Chapter 197: Fleeing in Despair

It is nighttime. Although these mountains are quite barren with very few places to hide, fortunately, the cover of darkness makes it still difficult to be spotted.

Therefore, I have no choice but to run and dodge as I go. Surely they cannot chase me to the ends of the earth.

With my escape route planned out, just as I was about to dive into the patch of grass beside me, I was struck hard from behind.

The blow was so heavy that I felt my internal organs shake violently, and I coughed up another mouthful of blood.

I staggered forward a few steps, and just as I managed to steady myself, I felt something hook into both of my shoulders. The assailant yanked backward, tearing the flesh on my shoulders to a bloody mess.

That must have been Elder Cao. Only his weapon could inflict such cruel wounds.

"Stop right there!"

A thunderous voice roared from behind, followed instantly by a chilling sensation lunging toward my neck.

Had that blow connected with my neck, my death today would have been certain. I instinctively twisted my body to the side, blocking the attack with my Snow Blade.

Looking back, I saw that everyone had given chase—elders and disciples alike. Their morale was soaring, convinced by now that I could not possibly escape.

Due to the injury to my arm, I no longer even had the strength to raise the Snow Blade, and my hand trembled uncontrollably.

Retreating slowly, I carefully scanned the surrounding terrain. Through the gloom, I caught the sound of flowing water coming from the left.

Water would make things much easier. Gathering the very last of my strength, I summoned a Five-Thunder Incantation and swiftly plunged into the undergrowth on the left.

However, my speed had already slowed down, and my legs were once again ensnared by Elder Cao's weapon. This time, his hook wrapped tightly around my leg.

With a sharp pull from him, I heard a crisp snap.

"Ah!"

It seemed my leg bone was broken. Fortunately, because my Five-Thunder Incantation had already been unleashed, Elder Cao was forced to release his hook.

This blow stripped away practically all my combat capability, leaving me unable even to stand. Yet I could not afford to perish here!

I tried to channel the final traces of spiritual energy within my body to mend the fracture in my leg, but my injuries were simply too severe, and it had no effect at all.

Still, it was just enough to let me stagger to my feet. Summoning a sturdy long sword, I limped blindly into the bushes.

The moment I entered the undergrowth, they had already cleared the five bolts of lightning and were charging straight after me.

"Damn it, these people really are like stubborn plasters..."

I clenched my teeth tightly, but my legs never stopped moving forward.

Visibility in the dark forest was virtually zero, which slowed my pace significantly; at times, I even stumbled and fell.

Every time I went down, agonizing pain shot through my leg. Just as I was on the verge of fainting from the torment, sheer willpower pulled me through.

Thus, I ran on while the crowd relentlessly pursued me. My destination was the river not far ahead.

Once I reached it, I could drift away with the current and make a successful escape.

This forest was by no means small, but the pursuers were able to track me entirely by the blood I left behind. This would not do.

If they kept pressing the chase so closely, I would sooner or later exhaust my physical strength and collapse unconscious right here. Leaning against a large tree, I fished some cloth scraps out of my storage ring and bound them tightly around the wound on my arm.

There was no time to apply medicine now. Surviving was paramount above all else.

Their footsteps were growing closer by the moment, likely only a dozen meters away now. Every one of them carried a burning torch, combing the entire forest in search of me.

With a thought, I forced my cultivation realm down to the Leaf Realm, then slipped quietly into the blanket of fallen leaves beside me.

These leaves had shed from the trees, accumulating into a thick, deep layer.

I lay quietly amidst them, pulling leaves over my body to conceal myself.

Since it was nighttime, even with torches in hand, the illumination remained dim, and I intended to exploit this weakness.

Because my shin was fractured and still throbbing with excruciating pain, my leg trembled uncontrollably.

At that moment, Elder Cao caught up from behind. I held my breath, biting my lip to stifle any sound.

"Where on earth did the brat run off to? Could he not be here?"

Aside from Elder Cao, two other elders had arrived, accompanied by a pack of disciples.

The rest must have dispersed; by now, the entire woods seemed swarming with members of the Seven-Color Sect.

Elder Cao shook his head, halting right in front of me. He cast a few suspicious glances toward my hiding spot and muttered,

"Impossible. Keep searching. He took the Mausoleum Water Pearl; we cannot let him escape, or the sect master will execute us upon his return from seclusion."

So the sect master was in seclusion! No wonder such a massive incident had occurred, yet no figures of higher rank had appeared.

With that, they turned back to continue their sweep, and I narrowly cheated death once more.

Once they had moved far enough away, I scrambled out from beneath the leaves, checked my surroundings to confirm the coast was clear, and resumed my limping journey toward the river.

As it turned out, my luck was decent this time; I had successfully bypassed all of them. The sound of rushing water grew louder and clearer, seemingly just a short distance away.

Glancing back, I could still spot the faint glow of torches, a sign that they had not abandoned the hunt.

"Heh, time to make myself scarce."

I let out a cold, quiet laugh, then pressed on toward the riverbank with a limp.

After all this exertion, my leg had gone entirely numb; I could no longer even feel my lower leg. This would undoubtedly leave a permanent physical ailment.

Yet compared to such minor issues, survival took precedence above all else.

At last, after another five minutes of walking, I reached the roaring riverbank.

The river flowed eastward, crystal clear and entirely devoid of impurities.

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from behind.

"Lin Yao is here! Everyone, get over here!"

I looked back to see two torch-bearing disciples staring at me from a short distance away. They hesitated to approach, still wary of me.

"Hurry, come quick!"

One of the disciples yelled again, and I saw the flickering lights of many more torches converging rapidly in my direction.

A single oversight after a hundred precautions...

With no other choice, I cast a resolute gaze at the churning river before me and leaped straight in.

As luck would have it, a floating log swept down from the upper reaches. I grabbed hold of it instinctively, and my body began to drift swiftly downstream.

By the time I had already floated over a hundred meters away, Elder Cao and the others finally rushed to the bank.

Seeing me making a wretched escape, they still attempted to give chase, but the current was far too fierce, and with the treacherous terrain along the shore, there was nothing they could do to stop me.

"Brat, don't let me catch you again!"