"Thirteen streaks of Qingguang."
Gu Jinlai approached the Sanctum Tower in the Outer City District with a leisurely state of mind.
There were twenty-six people from the Ouyang family fleeing for their lives, three of whom had Karma as dark as ink, seven with Bright Red karma like blood, and three others with only Light Red karma.
But Gu Jinlai still showed no mercy.
Even those with Light Red karma carried sins on their shoulders.
If it weren’t for subjective faults and they had "turned themselves in", shown a good attitude in admitting guilt, and were willing to accept punishment or atone for their merits, Gu Jinlai might give them a chance.
But since they chose to flee, they could not blame him for unleashing the might of thunder upon them.
"I should be able to advance the Thunder Light Domain to Mahayana."
This thought flashed through Gu Jinlai’s mind.
Soon, he had arrived at the courtyard he had rented in the Sanctum Tower.
It was only when he reached the courtyard that he found its Formation was unexpectedly activated.
Activating a Formation consumes a great deal, and without any issues, Zhao Yushu should not have activated it.
With that thought, he stepped into the courtyard.
Upon entering, he immediately sensed something.
Immediately after, he saw Zhao Yushu rushing towards him with two others.
It was Qi Yunxiao and Qi Sheng, whom they had traded with two days ago.
"Ancient Martial King, you’ve finally returned. Why... why didn’t you leave Hai Feng City immediately? And why did you make such a high-profile move..."
Qi Yunxiao was somewhat anxious.
"We mustn’t delay any longer; it’s crucial we leave Hai Feng City at once," Qi Sheng said, taking out a Treasure emitting a faint glow: "This is the Heavenly Chaos Pearl; it’s what has kept us safe over the years by confusing and deceiving others. Let’s talk more after we’ve left Hai Feng City."
Gu Jinlai glanced at the Treasure in Qi Sheng’s hand.
Could it be a Dao Artifact?
While he was indeed covetous of other people’s items, he didn’t show it and simply asked, "What’s going on?"
"This is my fault," Qi Yunxiao said with a hint of guilt: "For the convenience of trading with you, we exchanged golden jade, a large denomination currency, at the Holy Dynasty Bank. However, we ended up being targeted by people in Hai Feng City. If you had left Hai Feng City immediately after our trade, nobody would have been suspicious, but you used those golden jade right after, especially at Yunhai Commerce which has a background of a Martial Saint..."
"They mistook you for me and want to go after the rest of the golden jade on you?"
Gu Jinlai quickly put the pieces together.
He glanced at Zhao Yushu, then back at Gu Jinlai, and said, "My identity is somewhat unique, requiring careful and cautious actions. Yet, for certain special reasons, I need to maintain contact with the Blue Light Association and use their channels to conduct some affairs. Before meeting Senior Gu, I was honestly very defensive, but fortunately... our transaction went smoothly, and Senior Gu’s noble and upright conduct truly earned my respect."
With that, he apologized again: "I’m sorry, Senior Gu, we conducted a small test on you at the Sanctum Tower..."
Gu Jinlai recalled the scene where Qi Sheng put away the Eight Cloud Crystal, a Quasi-Dao Artifact.
This technique was clearly the use of a Storage Treasure.
And a Storage Treasure is at least on par with the value of a Dao Artifact.
This must be what Qi Yunxiao referred to as a test.
If he had coveted the Storage Treasure in Qi Sheng’s hand and secretly followed him to attempt harm, they wouldn’t be having this conversation now.
Then he thought of something else, "Was that note I received when I left today from you?"
Qi Yunxiao said, "We judged your noble character by our own lesser standards... We will offer a generous gift to ask for Senior Gu’s forgiveness, but right now, we truly cannot afford any more delays. Let’s hurry and leave Hai Feng City."
"Who is targeting you?"
"I don’t know... but there are definitely Martial Saints and Saint Level beings," Qi Yunxiao said with a wry smile.
Martial Saints, Saints...
Gu Jinlai actually wanted to have a proper showdown with such powerhouses to test his
He had people like Zhao Yushu and others by his side.
This Qi Refining Realm newcomer might lose his life just from the aftermath of a fight with a Saint.
Moreover, the Sanctum Tower was located in a bustling area, and the destructive power of a battle with a Saint Level would be astonishingly great. If they were to fight here, innocent bystanders would inevitably be caught in the crossfire, and his already Light Red karma would definitely skyrocket.
With that thought in mind, he made up his mind, "Then let’s leave Hai Feng City first."
Qi Yunxiao and Qi Sheng hastened to nod in agreement.
Zhao Yushu, who was next to him, also dragged a case along and said, "I’ve packed everything; we can set out right away."
At that moment, Qi Sheng raised the Heavenly Chaos Pearl, and from it emanated a circle of grey light that quickly enveloped the four of them.
Then, the four of them left the courtyard, not even bothering to reclaim their deposit for the Sanctum Tower, and they quickly moved away from Hai Feng City.
As they intended to depart from Hai Feng City, Gu Jinlai had already sensed something.
More than a dozen formidable presences were rushing towards their direction at an extremely fast speed.
