Chapter 159: Chapter 111: Astral Force (Part 2)

Drawn by the commotion, three figures shot over from a nearby Treasure Ship.

The three were all dressed in dark red martial attire, their auras ferocious. They were all experts at Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power.

They emanated the same violent aura as the bloody eye, a clear sign they had been cultivating here for a long time.

“Left Protector!”

The three bowed in unison, their movements swift and synchronized.

“Spies from the Wutai Sect have disturbed the Blood Refining and just escaped into the waterway. Four of them, Early-stage Embrace Pill Power. Pursue them immediately and kill on sight! The news that I am here absolutely cannot get out.” The black-robed elder’s command was cold and merciless.

“As you command!”

A bloody glint flashed in the eyes of the three men, their killing intent palpable.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they transformed into three streaks of dark red light, shooting down the waterway where Chen Qing and the others had fled.

The black-robed Elder paid them no more mind, immersing himself completely in the core of the bloody vortex as dark red Gang Qi surged from his body.

He had reached a critical moment and could not afford any mistakes.

…

“Faster! Go faster!”

Lin Wei urged from the side.

Veins bulged on Song Ming’s forehead as he frantically poured his Li Huo True Qi into the paddle wheel. However, the Water-Splitting Shuttle’s stern was severely damaged, and its speed slowed visibly.

The terror of an Astral Force expert weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

Just then, Chen Qing whipped his head around. He keenly sensed three violent auras behind them, pursuing them at an astonishing speed!

The strength of their auras far surpassed that of an ordinary Early-stage Embrace Pill Power cultivator.

“Not good! They’re catching up!”

Chen Qing shouted a warning, his voice graver than ever before. “Three of them! They’re at least at Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power! And they’re extremely fast!”

“What?! Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power? And three of them?!”

The faces of Song Ming, Lin Wei, and Wu Yuanhua instantly drained of all color.

The Embracing Pill Force realm was divided into three minor realms. While the gap between them wasn’t as vast as that between the Transmutation Force and Dan Jin realms, it was still significant.

A Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power expert’s True Qi was far more abundant. If they had opened all Eight Orthodox Meridians, their True Qi reserves would be deeper than all four of them combined.

The Profound Water Snake on Lin Wei’s arm retreated completely into her sleeve.

Wu Yuanhua was scared out of his wits. “I can’t believe we ran into a Demon Sect stronghold. What do we do now?”

An atmosphere of despair instantly enveloped the small cabin.

Behind them, the three unconcealed, tyrannical auras bore down on them with suffocating pressure, closing in rapidly!

“We can’t stay together! At this rate, none of us will escape!”

A sharp glint flashed in Song Ming’s eyes as he made an instant decision.

“Split up! We have to get this information back to the Sect! It’s our only hope! The three of you, split up and run. I’ll keep piloting the shuttle forward to draw their attention! Remember, whoever survives must get this news back to the Sect.”

Song Ming’s proposal sounded righteous, positioning himself to attract the attention of the three Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power experts.

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed upon hearing this.

’If the three of us jump ship and travel through the water, we’ll be constantly consuming True Qi. We’re all at Early-stage Embrace Pill Power. How could our True Qi reserves possibly compare to the deep and lasting power of those at the Middle Stage? He’s clearly planning to use the three of us as bait and cannon fodder! Song Ming’s real intention is for the three of us to scatter and draw away some of the pursuers, while he uses the Water-Splitting Shuttle’s speed to fight for his own slim chance of survival!’

Wu Yuanhua, his mind clouded by fear, didn’t think that far. He only felt that Brother Song was giving him a path to survival and almost immediately shouted, “Okay! Take care, Brother Song!”

Before his voice had even faded, he plunged without hesitation into a narrow tributary to the west and vanished in an instant.

Lin Wei’s expression was grim, her heart a mix of terror and anxiety.

She vaguely felt something was wrong with Song Ming’s plan, but the three auras behind them were already close. The threat of death made it impossible for her to think clearly.

She glanced at Song Ming, clenched her jaw, and said, “Brother Song… you be careful!”

With a twist of her body, shrouded in her True Qi Body Protection, she quickly disappeared into an inconspicuous underwater crevice to the south.

Chen Qing saw through Song Ming’s scheme as clear as day.

He sneered inwardly, but now was not the time to expose him.

’Splitting up suits me just fine,’ he thought. ’The three Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power experts from the Demon Sect won’t all chase me alone. I’m an expert swimmer, and my Turtle Breath Stinging Dragon Skill has reached Minor Achievement. I can move freely in the water. If I only have to face one Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power expert, a fight isn’t out of the question.’

“Take care, Brother Song!”

Chen Qing only uttered those four words before he moved without the slightest hesitation.

He tapped his toes on the edge of the shuttle, and his Cyan Wood True Qi formed a layer of True Qi Body Protection around him. He slid precisely into the narrow waterway, his figure instantly swallowed by the jagged rocks and turbulent current.

Song Ming watched the three disappear in their separate directions, a barely perceptible glint of ruthlessness and relief flashing in his eyes.

He recklessly poured his Li Huo True Qi into the paddle wheel. The damaged Water-Splitting Shuttle let out a piercing shriek and charged desperately down the main waterway, trailing black smoke and a massive wake.

Only one thought remained in his mind: ’Faster! Even faster! As long as I can hold on until I leave this waterway, I have a chance!’

Almost the very next second after Chen Qing and the others disappeared!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Three dark red figures shot through the water with a piercing sound, arriving instantly where the Water-Splitting Shuttle had just been!

The leader had a sinister face and eyes like lightning. He instantly scanned the four faint, scattered auras.

“Hmph, trying to split up and run?”

A cruel sneer touched the corner of his mouth as he quickly made his assessment. “The shuttle is heading down the main channel, its aura is the most obvious! That guy at the Peak of Early Stage of Embracing Pill is on board!”

“Brother Mo!”

Just then, the middle-aged man beside him said coldly, “I’ll go after that one.”

He pointed in the direction Chen Qing had disappeared.

This man was none other than Tu Gang.

For days and nights, he had thought of nothing but killing Chen Qing with his own hands, but for the sake of the greater plan, he had ultimately restrained himself.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep