Chapter 305
Chapter 305: Unfair
The one who appeared beside Nan Zhi and seized her arm was none other than Wang Jie.
Wang Jie grasped Nan Zhi’s arm, his lips curving upward: “I’ve found you.”
Nan Zhi stared at Wang Jie in disbelief: “How did you find me?”
“Luck.”
Nan Zhi didn’t believe it was luck, yet besides luck, how else could this man have found her?
“You know who I am,” she said.
Wang Jie replied lightly: “Enough talk. Lead the way.”
“To do what?”
“To do what you intended.”
Nan Zhi took a deep breath and tried to shake off Wang Jie’s grip, but she couldn’t break free. His strength was far beyond what she could endure.
“Let me go first,” she said.
Wang Jie smiled slightly: “Let you go? In a place like this, wouldn’t you just run away?”
Nan Zhi frowned: “If you don’t let me go, how am I supposed to lead?”
“That’s your problem.”
“You don’t want the treasures hidden by the Nan family anymore?”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as I have you, I can get anything.”
Nan Zhi felt helpless. With one hand firmly held, escape was impossible. Curious, she asked: “How did you learn about my identity?”
Wang Jie didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze fell upon Nan Zhi, sensing a faint stirring of energy within her. She was attempting something. Realizing this, he suddenly raised his leg, striking Nan Zhi fiercely in the abdomen with his knee. Nan Zhi coughed up blood, never expecting Wang Jie to attack so abruptly. His strike was incredibly powerful, nearly shattering her internal organs.
“You—cough—have you gone mad?” Nan Zhi clutched her stomach, still trapped by Wang Jie’s grasp, pain twisting her features.
Wang Jie’s gaze turned icy: “Don’t try anything. You won’t survive the consequences.”
“What did I do? I—cough—” Suddenly, her arm became scorching hot, as if set ablaze. Wang Jie instinctively let go, and Nan Zhi immediately retreated. Nine flaming giant wheels circled around her—her star artifact.
She glared fiercely at Wang Jie, uttered not a word, and quickly fled.
The blazing heat vanished in an instant.
Wang Jie wanted to chase after her, but she was already gone.
[She must have guessed that I can sense qi.] That was why after being hit, her energy had stilled, tricking him into lowering his guard before unleashing her star artifact.
Wang Jie couldn’t underestimate this woman. She wasn’t merely an elite disciple of the Sincere One Dao, possessing strength comparable to a Six Dao Wanderer; she was also a descendant of the Nan family, commanding vast resources. Such a person would not be defeated easily.
He took out his star disk.
[I found you.]
Though Nan Zhi had clearly retreated toward the right, the star disk indicated she was now on the left. The formation dao here was distorting people’s perception of space.
He immediately headed left.
In a blink, Nan Zhi reappeared before him.
Nan Zhi stared at Wang Jie, shocked. He truly could find her.
She hadn’t rushed to escape immediately, waiting instead to see if Wang Jie could really track her down again. To her astonishment, he had.
“How exactly are you finding me?” Nan Zhi shouted sharply.
Wang Jie stepped forward using Armor Eight Steps.
Nan Zhi dodged without hesitation, disappearing once more.
Wang Jie glanced at the star disk and pursued swiftly. [You can’t run.] Unless she instantly fled beyond the observation range of his star disk, she had no chance of escaping.
Thus, Nan Zhi fled, and Wang Jie followed relentlessly.
Nan Zhi completely abandoned her original goal. She didn’t dare lead Wang Jie toward her destination, but endless fleeing wasn’t a solution either. During this chase, they even encountered enemies, and if this continued, they could easily encounter a Hundred-Star Realm expert.
Wang Jie, however, had no such worry. To some extent, the star disk was more reliable—it warned him in advance of potential threats on Nan Zhi’s escape path.
Nan Zhi gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn’t keep fleeing.
She had to think of something.
She glanced around carefully. After running for so long, she’d become increasingly familiar with the formation dao here and could vaguely sense nearby presences.
[This one.]
She moved aside toward someone nearby, hoping to find a potential ally to restrain Wang Jie.
Looking up, she saw—Pei Lin?
Pei Lin had stood here for a long while without daring to move recklessly. He was startled when Nan Zhi suddenly appeared before him.
