Chapter 7: The Fugitive (Part 1)

Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the thick mist. He glanced at the team flying low to the ground and let out a chilling laugh. Loudly, he said, “Friends… enjoy this upcoming feast, haha… But you’re just food—this big guy behind you is the real guest! Haha!”
Guo Shier immediately recognized that it was Zhang Yaojin. His messy clothes, unruly hair, and chaotic beard made him look like a beggar, with a mad expression on his face.
Eagle Demon roared and suddenly accelerated, charging forward. He screeched, “Then let’s all stay here and become food!”
Guo Shier also shouted, “It’s your fault for bringing these talisman beasts! Stay here!” His eyes grew slightly hot as two golden lines shot out. At this critical moment, he was furious—this guy was truly despicable for bringing powerful mutated talisman beasts to harm the disciples undergoing the trials. Such self-destructive behavior filled him with rage.
Zhou Xiaoling also turned and charged forward. A huge talisman blade, as big as a door panel, appeared in her hand, humming as it sliced through the air.
Guo Shier turned and shouted, “Xuan Ai, take them and keep running!”
Xuan Ai was stunned for a moment before shouting, “No! Let’s kill him together!”
The others also turned and charged, including Sun Min’er and Peng Yuanwang. Seeing everyone ready to fight to the death, Zhang Yaojin was terrified. He hadn’t expected to encounter a group of madmen—madmen even crazier than himself—who continued to attack him despite knowing a high-level mutated talisman beast was approaching.
Frightened by their momentum, Zhang Yaojin stepped back several times, bursting into anger. To be scared by a few kids was utterly humiliating. He growled, “Ning!” Several silver runes flew out with his incantation—these were virtual talismans. Although he had reached the rank of intermediate sage and could create virtual talismans, he lacked inheritance, allowing him to master only a few.
A silver talisman shield floated in front of him, just in time to block Eagle Demon’s slash.
Boom!
Eagle Demon was sent flying by the shield as he cursed. Immediately afterward, Zhou Xiaoling’s huge talisman blade descended, producing a deafening roar. Zhang Yaojin was thrown backward dozens of steps—the force of that strike was immense. Guo Shier’s sword talisman circled in the air before transforming into a massive golden blade that slashed down fiercely.
After being nourished and repaired by his soul, this sword talisman had gradually recovered, its strength at least doubled from before.
Boom! The silver talisman shield was instantly shattered.

Zhang Yaojin cast hundreds of spells in just a few seconds. As the silver shield formed by the talismans shattered, he successfully created a second shield. He was also shocked to realize that the three opponents were all experts at the Mad Master level. Since none of them had inherited any spells, having a high professional rank here was useless—their capabilities wouldn’t exceed those of a master. He understood that he had hit a wall this time.

If he had time, Zhang Yaojin was confident he could outmaneuver them, but he couldn’t resist the mutated talisman beast chasing from behind. So after creating the second shield, he decided to flee.

Guo Shier’s combat skills might have been slightly inferior, but he had extensive experience in dealing with people. He immediately saw that this guy intended to escape. He shouted, “Trap him!”

The Eagle Demon pounced again, aiming only to entangle the opponent rather than injure them. Zhou Xiaoling shared the same goal, wielding her massive talisman blade to push forward.

Guo Shier shouted again, “Xuan Ai, take them away! You can’t interfere here!”

Xuan Ai realized that they were only a burden here. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Okay! We’ll wait for you ahead. Be careful! Let’s go!” He pulled Yang Qi along, called out to the bearded man and Wang Wang, then soared off the ground.

Zhang Yaojin laughed maniacally and said, “I still don’t know who’s trapping whom… uh…”

A bright firebird suddenly appeared. Guo Shier couldn’t afford to hesitate and immediately unleashed the Ancient Flame Sparrow.

Zhang Yaojin let out a guttural sound in frustration, “Damn it, the Ancient Flame Sparrow!” He turned to run, but Zhou Xiaoling slashed him back.

The thunderous footsteps grew louder. Guo Shier kept calculating as the figure of the mutated talisman beast faintly appeared in the mist. He ordered the Ancient Flame Sparrow to spew a burst of talisman fire and shouted, “Let’s go!” If they didn’t run now, they would never escape.

Zhang Yaojin was forced to retreat by the talisman fire. By the time he tried to flee again, the mutated talisman beast roared at him, sending a powerful sound wave that knocked him out of the air. Seeing that Guo Shier and the other two had disappeared into the thick mist, he howled in anger.

The Eagle Demon and Zhou Xiaoling simultaneously grabbed one of Guo Shier’s arms and dashed across the ground. Their bodies could withstand the sound wave attacks, and since they were running instead of flying, they quickly left the battlefield.

The Ancient Flame Sparrow shrank into a fist-sized bird and closely followed Guo Shier. It seemed very excited, flying ahead as it quickly absorbed the surrounding mist.

