Chapter 105: The Search (Completed in the Fourth Watch! Please Subscribe and Vote)
“Chase!”
The remaining twenty-eight senior deities, seeing Ke Bei suddenly flee, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But they quickly realized that this human must have exhausted all his energy!
If they didn’t kill him now, once he recovered, no one except the God King himself would be able to match him!
“What are you waiting for? Everyone, go after him!”
The senior deity with a scar across his forehead had avoided direct confrontation with Ke Bei earlier, so he was fortunate to be one of the lucky twenty-eight survivors.
He clearly understood this was the perfect chance to kill Ke Bei, but recalling the strange tactics Ke Bei had just used, he lacked the courage to give chase. The other senior deities felt the same. Though they knew this was their best opportunity, none dared pursue. Ke Bei’s previous methods had deeply shaken them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Only when the scarred senior deity shouted again did the mid- and low-level deities forming the outer ring of their encirclement realize that it was not the senior deities who would chase Ke Bei personally, but themselves!
“Yes, sir!”
The mid- and low-level deities, now fully alert, swarmed off in pursuit of Ke Bei’s fleeing figure.
Ke Bei employed his Lingbo Weibu, stepping on empty air, instantly sprinting five or six hundred meters. Upon landing, the remaining inner strength in his dantian surged wildly into his legs, unleashing a terrifying burst of speed—almost, though not quite, three times the speed of sound.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ke Bei ran at full speed, each movement leaving a clear afterimage accompanied by ear-piercing sonic booms. By the time the mid- and low-level deities received orders and began their pursuit, his figure had already vanished five or six kilometers away.
“Hah—”
Exhaling slightly, Ke Bei wiped the sweat from his brow. Despite having the Vajra Invulnerability Body protecting him during the battle, he still felt dull aches in his bones and internal organs from the relentless shaking.
After all, his Vajra Invulnerability Body was only cultivated at the upper level, which primarily reinforced skin and muscle defense. The middle level strengthens the bones, while the lower level fortifies the internal organs.
The power of the senior deities was immense. Though Ke Bei had slain seventy of them, his body had likely endured tens of thousands of attacks!
While a few dozen or even a hundred strikes could not damage his internal organs, tens of thousands of frenzied assaults had indeed caused significant internal shock.
Ke Bei was no fool. The moment he escaped the divine gaze, he changed direction three times instead of foolishly fleeing in a straight line.
He ran to a modest hill, violently broke open a cave large enough to hide in, then sealed its entrance with rubble. Only after all this did he finally catch his breath, pulling out a jade vial from his waist and cautiously dropping a single drop of the translucent blue liquid into his mouth.
Swallowing that crystal-clear drop, Ke Bei seated himself cross-legged and silently began cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
In just one hour, Ke Bei could restore his inner strength and physical vitality to their peak.
A thousand mid-level deities led ten thousand low-level deities in a grand charge out of the stronghold.
They had lost all trace of Ke Bei, and the divine race, possessing intelligence comparable to humans, would not foolishly pursue him in the direction he fled.
“Divide into ten squads! Each led by a hundred mid-level deities commanding a thousand low-level deities. If you encounter the human, signal immediately!”
A mid-level deity clad in tight purple attire spoke after a brief pause, his deep voice resonating slowly.
“Carpet search! Leave no blade of grass unturned! The human is severely injured. As long as we find him, it will be a great achievement! With the God King’s reward, even rising to the highest ranks of the senior deities is possible! Search diligently!”
“Yes, sir!”
At that command, a thousand mid-level and ten thousand low-level deities split into ten teams, fanning out one kilometer apart to begin their search for Ke Bei.
Yet Ke Bei was hiding only five or six kilometers away.
Given the divine race’s speed and thoroughness, it would take no more than half an hour to reach Ke Bei’s hiding place. Ke Bei was unaware that every last deity in the stronghold had been mobilized for this sweeping search. If luck favored him, he might have an hour; if not, perhaps only ten minutes before his refuge was found.