“You’re from the Dao One Club?” Pei Lin asked cautiously.
Nan Zhi cast him a wary glance and quickly pointed behind her: “Wang Jie is coming.”
Pei Lin’s eyes widened: “Who?”
In the next instant, Wang Jie appeared. Seeing Pei Lin, he inwardly cursed at his misfortune. [This guy will surely come after me.]
Indeed, upon spotting Wang Jie, Pei Lin sneered coldly, raising his sword and pointing it forward: “Enemies always cross paths, kid. You’ve got quite the guts to run around here.”
“Pei Lin,” Nan Zhi proposed quickly, “You and I are both outsiders to the Big Dipper Bridge Pillars. Let’s kill him together.” She wasn’t worried about Wang Jie revealing her identity, since if he did, he himself would lose all potential rewards.
As for actually killing Wang Jie?
Of course not.
Her goal was merely to use Pei Lin to hold Wang Jie back. If they truly attempted murder, Wang Jie would definitely expose her.
Wang Jie frowned, intending to speak, but Pei Lin’s sword was already coming.
Nan Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and swiftly turned to flee.
Wang Jie prepared to evade Pei Lin using Armor Eight Steps, but Nan Zhi’s escape was suddenly blocked by another figure—a bald man, Wu Ming.
Nan Zhi halted abruptly. She hadn’t anticipated another person appearing so suddenly.
[Isn’t he that Full Star Realm expert from Opposing Illusion Mountain?]
Pei Lin also noticed Wu Ming, but didn’t care. He was just Full Star Realm. He might be powerful enough to be brought here, but could he really rival them? Such geniuses were exceedingly rare.
Nan Zhi changed direction again.
Wang Jie seized the chance to dodge Pei Lin with Armor Eight Steps. Rain fell heavily, sword qi slashing at Nan Zhi.
Nan Zhi released star force with both hands. Two opposing forces collided, creating a slicing air force that dispersed the raindrops and stood firm against the incoming sword qi.
Pei Lin lifted his sword and struck downward.
Suddenly, Wu Ming raised a hand. An unusual light swirled in his palm, a strange vortex forming as he thrust his palm toward Pei Lin.
Pei Lin felt chills run down his spine, alarmed, and hurriedly shifted his sword to block.
With a resounding clang, the palm strike forced Pei Lin backward. Everyone froze in astonishment. Pei Lin was incredibly strong, yet Wu Ming, only a Full Star Realm, had pushed him back with a single palm?
Nan Zhi clenched her teeth, another monster had appeared.
Wang Jie wasn’t surprised. Wu Ming had always given him an indescribable sense of danger. It was only natural he possessed such strength.
Pei Lin stared warily at Wu Ming. Refusing to back down, he unleashed countless strands of sword qi, weaving them densely toward Wu Ming. Wu Ming stepped gracefully, his form splitting into afterimages that swiftly merged and spread around until Pei Lin couldn’t pinpoint his location.
Wang Jie and Nan Zhi were equally baffled.
Pei Lin shouted lowly: “Opposing Illusion Mountain’s Three Thousand Steps—you cultivate the Heart of No Abode.”
All afterimages suddenly combined, and Wu Ming reappeared directly before Pei Lin, striking once again with his palm. This palm even forced Pei Lin to retreat further.
Among the Four Bridge Pillars, the Eastern Dipper Pillar was the most enigmatic.
Within it were the mysterious cultivators of Non-Observation who mastered the power of void, and Opposing Illusion Mountain, where disciples cultivated the mind rather than physical power.
The power from Opposing Illusion Mountain was strange and unpredictable; it could elevate one to enlightenment or lead one straight to death.
Even though Wu Ming was merely Full Star Realm, mastering the Heart of No Abode was enough to put Pei Lin on high alert.
Nan Zhi suddenly said: “I recall a legend. At the Eastern Dipper Pillar’s Opposing Illusion Mountain, there’s a youth who can enlighten—or condemn—the world. They call him—the Self-Imprisoned One.”
Pei Lin kept retreating, forming sword qi into stairs, shattered instantly by Wu Ming’s palm: “Are you that Self-Imprisoned One?”
Wu Ming’s expression remained calm, neither confirming nor denying anything.
