I long to return home!

Huai Zhen couldn't help but feel a little resentful. He just wanted to get his things back, but he had to go through such suffering. Facing wave after wave of crashing waves, he quickly made hand seals, using his spiritual energy to form a wall to resist the waves while rushing forward.

About thirty miles ahead, the battle between the Jiangcheng bandit and the female cultivator from the Jianghe Sect was still ongoing. Not only were they both at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, but they also used mostly the same spells and supernatural abilities, all from the Jianghe Sect's Jianghe Technique.

This technique is most effective in places with water. Those who master it can cut through rivers and waves with a wave of their hand, and turn water into deep pools. They can use water to attack all things. Therefore, only cultivators with water spiritual roots can practice this technique. The better the quality of the water spiritual root, the stronger the technique will be.

Judging from their exchange, the female cultivator from the Jianghe Sect had a slight edge in Jianghe Technique. Her hands moved in different hand seals, and she could unleash water blades with a wave of her hand. With a pinch of her fingertips, she condensed a ball of water, which then transformed into hundreds of water snakes that surged forth.

However, since she dared to call herself the Jiangcheng Thief, she naturally stole a lot of things. Even though she was inferior in terms of cultivation techniques, she stole a great many cultivation techniques, magical treasures, and pills, which was enough to make up for the difference.

She lightly patted her storage bag a few times, and a small tower and a pill immediately flew out. The Jiangcheng bandit swallowed the pill and made a hand seal. The small tower immediately floated above his head, seemingly possessing the power to swallow the heavens and earth, and absorbed hundreds of water snakes clean.

Her hand seals changed again, and she unleashed the final finger technique, "Flowing Spring." As soon as this technique was used, a wide stream of water appeared in the water, drawing back the incoming water blade.

The female cultivator from the Jianghe Sect looked furious upon seeing this. She used her magic to disperse the water flow and cursed, "Qi Qingqing, you wretched wretch! You stole the sect's secret techniques! Today, when your master catches you and takes you back, I'll cripple your cultivation and refine you for a hundred years!" As soon as she finished speaking, she was startled to see the notorious Jiangcheng bandit fleeing without looking back.

"Senior sister, I won't see you off. Please give my regards to Master. Also, since the Jianghe Sect is involved in this kind of business, what's a little secret technique I stole? Doesn't the Jianghe Sect pocket most of Jiangcheng's treasures every year?" Qi Qingqing rode her spirit beast and fled at high speed, looking down at the storage bag she had snatched and secretly delighted. What a fat sheep! She bought a fifth-grade pill without hesitation. Once she takes this fifth-grade pill, she will definitely be able to enter the late stage of the Golden Core realm after a year of seclusion.

The two chased each other for several hours, unaware that Huai Zhen was also in hot pursuit. However, how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator without water-based techniques possibly outrun a Golden Core cultivator with underwater skills?

Finally, after a day, Huai Zhen, whose lead had widened, gave up the chase, broke out of the water, and looked at the unknown sea area where he had been pursued. He was speechless.

Unfortunately, his spiritual energy was being depleted day and night, and he could no longer support a long pursuit, but he absolutely could not give up like that.

He looked around at the vast, boundless sea, then at the distant mountain rocks, lost in thought.

“This person is extremely familiar with this area of ​​water. He should know that others will be chasing him, so he naturally has a way to escape. Since this person claims to be the great thief of Jiangcheng, he must have been committing crimes for a long time. Presumably, there must be a place where this person is hiding within a hundred miles of Jiangcheng.” Huai Zhen took a deep breath, and an inappropriate smile appeared on his face.

...

After an unknown amount of time, Huaizhen arrived at a seemingly ordinary riverside cave. Looking inside, it was bottomless and pitch black, obviously formed naturally, with nothing particularly remarkable about it.

"According to the divination, this cave should be the hiding place of the notorious thief from Jiangcheng." Huai Zhen calculated with one hand, and after confirming that it was correct, he flew into the cave on his sword.

After entering the cave for a while, it was still pitch black and not much different from before. However, the divination was not wrong. With a little doubt, Huai Zhen still went down.

The flames generated by the spell cast by his hand illuminated the dark and damp rock walls inside the cave, and the occasional dripping sound of water added to the eerie and sinister atmosphere.

"Impossible! The divination indicates this place should be the hiding place of the Jiangcheng bandit. How come we haven't seen any magic array yet?" Huai Zhen looked at the flame in his hand, a thought flashed through his mind, he flung out the flame, and then made a hand seal to cast a fireball spell.

The fireball flew swiftly into the depths of the cave, illuminating the dark cavern. After a few breaths, the sound of the fireball exploding came from the depths, followed by a slight tremor in the cave.

Seeing the flickering flames in the distance, Huai Zhen was very surprised. He hadn't seen a single formation in all of this, and he couldn't help but wonder if his Heavenly Evolution Technique hadn't worked out correctly.

He tried several times in a row, but the divination still pointed to the cave. With a look of surprise and doubt, he continued to walk in.

But soon the truth came out. They went deeper and deeper until there was nowhere to go. Huaizhen looked at the simple table and chairs made of stone, and then turned to look at the long stone block next to him. If there was no surprise, it should be a bed.

Seeing this, Huai Zhen covered his head, not knowing what to say. He never imagined that a Golden Core cultivator who had been living on the edge of a knife would choose a cave without any defensive formations as her dwelling. He had really overestimated her abilities.

He sighed softly, waved his hand to extinguish the burning flames, and sat quietly on the stone chair, waiting for the arrival of the Jiangcheng bandits.

Time slowly passed, and besides the endless ticking of the clock, heavy footsteps and the woman's panting and complaining could be heard from inside the cave.

"That old woman is really ruthless. Cough, I almost got killed. Once I take the fifth-grade precious pill and break through to the late Golden Core stage, I will strip that old woman naked, along with her storage bag and clothes, and send her back to the sect naked."

Qi Qingqing muttered to herself, complaining. Because she had suffered a considerable injury and was confident that no one would come to this secluded place, she did not use her divine sense to probe beforehand.

This oversight left her unaware that a pair of eyes were watching her from deep within the cave. Huai Zhen took a deep breath, realizing that she had made the right bet. Moreover, she could smell a strong scent of blood on the latter, indicating that she had suffered no minor injury.

While grumbling, Qi Qingqing was almost deep into the cave when suddenly her expression changed drastically, and she realized something was wrong!

She clutched her injured arm and was about to flee when, to her dismay, it was too late. A streak of red light flashed past, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw a Taoist priest in red robes holding a blood-stained sword to her throat, coldly staring at her.

"Senior, please don't act rashly. Let's talk this out. If you strike with this sword, it will be too late to regret it later. As long as you ask, I will give you anything." Qi Qingqing begged for mercy in a low voice. With a flick of her sleeve, firelight lit up in the cave. Her expression changed drastically, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

The person in front of her was the Foundation Establishment cultivator whose fifth-grade pill storage bag she had stolen. Suddenly, she remembered that the other party had said he was a disciple of the Star Surveillance Academy, and then she realized that something was wrong.

In Huaizhen's eyes, her previous desperate escape was undoubtedly a case of the snipe and the clam fighting, while the fisherman reaped the benefits.