Tracked

Peng Zhen and the rest soon emerged from the green fog, stepping into an open stretch of grassland with rolling hills dotting the horizon. They didn't slow down to catch their breath, instead pushing their movement techniques to the limit as they widened the distance between themselves, the Green Fog Region, and their former sect.

Despite covering nearly 100 miles without rest, most of them showed little sign of fatigue. Their endurance was a testament to their cultivation levels—all of them were either at the peak or late stages of the foundation realm. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen, the former vice-head of the disciplinary hall, stood at the peak, while Jia Tingfeng, once the trainer of core disciples, had reached the 11th level. Dong Yanlin and Hao Ye of the alchemy division trailed slightly behind at the 9th level.

However, despite sharing the same cultivation level, Hao Ye lagged in both stamina and composure. His disheveled appearance stood in stark contrast to the others, a result of years spent prioritizing alchemy over martial training. He had relied heavily on pills to advance his cultivation rather than diligent practice, leaving his foundation unstable. His qi flow was erratic, and faint signs of pill poisoning had already taken root. Though he was technically at the 9th level, someone with a well-honed foundation at the 7th level could potentially match or even overpower him. The only thing keeping him moving was the steady consumption of qi rejuvenation pills.

"There's an amber river less than 10 miles ahead," Dong Yanlin said, breaking the tense silence. "We'll use it to travel to Amber River County. My friend will meet us there."

The group nodded in acknowledgment, pressing forward without hesitation.

It was then that Peng Zhen's expression finally shifted, the calm façade he had maintained cracking ever so slightly. A trace of conflict flickered in his eyes as he stole a brief glance back, toward the distant Green Fog Region.

"Cheng Yuan… I hope things don't turn out too harshly for you. But there was no other way," he thought, a faint sigh slipping past his lips before his usual calm quickly returned.

They were midway through their journey to the Amber River when Dong Yanlin's pupils suddenly constricted, a look of surprise flashing across his face as he glanced back. His abrupt reaction caught the attention of the others, prompting them to follow his gaze.

At first, they saw nothing unusual, but moments later, a small green dot appeared in the distance, rapidly closing in on their position.

Dong Yanlin's expression darkened into a deep frown before settling back into a composed calmness. His eyes flicked to the talisman affixed to his coat.

"What's that heading toward us? Have we been tracked? Dong Yanlin! I thought you said these talismans would keep us safe!" Hao Ye shouted, his voice tinged with panic as he hurriedly swallowed a handful of pills to boost his speed.

"Dong Yanlin, I hope you have a good explanation for this," Jia Tingfeng added coldly, his killing intent flashing like a blade. He retrieved a few pills from his robe and swallowed them without hesitation, his qi surging explosively as he activated his movement technique.

Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen exchanged glances before turning their questioning eyes to Dong Yanlin, silently demanding answers.

Dong Yanlin remained composed. "The talismans are functioning perfectly. You've seen their effects yourself—our journey through the swamp was far smoother than it would've been otherwise. Whatever that creature is, it's not necessarily targeting us. The Amber River is known to attract spirit beasts. It could simply be flying there," he said, his voice calm and unshaken.

His earlier polite demeanor and amiable smile were gone, replaced by an air of cold indifference.

Hao Ye faltered, swallowing back the next words on the tip of his tongue. The sudden shift in Dong Yanlin's demeanor sent a chill down his spine.

"Was Dong Yanlin always this intimidating? Why do I feel the same pressure I get from Peng Zhen or Cheng Yuan?" Jia Tingfeng wondered, unease creeping into his thoughts as a faint trace of fear took hold.

The longer Jia Tingfeng stared at Dong Yanlin's altered demeanor, the louder his instincts screamed that Dong Yanlin was dangerous. Unable to shake the unease, he shifted his gaze toward Peng Zhen, hoping to find some reassurance in his reaction. However, Peng Zhen's face remained as calm and unperturbed as ever, giving nothing away.

Gui Bingwen, standing closest to Dong Yanlin, briefly revealed a flicker of worry in his eyes before his expression hardened into solemn resolve.

A sharp bird cry pierced the air, drawing their attention. Moments later, two more cries echoed from within the green fog region, each coming from a different direction. The once-distant green dot had grown larger, closing in on them with alarming speed.

Dong Yanlin's hope that the bird was merely heading to the Amber River was crushed as a chilling realization settled over him—he could feel its focus locked onto him. The sensation of being hunted grew stronger with each passing second as the bird drew closer.

"It seems your guess was wrong," Peng Zhen remarked coolly, his sharp eyes catching the brief flicker of tension in Dong Yanlin's expression. Despite their shared urgency to escape, Peng Zhen had been carefully observing him.

Dong Yanlin let out a scoff, refusing to answer. Instead, he raised his right hand, and a bone saber materialized from the unassuming gray ring on his thumb.

The others barely reacted to the sudden appearance of the weapon or the storage ring that housed it. As elders of a rank 4 sect, they knew of such items, though interacting with them was another matter as they were rare and costly—a low-grade storage ring, offering only a few cubic meters of space, could cost up to 50,000 middle-grade spirit stones. Dong Yanlin's ring was clearly of higher quality since it was capable of storing half of the herbs they had stolen from the sect's treasury vault while the other half was with Peng Zhen, who also had a storage ring that had been gifted to him by his master.

Hao Ye, however, couldn't hide his envious gaze as he eyed Dong Yanlin's ring. But his expression quickly shifted to one of pale terror, his face draining of color as if he had seen something nightmarish.

The others soon mirrored his reaction. Even Peng Zhen's composed demeanor cracked as a wary look crossed his face. Their collective gaze fixated on Dong Yanlin's bone saber.