Running nonstop, the three of them finally caught up with Xuan Ai and the others. Zhou Xiaoling didn’t pause and shouted, “Keep up!”
Without saying a word, the others followed the three and fled desperately. In the distance, frantic roars could be faintly heard.
Guo Shier said loudly, “Left!”
After not running far, he shouted again, “Go down this path!” A faint trail appeared on the ground, barely visible if you didn’t pay attention.
After running for four or five hours, the sounds behind them had completely disappeared, and everything was silent. Guo Shier said, “Alright, let’s rest for a while!”
Sun Min’er threw a large piece of animal skin as a mat, lay down on it, and panted heavily. She said, “Good heavens, what kind of mutated talisman beast is it? Just its roar is terrifying… By the way, Wangwang, don’t you know Zhang Yaojin? Why didn’t you talk to him when you saw him?”
Peng Yuanwang sat down next to Sun Min’er, sighed, and said, “I know him… but he doesn’t know me! If I went up to talk to him, he wouldn’t know who I am, and he’s way stronger than me. What if there’s a misunderstanding… he might slap me to death. I wouldn’t want to die for nothing! I won’t do such a stupid thing!”
Guo Shier said, “That guy is too sneaky. I guess the mutated talisman beast chasing us is level eight… Just its roar is unbearable. If it attacks, who among us can stop it?”
Eagle Demon said, “It’s still Shier who’s smart. We retreated at just the right time. That talisman beast probably didn’t notice us!”
Zhou Xiaoling nodded. “It probably hasn’t seen us yet. Luckily I listened. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome.” If she had paused even slightly, the mutated talisman beast might have discovered her, which would have been more problematic. Mutated talisman beasts are very interested in living people while tracking them. Once they spot someone, they might chase after them.
Guo Shier pondered for a moment and said, “We can’t stay here for long. Rest for half an hour and set off right away!”
Eagle Demon said, “Okay, hurry up and eat!”
Sun Min’er whined softly, “Sigh, I really want a bowl of hot meat soup!” His words immediately resonated with everyone, and they started talking excitedly about food.
But Guo Shier was still thinking about what had happened earlier—why had Zhang Yaojin found them? He wondered what method he used to keep tracking him, even after changing directions several times, yet still not losing track of him.
Eagle Demon was eating cold cooked meat in big bites. Seeing Guo Shier deep in thought, he couldn’t help but say, “Shier, eat something first. If there’s anything to worry about… think about it later.”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly and nodded, taking out a large piece of marinated meat and eating it quickly to fill his stomach first. Gu Yanque transformed into a small bird and landed on his shoulder, staring curiously at the meat in his hand. After finishing the meat in haste, Guo Shier said, “We can’t stay here any longer. We must leave right away! I have a bad feeling!” Eagle Demon said, “You’re the captain; it’s your call!” Zhou Xiaoling agreed, “I also feel something’s wrong… Alright, form a battle formation and leave immediately!” No one complained. Zhou Xiaoling naturally became the deputy captain of the team. Whether in terms of strength or wisdom, she stood out among them, and even Guo Shier admired her greatly—this girl was no ordinary person. In less than a minute, everyone set off again. This time, it was still Zhou Xiaoling leading the way. Guo Shier suggested, “Let’s just fly straight to the center of the dark mist area. I doubt that guy will dare to follow us!” Zhou Xiaoling laughed, “Good idea! We’ll go in, circle around, and then leave!” Eagle Demon broke into a cold sweat. He wasn’t sure what the two kids were planning, but he could tell they had ulterior motives—some kind of trap, probably. Around Guo Shier, he habitually stopped thinking about things and let the kids handle everything. As long as it was Guo Shier’s decision, he would just follow it. Unconsciously, he had become a typical follower. Zhou Xiaoling reminded them, “This time… be careful. Don’t make any loud noises, especially Fat Yang. You’d better keep something in your mouth. If you suddenly make a sound, it could kill everyone! Don’t blame me if I have to kill you then!” Yang Qi was shocked and immediately covered his mouth, nodding without daring to say a word. Zhou Xiaoling continued, “Fly as close to the ground as possible and slow down. It will be very difficult to fly this way, but we must keep a relatively slow pace to avoid suddenly entering the territory of advanced mutated spirit beasts and attracting pursuit… Do you all understand? Nod if you do.” Everyone nodded frantically like chicks pecking at food. Only then was Zhou Xiaoling satisfied. “Let’s go!” This mission required even more caution. No one wanted to die at the hands of mutated spirit beasts, nor did anyone want to clash with other trial participants, so they had to be extremely careful. The team moved slower and slower, constantly changing direction to avoid potential dangers. Their speed was roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary person walking fast.

Guo Shier added talismans to his eyes and kept searching for Blood Soul Stones along the way. Yet so far, he hadn’t found even one, and he couldn’t help but sigh at how rare they were. In fact, it wasn’t just Guo Shier searching; others were doing the same. Blood Soul Stones were extremely precious, so finding even one would be great.