The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 590 - 421: Lingering Path

Chapter 590: Chapter 421: Lingering Path

Zhang Yihua felt at this moment that his decision to pursue might have been a grave mistake.

Although he was a Golden Core Cultivator, far more powerful than Li Yi, he kept being humiliated. His thunder spells were countered, and other spells severely weakened due to being in the Dharma Decline World. His Samadhi Fire extinguished before even reaching his opponent. As for thunder spells and formations, those were even less effective.

Although he had a Mid Grade Spiritual Artifact flying sword, the opponent had the Xuan Turtle Armor.

In the end, it was himself who had suffered the most from the confrontation.

In less than two hours of combat, Zhang Yihua had already consumed several elixirs to replenish his mana. During this time, the Thunderbolt Fighter in the sky had continuously bombarded him, forcing him to defend himself with his Spiritual Artifact.

Furthermore, after Li Yi used the Fei Mu Needle to break his Demon Binding Rope, Zhang Yihua even had to be cautious about using his flying sword.

If the Fei Mu Needle touched the flying sword, it would be instantly shattered.

"What to do?"

Zhang Yihua’s expression shifted continually as he mulled over how to eliminate Li Yi.

Should he use the Low Grade Purple Cloud Divine Thunder talisman? That talisman had the power equivalent to a strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator and was one of his trump cards.

But upon reconsideration, he abandoned the idea. In this Dharma Decline World, the Low Grade Purple Cloud Divine Thunder talisman could only retain one-tenth of its strength at best, and breaking through that High Grade defensive Spiritual Artifact was near impossible.

Should he use Divine Sense attacks?

No, that wouldn’t work either.

The opponent had consolidated his soul; a clash of Divine Sense would, at best, result in mutual destruction. If his Divine Sense were injured, his ability to control Spiritual Artifacts would heavily diminish, leaving this cunning opponent with the upper hand.

Should he trap Li Yi inside the Mid Grade Spiritual Artifact Pill Furnace and refine him?

No, impossible.

The opponent had a divine needle that could easily pierce through a Mid Grade Spiritual Artifact.

...

After going through countless strategies, Zhang Yihua nearly went mad; he realized he couldn’t do anything to deal with Li Yi—the "turtle shell" of a man.

It wasn’t that Li Yi was strong; he was just ridiculously wealthy, possessing assets rivaling those of even Golden Core cultivators.

Their standoff lasted another two hours.

At this point, Zhang Yihua began to despair. He really had no feasible way of dealing with Li Yi, and his elixir reserves had already been depleted by half. If he continued at this rate, he might truly meet his end here.

"I must retreat first and wait to strike at a chance to kill this cunning thief. Continuing this mutual depletion is meaningless. As a cultivator, I refuse to believe he can keep that High Grade Spiritual Artifact on while sleeping." Resigned, Zhang Yihua decided to change his strategy, withdrawing for now and seeking to ambush Li Yi later.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Yihua no longer hesitated. Summoning his High Grade flying sword, he immediately rode it away.

"He ran?" Li Yi was momentarily stunned.

He had expected this Golden Core cultivator to fight him to the death, yet he hadn’t anticipated him retreating instead.

"Cunning thief, just you wait. Someday, I’ll take your life." Zhang Yihua yelled bitterly from a distance as he fled.

The Thunderbolt Fighter pursued him and launched a few shots from afar.

"Lan Ji, call back the Thunderbolt Fighter; don’t chase him." Seeing this, Li Yi hurriedly recalled the fighter.

A Golden Core cultivator determined to escape could not be stopped with just a Thunderbolt Fighter, so Li Yi decided it wasn’t worth the energy to try.

Upon confirming that Zhang Yihua had indeed retreated far away, Li Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the High Grade Spiritual Artifact Xuan Turtle Armor.

"Running is fine. In this Dharma Decline World, a Golden Core cultivator who stays here for too long will only grow weaker, which works to my advantage. Plus, without a Cross-border Technique, he’ll eventually be stuck here, trapped and unable to escape. He poses no real threat."

Li Yi’s eyes flickered, and he didn’t give Zhang Yihua another thought as he turned to check on Good Wings’ injuries.

Good Wings had an amazing physique. Despite having been pierced by the flying sword, its wounds had already healed significantly. Still worried, Li Yi fed it a Spirit Blood Pill to help it recuperate.

"Let’s go. We need to leave this place. The world is vast; if we travel far enough, Zhang Yihua won’t be able to find us."

Li Yi mounted Good Wings and pointed in a direction, quickly leaving the area.

To be cautious, he didn’t store the Thunderbolt Fighter in a Storage Magical Artifact but instead let it follow them closely.

After Li Yi had departed.

Zhang Yihua reappeared near the area. His retreat had been a diversion; he had no intentions of truly escaping. He wasn’t foolish enough to leave since returning to the Xuanxian Continent required Li Yi’s Cross-border Technique. Without it, he would be trapped in this world with no way out, so letting Li Yi go was absolutely not an option.

"Follow them."

Using his powerful Divine Sense as a Golden Core cultivator, Zhang Yihua cautiously and distantly tailed Li Yi, looking for a chance to exploit a weakness and deliver a deadly blow.

However, Li Yi was equally vigilant, riding Good Wings and flying without stopping. Hours turned into hours of flight.

This was grueling for Zhang Yihua, who cursed internally, "Where is this cunning thief headed? Flying for hours nonstop—is he not afraid of dying from exhaustion?"

