Chapter 79 – Fighting for Survival
This time, Lu Ping fled without saying a word. He didn’t even have the courage to fight back.
So far, Lu Ping had been intercepted three times by Xuan Ling disciples. Among the three encounters, he was confident that he could suppress those in the Fourth Layer Blood Condensation Realm, and escape unscathed from the Fifth Layer cultivators. If he encountered a Sixth Layer cultivator, he could probably escape but with some injuries.
However, he wasn’t facing someone at the Mid level, it was a Late Blood Condensation Realm cultivator! Lu Ping knew that he had to flee nonstop since death was the only outcome if he fought back!
His only hope was to drag out the chase for an hour’s time until Xuan Qi Island’s predicament was resolved. Then they could send out reinforcements to rescue him as soon as possible. Then, he might be saved.
Lu Ping ran without stopping. When the effect of his Water Escape Charm had finished, he leaped out from the water. He looked back and saw the man in the same posture, his hands on his back, and casually treading on the sea a few yards behind him. He even smiled gently at Lu Ping when he turned back.
A chill ran down Lu Ping’s spine and his scalp tingled. The man could keep up with the Water Escape Charm’s speed!
Lu Ping dove into the water again and used his last Water Escape Charm. After traveling a few dozen miles until the charm’s effect ran out, he looked over his shoulder and still saw the man following closely behind him.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Lu Ping slapped a blood-red charm on himself. It was the Blood Escape Charm given to him by Zhong Jian!
The Blood Escape Charm covered his body in a glowing red light, and he shot forward like a nocked arrow let loose.
This time, the Xuan Ling cultivator finally frowned. A wild goose suddenly appeared out of nowhere beneath his feet. The goose was also in the Blood Condensation Realm, and clearly the man’s spirit pet.
The wild goose let out a long honk and extended its wings. Carrying the cultivator on its back, it flew out towards Lu Ping’s direction. In just an instant, it disappeared into the horizon.
This Blood Escape Charm was obviously far superior than the Water Escape Charms Lu Ping crafted himself. It enabled him to traverse a hundred miles through the sea.
When Lu Ping looked back and didn’t see the man behind him anymore, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. But suddenly, he heard a loud honk from a few miles out. A giant wild goose was flying towards him with a man sitting on it—it was the Xuan Ling cultivator!
Lu Ping cursed in his heart. He clenched his right hand into a fist and punched his chest heavily. After spurting out a mouthful of blood, a blood-red light covered him and he fled west once again.
This was Lu Ping’s first time using the [Blood Spirit Escape] after entering the Blood Condensation Realm. The [Blood Spirit Escape] was a hundred times stronger than when he used it in the Blood Refining Realm!
When the secret technique’s effect wore off and he stopped to rest, Lu Ping looked back and didn’t see the man anywhere behind him. Then, he finally let himself relax.
However, whether he used a Water Escape Charm, a Blood Escape Charm, or [Blood Spirit Escape], his destination hadn’t changed. The Xuan Ling disciple only had to continue searching in the same direction, and he would eventually be caught.
Lu Ping gritted his teeth and couldn’t care about his injuries anymore. He punched himself on the chest and spat out another mouthful of blood to cast the [Blood Spirit Escape] once more. This time, he changed directions and flew away.
When he stopped, he found himself in an unfamiliar sea region.
This was the heaviest injury Lu Ping had suffered since becoming a cultivator. Moreover, the injuries were inflicted not by his enemies but himself in order to escape from pursuit. However, it was truly a glorious achievement for a First Layer Blood Condensation cultivator to slip away from the clutches of a Late Blood cultivator.
The Xuan Ling cultivator rode the wild goose for a hundred miles and still couldn’t find Lu Ping. Unresigned, the man continued to scan his surroundings within a few dozen miles but still found nothing.
He could only conclude that Lu Ping had slipped away. There was nothing he could do but curse in his heart. A puny First Layer Blood Condensation disciple actually escaped from his hands, how embarrassing!
Just when he wondered what excuse he could give to the higher-ups to avoid becoming a laughingstock, he saw a message sword flying towards him.
He grabbed the message sword in his hands and listened to the info relayed. Suddenly, his face changed drastically. The siege had failed and Zhen Ling Sect’s reinforcements had arrived through the teleportals on Xuan Qi Island.
Damn it! Those Early Blood Condensation petty bugs ruined our big plan! I must return south back to Xuan Ling Sect’s territory. A Zhen Ling Core Forging Enlightened Master could easily kill me dead at any moment! Shit!
The cultivation world had a rule that Core Forging Enlightened Masters were forbidden to attack or even kill Blood Condensation cultivators without due cause. However, he was currently in the middle of nowhere. If he was killed, who would exert themselves to investigate his death and condemn an Enlightened Master?
And if he turned back now, he would have the perfect excuse for his failure to catch a First Layer Blood Condensation disciple.
While the Xuan Ling disciples were retreating, Lu Ping was hiding on an islet to heal his injuries.
Fortunately, he was always prepared. He always had high-quality healing pellets with him. These medicinal pellets cost him a lot of spirit stones but their efficacies were worth the price. In just a few moments, Lu Ping’s injuries were taken care of and slowly healing.
Casting the [Blood Spirit Escape] two times in a row injured him severely and made him lose a lot of blood, but more importantly, he also lost a lot of essence. He wouldn’t be able to fully recover without resting for a month or two.
Lu Ping held two mid-grade spirit stones in his hands and calmly practiced the [Sea Coast Wave Listening Scripture]. With the addition of the healing pellets, he slowly mended his injuries.
Suddenly, an overbearing divine sense swept across the field and stopped when it sensed Lu Ping. Then, a gentle and warm voice spoke into Lu Ping’s ears, “Little man, so here you are!”
Lu Ping threw away the spirit stones in shock and he was already poised to cast the [Blood Spirit Escape] again.
The voice continued to say, “Relax, I’m your junior martial uncle.”
It was then Lu Ping realized—only Core Forging Enlightened Masters could have a divine sense this strong. If the cultivator was from Xuan Ling Sect, he would’ve killed him instantly instead of talking to him.
So, Lu Ping calmed down and stood up, waiting patiently for the Enlightened Master to arrive.
A soft wind blew past Lu Ping’s face and a scholar-like, middle-aged cultivator with a long mustache appeared out of thin air in front of him.
“Lu Ping? I am Jiang Xuan-Lin!” Enlightened Master Jiang Xuan-Lin exclaimed, looking at Lu Ping with great interest.
Injured, but not from battle, clearly from casting some kind of secret technique. After all, he must’ve had something up his sleeve to be able to escape from Xuan Ling Sect’s Mid and Late Blood Condensation Realm cultivators.
“Lu Ping greets Enlightened Master Jiang! May I ask what the situation is on Xuan Qi Island? How are my friends?” Lu Ping asked urgently.
Enlightened Master Jiang smiled. “Xuan Qi Island is safe and secured, and your friends are also unharmed. The rest of the Blood Refining island disciples have returned to Xuan Qi Island. Xuan Ling Sect has retreated south.”