Among them, one presence was fiery and wild, reminiscent of thunder, and vaguely similar to the Thunder Origin Divine Body that Gu Jinlai had once cultivated.
"It’s Lei Yuan, Deputy Army Commander Lei Yuan! This is a Martial Saint who follows the path of the Heaven and Earth Demigods. He cultivates the renowned Thunder Origin Divine Body from the Martial Saint inheritance!"
Qi Sheng whispered, "Everyone, be careful not to inadvertently release any aura. Although the Heavenly Chaos Pearl is exquisite, my own strength is too weak to perfectly use this Dao Artifact to seal all aura and light. We still need to be cautious to avoid alerting Lei Yuan."
Zhao Yushu nodded quickly.
Gu Jinlai also withdrew his gaze that was sizing up the direction.
A Refining God Immortal could already sense danger.
Those who have condensed Martial Arts Will and Undying Will can clearly sense when someone’s gaze falls upon them.
At that moment, the group of four swiftly walked in the direction away from Hai Feng City.
Just as they were about to escape the range of Lei Yuan’s perception, Gu Jinlai looked back one last time.
That glance vaguely made Lei Yuan sense something, yet it was not definite.
In addition to the fact that they had arrived at the Sanctum Tower and found it empty with no new clues, he simply followed that faint perception in pursuit.
"If we move too fast, there will be some traces left behind..."
Qi Sheng’s forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Any Devas targeted by a Martial Saint would probably not react any better than he did.
"We can’t afford to delay, speed up,"
Gu Jinlai reiterated.
Seeing this, Qi Sheng had no choice but to increase speed.
As they sped up, just as he said, they indeed left behind some traces.
Lei Yuan, who was initially just suspicious, quickly caught up, a hint of amusement in his expression as if he were a cat about to catch a mouse.
Clearly, he had noticed something.
It seemed that he, too, did not want to make Hai Feng City the battleground, lest it attract the attention of more Martial Saints and Saints. So he just followed them from a distance, hanging back without any rush to approach.
This chase went on swiftly for three to four hundred miles.
Only when they had moved far away from the Outer City District of Hai Feng City, where almost no human habitation or buildings could be seen, did Gu Jinlai finally stop.
Qi Sheng looked back with a somewhat despairing gaze.
Ten miles behind them, Lei Yuan and the dozen or so Martial Kings and Devas Realm experts he led were doggedly following, drawing ever closer to them.
Clearly, because they had moved quickly and not hid their tracks well, Lei Yuan had fully discovered them and what would follow...
"I’m sorry, it’s our fault. You two go on; we’ll try to hold Lei Yuan and his people back,"
Qi Yunxiao said with a somber look on his face.
Zhao Yushu’s little face paled with fear, but she didn’t speak; instead, she turned her gaze to Gu Jinlai.
"To say these words at such a time, I acknowledge your character,"
Gu Jinlai said with a laugh, "Leave the rest to me."
Qi Sheng and Qi Yunxiao stared at Gu Jinlai in astonishment.
The formidable Deputy Army Commander of Hai Feng City, Martial Saint Lei Yuan.
"Take good care of this young lady. Also, stay far away,"
Gu Jinlai instructed, stepping out and leaving the area covered by the grey flow of the Heavenly Chaos Pearl.
He then exerted his Magnetic Field Power, and his figure slowly rose into the air. It was not long before he stood a thousand meters high in the sky, directly facing Lei Yuan and his people ten miles away.
"Senior Gu isn’t fleeing, but instead..."
Qi Yunxiao was somewhat puzzled.
It was Zhao Yushu, however...
She recalled the changes Gu Jinlai had undergone in the few months since arriving at Wind and Rain City.
If he could advance from a High-level Martial King to a Peak Heavenly Being in just a few months, then evolving further into a Martial Saint or even a Saint seemed not that unfathomable.
After all, she had only known Gu Jinlai for a few months, and throughout that time, she had never fully understood his true capabilities.
Her eyes filled with a hint of hope, and more so with anticipation: "Maybe... things aren’t as bad as they seem."
Qi Sheng seemed to guess something, his pupils suddenly dilating: "You don’t mean to say that this Ancient Martial King is..."
Zhao Yushu shook her head, not speaking further, but her gaze remained fixed on Gu Jinlai, who had ascended into the void, refusing to stray in the slightest.
On the other side, Lei Yuan and his companions felt that this barren mountainous region was about suitable.
With their figures accelerating, they quickly reached a kilometer before Gu Jinlai.
As a Martial Saint, Lei Yuan manifested a similar Thunder Magnetic Power, allowing him to levitate in the void. His flying technique seemed no less impressive than that of a Deva.
"What, not running anymore?"
Lei Yuan looked at Gu Jinlai and sneered, "But you have other experts besides the Devas. I must say, that’s unexpected."
"A Martial Saint who cultivates the Thunder Origin Divine Body?"
Gu Jinlai didn’t waste words and simply stretched out his right hand, beckoning with his fingers: "Come on, use all your strength to defeat me! Otherwise, for the sins you bear... you will die!"