Wang Jie raised his hand and reached toward Nan Zhi, his force ripping apart the two clashing powers, yet Nan Zhi was not easy to handle. Her star force surged far beyond Wang Jie’s expectations. Her footwork and techniques were equally mighty, as befitted someone from Sincere One Dao.
Pei Lin snapped fiercely, “Self-Imprisoned One! We’re both outsiders to the Big Dipper Bridge Pillar. We should join forces against those of the Pillar. What are you doing attacking me?”
Wu Ming abruptly halted, turning his head to Wang Jie, his expression serious: “He makes sense.”
Wang Jie’s face twitched. Seeing Wu Ming’s unfriendly gaze, he knew this wouldn’t do. If the three masters attacked him together, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Thinking quickly, he looked directly at Nan Zhi, “And you? What’s your stance?”
Pei Lin thought Wang Jie had lost his mind. [It was Nan Zhi’s idea from the start to attack him. Why ask this woman now?]
But Nan Zhi hesitated.
Pei Lin frowned, “You from Sincere One Dao, what’s the meaning of this? Weren’t you the one who wanted to kill him?”
Wang Jie wasn’t worried about Nan Zhi attacking him.
If this woman dared, he’d dare to expose her secrets.
Nan Zhi clenched her teeth, “I just feel three against one isn’t fair.”
Pei Lin was speechless.
Wang Jie lifted his head, glanced at Pei Lin, and whispered quietly to Nan Zhi, “Find a chance to leave.”
Nan Zhi shot him an annoyed glare. She didn’t need him to tell her; obviously, they had to go.
Pei Lin exploded with rage, “Sincere One Dao, are you crazy? You were the one who suggested teaming up in the first place! Two people attacking is fine, but three isn’t?”
Nan Zhi sighed helplessly, “I hate the number three, alright?”
Pei Lin didn’t even know how to respond.
Wu Ming suddenly stepped forward with the Three Thousand Steps technique, heading straight for Wang Jie.
Wang Jie felt the chill surround him, leaving no choice but to activate Armor Eight Steps.
In an instant, within the small space, their footwork clashed furiously.
Pei Lin swung his blade toward Wang Jie, but Nan Zhi suddenly attacked, her force colliding fiercely with Pei Lin’s. Pei Lin almost cursed aloud.
Nan Zhi tried to seize the moment to retreat.
Yet behind her appeared Wu Ming’s Three Thousand Steps. There was no escaping.
Pei Lin leaped high into the air, star force erupting violently, and his sword qi sliced downward without restraint.
Before Wang Jie, Wu Ming struck with his palm.
A mysterious light and vortex spun within Wu Ming’s palm, profoundly strange. Wang Jie raised his left arm, blocking Force fully. He felt as if his whole body was being torn apart by that strange light, while the vortex greedily devoured his lock force. [Was this Reverse Illusion Mountain’s battle technique?]
Yet, striking his wristguard, the attack had little effect.
He launched himself toward Nan Zhi with Sword Step, pointing forward with Starry Finger. Nan Zhi immediately brought out her star artifact; intense heat surged skyward, breaking through the star force and blinding everyone temporarily.
Using this chance, they both retreated.
In an instant, they arrived at a neighboring region, the earlier chaos completely contained by the formation dao barrier.
Nan Zhi didn’t hesitate to keep running. Wang Jie glanced at his star disk and chased after her—[no way she’d shake him off]. Meanwhile, at their previous location, Wu Ming and Pei Lin pursued immediately but soon lost sight of Wang Jie and Nan Zhi. They had chosen the wrong path.
A short time later, Nan Zhi stood speechlessly, facing Wang Jie. Her gaze landed on his star disk, and she gritted her teeth, “No wonder you could keep up—you’re actually a star path master?”
Wang Jie praised her, “You know a lot, but you’re mistaken. I’m not a star path master.”
Nan Zhi shook her head, “You are a star path master—though you haven’t reached Wandering Star Realm and thus aren’t officially recognized yet. But with that thing, you still wield star path master’s skills.” She paused, staring deeply at Wang Jie, “Who exactly are you? How can a lock force cultivator become a star path master?”
Wang Jie shrugged, “Now isn’t the time to delve into that. So? Accept that you can’t shake me off?”