Bai Yunfei gazed at the seemingly endless expanse of grassland and forest before him, a note of helpless despair in his murmur:
"Seriously… just where in the world am I now?"
He could only confirm he was heading north. His exact location was a complete mystery. His only thought was to cross the forest ahead quickly and find somewhere inhabited to ask for directions properly.
Just as Bai Yunfei prepared to activate his Rippling Steps to accelerate, his body suddenly stiffened. He sensed something—whirling around sharply!
A thousand meters away, a tall figure was closing the distance at an astonishing speed, racing directly towards him!
"That direction… it's the way I came! Trouble—it's the pursuer!" Bai Yunfei's face paled. In the mere instant it took him to process this, the figure had already covered another hundred meters. Features were becoming discernible.
"Incredible speed… almost matches my top speed using Rippling Steps. And… he looks vaguely familiar…" As thoughts raced through his mind, Bai Yunfei's expression shifted drastically again. Horror flashed in his eyes as he blurted out, "It's him! Zhang Yang's father—Zhang Zhenshan!!!"
The shock was immense. He took an involuntary step backward, his first instinct screaming: Turn and flee!
But the instant the thought formed, he crushed it. His gaze locked onto the rapidly approaching Zhang Zhenshan. Though his face remained grim, his eyes flickered rapidly, calculations churning as he strategized his response.
"At this point, I cannot run! Turning my back would mean conceding psychological ground—admitting defeat before the fight even begins! It would leave me focused solely on escape, unable to muster true resistance! Giving him all the initiative while presenting my back to a charging enemy… that's untenable!"
"Calm. Stay calm!!"
"That elder from the Tianyun Sect mentioned Zhang Zhenshan is at the early Soul Spirit realm. Soul Spirit cultivators can manipulate elemental energies—a Soul Master like me can't compare… Wait! I don't need to defeat him. I only need to injure him enough, even mutually, to create an escape window! Make him unable to track me! His goal is my death; mine is escape—in objective alone, I hold one advantage!"
"He caught up despite my head start. He must have pushed relentlessly day and night without rest. I just had a substantial rest—in condition, I hold another advantage!"
"He burns with grief and vengeance. I can remain analytical—in mindset, I hold a third advantage!"
"I possess enhanced equipment, effects beyond his comprehension—in gear, I hold a fourth advantage!!!!"
"Therefore…"
"Fight for survival! Engage in battle!!!"
These myriad thoughts flashed through his mind, resolved within mere breaths. As Bai Yunfei solidified his decision, Zhang Zhenshan was already within a hundred meters!
Initially, Zhang Zhenshan expected Bai Yunfei to flee. The open terrain made stealth impossible—discovery was inevitable. He'd braced for a prolonged chase. To his surprise, the youth made no move to escape upon spotting him.
"Has he accepted the futility of flight? Or… does he truly intend to face me in combat?!" The thought fueled Zhang Zhenshan's fury. "Excellent! Since you're so reckless, you spare me the chase! Right here, you'll repay my son's blood!!!" Hatred and fire blazed hotter in his eyes as he charged.
Bai Yunfei's expression was grave. He spotted the Tracking Gray Rat on Zhang Zhenshan's shoulder. So, it was this creature after all!
As Zhang Zhenshan closed in, the small beast leaped down, landing silently in the grass nearby.
A fierce light sparked in Bai Yunfei's eyes. His right hand snapped out. The Flame Spear materialized instantly. Soul Force surged into it. The crimson shaft pulsed with a faint red glow, radiating waves of heat that even made Zhang Zhenshan, now barely ten meters away, falter momentarily. Then, Bai Yunfei did the unthinkable—he didn't wait for the attack. He stomped the ground and charged forward to meet it!
No words. Only assault!
Zhang Zhenshan was momentarily stunned when the spear appeared. Zhao Ping's report had emphasized Bai Yunfei used daggers. Yet here was a spear… and unmistakably, a Soul Tool!
Zhang Zhenshan's sharp eyes instantly recognized the crimson spear was no ordinary weapon. A flicker of caution arose, but it didn't shake his certainty. A mere Soul Master—how could such a boy possibly best me? A Soul Tool changes nothing!
Watching the spear thrust towards him, Zhang Zhenshan's eyes glinted with contempt. He didn't break stride. His footwork shifted deftly, his body swaying sideways, effortlessly evading the strike.
Just as he prepared to advance two quick steps to close the gap, the spear's thrust, seemingly spent, abruptly transformed into a horizontal sweep! The gleaming tip sliced towards his throat!
Zhang Zhenshan's brow furrowed. He abandoned his forward momentum. Planting his right foot, he pivoted away, leaning his upper body back. The spear tip whistled past, grazing the underside of his chin.
Seizing the moment Bai Yunfei's spear momentum faltered, Zhang Zhenshan snorted coldly. His right foot stamped backward, snapping his body upright. Simultaneously, his right hand shot out—fingers curled like talons—aiming to crush Bai Yunfei's throat!
The counterattack was blistering. His clawed hand reached its target almost instantly… and clenched!
Only on empty air and a fading afterimage!
