Library of Heaven’s Path

Half a day earlier…

Through the Teleportation Formation of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Yang shi and the others swiftly arrived at the Glacier Plain Courts and saw the devastation that had occurred there.

All of the buildings had collapsed down to the ground, and beacons of smoke could be seen here and there. There were charred marks everywhere, be it on the collapsed rubble or the ground.

“… and that was how he reduced the Glacier Plain Court to its current state!” Just thinking about what had just happened, You Ruoxin’s body could not stop trembling in rage.

“He had just undergone the Phantasmal Space Ordeal in the Zhang Clan and left the entire place in tatters, but you’re telling me that he underwent his Dimension Sundering Ordeal here shortly after…” Zhang Wuheng couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

He had witnessed that fellow’s Phantasmal Space Ordeal with his own eyes, and even he had nearly been struck to death by it. Who could have thought that in less than a night, he would run over to the Glacier Plain Court and undergo his Dimension Sundering Ordeal? Did that not mean that he had managed to raise his cultivation by two whole realms within the span of a single day?

Was it really possible for anyone to be that overpowered?

And more importantly… he had actually been able to make the lightning tribulation heed his commands and strike whatever he wanted it to! How in the world did he manage to do that?

“According to what you have said, he should have been severely wounded in the encounter, so it doesn’t seem likely that he would be able to get too far away. Do you know which direction he headed off in?” Yang shi asked.

“I’m not too sure.” You Ruoxin shook her head. “He completely erased all traces of his presence, making it impossible to track him. I have already ordered the members of the Glacier Plain Court to comb through the surrounding area, but none of them have been able to find any traces of him!”

Considering the young man’s flight speed, he could not have gotten too far. However, when they finally recovered and started trying to track him down, it was as if he had vanished into thin air. Despite searching for more than a day now, they had not been able to find any traces of him at all.

It was almost as if the young man had not been there in the first place!

“It seems like he’s a hidden expert. He must have used some kind of special means to erase his presence,” Yang shi remarked.

Since there were cultivators who specialized in tracking, naturally, there were also those who were skilled in anti-tracking. There were experts in the world who could sneak from place to place without leaving any traces.

If Zhang Xuan truly possessed such means, then even someone as powerful as Yang Xuan would have trouble tracking him down.

“That seems to be the case, but considering the injuries that he has sustained, I’m confident that he’s still within a radius of 100,000 li around the Glacier Plain Court. As long as we comb this area thoroughly, we would be able to dig him out!” You Ruoxin said confidently.

Given how severely wounded Zhang Xuan was, it would be impossible for him to get too far away. Furthermore, the Master Teacher Pavilion had also released an arrest warrant for him, and traveling in the open air would make it too easy for others to find and capture him. Building on these assumptions, she felt that Zhang Xuan would still be within a radius of 100,000 li from the Glacier Plain Court.

As long as they dispatched enough manpower to comb through the area, they would surely be able to find that scoundrel!

Yang shi turned to the group behind and proposed, “Sword Saint Xing, Sword Saint Meng, and First Elder, since there are no longer any clues on where he is, why don’t we split up and search for him separately? It should be easier for us to find him this way, and whoever finds him first can alert the rest through our Communication Jade Tokens!”

“I guess that’s the best we can do for now…” Sword Saint Meng nodded worriedly.

When she heard that the young man who could very well be her son was severely injured, she felt as if a knife had stabbed into her heart. She had considered exacting vengeance for her son on the Glacier Plain Court, but seeing the pitiful state that they were already in, she had eventually dropped the idea.

All she could think of at that moment was her injured son. Worried sick, she did not want to waste any more precious time dawdling around here.

“Let’s go then!” Knowing how his wife felt, Sword Saint Xing swiftly chose a direction, and the two of them left together.

On the other hand, Zhang Wuheng hesitated for a moment, seemingly contemplating over something, before eventually choosing a direction and leaving as well.

“Elder You, I’ll take my leave as well!” Yang shi bade his farewell before leaving in a certain direction.

In just a few moments, the four of them had already vanished over the horizon.

Shaking her head, You Ruoxin turned her gaze back to the Glacier Plain Court in order to supervise the disciples in its reconstruction. However, barely a moment later, the First Elder of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Wuheng, suddenly flew back over.

You Ruoxin quickly walked over and asked, “Elder Wuheng, could it be that you have managed to find him?”

“That isn’t it.” Zhang Wuheng shook his head. With an unreadable look on his face, he asked, “Which direction did Yang shi leave in earlier?”

“Yang shi?” You Ruoxin was taken aback.

