Chapter 163: Elder Xie, Wang Xiaoshuai, Departure

On the back of the Black Wind Condor, Xu Wen’s sudden turning of his head immediately caught the attention and vigilance of the other four, who feared the bird had spotted enemies anew and consequently tensed up.

To their surprise, Xu Wen merely glanced at Bi'er and Ku'er, furrowed his brow in deep thought, and then wore an expression of mockery and a cold smile as he spoke:

"I never expected your master to place a telepathic transmission seal on the two of you. Is he truly that terrified of you running away?"

"What?"

Confusion washed over Bi'er's face, failing to grasp the meaning behind Xu Wen’s words. "What is a telepathic transmission seal?"

Ku'er froze for a split second before answering in a low, somber tone, "It is a magic that allows the caster to easily locate us and judge our surrounding environment, no matter the distance."

"..." Bi'er instantly fell silent.

Though she had yet to figure out when this spell was placed upon her or what it truly signified for her, realizing how Xu Wen had uncovered it instilled in her a vague sense of unease.

Xu Wen’s departure was now inevitable!

Yet the seal would undoubtedly expose Xu Wen's whereabouts. If she and her sister were left behind or targeted because of this, their fate would certainly be grim.

Panic immediately showed on the faces of both maidens. Although Ku'er felt deeply aggrieved, she had no choice but to slightly raise her hands, the hidden murderous intent concealed within her sleeves silently locking onto Xu Wen and Wang Xiaoshuai.

The atmosphere atop the Black Wind Condor grew tense once more.

For the first time, Xu Wen felt a trace of sympathy for the two women. There was no such thing as a benign spell; every single one came with negative side effects.

The telepathic transmission seal was no exception. While this curse was primarily used for monitoring and surveillance, it could also subtly alter a person's personality alongside other hidden effects. By placing such a questionable spell on his two female disciples, Budong presumably harbored some unspeakable secrets.

Unless Bi'er and Ku'er could secure the salvation of a nine-star powerhouse whose cultivation surpassed Budong's, they would never be able to rid themselves of him for the rest of their lives.

In terms of cultivation, they were luckier than Lance, who had also been branded with a curse, but when it came to freedom, Lance was far more fortunate than they.

"Don't worry... It's not necessarily a bad thing to let him take a look. We'll go our way, and he'll chase his."

Xu Wen appeared completely unconcerned about Budong observing them from afar, which allowed the two women to breathe a sigh of relief while simultaneously rousing their suspicions.

"You aren't just saying you don't care while planning to stab us in the back the moment we let down our guard, are you?" Ku'er asked warily.

"Believe whatever you like. In the middle of this vast ocean, directions are already difficult to ascertain, and we've been running for so long. Even if that wind-type swordsman wants to pursue us, he might not necessarily discover us before we reach the mainland. Besides, your master's cultivation is merely at the first tier of the nine-star realm, and he just went through a major battle... Before we drop you off, there is no way he can catch up."

Xu Wen’s flawless reply left the two women unable to find any loopholes, finally putting their minds at ease.

On the other side, however, Budong was burning with fury!

Not only had Xu Wen detected his surveillance, but he was also determined to escape. This was terrible news.

He still needed Xu Wen to refine the Restorative Pill for him; how could he possibly allow Xu Wen to slip from his grasp?

Absolutely not!

A flash of dark light crossed his eyes, and Budong's gaze rapidly grew vacant. While his flying speed remained unchanged, his soul seemed to grow rigid, as if detached from his body...

On the Black Wind Condor, a slight tremor rippled through Bi'er's body. The dark aura emanating from Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai surged abruptly, locking their killing intent onto Bi'er, whose eyes had just snapped open to reveal a pair of eerie, pitch-black pupils.

"Master?" Ku'er cried out in alarm.

"Hmph, did you truly think you could escape from beneath my very eyes? Do you believe I wouldn't destroy both of you right now?" Bi'er spoke, her voice low and melodious yet carrying the oppressive aura of a superior nine-star dark mage, inflicting considerable pressure on Xu Wen and the other two.

Xu Wen’s expression shifted slightly.

"Is that so? If I remember correctly, telepathic transmission will drastically reduce your strength, allowing you to display at most the power of the seven-star level. Even if you disregard your disciples' lives, I trust you have no opportunity to make a move."

Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai stepped forward in unison, their oppressive, demonized physiques towering on either side of Bi'er, substantially reinforcing Xu Wen's words.

Bi'er rolled her eyes, making no move that might provoke Xu Wen further, and said instead,

"You are clever, but it seems you've forgotten my disciple's lethal crossbow. With the slightest movement, she can wipe out your contracted beast. Surely you don't believe your soul slave can carry you flying across this ocean by herself?"

The moment those chilling words fell, Xu Wen's hand, tucked inside his sleeve, twitched slightly.

A miscalculation!

He had indeed forgotten to factor that in.

Given an assassin's lethal nature, this tactic would genuinely result in mutual destruction.

Once the Black Wind Condor met with disaster, dead or alive, they stood no chance of escaping Budong's pursuit across this stretch of the sea—an eight-star demonized dark mage simply lacked the stamina to sustain overnight flight, and neither their speed nor endurance could compare to the Black Wind Condor.

"Stop. In consideration of the fact that you haven't given my two disciples a hard time, I can spare you this once." The eerie, gemstone-like pupils of Bi'er radiated an unusual glow.

