Chapter 158: Trapped in a Deadly Deadlock Once More, the Killing Intent of a Nine-Star Expert

"What... was that just now?"

Atop the Black Wind Condor, although the other four hadn't spotted the Sky Eagle, they could still infer a few things from Xu Wen's pale complexion and the startling phenomenon in the distance—especially given how abruptly Xu Wen had veered the bird in a completely new direction.

"An auspicious portent over the sea usually heralds the emergence of a treasure, accompanied by a flood of crimson light. It should be a cluster of millennium blood corals. However, something of this scale will likely be accompanied by a fierce beast known as the 'Blood Coral Worm.' If the three major pirate fleets blockaded the sea for months precisely because they discovered the Blood Coral Worm... that wouldn't be surprising at all. After all, the essence of both the Blood Coral Worm and the millennium blood coral are extraordinarily precious, high-grade elixirs."

True to being Budong's chief disciple, Ku'er hit the nail almost entirely on the head with her very first remark.

Aside from Wang Xiaoshuai and Elder Xie, who still seemed unfamiliar with the origins of the blood coral, Bi'er wore a look of sudden realization, while Xu Wen's expression was one of profound shock.

The Blood Coral Worm.

No wonder... no wonder that nine-star powerhouse had merely glanced over their way before departing with such haste. With the weak composition of the Black Wind Condor's passengers—one eight-star, three seven-stars, and one six-star—let alone seizing any treasures, simply getting close would spell mortal peril.

Although Xu Wen was deeply tempted by the prospects, preserving his life took precedence... Whether it was the Blood Coral Worm or the nine-star powerhouse, either could easily crush everyone aboard the Black Wind Condor into dust.

Once he understood the situation over there, Xu Wen did not hesitate for a second and chose to flee at top speed.

Yet sometimes, fate truly loves to play cruel tricks!

The more you try to avoid trouble, the more it clings to you like maggots on rotting bone, following right behind.

After flying at high speed for half a day, Xu Wen had shifted their course toward the southeast, drawing closer and closer to the mainland. He had thought that this would allow them to shake off the trouble completely, but he never expected—

Around noon on the second day... the Black Wind Condor suddenly turned its head and let out a sharp, piercing cry.

Having flown in silence for so long, this sudden noise alerted even Elder Xie and the others, who knew the bird must have discovered something, and they anxiously turned to look at Xu Wen.

Xu Wen glanced back over his shoulder and cursed under his breath, "Damn it."

They had flown for so long, yet someone was still giving chase.

And as if that weren't enough, it was a nine-star powerhouse pursuing them—more than one, in fact!

"This world is entirely too chaotic."

Xu Wen could not help groaning inwardly. Were a few rookie-level characters really worth such a frantic pursuit by multiple nine-star powerhouses? This was far too absurd of a joke!

Or could it be that the few members of the Heavenly King Pirate Fleet they had previously wiped out possessed extraordinary identities?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Xu Wen quickly connected it to Gou Qian's departure, and his heart began to pound... Fortunately, the situation quickly clarified itself!

The flight speed of a nine-star powerhouse vastly surpasses that of a tier-five magical beast. Before long, the figures of four people in the distance grew increasingly distinct, gradually making the five individuals on the Black Wind Condor realize that the pursuers might not actually be after them.

All four of them appeared rather disheveled, two fleeing in front, and two pursuing in the rear... The two in front were flying as if their lives depended on it!

The two behind seemed to be hunting the former pair, radiating an overwhelming murderous intent.

As for the Black Wind Condor and its five passengers hovering ahead in the open sky, none of the four interlopers paid them any mind, maintaining their speed and unwavering trajectory.

They might not have changed their flight path, but Xu Wen did not dare to stay the course!

If things continued this way, they would sooner or later be caught in the crossfire.

Through the eyes of the Black Wind Condor, Xu Wen had already confirmed that one of the pursuers was none other than Langzi, the leader of the Heavenly King Pirate Fleet—the very nine-star water mage who should have been dealing with Budong. Accompanying him was a wind-attribute swordsman with frosted white hair at his temples, flying at an astonishing speed.

Meanwhile, the fleeing man and woman were stained with patches of blood, their complexions pale as paper, flying blindly without a single moment of respite for fear of being overtaken by the figures behind them.

The Black Wind Condor let out a low cry, altering its course to bank sideways and swerve away from the flight path of the four nine-star powerhouses.

Xu Wen remained relatively calm, and the new route he chose was calculated with precision!

The moment the fleeing party veered toward them, they would inevitably force their pursuers to close the distance. Simultaneously, Elder Xie, Xu Wen, and Wang Xiaoshuai activated their strongest defensive skills and magic at once, adopting a posture of bracing for impact. If the pursuers were solely intent on hunting down the two figures ahead of them, they would surely not waste time annihilating mere collateral bystanders over here.

"Those cunning foxes."

Upon spotting the Black Wind Condor and its five passengers, the fleeing man and woman had indeed harbored thoughts of utilizing the five individuals on the beast to stall the pursuit of Langzi and the Sky Eagle, temporarily easing their own pressure.

Yet what they hadn't anticipated was how swiftly the other party would react.

Cursing inwardly while maintaining their course to continue fleeing, they cast a fierce, resentful glare back at those shameless fellows, filled with a mixture of regret and hatred.

Ever since the Sky Eagle had withdrawn from the blood coral cluster, the four nine-star powerhouses of the Skeleton and Fierce Dragon pirate fleets had risked serious injury to each secure a 'Blood Coral Worm.'

Although they had sustained heavy injuries during the subsequent pursuit, acquiring two Blood Coral Worms could still be considered a substantial harvest!

