Daoist Competition

The Kushou Daoist now possessed only a Nascent Soul Second Realm cultivation and, considering his abilities against Zhang Yan, found no hope of victory. Thus, he had no intention of engaging in a magical duel, only thinking about how to escape from there as soon as possible.

The plan he used now was to first use the Blood Essence to distract, luring Zhang Yan deeper into the Demon Cave, while he secretly slipped back to the entrance. Once there, he intended to destroy the Array Flag with full force and escape before Zhang Yan arrived.

Relying on the Blood Transformation Escape Technique he possessed, he believed that as long as he moved first, he wouldn’t need to fear being pursued.

Therefore, as soon as he ascended to Heaven, he chose a direction and quickly retreated far away, leaving behind a Blood Essence identical to himself, shouting loudly, "Is it True Master Zhang of the Mingcang Sect? I’m Liu Nasong, an elder from Yuanchi of the Blood Essence Sect, coming to experience your prowess!"

Yuanchi is one of the four pools of the Blood Essence Sect, holding a status akin to the Three Upper Halls of the Mingcang Sect. His shout was meant to give his opponent some cause for concern.

Zhang Yan heard the sound from afar and smirked, caring little about his identity.

Now he could mostly confirm that the cave just blocked by his Array Flag was likely the sole entrance used by his opponent, or else there would have been no need to jump out hastily; he could have simply hidden and retreated leisurely from another spot.

His body flickered, transforming into a streak of Rainbow Light, and dashed in the direction of the voice.

After pursuing for half an hour, he sensed through the Qi Mechanism, immediately lifting his sleeve, casting a spell, and using the Forbidden Locking Heaven and Earth Skill, freezing the opponent twenty miles away.

Upon casting this spell, he immediately sensed that the opponent’s mana was far inferior to his own. Then he deployed the Five Elements Escape Technique, extending his hand to seize outward and, in the blink of an eye, captured and brought the opponent to his feet.

Looking down, he saw the opponent was a thin elder Daoist who, despite being caught, remained calm and unperturbed.

Having fought many times with disciples of the Blood Essence Sect, Zhang Yan was familiar with them, knowing that cultivators of this sect could transform a Blood Essence into their own likeness. Hence, the person in front of him was most likely not the real one. So, he said nothing more, memorized the appearance, then waved his hand, releasing dozens of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder, shattering it into pieces in a burst of flashes.

Having dealt with this Blood Essence, he lifted his head, scanning around. The depths of this small demon cave were full of twists and turns, honeycombed with holes. The opponent, having hidden here for some time, was likely more familiar with the terrain, making pursuit the most foolish tactic.

After pondering for a moment, he devised a plan, turned around, and returned.

Before long, he arrived back at the entrance where he had set the Array Flag, found a large stone, sat down cross-legged on it, took out a talismanic script, infused it with mana, and with a point of his finger, a Spirit Light shot out and soared away.

This was, after all, the Mingcang Sect’s territory. Having confirmed the presence of a Demon Cultivator, as long as he blocked this entrance, as the leader of the Top Ten Disciples, he could call on the sect’s disciples to come down and jointly besiege and eliminate the intruder.

The Blood Essence dispatched by Liu Nasong possessed Daoist cultivation not inferior to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet it was annihilated in less than half an hour, astonishing him, "How is Zhang Yan’s cultivation so high? To actually wield the Forbidden Locking Heaven and Earth Skill, could he have achieved the Nascent Soul Third Realm?"

He was well aware of the might of a Nascent Soul Third Realm cultivator, whom those of lower realms could not withstand.

The more he thought, the more uneasy he became. In a panic, he retreated dozens of miles, all the while sending out dozens of Blood Essences to draw the opponent elsewhere.

Yet, after a while, not one Blood Essence found his opponent’s trace, which puzzled him. Quickly, he took out a copper mirror, sprayed some Essence Blood on it, and gradually the scene within became clear. Concentrating his gaze, he saw Zhang Yan sitting calmly before the entrance—a clear indication of his intentions, turning Liu Nasong’s face quite unsightly.

This advancement by retreating thwarted his entire plan.

Furrowing his brows, Liu Nasong closed his eyes, contemplating for a long time before sneering, "Don’t think you can trap me like this."

With a turn of his Heart and Spirit, he activated the Blood Transformation Escape Technique, swiftly fleeing in another direction.

About two hours later, he arrived at a place, which was indeed the entrance leading to Xiao Zhe Mountain!

After landing, he focused his power into his eyes and examined the seal, then, after a while, sat cross-legged and took out the bamboo divination to calculate the Array Breaking Method.

Being skilled in array formations, it took him only half an hour to find the key.

He immediately drew a pair of Dragon Head Gold Halberds from his sleeve, cast them into the air with a spell, then pointed forward. With a peculiar whistling sound, they forcefully bore downwards, and with a muffled crash, shattered a Prohibition.