Chapter 471 - 478: Huo Yang’s Headache

"She can’t have gotten far. Let’s split up and pursue them immediately!"

Even a Thousand Miles Transmission Talisman only covered a distance of a thousand miles. If they went all out, they would catch up to the two of them in no time.

With his order given, he chose a direction and shot off in pursuit.

The remaining elders exchanged glances. After a moment, one said, "The rest of you disciples, stay back. That woman is dangerously unorthodox, and we don’t want you getting hurt."

"We’ll be the ones to go after them!"

With that, the elders quickly conferred before each choosing a different direction and taking off.

The elders’ actions instantly put Huo Yang to shame.

This whole affair was clearly a personal grudge started by Huo Yang, yet he showed not a shred of apology and even disregarded the danger to his own disciples...

To this moment, Huo Yang hadn’t spared a single word of concern for the Divine Separation Cultivator. He was completely fixated on hunting down Song Wanning and her companion.

The crowd was already disgruntled, and this stark contrast fueled their dissatisfaction with Huo Yang’s behavior.

However, this alone was still not enough to threaten Huo Yang’s standing...

...

THUD!

Song Wanning and Baili Shang landed heavily on the ground. Their bodies swayed slightly before they managed to steady themselves.

Baili Shang’s vision cleared as the disorienting, world-spinning dizziness finally faded. The sight that greeted him was a familiar one—the very spot where the Immortal Palace had once appeared.

"We’re... back?"

Baili Shang stared at Song Wanning in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief.

’We’ve been on the run for days and were incredibly far from here,’ he thought. ’And Song Wanning brought us all the way back with a single rune? What kind of terrifying power is that?’

Even he was nowhere near capable of such a feat!

A chill went down Baili Shang’s spine. If he had initially thought of Song Wanning as just a genius, his opinion had now completely changed.

’A peerless talent like her... if she had started out in the Spirit Realm, who knows what terrifying level she would have reached by now.’

Even he had to admit his own inferiority.

The admiration in Baili Shang’s eyes for Song Wanning deepened. ’Meeting her was my good fortune.’

"I just used a Space Talisman to create a temporary teleportation channel between the two locations. A channel like this can’t be maintained for long; it fails as soon as the Spiritual Power dissipates."

"I was just taking advantage of the unique properties of this place."

Song Wanning saw the admiration in Baili Shang’s eyes and smiled, the corners of her lips curling up.

This was once the site of the Immortal Palace, and a natural Array surrounded it, which helped contain the energy within.

She had thought of this method as soon as she learned how to use the Space Talisman. It was her only hope of shaking off those detestable people.

Her clone had already merged back with her during the chase, bringing back all the treasures it had acquired. The sight of each one made Song Wanning’s heart pound.

’Did my clone really steal the most precious treasures of the Huo Family?’

’No wonder those elders are relentlessly hunting Huo Jinchuan. For stealing treasures like these, they might even kill him!’

Her expression hardened. She immediately said to Baili Shang, "Let’s go. We need to find a place to hide before they track us here. Then we can figure out our next move!"

"Right!"

Baili Shang nodded. By now, he was following Song Wanning’s orders completely, without a hint of hesitation.

He hadn’t even realized it himself.

Soon, using a map, Song Wanning chose a safe direction.

’Now isn’t the time to deal with Huo Jinchuan. After all, those elders are still hunting him. We’ll just let the snipe and the clam fight it out while we, the fishermen, reap the rewards from behind.’

...

Huo Yang and the others had lost their targets. Completely lost them.

He and the elders could only return empty-handed. No matter how furious they were, they had no choice but to rush back to the Huo Family residence in a rage.

With all the elders out, it would be a catastrophe if someone took advantage of their absence to attack the family compound.

The group hurried back to the Huo Family, every one of them wearing an ugly expression.

This was especially true for the Divine Separation Cultivator, who had lost five hundred years of his lifespan in an instant. The Spiritual Energy around his entire body seemed to have been drained.

The disciples who had remained at the Huo Family estate were stunned by the sight. They began to inquire privately about what had happened, and when they learned the truth, their faces turned pale with shock.

A single rune had cost someone five hundred years of their life...

’For people with low Cultivation like us, wouldn’t that have been an instant death?’

’That’s too terrifying.’

For a time, panic spread among the Huo Family disciples as they all discussed this frightening new enemy.

Meanwhile, in the Huo Family’s council hall, another battle was brewing.

The elders wore grim expressions, exchanging glances. Finally, the Seventh Elder stepped forward and spoke up. "Clan Leader, regarding the matter of Huo Jinchuan stealing the Huo Family’s most precious treasures, how do you intend to handle it?"

"We’ve received word that Huo Jinchuan is still on the run..."

This was a topic they had all wanted to bring up on the way back, but Huo Yang’s oppressive aura was so intense that no one wanted to risk setting him off. So, they had delayed it until now.

Huo Yang, who was already fuming about Song Wanning, turned livid the moment he heard this.

’How could Huo Jinchuan steal the treasures?’

’That’s complete nonsense!’

"You must be mistaken. Why would Huo Jinchuan steal the Huo Family’s treasures?"

He knew perfectly well that Huo Jinchuan had been at the Immortal Palace the entire time. How could he possibly have returned to the Huo Family to steal anything?

But he couldn’t say that. After all, he had been insisting that Huo Jinchuan had gone missing because of Song Wanning and her companion. If he changed his story now, he wouldn’t be able to explain the contradiction.

"Hmph. Clan Leader, are you still planning to cover for him?"

"We all saw him return with our own eyes. Elder Li personally witnessed him enter the Treasure Pavilion, and then the items went missing!"

"Are you suggesting we’re framing him?"

"Clan Leader, you can’t just protect him because he’s your son, can you?"

The elders were all furious. They could understand Huo Yang’s desire to protect his son, but this was a case of him stealing the clan’s most important treasures. The losses were far too great.

Even Huo Yang couldn’t afford to compensate the family for them.

"Clan Leader, you need to call Huo Jinchuan back right now. As long as the treasures are safe, we can let him off with a light punishment..."

"The most important thing right now is to get those treasures back! The Huo Family cannot afford this loss!"

Some of the elders played good cop while others played bad cop, causing Huo Yang’s face to shift between pale and flushed as he listened.

He held in his anger, a throbbing pain pulsing in his temples.

How could he possibly contact Huo Jinchuan now, let alone get the treasures back?

"Are you certain it was Huo Jinchuan? Could it have been someone disguised as him?"

He deeply regretted his earlier claims. Now they had all become obstacles, making it impossible for him to explain the truth.

"Clan Leader, do you think we’re all that stupid? That we can’t even recognize Huo Jinchuan?"

"We watched him grow up!"

The elders let out frustrated laughs. They had all seen Huo Jinchuan. How could they possibly be mistaken?