Chapter 92

Although the ropes were tightly bound, they did not pull Gu Xuyao back into the forest. On the contrary, the next moment, Gu Xuyao found himself in bright sunlight.

"Hmph, boy, I didn't expect you to actually come to me. Truly, heaven is on my side."

Before he could enjoy the gentle morning light, a familiar voice came from beside him. Following the sound, Gu Xuyao felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Having experienced so many storms, there were few people who could make Gu Xuyao feel this way, and the person in front of him was the one he feared and hated the most.

"Zhenxuezi!"

In shock, Gu Xuyao couldn't help but marvel. Back then, Zhenxuezi was pursued and beaten by Huoyizi until only his head remained. As a Dao cultivator, his divine jade should have been condensed in his dantian. Yet, Zhenxuezi's body had already brought Gu Xuyao to the Dizhang Marsh. According to common sense, a Dao cultivator without his divine jade should have died immediately. At the time, Gu Xuyao didn't think much about it, but now it seemed that Zhenxuezi's methods were not ordinary at all.

"Boy, I've been waiting for you for ten years. I didn't expect that when I threw you out randomly, you would end up in this place. You were lucky; those few subordinates of Huoyizi couldn't enter, so you were able to live freely for so long." Zhenxuezi pulled Gu Xuyao to the front and laughed smugly.

"Ten years?" Gu Xuyao frowned. He had calculated it precisely; he had only been in the Dizhang Marsh for five years. Why would Zhenxuezi say he had waited for ten years?

"Hmph, Huoyizi did indeed injure me severely, but fifteen years was enough for me to recondense my body. Although my cultivation has greatly diminished, you seem to have made some progress. But if you want to escape, it's still a pipe dream."

After saying this, Zhenxuezi hoisted Gu Xuyao onto his back and flew rapidly around the Dizhang Marsh.

"You said those who were chasing me couldn't enter the Dizhang Marsh. I think you can't either."

According to Zhenxuezi, time in the Dizhang Marsh was five times slower than in the outside world. One year inside was equivalent to five years outside. This was probably why the Dizhang Marsh's essence energy was more concentrated than the outside world.

Zhenxuezi coldly snorted at this but said nothing. Seeing this, Gu Xuyao already knew the answer.

"Dizhang Marsh..." Looking at the edge of the Dizhang Marsh, which was now a hundred miles away, Gu Xuyao thought to himself. "It's likely that the reason it can choose which cultivators can enter is because of the guardian spirit they speak of. What kind of divine being is this guardian spirit, that it can make such a vast Dizhang Marsh reject cultivators it doesn't allow to enter..."

Gu Xuyao carefully recalled that the pain in the back of his neck might be a mark Zhenxuezi had left on his body. This was how he came to the edge of the Dizhang Marsh. Although Zhenxuezi knew Gu Xuyao was inside, he couldn't enter and could only wait outside, hoping to catch him. It wasn't until Gu Xuyao escaped the Dizhang Marsh to help Liao Wu Zhai.

Perhaps this was all fate, and everything had its reasons. Perhaps, in his destiny, Gu Xuyao was meant to be under Zhenxuezi's control.

But just as he was thinking, two explosions sounded from either side of Gu Xuyao.

"Bang!"

Smoke and dust billowed, and Gu Xuyao coughed a few times. Under Zhenxuezi's lead, they flew out of the smoke. Looking back, he saw that the attackers were two flying swords. These divine treasures were incredibly powerful in the hands of Dao cultivators, creating two huge craters on the ground.

"Zhenxuezi, you're quite good at hiding, aren't you?" From the smoke, Zhenxuezi's old friend Huoyizi and his three subordinates also emerged.

"Damn..." Zhenxuezi cursed. It was unclear how he had spent the past fifteen years, but from his expression, Gu Xuyao could guess that he had had a miserable time. It wasn't surprising, considering he had been pursued by a cultivator of Huoyizi's caliber.

"Ha ha ha, what a pity. As long as we knew where this boy was, I could guess where you might appear. Today, the scene from fifteen years ago is replaying. But your cultivation, your newly condensed body, can you fight me again?"

Huoyizi laughed triumphantly. As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a firebird and pounced at the two with even greater speed than Zhenxuezi.

With his injuries, Zhenxuezi couldn't escape the firebird form of Huoyizi. Huoyizi wasn't in a hurry to end the fight, as Zhenxuezi was now a fish in a barrel. He flapped his wings, and countless fireballs rained down from the sky, keeping Zhenxuezi, a cultivator of his speed, busy.

