Chapter Sixty-Nine: Ye Da's Pursuit

Shen Bingxue summoned a treasure shaped like a single leaf, and lightly stepped atop it. The leaf-shaped treasure soared through the air. Many members of the Flower Forest Sect used this same leaf-shaped artifact, but only when Shen Bingxue stood upon it could it truly be called the Flying Leaf.

Dressed in azure robes, Shen Bingxue flew through the sky, her leaf swaying gently in the wind, chasing clouds and the moon, stirring the imagination of those who beheld her.

“We’re leaving the Cloud Mountain Realm, heading north?” she mused, her expression shifting briefly before returning to its usual indifference. “Excellent. Rumor has it the new world contains many strange herbs, and perhaps ancient ruins. If I can discover some lost prescriptions, it will be well worth the journey.”

Among the clouds, Li Mu’s demeanor was solemn as he spoke cautiously. “Are you serious about this, Apothecary Shen? The north is rife with encounters with demonfolk. You know their reputation among cultivators—it’s not good.”

“Demonfolk? Are there truly demonfolk? You’re not deceiving me, are you?” Shen Bingxue’s face changed minutely; the mention of demonfolk seemed to evoke a deep-seated fear.

“Have you ever seen one?” Li Mu asked, puzzled.

“No, but my master spoke of them—they sounded terrifying.” Shen Bingxue hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll follow you. It’s unlikely we’ll chance upon demonfolk; after all, it’s merely another realm. Perhaps I’ll just study the way of medicine, regardless of whether we encounter demonfolk or spiritfolk.”

She had not yet seen much of the world and had never met any demonfolk. Though she was fearful, she harbored no deep hatred, so she and Li Mu, both traversing these realms, found themselves in accord. Matters between the two realms, even if Li Mu did not speak of them, were of little concern to her.

Li Mu said no more. The journey north would be long, at least a month’s travel by flying artifact, and it was time to get started.

But as they flew for a few hours, they suddenly heard the sound of wind rushing behind them. Li Mu turned to look, his face shifting instantly, and hastily guided his cloud downward. As soon as they landed, Sun Qi and his companions arrived, three yellow flying treasure artifacts dropping nearby and forming a triangle to trap Li Mu.

“Mingyu Valley, Ye Da,” Li Mu said coldly, staring at the man. Ye Da looked almost the same as when they had crossed paths before—only now his former arrogance seemed laughable.

“Well, here I am. You must remember, haha!” There was an unnamed hatred in his voice; he was indeed Ye Da, accompanied by two others from Mingyu Valley.

Ever since the Jade Iron Association, Ye Da and his companions had waited outside Deyang City, hoping to catch Li Mu once he left and eliminate him. But when Li Mu departed, the imposing presence of the Elder with the Great Eyebrows had held them back, preventing them from acting immediately. Only after several hours did they dare to pursue him.

They used the flying shuttle artifacts of Mingyu Valley, which were light and well-sized, but their speed was extraordinary—among low-grade flying treasures, they were considered excellent.

Li Mu glanced around and made up his mind. He turned and said, “Apothecary Shen, please look after my friends and younger sister.”

Shen Bingxue asked in confusion, “You don’t need my help?”

“No, just take care of them—that is help enough,” Li Mu replied with a slight smile, then soared away.

He knew well that these people were here solely to hunt him. He would try to draw them away, not wanting to harm Ying’er or the others.

“Planning to escape?” Ye Da said nothing more, directly guiding his shuttle in pursuit. Of the other two, one glanced at Shen Bingxue with a wicked smile, nodded, and joined the chase after Li Mu, while the other remained behind.

Li Mu pushed his speed to the limit, channeling spiritual power into his cloud, flying madly. But after only a few miles, the swift flying shuttle caught up.

“Wang Xiaoming and Mu Xin—did you kill them?” Ye Da shouted, his shuttle shining with yellow light. Though he knew the answer, he couldn’t help asking.

Li Mu’s expression was cold as he countered, “Did you know about the Creek Village incident?”

Ye Da was startled, his face darkening instantly. “So what if I did? They were just natives, nothing worth mentioning. In Cloud Mountain Realm, who knows how many die every day—it’s simply their misfortune.”

