Chapter 420: Chapter 202: The Million Spirit Stones in Hand Are Trying to Run

Xilai Country was still five hundred thousand li from the Jingkong Sea.

He spent another six days traveling and finally arrived near the Jingkong Sea just as the spring breeze of early March swept across the land.

It was currently high noon, and the sun shone brightly.

Standing atop the clouds and gazing into the distance, he saw shimmering waves and the reflection of clouds. The sea and sky merged into one, and the azure heavens were clear for thousands of miles. No wonder it held the beautiful name ’Jingkong,’ or ’Clear Sky’.

The only flaw in this beautiful picture, however, was the heavily guarded coastline, fortified with sentry posts and formations of runes.

A massive number of cultivators, both coming and going, were formed into two long lines, squeezed together before a checkpoint where they were forced to undergo inspection.

There were four such checkpoints in total, strategically placed to block the four relatively safe sea routes.

Unless the Loose Cultivators dared to venture into the territories of Tier Three Demon Beasts or even Tier Four Great Demons, there was no way to avoid these checkpoints when entering or leaving the Jingkong Sea.

The Three Great Clans had mobilized a large number of personnel, and not even Golden Core Loose Cultivators were exempt.

"Why go to all this trouble? What exactly are they checking for?"

Xiao Chen was puzzled. None of the travelogues he had read ever mentioned anything like this in the Eastern Domain.

And despite all the stories Master Yu Cha had told him before he left, he’d never heard of anything like this either.

He moved a little closer. With a mere thought, he extended his Divine Sense to get a better look at the situation ahead.

A large banner fluttered before the checkpoint, emblazoned with the large character for "Zhao." It clearly represented the Zhao Family, one of the Three Great Clans of the Jingkong Sea.

Below the banner was a wanted poster, a full ten feet high.

It featured a life-sized portrait, but the face was somewhat blurry and indistinct, as if obscured by a watery mist.

’So they’re hunting a fugitive,’ Xiao Chen realized.

He understood at once, but at the same time, a curious thought struck him. ’Why does that look so familiar?’

His Divine Sense swept over the text below the portrait, and he was stunned to see a particularly familiar name written in red on a white background—Chen Xiao!

Below it were three lines of smaller text:

This person is at the late stage of Foundation Establishment and is a suspected Wood Spirit Root Cultivator.

Anyone providing a valid lead will be rewarded with 100,000 Spirit Stones upon verification!

Anyone who captures him alive and delivers him for the bounty will be rewarded with one million Spirit Stones on the spot!

???

Xiao Chen stopped in his tracks.

’Wait a minute... isn’t that me?’

There was no mistake. The clothes drawn on the wanted poster were the exact same style as the ones he had worn in the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace.

Hiss—!

Xiao Chen’s brow furrowed instantly. ’What is the Zhao Family playing at? Are they after my inheritance?’

Back in the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace, Zhao Yangming had tried to disrupt his meditation, only to be thrown out by the Immortal Palace’s defenses.

It seemed they clearly hadn’t given up on their wicked designs.

’It’s been so long since I was in the Immortal Palace, yet they’re still hunting me.’

’They even went as far as setting up these checkpoints, disrupting the normal passage of other cultivators and posting a million-stone bounty. They really have spared no expense.’

’Is all this really necessary?’

However, the scene before him proved that the Three Great Clans clearly thought it was necessary and had already taken action.

’Shit!’

Xiao Chen cursed inwardly and immediately turned to fly back the way he came.

Now that he had seen the checkpoint, he wasn’t about to walk right up to it and expose himself.

Fortunately, he’d spotted it early. All he had to do was head back to the Imperial Capital and buy a Disguise Technique, and that should solve the problem of the checkpoint.

As for any other problems that might arise later, well, he would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

But checkpoints like these weren’t just manned by guards in plain sight. They also had hidden sentries operating on a three-month rotation.

The one on duty this season happened to be a Golden Core Cultivator from the Zhao Family, Zhao Hongwen.

He was hidden in a crevice atop a mountain peak a hundred li from the checkpoint, monitoring the movements of passing cultivators.

When he saw Xiao Chen stop in the distance without proceeding, his suspicions were immediately aroused.

When he saw the man turn back, and noted his build was extremely similar to Chen Xiao’s, his spirits soared. ’Got him!’

After all, the million-stone bounty was funded by all three clans, and it applied to him as well.

Zhao Hongwen’s heart leaped with joy. He scrambled out of the crevice, ready to intercept Xiao Chen and claim his reward.

The next moment, however, he was shocked to discover that the other man’s speed was far greater than that of an ordinary cultivator.

He had just raised a hand to block him, not even having time to shout, when Xiao Chen shot past him like a meteor.

’Oh no, my million Spirit Stones are getting away!’

Zhao Hongwen grew anxious. With a wave of his hand, he quickly took out the dual Cloud-Piercing Spirit Shuttle issued by his clan.

The Cloud-Piercing Spirit Shuttle was a specially crafted Spiritual Artifact.

Its primary function was to multiply a cultivator’s speed, making it easier for them to traverse the vast sea regions of the Eastern Domain, which often stretched for tens of thousands of li.

Zhao Hongwen skillfully poured a large amount of True Essence into the Cloud-Piercing Spirit Shuttle, and his entire body transformed into a streak of white light as he gave chase.

Xiao Chen had been deliberately controlling his speed, trying to distance himself from the crowds without attracting attention.

He had even intentionally suppressed his speed to avoid drawing notice.

He never expected that a streak of white light would come chasing straight after him, clearly targeting him.

Clearly, he had been exposed.

’The enemy’s numbers and strength are unknown,’ he thought. ’This is no place to linger. Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, fleeing is the best option.’

With this in mind, he immediately executed Chasing Stars and Racing the Moon, and his speed instantly doubled.

So as not to reveal his full Escape Speed, Xiao Chen deliberately held back, using only eighty percent of his power.

Even so, he instantly widened the gap between himself and the white light behind him.

This burst of speed left the pursuing Zhao Hongwen utterly astonished once more.

’So fast!’

’And if I’m not mistaken, he isn’t even using a Spirit Shuttle. He’s flying faster than one just by using an Escape Technique!’

’This Chen Xiao is actually a cultivator who specializes in Escape Techniques?’

Zhao Hongwen immediately took a deep breath and formed a Hand Technique to activate the Spirit Shuttle’s Restriction.

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