This really couldn't be blamed on Gang Leader Luo. The truth was that Jiang Chen's appearance gave off none of the flashy vibes typical of a genius from a major power.
Moreover, Jiang Chen's bearing carried none of the overbearing arrogance that such geniuses displayed—as if they were terrified the whole world wouldn't know who they were.
Jiang Chen looked like nothing more than a wandering cultivator, and the places he frequented were the very taverns that major-power geniuses wouldn't deign to visit.
Under these circumstances, the Silver Sword Gang had marked him as a target, assuming he was the kind of prey with no powerful backers but potentially a fat purse.
Who could have guessed that the target they had so carefully chosen would turn out to be a catastrophic mistake?
It was the single greatest blunder the Silver Sword Gang had ever made—and it proved to be a fatal one.
"Enough. Talking about it now won't change anything. Whoever the enemy is, we've already drawn blood. There's no turning back." The white-browed elder sighed softly.
He waved his hand and barked, "Continue the pursuit."
Hearing the white-browed elder frown but still press forward, Gang Leader Luo felt a wave of relief. His greatest fear had been that the elder would call off the chase.
The Silver Sword Gang had already suffered devastating losses. If the authorities of Xiao Tang Island refused to intervene, then this bitter grudge would go unpunished forever.
"Supreme Elder Lu, I can sense that the boy isn't too far from us. Push harder—we'll catch him for certain."
"We've already increased our speed, but we still can't close the gap. Could that kid really be fast to such a monstrous degree?"
"Anyone bold enough to cause trouble on our Xiao Tang Island single-handedly must have extraordinary abilities. He may already be plotting against us! Everyone stay sharp—this opponent is no ordinary foe!"
Chasing through these treacherous waters was genuinely perilous. The region was riddled with danger at every turn.
Though Jiang Chen had passed through once before, his second journey was no less fraught with peril.
Some threats came from the natural phenomena of the area—tsunamis, void storms—while others came from the harassment of powerful creatures lurking in the sea.
Fortunately, aboard the Star Fate Flying Boat, Jiang Chen's ability to withstand these risks was fairly robust.
Still, the relentless stream of challenges took a severe toll on his speed.
What vexed Jiang Chen most was that, as the one being chased, he was always out in front. Every sudden emergency fell on him first.
The pursuers behind him, on the other hand, had Jiang Chen clearing the path ahead, so they encountered far fewer disruptions.
In other words, while Jiang Chen appeared to be fleeing, he was really sweeping mines for the people chasing him.
Jiang Chen threw everything he had into the effort, pushing his speed to the absolute limit—but he still couldn't shake off the relentless hunters on his tail.
"These bastards really don't know when to quit. Looks like they're dead set on making this a contest of wills." Fury simmered in Jiang Chen's heart.
"Could the people of Xiao Tang Island possess some kind of divine ability to lock onto my whereabouts? Otherwise, how can I never manage to shake them off?"
Jiang Chen was a man of vast experience, and he quickly figured it out. In the world of martial cultivation, there were numerous tracking techniques—and he himself knew quite a few.
The question was which specific method his opponents were using, and that he had no way of knowing.
But to break free from this kind of tracking, the best solution was to eliminate the enemy entirely, severing every possible thread of connection.
The next best option was to outrun them by such an enormous margin—in terms of time and space—that even with a tracking technique, they could no longer pinpoint his location.
Of course, the second option was no longer feasible in his current situation. The only viable path was the first.
Kill them all!
At this thought, rage surged through Jiang Chen's heart and murderous intent darkened his eyes.
"Killing one group is killing, and killing two is killing. I might as well wipe out this third group too! This lot is sure to be the elite fighters of Xiao Tang Island. Alone, I probably can't match them in a direct fight. But around Shibi Hell Island… heh heh…"
Jiang Chen suddenly felt an immense sense of relief. He realized he had made a brilliant decision: visiting Shibi Hell Island to check on the Divine Vermilion Bird and Long Xiaoxuan.
So many years had passed. The Divine Vermilion Bird had already completed its Nirvana the last time they met. After all these years, its level of existence might well have ascended another tier.
Jiang Chen still remembered the Divine Vermilion Bird mentioning that its absolute realm in ancient times hadn't been particularly high—only at the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Position—but its combat power had rivaled that of a Demigod.
If it had advanced even half a step since then, it would now be at least at the Demigod level. And if it had jumped an entire realm into the God Realm, then given the Vermilion Bird's bloodline power, its combat strength would rival a human cultivator at the third level of the God Realm.
Such combat power, across the entirety of Myriad Abyss Island, would be enough to make anyone tremble.
From Jiang Chen's gradually deepening understanding of the Divine Abyss Continent, even the strongest cultivators of ancient times had apparently never reached the peak of the God Realm.
It seemed that the most powerful figures of the Divine Abyss Continent had only just entered the upper tiers of the God Realm.
And that was back in the primordial age.
Of course, Jiang Chen wasn't surprised. In an ordinary material plane, without sufficient planar support, even an ordinary God Realm cultivator couldn't exist—let alone one at the upper tiers.