Bai Xiaochun’s true self and his four clones unleashed a storm of magical techniques that covered everything in the area. A tempest of five parts raged around the Cai Clan chosen, converging upon him with deadly power.
The young chosen’s scalp was tingling so hard it felt like it might explode. His aura teetered unstably, and he already regretted how impulsive he had been in giving chase. However, there was no time for thought or planning at the moment. All he could do was turn his vulture around and try to get away as quickly as possible.
Thankfully for him, the vulture was incredibly quick. By the time the storm of magical techniques reached the spot that he had just occupied, he was several hundred meters away. Despite having made it to safety, his heart was still pounding with shock.
Trying to buy time for others from his clan to arrive, he shouted, “The Cai Clan didn't do anything to provoke you, Bai Hao! Why did you have to go and destroy our soulgrounds!?”
Bai Xiaochun frowned. He could tell that this vulture had been conjured by some magical technique, and that it would soon vanish. However, time was something he was very short on right now.
“You Cai Clan people intimidated me and stole my souls!” he shouted. “Hmph! It’s only natural that I would rob you right back!” Aware that now wasn’t the time to worry about one insignificant opponent, Bai Xiaochun turned and shot away at top speed.
The chosen gritted his teeth, then sent his vulture in pursuit. At the moment, he was operating under the assumption that as long as he didn't get too close, he should be safe. Plus, he would be able to keep eyes on the target and make it easier for the Cai Clan patriarch to track him down.
They both sped along as fast as lightning. Bai Xiaochun felt a bit nervous at being followed, but he knew that the vulture was simply too fast. If he turned and tried to fight, his opponent could simply flee, and then he would end up getting involved in a pointless, time-wasting chase.
“I hate bastards like this who rely on speed to get the upper hand. Hmmmphh! Does he really think he can use that bird to keep up with me?” His eyes flashed with cold light, but his face remained expressionless. Continuing to head straight toward Giant Ghost City, he sent out the aura of a Frigid Paragon, although he did it very carefully, so that it wasn’t obvious.
When the intense cold reached the vulture, the Cai Clan chosen shivered. A moment later, his face fell as he realized he should fall back. However, by that point there wasn’t enough time. Bai Xiaochun spun around and said, “Too late!”
With his Frigid Paragon aura spread out in a frigid domain, Bai Xiaochun could teleport as easily as a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Even as his voice echoed out, he vanished, reappearing right on top of the vulture, in front of the Cai Clan chosen. There, he unleashed the Mountain Shaking Bash, launching himself toward the young chosen with terrifying power.
“You--” Having no time to evade, the young man braced himself for impact. His cultivation base was on the very cusp of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and yet, compared to Bai Xiaochun, he was weak.
A boom rang out as Bai Xiaochun slammed into the young man’s chest, causing blood to erupt out of his mouth. His bones shattered, and he began to slip into death, but it was at that point that a dark yellow light sprang up from a pendant that hung at his neck. Within that light was the power of a deva, which fought back against the attack.
The young chosen coughed up a mouthful of blood as he tumbled backward through the air like a kite with its string cut. The yellow light around him was more than half gone, and his pendant was now covered with cracks.
Clearly, the deva pendant had saved his life. However, if he sustained another such attack, he would not be so lucky. Face ashen and filled with terror, he thought, “Without that life-saving magic the patriarch gave me... I would have been killed just now!! This Bai Hao, he... he almost killed me!!”
The young man was shaking physically, and his courage was gone. Without the slightest hesitation, he fled, completely bereft of any desire to give chase. He now realized that chasing this target was no simple matter; it was risking his life....
“The people from these great clans really have a lot of ways to save their own skins,” Bai Xiaochun thought with a frown. Seeing the young chosen fleeing, he snorted and considered chasing after him. But then, his expression flickered, and he spun and took a step, piercing into the air and vanishing.
Only a few breaths of time later, three beams of light could be seen approaching from behind the terrified Cai Clan chosen. Rumbling sounds could be heard as three old men appeared in the area where Bai Xiaochun had just disappeared.
As soon as the young chosen saw the old men, his face lit up with excitement, and he shouted, “Elders, the thief is Bai Hao! The traitor of the Bai Clan!!”
