Hunting Immortals and Demons

The two resumed studying the map.

Ultimately, Lu Yan’s focus landed on a certain red point.

This place, as marked on the map, was very dangerous but likely harbored opportunities.

Instead of wandering aimlessly, it would be better to check this place out.

If it proved too dangerous, they would retreat; if manageable, they could try pushing through.

They figured they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

The two immediately set off.

...

In the third region Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo had visited, ten figures appeared.

It was Wu Hao and the masters from the Shengwu Sect.

At this moment, Wu Hao was standing in the air, his oppressive presence churning the Heavenly Earth Power around him like waves, producing a resounding howl that seemed to echo his mood.

"Sect Master, it seems we are late. Those two pests are no longer here," an older man said.

"On the map, there are five places where we may find opportunities. Of these, three are relatively less dangerous, while two are riskier. Since the less dangerous ones are empty, those two must have headed for the two more hazardous ones."

"If I were in their shoes, I would also choose to check these places out first. It’s better than flying about like a headless fly. Let’s go. The next one is Cangming Valley."

With a cold command from Wu Hao, he stepped forward and sped off.

...

Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo arrived at a large canyon.

The map labeled it as Cangming Valley.

However, as soon as they arrived, Lu Yan felt a prickling sensation in his brow. The Dao Book was issuing a warning. There was danger ahead.

There was a Will Power Pattern.

Lu Yan couldn’t understand why the Dao Book would alert him when it encountered a Will Power Pattern but made no response to Wish Patterns.

It seemed that the Dao Book was particularly sensitive to anything related to ’immortals’.

Lu Yan had often speculated whether the Dao Book was related to immortals.

If so, what was the connection?

Shen Yinuo also detected the anomaly ahead. With a wave of her hand, she threw a drop of blood into the canyon. Immediately, dense, complex, and intricate patterns appeared in the surroundings, tangling together like countless little snakes, making Lu Yan’s skin crawl.

Among all the Will Power Patterns Lu Yan had seen, the ones here were the most complex.

Shen Yinuo studied them carefully, her brows furrowing in concentration. After a while, she said, "The Will Power Pattern here is extraordinarily complex. My understanding of Will Power Patterns is only cursory and far from being profound. Trying to crack this pattern will not be easy, and could take a significant amount of time."

"Yinuo, if I could find a safe region, could that help expedite your unraveling of the Will Power Pattern?" Lu Yan asked.

Shen Yinuo’s eyes lit up. "If that’s the case, it would substantially narrow down the area, naturally speeding up the process."

"Yinuo, try that area over there," Lu Yan pointed towards a particular region.

According to the Dao Book’s warning, that area had the weakest feeling of danger and was comparatively safer.

However, since the Will Power Patterns here were too dense and complex, Lu Yan couldn’t be sure if a specific spot was completely safe. It was still preferable to include Shen Yinuo’s judgement.

Shen Yinuo began to study the area closely.

Indeed, with this approach, it didn’t take long for Shen Yinuo to make progress. She picked up a stone and threw it to a certain spot, and sure enough, there was no reaction.

"This place is a safe zone."

Shen Yinuo leaped forward, landing next to the stone.

Then, Lu Yan pointed out the second safe area.

Working together, they made rapid progress. Within half a day, they had completely traversed the area riddled with Will Power Patterns and reached the depths of the canyon.

In the depths of the canyon lay a collection of crumbling buildings bearing the marks of time.

Amid the ruins, a fruit tree bearing black and white fruits grew.

Their eyes lit up at the sight.

An Immortal Demon Fruit tree.

On it hung three Immortal Demon Fruits.

The scent was enticing.

This time, they didn’t rush forward but observed their surroundings, looking for any guardian Alien Beasts.

However, they found no traces of such beasts upon searching the area.

The two guessed that the Will Power Patterns that filled this area kept Alien Beasts at bay.

Using their True Vigor, they plucked the three Immortal Demon Fruits, placing them carefully in a box and storing it in the Sumi Mustard Seed Bag.

This journey was smooth sailing.

After scouring the surroundings again and finding nothing else of worth, they left Cangming Valley. They took out the map, studying it and preparing to go to the next dangerous yet promising location.

Places full of Will Power Patterns were absolutely perilous to those who didn’t understand them.

But for the two of them, it held no danger at all.

Once they established their destination, they took to the skies.

BOOOOM!

They hadn’t flown too far when they heard a violent booming noise and looked back, their faces changing.

A figure was charging at them at an extremely fast speed.

The booming sound was caused by this person breaking through the air.

The sound they heard was still ten miles away, but the figure had already arrived.

It was Wu Hao.

"So, you are indeed here. Die."

With a thunderous roar, Wu Hao threw a punch. The Heavenly Earth Power subsequently materialized a huge punch imprint that proceeded to crush Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

"He’s in the Primordial Spirit Realm, this guy broke through to the Primordial Spirit Realm."

Both Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo were shocked as they simultaneously retaliated.

Lu Yan immediately pushed his True Dragon War Body to the limit and attacked with all his might, executing the True Dragon Nine Strikes.

As for Shen Yinuo, she summoned the Great Sun Melting Furnace.

The Great Sun Melting Furnace took the brunt of the attack, colliding with the punch imprint.

BOOM!

The Great Sun Melting Furnace shook violently, instantly shattering.

Shen Yinuo grunted, blood spilling from her mouth as she was forced to retreat.

The punch imprint didn’t stop, continuing to attack Lu Yan.

When Lu Yan countered it, he felt as if he had been struck by thunder. His body trembled as he was pushed back, the pain in his arms was so intense that it felt like his bones were about to dislocate.

