256: Chapter 256 Fellow Daoist Sun, We Meet Again

Sun Boyong's answer was simple: "Since we want to avoid that Duanmu Bei, we naturally take the wild paths and bypass the cities."

Flying along the edge of the desolate mountains and wilderness, though it was a bit of a detour, it was peaceful.

Su Cheng sat cross-legged on the deck and began to Cultivate.

Since he was idle while traveling, he figured he might as well. The concentration of Spiritual Qi at an altitude of three thousand zhang was slightly thinner than on the ground, but the conversion efficiency of the Creation Art was unaffected by the terrain, allowing him to breathe it in just the same.

Zhou Changgeng squatted on the corridor next to the control console, spreading a scroll of Artifact Refining notes on his knees to read, occasionally looking up to glance at the sea of clouds around them.

The first two days passed without incident.

The Treasure Artifact Spirit Boat traveled nearly ten thousand li a day, passing through continuous mountain ranges and uninhabited wilderness. Occasionally, rivers and dense forests could be seen below through gaps in the clouds, as tiny as something in a painting.

The Loose Cultivator Guards in the cabin went from being tense at first to relaxed. Their voices were muffled within the Formation barrier, with not a sound leaking outside.

Su Chengyuan was also in the front cabin with his eyes closed, resting his mind—or so it seemed, but his brain never stopped working.

He was thinking about one thing: Duanmu Bei's tracking range.

His son said that the man last appeared in Tongbao City nine days ago, and the direction he took after leaving the city was northeast, which was toward Tianlan Province.

If Duanmu Bei had been flying northeast all along, even accounting for delays from various investigations, at the speed of a Golden Core Cultivator, he should have covered thirty to forty thousand li.

Thirty to forty thousand li, added to his starting point from the city, meant he should now be past the middle section of Ningyuan Prefecture.

Their Spirit Boat was also heading in that direction.

These two lines were nine days apart; he wondered if they would cross at some point in the future?

Thinking of this, Su Chengyuan walked from the front cabin to the deck to find his son.

"I have something to discuss with you."

Su Cheng opened his eyes.

"Duanmu Bei is heading in the same direction as us. At a Golden Core Cultivator's pace, we certainly won't catch up to him, so I'm not worried about that."

Su Cheng took over the conversation: "What you're worried about is when he turns back."

Su Chengyuan nodded.

"It's been nine days and he hasn't found anything; he'll have to turn back sooner or later. On the way there, he questioned people along the towns, so he moved slowly, but the return trip will be different. Since he's already certain there's nothing to find ahead, he won't need to enter the towns anymore."

Su Cheng understood his father's meaning.

On the way out, Duanmu Bei was like a hound following a scent, sniffing from city to city, taking a winding path.

But once he determined there were no clues toward Tianlan Province and decided to turn back, he would bypass those towns and take the shortest straight line back.

And their Spirit Boat just happened to be taking a straight line through the wilderness.

Of course, this was only speculation. No one knew exactly where Duanmu Bei was or which path he was taking.

He might still be questioning people in some town, or he might have taken a completely different route back.

But on the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo was gambling one's life on another's actions.

Su Cheng thought for a moment, then stood up and walked to the stern of the boat.

"Senior Sun, I have something to tell you. My father and I are a bit worried. That Duanmu Bei has been chasing toward Tianlan Province for many days and likely hasn't found anything.

If he doesn't pass through the towns on his way back and instead flies in a straight line through the wilderness, there's a possibility we might run into him on this path."

Sun Boyong hummed in acknowledgment, signaling Su Cheng to continue.

Su Cheng thought and said, "Of course, this is just our speculation and might not be accurate. So, I would like to ask Senior to keep a slight lookout while flying, just so we can be prepared in case we encounter him."

Sun Boyong nodded. Although he didn't fear Duanmu Bei, it was naturally better to have less trouble.

Sun Boyong spread out part of his Divine Sense ahead, and the boat continued to fly steadily.

Su Cheng returned to the front of the deck and sat down, exchanging a look with Su Chengyuan.

They had done all they could; the rest was up to luck.

Another three days later.

Su Cheng and the others were now less than twenty thousand li from the Prefecture City, entering a large area of hills.

During the Wei hour in the afternoon, Sun Boyong's hand paused slightly on the Array Inscriptions hub. The Spirit Boat slowed down a bit before returning to normal.

Although it was brief, Su Cheng, who was cultivating on the deck, swayed slightly due to inertia. He looked up toward the stern.

Sun Boyong's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was fixed on a distance far ahead that Su Cheng couldn't reach.

"There are spiritual power fluctuations twenty li ahead, coming this way very fast."

Su Cheng's heart leaped into his throat.

"Who is it? Is it Duanmu Bei?"

"Unclear."

Su Cheng naturally couldn't sense it; the Divine Sense range of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was not that far.

Su Chengyuan was standing by the railing on the right side of the deck getting some fresh air. Hearing this, his body tensed slightly, but he didn't move.

Zhou Changgeng looked up from the corridor, closing the Artifact Refining notes in his hand.

After several dozen breaths, Sun Boyong spoke again: "It's him. We're about to encounter him."

Su Cheng's expression was grave, his brow furrowed.

Duanmu Bei had turned back.

Whether he had found something ahead or nothing at all, he was now flying from the direction of Tianlan Province toward Tongbao City, while their Spirit Boat happened to be heading from Tongbao City toward Tianlan Province.

The Divine Senses of the Golden Core Immortal Masters on both sides had already sensed each other. It was now impossible to change direction; the two parties were about to collide head-on in the sky above these uninhabited hills.

"Senior, can we avoid him?"

"Avoid him for what?" Sun Boyong kept his hand on the hub, and the Spirit Boat flew forward steadily at an unchanged speed.

"He is at the Late Golden Core Stage, and so am I. Besides, we've met once before. Turning around and running now would be a sign of a guilty conscience. Fly normally; we'll go where we need to go."

Su Cheng thought about it; that was the only way.

"Zhao Shan and the others should stay in the cabin. The Formation on the cabin walls is active, so nothing can be detected from outside," Sun Boyong added. He casually added a layer of mana barrier to the outer hull of the Spirit Boat. A golden film flowed along the vessel, sealing the three cabins tight.

There were four people on the deck: Sun Boyong, Zhou Changgeng, Su Cheng, and Su Chengyuan.

There was no time for Su Chengyuan to return to the cabin. The Spirit Boat maintained its normal cruising speed as the spiritual power fluctuation from the opposite direction rapidly approached.

At this time, if someone suddenly ran from the deck back into the cabin and closed the door, it would be caught by a Golden Core Cultivator's Divine Sense and attract even more attention.

The distance was closing.

Twenty li, fifteen li, ten li, three li.

Su Cheng's Divine Sense could barely perceive that heavy and thick aura now. It was wrapped in a layer of chilling cold, exactly the same as the feeling when they had passed each other at the gates of Tongbao City.

Duanmu Bei's figure emerged from the clouds ahead, his ink-colored Daoist robe fluttering in the wind. Beneath his feet was a narrow Flying Sword. The aura formed by the leakage of Golden Core level spiritual power compressed the surrounding air into a vacuum.

He cut straight across toward the Spirit Boat.

Encountering a Golden Core fellow cultivator in the wilderness whom one had met just a few days ago, and coming over to exchange a few words, was considered normal courtesy.

But a layer of cold sweat still broke out on Su Cheng's back.

Duanmu Bei hovered fifteen zhang to the left of the Spirit Boat, his Flying Sword suspended motionlessly in mid-air.

His gaze first fell upon Sun Boyong, and he cupped his hands in greeting.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, we meet again."