Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 440 The Escape Route

Faced with such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, how could Orochimaru, a man with countless battles and unparalleled combat experience, easily let it slip by? He made a decisive move, quickly mobilizing the power of the wind element within his body. In an instant, a gale arose, sweeping up all the surrounding dust and forming a thick, all-encompassing dust cloud that shrouded the entire area, completely blocking the opponent's view.

Immediately afterward, Orochimaru's figure flashed, disappearing underground like a ghost. He moved like a nimble fish, darting through the earth at astonishing speed. Relying on his familiarity with the terrain and his superb earth-escape techniques, he silently slipped towards his training grounds, striving to get away from this dangerous place as quickly as possible.

Orochimaru stared intently at the masked man before him, silently wondering what serious consequences the man's physical ailment would cause. However, with the information he currently possessed, he couldn't accurately determine whether this condition would render the masked man completely incapacitated.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Orochimaru swiftly made his decision—to retreat! He knew that even though the masked man's body was on the verge of collapse, the immense chakra contained within the descendant was still not to be underestimated. With that power, even in the brief moment of the masked man's physical collapse, it would be enough to easily defeat him.

With that thought, Orochimaru no longer hesitated. He flashed away like a ghost, retreating rapidly while keeping a close eye on the masked man's every move. After all, facing such a formidable enemy, any carelessness could be fatal.

At that moment, Orochimaru had only one thought in his mind: while there was still a chance, he had to escape. Continuing to fight such a terrifying opponent would be tantamount to suicide. So, without hesitation, he unleashed his most proficient earth elemental power and instantly vanished beneath the vast ground.

The battlefield, once shrouded in billowing smoke and thick dust, is now undergoing a breathtaking transformation. A sudden gust of wind rises, howling past like a ferocious beast opening its blood-red maw, roaring as it devours the swirling dust. In the blink of an eye, the previously hazy vision clears, revealing everything on the battlefield in its entirety.

Just then, a surge of chakra suddenly erupted from the masked man, who had been at a disadvantage. This powerful force, like a burst dam, was unstoppable, instantly churning the surrounding air violently. Under the impact of this terrifying chakra, the ever-spreading signs of collapse on the masked man's body miraculously stopped! Although his body was already covered with countless cracks, like a piece of porcelain about to shatter, thanks to the transplanted Hashirama Senju cells, he held on and did not completely collapse.

However, for Orochimaru, the masked man's fleeting pause was a golden opportunity. Taking advantage of his opponent's preoccupation with his own crisis, Orochimaru unhesitatingly used his unique secret technique, vanishing from his spot in a flash, successfully completing a perilous retreat. Only the masked man remained standing alone on the empty battlefield, facing the vast emptiness around him.

In that instant, Orochimaru, hidden underground, displayed his unparalleled mastery of the earth element's power. With a flash, he swiftly vanished from the perilous area like a ghost. Simultaneously, he skillfully used the surrounding soil to completely conceal his body, as if becoming one with the earth.

Despite this, Orochimaru remained uneasy. He knew the enemy's strength and cunning, and dared not relax his guard in the slightest. Therefore, while maintaining his lightning-fast movements, he did his utmost to conceal his soul power and physical presence, fearing that the enemy would detect even the slightest trace of his presence. At this moment, Orochimaru was like a ghost hidden in the darkness, silently traversing the vast underground world.

That mysterious and powerful force, like a surging torrent, suddenly descended upon the masked man's body. This force clearly did not want to let the cunning Orochimaru off easily; it seemed to possess its own consciousness, rapidly mobilizing its boundless soul power, spreading out in all directions like an invisible giant net.

Wherever this spiritual power passed, the air seemed to tremble slightly, and everything around was meticulously scanned and examined. Orochimaru, lurking in the shadows, became its primary target. This mysterious entity knew that if it couldn't completely eliminate or control Orochimaru, its whereabouts might be revealed by this cunning and treacherous individual. Once the news leaked, it would inevitably cause a huge uproar, bringing endless trouble and even annihilation. Therefore, it was imperative to eliminate any potential threats that could expose its existence!

