As the sensation of unease grew stronger,
Jiang Chen himself stepped into a deep valley and simply sat down cross-legged.
His thoughts were somewhat muddled right now. He needed to meditate and sort them out — at the very least, figure out exactly where this sense of unease was coming from.
If he didn't get to the bottom of it, this feeling would keep haunting him, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
He didn't want to be bothered by some nagging worry while enjoying the pleasant task of sweeping through Phantom Wave Mountain for treasures.
"Ever since cultivating Heart of Rock and Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance, my intuition has never been wrong. This sense of crisis is absolutely not my imagination. If it's not coming from within Phantom Wave Mountain, then it must be from outside. Who is it?"
Jiang Chen's thoughts weren't actually muddled — he went through the list of the first batch of people who had entered Phantom Wave Mountain.
"When it comes to people who hate me to the bone, there are three in the genius group —
The image of Ding Tong surfaced in Jiang Chen's mind, and he found the man extremely suspicious.
From the moment Ding Tong first appeared, Jiang Chen had felt that this man stood completely above the top geniuses of the Myriad Forms Domain — possessing an aura that even he couldn't see through.
Jiang Chen was nearly certain that Ding Tong was far more than just a disciple of the Three Star Sect.
No matter which aspect of his strength was on display — even after deliberate concealment — it already far surpassed his peers across the Myriad Forms Domain.
Jiang Chen recalled Ding Tong's invitation that night.
Ding Tong had urged him to withdraw from the Phantom Wave Mountain alchemy competition and join the Three Star Sect.
This bizarre behavior only deepened Jiang Chen's suspicions about Ding Tong. Back then, Jiang Chen had firmly rejected the offer, and Ding Tong had warned that if Jiang Chen insisted on entering Phantom Wave Mountain, it would become his burial ground.
If anyone else had threatened him, Jiang Chen would have dismissed it without a second thought.
But with Ding Tong, Jiang Chen didn't think the man was simply bluffing. In terms of raw martial strength alone, Ding Tong might genuinely possess the power to be a lethal threat.
Of course, Ding Tong was just one suspect. The people who had entered Phantom Wave Mountain weren't limited to these few — others could pose a threat to Jiang Chen as well.
Take those old monsters from the Elder Group, for instance.
All ten of them absolutely possessed the power to overpower Jiang Chen in a fight.
Jiang Chen's status as the Phantom Wave Mountain alchemy competition champion, his Longevity Pill, and the vast wealth he'd gained from auctioning it — all of that was more than enough to make others come after him.
Human hearts were unfathomable. He had to stay on guard.
However, none of these were what worried Jiang Chen most. What irritated him most was the sensation of being stalked.
It was as though no matter where he went, this sense of crisis simply wouldn't go away.
In other words, this source of threat had never distanced itself from him — it hadn't been shaken off.
What did that mean? It meant he was likely being tracked.
But how exactly was the other party tracking him?
This question nagged at Jiang Chen, putting him in a foul mood. So he decided to stop running. Rather than keep moving about, it was better to wait here at his leisure.
About two hours later, the Gold-Munching Mouse stationed on the perimeter began sending warnings to Jiang Chen through various means.
Jiang Chen knew his opponent had arrived.
He was curious — who was it? Who was so obsessed with tracking him? They'd entered Phantom Wave Mountain with its hills blanketed in Spiritual Medicine to gather, yet they were fixated on him instead?
While these thoughts flickered through his mind, a domineering figure strode into the valley through the entrance.
Ding Tong!
When Jiang Chen saw the figure, a sharp beam of light shot from his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil.
Ding Tong's spiritual sense was evidently extraordinary as well — he had locked onto Jiang Chen's position in an instant.
Their eyes met once again.
Fshh!
Sparks of light crackled through the air as the two men's eye techniques clashed in the void.
When it came to eye techniques, Jiang Chen was no inferior to Ding Tong.
"Hmm?" A trace of surprise flickered in Ding Tong's eyes, followed by an easy smile. "I didn't expect this little beast to have a few tricks up his sleeve."
Seeing that Jiang Chen merely smirked coldly without a word, showing no trace of fear on his face, Ding Tong paused briefly, then seemed to recall something, and broke into even more delighted laughter.