The terrifying flames spread instantly. Although Zhenxuezi managed to avoid directly injuring Gu Xuyao, he could only fly three zhang above the ground, and the heat from the raging flames below continuously scorched Gu Xuyao's skin.

"Ha ha ha, Zhenxuezi, how long can your newly condensed body last?" Despite his youthful appearance, Huoyizi had a cruel heart. Zhenxuezi, though his hair was already white, had been toyed with by him.

But Zhenxuezi, who valued his face, was furious. He swung his long sleeve, and a blood-stained paper book appeared in his hand.

"Go!" Zhenxuezi swung the book, and it quickly spun and grew, becoming the size of a small mountain in the blink of an eye.

The flames Huoyizi cast fell on the book's cover but caused no damage at all.

"Hmph, the Book of Misfortune. It seems you hid with the monk Toutu for the past fifteen years and didn't forget to borrow his things when you left. But for this book, you must have paid a high price."

Huoyizi transformed back into human form, knowing that the Book of Misfortune, known as a magical treasure, was not easily breached.

"Enough talk, Huoyizi. You're far from killing me!"

Zhenxuezi's voice was hoarse, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the Book of Misfortune. The book spun faster, and a gust of wind formed, increasing Zhenxuezi's flying speed. The speed was so fast that even Huoyizi couldn't catch up. After three breaths, Huoyizi could no longer see Zhenxuezi.

"Hmph." Huoyizi coldly snorted, and his three subordinates, who had just caught up, bowed their heads and dared not speak. "The monk Toutu actually lent the Book of Misfortune to Zhenxuezi. That's unexpected. But it doesn't matter. The Book of Misfortune consumes a lot of energy. Your fresh and tender body can't withstand it."

With that, he waved his hand, and the three subordinates followed him in the direction Zhenxuezi had fled.

In fact, what Huoyizi said was true. They had just escaped from Huoyizi when the strong wind that had been holding Gu Xuyao's head down suddenly stopped. The huge book shrank back to its original size and returned to Zhenxuezi's hand. At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, and he couldn't even maintain flight. They were passing a mountain range with peaks of varying heights, and without thinking, Zhenxuezi landed on one of the mountains with Gu Xuyao.

This mountain was a desolate one, with no greenery, only dead tree trunks and hard, black ground.

Finding a random cave, Zhenxuezi threw Gu Xuyao to the side as soon as they entered and began to meditate.

The cave was very dry, with no debris on the ground, mostly just gravel. This suggested that no wild beasts lived in the cave. The cave's location was quite prominent on the mountain, and from this, it could be inferred that there were no fierce beasts on the mountain.

The cave was small, and one glance was enough to see everything. The sun was setting, and as the light dimmed, only the blood-red essence energy swirling around Zhenxuezi's body could be seen.

"These ropes are exactly the same as the ones Zhenxuezi used to bind me last time. They not only restrict essence energy but also physical strength." Since Zhenxuezi was severely injured, Gu Xuyao naturally wanted to escape as soon as possible. However, the difference in cultivation between them was too great, and the ropes were at least a rare fourth-grade magical treasure. With Gu Xuyao's cultivation, how could he possibly escape?

The ropes couldn't be untied, but Gu Xuyao's legs were still usable. As night fell, Zhenxuezi continued to meditate. Gu Xuyao carefully assessed the situation. Given Zhenxuezi's injuries, he certainly wouldn't abandon his meditation for Gu Xuyao. Huoyizi could appear at any time, and when he did, Zhenxuezi would surely be no match. No matter which side Gu Xuyao fell into, he would likely have a bad end.

The Heavenly Evil Pearl was too tempting, and even the unknown Xiang family was after it.

With this thought, Gu Xuyao quietly stood up and left the cave. As he had expected, Zhenxuezi made no move.

Stealthily, Gu Xuyao began to walk down the mountain. Without essence energy, he had to be very careful. At this moment, he felt his leg strength was similar to when he was in the Red Mud District, meaning that Gu Xuyao was now just an ordinary person.

Step by step, he carefully descended the mountain. Due to his restricted physical strength, he had to stop and rest frequently. During these breaks, he observed the mountain range. The range wasn't very large, with only about a dozen mountains. Compared to the vast Dizhang Marsh, this place was small.

But for Gu Xuyao, an ordinary person without cultivation, it was a place he would find difficult to leave in his lifetime. However, he would rather wander aimlessly in this maze-like mountain range than be captured by those two ruthless killers.

Without essence energy, Gu Xuyao's movements were extremely slow. He hadn't walked far when a faint red light began to gather above his head.

"Phew." His physical strength was waning, and Gu Xuyao even felt a bit hungry.

Suddenly, while he was resting, a voice came from behind him.

"Who's there!?"