Chapter 800: A Million-Li Pursuit

Xu Luo piloted the warship, speeding away. In the blink of an eye, he had already flown tens of thousands of miles, but he didn’t feel safe yet.

This time, too many people had been involved, and the group was too diverse. It wasn’t just people from Xi Hezhou and Blazing Flame Province; people from other provinces had joined in as well.

But they hadn’t made any significant moves, which Xu Luo found a little unusual.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Xi Hezhou’s standing in the entirety of Jiuzhou… wasn’t very high.

In other words, Xi Hezhou didn’t have as many top-tier experts as the other provinces.

Its younger generation of geniuses was also a notch below those from other provinces.

The number of Jiuzhou Seeds was also lower than theirs.

Although Zhao Min of Blazing Flame Province had been defeated and killed by his hand, that didn’t mean Blazing Flame Province was weak.

On the contrary, the fact that they could casually send a Jiuzhou Seed meant that the number of Jiuzhou Seeds in Blazing Flame Province… was not small!

Here in Xi Hezhou, among the young Martial Artists of Xu Luo’s generation, it seemed there were no known Jiuzhou Seeds.

“So this is the gap!” Xu Luo muttered to himself. His gaze gradually hardened with resolve, showing no fear.

Throughout his journey, Xu Luo had faced countless difficulties and challenges. He had survived many near-death experiences, trekking a path fraught with hardship and thorns to get to where he was today. Even when facing a Jiuzhou Seed, Xu Luo would not retreat a single step.

‘This is a great era teeming with experts! Only those who persevere to the end will be the true victors!’

Xu Luo’s eyes glinted as he murmured to himself.

Then, his Divine Sense entered the Bronze Divine Hall World. He was relieved to find that Yu Tianying and the others were safe for the time being.

Although he had originally joined Celestial Brilliance just to obtain the Soul Scripture, he now felt a deep emotional connection to the sect.

He had had unpleasant experiences in Celestial Brilliance, but the good moments far outweighed them.

Both the Medicine Garden and the Sect Leader had treated him well. People aren’t unfeeling plants, and Xu Luo was someone who repaid kindness.

When his fellow disciples were in trouble, he was equally anxious.

Now, Xu Luo’s only thought was to return to his sect as soon as possible so that Yu Tianying and the others could receive treatment.

The warship sped through the void, covering a thousand miles in an instant.

Xu Luo sat cross-legged on the warship, silently cultivating with the Shadow Shaking Heart Method.

His gains from the Ancient Ruins World this time were immense. Needless to say, the countless Spirit and Holy Medicines had already been planted by Xu Luo in his Bronze Divine Hall World.

He had successfully obtained the second half of the Soul Scripture and had even “picked up” a Great God along the way—Lan!

There was also the army of a million Iron Dolls from the Earth Palace. Although Xu Luo couldn’t control them at the moment, he believed that as his strength grew, this army of Iron Dolls would one day make all of Jiuzhou tremble!

Thinking of Lan, Xu Luo checked on her in the Bronze Divine Hall World. She was still in a deep sleep, and he had no idea when she would fully recover.

Xu Luo sighed softly. His power was now on the verge of a breakthrough. If it were anyone else, they would have probably broken through to the next realm long ago.

But Xu Luo didn’t want to break through to the Venerable Realm so soon. He felt that his Great Saint Realm was not yet perfect!

If anyone else heard his thoughts, they would probably want to rip him apart.

With Xu Luo’s combat power at the Peak of the Great Saint Realm, almost no one in all of Jiuzhou could compare!

That included those powerful Jiuzhou Seeds!

Even they would have no chance of winning against Xu Luo when they were at the Peak of the Great Saint Realm!

Across the world, you could count on one hand the number of people who could match Xu Luo at this realm!

He was already at this level… and he still thought it wasn’t perfect enough!

It was enough to drive others mad with envy.

The journey was tedious, but Xu Luo didn’t find it boring. Along the way, he constantly reflected on the major battles he had experienced during his trip to the Ancient Ruins World.

The battles against the powerful experts of the Celestial Venerable Realm, in particular, had a profound impact on him.

Although the Celestial Venerables’ cultivation realms had been suppressed, their combat awareness was unparalleled.

‘If I were to face a true Celestial Venerable,’ Xu Luo thought, ‘I probably wouldn’t even have a chance to strike!’

‘In that case, that Kunpeng… is definitely not just at the Celestial Venerable Realm!’

‘The Kunpeng in the lower realm back then… was probably just a spirit body!’

‘The four Divine Beasts—Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—must have also been great powers who surpassed the Venerable Realm back then.’

‘Just seeing the Black Tortoise devour a Celestial Venerable in the Small World is enough to know that it’s at least… in the Saint Venerable Realm!’

‘But the Black Tortoise seemed a little afraid of Lan…’

Xu Luo narrowed his eyes and muttered softly. He clearly remembered the forcibly suppressed fear the Black Tortoise showed after it detected Lan’s aura on him.

‘In that case… Lan’s true realm has most likely surpassed that of a Saint Venerable!’

‘Don’t tell me… I picked up a Great Venerable?’

But Xu Luo felt something was off. When Lan had spoken of the commander from back then, she had said, “If he were a Great Venerable… he wouldn’t have been burned to death by me so easily…”

‘If he were a Great Venerable… it wouldn’t be so easy!’ A flash of insight struck Xu Luo’s mind, and an unbelievable thought uncontrollably surfaced.