What they never expected, however, was that while they were resting and preparing to launch a second round of hunting before the worms returned to the coral cluster, Langzi and the Sky Eagle would suddenly launch a vicious, opportunistic ambush from the depths of the water. Striking without warning, their opening assault destroyed the leaders of both the Skeleton and Fierce Dragon pirate fleets, leaving each faction with one dead and one wounded.

"One is wind, the other is water. It looks like we won't be able to outrun them," the male mage said, his face completely drained of color as he turned to look at the woman beside him, who looked equally ghostly.

The woman's gaze, however, carried an intensely venomous and burning hatred. Hearing this, she gnashed her teeth and spat out every single word with venom: "Those two heartless bastards."

"Stabbing us in the back like that... Brother Qin died just like that... As long as I live to return, I won't let them go even if I have to chase them to the ends of the earth! I'll tear them into a thousand pieces!!"

"When the time comes, I will personally lead troops to level the Heavenly King Pirate Fleet, leaving not a single dog or chicken alive!!" The woman's hatred was terrifying; the chilling, murderous intent in her voice caused even the mage beside her to shake his head... Just what time and place did she think this was?

Whether they could even escape alive today was a question, yet she was still fixated on revenge.

Langzi was a water mage and the Sky Eagle a wind swordsman; one dominated the seas while the other faced few rivals in the skies. By contrast, the two of them... were severely wounded, and merely managing to hide from them would already be a supreme stroke of fortune.

With a heavy sigh, they could only continue forcing their exhausted spiritual energy. Although the conversation between the two fleeing individuals did not reach the ears of the pursuers behind them, Langzi and the Sky Eagle were giving chase with exceptional ease... Both of their cultivation realms surpassed those of the two ahead.

The two chief leaders of the Skeleton and Fierce Dragon pirate fleets—individuals whose cultivation had been on par with their own—had been brutally executed during that surprise attack through the combined force of the two pursuers and the Blood Coral Worms. Their corpses were still resting inside their spatial rings.

Now... although the Blood Coral Worms were in the possession of the two ahead, the pursuers were in no rush at all.

Across this boundless expanse of sea, the nearest mainland was still two days and a night's flight away. They only needed to close in when the fugitives' spiritual energy was nearly exhausted, and they could reap everything they desired without expending too much effort.

The corpses of two nine-star powerhouses, their treasured heirlooms, the two Blood Coral Worms, and the remaining forces of the Skeleton and Fierce Dragon pirate fleets would all belong to the two of them!

"That winged beast..."

The Sky Eagle glanced toward the side, frowning slightly as he looked at Langzi beside him.

"That's probably the person the nine-star dark mage wanted to protect, isn't it? How did you let him slip away? This matter might become troublesome."

"What could I do?"

Langzi rolled his eyes, replying with a hint of regret: "After that fellow underwent demonic transformation, his combat capability was indeed no lower than mine. If he was determined to escape, I couldn't completely exterminate him either. Besides, I hadn't expected the Blood Coral Worms to appear a day early."

The Sky Eagle pondered for a moment, determination flashing in his eyes.

"No! If that nine-star dark mage is truly, as you said, merely creating a chance for them to escape, he must have planted a spiritual imprint on them... Leaving those few behind... will always remain a hidden hazard!"

Langzi nodded silently.

"The injuries he sustained weren't heavy. If he trails after us, our plan might hit unexpected snags... How about this? I'll continue pursuing these two, and you go deal with those people before catching up."

"Very well."

The Sky Eagle lifted his eyelids, and the battle aura around his body suddenly surged. Like a cannonball, his entire figure altered course, breaking away from the trajectory of the fleeing man and woman and streaking off in the direction where the Black Wind Condor had fled.

"Oh?"

This sudden maneuver instantly drew the attention of the two ahead.

The woman let out a startled gasp, immediately feeling the oppressive weight crushing down on her drastically diminish, bringing a profound sense of relief.

The man and woman exchanged glances, each seeing a glimmer of hope in the other's eyes.

"What do we do?"

"Wait!"

"Good!"

The two communicated via sound transmission and made their decision.

Right now, the Sky Eagle had not yet flown too far away.

Moreover, given the flight speed of the Black Wind Condor, it would not be easy for the Sky Eagle to catch up in a short time.

Once the distance widened, Langzi would be left isolated and unsupported. Even though both of them were injured, fighting two-on-one would allow them to secure victory with ease.

Yet Langzi merely wore a smile, maintaining his speed as he continued to hound the two fugitives from behind, looking utterly confident and in control!

Amidst an eerie silence, the figures of the Sky Eagle and the Black Wind Condor rapidly shrank into tiny black dots in the eyes of the three remaining individuals...

"They're coming after us!"

Aboard the Black Wind Condor, the faces of Xu Wen and the other four turned pale. Feeling the rapidly approaching, unmasked oppression and murderous intent from behind, their hearts sank heavily.

Even with the defensive skills and magic of three individuals protecting their exteriors, all five of them still felt a chilling draft sweeping through... Xu Wen bore the brunt of the pressure. Throughout his entire body, he not only had to withstand the crushing might of the nine-star powerhouse, but also help the Black Wind Condor resist that terrifying wave of spiritual suppression and threat.

Cold sweat rolled down his forehead, drop by drop!

Burning with anxiety, Xu Wen's gaze flickered rapidly, his mind operating at maximum capacity as he frantically searched for a way to escape with their lives.

Beside him, Wang Xiaoshuai watched as the tiny black dot in the distance grew progressively larger. He cast a deep look at Xu Wen, then glanced at Elder Xie, who was currently exhibiting a demonic transformation state. With a hardened resolve, Wang Xiaoshuai put away his defensive skill and Flying Dragon Spear. A layer of dark barrier erupted from within his body, and rolling dark wisps rapidly enveloped the entire perimeter of the Black Wind Condor.

(To be continued)