When that force descends on Ace, his speed decreased, and knew he can't reach the sky-changing border before Vance would capture him.
And when that voice resounded again, Ace knew those two knew each other and quickly take the last invisible bead out from his thief's space.
He was just going to crush it when he heard Vance yell.
"I'm not your servant!"
Ace couldn't help but look back at the old man who has been chasing him like a mad dog for the entire night has suddenly stopped!
Vance also looked profoundly into Ace's eyes before moving his lips. "Escape!"
Ace was astonished but didn't have time to mull over it and under that pressure, he uses his full power to increase his speed even if it was a tiny bit.
"Vance, YOU!" At this moment, that beautiful voice sounded again, but this time there was clear wrath in it.
Ace didn't know the moment he looked forward, a devilish smile creep out on Vance's old face as he scoffed in his heart, 'If I can't have it then you all can forget about it either!'
Vance knew he can't beat this mysterious veil woman, and she might kill him just to keep his mouth shut. That's why he let that thief go to his death.
By doing this, Ace would turn into ashes and no one will ever have Blood Rose or that thief's secrets. If she didn't get manage to capture Ace, she may not kill him.
After all, killing an Azure Alchemist of Pill flame organization for just a dead thief is not worth it. Just by this, one can imagine how shrewd this old man truly was.
It was just pitying that thief will take his storage ring with him, but he didn't care since it wasn't his actual wealth and Zelda would also get only Ace's dust.
On the other hand, Ace knew this old man was not kind enough to let him leave like this, and he wanted him to die by encouraging him to go into that area.
But now he had no other choice since he could feel that pressure increasing at a tremendous pace, that's mean that terrifying existence is closing in at a breakneck pace!
He was just half a mile away from the boundary line of low and middle lands.
Ten miles away, a silhouette was moving like a blur and its speed was almost fifty times faster than Ace.
This was none other than Layla!
Ten days ago, when Zelda points out about Vance, she instantly rushed over here alone and with her cultivation base. She was indeed very fast and reach just in the nick of time.
She used her apparition-wave rings to finally discovered Ace and was astonished because she saw that thief wasn't alone; he was being chased by Vance. And what surprised her most is Vance can't catch up to Ace, even with his prowess!
Layla also didn't sense Ace's true cultivation and was dumbfounded by sensing him being at the third gate. Because he was using the speed equal to a River Source Cultivator.
'This made little sense!' She instantly shot that notion out of her head as her eyes turn sharp. 'This thief has a terrifying secret on him!'
When Layla saw she won't be able to make it in time before that thief would step into the formation and Vance didn't able to stop him either. She finally uses the Apparition Wave Rings to amplify her voice and also advises Ace.
But not only Ace didn't stop, but even Vance didn't listen to her order and stop instead of capturing Ace.
This truly infuriate her, but she was helpless to do anything and could only increase her speed and hope her false martial sense could slow Ace down before she caught up.
Everyone thinks she was Qi River Core cultivator, but it wasn't true because her real cultivation was at the Peak of Qi River Realm and only a single step away from entering the Qi River Core.
But this last step was akin to cross a sea just by swimming!
Yet, despite being only in Qi River Realm, she can use vague Martial Sense or False Martial Sense and by amplifying it with those black rings.
Cultivators possessed Martial Sense when they enter the Qi River Core Realm. As for False Martial Sense, it only has five percent of actual martial sense prowess.
A Peak Qi River Cultivator like Layla can form a false martial sense, but that's only if she satisfied some special conditions like she had to possess a seven-slate or perfect foundation!
That was also the reason for Ace's confusion and couldn't figure out if this expert was a Qi River Core Cultivator or not.
Because he knew the martial sense was too terrifying, and it can instantly lock him on the spot if he didn't have countermeasures for it. However, this force was only able to agitate him and find his presence from a huge distance, not like the Martial Sense he knew.
Ace was now only six hundred meters away before he steps into the formation.
He heard that beautiful, yet solemn, voice again. "You stop right now, or you'll die! Let me tell you in front of you is only an illusion and once you cross the boundary of the low land, it will kill you and turn you into ashes!"
Ace only snorted and didn't stop because he already knew. But he can't just let that terrifying woman capture him. Once that happened, his life would be over!
Vance frowned upon hearing Layla revealing this secret to Ace but was overjoyed the very next moment when Ace didn't believe Layla and continues to move.
Layla's eyes were dismal when she saw Ace moving without even heeding her warning and ignoring her. "You stop right there, and I'll spare you!" She yells again.
She was only two miles away from Ace now.
Ace was only two hundred meters away before he enters the boundary and speak for the first time while scoffing, "As if I would ever believe someone from higher lands!"
Layla's eyes were filled with intense killing intent, and at this moment she quickly takes out a milky white crystal-like stone from her storage ring. She places that milky stone in her right hand where 'Apparition Wave Rings' were.
Abruptly, a huge dark aura released from the rings, and the pressure increased a hundred folds!
Vance instantly fell to the dirt group by this pressure, and cold sweat was running on his ashen face.
Layla has just used a Peak-Level Qi Stone!
Qi stones have many functions, and one of them was to increase the power of special Rune Treasures! And Layla's rings were one of those specific treasures.
These Peak Qi Stones were quite rare, and that is why Layla's heart was dripping blood when she used it on a petty thief!
But to her dismay, she saw Ace's speed is only decreased a little and aside from that Ace was still moving without difficulty. She bewildered looked at those rings and could help but think if they were broken.
Yet, Vance was lying on the group, gasping for breath, this mean those rings were working just fine. But Ace was unaffected by them for some reason!
Ace felt the enormous increase in the force but only sneer because this pressure was nothing in front of heavenly punishment. This decreased his speed, but it wasn't able to stop his steps.
He was only fifty meters away now and Layla began to panic for the first time because that thief was just too bizarre and nothing seemed to faze him.
"Stop right now and we can negotiate!" Layla's voice was filled with bitterness.
Ace keep running as if he didn't hear Layla's soft voice.
At this moment, Ace was only ten meters away from the boundary.
Suddenly, his eyes turned white as soul qi begin to surge in them. Ace has activated soul-shattering eyes!
He felt intense pain in the mind space the moment the skill was active, but he only grits his teeth and keeps focusing on the greenery in front of him.
This skill was not at the low-level proficiency but was almost there, it was just that Ace didn't practice it, since it had a terrible backlash. But now was not the time to worry about that.
The moment his eyes completely turn white, the beautiful scenery in front of him turns into barren and gloomy land.
This was also Ace's only plan to find the way out of this formation because every formation has flaws.
This skill was easily spotted the flaws in the formation that were not second grade and Ace knew even a grade one formation was like a heavenly treasure in this world. How could they use this kind of formation here?
But what left him dumbfounded was there was a huge sky-like light barrier between the border of low and middle lands.
Just how the hell did he suppose to locate any flaw in that humongous barrier?!?