Chapter 29: Escape

In less than half an hour after Yang Ye and the woman in white had left, a bald middle-aged man appeared next to Blood Hand's corpse. The bald man was around forty years old, shirtless, with various strange runes tattooed on his upper body and head. These runes seemed alive, slowly wriggling, giving off an eerie and unsettling feeling.

The tattooed man surveyed his surroundings before finally turning his gaze to Blood Hand's decapitated body. Shaking his head at the sight, a solemn expression appeared on his face as he muttered, "Blood Hand said the other party was affected by Black Blood Seal, but why did Blood Hand meet such a tragic end? Could there be other powerful experts from Sword Sect?"

Speaking of this, the tattooed man walked up to Blood Hand's body and examined the sword wounds on his chest. When he saw one of the wounds, his eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Three sword wounds, they should be Su Xianzi's sword qi. And that smaller sword wound should not be from Su Xianzi." As he looked at the smaller wound, the tattooed man fell silent for a moment before continuing, "The sword qi is unfocused, scattered, and lacks condensation. The person who released this sword qi should only have innate-level strength!"

Realizing this, the tattooed man instantly understood. Blood Hand didn't die at the hands of Su Xianzi but rather at the hands of a sudden appearance of an innate-level expert. With this in mind, the tattooed man waved his right hand, and a voice transmission talisman flew into the air, saying, "Blood Hand is dead, no need to come. Su Xianzi has been affected by Black Blood Seal, losing all her cultivation. This is an opportunity. Blood Slaughter and Blood Scythe, head to the Snake Forest to intercept, while the other innate realm experts temporarily put aside their affairs and search the Nether Abyss and Soul Severing Abyss. We must not let her return to Sword Sect alive; otherwise, our plans may be compromised!"

After speaking, the tattooed man's figure moved, turning into a black shadow as he swiftly darted towards a distant location.

...

In the dense forest, Yang Ye carried the woman in white on his back as they sprinted swiftly. Although carrying the woman on his back felt like carrying a piece of soft jade, Yang Ye had no thoughts about such matters. His only concern right now was how to survive.

He had killed someone from Ghost Sect, and he didn't believe they would let him go. Judging from Blood Hand's strength, his accomplices were definitely not weak either. Even if they were mediocre, they would still be more than he could handle. However, he had no regrets. If Blood Hand wanted to kill him, why couldn't he kill Blood Hand?

"I sense powerful individuals searching for us!" At that moment, the woman's voice came from his back.

"You've regained your strength?" Yang Ye felt a surge of joy. He had carried the woman on his back, betting on the hope that she would regain her strength or have assistance. After all, Sword Sect was nearby, and the woman should have been able to call for help using some secret method.

"No!" the woman replied calmly. "Black Blood Seal is a mystical technique, and Blood Hand paid a great price to use it. Without external help, there's no way for me to regain my strength! I can sense it because of my spiritual sense. Although my cultivation is sealed, my spiritual sense remains intact."

Hearing her words, Yang Ye's heart sank, and he asked, "Did you call for help?"

"No."

"Why?" Yang Ye almost fell to the ground upon hearing her response. He had thought that she had already called for help, and although he felt a bit nervous, it wasn't to the point of panic. But now...

"My cultivation is sealed. How can I use secret methods to inform Sword Sect?" the woman explained.

Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Ye stopped abruptly and changed direction, darting towards another path.

Sensing Yang Ye's silence, the woman spoke in a calm voice, "Do you regret bringing me along?"

"A little," Yang Ye honestly replied.

"Leave me here and escape alone. Perhaps you'll have a better chance!" the woman suggested.

Yang Ye was tempted by her suggestion for a moment but shook his head immediately. Leaving the woman behind meant that if she survived, with her strength and status in Sword Sect, he would be finished. Besides, he didn't believe that the people from Ghost Sect would spare him. After all, he had killed someone who seemed to hold a high position among them.

