Fire engulfed the Zhao estate!
The Earth Fire that had erupted here was spiritual flame. Once it lost control, it spread instantly, igniting and consuming more than a dozen surrounding buildings.
The blaze was on the verge of complete chaos!
“Put out the fire! Put it out!”
“Evacuate immediately!”
“Everyone, get up and help put out the fire!”
Cries for help rang out from all corners of the Zhao family estate.
Even Zhao Xianchuan was briefly stunned.
But he quickly snapped back to attention. “Forget the fire—catch him! Catch him now!”
The Zhao estate could be rebuilt!
But if Li An escaped…
The Demon Sect would hold them accountable, and the Zhao family would be utterly destroyed!
Panicking, Zhao Xianchuan rushed out and sought out the Foundation Establishment experts in the estate.
“Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle! You two must chase down Li An right away! Forget about the fire!”
“Second Uncle, activate the grand array and lock down all of Zhao Family Town—don’t let anyone escape!”
Facing the three Foundation Establishment experts in the secret hall, Zhao Xianchuan spoke with a trembling voice, “If Li An gets away, our Zhao family is finished. The Demon Sect will annihilate us!”
The three Foundation Establishment cultivators all turned pale.
—Eight years ago, Zhao Xianchuan had suddenly returned to the Zhao family while fleeing a catastrophe. After that, he displayed extraordinary ability, leading the Zhao clan in defeating many nearby small families and even forging ties with the Hundred Beasts Sect.
Under his leadership, the Zhao family had become invincible, winning battle after battle.
These three experts had always harbored some suspicion, but since it had all benefited the family, none of them had asked questions.
Now, they instantly understood.
Zhao Xianchuan hadn’t survived the Clear Sun Sect disaster at the hands of the Demon Sect by luck at all—
He had… defected to the Demon Sect?
“Understood!”
The three Foundation Establishment experts grasped the severity of the situation and set out at once.
Zhao Xianchuan also hurriedly gathered a squad of elite cultivators and charged out of the estate—
“Be alert—Li An may have changed his appearance. Be cautious!”
“Yes, someone shouted earlier that he escaped looking like the Patriarch.”
The hunt had become the top priority.
And with the Zhao family’s elite forces mobilized, no one was left to contain the raging Earth Fire, which now surged freely through the Zhao estate…
…
After bursting out of the Zhao estate, Li An maneuvered swiftly and slapped another Second-Rank Fleetwind Talisman onto himself.
He had lived in Zhao Family Town for months and was very familiar with the surrounding terrain. In just moments, he reached the southern edge of town.
To the south flowed a river.
At this moment, the full Second-Rank grand array had been activated. High in the sky, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was now overseeing the array to completely seal the area.
Li An didn’t hesitate—he struck with another Second-Rank talisman!
A corner of the array was torn open from the inside.
Li An dashed through.
“He’s headed south—quick, after him! He’s broken through the array!”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator overhead turned pale and pointed out the direction before giving chase.
Three Foundation Establishment cultivators were now closing in, along with Zhao Xianchuan personally leading a group of elite Qi Refining Eighth and Ninth Layer disciples.
Once past the barrier, Li An activated a third Fleetwind Talisman, while tossing a Second-Rank Explosive Talisman behind him.
Just as he departed—
The Foundation Establishment experts arrived.
Boom!
The Explosive Talisman detonated.
“Watch out!”
The three men shouted, activating various magical tools and unleashing surges of spiritual power. The talisman was suppressed with ease, and they continued the pursuit.
“Watch for more traps—scan ahead with your spiritual senses!”
One Foundation Establishment expert warned. But after only a few steps, the three of them suddenly groaned in agony.
“Argh—!”
Their divine senses had been struck by a fierce blow!
“A Second-Rank Thunderstrike Talisman?!”
Their expressions shifted in fury and alarm. Gritting their teeth, they forcefully suppressed the pain and pressed on.
BOOM!
A more powerful blast surged forth—four Explosive Talismans detonated simultaneously.
Fear flickered in all three men's eyes. They hurriedly backed away as protective magical artifacts lit up across their bodies.
Though none of them were truly injured, their spiritual energy had fluctuated from the shock.
“This brat… he's vicious!”
