“Chen Ping, hurry up!”
Hu Mazi urged from within the forest.
“Coming!”
Chen Ping replied, turning to enter the forest, knowing the path ahead would be even more perilous.
Chen Ping and Hu Mazi rested in the forest for several days, using the remaining energy of the Pure World Green Lotus to condition their bodies.
Chen Ping’s seventh-rank Loose Immortal Realm cultivation fully stabilized, and Hu Mazi’s injuries were nearly healed.
On the day they prepared to leave the forest and head deeper into Jiupan Mountain to gather information, a group of uninvited guests blocked their path.
Leading them was a one-eyed cultivator with a hideous scar across his face, exuding the aura of a third-rank Earth Immortal.
Behind him stood over a dozen cultivators, each radiating powerful auras, clearly elites from a major sect.
“You’re Chen Ping and Hu Mazi?”
The one-eyed cultivator asked coldly, his eyes glinting with greed.
Chen Ping frowned slightly, “We’ve never met. Why are you blocking our way?”
“Never met?”
The one-eyed cultivator sneered, “Who in Jiupan Mountain doesn’t know that capturing you two will earn rewards from both the Black Fiend Demon Palace and the Crimson Sect? Especially you, Chen Ping. They say you carry plenty of treasures. Today, I’ll be taking them.”
Chen Ping’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected their whereabouts to spread so quickly.
It seemed the Crimson Fairy and the Black Fiend Demon Palace had joined forces, issuing a kill order to ensure their demise.
“Just you lot?” Chen Ping’s lips curled into a cold smile, his Dragon-Slaying Sword trembling slightly, as if eager to taste blood.
“Arrogant!”
The one-eyed cultivator roared, “Attack! Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter!”
The dozen cultivators charged forward, their treasures gleaming with spiritual light, dimming the sunlight.
Chen Ping shielded Hu Mazi behind him, unsheathing his Dragon-Slaying Sword. Golden sword qi swept through the air, instantly cleaving the two leading cultivators in half.
“Seventh-rank Loose Immortal? Impossible!”
The one-eyed cultivator gasped, his face full of disbelief.
The information he’d received clearly stated Chen Ping was only at the sixth rank, which was why he dared to intercept them. He hadn’t expected Chen Ping’s strength to rise so drastically in just a few days, capable of fighting above his level.
Hu Mazi pulled out several talismans, engaging in combat with a few lower-ranked cultivators.
Though only at the first rank of the Earth Immortal Realm, his rich combat experience kept him from falling behind.
Moreover, Hu Mazi’s strength was gradually recovering. Once fully awakened, he could crush these opponents with a single slap.
Chen Ping faced the one-eyed cultivator and three other third-rank Earth Immortals.
He wielded the Dragon-Slaying Sword with masterful precision, golden sword qi pouring down like a relentless storm, forcing the four to retreat repeatedly.
“Too strong, retreat!”
The one-eyed cultivator, seeing the tide turn against them, decisively ordered a withdrawal.
He knew that even four third-rank Earth Immortals were no match for Chen Ping.
If they stayed, they might all perish.
Seeing them try to flee, Chen Ping wasn’t about to let them go.
In a flash, he chased down the one-eyed cultivator like a phantom, his Dragon-Slaying Sword slashing horizontally.
The one-eyed cultivator screamed as his arm was severed, blood spraying everywhere.
The other cultivators, terrified out of their wits, scattered in all directions, not daring to linger.
Chen Ping didn’t pursue them to the end, knowing it wasn’t wise to make too many enemies now.
“What a pity they escaped,” Hu Mazi said regretfully.
“They can run, but they can’t hide,” Chen Ping said, his eyes icy. “They’ll report back, and our situation will only get tougher.”
As Chen Ping predicted, within half a day, they faced three more ambushes from different factions, all drawn by the bounty.
Chen Ping and Hu Mazi fought while retreating. Though Chen Ping’s enhanced strength allowed them to escape each time, the battles drained their spiritual energy, leaving them exhausted and on the run.
