Chapter 7: Escape (Part 1)

As many as four hundred hunting carts flew toward Guo Shier’s escape route, maintaining a certain distance from each other, with that gap widening as they flew further. This was the trouble of pursuers—though they had many people and hunting carts, the area was simply too vast.

Guo Shier flew so fast he felt like vomiting. Flying at low altitude for such a long time required him to focus intently on the path ahead to avoid collisions. At his speed, even a minor collision would be unbearable. Even though his skills had reached those of a Fumu Master, staring straight ahead for so long was exhausting, and the feeling was far from pleasant.

He tried to fly in a straight line as much as possible, but he often encountered mountains and forests ahead. When faced with mountains, he had to change direction; when encountering forests, he had to rise higher in the air. This was extremely dangerous for him—who knew what lurked in those forests? If another mutated Fumus insect appeared, he wouldn’t have time to fight it.

If he encountered a mutated Fumus insect, even one that wasn’t particularly strong, it would still slow him down, and it was almost certain that the people from the Fuye family would discover him. Therefore, he dared not slow down at all. Even if a Fumus insect detected him while he was flying at high speed, it wouldn’t have time to react. By the time the insect emerged, he would already be far away.

The hunting carts chasing behind also sped up to their maximum speed. According to the old man’s instructions, even if they couldn’t locate the boy, they had to reach as far ahead as possible within a day, then return to search slowly. This tactic was very effective, and Guo Shier had guessed their strategy, which was why he flew forward desperately.

As he flew, Guo Shier suddenly sensed something was wrong. There were no more mountains in sight—the peaks that used to appear after flying a certain distance had disappeared. The forests on the ground also became fewer, mostly replaced by withered yellow grass. As he continued flying, those withered grasses grew sparser, revealing dark brown ground.

But Guo Shier didn’t dare to stop or turn back. At this point, he could only grit his teeth and keep flying forward.

After much effort, he found a relatively dense patch of grass, and he landed there. He needed to replenish his water and food. Flying at high speed was extremely tiring. After all, he wasn’t yet an adult. Even an adult couldn’t withstand such intense flight, let alone an 11-year-old like him.

He quickly ate a bit of marinated meat and gulped down some water. Guo Shieru stood in the grass, staring blankly. With nothing to hide him, even though he was small, he could be seen at a glance—this was not a place to maneuver. The lack of favorable terrain was extremely disadvantageous for him.

Guo Shieru sighed and didn’t dare stay any longer; he flew forward once more.

The desolate terrain finally appeared—a vast Gobi desert with no trace of greenery. The ground was covered in gravel, and there were no larger rocks to hide behind.

After flying for a long time, the traces of hunting vehicles appeared faintly behind him. It was almost dark.

Guo Shieru spotted a small area of rocks, though tiny, it could allow him to hide temporarily. He knew he couldn’t fly any longer, as his flight path was too obvious in this open land, making it easy for the hunting vehicles to spot him. Even though it wasn’t an ideal hiding spot, he had to take cover there until nightfall before continuing to flee.

These rocks were actually parts of underground rocks protruding above the surface, just barely visible. Guo Shieru rushed in, lay down, and panted heavily, finally calming himself down. He sat up, quietly crawled to the edge of a rock, and looked back.

Several trails left by hunting vehicles appeared on the horizon. Though distant, he knew it would take only an hour for them to reach this rocky area. This really wasn’t a suitable hiding place.

Guo Shieru gave a bitter smile. He hadn’t expected there to be vast Gobi deserts even in the Sacred Altar realm. It reminded him of a saying from his past life: “Grass, mud, and Gobi!” That phrase perfectly reflected his current feelings.

Guo Shieru hurried to eat, fortunate that he always carried plenty of food and water. Whether in his past life or this one, he had an obsessive pursuit of food, never allowing himself to run out. With the talisman bag in this life, it was even easier to carry large amounts of food and water. By his standards, the food and water he carried were enough to last half a year.

Once his stomach was full, Guo Shieru continued to watch the direction he came from, worried that the hunting vehicles might track him down before night fell completely.

At this point, he didn’t dare pray anymore. Because whenever he prayed for something he didn’t want, it would happen—classic jinx-like prayers he had experienced many times, always coming true. So he just stared at the horizon, keeping his mind blank.

A hunting vehicle appeared. Guo Shieru’s heart tightened; instinctively, he ducked his head and stared intently at the vehicle.

The direction the chase vehicle was flying in would surely take it through this rocky area where they could hide. He held no illusions and was prepared to fight at any moment. Fortunately, it was getting dark; once combat started, the darkness could provide cover, preventing complete despair and giving a slim chance of escape.

Watching the chase vehicle get closer, Guo Shier two let out a sigh. He thought to himself, “Damn it, fine, come then! Since you want to die, I’ll make it happen for you!” He was ready to go all out.

Two golden threads shot out. He controlled them, preventing them from turning into blades of light, keeping them circling around him.

