Bai Liejiu, Tang Jinglong, and the others were shocked, their gazes snapping to the spot where Ji Xuan had fallen.
There was nothing left but a discarded cicada shell. Ji Xuan's corpse was nowhere to be seen.
"Golden Cicada Shedding?"
Ao Qin's heart trembled slightly.
"What kind of technique is that? I've never seen it before. Could there really be such a life-saving trump card in this world?"
Tang Jinglong furrowed his brows deeply, astonishment written across his face.
Ao Qin thought for a moment before explaining, "It's said that in ancient times, there was a rare beast called the Rebirth Cicada."
"It would shed its shell once every thousand years. The cicada shell it left behind was an excellent life-saving item—capable of blocking one fatal strike."
"Rebirth Cicadas are incredibly rare. After seven molts, they die. With strong cultivators fighting over them, their numbers dwindled even further."
"To think Ji Xuan managed to obtain one of their shells."
Bai Liejiu slapped his thigh hard. "We can't let him escape!"
"Ji Xuan is cunning beyond measure. He's surely got more schemes. If he escapes today, we'll never know peace!"
Shi Tian and Lang Ben both nodded immediately. "He's right."
Everyone turned their attention to Shen Mo.
But Shen Mo walked straight toward Lü Dongxuan.
"Senior Brother, how are you?"
He took out a healing pill and fed it into Lü Dongxuan's mouth.
The pain in Lü Dongxuan's body eased considerably.
Yet sweat had completely soaked through his robes, front and back—he looked like he'd been pulled out of a river.
Lü Dongxuan forced a weak smile. "Junior Brother, thank you."
He knew that if not for Shen Mo, he would've already lost all reason and become a weapon in Ji Xuan's hand.
The only reason he could still maintain self-awareness and slowly recover was thanks to Shen Mo's help.
"Junior Brother, what about Ji Xuan?" Lü Dongxuan looked in the direction Ji Xuan had fled.
Shen Mo smiled faintly. "The direction he fled—someone is waiting."
Lü Dongxuan nodded. "That's good, then."
Bai Liejiu, Tang Jinglong, and the others let out a breath of relief.
Even Ji Xuan's escape had been within Shen Mo's calculations.
Truly like a prophet who foresaw everything!
Ao Qin recalled the battle just moments ago. The more he thought about it, the more he felt Shen Mo was like a deep ocean—immeasurable.
No matter what tricks Ji Xuan used, Shen Mo always had a counter.
It felt like the entire fight had been under Shen Mo's control from the beginning.
"Grab that old bastard!"
Shi Tian pointed at Ao Guang and cursed.
Ao Guang laughed awkwardly and raised his claws without resistance. "I surrender."
Ao Qin sneered coldly. "Now you surrender? Where was this attitude earlier?"
Ao Guang wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and bury himself in it.
"Let's go. Let's see the downfall of the Human Emperor."
Shen Mo tapped the ground lightly and shot off like a gust of wind.
The others quickly followed.
They too wanted to know who Shen Mo had left behind to intercept Ji Xuan.
—
Ninth Level, a hidden valley deep within the Sea of Demon Suppression.
Ji Xuan gritted his teeth as he fled into the valley.
He had used the last of his talismans to push his speed to the limit, barely escaping with his life.
His dharma bodies were destroyed, and he was seriously injured.
But at least he still retained his Nirvana Realm physical body.
Ordinary Dharma Body cultivators were still no match for him.
As long as he didn't run into someone too strong, he could still survive!
"Damn it, I still can't sense the will of Heaven."
"If I'd known, I would have left the Sea of Demon Suppression sooner."
"With the will of Heaven behind me, how could I have ended up like this!"
Ji Xuan struggled to connect with Heaven's will.
But this was the ninth level of the Sea of Demon Suppression.
The deeper one went, the weaker the influence of Heaven's will became.
It was normal not to sense it here.
Ji Xuan looked ahead toward a pitch-black tunnel and suddenly burst into laughter.
This passage led straight to the first level of the Sea of Demon Suppression.
Once there, he'd be able to reestablish contact with Heaven's will.
"Shen Mo, I laugh at your foolishness!"
"If you had known about this passage and posted someone here in advance, I'd be dead for sure!"
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