Chapter 77: Persistence

Fang Hanyue had no intention of giving up her pursuit of Li Taixing. Instead, her competitive spirit ignited, determined to catch him no matter what.

"Little ghost, where do you think you can escape to?"

Li Taixing, believing he had successfully evaded Fang Hanyue, resumed hunting beasts, collecting their inner elixirs. Yet, just moments later, Fang Hanyue appeared before him again.

"Damn!" Li Taixing exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Didn't I throw away the Black Soul Card? How is she still finding me?"

He had clearly underestimated a powerful figure in the Tribulation Realm.

"Little ghost, we meet again." Fang Hanyue spoke with a playful smile, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Li Taixing frowned, frustration edging his voice. "Beauty, you're really going too far."

"Beauty?" Fang Hanyue paused, surprised at the compliment. Her eyes roved over him, curiosity piqued. "You're quite the smooth talker for someone so young."

"Well, I don't think I can be blamed for killing your Black Soul Palace people!" Li Taixing reasoned, trying to buy time.

Fang Hanyue's steps slowed, her interest deepening. "And why's that?"

He sighed, stretching his hand out in a dramatic gesture. "They tried to kill me first! If I hadn't fought back, I'd be dead by now. It was just self-defense!"

"Hmm…" Fang Hanyue nodded slightly, knowing there was truth to his words.

"But you still have to come with me," she added. "Once everything is investigated, you'll be safe."

"Bullshit! The Black Soul Palace isn't exactly known for its hospitality," Li Taixing retorted. "Especially since your people are working with robbers. If I go, I'm done for."

Fang Hanyue tilted her head, acknowledging the possibility. But orders were orders.

"You'll just have to explain that to our hall master," she said. "Consider yourself lucky. Normally, I wouldn't waste time talking."

"Guess we can't reach an agreement then," Li Taixing muttered. Without another word, he vanished from sight.

"Interesting," Fang Hanyue murmured, watching him disappear once again. His strange teleportation ability intrigued her, but it also gave her a headache.

She continued searching for him, knowing her Tribulation Realm power would eventually outlast his tricks. It was only a matter of time.

---

Meanwhile, Li Taixing found a rare Blood Leaf Flower nestled under a rock, and his eyes lit up in excitement.

"Blood Leaf Flower! This will be perfect for refining high-level healing pills," he whispered to himself, carefully placing the flower into his dimensional space bag.

But his triumph was short-lived. As soon as he looked up, he saw Fang Hanyue's ice-blue figure flying toward him again.

"Seriously?!" His smile faded, and he cursed under his breath. Without wasting any time, he teleported once more, leaving her behind.

Yet no matter where he went, Fang Hanyue always seemed to find him. It was like she had locked onto his very soul. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

"You witch! Are you ever going to give up? You want to drag me to the Black Soul Palace? Not happening."

Realizing he couldn't shake her off by staying in the outskirts, Li Taixing decided to venture deeper into the Forest of Ferocious Beasts.

"I'll have to go deeper into the forest if I want to get rid of her."

He knew the deeper regions were far more dangerous, home to terrifying beasts, most of them in the Nascent Soul Realm. Still, he had no other choice. He teleported further, evading powerful beasts along the way, but eventually ran into a new challenge.

A massive python, hundreds of meters long, spotted him and attacked without hesitation. To the beast, Li Taixing looked like a snack.

"Foolish human, this is not a place for you!" the python hissed mockingly.

"Do you think I want to be here?" Li Taixing snapped, quickly summoning his pets: the Wind Wolf King, Bear Spirit, Spider Queen, Giant Crocodile King, and Giant Bird Monster King. They surrounded the giant python.

The python blinked, clearly confused. It had seen just one human a moment ago. Now, all of a sudden, it was surrounded by beasts.

"Go!" Li Taixing commanded, and his pets lunged at the giant python from all sides.

Caught off guard, the python hesitated, unsure of how to fight back against so many foes. Seizing the opportunity, Li Taixing activated his Tai Chi Formation Diagram.

"Tai Chi Formation, seal!" he shouted.

The formation expanded into a massive Tai Chi symbol, sealing the python in place, preventing it from moving.

His pets wasted no time, launching their attacks. The python struggled, furious but unable to break free from the seal.

"When I get out of here, I'll kill you!" the python roared, its voice filled with venomous rage.

"That's assuming you even get the chance," Li Taixing said coldly. "Eternal Lotus Fire, appear."

The Eternal Lotus Fire hovered above the python's head. When the giant beast glanced up at it, fear flashed through its eyes.

Lotus petals began to fall, each one striking the python like a mountain crashing down on it. The creature's head was slammed into the ground, and the flames ignited across its massive body.

"Hisss!"

The python screamed, writhing in agony as it burned. The once-proud beast, now helpless, succumbed to the combined power of Li Taixing's pets and his terrifying magic.

The battle wasn't over, though. Even as the flames consumed the python, Li Taixing knew the real challenge wasn't this ferocious beast. It was the relentless Fang Hanyue, still hot on his trail.