Chapter 726 - 422: The Unexpected Big Brother

As the saying goes, never pursue a desperate foe. Knowing their opponents were scheming something, Zou Feng’s group naturally wouldn’t continue the chase.

Although their plan was to beat Gongyang Wuji at his own game and finally have the clash they wanted, that didn’t mean they had to knowingly walk into a trap.

After all, if they let their enemies lead them by the nose, they risked a terrible outcome. In the worst-case scenario, even if they managed to kill Gongyang Wuji, they would be surrounded by other Tribulation Cultivators with no way to escape.

In any case, Zou Feng wasn’t about to foolishly give chase.

The group changed direction and continued to shadow the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s main army, which was the safest route by far.

And sure enough, during the rest of their journey, small squads of Tribulation Cultivators periodically appeared to harass Zou Feng and his companions.

Much like the first encounter, the ambushing squads were clearly powerful, yet they had no intention of engaging in a real fight. They would typically launch a few sneak attacks from a distance and then immediately flee.

Although this harassment didn’t cause them any substantial harm, it was incredibly frustrating.

It also disrupted their normal rhythm of hunting for stragglers.

Essentially, the hunt was over. They couldn’t gain anything from it, which made Ye Chenhua once again consider retreating.

So, after several more days, Ye Chenhua made his position clear: they were completely wasting their time. He argued it would be better, and safer, to return to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

Or, they could just join the main army and take part in the large-scale battles against the Tribulation Cultivators instead of insisting on hunting for targets on their own.

Ye Chenhua’s proposal caused Zou Feng’s desire to have one last big feast to waver.

After all, ever since that highly mobile Tribulation Cultivator squad had started targeting them, not only had Gongyang Wuji failed to appear, but their own hunting operations had come to a standstill.

Continuing to drag things out like this was truly a waste of time.

But if he chose to join the main army, he would lose his freedom of action, and the chance to confront Gongyang Wuji alone would become virtually impossible.

Zou Feng mulled it over and finally decided to just head back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

Although he hadn’t been able to feast on Gongyang Wuji, the spoils from his recent hunts were more than enough to digest for a while.

Besides, he had not only broken through successfully but had also made an absolute killing from his hunts, which had allowed his Realm to reach the Golden Core Middle Stage with unreasonable speed.

This rate of advancement was absurd. Only someone like Zou Feng could afford not to worry about side effects; for anyone else, this would have certainly planted the seeds of significant future trouble.

However, having no side effects didn’t mean he didn’t need to properly consolidate his gains and lay a solid foundation for climbing to even greater heights later.

Once he had thought it through, Zou Feng turned to Jiang Wanzhao, as he needed to ask her opinion as well.

To his surprise, however, Jiang Wanzhao had no intention of returning to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect just yet.

Logically, she was supposed to be atoning for her past mistakes through meritorious service, and by now, she had certainly earned enough merits.

But Jiang Wanzhao still couldn’t get over the hurdle in her own heart.

She was especially spurred on by the power Zou Feng had shown after his breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

"I’ve decided not to go back. I’m going to join the main army and continue participating in the northern expedition!" Jiang Wanzhao stated her intentions proactively, with almost no hesitation.

Just one look at her expression told Zou Feng there was no point in trying to dissuade her.

"Then... take care of yourself, Senior Sister Jiang!"

Jiang Wanzhao smiled charmingly and waved her hand.

In reality, she was relishing this life on the edge.

Compared to the past, when she had lost even the opportunity to campaign in the Outer Realm, this situation was actually a much better fit for her path of cultivation.

Having made their decisions, the trio wasted no more time and immediately went their separate ways.

Jiang Wanzhao departed alone, speeding toward the main army of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

Although she left alone, the main army was not far, and with Nascent Soul experts clearly standing guard nearby, her journey was paradoxically the safest.

As for Zou Feng and Ye Chenhua, they would continue their journey back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect on the Flying Celestial Ship.

With the two of them still traveling together, their safety was naturally guaranteed as well.

Furthermore, as long as they retraced the path the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s main army had taken, they would benefit from a layer of "invisible" protection.

After all, it was inconceivable that the main army hadn’t left arrangements along its route, such as special Magical Treasures to act as surveillance.

After all, an expedition like this needed a relatively safe route for evacuating the wounded from the front lines back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

A disciple like Zou Feng, who had just broken through to the Golden Core Realm and showed the potential to become a direct disciple, would be a high-priority individual as long as he stuck to the main path back.

If any Nascent Soul Realm cultivator from the Tribulation Cultivator Camp tried to target Zou Feng, the Immortal Sect’s own Nascent Soul experts in the area would immediately sense it.

So, in theory, as long as he didn’t deviate from the path, Zou Feng had no need to fear being targeted by a Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivator.

As for Golden Core Realm Tribulation Cultivators...

A threat of that level probably wouldn’t attract the attention of the Nascent Soul experts.

But if any Golden Core Realm Tribulation Cultivators actually came looking for trouble, Zou Feng would welcome them with open arms.

Any ordinary Golden Core cultivator who dared to ambush him would be nothing more than a free meal, allowing him to eat his fill.

As expected, the rest of the journey was exceptionally smooth. Surprisingly, no one foolish enough to try an ambush showed up.

And since they no longer had to slowly search for Tribulation Cultivators to hunt, Ye Chenhua pushed the Flying Celestial Ship to its maximum speed. As a result, it took them only eight days to get close to the signal coverage area of the Celestial Dao Cauldron.

Gazing at the vaguely familiar scenery before him, Zou Feng estimated that they would enter the signal’s coverage area in another day or two at most.