Chapter 706: The Flame Bird

The place where Nie Tian was pointing at was a high-risen hill on the meteor.

“Are you sure?” Qiao Yunxi didn’t seem to trust his judgment.

Her cultivation base was higher than Nie Tian’s, yet she failed to discover anyone with her soul awareness.

Nie Tian nodded vigorously, and answered with great certainty, “There must be a few dozen people hiding over there! And I’m a hundred percent sure that they’re human cultivators! Outsiders’ flesh auras are much more profound than humans’.”

Any living being would release two types of energies: soul fluctuations and flesh aura.

Human Qi warriors were normally very sensitive when it came to soul fluctuations.

However, they weren’t even nearly as good at sensing flesh auras as outsiders.

Outsiders had tough bodies and unique bloodline powers. Therefore, their perception of flesh auras was much shrewder than humans.

Because of this, humans usually scanned their surroundings by detecting soul fluctuations, while outsiders sensed flesh auras by relying on their special bloodline power.

With either of these two methods, they could locate living beings that were hiding in their surroundings, so they were equally effective.

Since Nie Tian carried a unique bloodline called Life Bloodline, he was vested with the ability to sense flesh auras, which could also be referred to as life auras.

He had scanned that huge meteor and discovered a few dozen life auras that were rather weak. Only humans’ life auras would be that weak.

If they were outsiders, their life auras would have been much more vigorous, like an ever-erupting volcano.

Sitting on the air-transportation spiritual tool that was made from a Vermillion Bird, Qiaon Yunxi pondered for a moment before saying, “I’ll trust you this time!”

Then, instead of leaving at the first possible moment, she charged the air-transportation spiritual tool at the huge meteor at an even faster speed.

Nie Tian’s expression flickered. “What are you doing?!” 

He had warned her, and Qiao Yunxi had said that she would trust him this time, so why would she still want to jump into the trap?

Qian Yunxi gave a cold harrumph. “Will you shut up already?!” 

Nie Tian burst into a flaming rage. “If you have a death wish, can you at least leave me out of it?!” 

He was prepared to summon his Star Boat in the next moment and leave on his own.

WHOOSH!

Just as their air-transportation spiritual tool was about to reach the meteor, Qiao Yunxi suddenly changed directions and bounced away like a streak of flames.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Misty spiritual power suddenly burst out from behind the hill as one air-transportation spiritual tool after another shot up into the air.

Standing on those air-transportation spiritual tools were numerous Bliss Mountain Sect Qi warriors. Their Holy Daughter, Mu Biqiong, was among them.

The scene made Qiao Yunxi grow cold with fear. “It’s hard to believe that you were actually right!”

Even more fierce flames burst out from within each and every bone of the Vermillion Bird as the air-transportation spiritual tool sped into space like a dashing meteor.

The distance between them and the pursuing Bliss Mountain Sect disciples grew longer and longer.

Standing on the foremost air-transportation spiritual tool, a late Profound realm Qi warrior from the Bliss Mountain Sect thundered angrily, “Dammit! How did she know that we were hiding there?

“I masked all of our soul fluctuations with my spiritual tool. Considering her cultivation base, she shouldn't have sensed our presence!”

Wearing a veil, Mu Biqiong looked rather shapely. Her bright eyes that looked like gems were also filled with confusion.

With the help of their special tool, they had detected a divine flame seal on this sizable meteor.

Divine flame seals were usually used to pass on information between Divine Flame Sect disciples. From that divine flame seal, Qiao Yunxi would be able to learn the whereabouts of the other Divine Flame Sect members, and then go meet up with them.

As soon as they had found that divine flame seal, they had realized that Qiao Yunxi would definitely come to this meteor.

Therefore, they had prepared for a long time, masking their soul fluctuations with special spiritual tools, then waited for Qiao Yunxi to walk into their ambush.

As they had expected, Qiao Yunxi had indeed sensed the divine flame seal and found her way to this meteor.

However, just as she was about to land to get that divine flame seal, she seemed to sense the danger. Then, she gave up decisively and left at full speed.

Mu Biqiong felt rather frustrated.

Watching the blazing Vermilion Bird fly farther and farther away from them, Mu Biqiong said with a grim face, “Send word to the others and tell them to try their best to block her. It seems that we won’t be able to catch up to her.”

She knew that blazing air-transportation spiritual tool of Qiao Yunxi’s very well.

Named the Flame Bird, it drew power from the skeleton of a Vermilion Bird, and it was the sixth fastest air-transportation spiritual tool throughout the entire Domain of Heaven’s Boundaries.

