But at the very moment Yang Kai sensed the connection, a streak of light suddenly shot out from the direction of the Ao Xue Ice Palace, fleeing at breakneck speed in the same direction he was headed. It moved so fast it was almost incomprehensible.
Yang Kai didn't react at first, but the moment he felt the connection growing more distant—slipping beyond the range of his perception—he was struck by a sudden, explosive rage. "Damn it, the bitch is trying to run!"
That streak of light was none other than Bei Li Mo's true body! Presumably, the instant he had sensed the connection, she had also detected his aura, which was why she was desperately trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
This woman clearly didn't want to cross paths with him. She had to be on the very verge of breaking free, or she never would have risked such a desperate move.
There was no way Yang Kai would allow that to happen. He immediately channeled the power of space, executing a spatial shift that carried him and Zhui Feng a thousand li in an instant, re-establishing the connection he had just lost.
Just as Yang Kai was about to teach Bei Li Mo a proper lesson, the woman suddenly surged forward with a burst of speed, activating some unknown secret technique that pulled the gap wide open once more and knocked his perception out of range.
Yang Kai seethed with fury. If Bei Li Mo managed to escape now, she might truly regain her freedom.
He activated the Laws of Space repeatedly, shifting through the void several times before finally reconnecting with the link. The instant he felt it, he didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.
Far ahead, the streak of light fleeing in the same direction suddenly lurched. It wobbled erratically through the sky and nearly plummeted to the ground before stubbornly righting itself and pressing on.
Seeing this, Yang Kai bared his teeth in a savage grin. A roasted duck wasn't about to fly away on his watch. He continuously tormented Bei Li Mo through the soul brand while urging Zhui Feng to greater speeds.
Zhui Feng was already no slouch when it came to speed, and with Yang Kai pushing it onward, it moved even faster.
The two people and one beast raced across the land, ten thousand li of earth flashing beneath them in the blink of an eye.
Yet the distance between them kept shrinking. It wasn't that Bei Li Mo couldn't match Zhui Feng's speed—were she flying at full capacity, Zhui Feng would be hard-pressed to keep up with a Demon Saint, let alone one running for her life. She was already giving it everything she had.
The problem was the divine soul brand. Under its excruciating torment, she simply couldn't maintain her full speed. That kind of pain radiating from the soul was something even a Demon Saints found difficult to endure, and with her focus compromised, there was only so fast she could go.
Gradually, Yang Kai could make out Bei Li Mo's silhouette, and the gap between them narrowed once more.
After another quarter hour, Yang Kai had closed to within a few dozen li. At this distance, it would only take a brief moment to catch up entirely.
"You'd better stop right now, or you're dead!" Yang Kai bellowed, his voice shaking the surrounding landscape. Quite a few demons below heard the shout and looked up, catching a glimpse of two streaks of light flashing past at terrifying speed. All of them wore expressions of amazement, wondering who on earth was chasing whom.
If they knew that their own Saint was the one fleeing, who could say what they would think.
Faced with Yang Kai's threat, Bei Li Mo naturally paid him no heed. As if she would spare him even a moment's thought at a time like this.
Yang Kai laughed through his rage, nodding repeatedly. "Fine, fine, fine. It seems you won't believe it until you're staring at your own coffin. Very well—then don't blame me for being ruthless." As he spoke, he drove the soul brand with even greater ferocity.
Up ahead, Bei Li Mo let out what seemed like a muffled grunt. Droplets of sweat scattered from her in midair, and her speed plummeted by more than a notch. But she clenched her teeth and endured the agony.
The moment her speed dropped, Yang Kai closed the distance in a flash. Riding Zhui Feng, he flew right alongside her, tilting his head to glance over with an imposing, supremely arrogant air.
Bei Li Mo didn't spare him so much as a glance, though her eyes burned with barely contained flames—the look of someone pushed to the absolute limit of her patience.
Without warning, Bei Li Mo raised her hand and struck toward Yang Kai. Demonic Yuan surged wildly as her slender palm expanded rapidly in his field of vision, instantly blotting out the light before his eyes.
Yang Kai was startled. Without a second thought, he inflicted a particularly vicious punishment through the soul brand.
In the next instant, Bei Li Mo—who had been gritting her teeth through the pain—let out a shrill scream, her voice drenched in agony. Her entire body convulsed so violently that she couldn't maintain her flight, plummeting straight toward the ground below.
As the Demonic Yuan within her body went into violent upheaval, the palm strike aimed at Yang Kai dissipated into nothing.
Yang Kai, still shaken, cursed loudly and was about to go after her—only to see Bei Li Mo stabilize herself a few hundred zhang below and resume her desperate flight.
This stubborn? Yang Kai raised his eyes and looked ahead. In the distance, the glow of a Realm Gate was shining, and he immediately understood what Bei Li Mo was planning.
He abandoned the pursuit entirely. Instead, he rode Zhui Feng toward the Realm Gate while continuing to apply pressure through the soul brand.
Moments later, Yang Kai reached the Realm Gate first. He slapped his palm against it, and as the Laws of Space rippled outward, the massive gate shimmered once and vanished without a trace.
At that same moment, Bei Li Mo finally arrived at the spot. She watched helplessly as the Realm Gate disappeared into nothing, and the last trace of color drained from her already ashen face.
"Run! Go ahead—keep running!" Yang Kai sat atop Zhui Feng, gazing down at her with a vicious expression. "You bitch actually dared to make a move on me!"