Bai Yunfei hadn't tried to withdraw the spear to block. The instant the sweeping strike missed, the Flame Spear vanished, stowed back into his Spatial Ring. His feet executed a rapid, complex sequence. His body seemed to lose balance, tilting backward—yet just before hitting the ground, it slid unnaturally to the right, then snapped upright like a weighted doll.
Rippling Steps!
His claw finding only air didn't ruffle Zhang Zhenshan. As Bai Yunfei regained his stance, Zhang Zhenshan's hand swept back horizontally—still aimed unerringly at the throat!
A ruthless gleam flashed in Bai Yunfei's eyes. He didn't rely on Rippling Steps again. Instead, his right hand snapped up. Clenched in it was a short, icy-blue spike—the Frost Thorn! He drove it straight towards Zhang Zhenshan's incoming wrist!
Zhang Zhenshan's face tightened. Retracting his hand was impossible. He grunted, twisting his palm sideways. The Frost Thorn struck his palm—but failed to penetrate! It skittered off with a metallic scrape, sparks flying!
Now it was Bai Yunfei's turn for shock and horror. His feet blurred again with Rippling Steps, his body leaving fading echoes as he scrambled back five or six paces. His eyes fixed on Zhang Zhenshan's right hand.
It was clad in a seamless white gauntlet, covering his entire fist and knuckles, leaving only the fingertips exposed!
"It deflected the Frost Thorn without a scratch! That gauntlet… it's a Soul Tool! And a higher grade one than the Frost Thorn!"
As Bai Yunfei retreated, Zhang Zhenshan didn't press the attack. His gaze was locked onto Bai Yunfei's right hand—specifically, onto the Frost Thorn itself. His shock surpassed Bai Yunfei's. He couldn't contain a startled exclamation: "The Frost Thorn!! The Frost Thorn is in your possession?! Then… you were the one who destroyed Heimu Village!!!"
The words struck Bai Yunfei like a physical blow. He froze momentarily, then comprehension dawned rapidly. "He recognizes the Frost Thorn! Then… he's connected to Heimu Village! Or rather, the Frost Sect is! Of course! The bandits spoke of 'the Sect'... meaning the Frost Sect! Heimu Village was backed by the Frost Sect itself!!!"
"You destroyed Heimu Village!" Zhang Zhenshan snarled, piecing it together, his voice thick with fury and revelation. "I was recalled to the Sect to deal with the aftermath! And you—you killed my son while I was away from Falling Stone City!!!"
Bai Yunfei blinked. His expression flickered briefly, but he couldn't be bothered to untangle the man's twisted logic. He gave a slight, dismissive shrug. "The village is ash. The people are dead. What good does talking about it do? It's not like I'm going to give you points for figuring it out…"
"Hmph! Playing calm when death is at your door! You have the Frost Thorn… so I presume Han Xiao's Golden Silk Soul Armor is on you as well? Add that spear from before…" Zhang Zhenshan's lips curled in a sneer. "Do you truly think possessing multiple Soul Tools allows you to defeat me or escape my grasp?"
"Save your breath trying to unsettle me. I know exactly where I stand," Bai Yunfei retorted with a derisive chuckle. He paused, mocking thoughtfulness. "It's you who started this fight the moment we met without a word, and now you're suddenly chatty? Why is that? Hmm, let me think…"
He feigned deep consideration for a split second.
"Could it be… that your relentless pursuit drained your Soul Force? You relied on that initial burst of rage for the first exchange… and failed to finish me. So now… you're stalling to recover your strength?"
Zhang Zhenshan's face froze. His eyes registered naked shock. In that split second of vulnerability, Bai Yunfei grinned fiercely. The Flame Spear reappeared in his hand. He slammed his foot into the ground and launched himself forward, attacking first—again!
The shock in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes vanished in an instant. So what if he saw through it? I'll kill you regardless!
Bai Yunfei closed the distance seemingly in a flash. His spear became a blur—a storm of thrusts enveloping his opponent.
Contempt flickered once more in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes. His hands moved like twin vipers. Each precise motion intercepted and deflected a spear thrust with ease. He flowed through Bai Yunfei's furious assault, parrying effortlessly.
After deflecting over a dozen strikes, Zhang Zhenshan's contempt solidified. As he slapped aside another thrust, his hand suddenly shot forward, clamping onto the spear shaft near its tip! Using the grip as leverage, he lunged forward in a powerful step, closing the final distance instantly. His right hand rose, palm striking straight for Bai Yunfei's heart!
The instant Zhang Zhenshan grabbed the spear shaft, a sharp gleam ignited in Bai Yunfei's eyes. As his opponent surged forward, Bai Yunfei retreated half a step. His right hand, gripping the Flame Spear, twisted violently, simultaneously wrenching the weapon free. The spear vanished back into the Spatial Ring in the same fluid motion. His right fist clenched, knuckles whitening. Muscles coiled like steel springs beneath his sleeve. As Zhang Zhenshan's palm thrust towards his chest, Bai Yunfei's right arm snapped forward with explosive force—fist aimed squarely at the oncoming palm!
Wave Folding Art—Ninefold Fist Force!!!