It was none other than this Flame Bird that had helped Qiao Yunxi escape from them repeatedly.

Even if Soul realm experts gathered all of their strength to speed through the sky, they still wouldn’t be able to match the Flame Bird’s speed.

Only Void domain experts would be able to outfly and intercept it.

However, Mu Biqiong didn’t even have a single Soul realm expert on her team, much less any Void domain experts.

She had long since realized that she would have to set up a trap and lure Qiao Yunxi in if she wanted to catch and kill her.

As long as Qiao Yunxi didn’t fall into her trap, she would always be able to escape from them by relying on the unparalleled speed and agility of her Flame Bird before they could form a full blockade around her.

“I noticed earlier that there was another person standing beside that girl on her Flame Bird,” the late Profound realm Bliss Mountain Sect expert said, frowning. “But I didn’t see who he was, since they were rather far from us and I didn’t dare to unleash my soul awareness, fearing that I’d alert them. I’m guessing he might be the one who sensed the danger.”

Mu Biqiong nodded slightly. “I saw that man too. He and Qiao Yunxi were both blocked from sight by the Flame Bird’s fierce flames. I didn’t see his face either. But I have a feeling that he isn’t very powerful. Otherwise, even knowing that we were here, they would have landed and fought us.”

“That’s right,” the Bliss Mountain Sect expert chimed in. “That girl is well aware of our strength. The fact that she avoided fighting us means that the man with her isn’t very strong.”

Face grim, Mu Biqiong ordered, “Send word to our people first. Tell them to do everything they can to block her and prevent her from reuniting with Yue Yanxi.” 

“Got it.”

…

WHOOSH!

The Flame Bird came to a stop on a medium-sized floating meteor hours later.

At this point, they had long since lost the pursuing air-transportation spiritual tools.

Qiao Yunxi jumped onto the Flame Bird’s skull and stuffed a number of red stones that seemed to contain flame power into its mouth.

One stone after another slid into the bird’s abdomen, following its neck.

FIZZ! FIZZ!

Wisps of fiery aura started to rise from the bird’s abdomen and spread to every one of its bones to replenish their flame power.

“There was a divine flame seal on that meteor,” Qiao Yunxi explained. “I can detect them with a special instrument. Grand elder left several of them along his way as he traveled so that I would be able to learn his whereabouts through them. I have to find those divine flame seals one after another in order to follow their track and eventually meet up with them.

“I bet Grand elder didn’t expect that people from the Bliss Mountain Sect would also come to this region. Otherwise, he would have been much more cautious.

“From the look of it, that bitch found that divine flame seal, set up a trap, and waited for me to walk into it.

“She’s no stranger to my Flame Bird’s speed. She knows that she’ll never be able to catch me if she doesn’t use traps.”

As she explained, Qiao Yunxi continued to feed the Flame Bird with materials that contained flame power.

Nie Tian could tell that, since his reminder had helped them avoid danger, the girl had changed her attitude towards him somewhat.

“But the trouble is,” Qiao Yunxi said. “since we can’t get that divine flame seal, I won’t be able to follow the information left by the grand elder and find the next one,

“Without them to guide us, we won’t be able to meet up with the grand elder.

“There must be other Bliss Mountain Sect disciples in this region. They definitely haven’t given up on searching for me. Our lives will always be in danger before we meet up with the grand elder.

“If the Bliss Mountain Sect sends one of their Void domain experts after us, then...”

She was well-aware that her Flame Bird would only allow her to outrun Worldly realm, Profound realm, and Soul realm experts, but if a Void domain expert from the Bliss Mountain Sect were to come after her, even the Flame Bird wouldn’t be able to save her.

The problem was would the Bliss Mountain Sect send a Void domain expert after her?

She was the most valued core disciple of the Divine Flame Sect. Her status in the Divine Flame Sect was equal to Mu Biqiong’s in the Bliss Mountain Sect. If she was killed, it would be very difficult for the Divine Flame Sect to find someone else that was strong enough to become their future sectmaster.

The sectmaster of the Divine Flame Sect had already lost his son. If anything were to happen to her, the Divine Flame Sect would lose a great deal of vital energy.

“Without those divine flame seals, we’ll have nothing to give us directions...” Nie Tian pondered for a few seconds before adding, “Let me see if I can find something.”

WHOOSH!

He summoned the Spirit Pearl from within his ring of holding and sent a wisp of soul awareness into it.

Moments later, his eyes lit up.