64: Jindan was furious and finally succeeded

Zhao Wuji's body was engulfed in a raging inferno of black flames, burning fiercely.

The entire Illusory Heart Forest groaned in agony under the repeated crushing pressure of his Golden Core Stage Divine Sense.

The twisted human-face patterns on the tree trunks seemed even more sinister now, yet they dared not utter another word of gibberish.

In this eerie forest, he was a walking catastrophe.

"Come out!"

His Divine Sense transformed into an invisible storm, kicking up a deluge of fallen leaves and grinding massive boulders into dust.

"No matter what kind of monstrous thing you are, get out here, you hear me, old man!"

The roar, imbued with the supreme might of a Golden Core cultivator, made the trees tremble.

However, there was no response.

That damned, leech-like ant had once again vanished without a trace.

It was as if the explosion just now, that perfectly timed provocation of his mind, was merely a cruel joke played by this ghostly forest.

But Zhao Wuji knew clearly, it wasn't.

It was absolutely man-made.

The infuriatingly precise timing, the decisive disappearance immediately after the detonation, all revealed a calculation so calm it was cruel.

He, the dignified Golden Core Elder of the Xuan Yin Sect, had been played for a fool.

He had been led around by a Foundation Establishment Stage junior, whom he had personally confirmed to be "Divine Soul annihilated."

This absurd fact tore a gaping hole in his Dao Heart, which had been stable for hundreds of years, filling it with the scalding lava of humiliation.

"Very good…"

Zhao Wuji, instead of raging, laughed; but his smile was more chilling than a cry.

He no longer fruitlessly conducted a carpet search.

He closed his eyes, and the power of his Golden Core Stage Divine Soul slowly unfolded with unprecedented focus.

An invisible net of perception instantly covered an area of a hundred li.

He no longer actively searched, but entered a state of absolute silence.

Waiting.

Waiting for that cunning rat to show its tail again.

He refused to believe that a Foundation Establishment Stage ant could hide forever under his nose… Deep within the dense forest, beneath the shadow of a towering ancient tree.

Lin Gou's figure was almost one with the shadow of the tree trunk.

The Qingxin Pushan Curse slowly circulated deep within his Divine Soul, emitting a cooling aura that completely isolated the violent Divine Sense pressure from outside.

And the [Rock Breath Camouflage] he obtained from the Lava Megalizard allowed him to perfectly blend with the surrounding earth and rock aura.

At this moment, in the perception of Zhao Wuji's Divine Sense net, he was a cold, lifeless stone.

He could even clearly "see" Zhao Wuji's furious Divine Sense torrents wash over him again and again, yet remain completely unaware.

This feeling was peculiar.

Safe, yet thrilling.

"The old guy is quite patient."

Lin Gou thought to himself.

He certainly wouldn't be naive enough to think that the other party would give up if he couldn't find him.

The obsession of a Golden Core Elder was enough to turn this Secret Realm upside down.

Escape? That was the worst option.

The Secret Realm space was limited; as long as Zhao Wuji was still here, running to the ends of the earth would be useless.

Fight head-on? That was courting death, and a worthless, foolish death with a potential D-rank reward rating.

Then, there was only one path left.

A wicked arc curved at Lin Gou's lips.

Since this Golden Core big shot wanted to kill him so badly, how could he not fulfill his wish?

Not only would he fulfill it.

He would also make him die clearly, die spectacularly.

Die… in a way that would drop an SSS-rank prize!

He no longer lurked but moved silently like a true hunter.

He did not choose to flee; instead, he moved unhurriedly towards a specific direction.

His movements were light; each step landed on areas with the fewest dead leaves, using the Qingxin Pushan Curse to conceal his entire aura.

Thus, under the Golden Core Old Ancestor's Divine Sense net, he began a thrilling "dog walking" operation.

He approached a deep ravine entangled with highly toxic vines, deliberately making a subtle sound.

"There!"

Zhao Wuji's Divine Sense locked on instantly, and a pitch-black palm print, several li away, slammed down with a roar!

Boom!

The ravine was leveled, countless poisonous vines turned to ash, and black toxic mist shot into the sky.

But beneath the palm print, there was nothing.

Only a broken branch, snapped by the edge of the palm wind, lay lonely at the bottom of the pit.

Zhao Wuji's expression darkened further.

Lin Gou's figure had already appeared several li away in another pile of rubble.

He picked up a stone and casually threw it at a slumbering Iron-backed Yao Bear in the distance, a Yao Beast comparable to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

The Yao Bear was startled awake, letting out an earth-shattering roar.

"Beast, courting death!"

Zhao Wuji thought the Yao Bear was provoking him and, without thinking, shot out a Xuan Yin Finger force, instantly piercing the Yao Bear's head.

Instant kill.

The might of a Golden Core was terrifying.

But just as he killed the Yao Bear, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a blurry figure flashing past behind the pile of rubble.

"Little beast!"

Zhao Wuji's body transformed into a black wind, instantly giving chase.

But what awaited him was still emptiness.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Within half an hour, Zhao Wuji had attacked no less than ten times.

Each time, he felt he was about to catch that annoying rat.

But each time, he came up empty-handed.

He destroyed three natural dangerous areas, slaughtered five innocent powerful Yao Beasts, and once, in a fit of rage, he almost detonated an underground fire vein.

His destructive power always struck empty space.

Frustration.

Anger.

And a hint of… apprehension that he himself was unwilling to admit.

The opponent's familiarity with this area, his grasp of timing, and his understanding of a Golden Core cultivator's psychology had reached a level that made him feel chills.

Was this really something a Foundation Establishment Stage junior could do?

He even began to doubt whether he was truly chasing a person.

At this moment, Lin Gou had arrived at his first destination for this trip.

At the foot of a mountain peak that shimmered with lightning.

Around the mountain, not a blade of grass grew.

The air was filled with violent lightning energy; with every breath, it felt as if countless tiny electric arcs were stinging his lungs.

At the top of the mountain, there was a huge cave.

At the entrance of the cave, a lion as large as a small mountain lay there, feigning sleep.

Its entire body was covered in golden manes, and silver-white electric sparks flickered and jumped within the manes, emitting soft "crackling" sounds.

A Golden Core Early Stage Yao Beast—the Thunder Light Lion.

The absolute overlord of this area.

Lin Gou hid behind a huge mountain rock, his heart involuntarily beating faster.

This time, it wasn't due to fear.

But because of excitement.

The first and most crucial part of the plan was about to begin.

He took a deep breath, no longer suppressing his aura.

He even took out a glittering Magical Artifact from Ye Jun's Storage Pouch and deliberately activated it.

Buzz—

A brilliant treasure light shone exceptionally brightly in this dim area.

"Found you!"

Almost the instant the treasure light appeared, Zhao Wuji's long-suppressed, murderous Divine Sense, like a bursting dam, roared and locked onto him!

"Little beast, let's see where you'll run this time!"

A gigantic claw print, as black as ink, capable of devouring light, tore through the clouds, descending upon Lin Gou with the terrifying might of ripping space!

Xuan Yin Divine Claw!

Zhao Wuji's enraged, ultimate killing blow!

Facing this strike, powerful enough to grind him to dust, a strange smile appeared on Lin Gou's face.

He didn't run.

He even deliberately pretended to be scared senseless, standing frozen in place.

He merely silently chanted to the System in his mind.

"System, prepare to harvest!"