Chapter 1: Pursuit (Part 2)

Guo Shier looked around briefly and exclaimed with joy, “We’ve finally arrived… I hope Sister Zhen is still here; otherwise, things will get tricky!” He raised his hand and sent out a message token. It was given to him by Qi Wuzhen—a token that could enable cross-dimensional transmission. Even if Qi Wuzhen wasn’t on this continent, she would still receive the token, unless she had gone too far away.
Eagle Demon said, “Sister Zhen said she would stay here for a year or two. She should still be here, right?”
Old Shuai said, “I’ve entered the altar. Don’t worry; I’ll help control it. As for that woman… I really don’t want to see her.” With that, he retracted his body and hid inside the altar.
Luo Zhan shook his head and said, “Old Shuai is still afraid of Sister Zhen!”
Suddenly, Old Shuai poked his head out and cursed, “Nonsense, you brat! Who’s afraid of that woman? I just don’t want to waste time talking to women. Hmph…” He then retracted his head and disappeared again.
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Uncle Luo, stop it. If you keep talking, Old Shuai will fight you to the death!”
Old Shuai steered the altar forward at full speed, with Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan closely following in hot pursuit. A red glow flashed by, and Guo Shier reached out and caught a message token. He was overjoyed and said, “Sister Zhen is still here!”
Having found help at last, he was very happy and said, “Old Shuai, fly westward. Sister Zhen is waiting there.”
The altar traced a large arc in the air, changed direction, and flew westward. Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan turned around as well. Eagle Demon sighed and said, “If the old man woke up and realized he was chasing his own disciple, I wonder if he’d be sad.”
Guo Shier said, “I don’t mean to blame our master.”
Eagle Demon sighed and said, “Yes, I know. The old man must have suffered a lot.”
Guo Shier glanced back. Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan’s figures and faces were covered by layers of black flames, making it impossible to see them clearly. He said, “Grandpa Nanshan is really amazing. He managed to find our master, while we’ve searched for so long without finding any trace.”
Eagle Demon said, “Actually, before obtaining the Ancient Ink Lotus, we saw her once…”
Guo Shier nodded with a bitter smile. “At that time, we didn’t dare to search. With so many altar masters around, if we found our master… things would be terrible. We wouldn’t be able to help at all.”
Eagle Demon nodded. “Yes. Those altar-level masters would definitely not spare the Black Symbol People if they saw them.”
Guo Shier said, “Exactly. It’s not that we didn’t try to search—it’s that we simply didn’t dare…” He looked into the distance and said, “We’re here. Old Shuai, fly around that mountain peak!”

The handsome old man didn’t need Guo Shier’s reminder; he had already seen Qi Wu Zhen’s signal and knew where the destination was. The altar flew rapidly toward the distant mountain peaks, and soon Guo Shier saw Qi Wu Zhen’s altar standing on top of the mountain. He realized that Qi Wu Zhen was still refining Qianchong Xieyan, likely at the final stage.

As soon as Guo Shier’s altar appeared, the altar on the mountain top vanished. Then, a red figure flashed briefly, and Qi Wu Zhen appeared before everyone. She laughed and said, “Hehe, why did you get chased back so soon after leaving?”

A howl came from behind them. Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan attacked simultaneously, sending two streams of black flames toward her.

Qi Wu Zhen waved her hand and slapped them away, shouting, “Get lost!”

Guo Shier screamed in fear, “Don’t kill them!” His heart almost leaped out of his chest. If Qi Wu Zhen killed his master and Grandpa Nan Shan with a single slap, he would regret it forever.

Boom! Boom!

Flames erupted everywhere as black flames flew wildly. Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan were sent flying backward by her slap.

Guo Shier cried out, “Sister Zhen, they are my elders, my masters! Don’t kill them!”

Qi Wu Zhen laughed scornfully and said, “I’ve seen a lot in my life, but this is the first time I’ve seen a disciple being chased by his own elders and masters. What happened? Haha!”

Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan attacked again but were sent flying by Qi Wu Zhen’s slap. She said, “Hmm, it’s a Soul Altar… Impressive. Uh, chaotic souls… No wonder. Hehe, are you planning to let me control the two of them first before saving them?” She was extremely clever; she figured it out after just a few exchanges.

