Chương 108: Closing net

"Finally!" Yasui shouted when he sensed that the people from the Silver Feather Sect had broken into the final inheritance hall. He interrupted his cultivation and flew straight over.

"Let's not fight until we know what we're fighting over," Sumei said as she flew over and joined him. Yasui just snorted in response. He could wait and see what the inheritance held, but even if there was only a single spirit stone there, he would never leave it for anyone else.

"You sure got here quick enough," Daizen, the Golden Core formation master from the Silver Feather Sect, said with a frown as Yasui and Sumei arrived.

"Can't let you pull a fast one on us in our own territory," Yasui said with a grin.

"We were the ones who solved this formation. I expect you won't be unreasonable once we get inside?" Changuo, the other Golden Core cultivator from the Silver Feather Sect, questioned.

"I was the one who tore down the formation protecting this whole place. Without me, you wouldn't even have gotten this far," Yasui said.

"Enough," Sumei interrupted with a frown.

"I don't feel anything inside. Let's not get into a fight over nothing." Yasui also didn't find anything of value when he extended his divine sense inside, but he refused to believe there was truly nothing. The four of them looked at each other and all headed inside.

'Someone has been here!?' Yasui turned to the True people of the Silver Feather Sect and shouted furiously, "Who!?"

"Don't act like you haven't been watching us all this time. When would we have had a chance to get inside?" Daizen questioned. Sumei stepped farther into the room and examined the places where spiritual medicines had obviously been planted not long ago.

"There was a Moonlight Pemphora here, at least 500 years old," Sumei said.

"No formation inheritance, and all spiritual plants are gone. Obviously someone who took the trial already got it. Are you taking us for fools? It must have been one of your people," Daizen said.

'Did I miss something? No, they were all telling the truth.'

'It can only be him!' Just as the thought struck Yasui, he received a message from his communication jade.

'They found him?' One of the Elders from his Surging Peak had actually encountered the man called Zhuo Zhangye. Unfortunately, the fool was too weak to stop him.

'He really does have the inheritance!' Yasui hesitated for a moment before gesturing for Sumei to follow him. Once they were a distance away, he set up an isolation formation and told her what he had just found out.

"You sent out people to look for him, too?" Sumei asked.

"Obviously," Yasui said.

"That body might be crushed, but it clearly wasn't a body cultivator. It had also been dead for months already. It was obvious something was wrong."

"That's not what you said when I brought it up," Sumei said with a frown.

"Well, consider this my apology. Either way, we need to act fast before he can get too far away. I say we spread his portrait and issue a reward. We should also deploy as many disciples as we can from Chenqi Immortal City. With so many eyes looking for him, I doubt he can escape."

"Why wouldn't he have escaped already? What's he been doing?" Sumei asked, frowning in confusion.

"Who knows? Who cares? Time is ticking; we need to share information between us going forward if we want to have a chance. Do you agree?" Yasui asked. He hated to admit it, but he didn't have the manpower necessary. Sumei had brought a lot more people than he had, many in the middle and high Foundation stage.

"And how do we split the inheritance?" Sumei asked.

"We let the Sect Master decide. We'll give an honest account of our contributions and have him make the call," Yasui suggested. Sumei was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Okay. Let's do as you say. I'll contact my people and let them know where he was last seen. Let's make a net and trap him. —'They're hiding. Is that normal when you see a flying ship?'

'And what's that in that woman's hand? Is she contacting someone?' Shu Yang's eyesight was quite amazing even without using his Bloodline Ability, and he could easily make out two people on a distant hilltop who were following his flying ship with their eyes. He could also easily pierce through the stealth talisman they had used as soon as they spotted him.

'It's no use denying it. They're looking for me, and they're probably sending word about my location to their superior right now.' It had been a day and a night since his fight with the Foundation cultivator who tried to keep him behind. And early this morning, he started seeing more people down below the flying ship than usual. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He hadn't thought too much about it at first; it was normal to fly over many people at the speed he was traveling, and they were just Qi Refiners who couldn't do anything to him. But when he took a closer look at some of them, he noticed how strangely they were acting. It felt like they were observing him. He had hoped it was just him being paranoid, but after taking a closer look at the couple just now, Shu Yang was pretty certain of his suspicions.

'Damn. Is it because of the fight? Or have they somehow discovered I was the one who took the inheritance? Was it Song Hongchi?'

'No. She can't reveal that.'

'I guess it doesn't matter. I just need to figure out how to deal with it.' Shu Yang stared out into the horizon, his frown deepening as he thought about his options.

'If they really have people out looking for me everywhere, I don't see how I can avoid getting caught. Those two must have revealed my location just now, which means they have narrowed their scope of searching a lot.' Shu Yang had taken a detour after his fight the day before. He had started traveling south instead of southwest, the direction he was heading when he was held back.

