Pei Tianyi, though his cultivation had fallen, was no fool. He quickly noticed someone tailing him and sensed demonic energy. His expression immediately grew solemn, and his steps became cautious.
The girl tailed Pei Tianyi, while Gu Changhuai and Rong Ye followed the pair. Gu Changhuai’s gaze swept over the girl once, and he said in a low voice, “This visitor means no good. She’s tracking him so openly.”
Rong Ye replied, “Deliberately so.”
The girl followed Pei Tianyi from a distance—not too close, not too far. She wasn’t being careful at all, nor was she concealing her aura. Instead, her eyes were glued to Pei Tianyi.
As if she were afraid he wouldn’t notice her.
Gu Changhuai said, “Let’s watch a bit longer.”
He crossed his arms leisurely, watching from above. Compared to the Wandering God Ceremony, he was clearly more interested in what was about to unfold.
Fireworks burst into the sky as the hour arrived—the Wandering God Ceremony had begun. They were in the central area, some distance from the western part of the city, so the drifting sounds of drums and music carried a hazy quality.
Most people headed toward the west side of the city. Pei Tianyi used the flow of the crowd to move in the opposite direction, hoping to evade the Demon Clan girl’s line of sight.
But the girl had no intention of hiding. Demonic energy even gathered in her hand as her eyes flashed with ruthless intent. She launched it straight at Pei Tianyi!
This move could easily endanger the surrounding civilians.
Gu Changhuai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
In the next instant, a surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from beside him. Merging with the wind, it formed a barrier that completely isolated the aura generated from Pei Tianyi’s clash with the Demon Clan girl into another space.
From outside, onlookers could only see the silhouettes of the two fighting, but they felt none of the spiritual energy or demonic aura emanating from them. No bystanders would be harmed.
Whoa!
Gu Changhuai looked up in surprise. “You even invented this trick?”
To keep people in the same space while only separating spiritual and demonic energy required extremely powerful cultivation. However, few bothered to study such spells deliberately.
Cultivators with that level of power usually preferred opening a small pocket space to drag everyone in and fight without affecting the surroundings.
Rong Ye said, “Just passing the time.”
“Don’t hole up in Waterside Residence all day. Get out more when you have nothing to do.” Gu Changhuai pulled out a handful of chestnuts and started peeling them. He casually shoved some into Rong Ye’s hands as well. His gaze remained fixed on Pei Tianyi and the Demon Clan girl battling back and forth in midair, occasionally tossing in a comment or two.
The civilians mistook their fight for a special performance at the Wandering God Ceremony and soon gathered a crowd, clapping and cheering.
“Oh my, I wonder which troupe this acrobatics act is from. So exciting—looks just like the real thing!”
“Yeah! Look at that sword—it glows!”
Someone else sighed, “Why’s that young man just dodging around? He’s got such a fine sword but keeps getting pushed back by a girl.”
Gu Changhuai noticed that Pei Tianyi’s hand gripping the sword was trembling slightly—or rather, it was his Lifebound Sword that trembled. His eyes stilled as he focused intently.
Pei Tianyi seemed to be struggling to cope.
Suddenly, the Demon Clan girl whipped out a lash and coiled it toward Pei Tianyi.
Pei Tianyi raised his sword to block. The impact of the demonic energy sent him staggering back two steps. A surge roiled through his spiritual meridians. Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze. The Lifebound Sword in his grip shook even more violently—he was finding it harder and harder to control it.
He couldn’t afford to keep fighting.
Pei Tianyi leaped into the air and flew toward the Wandering God Ceremony in the western part of the city. “Still want to run?!” The Demon Clan girl scowled fiercely and chased after him.