The Hunt Rises Again

Fatty Wang subconsciously smacked his lips, an involuntary sense of gratitude for surviving a disaster welling up in his heart.

This profound and exquisite formation had clearly saved his little life.

But a second later, his plump body shuddered as he suddenly realized, Wait a minute! Why the hell should Lord Fatty be grateful to him!

That tiny bit of gratitude that had just surfaced was instantly washed away by a massive wave of frustration.

If it weren't for that thousand-cuts-deserving bastard knocking me out, stripping me naked, and burying me in a pit, how would I have ended up in this state!

Fatty Wang lay paralyzed in the dirt, clutching his wildly beating heart, feeling both relieved and depressed.

As time ticked by, the Glazed Cleansing Light swept over the area several times, and Master Yuji's frown deepened above ground.

Elder, we have not found any abnormal auras or traces of concealment, an elder responsible for maintaining the formation reported respectfully.

Master Yuji's face was gloomy. He carefully swept the area with his divine sense several more times, but indeed found nothing.

Doubts couldn't help but rise in his mind. Could that brat really be out of the valley already?

Withdraw the formation.

Master Yuji said coldly, That thief must have used some secret technique to escape far away. Let's go and expand the search radius. He couldn't have gotten far!

As soon as his voice fell, four streaks of light soared into the sky alongside Master Yuji, instantly disappearing over the horizon. The valley returned to a deathly silence.

Underground, Fatty Wang held his breath and concentrated, waiting for another good half an hour. Only after confirming that there was truly no more movement above, and even the chirping of birds and insects had resumed, did he let out a long, careful sigh of relief.

Phew... That scared Lord Fatty to death! I thought I was really doomed this time!

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, lingering fear still gripping his heart.

That restriction was truly powerful, it even bypassed the Holy Land's formation? Just what is the background of the guy who buried me?

With the crisis averted, the desire to escape became overwhelmingly strong.

He began to struggle with all his might, mobilizing what little spiritual energy he had recovered. Twisting his body, he slowly rubbed and squeezed against the surrounding dirt and rocks.

After expending a herculean effort, ending up covered in dirt and feeling as if his body was falling apart, he finally heard a muffled poof as his head pushed through the loose soil!

Cough, cough... ptui, ptui!

He greedily breathed in the air tinged with gunpowder and the scent of blood, straining to uproot his plump body from the pit. He slumped to the side, panting heavily from exhaustion.

He rested for quite a while before finally catching his breath.

Sigh, my precious treasures...

The grief of losing his entire fortune washed over him again. With a long face, his gaze subconsciously swept over the pit he had just crawled out of.

With this glance, his small eyes instantly widened into perfect circles!

In the loose soil at the bottom of the pit, a few faint gleams of light were actually flickering! He quickly pounced over, using both hands to rapidly dig through the dirt.

Soon, several items appeared before his eyes:

The Seven-Star Secret Token, the Shadow Cloak, the Metamorphosis Jade Pendant, and a few other miscellaneous treasures.

These... aren't these my things? He didn't take them?!

Fatty Wang was initially stunned, but then his face revealed a look of unbelievable ecstasy mixed with a highly peculiar expression.

That black-hearted thief... he, he actually doesn't know a good thing when he sees it?!

This Shadow Cloak and Metamorphosis Jade Pendant can conceal auras and change one's appearance. They are essential divine artifacts for scamming and... bah, for traveling the cultivation world! Did he look down on them, or did he just not recognize their value?!

Fatty Wang looked at these recovered life-saving treasures that he treated as precious gems, his feelings incredibly complicated.

On one hand, he was wildly ecstatic that his core assets were saved! On the other hand, he felt a deep sense of being insulted.

Forget it, forget it!

He shook his head, no longer thinking about that weird guy, and gleefully stowed everything carefully into his storage ring.

Even though Lord Fatty suffered heavy losses, my true foundation is intact! Hehe, it's better that he didn't know their worth!

Although his main wealth was gone, regaining his core treasures gave Fatty Wang back a bit of confidence and comfort.

