Exposure

In the dim, dense forest, dead trees and rocks lay scattered. A thick layer of decaying leaves emitted a pungent, invisible miasma, and ancient trees formed a heavy barrier, obscuring the path ahead.

Sporadic beast roars echoed from the depths of the forest, sounding like cries from the abyss.

Two indistinct figures darted through the dense woods, one following the other.

To prevent aerial pursuit by avian demonic creatures, Ye Xiaofan and Tie Wuqing avoided the main roads.

"There's a cliff ahead. Let's rest there for a while before continuing," Tie Wuqing suddenly slowed her pace, falling level with Ye Xiaofan. Her peripheral vision curiously scanned the young man beside her.

They had been traveling for a day and a night. Even with her cultivation of Ninth Level Body Refinement and one Blood Replacement, her stamina was starting to falter. In contrast, Ye Xiaofan, who was only at Body Refinement Sixth Layer, showed no other signs of fatigue besides a few beads of sweat on his forehead.

Initially, Tie Wuqing had worried Ye Xiaofan wouldn't be able to keep up and had only exerted sixty percent of her speed.

Later, she discovered Ye Xiaofan could easily match her pace. She had sped up several times along the way, but no matter how fast she went, Ye Xiaofan always maintained the same distance behind her.

Tie Wuqing had to admit a fact: Ye Xiaofan's movement technique and speed were far superior to hers.

"Okay."

Ye Xiaofan nodded. Even if Tie Wuqing hadn't suggested it, he would have asked to rest.

This was because he was on the verge of breaking through to Body Refinement Seventh Layer.

The two were fortunate enough to find a naturally hidden cave on the cliff face. Inside, it was dry and spacious enough to accommodate over a dozen people.

Darkness swallowed the last sliver of light. The boundless dense forest seemed to have descended into a realm of death. Apart from the rustling of leaves, a deathly silence was eerily pervasive.

A burning campfire illuminated the cave.

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

"Gang Leader Tie, I'm about to break through. I'll need you to keep watch."

Tie Wuqing opened her eyes at his words and stared blankly at Ye Xiaofan, while her heart churned with astonishment.

No wonder Xiao Qiaofeng was willing to offer a ranked Marrow Cleansing Pill to have her help Ye Xiaofan escape Qingyang County.

He had just broken through to Body Refinement Fourth Layer in the Blood Copper Mine Area, and now, less than half a month later, this ordinary-looking young man was about to break through to Body Refinement Seventh Layer.

Was cultivation truly this simple?

Tie Wuqing was also considered a Prodigy. At only twenty-three years old, her talent had already reached the minimum requirement for Immortal Sect assessments.

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

Compared to this young man before her, reaching Ninth Level Body Refinement and completing one Blood Replacement in ten years felt like...

What was the difference between that and being a cripple?

"The gap between people is sometimes even greater than the gap between dogs and people," Tie Wuqing thought to herself, nodding.

Unaware of Tie Wuqing's thoughts, Ye Xiaofan walked to the deepest part of the cave, took out a Blood Qi Pill, swallowed it, and began to cultivate.

The pure energy of the Blood Qi Pill exploded within his body, and his suppressed internal organs began to vibrate rhythmically with his breathing.

The vibrations grew more intense, and it felt as if several divine dragons were roaring to the heavens within Ye Xiaofan's body.

Even Tie Wuqing in the distance could faintly hear the subtle sounds of Ye Xiaofan's internal organs pounding.

"He truly is a monstrous talent. If he can successfully escape Qingyang County this time, he's bound to soar to the heavens," Tie Wuqing murmured, looking at Ye Xiaofan, then shook her head and chuckled wryly.

She had already considered Ye Xiaofan's movement technique and speed. At only Body Refinement Sixth Layer, he was faster than her. Once he broke through to Body Refinement Seventh Layer, who knew what terrifying realm he would reach.

Passing through the thorny swamp didn't seem very difficult.

Instead, it felt like she herself was in danger.

On the other side, Ye Xiaofan, with single-minded focus, pushed the Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Tendon Changing Art, which was at the Perfection stage, to its limit.

Threads of Qi and Blood, as thick as ten strands of hair, surged from his heart.

The Qi and Blood washed over every inch of his skin, flesh, bones, and sinews like ocean waves.

At this moment, dragon roars and surging waves echoed within Ye Xiaofan's body. His skin turned the color of a cooked shrimp, and a dense white smoke emanated from his pores as they opened and closed.

It almost instantly enveloped him.

Breaking through to Body Refinement Seventh Layer, the third Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Changing, expelled impurities from his body through the white smoke.

As time passed, A strand of incredibly dense, blood-red color appeared within the white smoke, resembling thick blood.

Gradually, more and more of the blood-red color replaced the white smoke.

The next moment, The dense, blood-colored energy around Ye Xiaofan suddenly contracted and adhered to his body surface.