“Indeed. As one of the top experts of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Yang shi wields the ability to track down a person from their lingering presence. Even if Zhang Xuan has concealed his aura, I find it hard to believe that Yang shi would be unable to track him. Instead, I believe the reason he has suggested for us to split up is to shake us off and find him himself. I want to see just what he’s up to…” Zhang Wuheng harrumphed.

“You are saying that Yang shi knows where Zhang Xuan is? So… as long as we follow Yang shi, we would be able to find Zhang Xuan as well?” A glint flickered across You Ruoxin’s eyes.

“Indeed. However, in view of Yang shi’s strength, we have to make sure to keep a safe distance away from him. It will be hard for us to explain our actions to him if he catches us tracking him,” Zhang Wuheng said.

“I understand!” You Ruoxin nodded as a wintry gleam surfaced in her eyes. “This time, there’s no way I’ll allow him to slip through my fingers…”

“We have to make that fellow pay the price for his actions!” Zhang Wuheng nodded in agreement.

A fellow who had appeared out of nowhere actually had the guts to lay waste to the Zhang Clan. If they did not teach that fellow a lesson, how would the entire continent view the Zhang Clan in the future?

They could not allow the humiliation that they had suffered to slide just like that!

While the two of them were discreetly discussing their plans, some distance away, Yang shi stopped on a peak amid a mountain range. He flicked his wrist, and a mirror materialized in his hand.

He swiftly formed several hand seals, and light began swirling on the surface of the mirror. Soon, the light converged to form something resembling a map.

“Ultimately, the Sanctum Head Token is still an artifact forged by the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters,” Yang shi muttered with a smile.

He did wield extraordinary skills in tracking, just as Zhang Wuheng suspected, but Zhang Xuan really did not leave the slightest trace at all when he left the Glacier Plain Court. Even to someone of his prowess, it appeared as if Zhang Xuan had simply vanished into thin air.

However, the Sanctum Head Token that Zhang Xuan had in his possession was an artifact belonging to the Master Teacher Pavilion. He could simply track the Sanctum Head Token in order to find the young man’s whereabouts.

Studying the image on the mirror, Yang shi was able to swiftly determine the location of the Sanctum Head Token. “It seems he has headed off to the Empire Alliance City!”

With a leap, he vanished from the spot.

To be honest, he was not too concerned about the fact that Zhang Xuan had impersonated him or claimed to be his student. Instead, the dominant feeling that he felt at this moment was pure curiosity.

Despite his low cultivation, that young man had been able to impersonate him and fool even 9-star master teachers… How did the young man manage to pull something like that off?

Roughly an hour after Yang shi left the peak, the surrounding space suddenly distorted slightly, and two figures materialized into existence.

The First Elders of the Zhang Clan and the Glacier Plain Court, Zhang Wuheng and You Ruoxin.

Yang shi had not intentionally concealed his presence, so it was not too difficult for the two of them to track his movements.

“It seems like he’s heading toward the Empire Alliance City…” After confirming the direction that Yang shi had left in, Zhang Wuheng asked with a frown, “Could Zhang Xuan be in the Empire Alliance City?”

“Very possibly. The closest major city to the Glacier Plain Court is the Empire Alliance City. Given the severe injuries Zhang Xuan has sustained, there’s no way he would be able to flee too far away. His best bet is to hide within a large crowd, and for that, there’s nowhere better than the Empire Alliance City!” You Ruoxin nodded in agreement.

The best way to conceal one’s presence from the world was not to dive into some remote mountain valley but an ocean of people.

The more people there were, the harder it would be for one to be found.

Going by such an analysis, it was indeed very likely for Zhang Xuan to be in the Empire Alliance City.

It boasted the greatest population count among the cities in the area, and there was a diverse range of people within the city. There was a Master Teacher Pavilion within the city, which might make such a choice of location appear risky, but sometimes, it was the most obvious location that one was likely to overlook.

After all, which sane person would dare loiter right beneath the nose of the Master Teacher Pavilion when an arrest warrant had been issued on him? Thus, the Master Teacher Pavilion would not devote too much of its manpower searching the Empire Alliance City either.

“Inform the Master Teacher Pavilion right away and tell them that we have found some traces of Zhang Xuan in the Empire Alliance City. Regardless of whether he’s there or not, let’s have the Master Teacher Pavilion first conduct a thorough search throughout the city!” Zhang Wuheng harrumphed coldly.

“Un, I’ll inform them right away!” You Ruoxin nodded.

While they could conduct the search, they did not have the legitimacy and manpower of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so their efficiency was bound to be much lower.

All that was left to do was bide their time in the Empire Alliance City. Once Zhang Xuan was found, they would swoop right in and apprehend him!