Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 89 - 88: Strategy to Break the Deadlock

"Stay calm, stay calm!!"

In the bedroom, Zhang Yao maintained absolute calm and rationality in his heart.

The current situation was the most dangerous he had ever encountered in his life. He had to exhaust every possible means to find a sliver of hope for survival.

On the surface:

He remained excited and joyful, repeatedly checking the jade scroll recording the "Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature," while secretly thinking rapidly about strategies to break the predicament:

"Since they set up this situation, they must be monitoring me at all times."

"The only thing that I can’t completely detect is most likely the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator..."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao felt even more solemn.

Right outside his room, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator was watching him, possibly more than one, making his chances of escape increasingly slim.

"Where’s the way out?"

Thoughts surged in Zhang Yao’s mind as he recalled all the Martial Arts and Magic he knew, while his eyes scanned everything in the room.

His only advantage was that his enemies were in the dark while he was in the open, giving him a chance to strike them unawares.

This opportunity would pass quickly, so it had to be seized firmly.

"...That’s right, underground!"

A spark of inspiration suddenly flashed in Zhang Yao’s mind, and he glanced at the ground beneath him.

In Qingyunfang City, there was an array that had been activated for years with a warning function. At night, the array was sealed, prohibiting entry and exit.

But there was an exception, and that was underground.

The Grand Array of the marketplace covered the entire gorge, vast in area, but ultimately it was just a Foundation Establishment Stage array, incapable of sealing underground as well.

Under normal circumstances, no one would attempt to escape underground, as it would trigger the array’s warning, bringing in the Qingyun Pavilion’s enforcement team.

But given the current situation, this was his only hope for life.

"With my current Magical Power, the Earth Travel Skill can only allow me to burrow a dozen or so feet underground, nowhere deep enough to evade a Foundation Establishment Stage Divine Sense."

"I can’t counteract the High level Skills and Spiritual Artifacts that a Foundation Establishment cultivator can unleash. The key to escape is not being locked on by Divine Sense."

As Zhang Yao thought of this, his thoughts flashed rapidly in his mind.

The information regarding the Foundation Establishment Stage, some of it was openly available, such as an early stage Foundation Establishment cultivator’s Divine Sense, which could cover hundreds of feet around them.

This gave Foundation Establishment cultivators incredible insight, making them almost impossible to ambush, holding an advantage in Magical Battles.

But Divine Sense was not without its drawbacks:

"Divine Sense extending underground would be hampered; the deeper, the greater the suppression."

"To ensure complete evasion of a Foundation Establishment Divine Sense, I would need to burrow at least a hundred feet underground to have certainty..."

Boring a hundred feet underground, how could it be easy?

But upon careful thought, Zhang Yao actually found a feasible method.

The "Thick Earth Spell" he practiced recorded several High level Skills that he had learned but never executed due to insufficient Magical Power.

Among them was the "Mountain-Penetrating Earth-Digging Skill," a reinforced version of the basic "Earth Element Skill," capable of piercing mountain veins and instantly burrowing a hundred feet underground—a High Grade skill meant for survival.

"Lacking Magical Power, I can burn my lifespan."

"I have long mastered the ’Heavenly Defect Secret Technique,’ and it’s time to put it to use."

With this thought, Zhang Yao’s determination hardened like iron.

The next moment, Zhang Yao activated the Heavenly Defect Secret Technique, a layer of invisible gray flames rose from his body, and his aura surged violently.

"Shua!"

His entire body radiated earthy yellow hues, and he directly burrowed underground, sinking a hundred feet in one breath.

"Go!"

After burrowing a hundred feet underground, he promptly activated the "Blood Burning Skill," a reddish glow emitted from his body, his skin turned gaunt, and his blood started to burn.

With two major Evil Secret Techniques operating simultaneously, combined with the "Mountain-Penetrating Earth-Digging Skill," Zhang Yao’s speed reached its peak, picking a direction to flee with all his might.

And almost the instant Zhang Yao burrowed underground and fled:

"Bang!"

The door burst open, smoke and dust filled the air, and four figures rushed in directly.

"Damn it!"

An elderly man with a long beard looked grim, releasing a formidable aura, his Divine Sense sweeping continuously in all directions.

"This..."

The feedback from the Divine Sense left him stunned:

"He actually escaped... How is this possible?!"

At his side, another man in a golden robe frowned, contemplating:

"Right at the critical moment, such a twist occurs... Truly a failure after approaching completion!"

"This kid is incredibly decisive, detecting something was off and immediately fleeing at the cost of burning his lifespan... His determination is unyielding and not to be underestimated!"

Upon hearing his words, Steward Pang of the Celestial Treasure Tower looked cautiously at the middle-aged man in the purple robe and said:

"Sir, about this..."

The middle-aged man in purple robe frowned, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said:

"I miscalculated."

"The joy of receiving the Divine Skill unexpectedly allowed him to slightly break through the influence of the ’Enchanting Soul and Confusing Heart Technique’... It seems his Divine Soul is stronger than we anticipated, probably nearing Qi Refining Perfection!"

"And this person is indeed extraordinary, realizing a slight oversight immediately fled, almost instantly discerning part of the truth."

Upon hearing this, Steward Pang sighed and said:

"This complicates matters."

"Not only does he possess Five Spirit Roots, but he’s also hiding something secret."

"Moreover, his Physique is remarkably resilient, his Divine Soul far exceeds his peers, making him an ideal candidate for practicing the ’Scripture of All Transformations and True Nature.’

"Now that he’s escaped, finding another suitable puppet will be extraordinarily difficult..."

He truly hadn’t anticipated such a change.

Over a decade ago, he learned some hidden information about Five Spirit Roots from the Da Li Headquarters of the Celestial Treasure Tower.

Eight years ago, after noticing Zhang Yao, he didn’t act hastily to avoid complications, but continued to monitor in secret, investigating covertly, and reported to the headquarters, which took the matter seriously.

Several months ago:

The Celestial Treasure Tower was about to issue a recruitment order to the Southwest Countries and specifically sent a Foundation Establishment Cultivator adept in Divine Soul Skills to the branch in the small Wei Kingdom, aiming to smoothly "capture" Zhang Yao.

With the presence of this headquarters’ Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the local Ouyang Family and Chu Family naturally cooperated fully, even proactively providing convenience for their operations.

But now, all these schemes have been in vain.

The opponent, not only ruthless and decisive but also proficient in earth element Earth Escape Skill, even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t track him.

"...Forget it, maybe it’s destiny."

The middle-aged man in purple robe shook his head, glanced at Steward Pang, and said calmly:

"You don’t need to worry."

"Although this was unexpected, ultimately, the fault lies in my Magic."

"I will explain the situation to the tower, and it won’t implicate you."

Upon hearing this, Steward Pang breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly bowed respectfully, and expressed his thanks.

The middle-aged man in purple robe did not respond, flicked his sleeves, and left directly.

The Steward of the Celestial Treasure Tower, along with the ancestors of the Ouyang Family and the Chu Family, exchanged glances and followed closely behind. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Thus ended the night’s unexpected events.