Chapter 816: Hunt the Northern Sand King
“Thank you, City Lord Ye, for killing Dongfang Wang’s men. Only then could I kill him,” the Northern Sand King said, setting down his gun. He made no attempt to shoot Ye Mo.
The room was filled with confusion. Anyone else would have immediately fired upon Ye Mo; the weapon could kill even half-step Great Heaven masters.
Ye Mo smiled and nodded. “Very well, no need for thanks. It’s my honor. But my research indicates everyone else here is also Dongfang Wang’s men, so—”
“So that’s it! I almost fell for it!” The Northern Sand King, seething with rage, opened fire, killing three more before disappearing as others attempted to flee.
Ye Mo was stunned. He’d kept the Northern Sand King in his sights, yet his spirit sense couldn't detect him. He'd allowed the killing to proceed, wanting to prevent the hidden sect leader from escaping while others were eliminated. Yet, he'd still gotten away.
Ye Mo couldn't linger. He unleashed a barrage of wind blades and fireballs, obliterating the meeting room. He disregarded the secret files and technology within; his spirit sense swept a twenty-kilometer radius.
Minutes passed, yet he found nothing. He was confident he could kill the Northern Sand King in a fight, but he hadn't anticipated this immediate, unopposed flight. The man was calculating, having planned his escape the moment he'd killed Dongfang Wang.
If so, he was more terrifying than the Dongfang brothers. If he escaped, Ye Mo dared not imagine the consequences for Luo Yue.
He mounted his flying sword, scanning the airspace. Si Xun was in chaos, various organizations vying for power. He ignored this as he approached Si Xun’s outskirts, his worry mounting. The longer the chase, the greater the chance of escape.
Near the sea, something ray-like briefly pierced the edge of his spirit sense. He pursued it instantly.
Even at maximum speed, the shadow darted through the water – a small, rod-shaped submarine, at most two meters long. His speed was no match for it.
Instantly, Ye Mo recognized Ye Xing's design. But he couldn't comprehend how the Northern Sand King had boarded it, evaded his spirit sense, or even escaped the meeting room.
The Northern Sand King's decision to flee stemmed from Ye Mo's silent elimination of the half-step Great Heaven and Earth level masters. He knew he was no match. His strength lay not in combat, but in stealth and evasion; he believed he could outrun anyone. Yet, even his escape methods proved insufficient against Ye Mo.
He finally understood: absolute power rendered even global armies and empires meaningless. Ye Mo could easily kill him.
Two hours later, Ye Mo felt fatigue setting in. He lacked stamina pills, and depleting his cultivation essence risked the Northern Sand King escaping his spirit sense entirely. The submarine's power source likely surpassed his own. Exhaustion would leave him vulnerable. But he couldn't let him go.
Another hour passed. The Northern Sand King, seemingly weary of the sea, approached the land. Ye Mo's spirit sense tracked him piloting the submarine to a beach, then disappearing.
Ye Mo immediately retrieved the submarine. The Northern Sand King's figure darted away, closely followed by Ye Mo's spirit sense.
Until then, Ye Mo had acknowledged the Northern Sand King's speed. The man ran on foot while Ye Mo used a flying sword.
Knowing he was pursued, the Northern Sand King ran without looking back. Ye Mo, despite heavy cultivation essence expenditure, refused to give up. He suspected the use of some aid; a mutant couldn't reach such speed.
Without the flying sword, he wouldn't have attained even a tenth of the Northern Sand King's speed. Not even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could match it.
Reaching China's borderlands, Ye Mo's face was pale, clutching a spirit stone. He was near collapse; continued pursuit risked severe injury.
However, the Northern Sand King had stopped, sitting on the ground. Ye Mo rejoiced, slowly approaching. A few hundred meters away, he paused to recover his cultivation essence.
But the Northern Sand King rose, preparing to flee again. Ye Mo, on the verge of success, couldn't let him escape. Yet, grabbing his flying sword, he discovered his cultivation essence depleted to the point that recovery might take a day.
The Northern Sand King stood, but didn't run. He looked at Ye Mo and laughed. “Ye Mo, you can actually fly! I thought you were just a mutant! Had I known of such power, I'd never have built Northern Sand.”
Ye Mo ignored him, advancing three hundred meters, stopping ten meters away.
“Ye Mo, if I hadn't attacked Luo Yue, would you have still tried to kill me?” the Northern Sand King asked.
Ye Mo gasped. “No. I don't offend those who don't offend me. But you've offended me repeatedly.”
“My greatest regret is offending you. I never imagined someone could fly!” Despair evident, the Northern Sand King said, “One last question.”
Ye Mo sneered. “Keep dreaming! Die!” He launched his flying sword. The threat posed by the Northern Sand King demanded immediate action.