A meticulous scan of the surrounding area, spanning tens of kilometers, failed to detect even the slightest trace of Orochimaru, not even the most minute clue. This result caused the person controlling the masked man to frown slightly, pondering the situation. However, after a brief deliberation, he decided to slowly withdraw his immense power from the masked man's body. After all, the body had reached its limit; if he didn't stop in time and continue to forcefully inject power, the masked man's body would inevitably face complete collapse. He had no choice but to abandon the practice of injecting power into the masked man's body and choose to detach. His final plan still needed the masked man to continue; he couldn't allow the masked man's body to collapse like this.

At this moment, deep in the dark and damp underground, Orochimaru was stealthily moving towards the distance at an astonishing speed. His body moved as nimbly as a ghost among the soil and rocks, each movement cautious, for fear of making the slightest noise.

However, despite his best efforts to conceal his presence, he remained filled with unease and anxiety. He had no idea how wide the enemy's sensory range was, and the slightest carelessness could expose him completely. Given his current appalling physical condition, once his whereabouts were revealed, there would likely be no hope of escape.

So even though traversing this dark and oppressive underground world left him exhausted and in pain, and his injuries continued to worsen, Orochimaru gritted his teeth and persevered, daring not to relax for a moment. He knew that this might be his only chance to survive.

It's unclear how much time passed, but Orochimaru's already severe injuries finally made it impossible for him to continue crawling underground. With a slight thud, Orochimaru laboriously and slowly emerged from the ground.

Orochimaru's condition at this moment was extremely bad. His energy had been completely exhausted, as if it had been drained. The injuries he had suffered were even more shocking. Large and small wounds covered his entire body, from which blood constantly gushed out, staining his signature white robe crimson.

It should be noted that since he switched to other cultivation methods, he had never suffered such severe injuries. In the past, powerful enemies were often defeated by his unpredictable ninjutsu and unfathomable strength. However, this time, he encountered an unprecedentedly powerful foe whose attacks were exceptionally fierce, leaving him defenseless and ultimately resulting in his serious injuries.

At this moment, Orochimaru's consciousness was even becoming somewhat blurred. The scene before him was sometimes clear and sometimes hazy, as if the whole world was constantly shaking. He tried hard to stay awake, but wave after wave of excruciating pain assaulted his nerves like a tidal wave, almost causing him to faint.

Orochimaru's face was ashen. He knew his condition was dire; if he couldn't find a safe place to rest and recover quickly, the consequences would be unimaginable. He forced himself to lift his head, enduring the churning pain within him, and his gaze swept rapidly around him.

The surrounding area was a dense forest, with tall, thick trees whose branches intertwined to form a thick canopy of green. Orochimaru thought to himself that they should be able to avoid being discovered by the enemy for the time being. So, he dragged his heavy steps forward, staggering.

After a frantic search, Orochimaru finally discovered a seemingly well-hidden tree hole. The hole was hidden at the base of a huge ancient tree, its entrance concealed by weeds and vines, making it difficult to spot without careful observation.

Without hesitation, Orochimaru rushed into the tree hollow at top speed. However, due to his severe injuries, he didn't even have time to conceal himself before collapsing to the ground, instantly losing consciousness and falling into a deep coma. At this moment, he seemed to have become a lifeless shell, relying solely on his own powerful vitality and the meager shelter provided by the tree hollow to resist any potential dangers from the outside world.

Time flowed by silently, like a gentle stream. During this long period, the entire world seemed shrouded in a hazy veil, making it difficult to know exactly how much time had passed. Finally, as darkness completely enveloped the sky, plunging the entire forest into silence, Orochimaru slowly opened his long-closed eyes, his consciousness gradually awakening from the depths of unconsciousness.