The mark of Body Refinement Seventh Layer – Qi and Blood Armor – was formed!

However, Ye Xiaofan's breakthrough was not yet over. A layer of flame seemed to ignite on the Qi and Blood Armor.

The flames burned fiercer and fiercer, looking like a plume of blood-red wolf smoke from afar.

"Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke!"

Tie Wuqing, who had been watching Ye Xiaofan intently, gasped with wide eyes. She had never heard of anyone cultivating a Qi and Blood phenomenon like Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke at the Seventh Layer of Body Refinement.

Generally, one could only hope to cultivate a Qi and Blood phenomenon after reaching the Ninth Layer of Body Refinement and undergoing Blood Replacement once, which would cause a fundamental change in the quality of their Qi and Blood.

Some could cultivate it after just one Blood Replacement, like herself, who cultivated Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke after one.

Others needed two Blood Replacements.

As for those who could undergo Blood Replacement three times, they could at least cultivate the Qi and Blood Great Sun phenomenon, breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage without the aid of external elixirs.

Xiao Qiaofeng cultivated the Qi and Blood Great Sun after two Blood Replacements, and his strength was terrifying, making him nearly invincible among those of the same cultivation level.

"Perhaps he can cultivate Golden Qi and Blood."

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

At this moment, Tie Wuqing's deep eyes sparkled with an unusual light, and she even forgot to drink.

"Gang Leader Tie."

Tie Wuqing snapped back to reality, a blush spreading across her fair skin beneath the faceless bronze mask. She had actually been staring at Ye Xiaofan's breakthrough, completely mesmerized.

She hadn't even realized when Ye Xiaofan had finished his breakthrough.

"Oh, oh, congratulations on your breakthrough."

Tie Wuqing quickly raised her wine gourd to her lips, using it to hide her embarrassment.

At the same time, she glanced at Ye Xiaofan, marveling inwardly.

She felt that the aura Ye Xiaofan was unintentionally exuding now was only slightly weaker than her own.

"Thank you, Gang Leader Tie. How was your rest? If you're ready, perhaps we can continue our journey."

Ye Xiaofan hadn't noticed Tie Wuqing's odd behavior. His ordinary face, which had already returned to its original appearance, was adorned with a brilliant smile.

After breaking through to the Seventh Layer of Body Refinement, his strength had reached a terrifying five elephant-force, two elephant-force more than ordinary cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Body Refinement who hadn't yet undergone Blood Replacement.

At this moment, Ye Xiaofan was feeling a bit overconfident.

If the conditions allowed, he would have loved to spar with Tie Wuqing to test his current combat power.

The night was deep, and the dense foliage blocked out the starry sky.

In the pitch-black forest, Ye Xiaofan and Tie Wuqing moved at high speed.

Tie Wuqing still led the way, with Ye Xiaofan following leisurely behind her.

This sight made Tie Wuqing grit her teeth in annoyance.

She had already unleashed her movement technique to its full power, yet Ye Xiaofan was following as if he were on a casual stroll.

Time passed as they traveled, and before they knew it, the sky began to lighten.

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

"Alright."

Ye Xiaofan nodded. After breaking through to the Seventh Layer of Body Refinement, his Qi and Blood had become even more robust and pure. He had only used sixty percent of his strength during the night's travel, so he felt no discomfort.

However, he could tell that Tie Wuqing was quite exhausted.

The two arrived at the stream, drank some water, and each found a clean rock to sit on, starting to eat some dry rations.

Ye Xiaofan casually looked up at the sky and saw a gray flying eagle, about two zhang in size, circling above them in the vast, azure sky.

"Gang Leader Tie, look up at the sky."

Tie Wuqing looked up upon hearing this, her expression changing.

"Not good, we might have been exposed. Let's go!"

Before she could finish speaking, Tie Wuqing had already plunged into the dense forest.

Ye Xiaofan didn't doubt her and quickly followed.

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

The two weaved through the forest, constantly changing direction, but the eagle above stubbornly kept pace.

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

He knew that the County Magistrate must have already made a move against him, and that Uncle Luo and Uncle Xiao might have already met a tragic end at the County Magistrate's hands.

"I will avenge you."

At the same time, Far to the west, Xiao Qiaofeng, whom Ye Xiaofan was thinking of, had an extremely grim expression.

A gray flying eagle demonic creature followed above his head.

"Xiaofan, I'm sorry."

The County Magistrate's primary target was undoubtedly Ye Xiaofan. If he could break through the Mountain Lord's blockade before the County Magistrate captured Ye Xiaofan and arrived, he could escape Qingyang County.

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

The Mountain Lord had taken no action the last time the Golden Tiger Prince was killed in the mining area, which confirmed this intelligence.

This led to all the plans made after encountering Ye Xiaofan.