The isolated space in which the Eclipsing Shadow Sect once resided faded into the distance. The surrounding winds rustled fiercely as if sensing impending doom.
BOOM!
Space shattered along with everything that existed within it. The one who caused this harrowing scene was a middle-aged man covered in his own blood.
As for why he caused such a scene? It was simply a byproduct of the immense speed at which he was moving.
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
"Hah!"
The sound of projectiles cutting through the wind rang out from behind him. The man let out a spirited shout as he watched the approaching weapons. He grabbed his own left arm and directly crushed it into meat paste. The blood from his arm mixed with his mana, disgustingly twisting and reintegrating into his body, providing him with a bout of explosive strength.
Haaah!
Another shout rang out. The man's body twisted in a way that completely ignored the laws of physics, pivoting at a right angle and continuing his fleeing after dodging the projectiles.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
Three massive explosions rang out as the projectiles impacted the ground below. Space-shattering explosions lined the Outer Wilds, dragging everything into the Chaotic Void.
'Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!' The figure inwardly cursed as he witnessed this scene. Naturally, the fleeing man was none other than Luo Tian.
'This brat…who the hell is this brat?!'
Luo Tian had always been a calm person. Or rather, he had always been indifferent. Whether it was his sect, his treasures, his cultivation, or even his own brother, none of these things mattered to him.
The only thing he cared for was his own life. The only reason he cultivated was to extend his life. Lording over those weaker than him was just a positive side effect of his efforts.
And roughly 2 years ago, he came across an underground auction held by followers of the demonic race invading the world. He heard that the main treasure of this auction was something that could directly increase his physical qualities and replenish his life force.
With this kind of offer, it was guaranteed that he would attend. Of course, there was a plot behind the entire auction and underground event, but Luo Tian didn't care about that. Since the ones partaking in this plot didn't want to offend him, he wouldn't needlessly cause trouble either.
Not unless they stole what was rightfully his.
But in the end, it wasn't them who stole his property, it was some random boy who barely had any strength! That boy was cornered with just a few 3rd class shadows and forced to enter the 3000 Beast Mountain Range.
At that time, Luo Tian assumed Damien died. Any normal person would've done the same, especially after so many months passed without word of him.
After that, Luo Tian slowly forgot about Damien. Although losing the Death Seed hurt his pride, it was just a small loss at the end of the day.
After all, Luo Tian's fires of life weren't anywhere near extinguishing. The only reason for him to desire the Death Seed was his convoluted obsession with life.
Therefore, when news spread of Damien's antics at the Empyrean Dragon Realm, Luo Tian didn't care much. He simply sent out a few more powerful shadows to deal with him.
But at that same time, the purge began.
It was an odd set of circumstances. Luo Tian and Damien had only met once, and even then they'd only spoken a few words. To Luo Tian, this matter meant nothing, but to Damien, it was a death feud he'd never forget.
Now that Luo Tian was forced to flee with everything he had, he finally understood who Damien was. He finally understood the reason behind his sect's downfall.
"So it was you! You are the reason I've ended up in this state!" Luo Tian's eyes reddened maddeningly.
Even if he was indifferent to everything else, life was an obsession that consumes all emotion he could possibly have. But his cultivation was gone, and his body was crippled; even if he was able to survive this ordeal, what kind of life would he live?
Once the final burst of strength he received from the sacrificial technique he used to escape Elder Trinity wore off, he'd be no better than a common mortal servant. In fact, he'd be even worse!
Luo Tian gritted his teeth in rage. 'Fuck! With my current injuries, I am even weaker than that useless Luo Sheng! This brat will kill me if I face him directly!'
Luo Tian's mind raced. He needed to think of a strategy to save his life. And there was only one viable option he could formulate in this moment of crisis.
Bang!
From his left knee down to his foot, the only thing remaining was a mangled bag of flesh. All the blood within that flesh was sucked out and used to empower Luo Tian's escape instead.
Swoosh!
His direction switched abruptly. Until now, he'd been randomly fleeing through the Outer Wilds, but now he had a destination in mind.
He was too far to see the finish line, but he already understood that if he was able to make it there, he'd survive and Damien might even die!
Luo Tian's speed increased exponentially! Just the thought of Damien's miserable face lifted his spirit and allowed him to continue again.
To fight even after the last breath, this was Luo Tian's code…and this was exactly what he would do!
The chase continued, but not nearly in as disorderly of a manner as before. As for the final destination…?
Evotech Headquarters!
***
Thousands of kilometers flew by, turning into tens of thousands of kilometers. Throughout this entire time, Luo Tian rushed at top speed, sacrificing his own body to guarantee his survival.
Behind him, Damien annoyedly followed.
Actually, capturing Luo Tian was only secondary to him. At this point, Luo Tian was already a dead dog who was desperately clawing for his master. However, his master was…
'If there is someone capable of providing that technique to even dogs, they are not an enemy I can take lightly.'
The technique Luo Tian used to escape Elder Trinity might've seemed straightforward, yet it was anything but.
Judging whether someone was dead or not using their life force was never a viable method. Even Damien had an ability to restore his life force and save him from the brink of death.
However, experience was absolute. The process of transferring experience was done by the system itself, which meant it couldn't be done until the kill was confirmed by the system.
Perhaps this didn't mean much without context, but it was a matter of immense importance.
After all, if the system confirmed the kill of someone who remained alive…
'Just what kind of being is capable of fooling the system?'
Damien's mind was plagued by this harrowing thought. Though, he'd never get answers through mere speculation.
So he kept his distance. With his teleportation range, even moving ten thousand kilometers at a time wasn't a problem.
If Luo Tian was at his peak, he could naturally match this speed, but that wasn't the case at all.
The current Luo Tian was a kite at the end of its string. His speed was so slow even Little Xue'er could probably catch him.
But Damien allowed him to continue fleeing.
When it came to pigs and tigers, there were two main ways people emulated them.
The first was to play the pig to eat the tiger. Even a layman understood this concept.
As for the second…
Luo Tian the pig rushed desperately into the tiger's den to avoid the dragon tailing him from behind.
As for that dragon? He was simply using the pig to lure the tiger.