Ke Bei sat cross-legged, eyes gently closed, fully channeling the Nine Yang Divine Skill. Slowly, faint white mist began rising above his head. As seconds passed, the mist thickened until the small cave was filled with a pale haze that blurred his figure.
Half an hour slipped by unnoticed. Ke Bei’s inner strength was half restored when suddenly his brow furrowed slightly and his eyelids twitched, as if about to open his eyes. Hesitating, he ultimately remained still.
His hesitation was due to sounds outside the cave. Cultivation required deep meditation for maximum recovery, and hearing was sharpest during such a state. When the divine race approached within about five hundred meters, he could already detect their movements.
Yet Ke Bei did not want to interrupt his recovery. He did not know if the remaining deities would summon senior deities from other strongholds or even call upon God King-level warriors to slay him.
Time was too precious for Ke Bei! Every moment of restored inner strength brought him closer to defeating the remaining senior deities and then swiftly annihilating the mid- and low-level ones.
“Hold on! They might not find me!” he gritted his teeth, refocusing his spirit inward, accelerating the circulation of the Nine Yang Divine Skill within.
About five hundred meters from Ke Bei’s cave, a squad led by a hundred mid-level deities cautiously advanced.
The divine race’s senses were highly acute; they missed nothing and searched meticulously.
“Stop!”
Suddenly, the lead mid-level deity raised his palm, signaling silence. This deity, the temporary squad leader, cautiously crouched and approached a small hill.
He glanced at the scattered rubble, listened intently, then slowly retreated.
“Continue forward with the search!”
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he stared at the disturbed stones on the cliff face. He waved to the others behind him, ordering them forward in a deep voice.
He suspected the human was hiding behind the rubble but dared not reveal this. Having witnessed the human’s strength firsthand—easily slaying senior deities—he knew their small force was insufficient. So he chose to avoid confrontation for now, intending to coordinate with other squads before striking together.
The mid-level deity silently calculated as he led his squad onward.
As he neared the cave where Ke Bei hid, the latter, meditating deeply, naturally sensed it. Ready to strike at a moment’s notice, Ke Bei ultimately felt the deities retreating. Realizing they were too shaken to attack and likely going to call reinforcements, he was unconcerned. This played right into his hands.
What he needed now was time.
In about ten more minutes, his inner strength would fully recover, and then the mid- and low-level deities would be no threat.
“Ha,” Ke Bei exhaled calmly, continuing his silent cultivation.
After the divine squad advanced another kilometer, their leader suddenly howled toward the heavens, signaling an assembly.
“Human found!”
“Move!”
The shout echoed to the other squads, who immediately rushed at top speed toward the signal’s origin.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In moments, all the mid- and low-level deities gathered.
“Human found?”
“Where is the human?”
The newly arrived mid-level deities stared at the one who had howled. Finding no human figure, they asked with some confusion, “Stop searching. If the human were here, would I still be alive?”
The deity who had located Ke Bei coldly swept his gaze over the puzzled deities, his tone displeased.
“If he’s not here, why call us all together?”
The others’ faces darkened.
“I know exactly where he is.”
The mid-level deity who found Ke Bei’s hiding place said slowly, casting a grim look at the others.
“You have seen the human’s power. I dared not attack recklessly, so I called everyone here to strike together.”
“If he escapes again, who’s responsible?”
Another mid-level deity’s voice turned cold.
“Rest assured, he won’t get away. The human doesn’t know I have found his refuge!”
The deity’s words brimmed with absolute confidence.
“Heh, that human probably still thinks he’s safe.”
With a sly smile, he led the way forward.
“Let’s go. We’ll surround him together. Hmph, the human must be badly injured; otherwise, he wouldn’t hide in a cave!”
“Killing this human will be a great achievement!”
Thoughts of the God King’s reward filled the deities with fervor.
Though they all feared Ke Bei’s strength, an injured human—no matter how powerful—was just a toothless tiger.
“Move!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
All the deities surged swiftly toward Ke Bei’s hiding place.
(To be continued.)