Chapter 983: Befuddled by Money
Ye Mo could only listen, unable to use his spirit sense or sight to observe the intense battle raging above. Searingly hot flames danced overhead, occasionally interspersed with the impact of stones. Initially, he believed his stealth was effective, but the persistent barrage of rocks and pebbles betrayed his presence.
Both combatants were nascent soul state tertiary stage cultivators; he, merely a golden core state middle stage cultivator. While the Three Birth Chant might have concealed him initially, the relentless pebble bombardment would inevitably reveal his position through their spirit sense. With his concealment compromised, remaining hidden served no purpose.
He resolved to flee, immediately exposing himself and making a dash for the ocean. Yet, as he moved, he heard a nascent soul state cultivator shout, "Zheng Yuan, attack!" The meaning eluded him, but he instinctively knew it boded ill. Instantly, a powerful blast obliterated the spot where he'd been hiding.
He'd escaped by a hair's breadth. Had he not anticipated the attack and moved a fraction of a second sooner, he would have been annihilated. Reaching the seaside, the events unfolded in his mind.
The nascent soul state cultivator and spirit beast had already detected him. His prior spirit sense observation, combined with the lingering scent of blood from a two-headed crocodile and the evident battle wreckage, gave him away. However, they feigned ignorance, intending to use him. The cultivator strategically shifted the battle closer, positioning Ye Mo behind the spirit beast before launching his attack and calling out Zheng Yuan's name.
This ruse tricked the spirit beast into believing Ye Mo was an accomplice, prompting an immediate attack. Both cultivators had successfully manipulated the situation. The cultivator had used the beast; the beast had been used. Without his initial suspicion, Ye Mo would have remained oblivious to their machinations, even in death. Even at a safe distance, he felt a roiling of his chi.
"Two cunning bastards!" he muttered, collapsing on the beach. The ongoing battle presented a potential opportunity. The risk was considerable, but he refused to be a pawn.
He finally observed the spirit beast: a level six one-horned flood dragon, strangely bipedal and unsettling in appearance. The nascent soul state cultivator, upon yelling "attack," spat blood, initiating a blood escape technique. However, the spirit beast, unfazed, attacked the cultivator first, ignoring Ye Mo completely.
The cultivator's blood escape was interrupted, needing only a second or two to complete. Facing a full-powered assault from a level six beast, he was in mortal danger. He deployed a massive stamp-like artifact, expanding it to mountain size to deflect the attack. This forced the cultivator to abandon his escape. With decisive action, he severed an arm, the bloody limb mingling with a dark bead as the beast attacked again. The resulting collision produced a deafening rumble, shaking the earth for kilometers.
Ye Mo marveled at the power contained within the dark bead. The cultivator's face was ashen, yet he glared at Ye Mo before expelling more essence blood. Though this was the perfect moment for an ambush, the distance proved insurmountable. Even heavily wounded, the cultivator could easily kill him. Both the spirit beast and cultivator were badly injured, but still formidable.
This presented his only chance to escape. He prepared to flee but abruptly changed course, snatching an object midair before diving into the sea.
"Insect, you court death!" The spirit beast, ignoring its injuries and the nascent soul cultivator, pursued him, only to grasp at a shadow. "You stole my storage ring and think to escape the sea? Dream on!" it roared, plunging into the water.
The nascent soul state cultivator, witnessing this, was stunned. His blast had seemingly severed the beast's arm, yet a mere golden core state level four cultivator had managed to seize the ring. He lamented his blood escape, now useless. A golden core state level four daring to pilfer a level six spirit beast's storage ring – even he coveted the contents, but knew escape would be impossible.
His blood escape activated; he vanished into a bloody shadow. Chi Hong, the flood dragon, ceased its pursuit, distressed by the loss of Ye Mo. How could a golden core cultivator elude his senses in the sea? His spirit sense spanned hundreds of kilometers – he could see a shrimp egg – yet, this cultivator was gone. Losing an arm was regrettable, but losing the storage ring was catastrophic.
Ye Mo knew his impulsive theft was foolish. While his golden page world provided sanctuary, the Heartless Sea, territory of aquatic spirit beasts, made concealment difficult. The golden page world, a floating golden light in the ocean, was hardly inconspicuous.
His greed had been his undoing, fueled by resentment over his earlier manipulation. He had sought recompense. A massive school of white fish suddenly darted past his golden page world. Without hesitation, he directed the world into a fish's mouth. Even so, his unease remained.