Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the crowd behind him from under his hood, and decisively ordered, "We can't let him escape again! Split up and chase after him! His strength shouldn't have fully recovered yet, so he probably isn't much stronger."

"I'll lead one team. The rest of you form your own teams and each of you choose a direction to pursue them. Remember, once you spot their true form, immediately send a signal. Do not attempt to fight them alone!"

He paused, his voice growing even more somber: "The palace has already expended far too much effort to capture him. This boy is not only proficient in spatial manipulation, but his concealment skills and puppetry are also extremely troublesome. He can vanish a thousand miles at the slightest disturbance. This time, we finally managed to track him and that little girl as they left the Pill Tower, and we absolutely cannot return empty-handed!"

"understand!"

The black-robed figures responded in unison, then their figures swayed and quickly split into several groups, transforming into streaks of black light. They chased after the different directions in which Su Baichen's aura had disappeared, their voices whistling through the air before they vanished into the distance.

The valley returned to its surface tranquility, but the faint, chilling pressure had not completely dissipated.

Inside the spatial interlayer, Cao Ying could see everything outside clearly through the tiny cracks maintained by Su Baichen.

Her palms were sweating with nervousness. She only breathed a long sigh of relief when she saw the men in black robes leave in different directions. She instinctively wanted to praise her master for his uncanny foresight.

However, just as she slightly opened her mouth, Su Baichen's hand was already one step ahead, gently covering her mouth.

Cao Ying looked up in astonishment, meeting Su Baichen's solemn gaze. Her master shook his head slightly, gesturing for her to remain absolutely silent, then pointed very slowly downwards—to the very spot where the group of black-robed men had appeared and stood.

Cao Ying was initially puzzled, but then a terrifying thought washed over her like ice water, causing her pupils to shrink and her to instinctively hold her breath.

They haven't left! They're still lying in wait!

This terrifying conjecture was coldly confirmed half an hour later.

On the open ground below, the space rippled out again like water, and the familiar crack reappeared.

The black-robed elder who had just left, accompanied by two subordinates, stepped out expressionlessly.

His sharp gaze, like that of a hawk, swept carefully over every corner of the valley once more, not even missing the areas behind the boulders and the dense canopy of trees.

In the end, he found nothing and could only shake his head in utter disappointment.

"Elder, it seems that Su Baichen is indeed not here."

One of his men whispered, "We've already wasted so much time. If we go after them now, I'm afraid..."

The black-robed elder snorted coldly, interrupting him: "Chase! Even if the hope is slim, we must chase! This boy is as cunning as a fox. I just feel that he might be hiding right under our noses, playing a trick on us."

He looked around again, his tone tinged with resentment: "Unfortunately, after waiting for so long, there's still no sign of him. It seems he really isn't here."

"Oh well, let's just continue the pursuit along the original route; we're bound to find some clues."

After saying that, he waved his sleeve, tearing through space once more, and led two of his men into it, chasing after the direction they had initially determined.

This time, the spatial rift was completely closed, and the chilling pressure truly dissipated.

However, even after the enemy had left, Su Baichen and Cao Ying remained motionless in the spatial interlayer.

Su Baichen closed his eyes and concentrated, his powerful perception like the most sophisticated radar, continuously scanning everything in the outside world.

Cao Ying followed his example, trying her best to control her breathing and even slowing her heartbeat.

Time passed slowly, from sunset to dusk, and then night completely enveloped the valley, with stars rising one by one.

Only when the moon was high in the sky, its cool light bathing the valley, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual or suspicious about the surroundings, did Su Baichen slowly open his eyes and nod slightly to Cao Ying.

The two then slipped silently out of the spatial interlayer like ghosts and landed back on solid ground.

With her feet firmly planted on the soft grass, Cao Ying finally felt her tense nerves relax. She patted her chest and asked in a low voice, still feeling a little shaken, "Master, have they... really left this time?"

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen smiled easily, habitually reaching out to ruffle Cao Ying's hair, his tone returning to its usual gentleness: "Yes, they're really leaving this time. These guys are slippery as eels; I wouldn't feel at ease unless I waited a few more hours."