Guo Shier repeated, “Yes, yes! Please help, Sister Zhen. Hehe.”

A black shadow flashed by, and Halechi suddenly appeared. He said, “Let me help you kill them!”

Qi Wu Zhen replied rudely, “Stay away!”

The Eagle Demon sighed sadly, “Alas, the old man is pitiful…”

Wang Keer also appeared, smiling and saying, “Shier, why did you come back again… Oh, you were chased back. Why are you so annoying?”

Guo Shier retorted irritably, “You’re the one who’s annoying!”

Poor Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan were ignored. Every time they attacked, they were sent flying by Qi Wu Zhen’s slap. Although it didn’t hurt their lives, Qi Wu Zhen’s strength was extremely formidable. After a few slaps, they could barely hold on. But due to their chaotic souls, they still bravely attacked time and again.

Guo Shier watched with concern, shouting repeatedly, “Sister Zhen, be gentle… Be gentle…”

Wang Ke’er burst into laughter and said, “Strange, why am I laughing? Haha… Haha, Guo Shier, you’re really funny… Gently… Haha, why does it sound so awkward to me? Hahaha!” She laughed unrestrainedly.

Guo Shier snapped, “You little brat, what do you know…” After thinking carefully, he also blushed, realizing his words had indeed been inappropriate.

Wang Ke’er clutched her stomach and hid to the side, still laughing wildly.

Guo Shier turned to Eagle Demon and said, “This girl’s gone mad. Hey, Uncle Eagle Demon, no way… Are you laughing too?”

Eagle Demon laughed heartily and collapsed to the ground. Guo Shier said helplessly, “A bunch of lunatics!”

Luo Jie roared, “Die!” Black flames surged from the altar, filling him with rage as he forcefully spat out his Soul Fire. Qi Nanshan simultaneously launched an attack from the other side.

Qi Wuzhen sneered, “Playing with fire… You’re still far from it!” She reached out and grabbed vaguely, and two streams of black flames twisted down into her hands like black snakes. With a firm squeeze, she shouted, “Condense!” Countless phantom talismans contracted, and in an instant, a black bead appeared in her palm.

Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan screamed in pain as a portion of their Soul Fire was forcibly taken away, leaving them weakened. Guo Shier felt heartbroken, but he knew he couldn’t say much now—he had to rely on Qi Wuzhen to subdue them.

Though their souls were in chaos, their fighting instincts remained strong. Luo Jie let out a muffled roar, “Retreat!” The two turned at the same time, trying to teleport away.

Halechi had been hovering outside the battle zone. Suddenly, he cast a spell and shouted, “Seal!” The air around them twisted, and with a single spell, an area of a hundred miles was sealed off. Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan, who had intended to teleport away, were immediately restricted and unable to move.

Suddenly, a giant flame-hand appeared in front of Qi Wuzhen. It descended from the sky and smacked down like swatting a fly.

Boom!

Luo Jie was hit first and slammed to the ground. Then Qi Wuzhen smacked Qi Nanshan as well, knocking him down. Guo Shier’s eyes darted frantically; he didn’t know what to say. Qi Wuzhen was simply too fierce. Even the Black Talisman People, even those with Soul Altars, were useless against her and were beaten without any chance to fight back.

