Huangxiu

Chapter 1242 Tracking
Ding Chonglou smiled wryly and said, "Junior sister, if you ask who wants to find them the most, it's definitely me."

Dong Muyu said, "Even the sect leader can't do anything?"

Ding Chonglou said, "The sect leader's desire to find them is no less than mine, but these guys are truly unpredictable."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior brother, they are determined to take your life and know your identity, right?"

“I have already announced my sect,” Ding Chonglou said. “After they heard about the Heavenly Sword Sect, they attacked even more fiercely, as if they came specifically to kill our Heavenly Sword Sect disciples.”

"Could it be targeting our Heavenly Sword Sect disciples?... Could they also be trying to assassinate our other senior brothers and sisters?" Dong Muyu frowned slightly. "We need to investigate this quickly."

"The sect leader has already issued a warning," Ding Chonglou said, "and has instructed his fellow disciples who are away."

Dong Muyu breathed a sigh of relief: "The sect leader is wise."

Ding Chonglou looked at Chu Zhiyuan: "Junior brother, I believe they will eventually slip up."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "If it was an assassination attempt deliberately targeting our Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, we should find them as soon as possible... Senior Brother, why don't we go back to the ambush site?"

“Alright.” Ding Chonglou readily agreed: “Elder Xu and the others should be there.”

"Then let's set off as soon as possible," Chu Zhiyuan said. "The sooner the better."

"Then let's go." Ding Chonglou stood up. "We can leave now."

Dong Muyu said, "If you're in such a hurry, why don't you rest for the night and recharge before you leave?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head and said, "The sooner the better, Senior Sister. Senior Brother Ding and I will set off now."

Dong Muyu said, "Then... let Junior Sister Hong Zhao come along? She's also a ninth-level cultivator."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Li Hongzhao and Ding Chonglou quickly descended Tianjian Peak and sped off towards the northwest.

……

As dusk falls, the last rays of the setting sun illuminate the lush green mountains and forests.

Weary birds return to the forest, and the mountain peaks shrouded in trees come alive.

Chu Zhiyuan and his two companions stood atop a mountain, a gentle breeze wafting in the twilight.

“Right here.” Ding Chonglou’s eyes were burning as he pointed to the foot of the mountain: “I was just about to make a fire there and rest for the night when suddenly several masked men in black robes appeared and attacked me frantically.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It seems that Elder Xu and the others have finished their reconnaissance."

Li Hongzhao asked, "Didn't you leave anyone to guard it?"

Such an important place must be guarded even after the exploration is completed.

One reason is to prevent sabotage, and the other is that the perpetrator might return to the scene of the crime.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It's in the shadows."

"How many people?" Li Hongzhao's phoenix eyes flickered as she looked around and gently shook her head.

They failed to spot the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples hiding in the shadows.

“Four,” Chu Zhiyuan said.

Li Hongzhao turned her head: "Four?!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded: "You didn't find a single one, did you?"

Li Hongzhao snorted.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Nine-fold Venerable, yet we couldn't detect a single one. It seems that our Heavenly Sword Sect's ability to conceal one's aura is extremely impressive."

Li Hongzhao asked, "Are there really four?"

“Two in the northwest and two in the northeast,” Chu Zhiyuan said. “They’re about 300 meters away from us, on the hillside opposite.”

"No wonder, they were over 300 meters apart!"

Li Hongzhao snorted, her phoenix eyes shimmering as she swept across the opposite hillside.

Ding Chonglou laughed and said, "This is too much trouble for Junior Sister Li. How could she possibly notice something from over 300 meters away?"

Li Hongzhao smiled and said, "Senior Brother Ding is so understanding."

As he spoke, he glared at Chu Zhiyuan.

She understood Chu Zhiyuan's intention; he was trying to dampen her spirits.

After entering the Nine Revolutions, one truly feels that the world is vast and one can go anywhere.

Looking at it now, I realize that I haven't reached a state of complete freedom yet. I can't slack off in my spiritual practice; I must continue to work hard.

Ding Chonglou's expression was solemn. He gritted his teeth and looked at Chu Zhiyuan: "Junior brother, shall we go down and take a look?"

