The direction Ling Xiao was fleeing toward was already teeming with ferocious beasts, so encountering them was no surprise. However, his and Zhan Liu’s speed was so great that most beasts couldn’t keep up.
Wang She, on the other hand, was leisurely trailing behind, only to be intercepted by the lava behemoth.
Soon, Wu Yang and Qin Wu ran into trouble as well.
As they chased into a dense forest, they suddenly felt fierce gusts of wind coming from all directions.
The speed was astonishing, the angles cunningly precise.
Their expressions hardened, and they drew their weapons, instinctively striking toward the most threatening direction.
*Splurch!*
The sharp sound of blades slicing through beast flesh echoed harshly in the quiet jungle.
*Howl~~*
Two shrill cries rang out.
*Thud!*
A wolf the size of an adult human crashed to the ground.
“Wind-Tail Wolves!”
Two peak Level Two Wind-Tail Wolves lay bleeding, writhing on the ground.
Wu Yang and Qin Wu had no intention of finishing them off.
They knew Wind-Tail Wolves hunted in packs, and they needed to leave immediately.
Their judgment was correct, but it was too late. More Wind-Tail Wolves surged fearlessly from the forest, their relentless assault darkening Wu Yang and Qin Wu’s faces.
They’d already lost track of Ling Xiao and Zhan Liu, and now they were stalled. Though unafraid of these beasts, the delay infuriated them.
Is Senior Brother Zhan alright?
At that moment, their Senior Brother Zhan Liu noticed Ling Xiao had stopped.
This surprised him. Logically, Ling Xiao should be fleeing desperately under their pursuit. Stopping suddenly was abnormal.
He glanced back and suddenly understood.
“Hmph, you think you can win just because I’m alone? Soon you’ll realize what a foolish mistake you’ve made!” Zhan Liu sneered at the composed Ling Xiao.
“Not bad for sworn brothers—you even talk the same. Tieshan said something similar, but in the end, it wasn’t me who died, it was him!” Ling Xiao smiled faintly. “Today, you’ll follow in his footsteps.”
“Foolish!” Zhan Liu scoffed. “Tieshan was only at early Mortal Realm Seventh Layer, while I’m at late Mortal Realm Seventh Layer! Not only that, I’ve been guided by Senior Brother Meng Yuan and learned a high-grade gold-tier martial art. Comparing me to him is utterly ignorant.”
“Oh, really? Why is it that when I tell the truth, people like you never believe me? Fine, let’s see how it feels when the fear of death descends!” Ling Xiao had no interest in further talk. He deactivated the array stone. With Zhan Liu alone, he had a fighting chance, but if the others caught up, it’d be trouble.
Unlike with Tieshan, he planned to go all out from the start.
Of course, “all out” was relative—he wouldn’t easily use his Human-Dragon or Primordial Golden Dragon forms.
“I heard you found an ancient martial artist’s cave here and took plenty of treasures. Hand them over obediently, and I’ll promise to leave you an intact corpse,” Zhan Liu said, revealing his motives weren’t just revenge—he was also after the ancient cave’s treasures.
Ling Xiao smiled faintly and beckoned. “You’re right, I found an ancient martial artist’s cave and got plenty of good stuff, including a top-grade gold-tier martial art. If you’ve got the guts, come take it.”
Top-grade gold-tier martial art!
Zhan Liu’s heart raced at those words.
Such a technique was rare even for core disciples, and Ling Xiao had obtained one from the cave.
He wasn’t likely lying—there was no reason to.
Even without a top-grade martial art, there’d be other treasures. Killing Ling Xiao and taking his storage ring would suffice.
With that thought, Zhan Liu’s soft sword straightened, pointing at Ling Xiao. True essence erupted, and the sword seemed to come alive, glowing with vibrant green.
The combination of martial soul and technique was evidently taught systematically in the inner sect, not unique to Ling Xiao.
“Little beast, since you won’t hand over the goods, I’ll just have to cut off your head for the mission. Your corpse will serve as a sacrifice for my brother Tieshan.”
With that, Zhan Liu stomped the ground, shooting forward. His soft sword gleamed with green light, accompanied by dozens of willow branches slashing toward Ling Xiao.
The willow tree shadow behind him swayed, radiating green brilliance.
Feeling the sharp sword qi rushing toward him, Ling Xiao’s expression remained impassive.
In battle, unless something delighted him, he rarely showed emotion.
His face was typically a mask of indifference during fights.
Zhan Liu’s strength was indeed far greater than Tieshan’s. The gap between late Mortal Realm Seventh Layer and early Mortal Realm was vast.
In cultivation, the higher the realm, the wider the gap between stages, even within minor boundaries. Compared to the Martial Vein Realm or early Mortal Realm, the disparity was even more pronounced.
Mortal Realm Seventh Layer was known as the “Divine Courage” stage.
As the name implied, it signified godlike bravery and invincibility.
At this stage, cultivators pulled far ahead of those below, which was why only those at Mortal Realm Seventh Layer could become core disciples.
The Divine Courage stage was divided into early, middle, late, peak, and invincible phases, a pattern that continued in later realms, with significant differences from earlier stages.
Previously, reaching the peak was enough to break through, but from Divine Courage onward, each realm added an extra phase, increasing the difficulty of advancement.
Ling Xiao was only at Mortal Realm Fifth Layer, the “Divine Strength” stage.
At this stage, having tempered soul, true essence, and body into a harmonious whole, a cultivator’s strength far surpassed ordinary humans or weaker martial artists, boasting five to six thousand jin of force.
Exceptional ones could reach seven to eight thousand, even ten thousand jin.
Facing a late Divine Courage opponent from the Divine Strength stage was no easy feat.
Ling Xiao knew that without using his Primordial Golden Dragon form, his odds against Zhan Liu were about fifty-fifty, with no clear advantage.
“Looks like I’ll have to take some hits.”
Ling Xiao frowned but quickly relaxed. If he could kill Zhan Liu, what was a little injury?
These thoughts, though detailed, flashed through his mind in an instant.