He was horrified. ‘Could Lan be a Saint Emperor? No, no… that’s impossible! If she were a Saint Emperor, burning a Great Venerable to death would be completely effortless!’

‘Then that means… High Tier Great Venerable!’

Calming himself, Xu Luo followed the various clues and evidence to a conclusion that stunned him.

He had known Lan’s realm was certainly very high, but he had never imagined it would be *this* high.

Xu Luo couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. It took him a long moment to recover, and he mumbled, “This is too incredible!”

Suddenly, Xu Luo felt a cold, sinister aura enter the space around him. At the same time, a Divine Thought entered his Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.

“Halt!”

The Divine Thought was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion. It was like the voice of someone long accustomed to a high position; the tone wasn’t overbearing, yet it instilled a feeling that one dared not resist.

A glint flashed in Xu Luo’s eyes. ‘They’re here after all!’ he thought.

Ever since leaving that place, Xu Luo had a persistent feeling deep down that he wouldn’t be able to escape so easily.

He was now hundreds of thousands of miles away, yet they had still followed him.

This proved that Xu Luo’s initial worries were correct. Someone had indeed been watching him from the shadows all along!

Xu Luo didn’t stop. ‘What a joke,’ he thought. ‘You tell me to stop, so I should just stop? Do you take me for an idiot?’

Not only did he not stop, but Xu Luo actually increased the warship’s speed!

The warship became a streak of light, nearly piercing through the void itself. Its speed had almost reached the absolute limit for a vessel known for its swiftness!

SWOOSH!

The void distorted where the warship passed, kicking up waves of air.

“You’re courting death!”

The cold Divine Thought seemed to have been angered. A terrifying aura instantly enveloped the surrounding world.

Xu Luo suddenly felt as if the warship had plunged into thick mud, making it impossible to move another inch!

“Dammit!” Xu Luo cursed. He stopped the warship, because this stretch of the world was now completely under the other party’s control. He couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.

Stepping out of the warship, Xu Luo saw a young man standing a few hundred meters ahead.

He was tall and burly, with shoulder-length red hair and a black robe. His eyes were incredibly deep, like two bottomless black holes.

Xu Luo narrowed his eyes slightly. He had no memory of this young man whatsoever.

“Who are you? Why are you stopping me?” Xu Luo asked.

“Able to slay a Celestial Venerable Spirit Body and daring enough to kill a Jiuzhou Seed… Hehe, you’ve got some nerve!” the young man said, ignoring Xu Luo’s question and sizing him up with great interest.

“I don’t think I know you. We have no grudge between us, do we?” Xu Luo said, his eyes narrowed. He could feel an incomparably terrifying aura from the young man.

He knew in his heart that the man’s true age was countless times older than his face suggested.

“In the Bounty Guild, the reward for your head has risen to one hundred million Top-level Immortal Spirit Stones. Hehe, even I, your ancestor, am a little tempted!” the young man said, looking at Xu Luo. “So, tell me, should I kill you and claim the reward? Or will you obediently offer up your own head, and I’ll let you keep a sliver of your soul?”

“Is it really that satisfying… to bully the weak?” Xu Luo asked, his eyes slightly narrowed. He gripped the Divine Movement Talisman and the Substitute Death Talisman in his hands as he watched the young man.

“Hahahaha, of course it’s satisfying to bully the weak! I love bullying the weak!” The young man laughed maniacally, his eyes fixed on Xu Luo. “A little ant not even at the Venerable Realm actually possesses the combat power to slay a Mid-stage Ultimate Venerable. If a person like you is allowed to truly mature, who in this world could possibly be your match? So… it’s better to nip you in the bud!”

“I don’t even know you! Even if I do grow stronger, what threat could I possibly pose to you?” Xu Luo said angrily.

“No threat now doesn’t mean no threat in the future! Of course you don’t understand now, and it’s useless to explain it to you,” the young man said. “So… die!”

As he spoke, he attacked directly, sending a slash of Sword Intent instantly toward Xu Luo!

The might of the Celestial Venerable Realm meant that against Xu Luo, he was in a state of absolute suppression!

“Remember, this ancestor is from Ancient Celestial Valley, and my name is Gu Zongren!” the young man roared. The Sword Intent sliced open the very void as it arrived before Xu Luo in an instant!

This was direct suppression through a higher cultivation realm!

There were no flashy moves—it was a direct killing blow!

The shadow of death completely enveloped Xu Luo!

With a loud shout, Xu Luo activated the Substitute Death Talisman. BANG! A burst of incredibly brilliant light erupted in the sky.

A terrifying aura spread out, instantly throwing this part of the world into turmoil!

Gu Zongren’s Sword Intent swept directly onto the Substitute Death Talisman, instantly shattering it!

At the same time he activated the Substitute Death Talisman, Xu Luo also activated the Divine Movement Talisman!

Worthy of being the world’s highest-grade Talismans, the Divine Movement Talisman still worked even though this stretch of the world was under Gu Zongren’s control.

SWOOSH!

Xu Luo’s figure vanished from the spot. The warship vanished along with him.

“A Substitute Death Talisman? A Divine Movement Talisman? You’ve got quite a few nice things on you!” A cold glint flashed in the young man’s eyes, and a frosty smile played on his lips. He muttered, “But… if you could escape from a Celestial Venerable just like that, wouldn’t this ancestor lose all face?”

With that, Gu Zongren’s figure shot off in the direction Xu Luo had disappeared, giving chase.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared tens of thousands of miles away!