The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 426: Chapter 404: Root System (2)

Zeng Shun nodded, then left the Celestial Profound Sect through the hidden passage again.

He was tied too closely to the Celestial Profound Sect; there was no possibility of backing out. Otherwise, given Linghu Yang’s cold-blooded methods, he would surely be struck dead with a single palm.

Was the Celestial Profound Sect’s money really that easy to take?

However, Zeng Shun didn’t regret his past decision.

If the Celestial Profound Sect hadn’t intervened, he would likely be a mere Prefect at most right now; attaining the high position of Prefect would have been impossible.

The Confucian Family was different from the other two major schools; its connection to fortune was immense.

Only when blessed with great fortune could one’s breakthroughs be as smooth as a fish taking to water.

His ability to break through to the Perception realm and live for two hundred years was inextricably linked to the abundant fortune of Xuan Yang.

...

The night was deep.

A single candle flame, a single silhouette.

Bai Yuan sat by the window, engrossed in a book. Zeng Shun was indeed reliable. The information on the Celestial Profound Sect was even more detailed than the intelligence he had gathered himself.

The Celestial Profound Sect truly lived up to its name as the number one sect in the Northern Lands.

It was once a sect that could contend with the likes of the Dragon Tiger Sect and other major powers. Although it had fallen from grace, it was still not to be underestimated.

The current Sect Leader, Linghu Yang, was also a top-tier expert among those at the Mingxin level.

A small smile touched Bai Yuan’s lips.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the candle flame went out.

The sound of pages turning stopped, and the room fell into a dead silence.

If anyone had been able to enter the room, they would have discovered that Bai Yuan’s figure had long since vanished.

But given Bai Yuan’s current status, it was doubtful that even Zeng Shun would have the courage to come in and check.

...

「Outside Lingzhou City.」

A figure walked slowly along the Official Road.

This person was none other than Bai Yuan!

...

「On the Official Road.」

A lone rider galloped past, the urgent clatter of hooves shattering the quiet of the night and startling a flock of birds into flight.

The Celestial Profound Sect’s Vice Sect Leader, Xia Han, straddled a magnificent Demon Horse.

He was on his way to the Zhengyang Sect, under the orders of Sect Leader Linghu Yang, to seek aid from the one known as Grandmaster Song.

Now that Bai Yuan had broken through to the Mingxin realm, the Celestial Profound Sect was under immense pressure.

The trees beside the road flew backward.

Xia Han’s horse was no ordinary beast. Despite its frantic pace, its speed didn’t diminish in the slightest; instead, it grew faster and faster.

WHOA!

Suddenly, Xia Han pulled the reins tight. The Demon Horse reared up, its front hooves high in the air. If he weren’t a highly skilled martial artist, he would surely have been thrown off.

’Someone’s there!’

Xia Han’s eyes narrowed slightly.

At the far end of the pitch-black Official Road, a figure slowly appeared.

An ordinary person would not have been able to see anything in such darkness, but he was a Mingxin Grandmaster, so he could see with perfect clarity.

’Bai Yuan!’

Xia Han’s pupils contracted, his face filled with dread. He never expected to run into Bai Yuan here.

A sense of unease rose in his heart.

Without a second thought, Xia Han turned his horse around, ready to flee.

’Bai Yuan is here, so he must have come to kill me. Given the relationship between our sides, it’s not like he’s here to reminisce about old times, is it?’

The sound of hooves rang out once more.

His mount was a superior-grade Demon Horse; even a Grandmaster would have difficulty catching it. He spurred it into a desperate gallop, trying to shake Bai Yuan.

’If Bai Yuan could kill Jiu Moshi, then he can kill me too.’

After galloping madly for an unknown amount of time, Xia Han suddenly snapped his head up.

He saw a person descending slowly from the heavens, his demeanor leisurely.

It was Bai Yuan.

Xia Han gritted his teeth and slowly squeezed out three words: "Cloud Ladder Leap!"

As it was the world’s foremost Lightweight Technique, he was naturally well aware of its power. Bai Yuan had clearly mastered it to be able to walk on air.

The Official Road he traveled was winding. No matter how fast his Demon Horse was, it still took time.

But Bai Yuan was completely different. With the Cloud Ladder Leap, he could ignore all obstacles and easily catch up.

’There’s no escape.’

Xia Han’s expression turned grim.

He slowly dismounted and drew a long saber from his waist.

In the military, there were powerful experts who could achieve a state of unity with their mount, their strength increasing greatly on horseback. But Xia Han came from the Jianghu, so he could only unleash his greatest combat potential after dismounting.

Soon, Bai Yuan appeared before him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Why’d you stop running?"

Xia Han’s eyes were fierce. "You think you can kill me just because you killed Jiu Moshi?"

"How will we know if we don’t try?"

