Chapter 196: Not Yet Over

I was sent flying back a considerable distance by the immense force. Before I even hit the ground, that arrow was already recalled by Elder Tian.

"Ah!"

I let out a sharp cry, because the arrow was evidently coated with poison. Within mere seconds, the flesh around my wound turned completely black.

With no other choice, I hurriedly channeled my spiritual energy to heal my body. However, the toxin was exceptionally potent, making recovery a grueling process.

Yet, it was ultimately no match for the peerless bloodline within my veins. A moment later, I spat out a mouthful of black blood, and the wound immediately began to knit together at a rapid pace.

"Fine. You forced my hand," I said flatly, pulling myself back up to my feet and charging full speed toward Elder Tian.

In an instant, I closed the distance. He was still basking in his self-satisfaction, assuming that anyone poisoned by his weapon would have their combat prowess drastically reduced.

What he failed to realize, however, was the invincible bloodline flowing through me!

His eyes widened in panic as he hurriedly raised his twin arrows to parry. But I had already anticipated this; knowing his close-quarters combat skills were bound to be subpar, I shifted my body slightly to the side and slashed straight through the arrows in his hands.

"Ah! My Shadowless Arrows!"

Elder Tian cried out in shock. I could see the light drain from his eyes, replaced by deep despair and regret.

I felt no shred of mercy, however. With one swift motion of my hand, my blade flashed and severed his head.

"You... Let's attack together!"

At that moment, Elder Cao, stationed at the very rear, finally lost his temper. Seeing that I had successively slain three elders, he summoned his own weapon.

To my surprise, Elder Cao's weapon was a pair of iron hooks. Taking a hit from those would undoubtedly inflict devastating damage—a truly lethal instrument for murder.

The two remaining elders flanking him also drew their longswords, and all three lunged at me simultaneously.

Because their cultivation realms were vastly superior to mine, victory was entirely out of the question. Even before they reached me, I could already feel an oppressive, invisible pressure bearing down.

The only option left was to run!

With a single hand, I summoned a Bagua Arhat Formation, then channeled all my spiritual energy into my feet, preparing to make a break for the exit.

The three elders in hot pursuit roared in unison, "Stop him right there!"

Hearing the command, the surrounding disciples drew their weapons and tried to block my path. But cutting through them was as effortless as mowing down weeds.

I leaped upward, soaring a dozen meters into the air before slamming heavily back down to earth, cutting down the disciples in my vicinity in the process.

Yet the three elders possessed far greater speed than I did; that dozen-meter gap was closed in the blink of an eye.

Left with no alternative, I spun around to parry. But my strength was utterly insignificant in their eyes. With a single sword strike, one of the elders shattered the Bagua Arhat Formation I had so proudly relied upon.

The recoil drove me back several unsteady steps. Before I could regain my footing, Elder Cao lashed out, driving one of his hooks deep into my leg.

The hook buried itself fiercely into my flesh, fortunately missing the bone.

Before I could even struggle, Elder Cao yanked the hook backward, instantly turning my thigh into a bloody mess.

"Ah, damn it all!"

I cursed in agony and immediately began repairing the damage to my leg. The injury was too severe, however, and consumed a massive amount of spiritual energy.

By the time the wound finally closed, my spiritual energy reserves were nearly exhausted. But then I remembered the white willow blossom.

It resided within my body, capable of supplying me with spiritual energy twice over a given period. At a mere thought, it sensed my summons and began channeling energy into me.

Shortly after, I was restored to my peak condition. But the blossom seemed to have hidden itself once more; no matter how frantically I searched, I could not find it.

It must have fused its usual two surges of spiritual energy into a single, massive burst this time. Otherwise, my spiritual energy wouldn't have been this overwhelmingly full.

"You certainly have plenty of treasures on you. But this is the end!"

Elder Cao let out a low grunt, his expression turning abruptly grim.

I knew all three of them were about to unleash their full power. I proactively forced the blood in my body to boil, psyching myself up for the clash.

At that moment, I realized I could once again sense that intangible power. As my blood boiled, it gradually manifested within me.

The last time I had felt it was back on Tianyang Mountain while holding off the Xia family. On that occasion, it had emerged on its own, but this time it felt as though I had summoned it consciously.

After a brief moment of reflection, I began to grasp the mechanism, though I still lacked the precision to summon it at will—this occurrence was purely accidental.

There was no time to dwell on that now. My current strength had already surpassed the fourth rank of the Spirit Lotus realm, though my exact level remained unclear.

Glancing at the three enemies ahead, I took the initiative and attacked.

My speed and strength had surged dramatically once again. Facing their coordinated onslaught, I was barely able to hold my ground.

That in itself was a minor miracle; had it been moments earlier, I would have already been hacked to pieces. Still, I was struggling to win, so I needed to keep an escape route in mind.

Meeting their attacks, I managed to parry them one by one, though I was entirely restricted to defense with not a single opening to counterattack.

Just as I was entirely focused on dodging Elder Cao's assault, someone drove a sword into my back.

I had preemptively cast a Golden Light Protection spell, so the injury wasn't severe, but the impact threw me off balance.

Taking advantage of my staggered retreat, Elder Cao struck me squarely in the chest with a palm strike.

The blow shattered my golden light barrier completely. I dropped to one knee, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Yet I could not afford to fall. Showing any sign of weakness here meant sealing my doom. Executing a backflip to evade another incoming strike, I frantically began healing my body once more.

With no reserve energy left and only about half my spiritual energy remaining, I honestly doubted whether I could survive this ordeal.

"Is this the extent of your strength, Lin Yao? How pathetic!"

Hearing those words, my gaze hardened with grim determination. I had to escape. And once I grew strong enough, I would return.

Without hesitation, I summoned the Five Thunder Incantation, sending five bolts of lightning hurtling toward them.

Seizing the opportunity, I bolted backward. Any disciple foolish enough to block my path was executed without mercy.

Those five lightning bolts could not hold them off for long; within a dozen seconds, they were closing the distance again.

Turning to fight now would simply be throwing my life away, so I continuously unleashed the Five Thunder Incantation, effectively stalling their advance.

"Stop running!"

"Hold it right there, you little thief!"

Were they absolute idiots? Ignoring their shouts, I flung out several more rounds of lightning incantations, fleeing headlong toward the main gates of the Seven Colors Sect without ever looking back.

As I rushed past the entrance, I noticed the guards stationed at the gate all had their throats slit—evidently the handiwork of Chen Chen.

I had finally broken through. A thrill of triumph surged within me, but the three elders and their disciples showed no intention of letting me go, remaining hot on my heels.

I knew that continuing to run along the main road would inevitably lead to capture, and with my dwindling spiritual energy, I wouldn't last much longer.

It was time to plunge into the nearby mountains!