The weapon, once stark white, had turned an eerie shade of black, with tiny, pulsating blood vessels spreading across its surface. The veins seemed alive, writhing and pumping toward the saber's handle. A sinister, murderous aura began to radiate from the blade, enveloping a fifty-meter radius around it. The oppressive atmosphere settled heavily over Dong Yanlin and the rest of the group, sending chills through their hearts.

A hot, metallic, nauseating smell thickened the air, growing more oppressive with each passing second. Peng Zhen and the others turned paler, their expressions tightening as the ground beneath them succumbed to the blade's aura. Plants withered instantly, decaying into black sludge that oozed across the soil.

Hao Ye was the first to crumble, collapsing to the ground as fear overtook him completely. Foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth, and his bloodshot eyes bulged as though they might burst from their sockets. He tried to get up but his body completely refused to move.

Jia Tingfeng followed soon after. He dropped to his knees, wheezing and gasping for air as he clutched at his chest. Breathing soon became difficult as he started to violently vomit heavy saliva mixed in with what looked to be bile.

Only Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen remained standing, but it was just barely, if their trembling limbs and strained expressions was any indicator.

"Ooooh, Peng Zhen!" Dong Yanlin's mocking voice rang out, carrying a cruel amusement. "I expected you to be the only one still standing. But to think that little trash sect managed to produce someone on par with you? Elder Gui, you've truly surprised me."

His gaze shifted, filled with contempt as he sneered. "Maybe I should extend the same offer to you that I once gave Peng Zhen. As for the other two…" He trailed off, his tone dripping with disdain.

Dong Yanlin's appearance began to shift before their eyes. His once-elderly look melted away, replaced by the face of a man in his early thirties. His hair darkened to a sinister shade of red, reminiscent of dried blood, and his eyes turned a deep, malevolent crimson. The transformation gave him a devilishly handsome yet unnervingly sinister appearance, his long, blood-red hair billowing in the wind like a flag of doom.

"Well," he continued, his lips curling into a predatory grin, "since we've been spotted, I suppose there's no need to keep up appearances any longer."

The mockery in his tone deepened as he spread his arms wide, as though basking in their helplessness. "It's a shame, really. I was looking forward to seeing the look on your faces when I delivered you into the real abyss. I could almost picture it… all of you celebrating your so-called promising futures, only to have despair and agony consume you whole. Truly," he said, his voice lowering to a giddy whisper, "it would have been a beautiful sight."

A twisted, gleeful smile stretched across his face as his crimson eyes gleamed with malice.

"You… you… you…" Jia Tingfeng stammered, each word dragged out as though it cost him every ounce of willpower to force past his gagging.

"That's it… that's it! YES!! That is the look I wanted, Elder Jia Tingfeng," Dong Yanlin exclaimed, his voice brimming with jubilant laughter. "You weren't the trainer for the core disciples of our sect for nothing."

His crimson eyes sparkled with cruel amusement as he paced leisurely, the bone saber still radiating its oppressive aura. "I suppose I should reward you for cheering me up. But what should it be? A blue-tier cultivation technique? A sky-rank treasure? A chance to break through to the Core Formation realm? Or perhaps some juicy information about what truly awaits you?"

He tapped his chin mockingly, as if pondering a profound question. "Mmmm… let's go with the last option. With your pathetic talent, the first three would be a complete waste on you. You're what, 600 years old and still stuck at the late stages of Foundation Establishment? Pfft—hahahaha! No wonder Cheng Yuan demoted you!"

Dong Yanlin threw his head back, laughing with genuine derision. "It's truly a wonder how you managed to hold that post for so long. If you were part of my organization, you'd already have been harvested as an ingredient for an alchemy pill. At least then, you'd finally have proven useful!"

Jia Tingfeng's face flushed a deep, unhealthy purple. His body trembled violently before he doubled over, vomiting blood onto the ground. A strangled groan escaped his lips before he collapsed, unconscious.

Dong Yanlin's gleeful smile vanished, replaced by a cold, detached expression as he stared at the fallen Jia Tingfeng with disdain. He looked down at him as one might a crawling worm.

"Here I thought I'd get to have a little more fun with you. But this?" Dong Yanlin scoffed. "Just this much, and your mental fortitude has already crumbled? Pathetic. I doubt the organization will even get much use out of you."

His gaze shifted to the skies, narrowing as he caught sight of the approaching bird. The green aura surrounding it grew sharper, more vivid, as its cries echoed louder in their ears.

"It seems that stupid bird is almost here," Dong Yanlin muttered.

Without turning his head, he addressed Peng Zhen in a tone that oozed sinister amusement. "Peng Zhen, don't even think about running during the fight. Who knows what might happen to that curse poison inside you if you do?"

His lips curled into a teasing smile, though his crimson eyes glinted with deadly seriousness. He tightened his grip on the bone saber, lowering it slightly as if ready to cleave through the air itself. The bird was now only 400 meters away.

His cultivation realm surged relentlessly—first from the 9th level of Foundation Establishment, then the 10th, the 11th, and finally to the Peak Foundation stage. But it didn't stop there. It continued climbing, unstoppable: 1st stage of Core Formation, then the 2nd, and finally halting only at the peak of the 3rd level of Core Formation.

Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen exchanged worried, solemn glances. Their eyes spoke volumes, a silent agreement passing between them before they both nodded curtly, as if bracing themselves for what was to come.

Hao Ye on the other hand had gone manic. He was madly pulling his hair, scratching his face as he screamed and yelled on the floor trying to remove something that covered his whole body. As for what it was, only Hao Ye could tell.