His plan was to continue heading straight south until he was out of Yuanchi Immortal Land, and then head west to the Huang Empire from there. But now that was pointless. Shu Yang once again changed his direction, this time heading straight east. It was entirely the wrong way, but he needed time to think, and if he headed west now, that would be in the direction of the inheritance site.

"Dad?" Tianyi questioned when the flying ship changed direction.

"I think we've been discovered," Shu Yang said.

"They're here? Not the Golden Core cultivators, right?" Tianyi asked.

"No. Their subordinates. It will be fine; I just need to think," Shu Yang comforted Tianyi with a smile. But inside, he was a lot more worried.

'This isn't good. Not at all. I can't possibly avoid the detection of so many people. Getting out of Yuanchi Immortal Land, even at this speed, will take at least a week. There is no chance we can outrun them.' That actually wasn't the worst part. Shu Yang realized that a lot of things would fall through if it was discovered that he had the inheritance. Even if he somehow managed to get away, there was a possibility that the Golden Core cultivators could dig up his identity.

He had been banking on the fact that even if his identity was discovered through his rescue of Tianyi, the Qing Family wouldn't be able to do anything about it. The cost was too high to cross the Desolate Mountains just because Shu Yang took a Qi Refiner away. But if he had the inheritance of a Golden Core cultivator, and the Green River Sect became involved, he wasn't so sure they would be discouraged from following him all the way home.

'Would they figure it out? I doubt Song Hongchi would say anything, given the Blood Oath and her relationship with Tianyi. But there might be clues left behind. Not to mention that the abilities of Golden Core cultivators can be unpredictable.'

'Then what should I do?' Shu Yang thought about leaving Tianyi with Xiaorong and flying off by himself, leading away the pursuers. But it was too risky. If anyone discovered Tianyi's connection to him, she would be done for. Not to mention how long it would take for Tianyi to get back on her own.

'We have a better chance if Xiaorong and I stay together. With the flying ship to help us travel, we probably have the best chance of success.'

'But why does it still feel so hopeless?' Shu Yang thought about hiding. But where? For how long? What if they had a way to track him? It just didn't sit right. He would rather try to escape and solve this problem permanently.

'Maybe we get away from Yuanchi Immortal Land, but give up on going home for now? It's not many days' journey north before we make it out. It should be easier to lose our pursuers in the mortal world.' Shu Yang decided that would be the best course of action for the moment, and once again changed the direction of the flying ship.

'But what if they dig up my identity and head south with or without me? My whole family would be in danger.'

'So frustrating! Why did I have to get involved in this damn inheritance?'

"Xiaorong, have you seen those people watching us along the way?" Shu Yang asked.

"No. I haven't been looking," Xiaorong answered.

"I'll point them out the next time I spot them," Shu Yang said.

"Do you think you can get to them and kill them before they manage to report our position?"

"I can," Xiaorong answered.

"Good," Shu Yang said, calming down slightly. If no one passed on information about their location, they might be able to escape by heading north.

'Their deaths will still be a clue, though.'

'I think I'll have to find a way to get rid of the inheritance.' It was the only thing he could think of. If he got rid of it in a public place, that might cause a distraction and let them escape. It would also remove any motivation to follow them across the Desolate Mountains. He just hoped the Golden Core cultivators wouldn't hunt him down just out of spite.

'It's a shame. But I think it's my only opt-' Shu Yang's thoughts were interrupted as a huge river appeared in his vision. Not on the ground, but in the sky!

"Take cover!" Shu Yang yelled and slashed out with his sword, imagining himself cleaving the roaring stream of water in two and flying through the opening. Unfortunately, his luck seemed to have run out. His sword intent shaved off some water from the river, but in the whole, his attack barely made a dent. Shu Yang paled, and hurriedly controlled the flying ship to move out of the way. But the river was too fast, and too wide to dodge. The flying ship was hit on the side and started spinning.

"Dad!" Tianyi called out. Shu Yang turned his head and saw how Tianyi had gone flying, about to freefall down to the ground.

"I got her!" Xiaorong called out. Shu Yang breathed out a sigh of relief. But turning his head back to where the river had come from, he almost lost all hope. Three cultivators were flying toward him. Their aura flaring. They were all much stronger than him and Xiaorong, and they conjured a huge net of swirling water and shot it flying toward the ship. Shu Yang swung his sword. But he knew before his attack even had a chance to land that there was no chance of blocking these cultivators.

'What do I do!?' He looked toward Xiaorong, who came flying back with Tianyi, and felt completely lost. Then, something ripped. That was the way it sounded to Shu Yang, at least. He looked toward the net of water again, but the net was gone. Only a mist of water was left behind. Millions upon millions of small droplets hovered in the sky.

'What…happened?'

"What's going on here then?" A voice sounded from above. Shu Yang turned his head up and saw a young man there, sitting cross-legged in the air, with a sword across his lap. The man turned his head from Shu Yang and looked toward his attackers.

"You guys don't happen to know of any Golden Core opportunities, do you?"