came swiftly from a crafty angle.
This slash, quick and fierce, he hastily withdrew his blade to parry, with a clang, his own snow-white long blade split apart.
His arm went numb from the impact, astonished by the opponent’s strength. Next, his arm ached as his Protective True Qi shattered, the Black Blade carrying residual power added a bloody wound to him.
Just as he intended to counterattack, the latter suddenly withdrew, and a Fireball Talisman exploded on his chest.
The Swordsman screamed, blasted away.
Meanwhile, Shen Wang followed up with three darts, simultaneously turning to deflect a rapier, instantly exchanging moves with the oncoming old man.
His moves were broad and sweeping, while the old man’s sword was sinister and treacherous. However, Shen Wang relied on immense strength and, after three moves, sent him retreating with a single stroke, casually tossing three Fireball Talismans out.
Shen Wang knew this person was considerably strong, so he gave a little more attention.
The third leader of Black Water Stronghold cursed, grabbing his smoking pipe to shield himself, releasing a circle of True Qi barrier, yet he was still blasted away.