Cao Ying finally felt completely relieved, let out a long breath, and felt a surge of relief at surviving the ordeal.

She looked up and asked curiously, "Master, you're amazing! How did you know someone would be chasing us, and how did you prepare so many puppets in advance?"

A fleeting hint of embarrassment crossed Su Baichen's face, but he quickly masked it with a calm and composed expression.

He coughed lightly, feigning profundity, and said, "Well... after encountering it many times, you naturally get used to it. Traveling in Zhongzhou, if you don't have some skills in self-preservation and counter-tracking, you would have been devoured long ago, leaving not even bones behind."

He paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "However, the old man leading this team is indeed much more cunning than the last few. He even knew how to launch a surprise attack, lying in wait for his prey. What a pity..."

"What's a pity?" Cao Ying asked curiously.

A sly glint flashed in Su Baichen's eyes, like a child who had just pulled off a prank: "Unfortunately, they underestimated your master. In the past, puppets would slowly dissipate after their energy was exhausted or they were destroyed."

"But this time..."

He chuckled: "I made a slight improvement. After a period of time, or the moment they are violently destroyed, those puppets will give the pursuers a little 'surprise' with a 'bang'."

He imagined the black-robed men scrambling around, and added cheerfully, "I hope they'll like this parting gift! It won't hurt them fundamentally, but it'll be enough to make them look bad for a while."

Having said that, Su Baichen didn't linger any longer. With a flick of his sleeve, he tore through space once more, and with Cao Ying looking on with admiration and curiosity, he stepped into the dark spatial rift, disappearing completely from this valley that had experienced several turbulent undercurrents.

Chapter 9 The Unlucky Elder of the Soul Palace!

A few days later, the black-robed group that had been chasing Su Baichen returned to the Soul Palace branch in a sorry state.

Inside the gloomy hall, the stench of blood mingled with suppressed gasps.

The group that had arrived in such a majestic manner now had tattered robes, many of them bearing charred marks and wounds that had not yet fully healed, and their spirits were low.

The elder of the Soul Hall who was in the lead had a face so gloomy it could drip water, and the low pressure emanating from him made the Soul Envoys on duty in the hall tremble with fear, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Thinking of this humiliating manhunt, the old man felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He suddenly flicked his sleeve, sending a white jade teacup flying from the table beside him.

"Bang—Crack!"

The teacup slammed against the wall, which was covered in strange runes, and shattered instantly, scattering fragments everywhere.

"Damn it! How could this happen!"

The elder's low growl echoed in the hall, filled with violence and resentment: "Those damned puppets... they actually self-destructed! They caused us to suffer such a great loss!"

The scene from not long ago uncontrollably flashed through his mind: just when they thought they were about to surround and corner the slippery Su Baichen.

Just as they were laughing at Su Baichen for running out of tricks and thinking that the Su Baichen in front of them was the real Su Baichen, the other party revealed a strange smile, then his body lit up with a dazzling light, followed by a deafening explosion!

A violent energy surge swept out, instantly engulfing the unprepared team.

The power of the explosion was terrifying, far beyond what an ordinary puppet could possess; it was more like a meticulously designed deadly trap.

Low-level Dou Zong were instantly obliterated, mid-level Dou Zong were seriously injured and on the verge of death, and even high-level Dou Zong were covered in dust and their blood was churning from the sudden self-destruction.

Upon seeing this, Elder Zun immediately thought of the other teams pursuing Su Baichen and made contact with them.

The news that came left him rooted to the spot, and other squads suffered heavy casualties in the same situation.

The targets pursued by each squad were all puppets!

"That damned Su Baichen, I will never let you get away with this!"

The old man gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

He felt particularly ashamed. In previous pursuit operations targeting Su Baichen, although the other team leaders had ultimately failed to capture him, they had at least managed to bring their men back unharmed without any losses.

But what happened this time? He, a dignified elder of the Soul Palace and a Dou Zun-level powerhouse, personally led the team, intending to demonstrate to those previous "losers" what it meant to achieve victory effortlessly and complete the mission cleanly and efficiently.

But to his utter surprise, reality delivered such a resounding slap in the face.

