Exposure

In the dim forest, withered trees and rocky outcrops lay strewn about. Thick layers of rotting leaves gave off an acrid, invisible miasma, while ancient trees stood like layer upon layer of barriers, leaving no path ahead in sight.

Scattered beast roars echoed from the depths of the forest, like howls rising from the Netherworld.

Two hazy figures darted through the forest at extreme speed, one ahead and one behind.

To prevent bird-like fiends from pursuing them through the air, Ye Xiaofan and Tie Wuqing did not take the official road.

"There's a cliff ahead. Let's rest there for a while before continuing."

Tie Wuqing suddenly slowed down and ran shoulder to shoulder with Ye Xiaofan, secretly studying the young man beside her with curiosity.

They had already run for a full day and night. Even with her Ninth Level Body Refinement cultivation and First Blood Replacement, her stamina was nearly unable to hold up. Yet Ye Xiaofan, who was only at the Body Refinement Sixth Layer, merely had a few extra beads of sweat on his forehead and showed no other signs of strain.

At first, Tie Wuqing had worried that Ye Xiaofan would not be able to keep up with her, so she had used only sixty percent of her speed.

Later, she discovered that Ye Xiaofan could keep pace with ease. She increased her speed several times along the way, but no matter how fast she went, Ye Xiaofan always maintained the same distance behind her.

Tie Wuqing had no choice but to admit one fact: Ye Xiaofan's movement technique was far faster than hers.

"Alright."

Ye Xiaofan nodded. Even if Tie Wuqing had not said anything, he would have suggested resting.

Because he was about to break through to the Body Refinement Seventh Layer.

The two were fortunate enough to find a naturally concealed cave on the cliff. It was dry inside, with enough room for more than a dozen people.

Darkness swallowed the last trace of light. The boundless forest seemed to have fallen into a realm of death. Aside from the rustling of leaves, the silence was bone-chilling.

The burning campfire illuminated the cave.

Leaning against the stone wall, Tie Wuqing swallowed a Qi and Blood Pill with wine, then closed her eyes to rest.

"Gang Leader Tie, I'm about to break through. I'll have to trouble you to stand guard."

Tie Wuqing opened her eyes at his words and stared blankly at Ye Xiaofan, while stormy waves rose in her heart.

No wonder Xiao Qiaofeng had been willing to pay the price of a graded Marrow Cleansing Pill to have her help Ye Xiaofan escape Qingyang County.

He had only just broken through to the Body Refinement Fourth Layer in the Blood Copper Mine Area. Yet in less than half a month, this ordinary-looking youth before her was already about to break through to the Body Refinement Seventh Layer.

Was cultivation really this easy?

Tie Wuqing was also a prodigy. At only twenty-three years old, her talent had already reached the threshold for the Immortal Sect's assessment.

Even with such talent, it had taken her nearly ten years to reach the Ninth Level Body Refinement and complete her First Blood Replacement.

Compared to the youth before her, she had spent ten years reaching the Ninth Level Body Refinement and completing one blood replacement.

What difference was there between that and being trash?

"The gap between people can sometimes be even greater than the gap between a dog and a person."

Tie Wuqing nodded, unable to stop herself from grumbling inwardly.

Ye Xiaofan knew nothing of what Tie Wuqing was thinking. He walked alone to the deepest part of the cave, took out a Qi and Blood Pill, swallowed it, and began cultivating.

The pure energy of the Qi and Blood Pill exploded within him. His suppressed five viscera began to tremble rhythmically with his breathing.

The tremors grew more violent. Within Ye Xiaofan's body, it seemed as though several divine dragons were roaring skyward in unison.

Even Tie Wuqing in the distance could faintly hear the subtle sounds produced by the resonance of Ye Xiaofan's five viscera.

"What a monster. If he can successfully escape Qingyang County this time, he will surely soar into the sky in a single leap."

Tie Wuqing looked at Ye Xiaofan and murmured to herself, then shook her head with a muted laugh.

She thought of Ye Xiaofan's movement speed. At merely the Body Refinement Sixth Layer, he was already faster than her. Once he broke through to the Body Refinement Seventh Layer, who knew what terrifying level he would reach.

Crossing Thorn Swamp no longer seemed all that difficult.

Instead, she herself seemed to have fallen into a dangerous situation.

On the other side, Ye Xiaofan focused wholeheartedly and pushed the perfected Five Elements Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Altering Art to its limit.

Strands of Qi and blood as thick as ten hairs surged out from his heart.

His Qi and blood washed over every inch of skin, flesh, blood, tendons, and bones like ocean waves.

At this moment, dragon roars rang out within Ye Xiaofan's body, while waves thundered and rolled. His skin was as red as the shell of a boiled shrimp, and dense white smoke poured from the opening and closing pores across his body.

It almost instantly enveloped him.

Breaking through to the Body Refinement Seventh Layer meant undergoing the third marrow cleansing and tendon alteration. Impurities within his body were expelled along with the white smoke.

Time passed.

Within the white smoke appeared a wisp of incomparably dense blood-red color, like thick fresh blood.

Gradually, more and more blood-red appeared, replacing the white smoke.

The next moment—

The thick blood-colored energy around Ye Xiaofan's body suddenly contracted and adhered to the surface of his skin.