Bai Yuan slowly drew the Blood Demon Curved Saber from his waist.

Xia Han’s breathing quickened.

The next instant, he took the initiative and launched a ferocious attack on Bai Yuan.

His long saber cut through the air, aimed straight for the crown of Bai Yuan’s head. The powerful, heavy blow was immense.

A casual blow from a Mingxin Powerhouse could shatter bodies and mountains. If this strike truly landed on his head, there would certainly not be an intact corpse left behind.

But bizarrely, Bai Yuan neither retreated nor dodged, and simply took Xia Han’s strike head-on.

CLANG!

A deafening sound reverberated through the mountain forest.

Xia Han stared at the unscathed Bai Yuan and drew in a sharp breath.

’What terrifying Horizontal Training!’

He had crossed blades with Bai Yuan before in Binzhou, so he already knew that Bai Yuan was proficient in Horizontal Training. He just hadn’t expected Bai Yuan’s training to be strong enough to withstand his full-powered strike.

Horizontal Training isn’t the same as being indestructible. Otherwise, everyone in the world would practice it.

Clearly, Bai Yuan’s strength had surpassed his own, which was why he could block the strike so easily.

Bai Yuan took a kick from Xia Han head-on, his body suddenly erupting forward.

He abandoned the curved saber in his hand, switching from blade to fist, and closed the distance until he was almost pressed against Xia Han, engaging him in close-quarters combat.

Proficient in the White Ape Mountain Breaker, and enhanced by the Dragon and Tiger Vajra Strength, his power in close-quarters combat was in no way inferior to those Martial Artists who specialized in it.

Xia Han used a long saber.

Once Bai Yuan got close, he was completely unable to use his saber techniques. He could only switch his grip, holding the hilt with one hand and the back of the blade with the other, fighting in a close-quarters saber style.

However, Bai Yuan’s leg techniques and Horizontal Training were simply too terrifying. The storm of fists and feet overwhelmed him, leaving him breathless.

Xia Han felt more and more suffocated as the fight went on.

Almost every move he made was interrupted by Bai Yuan before it was even half-complete, leaving him no ability to retaliate.

Bai Yuan’s attacks grew increasingly frenzied.

He fought as if he would never tire, each blow more terrifying than the last.

Xia Han was beginning to understand how Jiu Moshi had been beaten to death.

The two of them fought their way from the Official Road up into the mountain forest under the cover of night.

In just a few moments, they had exchanged a thousand blows.

Of course, for most of that time, it was Xia Han who was getting beaten.

Mingxin Grandmasters were just that difficult to kill. Even though Bai Yuan’s strength surpassed Xia Han’s, it was still impossible to slay a Grandmaster easily. He could only be worn down to death.

Suddenly!

A brilliant golden light erupted from Xia Han’s feet.

The next second, he actually took a punch from Bai Yuan head-on, then turned and fled into the mountain forest behind him.

A startling scene unfolded.

Xia Han completely ignored the terrain. Boulders, pits, and even sheer cliffs became as flat ground before him.

He looked back at Bai Yuan, whom he had instantly left in the dust, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

In truth, he had never intended to fight Bai Yuan to the death.

He had been deliberately luring Bai Yuan into the mountain forest all along, intending to use the Daoist Sect’s secret treasure, the Horizontal Talisman, to escape.

This Horizontal Talisman was an invention from a past Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect’s Daoist Sect lineage.

As long as it was applied to the feet, one could ignore all terrain and travel freely.

This was the importance of a deep heritage.

How could a Martial Artist from a minor sect possibly obtain a treasure that only a Divinity Grandmaster should possess?

Although the Celestial Profound Sect was in decline, its ten thousand years of accumulated resources were still there—a hoard an ordinary person couldn’t even imagine.

A cold sneer spread across Xia Han’s face.

He had long suspected that since Bai Yuan had attacked the messenger disciple before, he would very likely target him as well. That was why he had specifically asked Linghu Yang for a Horizontal Talisman before leaving. It had indeed proven useful. Otherwise, he might very well have lost his life here tonight.

But very quickly, his sneer froze.

A dazzling golden light erupted from Bai Yuan’s body, and his speed was not the least bit slower than his own!!

Xia Han was instantly scared out of his wits.

He was using a tool left behind by a Divinity Grandmaster! Even if it couldn’t completely match the speed of a Grandmaster, it wasn’t something a Mingxin Martial could hope to match. And yet, Bai Yuan had done it.

’What kind of monster is this?!!’

He didn’t dare to think any further and could only put his head down and run with all his might. As long as he could make it back to the Celestial Profound Sect, his life would be saved.

But then, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.

Bai Yuan’s speed increased again!

The distance between them was closing. Before long, he would be caught, and then beaten to death by Bai Yuan.

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