Chapter 318 - 288: I’d Better Just Run

Chapter 318: Chapter 288: I’d Better Just Run

He paused his Cultivation of Magic.

Jiang Xu held his breath and focused his mind, casting the Seeking Technique.

But a moment later, Jiang Xu shot to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he stared intently in the direction of Peach Blossom Valley.

When the Magical Power of the Seeking Technique finished circulating, Jiang Xu didn’t feel the pull of the targets’ auras as he usually did. Instead, he felt only an empty silence.

This unprecedented situation made his heart clench, and a strong sense of unease surged through his chest.

The auras of all three of them had inexplicably vanished.

’Could they be dead?’

The thought surfaced in Jiang Xu’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Considering his Seeking Technique had already reached a level of perfection...

Even at the moment of death, as long as a trace of their aura remained...

...neither the faintest trace of a physical body nor the final destination of a soul before it dispersed could escape the technique’s search.

Even if their bodies had turned to dust and their souls had merged with the heavens and earth, the Seeking Technique could still find the final imprint of their life.

Yet now, the direction of Peach Blossom Valley remained silent and mysterious, offering none of the feedback his casting should have produced.

Jiang Xu’s mind was in turmoil, utterly baffled.

This result could only mean one of two things: either something extremely unusual had happened to the three of them, causing their auras to vanish completely...

...or they had encountered some form of interference beyond ordinary comprehension, preventing the Seeking Technique from reaching them.

"..."

Jiang Xu’s expression turned grave, but he remained silent.

He activated the Spiritual Eye Technique, meticulously scanning every inch of the surrounding land for any suspicious clues.

But aside from the soft rustle of wind through peach petals and the occasional chirp of insects in the distance, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

After confirming his surroundings were safe, Jiang Xu decisively chose to leave.

He slipped quietly into the shadows, vanishing from his spot like a streak of light and melting into the darkness as he quickly departed.

Every abnormality has a cause.

The previous calm, in retrospect, seemed more like the undercurrents moving beneath a placid lake.

Jiang Xu was thankful he hadn’t taken the risk of entering rashly before.

Otherwise, he might have been the one who was now missing.

It wasn’t obvious before.

But now it was clear. In all likelihood, Peach Blossom Valley was a trap.

Whether it was set for him, Jiang Xu didn’t know, nor did he care to find out.

There were plenty of mysteries in this world that Jiang Xu couldn’t comprehend.

Adding one more made no difference.

After three weeks of Cultivation, his Shadow Escape had now reached the Skilled Stage.

Jiang Xu felt that while the cost of using Shadow Escape was still high, it was now just barely manageable.

His current Spiritual Power could just barely sustain it for thirty minutes.

However, that was only at night. During the day, with fewer shadows, a little over fifteen minutes was his limit.

Even at the Skilled Stage, the speed of Shadow Escape was only a hair slower than the Light Body Spell.

After all, the Light Body Spell was merely a Qi Cultivation Lower Grade Magic. As for Shadow Escape, although it had no grade listed...

...Jiang Xu felt there was no way it was inferior to a Top Grade Escape Technique of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A short while later, Jiang Xu arrived back at the spot where the Dharma Ship had first docked.

Looking at the Array before him, he made a casual gesture, and Insect once again chewed a large hole, about ten feet high, through it.

’I wonder what those Cultivators who got off the ship have been buying from the black market stalls here this past month...’

At this thought, Jiang Xu suddenly froze.

’Damn it!’

’This time, I was so focused on disguising myself as Liang Fan and cultivating Magic that I completely forgot to buy some of the island’s unique resources!’

’This trip to the Demon Spirit State, I could have made at least a fifty-percent profit from buying and selling resources.’

’Ah, forget it, forget it.’

’It’s too late to go back now anyway.’

’So be it.’

’The point of buying resources was to increase my own strength in the first place.’

’I’ve already acquired so many Magic techniques; I’ll probably be busy for the next few decades. I don’t really need anything else.’

’Besides, there are still six more islands. It won’t be too late to buy things after we land on them.’

’Wait!’

’Sun Long hadn’t even finished copying all the Magic to give to me yet!’

Jiang Xu lamented his loss.

’A total loss! That’s over a hundred sets of Magic!’

’Whatever. What’s lost is lost. It’s better than losing my life.’

He walked into the Array.

Jiang Xu located the Dharma Ship’s position and flew over.

...

"Friend, where have you been all this time? How come I never ran into you?"

Jiang Xu had managed to get back on board just before the ship was scheduled to depart.

The Dharma Ship was set to depart in just half a day.

As soon as he stepped onto the ship, the sharp-eyed Master Fatty curiously sidled up to Jiang Xu.

"Me? Where else could I have been? Just wandering around inside the Array, of course."

Jiang Xu was speechless.

’It’s better for people to keep some distance from each other.’

’Don’t ask so many questions!’

Master Fatty looked like he wanted to say more, but Jiang Xu had already returned to his cabin.

Rebuffed, Master Fatty smacked his lips, said nothing more, and went off to laugh and joke with the Female Cultivators.

Back in his cabin, Jiang Xu once again began studying the Escape Technique.

After failing to sense the auras of the three, Jiang Xu’s sense of unease had deepened.

Not daring to waste even a moment, he resumed his Cultivation of Magic.

...

At the crack of dawn the next day, the first light of morning broke, and a new day quietly began in the serene silence.

The one-month time limit for being on the island had passed.

It was now time for the Dharma Ship to set sail once more.