Chapter 61

Stepping lightly, he circled around the towering tree in front of him. Rong Kexiong’s gaze, sharp like the keenest blade, swept across the ground. Although he was well aware that he could not possibly find treasures like the Five-Colored Realgar so easily, he would not give up as long as there was the slightest chance.

Every so often, his gaze would glance at his wrist.

The communication talisman, resembling parchment, was securely bound there. However, the next time his gaze fell upon the talisman, his expression suddenly changed.

On the communication talisman, there were originally only two star points, representing the brothers Rong Kehua and Rong Keli. But now, for some unknown reason, there was an additional small, flickering star point.

Rong Kexiong’s heart tightened, and his brows furrowed.

A strong sense of impending danger surged within him. The sphere in his forehead, for some reason, began to spin violently.

Rong Kexiong’s gaze locked onto the communication talisman in his hand, and his mind raced, thoughts flashing through his head in an instant.

He had obtained four communication talismans in the market. These talismans were connected by a mysterious force, allowing both parties to sense each other’s location and communicate if they wished.

These talismans could gather spiritual energy from the天地 (heaven and earth) on their own, or be replenished using true qi or spiritual energy. Therefore, not only could spiritual practitioners and martial artists use them, but even ordinary people could use some of their functions.

Of course, if the talismans were placed in a special container or spatial item, the connection between them could be severed.

When he first saw the additional bright spot on the talisman, Rong Kexiong’s first reaction was that his grandfather had sent his uncle or someone else to secretly protect him from behind.

This was a gesture of care from his elders, and although he did not think much of it, he was still quite grateful.

However, the intense sense of danger that arose in his heart made him feel deeply uneasy.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Rong Kexiong immediately removed the talisman from his wrist.

He reached into his robe, took out a Spirit Body Warrior talisman, and waved it lightly. Instantly, a spirit body appeared before him.

Rong Kexiong stepped forward and bound the communication talisman to the spirit body. Then, he took out several more talismans and placed them on the spirit body as if they were free.

These talismans were all enhancement spells from the Five Elements incantations. After being augmented with various special spells, the surface of the spirit body was immediately surrounded by different colors of light.

Rong Kexiong transmitted a thread of his consciousness into the spirit body, and it immediately sprinted off into the depths of the pine forest, light as a swallow.

Rong Kexiong himself slipped into a secluded corner. He then took out another talisman and slapped it on his body.

Stone Skin Spell.

This was a spell from the Earth element incantations. Once cast, it would form a thick layer of Earth energy on the surface of the body, increasing the user’s defense several times over.

However, this spell also had an additional effect: once cast, the user would become like a stone, even concealing their aura for a short period.

He remained still, blending seamlessly into nature, becoming one with the earth.

A short while later, two black figures suddenly appeared.

These were two men, one about fifty years old with a goatee, his eyes cold and sinister, inspiring fear. The other was a burly man with a fierce and powerful aura, clearly a formidable martial artist.

The two men stopped abruptly, and the old man said slowly, “He stayed here for a while, then suddenly sped off. Humph, we must catch up quickly; we can’t let him get away.”

Before he finished speaking, the two men had already darted off, heading in the direction the spirit body had gone.

Although Rong Kexiong, hidden in the shadows, did not move, his heart was filled with shock.

His fists clenched, and his eyes darted around. At that moment, he seemed to transform from a lifeless stone into a living person.

He extended his hand, took out another talisman, and gently shook it. Instantly, a ripple appeared in the air, and an image formed.

This was an image of someone running at high speed, the scenery in the water constantly changing.

After a full fifteen minutes, the image in the water suddenly began to shake violently, as if a large rock had been thrown into it, causing a huge ripple.

Then, a loud “snap” came from the water, and the image froze.

In the image, the two men were seen bending down, examining something.

The burly man bent down and picked up a talisman, saying, “Brother Zeng, what’s going on? How did the boy’s communication talisman end up on a spirit body?”

The old man’s face grew even darker, and he coldly said, “This boy is quite slippery. He must have sensed something was wrong and bound the talisman to the spirit body while he escaped. Humph, the report said he was inexperienced. Whoever wrote this report should be killed.”