“In that case, Wang Xiaoming and Mu Xin’s deaths are nothing special either,” Li Mu said coldly.

“That’s different! They were cultivators, members of Mingyu Valley—you owe their lives!” Ye Da barked, his voice hoarse. “Enough talk. Whether you admit it or not, I will capture you and bring you to Mingyu Valley for judgment!”

“Well spoken. You come to capture me—are you afraid I’ll seek revenge? How amusing. I was just a servant, and you were the cultivator. In just a year, now you’re so afraid of me—it’s laughable. Fine, let’s settle our enmity once and for all.”

“Save your nonsense,” Ye Da growled in irritation.

Li Mu had once been a worthless servant, but after the incidents with Wang Xiaoming and the Jade Iron Association, Ye Da now feared him deeply.

Mingyu Valley taught that killing could lead to the Dao, instructing disciples daily to “leave no trace when killing; wild grasses grow again in the wind.” Ye Da believed this wholeheartedly. He had bullied Li Mu before, thinking that Li Mu would surely seek revenge someday. Yet he didn’t realize that, though Li Mu would repay kindness and avenge hatred, he would never kill wantonly or betray his own principles.

“Brother Xu, Brother Wang, set the barrier!” Ye Da shouted hoarsely.

But only one arrived behind him.

Ye Da was stunned. “Xu Yi, where’s Wang Fu?”

Xu Yi laughed, “He stayed behind. There’s a remarkable female cultivator—coming all this way, we shouldn’t waste the opportunity. We’ll take her for dual cultivation. Don’t worry, with the two of us, we can handle this.”

Ye Da snapped angrily, “Don’t be reckless. Didn’t you see her at the Jade Iron Association? She’s not an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

“Keep your voice down. So what if she’s early-stage? Are you afraid? You’re always so cautious, Ye brother. Watch, I alone am enough.”

Xu Yi looked at Ye Da with disdain, pulled a silver-white sword from his robe, and tossed it lightly. The sword transformed into a flash of light, shooting straight at Li Mu.

The sword’s radiance was swift, like a star chasing the moon.

Li Mu did not panic. He took out a flame gourd, releasing fire to wrap around the sword.

The flames quickly enveloped the sword, crackling as if the sword would soon be melted by the violet fire. But Xu Yi’s face betrayed a strange smile.

“Rise!”

With a bang, the flames exploded, and the sword shot through the dissipating fire, heading straight for Li Mu’s chest.

“A Mingyu Valley inner disciple’s sword—you think a gourd can melt it?” Xu Yi mocked, standing boldly on his shuttle, eager to witness Li Mu’s demise.

As an inner disciple, his power was far greater than Mu Xin’s. Whether in treasures or spells, he surpassed ordinary disciples.

A clang resounded.

A yellow circle appeared suddenly on Li Mu’s chest, deflecting the sword.

Xu Yi was somewhat surprised and stared at Ye Da. “Didn’t you investigate this guy thoroughly? How does he have a defensive artifact?”

Ye Da was also stunned. “How should I know?” As he spoke, he drew his own sword and attacked Li Mu.

The yellow circle was one Li Mu had acquired from the Flower Forest Sect’s reserves. Though a low-grade artifact with poor quality, there were many of them, and Li Mu had stored them all in his spiritual tower for timely use.

Li Mu’s expression darkened slightly. Mingyu Valley disciples were indeed different from other cultivators.

As far as he knew, Mingyu Valley had no cultivators at the Core Formation stage, yet within Cloud Mountain Realm, they could rival the Jade Iron Sect—no small feat. The sword used by the Mingyu Valley disciple was a second-grade treasure, yet it could withstand his third-grade violet flame—a truly remarkable property.

He did not know that Mingyu Valley inner disciples’ swords were unlike ordinary swords, not forged from minerals but from Shura bones. Shuras were of the fire element, born immune to flames. Shura bone swords had strong resistance to low-grade strange fires, showing little fear of his gourd’s flames.

Somewhat troublesome.

But more pressing than this, Li Mu was concerned for Li Ying, who had been left behind. He wondered if Shen Bingxue could handle the situation.