Li Yi paid no attention to anything else and simply commanded Good Wings to keep flying.

Half a day passed.

Good Wings maintained its pace without resting, flying across the realm and over a vast ocean filled with numerous islands. On the islands remained many palatial buildings, abandoned due to the End of Dharma coming. Overseas cultivation had ceased to be viable, forcing cultivators to relocate.

Looking at these towering and magnificent palaces, Li Yi couldn’t help but imagine how prosperous cultivation must have been here in the past.

Even Zhang Yihua, trailing behind, was equally astounded by the grandeur of these structures.

"This isn’t an ordinary Dharma Decline World; it must be a cultivation world recently fallen into decline. This cunning thief sure knows how to pick a place, choosing such an impressive world." Zhang Yihua grew excited again.

A world that had transitioned from the peak of cultivation to the End of Dharma carried immense potential.

Techniques, magical treasures—now worthless and lying scattered everywhere—could be taken and brought back to restore a fortune.

"Damn it, if only I had a Cross-border Technique; then I wouldn’t have to hold onto this thief so stubbornly." Yet, Zhang Yihua clenched his teeth and seethed in frustration.

For him, entering this treasure trove was like having riches in plain view but being unable to touch them.

Li Yi ignored these thoughts and continued riding Good Wings, crossing the ocean and advancing deeper.

Good Wings lived up to its name, undeniably adept at flying. From morning until night, it flew tirelessly, crossing land and sea. According to Li Yi’s calculations, they had covered distances equivalent to circling Earth without finding an end to this world, signaling that it was larger than Earth.

Another day passed.

Li Yi was still flying over the ocean when he passed many more islands, even spotting submerged, ornate palaces. These palaces had once floated in the air but had fallen into the sea due to the loss of cosmic energy. Despite being submerged, they remained pristine and magnificent, resembling underwater dragon palaces.

The extraordinary craftsmanship of these palaces suggested they could fetch a hefty value if brought back.

"What a pity," Li Yi thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yihua, still trailing behind, similarly lamented the missed opportunities. However, his mental state was deteriorating—he had dark circles under his eyes and looked utterly exhausted.

Even as a Golden Core cultivator, sustaining Divine Sense for extended periods to lock onto a target without pause was incredibly taxing.

Two more days passed.

Li Yi finally reached land.

Good Wings crowed and flapped its wings, still showing no signs of exhaustion. Just to be safe, Li Yi fed it another Spirit Blood Pill. Over this time, Good Wings’ wounds had completely healed, and its spirits were stronger than before.

Mutant beasts from the Barbaric World indeed possessed remarkable resilience.

The newly reached land shared the same lack of cosmic energy, yet the cultivation ambiance was even stronger here. Majestic architecture and abandoned cities dotted the landscape. Within the cities, people still lived—most of them ordinary humans—or perhaps some were cultivators who had fallen into a mundane existence.

"Not bad, Lan Ji. Map out this area; we’ll use it later."

Li Yi was satisfied with his findings but still didn’t stop moving. He continued riding Good Wings, while Lan Ji aboard the Thunderbolt Fighter took charge of mapping the routes.

The journey continued for ten days.

They navigated the world in a complete circle.

Li Yi returned to the original location.

The remnants of their earlier fight were still present—the small creek still trickled, and a distant village remained as serene as ever.

"That Golden Core cultivator isn’t here. He definitely wouldn’t have expected me to circle the world and return to the same place." Li Yi nodded in satisfaction before commanding Good Wings to fly off in another direction: "Now we’ll head that way."

Good Wings, enjoying the flight, chirped joyfully and flapped its wings, speeding ahead.

"D-Damn it." Just after Li Yi left, Zhang Yihua appeared, panting heavily, on the brink of losing his mind.

Was Li Yi insane?

Spending ten days flying around the world to end up back where they started.

He felt like an absolute fool—trailing him like a dog, enduring the hardships of eating and sleeping in the wild only to be led astray.

Two bottles of Spirit Pills had been completely consumed.

"I can’t keep doing this. I must change strategies. I need to explore this world, find some powerful magical treasures, and then deal with that thief. If I keep following him like this, I’ll die from sheer exhaustion." Zhang Yihua felt utterly humiliated, played for a fool.

Realizing the futility of his current actions, he considered abandoning the pursuit.

But if he gave up now, how could he find Li Yi again later?

This world was vast; locating someone would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Even with his steadfast cultivation mindset, Zhang Yihua couldn’t help but feel a pang of despair. A single tear fell uncontrollably as he quietly cried.

Too cruel.

Had he known this outcome, he would have never crossed worlds to chase Li Yi. He could have kept living arrogantly at the Golden Academy instead.

While he hesitated, Li Yi had already ridden Good Wings far, far away.

Zhang Yihua wiped away his tear, regained his composure, and continued flying on his sword to pursue them again.

He couldn’t give up.

As a Golden Core cultivator, he had seen countless major challenges. How could mere setbacks defeat him?

If he could eliminate Li Yi, he’d strike gold. Control over a Dharma Decline World could pave the way for his Crossing Tribulation and ascension to immortality.

Unbeknownst to Zhang Yihua, Li Yi was entirely unaware of his unrelenting pursuit. Li Yi was solely focused on exploring this world while misdirecting his movements to make it harder for Zhang Yihua to locate him.

Having been tricked before by people from the Cultivation World, Li Yi had grown wary.

Now, Li Yi had learned the art of cautious survival.