"They won't let me off the hook. If I leave you behind, will they simply let it go and not come after me?" Yang Ye smiled bitterly and continued, "By keeping you with me, I feel a bit more at ease." He spoke sincerely. He had witnessed the woman's strength with his own eyes. If he hadn't been careless, why would Blood Hand have had a chance to make a move? With such a strong individual by his side, perhaps there might be a chance for a turnaround. Regardless, he had made his bet this time.

After a moment of silence, the woman said, "Why don't we run towards the Snake Forest? Why change direction? You should know that our only chance of survival is to return to Sword Sect."

"If you were one of Blood Hand's accomplices, what would you think of first?" Yang Ye asked.

The woman fell silent. If she were Blood Hand's accomplice, she would certainly intercept the two of them from returning to Sword Sect. Realizing this, the woman glanced at Yang Ye and a hint of appreciation appeared in her eyes. To possess such wisdom alongside the legendary Five Elements Profound Qi at such a young age was truly remarkable. With a few years of dedicated cultivation from Sword Sect, he might even make it onto the Qingyun Ranking of the Southern Region. It had been decades since anyone from Sword Sect had made it there!

Yang Ye truly wished he had the abilities of a little guy right now. With the little guy's speed, what would he have to fear from the pursuit of those Ghost Sect fellows?

After running for nearly two hours, Yang Ye finally started to feel tired. He hid with the white-clad woman behind a dense, towering tree.

As he looked at the woman's exquisitely perfect face, Yang Ye's heart couldn't help but beat faster. He suppressed the strange feeling and spoke in a deep voice, "Running aimlessly like this won't get us anywhere. It's only a matter of time before we're caught. Don't you have any good ideas?"

"No," the woman replied simply and directly.

Yang Ye's face twitched, and he nearly spat blood from the woman's response. He said, "Come on, with your formidable strength, you must have some kind of plan or idea, right?"

The woman gave Yang Ye a faint glance and said, "Bring me back to Sword Sect, and I'll gather people to wipe them out. That's the only idea I have."

Yang Ye was speechless. He thought to himself, "I want to bring you back to Sword Sect too! But can we go back? There must be powerful experts from the Heavenly Tribulation guarding the way back. Going back now would be walking into a trap!"

"You possess the Five Elements Profound Qi. Why have I never heard your name in Sword Sect?" the woman asked curiously, her eyes filled with interest.

"I'm just a miscellaneous disciple," Yang Ye replied casually while holding an energy stone in his hand, absorbing its energy.

"A miscellaneous disciple?" The woman furrowed her eyebrows slightly and said, "How is that possible? Your cultivation level may be low, but your strength is not. Moreover, you possess the Gold Attribute Profound Qi, which is one of the Five Elements Profound Qi. How can you be a miscellaneous disciple?"

"Is being a miscellaneous disciple so honorable? Do I need to pretend to be one?" Yang Ye retorted angrily. He couldn't believe that the woman still had the mood to discuss such irrelevant matters at a time like this. Didn't she realize that there were one or even several formidable individuals pursuing them?

After a moment of silence, the woman seemed to have realized something. Her delicate face turned cold as she said, "If it's an Elder from the outer sect of Sword Sect suppressing you, rest assured, if we can return, I will personally investigate this matter. I won't let anyone get away with suppressing any talented individual, regardless of who they are!"

Yang Ye was shocked. The woman's status in Sword Sect must be quite high! Just as he was about to ask about her background, the woman suddenly turned her head and looked into the distance. She said in a low voice, "There are transcendent realm experts coming this way. They're from Ghost Sect! And there's more than one."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ye immediately stood up without hesitation. He lifted the woman onto his back and swiftly leaped down, dashing towards the distance.

While running, Yang Ye asked, "If I had a voice transmission talisman, could you use it to inform the powerful experts in Sword Sect?"

The woman paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes, but it would have to be at least a mid-grade voice transmission talisman. Do you have one?"

"Not at the moment," Yang Ye answered.

The woman fell silent.