The burly man’s face changed, and he said, “Not good. If he escapes, how will we explain ourselves to the lady?”

The old man coldly said, “Humph, the lady’s plan is flawless. From the moment the boy bought the communication talisman, he was already in her plans. He won’t escape.”

The burly man’s eyes flashed with surprise and joy, and he said, “I knew the lady was brilliant.” He paused and asked, “What should we do?”

The old man said, “Although the boy has seen through the plan, don’t forget that he is traveling with his two older brothers and an old guard.”

The burly man slapped his forehead and said, “I understand. As long as we capture them, the boy will have no choice but to show up.”

The old man shook his head slightly and said, “The lady has instructed us not to act unless absolutely necessary. If we alert the Rong family, it will hinder the lord and lady’s grand plans.”

The burly man nodded repeatedly, looking troubled, and asked, “What should we do then?”

“Follow those people and observe carefully. I don’t believe he won’t join up with his brothers.”

The burly man stomped his foot and said, “But what if the boy never shows up?”

“Humph, we’ll follow them for three days. If the boy really has that much patience… then it’s their bad luck.” The old man said expressionlessly, “Capture them and force the boy to come out.”

The burly man extended his thick, red tongue and excitedly licked his lips, saying, “Excellent.”

The old man said solemnly, “Let’s go back to where he stayed and search. If we can find his trail, we won’t need to go through all this trouble.”

The burly man responded, and the two men turned and left.

However, they did not notice that around the shattered spirit body, some special light was still flickering.

In fact, they had seen these lights but never paid them any mind. They knew these were the lights from the enhancement spells on the spirit body, which would lose their effect after the spirit body was destroyed and would automatically fade away in a short time, requiring no effort from them.

However, they never imagined that among these spell lights, there was a special Water element spell, the Water Shadow Spell.

This was an extremely obscure spell, even Water element spirit masters might not know it, let alone the two martial artists.

“Snap…”

Rong Kexiong fiercely punched his fist, dispelling the water shadow.

On his still somewhat youthful face, a fierce and intense killing intent appeared.

These two men were so ruthless, targeting not only him but also his brothers.

After learning their intentions, Rong Kexiong immediately knew that there was no possibility of reconciliation. A life-or-death battle was inevitable in these mountains.

His gaze turned, and he clenched his teeth, his hands moving like a flower in full bloom.

One talisman after another was thrown into the air, transforming into points of light. All the light was absorbing the boundless spiritual energy that permeated the heavens and earth.

※※※※

The two men’s figures reappeared at the original spot, their movements swift.

They had rushed here with all their might. Suddenly stopping, they arrived at the place where Rong Kexiong had stayed earlier.

Their sharp, eagle-like gazes swept around, especially the old man, who was clearly an expert in tracking. His gaze swept over hidden places where someone could hide.

However, after a moment, the old man’s gaze became hesitant.

The burly man’s eyes sparkled, and he asked, “Brother Zeng, have you found his trail?”

The old man shook his head slightly and muttered, “Strange.”

“What’s strange?” The burly man’s gaze moved, but he saw nothing.

The old man said slowly, “The environment here has been heavily damaged, as if many people had just appeared here.” He frowned and said, “Impossible. If there were really that many people here, how could they escape my notice? Humph, it must be a ruse set by the boy.”

“Clap, clap, clap…”

A loud applause suddenly rang out.

Rong Kexiong, with a smile, walked out from behind a tree and said, “Sir, you have keen eyes. I am truly impressed.”

The old man and the burly man’s expressions stiffened, and they exchanged glances, warily surveying their surroundings.

Rong Kexiong shrugged and said, “Gentlemen, there’s no need to look. I guarantee there’s no one nearby.”

The burly man laughed and said, “Boy, you have some nerve.” He released a massive, unhidden killing intent.

Rong Kexiong said solemnly, “You want to kill me.”

“Exactly, just accept your fate.” The burly man took large steps, grinning as he slowly approached.

He eagerly wanted to see the boy’s panicked and desperate expression, which he found most enjoyable.

However, Rong Kexiong sighed and said, “If you want to kill me, first see if you can protect yourself.”

Instantly, a series of “whoosh” sounds filled the surrounding space, and over a hundred auras suddenly emerged.