The two were sadly slammed to the ground. Qi Wu Zhen cast countless spells in rapid succession, sending numerous virtual talismans down, which instantly pinned the two to the ground. She clapped her hands and said with a smile, “Done! It’s over!”
The two altars were thus planted in the ground. Both Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan stood frozen on them, with black flames flickering weakly. By now, their faces could be seen clearly.
Vaguely, traces of Luo Jie’s older self could be discerned, but now he appeared as a young man, a very handsome man, especially with his eyes burning with black flames. His long black hair resembled countless dancing flames, and the black robe he wore seemed to be formed from flames, looking like a mountain of black fire.
Wang Ke Er exclaimed in admiration, “This man is so handsome… Tsk tsk, Guo Shier, is he your elder?”
Guo Shier nodded. “He’s my master.”
Wang Ke Er smiled. “Strange, your lineages are different. Hehe, so handsome.” She said, somewhat infatuated.
Qi Nan Shan also appeared young. Guo Shier had seen him before; if it weren’t for seeing Qi Nan Shan, he wouldn’t have been sure it was Master Luo Jie.
Guo Shier said, “Sister Zhen, can you control things a bit and make their soul flames subside?”
Qi Wu Zhen nodded. “No problem.”
It was unclear what kind of spell she cast, but in an instant, all the emerging black flames retracted. Guo Shier couldn’t help but applaud. “Great! Sister Zhen, can I go to their altars?”
Qi Wu Zhen nodded. “No problem. They can’t do anything now!”
Guo Shier retracted the altars and flew up to Luo Jie’s altar. Without saying a word, he sat down in front of Luo Jie and began silently reciting scriptures, immediately sending out waves of spiritual energy.
Halechi was surprised and hurried over, but was blocked by Qi Wu Zhen, who said coldly, “Stay back! Don’t get in the way!”
Wang Ke Er also sensed something was wrong. She felt her own soul fluctuating with those waves, a sensation that was extremely comfortable and intoxicating. She didn’t dare fly openly to the altar but cautiously approached.
Luo Jie, who had been pinned down and unable to move, began to relax. He slowly sat down and gradually immersed himself in the spiritual waves, his fierce expression softening over time. After about ten minutes, the flames in Luo Jie’s eyes gradually faded.
Guo Shier was secretly pleased; he knew Luo Jie was about to wake up.

Another ten minutes passed. Luo Jie’s eyes shone brightly as he murmured, “You… you…”
Guo Shieru raised a finger to his lips, signaling Luo Jie to stay silent, and continued reciting the scriptures silently. Suddenly, Luo Jie blurted out, “Shieru…”
Guo Shieru almost burst into tears—his master had finally recognized him. He stopped reciting and said, “Master, don’t speak yet. I still need to save Grandpa Qi Nanshan. I’ll be back soon.”
A look of relief appeared in Luo Jie’s eyes. He nodded gently, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.
Guo Shieru flew to Qi Nanshan’s altar and began reciting the scriptures once again.
Qi Nanshan was still struggling desperately, but the restraining force was too strong; he couldn’t resist at all. His face was twisted in anger as he let out furious grunts.
Guo Shieru kept reciting the scriptures over and over. After a while, Qi Nanshan relaxed.
The Soul Scriptures were truly Guo Shieru’s heirloom. These scriptures had accompanied him through two reincarnations. Though they had no offensive power, for the professionals in this world, they were an invincible weapon. As the soul fluctuations subsided, Qi Nanshan’s vision gradually cleared.
About half an hour later, Qi Nanshan suddenly spoke up, “Shieru… you… how did you get here?”
Guo Shieru flew up and said, “Sister Zhen, lift the restriction. They should be fine now.” He knew that they were only temporarily safe and would need a lot of time to restore their souls later.
Qi Wuzhen said, “Not bad.” She cast a spell, and countless virtual talismans appeared around Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan, allowing them to stand up.
Immediately afterward, the altar contracted and disappeared above their heads.
Guo Shieru noticed that once Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan’s souls returned to normal, they had changed completely. There was an indescribable elegance and charm in them, vastly different from their previous demeanor. If the original Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan were like small local landlords, now they resembled prominent nobles.
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan looked at Guo Shieru, their eyes glistening with tears. Luo Jie said gratefully, “Good, good, good! Truly my obedient disciple!”
But Guo Shieru replied, “Master, you… are so cool! You made your disciple run for his life…”
Everyone burst into laughter. Luo Jie laughed too, saying, “Obedient disciple, don’t be angry… Haha, I really can’t control myself.”
Eagle Demon stepped forward and said, “Old man, Shieru went through so much trouble just to find you.”

Guo Shier pulled Eagle Demon along and stepped in front of Qi Nan Shan, saying, “Grandpa Nan Shan is really amazing. If I had known earlier, I would have gone with him.” Qi Nan Shan smiled and said, “Good boy!”