One Foundation Establishment expert spoke through clenched teeth. “Stay sharp—keep going!”
They couldn't give up now, but unease stirred within all three.
This Li An was like a venomous serpent!
Pushing forward, the three soon sensed another Thunderstrike Talisman and grew even more cautious, carefully scanning their surroundings as they pursued.
Zhao Xianchuan followed with more than ten Qi Refining experts.
They hadn’t gone far—
When, a hundred meters beyond the blast zone, a muddy figure suddenly leapt out of a swamp.
Without hesitation, the man raced back toward Zhao Family Town!
At this point, chaos had completely overtaken the town.
Li An, still sprinting, changed his clothes mid-run, replacing them with a plain outfit.
Everyone in town was in a state of panic. Slipping unseen through alleyways and streets, he quickly reached a vantage point from which he saw the Zhao estate engulfed in blazing fire.
The entire Zhao estate, neglected in its fire suppression, had become an uncontrollable inferno.
Especially since the flames came from spiritual Earth Fire, water did little to douse them.
Li An began searching around the estate.
Finally, on South Street, his eyes locked onto a target—
“Hurry, we haven’t salvaged everything yet—move it!”
A Qi Refining Eighth Layer steward barked orders, surrounded by a pile of storage pouches.
The Zhao estate was unable to extinguish the flames. All resources were being salvaged in a frenzy.
Li An took out a horn and blew it gently.
Woooo…
The low sound rang out.
At once, the steward and those nearby felt their minds go hazy.
In that moment of confusion, bolts from crossbows struck, embedding themselves in their necks!
Only the Eighth Layer steward’s defensive treasure activated in time, deflecting the shot. But the next instant, his vision blurred—a figure appeared and smashed a fist into his chest. The steward cried out in pain and collapsed. Just as he tried to rise, a dagger sliced across his throat—
Li An had made his kill. He immediately gathered over twenty storage pouches from the ground.
Then he used the chaos to flee north through the town.
With all three Foundation Establishment cultivators gone and no one maintaining the array, Li An moved freely!
He left Zhao Family Town, his figure vanishing into the night, running without pause…
At the same time—
To the west of town—
Wang Dazhu had already run over ten li with Chen Qingling on his back.
He set her down, visibly anxious. “Qingling! How could you shout like that?! After what you yelled, how could Brother An possibly escape?!”
“Wait here—I’m going back for him!”
But Chen Qingling clutched his arm tightly. “No! Dazhu, don’t go!”
“Don’t go!”
“I waited eight years—eight years just for a chance to leave the Zhao estate. You can’t leave me!”
“Uncle Li is incredibly strong—he’ll be fine. If you go back, you might mess everything up. You’re not allowed to go!”
“If you go back, you won’t come out again. You promised my mother you’d take care of me for life—you swore to take care of me forever!”
She clung to him like a drowning person grasping at the only straw left.
—Without Wang Dazhu, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, she, with her mere Third Layer cultivation, would be hunted relentlessly by both the Zhao family and the Demon Sect. Every step would be perilous.
For eight years, Zhao Xianchuan had trapped her and her mother inside the Zhao estate. They hadn’t stepped out once. Now that she had finally regained a glimpse of the outside world, she would not let go of her chance at survival.
Wang Dazhu anxiously paced in place, completely at a loss, stomping his feet. “I shouldn’t have told you I saw Brother An! You deliberately told Zhao Xianchuan, you lured Brother An into this… You used me! You used me!”
“Brother An is the only person in this world who cares about me—and now I’ve killed him! I’ve killed him!!”
Tears streamed from his eyes.
“No… Dazhu, I’m the only one in this world who truly cares about you. Stop thinking about it. Let’s just go, alright? We’ll have children, we’ll live together… From now on, I’m yours.”
She hugged Wang Dazhu tightly. “I promise—once we’ve settled down, we’ll go find Li An together, alright? The two of us will beg for his forgiveness as husband and wife.”
Even a man as stoic as Wang Dazhu couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
“In all my life, I’ve never wronged anyone… but now I have.”
“Brother An, Dazhu has failed you. I’ve failed you!”
Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, facing the direction of the Zhao estate, and knocked his head to the ground three times with force.
…
(End of Chapter)