On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

Zhao Fan stopped and stood on the ridge, looking out at the distant, rolling mountains, quickly making plans in his mind.

If Su Zixuan had truly encountered a cultivator who had undergone tribulation, given her personality, she certainly wouldn't have surrendered without a fight.

Although she was somewhat willful, her cultivation level was genuinely at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and she also carried several protective magic artifacts. If she were determined to escape, she might not be without a chance.

The most likely direction they would flee to is Fuling Mountain.

With this in mind, Zhao Fan immediately changed direction, no longer searching the surrounding mountains aimlessly, but instead began to investigate one by one along several possible paths leading from Yulin Mountain to Fuling Mountain.

At the same time, they released Xiao Er from the storage bag and searched with him.

The search lasted a whole day.

The sun moves from the east to the center, and then slowly sets in the west from the center.

Zhao Fan piloted the Green Leaf Boat, flying slowly close to the treetops of the mountains and forests, his eyes always fixed on the terrain below.

He did not overlook any mountain hollow, ravine, or dense forest where people might be hiding.

Whenever he reached a strategically important or ambush location, he would land on his flying boat, scan the area carefully with his divine sense, and only continue forward after confirming that there was nothing unusual.

A whole day had passed, yet not a single useful clue had been found.

Zhao Fan frowned slightly, but he was not discouraged. He knew that finding someone was like finding a needle in a haystack, especially in a situation where they might already be in danger, so there was no need to rush.

As the sun set, he landed on a rock halfway up the mountain to rest for a while.

The mountain in front of us has a rather complex terrain.

The mountain is steep and densely forested, with a dry stream meandering through its foot.

From Yulin Mountain to Fuling Mountain, if you go around this mountain, you will have to travel dozens of miles more. If you go directly over it, although it is dangerous, you can save a lot of time.

Given Su Zixuan's personality, if she were truly fleeing for her life, she would most likely choose to cross the mountain.

Zhao Fan stood up, preparing to continue the search, but his gaze suddenly sharpened.

About twenty feet ahead, at the edge of a thicket, there were several broken branches, the freshness of the broken ends clearly different from the surrounding area.

He strode forward, squatted down, and examined the branch closely. It had been broken off from one side by an external force, and the branch had fallen towards the mountainside.

He looked in that direction and found several more trampling marks in the weeds a few feet away.

The grass was lying in a messy, disordered manner, not like the work of a wild animal, but more like something left behind by someone running in a panic.

Zhao Fan's heart tightened, and he immediately took out the Netherworld Mirror to activate his invisibility. At the same time, he spread out his divine sense to the fullest extent and slowly traced the marks upwards.

The higher you go, the clearer the tracks become. In some places, you can even vaguely see half a blurry footprint on the soil. Although it has been deformed by the mountain wind, the outline is still faintly discernible.

The footprints were small, and looked like a woman's footprints.

Zhao Fan's heart beat faster.

He walked uphill for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before suddenly stopping.

Ahead was a relatively open rocky beach, with large and small stones scattered on the hillside, the largest of which was as tall as half a person.

At the edge of the rocky beach, several large rocks had obvious scorch marks, and the surrounding ground was also blasted into a pitted mess by magic, with broken rocks scattered everywhere.

Traces of a battle of wits.

Zhao Fan's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately strode forward.

He first squatted down next to a large, charred rock and reached out to touch the scorch marks.

It was icy cold to the touch, but the stone surface had tiny cracks, clearly caused by a spell.

He leaned closer and smelled it again, and could vaguely discern a few traces of the scorching aura left by the fire elemental energy.

It's a fireball spell, or a similar fire-based spell.

Zhao Fan stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire rocky beach. There were many craters on the ground; some were scorched pits from flames, while others were trenches carved out by sharp weapons.

He stopped beside a deep ravine, reached in, and his fingertips touched a faint, sharp scent.

The magic of the metal element, or the magic artifacts left behind.

He carefully examined every trace, trying to reconstruct the course of the battle.

Before the beach, in this open space, footsteps were disordered, and traces of magic were least obvious.

Then, the footprints ahead widened, suggesting that the attackers used some secret technique to speed up their escape.

Further ahead, on a broken branch, a few wisps of blue cloth were still hanging.

The fabric was light blue, similar in color to the dress Su Zixuan wore that day.

Zhao Fan's heart sank. He carefully picked up the few pieces of cloth, brought them to his nose and sniffed them. He could vaguely smell a faint scent of blood.

Zhao Fan summoned the waiter and had him smell the strips of cloth.

