Chapter 26: Waiting for the Hare

"Alright, your aura has been altered now; he will no longer be able to track you through it." Qin Changsheng withdrew his hand and spoke with a grave expression.

Nangong Ruoxi sensed her own aura and discovered that it was indeed different from before. A weight lifted from her heart, and the look she directed at Qin Changsheng held a flicker of gratitude.

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. We are in the same boat now; it is only right that we help each other." Qin Changsheng smiled, brushing it off. "We must leave this place at once."

"Agreed." Nangong Ruoxi nodded without objection.

Both of them understood that their situation was perilous and that they had to act with extreme caution. Without delay, they departed from the valley and headed in a different direction.

***

Under the cover of night, the two raced forward, daring not to pause for even a moment.

Behind them, the youth in the Taoist robe, Chen An, was in hot pursuit. His speed was immense, and his sensory capabilities were extraordinary. Even though Qin Changsheng and Nangong Ruoxi had masked their auras, he could still detect their presence.

Tied to his peach-wood sword was a strand of hair. The sword floated on its own, guided by the aura of the hair, its tip constantly pivoting.

"Saintess Nangong, your hair has its uses after all." Chen An sneered, increasing his speed even further.

He possessed not only a strand of Nangong Ruoxi's hair but also one belonging to Qin Changsheng. He had descended into complete madness, desiring only to devour the souls of Qin Changsheng and Nangong Ruoxi to strengthen himself, so that he might reach the Transformation of Divinity stage and become a powerhouse in the cultivation world.

***

"Brother Changsheng, I feel his presence drawing closer. I fear he has locked onto me," Nangong Ruoxi said, her expression shifting in the midst of their flight.

"That shouldn't be possible. We have already masked our auras. How can it have no effect on him?" Qin Changsheng frowned, for he, too, could feel Chen An closing in rapidly.

"It must be that some item of ours has fallen into his hands. While we can change our auras, the causal link between those items and our physical bodies cannot be severed. This fellow's sensory ability is too sharp, and his speed is not slow either. If we continue like this, we will be caught sooner or later," Qin Changsheng said in a low voice.

"Then what do we do? We cannot simply stop and fight him, can we? Given our current strength, we are no match for him at all," Nangong Ruoxi said, her voice laced with anxiety.

"Do not panic. Let me think of a solution." Qin Changsheng pondered rapidly. He knew that stopping to face Chen An head-on was the most unwise choice; they had to find a way to shake him off.

***

"I have it!" Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Changsheng’s eyes as a plan formed.

"What is your plan?" Nangong Ruoxi asked hurriedly.

"Since we cannot outrun him, we stop running!" Qin Changsheng said with a complex expression. "This fellow is extremely cautious; we shall stay and give him a scare."

"Stop running?" Nangong Ruoxi was stunned, not immediately grasping his intent.

"The flight speed at the Golden Core stage is not inherently fast. Even if I were to carry someone, I cannot outpace a Nascent Soul monster. Besides, he has a tracker on us; we will be caught regardless," Qin Changsheng explained quickly. "There are no sects nearby, and even if there were, they might not help us on short notice. Since we cannot escape, we must win through wit."

"Do you have any spare flying swords? Infuse them with your aura and mine, and pretend that we have split up to flee. We will lie in wait here and give that creature a fright."

Qin Changsheng’s goal was simple: if they couldn't run, they would stop and startle the Taoist youth. After all, when the Longevity Monument reacted earlier, it had neutralized the youth's attack in a single glance. With that, he possessed the capital to intimidate him. Furthermore, the Longevity Technique was most adept at transformation.

If all else failed, he would have to activate the Longevity Monument—perhaps even killing Nangong Ruoxi to silence her in the process... The monument was no simple object; surely, using it as a brick would be quite effective, wouldn't it?

***

"Thinking of splitting up? Do you think that will shake me off? Too naive!"

Behind them, Chen An sensed that Qin Changsheng and Nangong Ruoxi had separated. He sneered and accelerated. Splitting their auras to flee was indeed a clever tactic, but that fool Qin Changsheng—did he not realize that he was the primary target all along?

Trying to send Nangong Ruoxi away to fetch reinforcements? The idea was sound, but they underestimated him. At worst, he would simply hide for a while and emerge later. He had now thoroughly locked onto Qin Changsheng. As for Nangong Ruoxi, while devouring her soul would offer him significant gains, Qin Changsheng was far more alluring. There was something about Qin Changsheng that radiated a heat he could feel.

"Brother Changsheng, just wait. I shall catch you soon," Chen An whispered, his eyes gleaming with a grey light as he envisioned the moment he would devour Qin Changsheng.

The night passed quickly. By the time the next day dawned, Qin Changsheng had arrived at a desolate valley. There was no life here, only ruins and decay. Qin Changsheng was satisfied; this was the battlefield he had envisioned.

***

"Chen An, I am waiting for you here!" Qin Changsheng stood in the center of the valley, looking up at the sky with cold, piercing eyes. He knew Chen An would arrive soon.

***

Sure enough, it was not long before a whistling sound tore through the air, and the figure of the Taoist youth, Chen An, appeared in Qin Changsheng’s line of sight.

"Ha! Brother Changsheng, why have you stopped to wait for me? You have certainly made me search for you." Chen An laughed as he looked down at Qin Changsheng, slowly descending into the valley. "Your decoy flying swords were quite deceptive, but their range is ultimately limited. As for your companion, she likely fled far away, but what does that matter?"

Chen An looked at Qin Changsheng with a playful, mocking expression, as if he were already witnessing his soul being consumed.

"Who told you that fleeing was my only option?" Qin Changsheng looked at Chen An and said calmly, "Brother Chen An, I waited here for you to arrive. Had you not noticed?"

"Oh? Then you stopped to wait for me—are you prepared to surrender and let me devour your soul?" Chen An looked at him with surprise. He had thought Qin Changsheng stopped because he was exhausted, not that he had been waiting on purpose.

"No, I stopped to kill you."

Qin Changsheng spoke the words slowly, and Nangong Ruoxi, no longer needing to hide, stepped out from the shadows.

The Taoist youth was stunned. "Saintess Nangong, I thought you had run away. I did not expect to see you here."

"You are not dead yet, so why should I run?" Nangong Ruoxi let out a cold, sharp laugh.

In an instant, an aura of the Nascent Soul realm erupted from her, along with the shocking presence of her Immortal Spirit Root, which she had finally revealed. This sight brought the Taoist youth to a halt.

An Immortal Spirit Root? The Nascent Soul realm?

"I never imagined you would break through so quickly. What a surprise! But do you truly think this will be enough to kill me?" Chen An laughed, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "How laughable! Do you think you are a peak Nascent Soul powerhouse? Even if you were, you would still be no match for me."

Though he appeared arrogant and wild, deep down, he grew wary. Qin Changsheng’s cautious nature had been on full display these past few days; if he did not have a plan, he would never have stopped. Now, linking this with Nangong Ruoxi’s sudden breakthrough and the look they had shared when they fled... the Taoist youth began to waver.