"Let’s go."

Lu Yan grabbed Shen Yinuo and turned to run towards the Cangming Valley.

Wu Hao, a supreme genius, had reached the True Body Eight Refinements level. His power was profoundly strong; after making a breakthrough into the Primordial Spirit Realm, his power surged, far surpassing any ordinary Primordial Spirit.

Even combined, Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo were no match for him.

Moreover, Wu Hao wielded a Spiritual Treasure.

The power of a Spiritual Treasure activated by someone at the Primordial Spirit Realm was considerably different from that of a True Body.

If they did not escape this moment, they would be cornered by Wu Hao. Once the other experts from the Shengwu Sect arrived, Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo would be doomed.

"You think you can run?"

Wu Hao’s eyes were filled with coldness and murderous intent; he was determined to kill them this day.

Once one of the two reached the Primordial Spirit Realm, it would become much harder to kill them.

Wu Hao manipulated the Heavenly Earth Power to chase them. His speed was astonishing, rapidly closing the distance between them and Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo.

"Star Leg."

Lu Yan activated Star Leg, stepping on the air, pulling Shen Yinuo along. Their speed greatly increased, barely keeping pace with Wu Hao, but this was not a long-term solution.

Using Divine-level Martial Arts at the True Body Realm consumed a lot of energy. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long.

Cangming Valley was his only chance at escape.

Using the Wish Pattern in the Cangming Valley to confront Wu Hao was the best solution Lu Yan could think of in such a hastened situation.

They hadn’t flown far from the valley, so they quickly returned to the Cangming Valley.

Without even looking back, they rushed into the Cangming Valley, their bodies flickering, moving hundreds of meters deep into the valley’s safe zone.

During this, Shen Yinuo waved her hand, sending droplets of blood to activate the endless Wish Patterns within the Cangming Valley. This obscured their location from Wu Hao.

At the same time, she stimulated True Vigor to destroy the rocks they had previously used as markers.

Boom!

Wu Hao shot a punch into the air, creating another vast fist mark that raced towards the Cangming Valley.

The valley’s Wish Patterns intertwined, transforming into a war sword that split the fist imprint in two.

Wu Hao stopped in front of Cangming Valley, his face slightly gloomy.

Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo also stopped, facing Wu Hao from a distance of several hundred meters.

"Yinuo, are you alright?" Lu Yan asked.

"I’m fine. My triggering mark was just destroyed, causing a backlash. I’ll recover soon," Shen Yinuo said with a smile, swallowing a few Martial Pills and starting to refine them.

"Thinking to use these Wish Patterns to save your lives is nothing but wishful thinking," Wu Hao sneered and launched another ferocious attack, aiming to wipe out the Wish Patterns in this area.

However, the Wish Patterns here were extraordinarily powerful. He delivered more than a dozen blows, but could not even damage them slightly.

In the end, Wu Hao even used his metal stele to bombard them, but to no avail.

"Let’s see how long you two can hide," Wu Hao said coldly, choosing to stay outside instead of entering.

Soon, nine figures flew over. They were the nine high-ranking experts of the Shengwu Sect.

"Jiang Gu, you have studied Wish Patterns. Can you break the Wish Patterns here?" Wu Hao asked an old man.

"I’ll give it a try," the old man stepped forward and began studying carefully.

The lines on the old man’s forehead grew deeper and deeper. "Young Master, the Wish Patterns here are extremely complex and profound," he said.

"I just want to know if they can be broken," Wu Hao interjected with a furrowed brow.

"They can, but it will take some time," the old man replied.

"Then take that time and hurry," Wu Hao ordered.

The old man bent down and began his detailed study.

Clearly, the old man’s understanding of Wish Patterns was even better than Shen Yinuo’s. Not long after, he found a safe spot and marked it. This was the same spot Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo had found earlier.

Lu Yan and Shen Yinuo’s hearts sank.

If things continued this way, the enemy would eventually break through the Wish Patterns and catch up to them.

The two of them quickly brainstormed, seeking a solution to their predicament.

However, in the face of absolute power, it was difficult to come up with an effective strategy.

"Yinuo, I’ll refine the Immortal Demon Fruit first and see if I can break through to True Body Eight Refinements," Lu Yan communicated to Shen Yinuo. If he could break through to that level, his strength would surely increase substantially. While he might not be able to match Wu Hao, escaping should not pose a problem.

"You can practice without worry," Shen Yinuo assured him.

Lu Yan took out an Immortal Demon Fruit and swallowed it in a gulp, starting the refinement process.

Seeing Lu Yan swallow the Immortal Demon Fruit, a raging fire burned in Wu Hao’s eyes, intensifying his murderous intent.

In his view, those Immortal Demon Fruits originally belonged to him.

Lu Yan was using these Heaven and Earth miracles to enhance himself.

"Go ahead and take it for now. After I slaughter you, I’ll feed your flesh and blood to the dogs," Wu Hao silently raged.

One, two, three.

After refining three Immortal Demon Fruits, he still hadn’t made a breakthrough.

As Lu Yan had predicted, at least two more Immortal Demon Fruits would be needed for him to make a breakthrough.

But where could he find these two fruits?

He found himself truly underestimating the difficulty of reaching True Body Eight Refinements.

During the breakthrough to True Body Seventh Refinement, he had initially thought that over two hundred thousand fourth-level Martial Pills would allow him to reach the next level. Now it seemed that he had been naive.

If it were that easy, True Body Eight Refinements wouldn’t be so scarce among the major powers.

Neither Ji Wuxiu nor Wu Hao would have been able to sweep through the myriad of geniuses in the Wuzu Garden.