Seeing this place naturally brings back the scene from that time, and the shock, fear, despair, and anger all surge into my heart.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior Brother Ding, please!"

Ding Chonglou used his lightness skill to skim along the treetops to the foot of the mountain.

He stopped at the edge of the woods and pointed to the trees: "That's where they came out!"

Chu Zhiyuan stepped inside, walking slowly with a wandering gaze.

I walked more than a hundred steps from outside the woods, then turned right, walked more than a hundred steps, then turned left, and walked more than a hundred steps again, finally crossing the hilltop and arriving at the opposite peak. Halfway up the mountain, in a cave, there was a pile of campfire ashes.

A few small bone fragments lay beside the ashes.

"Where is this...?" Ding Chonglou frowned as he stared at the cave.

It looks like a cave that hunters usually use for short-term shelter.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "They should have stopped here and eaten something."

As he spoke, he bent down and picked up a twig from the side, used it to pick up a small bone fragment, and held it in front of his eyes to examine it.

"Is this what they ate?" Li Hongzhao asked.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Ding Chonglou's eyes shone brightly: "Elder Xu and the others haven't found this place!"

Li Hongzhao asked, "Can we find those guys through these things?"

Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

Li Hongzhao said, "These things must have their scent on them, how come we can't find them?"

Ding Chonglou said, "According to Elder Xu, these guys have strange auras that cannot be sensed."

Li Hongzhao asked curiously, "There are still auras that can't be sensed?...Is there some treasure that's masking the aura?"

Ding Chonglou said, "Their true essence is very strange. It didn't leave any residue in my body. It disappeared completely. In short, these guys are very strange and cannot be judged by common sense."

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Senior brother, do they want to kill you, or capture you alive?"

"Capture alive?" Ding Chonglou was taken aback.

He pondered deeply, returning once again to the painful scene from the past.

After a moment, he shook his head and said, "I think they want to kill me, not capture me alive."

Chu Zhiyuan seemed to be deep in thought.

Li Hongzhao asked, "Have you found anything?"

Chu Zhiyuan threw away the branch, bent down again, picked up a bone with his own hands, and then picked up another one.

He touched every small bone on the ground, stood up, took the silk handkerchief Li Hongzhao handed him, wiped his hands, and sighed: "I sensed a presence, a very faint, yet familiar presence."

Li Hongzhao's spirits lifted, and Ding Chonglou's eyes immediately lit up.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It is the aura of the Undying Evil Lord."

The aura of the Undying Evil Lord is spiritual power, pure will, which surpasses the current level of power of a Venerable.

He possessed formidable mental strength and had experience practicing the Undying Evil Lord's mental cultivation method, so he recognized him immediately upon encountering him.

Both Li Hongzhao and Ding Chonglou looked bewildered.

"Haven't you heard of the Undying Evil Lord?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

Both of them shook their heads.

Chu Zhiyuan then recounted the origins and power of the Undying Evil Lord.

Li Hongzhao said, "So, it was the Undying Evil Lord who did it?... But why would he do this? Why target us instead of the Evil Extermination Division?"

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Ding Chonglou.

Ding Chonglou looked at himself, puzzled.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: "There may be other reasons. We need to find them first."

"How do we find it?" Li Hongzhao asked. "Is it even possible to find it?"

"Let's give it a try," Chu Zhiyuan said.

He closed his eyes and formed a mudra with his hands.

Above their heads, the Demon-Subduing Divine Tree slowly emerged, passing directly through the top of the cave and into the mountain.

Tiny specks of light drifted down from the mountain and landed on him.

His expression was solemn, and his hands formed a mudra.

The golden sword was drawn from its sheath at the waist and lightly swept across the ground.

White light emanated from the sword, instantly turning any small bone on the ground into powder upon contact.

The next moment, the golden sword flew out.

Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes, released the hand seal, and said in a deep voice, "Follow them."

He put his arm around Ding Chonglou's shoulder, floated out of the cave, and caught up with the Golden Sword.

Li Hongzhao glanced at the cave, then flew out to give chase.

Two hours later, they had crossed dozens of mountains and finally arrived at a forest.

Without Chu Zhiyuan needing to speak, Li Hongzhao and Ding Chonglou slowed their breathing.

(End of this chapter)