Su Baichen not only manipulated them all, but also made them pay a heavy price in such an extreme and humiliating way.

This time, his attempt to show off backfired spectacularly, resulting in a complete loss of face and dignity.

"Damn it! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have been greedy for those few Rank 7 pills that old ghost Mu Gu promised!"

The elder was filled with remorse and regret. He cursed the old man who had recommended him for the operation countless times in his heart: "Now look what happened! We didn't catch the person, and we can forget about getting the pills. We've also made a fool of ourselves in the hall and become a laughing stock!"

"You despicable Su Baichen! I'm not finished with you!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The suppressed rage finally erupted, accompanied by a powerful surge of battle aura that shook the entire room, causing the runes on the walls to flicker.

The soul guardians guarding the door lowered their heads deeply, fearing they would be affected by the elder's wrath.

Meanwhile, deep within the main hall of the Soul Palace, in a medicine-refining room filled with a rich medicinal fragrance and a chilling aura.

The flames in the alchemy furnace had just died down, but the residual heat remained. Elder Mu Gu slowly placed a pill the size of a longan, shimmering with a dark luster, into a jade bottle.

He let out a long sigh of relief, a look of satisfaction after exhaustion appearing on his face.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he seemed to suddenly remember something and muttered to himself, "Judging by the time, the team that was chasing Su Baichen should be back by now."

"For this operation, I specifically asked that hot-tempered guy to take charge personally."

Thinking of this, the old man Mu Gu smiled faintly, with a hint of calculation: "With a Dou Zun expert leading the team to capture Su Baichen, who is only at the Dou Zong level, even if he is a bit cunning, it should be a piece of cake and a sure thing."

"Presumably, Su Baichen has already been brought back, which is a good opportunity to interrogate him thoroughly..."

His gaze gradually sharpened and turned cold, his thoughts drifting deeper into the distance.

The dim light in the alchemy room illuminated his half-lit, half-shadowed face, making him appear particularly sinister.

"Medicine dust..."

The old man Mu Gu uttered the name almost silently, his fingertips gently caressing the warm jade bottle, a cold glint in his eyes; "I know, you must not be dead."

"Hmph, no matter what tricks you use to escape, no matter where you hide... I, Mu Gu, will definitely find you!"

Indeed, it was precisely because of Su Baichen's existence that some things were indirectly changed.

Back then, Yao Chen did indeed pay more attention to his disciple Han Feng because of Su Baichen's subtle reminder.

However, the long-standing teacher-student relationship made it difficult for him to fully believe that his disciple, whom he regarded as his own son, would actually betray him.

Unfortunately, reality proved far harsher than he had anticipated. Despite his precautions, Yao Chen was ultimately ambushed by Han Feng and Elder Mu Gu, driven to the brink of despair, and forced to self-destruct in hopes of survival.

Most of the people present at the time thought that Yao Chen had been completely destroyed, both physically and mentally.

However, the meticulous old man Mu Gu keenly detected an extremely faint and fleeting spatial fluctuation the moment Yao Chen self-destructed.

He later carefully examined the site where Yao Chen had self-destructed and found it unusually clean. Yao Chen's belongings were gone, and there wasn't even a trace of his soul fragments or the remains of his storage ring.

Others might think that the self-destruction was too powerful, reducing everything to nothing. But Elder Mu Gu firmly believed in his judgment—Yao Chen was likely seriously injured but not dead, and his soul, carrying his life's collection, had escaped to some unknown place.

Upon returning to the Soul Palace, Mu Gu began to discreetly investigate all people and things closely related to Yao Chen, following the clues until he finally noticed the Dou Zong named Su Baichen.

Judging from his behavior, his sudden improvement in alchemy skills, and his past interactions with Yao Chen, this person is suspicious.

Later, it was confirmed by Han Feng that Su Baichen was indeed Yao Chen's close friend despite their age difference, and his alchemy skills were extremely high, even Yao Chen had publicly stated that he was inferior to him.

More importantly, Han Feng mentioned that Su Baichen seemed to dislike him, Yao Chen's personal disciple, and had privately reminded Yao Chen to be wary of him on several occasions.