The symbol of the Body Refinement Seventh Layer—Qi and Blood Armor—was complete!

But Ye Xiaofan's breakthrough had not ended. A layer of flame seemed to ignite upon his Qi and Blood Armor.

The flames burned more and more fiercely. From afar, they looked like a plume of blood-colored wolf smoke.

"Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke!"

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Tie Wuqing, who had been watching Ye Xiaofan the entire time, widened her eyes and cried out. She had never heard of anyone cultivating the Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke phenomenon at the Body Refinement Seventh Layer.

Generally speaking, only after reaching the Ninth Level Body Refinement and completing one blood replacement, when the quality of one's Qi and blood underwent a fundamental transformation, could one hope to cultivate a Qi and blood phenomenon.

Some could cultivate it after a single blood replacement. Tie Wuqing herself had cultivated Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke after one blood replacement.

Others needed two blood replacements before they could cultivate it.

As for those who could cultivate to three blood replacements, they could at the very least cultivate the Qi and Blood Great Sun phenomenon. Breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage would not require the aid of pills.

Xiao Qiaofeng had cultivated the Qi and Blood Great Sun after two blood replacements. His strength was terrifying, and he was nearly invincible among those of the same level.

"Perhaps he can cultivate Golden Qi and Blood."

Golden Qi and Blood was the strongest Qi and blood phenomenon among Body Refinement cultivators.

At this moment, strange light flickered in Tie Wuqing's deep eyes, and she had even forgotten to drink her wine.

"Gang Leader Tie."

Tie Wuqing came back to her senses. Two flushes of red appeared on the fair skin beneath her faceless bronze mask. She had actually become engrossed in watching Ye Xiaofan break through.

She had not even noticed when Ye Xiaofan completed his breakthrough.

"Oh, oh. Congratulations on your breakthrough."

Tie Wuqing hurriedly raised the Wine Gourd and poured wine into her mouth, using it to conceal her embarrassment.

At the same time, she secretly examined Ye Xiaofan from the corner of her eye, inwardly shocked.

She felt that the aura Ye Xiaofan unintentionally gave off now was only slightly weaker than hers.

"Thank you. Gang Leader Tie, how is your rest? If you're ready, why don't we continue our journey?"

Ye Xiaofan did not notice Tie Wuqing's abnormality. His ordinary face, which had already returned to its original appearance, carried a brilliant smile.

After breaking through to the Body Refinement Seventh Layer, his strength had reached a terrifying five-elephant force, two elephants greater than that of an ordinary Ninth Level Body Refinement cultivator who had yet to undergo blood replacement.

At that moment, Ye Xiaofan was feeling a little swollen with confidence.

If circumstances had allowed, he would have wanted to spar with Tie Wuqing and test his current combat strength.

The night was thick, and luxuriant branches and leaves shut out the stars that filled the sky.

In the pitch-black dense forest where one could not see one's own fingers, Ye Xiaofan and Tie Wuqing raced at extreme speed.

Tie Wuqing still led the way in front, while Ye Xiaofan followed behind her with effortless ease.

This sight made Tie Wuqing's teeth itch with frustration.

She had already pushed her movement technique to ninety percent of its power, yet Ye Xiaofan looked as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

Time passed as they traveled, and before they knew it, dawn had broken.

"There's a small stream ahead. Let's rest briefly before continuing."

"Alright."

Ye Xiaofan nodded. After breaking through to the Body Refinement Seventh Layer, his Qi and blood had become even denser and purer. He had used only sixty percent of his strength during the night's journey, so he felt no discomfort at all.

But he could tell that Tie Wuqing had expended a great deal.

The two came to the stream, drank some water, then each found a clean stone to sit on and began eating dry rations.

Ye Xiaofan happened to glance at the sky. Under the cloudless azure heavens, a gray flying eagle roughly two zhang wide was circling continuously above them.

"Gang Leader Tie, look at the sky!"

Tie Wuqing looked up at his words, and her expression changed.

"Not good. We may have been exposed. Go!"

Before her words had even faded, Tie Wuqing had already rushed into the dense forest.

Ye Xiaofan did not question her and hurriedly followed.

"Damn it, we can't shake it off."

The two weaved through the forest, constantly changing direction, but the flying eagle overhead continued to follow them stubbornly.

Ye Xiaofan remained silent, forcefully suppressing the killing intent in his chest.

He knew that the County Magistrate had surely already made his move against him. Uncle Luo and Uncle Xiao might already have fallen victim to the County Magistrate's vicious hands.

"I will avenge you."

At the same time—

Far to the west, Xiao Qiaofeng, whom Ye Xiaofan had been thinking of constantly, wore an incomparably ugly expression.

A gray flying eagle fiend was following above his head as well.

"Xiaofan, I'm sorry."

The County Magistrate's first target would definitely be Ye Xiaofan. As long as Xiao Qiaofeng could break through the blockade of the Mountain Lord Great Fiend before the County Magistrate captured Ye Xiaofan and arrived, he could escape Qingyang County.

The reason he had chosen to leave from the east was because he had learned that the Mountain Lord was in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Qi Condensation stage.

When he had slain the Golden Tiger Prince in the mine area last time, the Mountain Lord had made no move at all, confirming this information.

That was why he had made all those plans after meeting Ye Xiaofan.