These three old men were clan elders, with one of them being a grand elder in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. All of them had very grim expressions as they heard the news from the chosen. Afterward, they nodded and continued to give chase.
Meanwhile, a rift appeared at a location near Giant Ghost City, and Bai Xiaochun stepped out into the open. His aura was in chaos because of the anxiety he was feeling, but it was without hesitation that he shot toward Giant Ghost City.
“Dammit, those Cai Clan people are fast. I just finished beating the kid, and the grownups showed up almost in the same instant. If they were really good though, they’d fight me one on one!”
Just as he was about to enter the city, the three elders from the Cai Clan appeared behind him, moving so quickly that the clouds swirled up above in the sky, and thunderous rumblings filled the air.
When they realized that Bai Xiaochun was about to enter the city, they pushed forward with greater speed, the killing intent in their eyes shining brightly.
“Bai Hao!” one of them shouted. “I don’t care that you have an official position in Giant Ghost City! For robbing our Cai Clan soulgrounds, I'm going to put you to death!!”
His cultivation base was in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, causing his words to roll out like a shockwave, a powerful attack that instantly pierced into Bai Xiaochun’s ears.
Too frightened to even look over his shoulder, Bai Xiaochun raced toward the city. The stunned city guards were about to step forward to block his path when he pulled out his Devil Penitentiary command medallion and then roared, “I'm a guard at Devil Penitentiary! The Cai Clan is planning a rebellion! Stop them!!”
As his words echoed out into Giant Ghost City, the expressions on the faces of the city guards flickered dramatically.
Furthermore, as soon as they saw Bai Xiaochun’s command medallion, and the fact that he was being chased by people from the Cai Clan, they were even more stirred into action. As for the three elders, their expressions also flickered.
“That’s complete bullcrap!!”
“The Cai Clan has always served the giant ghost king with complete loyalty. Don’t even think of trying to slander us!!”
Bai Xiaochun was elated to see that his tactic was working. Roaring, he pushed forward into the city. The three clan elders tried to chase after him, but the city guards interfered, and soon, more patrolling guards showed up. Were it not for Bai Xiaochun’s slanderous comments earlier, the elders might have tried to kill him anyway. But if they did that now, it could lead to further complications, the mere thought of which left them terrified.
The three elders were forced to swallow their frustration and anger and try to explain things to the city guards. Because of that delay, Bai Xiaochun managed to reach the moat, then used his command medallion to dive down into the waters.
“I betrayed the entire Bai Clan, and yet, they didn’t dare to try to make a move on me once I was in Devil Penitentiary. As for this Cai Clan... all I did was loot two of their soulgrounds. There’s no way they’ll dare to come after me!” Feeling very pleased with himself, he headed toward the stone turtle at the bottom of the moat and beyond it, Devil Penitentiary.
The truth was that his supposition was absolutely correct. After clearing matters up with the city guards, the three elders from the Cai Clan had no choice but to stand at the edge of the moat and look furiously into the waters. Devil Penitentiary... was a place none of them dared to try to enter uninvited.
After a long moment passed, all they could do was stalk away with grim expressions on their faces.
Although matters seemed to have come to an end, the events which had just played out ended up being just as shocking news in the city as Bai Xiaochun’s betrayal of the Bai Clan. Soon, all of the soul cultivators had heard about what happened, and were talking about Bai Hao and the Cai Clan....
“Did you hear? That Bai Hao caused a big scene. He robbed some of the Cai Clan’s soulgrounds, and even burned two of them to the ground!”
“He really knows how to cause trouble. Not only did he turn traitor against the Bai Clan, he also went and provoked the Cai Clan....”
“I heard that some silkpants from the Cai Clan got into an argument with him over some souls, and ended up outbidding him. He got pissed off, and that’s what led to the situation....”
“I can’t believe he went to such lengths over such a small matter.... Not only is Bai Hao completely vicious and cruel, but he seeks revenge over the smallest grievance. I heard he has some amazing divine ability that calls down fire from the heavens....”
Because of all the talk that was spreading, Bai Hao’s reputation grew, and everyone came to learn about his heavenly fire, and his vicious methods.