Xu Wen furrowed his brow.

That old fox Budong truly lived up to his reputation!

This was becoming troublesome!

Regardless of whether Ku'er agreed or not, Budong had ways to secretly sabotage the Black Wind Condor through the curse, which would genuinely place him in grave danger.

It seemed he could only agree temporarily and deal with everything else once they drew close to the mainland.

Lowering his head in contemplation, Xu Wen rolled his eyes and said,

"Stopping is fine, but we were just being hunted down by a nine-star swordsman from a pirate group. What happens if they catch up to us?"

"Hmph! Rest assured about that. The three major pirate groups tore into each other like dogs, and five nine-star experts died—I saw the whole thing with my own eyes. Only the nine-star swordsman you mentioned barely escaped with his life, and he is in no position to pursue you any further."

The information delivered through Budong's mouth not only shattered the last shred of wishful thinking in Xu Wen's heart but also dealt him a massive shock!

"Dead?"

"You don't believe me?" Bi'er let out a string of silver-bell-like, triumphant laughs. "Haha... Their corpses are right in my hands, along with the rare treasure they were fighting over—the Blood Coral Worm! It's enough to elevate me to the high tier of the nine-star realm!" Budong's tone combined with a young girl's voice echoed across the back of the Black Wind Condor, making everyone's hair stand on end.

Yet Xu Wen's eyelids suddenly burst wide open.

"The Blood Coral Worm! That fell into your hands as well?"

"Hmph-hmph!"

A brilliant, bizarre light flared in Bi'er's eyes as she fixed her gaze on Xu Wen, causing a sharp pain in the latter's eyes.

"They wanted to blockade the sea and plot to seize the Blood Coral Worm, never expecting to tear into each other and let me reap the fisherman's profit. Speaking of which, I owe it all to you! If you hadn't suddenly lured that swordsman away, I never could have secured such a massive bounty! Haha!"

"..."

Xu Wen was filled with bitter resentment.

Never had he imagined that after running for his life at full tilt, all the benefits would be snatched away by this vicious wolf. Truly, the heavens were blind.

An upstart! She was a total upstart!

"Enough of this nonsense. Tell your flying beast to stop, or don't blame me for making a move against you," Bi'er said.

Xu Wen tightened his jaw. After hesitating for a few seconds, the Black Wind Condor finally slowed its flight speed.

"Master!"

Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai wore expressions of complex conflicting emotions, finding it hard to believe that Xu Wen had actually compromised with Budong.

They had come this far, right on the verge of escaping this sea of misery, only to be forced to obediently turn back! Their hearts were brimming with vexation and depression.

However... Xu Wen's next sentence plunged the two into an even deeper state of shock.

"You two leave."

"Ah?"

"What?"

Stunned and bewildered, both stared at Xu Wen, awaiting his elaboration.

A hint of oddity also surfaced in Bi'er's eyes as she watched Xu Wen, seemingly pondering his motives.

Disregarding the fact that Budong was listening right beside them, Xu Wen stated,

"Since he knows about the nine-star swordsman hunting us down, and has already planted the telepathic transmission seal on his two disciples, none of our actions can escape his eyes and ears. For now, he doesn't dare lay a hand on me, but as for you two, he will show absolutely no mercy. With you by my side helping me, he will have too many misgivings. I believe he would be more than happy to sever you two as my limbs and keep me firmly under his control."

Hearing this, Ku'er's expression shifted slightly. She cast a glance at Xu Wen before lowering her head once more.

"You needn't worry about that. Two demonized lackeys are hardly worth my concern. Leaving them by your side, I doubt they could stir up any waves," Bi'er chimed in.

"Is that so?" Xu Wen chuckled softly. "Do you honestly expect me to believe such insincere words? Putting aside everything else, simply because they know you possess the Blood Coral Worm and the secret of the Restorative Pill, you would never let them leave alive to follow you back to the Dark Empire. Am I wrong?"

As he spoke, beneath Bi'er's astonished gaze, he summoned a fully armored skeleton warrior.

Flipping open his cylinder boots, he pulled out a dozen porcelain vials and handed them respectively to Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai, saying, "These Restorative Pills are more than enough for you to find a peaceful place to hide."

"Xu Wen!" Bi'er roared in fury! A rare look of intense rage finally crossed her face. Xu Wen had actually managed to secretly refine so many Restorative Pills behind her back! Curse him for making her believe his earlier claims about how difficult the pills were to brew.

If not for the fact that her avatar possessed only seven-star strength, she would have wanted to immediately snatch every single one of those Restorative Pills right out of Xu Wen's hands!

Ignoring Budong's intense reaction entirely, Xu Wen calmly instructed the two:

"Use them sparingly, and you'll easily last a few years. Once you're thoroughly accustomed to your eight-star demonized bodies, come find me in the Dark Empire then!"

"Master!"

"Master!"

Both Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai were filled with deep emotion and reluctance to part.

"Rest assured, until his Dark Magic Sword ability reaches completion, he won't dare lay a hand on me. I'll also seize the time to cultivate over the next few years. I'll be waiting for you to come rescue me."

Discussing future escape plans right in front of Budong repeatedly sparked furious, murderous intent in Bi'er, yet ultimately, it was never unleashed.

(To be continued)