"Waiter, is this hers?"

The waiter sniffed it and nodded.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, he immediately stood up and watched the footprints extend westward into the depths of the rocky beach, eventually disappearing into the crevices between several boulders.

Zhao Fan took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, immediately put away the waiter, and chased after him.

After passing through the gap between the boulders, a narrow ravine came into view.

The bottom of the ravine is covered with boulders, and the mountain walls on both sides are steep, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

Seeing this, Zhao Fan quickened his pace.

The mountain valley meandered and twisted, and after walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

This is a secluded mountain valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only one exit. The valley is not large, only about twenty or thirty feet in circumference, with a small flat area in the center and several naturally formed stone platforms scattered around the edges.

On that flat ground, Zhao Fan saw a pile of burnt charcoal, with a few gnawed animal bones scattered around, and two overturned wine gourds.

People have stayed here, and more than one person.

Zhao Fan did not approach immediately, but instead hid in the shadows and carefully scanned the entire valley with his divine sense.

The campfire had been extinguished for a long time, and there was no sign of any living creatures around. Only then did he slowly walk out and come to the campfire.

He used his foot to brush away the ashes and found that the bottom layer of embers had completely cooled down, with not a trace of warmth left. It seemed that the fire had been out for a long time.

On the ground around the campfire, messy footprints were clearly visible. Zhao Fan squatted down and carefully examined them. There were large male footprints, as well as several obviously smaller footprints.

He followed the small footprints and found that they extended all the way to the rock face on one side of the ravine.

There was a flat rock at the foot of the cliff, its surface covered with a layer of dry grass, clearly a temporary resting place.

A few strands of long hair and a torn hem of a dress remained on the hay.

Zhao Fan picked up the hem of the dress and compared it with the piece of cloth he had found on the rocky beach. He found that the color and texture were exactly the same.

It's Su Zixuan.

She was detained here, and spent at least one night there.

Zhao Fan stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire valley, trying to find more clues.

Besides footprints and animal bones, there were also several discarded, tattered storage bags beside the campfire.

He went forward and picked it up to examine it; it was completely empty, clearly having been ransacked.

He circled around again and finally found new traces at the exit on the other side of the ravine. There were several messy footprints extending outwards from the mountain, with drag marks mixed in.

Zhao Fan followed the footprints.

The terrain outside the valley gradually opens up, and the trees gradually thin out.

The footprints led westward, and their direction roughly coincided with that of Fuling Mountain.

He quickened his pace and chased after them for several more miles when the footprints ahead suddenly became disordered, as if someone had stopped to argue.

There were several deep scratches on the ground, as if they had been cleaved by a sharp weapon.

There were also several fresh cut marks on the surrounding tree trunks, and faint spiritual energy fluctuations remained at the cuts.

Zhao Fan reached out and touched one of the slash marks, feeling a cold, sharp sensation at his fingertips.

It was left behind by a magic artifact with a metallic attribute, and the person who made it was a highly skilled cultivator, at least at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He focused his attention and sensed that although the aura of the spiritual energy fluctuations was weak, it had not completely dissipated.

Zhao Fan took a deep breath and looked into the distance. The mountains ahead gradually softened, and a relatively open plain lay not far to the west.

A few villages are scattered across the plain, and further on, the main road leads to other counties.

If those people were thieves, they would most likely not go to crowded places after kidnapping people.

But judging from their direction, they don't seem to have turned around; instead, they're heading west.

Zhao Fan didn't know what these people wanted to do, but Su Zixuan was in their hands at the moment, and he needed to catch up with her as soon as possible.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Fan took out a communication talisman, briefly recorded his findings from the investigation, and sent it out.

Then, he put away the talisman, looked westward, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

It was already getting dark, but he didn't hesitate. He immediately took out the Green Leaf Boat and sped westward, skimming the treetops.

As night deepened, the chirping of insects rose and fell in the mountains and forests. Zhao Fan steered the flying boat, his eyes fixed on the ground below, not missing a single possible trace.

Occasionally, one or two faint lights could be seen on the ground; these were the temporary dwellings of hunters or woodcutters in the mountains, but none of them were the targets he was looking for.

The flying boat flew for an hour, during which Zhao Fan consumed nearly half of his spiritual energy.

He found a secluded cliff and landed there, sitting cross-legged to regulate his breathing. At the same time, he took out several spirit stones and held them in his palm to quickly replenish his spiritual energy.

Half an hour later, he got up again, about to continue his pursuit, but his gaze suddenly fell on the valley below the cliff.

There, a faint light flickered.