He held his breath and concentrated, waiting for another good half an hour. Only after confirming that there was truly no more movement above, and even the chirping of birds and insects had resumed, did he let out a long, careful sigh of relief.

Phew... That scared Lord Fatty to death! They're finally all gone!

With the crisis averted, he decided to leave this godforsaken place immediately.

First, he carefully circulated his spiritual energy to slowly shake off the loose dirt and rocks above his head. His movements were extremely gentle, terrified of making even the slightest sound.

After a great deal of effort, he finally managed to open a gap at the edge of the pit just large enough for his head to peek through, without causing too much of a disturbance.

Like a vigilant groundhog, he first pressed his ear against the gap to listen closely. After confirming it was dead silent outside, he carefully and slowly poked his head out, his small eyes darting around.

It was near dusk, and the light in the valley was dim. The area was a mess, and indeed, it was completely empty.

Hehe, safe! Fatty Wang rejoiced inwardly and was just about to climb out completely.

However, the moment his head fully emerged from the ground and his gaze swept past a massive rock to his front-left—

His eyes met a pair of eyes behind the rock that were equally filled with shock, which quickly turned into wild joy and ferocity!

Hiding behind that rock was shockingly a mid-stage Heaven Realm elder wearing the robes of the Glazed Holy Land!

He had been ordered to lie in ambush here. Thinking it was a fruitless effort, he was just preparing to withdraw. He never expected the target to drill out of the ground all on his own!

As their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze!

Little thief! You really are here!!

The elder's reaction was astonishingly fast. His shock lasted only a fraction of a second before turning into a furious roar. His figure shot out from behind the rock like lightning, and at the same time, he instantly crushed a communication jade slip in his hand!

Fuck! Fatty Wang was frightened out of his wits, nearly jumping out of his skin on the spot!

He never imagined a living, breathing person was hiding right under his nose!

The instinct to survive overpowered everything else!

Almost at the exact same moment the elder roared, he violently yanked his head back down and frantically activated the Minor Void Shift Talisman he had readied in his right hand!

Buzz—!

A silver light flared, and intense spatial fluctuations suddenly rippled outward, centered on the pit he was in!

Where do you think you're going! How could the elder let him slip away? Before he even arrived, a condensed Glazed Finger Beam tore through the air, shooting straight for the pit!

Here goes nothing! Fatty Wang roared, his spiritual energy surging wildly!

The finger beam arrived in a flash, viciously blasting the edge of the pit!

Bang! Dirt splattered, and crushed stones shot in all directions!

But the silver light had already reached its peak, completely enveloping Fatty Wang's figure, stretching it, and blurring it into nothingness...

The finger beam was ultimately a split-second too slow. It merely shattered Fatty Wang's lingering afterimage and blasted the messy pit, failing to interrupt the teleportation.

Target found! In a pit at the southeast corner of the valley! He escaped using an evasion talisman! The spatial fluctuations point towards the northeast!!

The elder's anxious and furious voice was instantly transmitted along with the jade slip's message!

The news was like a clap of thunder, instantly exploding in the minds of Master Yuji and the others who hadn't gone far!

Cold light erupted in Master Yuji's eyes, his killing intent soaring to the heavens. What a cunning little thief! To dare play me for a fool like this! Chase him!

His figure transformed into a streak of light that tore through the sky. He instantly locked onto the faint yet distinct spatial trajectory to the northeast, giving chase at a speed far surpassing his previous pace!

Several other elders followed closely behind, radiating murderous intent!

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, Fatty Wang's figure had just tumbled out of the void when that familiar, bone-chilling killing intent locked onto him once more. Like a maggot clinging to the bone, it fastened onto him, closing in at an even more terrifying speed!

"Are you ever going to give it a rest?!" Terrified out of his wits, Fatty Wang let out a bizarre yelp. Without even looking, he whipped out another escape talisman and desperately activated it!

A new, even more perilous round of this life-and-death pursuit had abruptly escalated!