The chase vehicle swiftly passed over the rocky area. It was clearly sent to scout this small patch of rocks, as there was nowhere else to hide—just an open Gobi desert, making this rocky area stand out sharply.

When the chase vehicle flew above Guo Shier two’s head, the golden threads circling him rose upward.

Guo Shier two also took off at the same time. The golden threads transformed into massive blades of light, which, as he flew, slashed downward with great force.

The people inside the chase vehicle were clearly prepared. As the blades of light approached, the entire vehicle began to glow with magical light, forming a protective shield. But they underestimated the power of those blades. After Guo Shier two advanced to a senior grand talisman master, the potential of his sword talismans had also been unlocked, making them far more powerful than before.

Crack! Boom!

The protective shield couldn’t withstand the blades of light at all and was shattered in an instant. Immediately afterward, the blades struck the chase vehicle, which exploded. Only two people managed to escape, while the rest fell along with the vehicle, crashing into the piles of rocks with a loud explosion. Those two survivors didn’t even have time to flee before being cut apart by the blades of light, sending blood and debris flying everywhere.

After killing everyone, Guo Shier two didn’t even look back and immediately flew deeper into the Gobi desert. It was already dark, and it would be completely night in half an hour at most, so he was confident he could escape for now.

Although all the people in the chase vehicle were killed, they had already sent out messages reporting Guo Shier two’s location. They just didn’t expect him to be so powerful, getting wiped out as soon as contact was made.

Knowing his whereabouts had been exposed, Guo Shier two didn’t dare slack off and fled with all his might.

Upon receiving the news, the other chase vehicles continued to send out messages while flying rapidly toward the rocky area, swarming in like sharks drawn to blood. About ten minutes after Guo Shier two left, three chase vehicles entered the airspace over the rocky area. Two of them pursued in the direction he had fled, while another slowly landed, with several people descending to search for the crashed vehicle and the bodies of their fallen comrades.

The two chasing vehicles accelerated to their maximum speed, even pushing beyond limits in a reckless pursuit at the risk of damaging their vehicles. This was because the people in the vehicles had already spotted Guo Shier’s flight in the distance.

Guo Shier had no choice but to fly low, just a meter above the ground. His extreme speed created strong air currents that swept across the surface, raising a very noticeable dust plume that made it impossible to hide. At this point, he couldn’t care less—darkness was approaching, and as long as he could hide in it, he still had a chance.

Looking back, Guo Shier saw the two chasing vehicles and grew furious. “Hmph, they just won’t give up! Watch this…” He accelerated desperately, raising an even taller and more visible cloud of dust.

The people in the two vehicles were extremely excited. They didn’t know how strong Guo Shier really was; they only knew he was a child—a child who had killed their companion—and that he was desperately trying to escape. In their minds, anyone who fled must be weak; otherwise, why would they run?

So, the drivers pursued without restraint, closing in on Guo Shier, with only a few hundred meters separating them. The drivers shouted excitedly, “Kid! Surrender! Otherwise, you’re dead!”

Guo Shier hesitated not for a moment. He continued flying, mentally calculating the distance to the vehicles while releasing two golden threads, ready to counterattack at any moment.

The vehicles had reached their maximum speed—Guo Shier estimated it to be at least 120 kilometers per hour. Even at full speed, his own top speed was only 100 kilometers per hour, and that was only during a sprint; his average speed was around 80 kilometers per hour.

As the vehicles drew closer, a mocking smile appeared on Guo Shier’s lips. Suddenly, he stopped flying, and the two vehicles roared past him. He immediately activated his flight talisman, rising rapidly. The golden threads transformed into a massive blade of light, which he swung at the vehicle on the left.

The drivers were completely unprepared. They never expected Guo Shier, the supposed prey, to dare counterattack, and the attack came so suddenly that they had no time to react before being sliced by the blade. Fortunately, the vehicles weren’t very high off the ground—only about ten meters—and with one strike from Guo Shier’s blade, the entire vehicle shattered, sending its occupants tumbling down like dumplings. They were all low-level disciples without flight talismans, and upon hitting the ground, most of them died or were severely injured.

Guo Shier cut down one chase vehicle and turned to attack another. He roared angrily, “I’m forcing you to chase! Get off now!” It was strange to hear a child call himself “old man.” On the still-flying chase vehicle, several members of the Fuye family were in chaos as they watched a sword-shaped blade glowing with golden light shatter the adjacent vehicle. Then the child rushed forward, and the same blade appeared above the vehicle, slashing down with a whoosh.

One guy was smart enough to jump off the vehicle right away. The blade then struck the top of the vehicle, slicing through it like tofu, and the vehicle shattered instantly. Guo Shier didn’t spare a single one; he used his blade to strike repeatedly, killing several who tried to escape in an instant. The transformation from prey to predator terrified the members of the Fuye family, but it was too late to regret by then. In just a few moments, they were all killed by Guo Shier, leaving only one still gasping for air—his legs broken, the guy who had jumped off the second vehicle.