The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 376 - 372: Quiet Waiting (3rd Update)

"Congratulations, Elder Tong, for capturing not only the Jade-eyed Golden Toad but also a True Dragon, achieving majestic accomplishments. The Saint should promote you to the position of Principal Envoy of the Main Altar," Feng Shan said, with a broad grin on his face.

On hearing this, the short-bearded old man was beaming. He greatly enjoyed the praise.

But a quick glance at their surroundings made his brow furrow. "Where is the young man?" He asked, coldly.

Elder Tong, the young man used the Armor Horse Talisman to escape. He was too fast for the Cold Ice Formation; he slipped away," Feng Shui confessed, bowing respectfully.

"A mere cultivator in Early Stage of Grain Avoidance wouldn’t shake things up," Feng Shan said, nonchalantly.

"Fool, capturing a Grain Avoidance Cultivator wouldn’t matter if we had only captured the Golden Toad, but we have also taken a True Dragon. If word gets out, do you think the Dragon Palace would let us be?" Yu Xin, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, reprimanding them sternly.

Elder Tong, don’t worry, I’ll bring that young man back right away," said Feng Shan, finally understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Yu Xin, you go with him," Elder Tong Guan commanded, frowning.

"Yes, sir."

The Masked Woman responded before transforming into a blur with Feng Shan, chasing after Shen Luo’s escape route.

"What should we do with the people at the inn?" Feng Shui asked, his gaze slightly sinking.

"Kill them all; leave no survivors," Tong Guan replied without hesitation, making a throat-slitting gesture.

Feng Shui nodded in response before turning to leave as well. Shen Luo was sprinting through the forest, puzzled by the situation.

In the normal course of history, the Jade-eyed Golden Toad, should not be captured even if it had been found, otherwise, the Wanderer would not have had a chance to capture it.

The only factor that could change these events was him, himself.

However, based on his previous assessment of the Golden Toad’s capture, he had not yet directly intervened.

"Maybe this means that the Jade-eyed Golden Toad won’t be taken by them this time?" A thought suddenly crossed Shen Luo’s mind, and he abruptly halted, turning to look back into the dense forest.

He rubbed his hands together uncertainly.

Shen Luo was unsure about his recent speculation; he was unable to determine whether his involvement in the events had started when he encountered the Jade-eyed Golden Toad or when he entered the Heavenly Pit Tavern?

Such a profound matter was confounding. If he were to leave now, he would likely have no connection to the Golden Toad. Furthermore, Ao Hong might face danger due to this wasted time.

"No, I can’t just leave," Shen Luo said firmly, his gaze growing steadier.

But his current cultivation level was too insignificant. Against those bird catchers, he didn’t stand a chance.

"I have a plan!" Shen Luo frowned, deep in thought, until a sudden realization made him smile and clap his hands.

With that said, he moved his hand in a circular motion, slowly gathering his mana.

...

"That young man is surprisingly fast. We have been chasing him for a while, and we still haven’t caught sight of him," grumbled Feng Shan while tracking Shen Luo.

"He likely used some mystic arts to escape Dalishi Mountain," Yu Xin guessed, her expression hidden behind a black veil.

"If he escapes, Elder Tong will not let us off easily," Feng Shan remarked, worried.

"Isn’t Elder Tong being overcautious? Even if the runawayboy found out about us, he wouldn’t know our true identities. Eastern Sea Dragon Palace wouldn’t be able to trace us back. Moreover, the True Dragon may not originate from the Dragon Palace. It might just be a descendant of a small brook or well," Yu Xin argued.

"That makes sense, but considering Elder Tong’s nature we’d better stay obedient and catch him," Feng Shan responded, nodding in agreement before shaking his head. "But before we..." Yu Xin’s words trailed off as she suddenly froze.

Several Zhang ahead, Shen Luo sat cross-legged on the ground, as though he were waiting for them.

At this sight, Feng Shan’s heart leaped with joy. His instinct told him to charge forward immediately, but a sudden realization caused him to stop.

"Beware of a trap, Lady Yu," Feng Shan warned as he stepped in front of her.

"You think a mere Early Stage Grain Avoidance Cultivator is worthy of fear? Preposterous," retorted Yu Xin dismissively, swatting away Feng Shan’s hand and rushing towards Shen Luo.

Feng Shan felt a hot flush of humiliation on his face. "Rubbish! I wouldn’t be scared of someone like him!" He muttered indignantly.

After speaking, Feng Shan activated his spell. His entire body was enveloped in a pale yellow light as dust and debris swirled under his feet. Suddenly, he was right in front of Yu Xin.

Seeing the two rushing towards him, Shen Luo felt more excitement instead of fear. However, he was puzzled; they were cultivators at or above the Middle Grain Avoidance stage, yet they were acting recklessly. They had charged straight at him without attempting to understand his abilities at all.

Before he could figure it out, he heard the ground rumbling.

Each step Feng Shan took seemed to wield the strength of a thousand kilograms, shaking the surrounding trees with his tremors. "So, they are probing through offensive means. By initiating with the power to shake the earth, Feng Shan is not as reckless as he appears. His Earth Attributes mystic arts seem to be highly advanced too," Shen Luo mused, frowning.

Feng Shan moved ahead, stepping heavily and keeping a watchful eye on the ground and the trees, trying to spot any trap.

Nothing seemed wrong with the area ahead, apart from the tremors caused by his own steps.

The closer he got to Shen Luo, the more uneasy he felt. The youth was too calm - still maintaining his seated position without showing any signs of panic.

"Something must be amiss!" He thought.

Feng Shan was certain that there was an unknown risk ahead, but Yu Xin was right behind him. He could not back down now.

He had secretly coveted her for a long time, and he didn’t want to be belittled in front of her because of an Early Stage Grain Avoidance Cultivator.

"Post-earth Golden Body," Feng Shan commanded, forming a spell with his hands.

Immediately, a layer of earth-yellow mist billowed from the ground, enveloping him. The dust and debris began to condense into a dark yellow stony armor that affixed itself to his body.

As the armor enveloped him, Feng Shan’s lean figure became robustly muscular. The tremors of the earth intensified with each of his steps, causing Shen Luo to rise to his feet.