Clear Water River

"Kid, stop right there!"

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle's thick limbs churned like four wheels. Wherever its mountain-like body went, dirt flew, and many smaller demonic creatures were sent flying.

The gusting wind it generated continuously assailed Ye Xiaofan.

Ye Xiaofan's heart leaped with joy. His Wind Shadow Steps were already based on the Wind God Steps, and had been upgraded to a top-grade movement technique by integrating numerous other skills.

He was naturally adept at using the wind to travel.

For some unknown reason tonight, there was only a faint breeze in the entire Thorn Swamp, barely enough to press down the grass.

This prevented his movement technique from reaching its full potential.

Now, with the strong wind generated by the Thorn Crocodile Turtle, it was like divine assistance.

Using this gust of wind, Ye Xiaofan's speed instantly increased by thirty percent.

With a few leaps, he broke free from the encirclement of the demonic creatures.

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle roared in frustration but was helpless.

Tie Wuqing's beautiful eyes sparkled.

"What movement technique are you cultivating? You can carry me and still maintain this speed."

Ye Xiaofan's speed carrying her was about ten percent faster than her own full-power movement technique.

Although it was a bit presumptuous, Tie Wuqing couldn't help but ask.

"Top-grade!"

Ye Xiaofan uttered two words.

"So that's how it is."

Tie Wuqing nodded. The wind howled past her ears, and the heavy footsteps of the Thorn Crocodile Turtle continued to approach from behind.

At this moment, Tie Wuqing unconsciously pressed her face against Ye Xiaofan's back. She felt an unprecedented sense of security lying on his back.

This feeling was something she had only experienced in her mother's embrace.

Since her mother's death, she hadn't felt this safe in nearly ten years, even with a demonic creature that could kill her at any moment chasing them.

Thinking of her mother, Tie Wuqing's beautiful eyes dimmed.

She founded the Iron Hand Gang, collected resources, and cultivated day and night, all so that one day she could avenge her mother.

But her enemy was too powerful; she didn't know if she would be able to achieve revenge in her lifetime.

Feeling the steady thumping of Ye Xiaofan's heart, Tie Wuqing murmured softly.

"Ye Xiaofan, thank you!"

"What?"

Tie Wuqing's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. Even Ye Xiaofan, with his sharp senses, couldn't hear her clearly at first.

"I said, are you tired?"

Tie Wuqing put on a youthful expression, unconsciously pouting and saying loudly.

Ye Xiaofan shook his head. "I can borrow the wind to travel. The big idiot behind us doesn't even know that the gust he's creating is just what I need to help me."

Under the starry sky, a young man carried a delicate woman, leaping through the swampy marshland, leaving behind trails of eerie bloody afterimages.

Behind them, a small mountain with four wheels roared.

Time flowed by. The pale crescent moon had, at some point, risen to the western horizon.

Ye Xiaofan's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. Even though his Qi and Blood were as vigorous as a Ninth Level Body Refinement expert, carrying Tie Wuqing doubled his energy consumption.

Fortunately, he could cultivate through breathing. He had been constantly consuming Blood Qi Pills along the way to maintain his full speed.

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle behind them continued its relentless pursuit.

However, the Thorn Crocodile Turtle's speed was gradually decreasing. Though not obvious, Ye Xiaofan could clearly feel it from the incoming wind.

High in the sky, a gray eagle that had been following them all day had disappeared at some point.

Suddenly, a dark silhouette stretching for who knew how many miles appeared on the horizon.

It was the outline of a mountain range in the darkness of night.

They were about to escape the Thorn Swamp.

"Gang Leader Tie, we're about to escape the Thorn Swamp."

Ye Xiaofan's tone became lighter.

Tie Wuqing looked up, then turned her head to look behind them.

Instantly, her pretty face, hidden beneath the faceless mask, turned as pale as paper.

"Ye Xiaofan, put me down."

Tie Wuqing began to struggle as he spoke.

"I'll let you down once we're in the mountains."

"No!"

Tie Wuqing's voice carried a hint of anxiety.

Ye Xiaofan frowned slightly, somewhat confused, and turned his head to look.

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle was getting further and further away.

There didn't seem to be any problem.

"Gang Leader Tie, ~"

The moment he turned his head, in the distant sky behind him, a black meteor was hurtling towards them.

Seeing this black meteor, Ye Xiaofan's heart trembled.

He thought of Evil!

"Gang Leader Tie, hold on tight."

Without waiting for Tie Wuqing's reply, Ye Xiaofan took out three Blood Qi Pills from his embrace, swallowed them, and immediately activated a secret technique recorded in the breathing technique—Burn Blood.

The Qi and Blood within his body boiled like water.

Billowing Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke erupted from Ye Xiaofan's body, like a raging inferno.

The next moment, Ye Xiaofan took a step, covering fifteen zhang in an instant.

His speed increased by another 20 percent.

"Ye Xiaofan, you~"

Tie Wuqing didn't know what to say for a moment.

Burning Qi and Blood would damage the meridians in the body and have a significant impact on breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage in the future.

At this moment, a violent wind howled incessantly.

Even with his Qi and Blood protecting him, Ye Xiaofan could no longer hear anything else.

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle despaired.

In its eyes, Ye Xiaofan had already become a tiny black dot.

"Roar~"

A roar of unwillingness and despair came from the Thorn Crocodile Turtle's mouth. Thinking that it had failed to capture Ye Xiaofan, a terrifying punishment from the Venerable One awaited it.

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle's expression turned fierce, and it immediately began to burn its Qi and Blood.

However, Its anger, its burning of Qi and Blood, was ultimately like a reflection of the moon in the water.

Ye Xiaofan, carrying Tie Wuqing on his back, disappeared from its sight.

The Black Eagle, carrying the County Magistrate, flew over the battlefield where the fight had just occurred, looking at the corpses of demonic creatures scattered everywhere.

The County Magistrate's expression was blank, and his pupils gradually faded.

This indicated the rage within his heart.

A moment later, The Black Eagle caught up to the Gray Eagle, which had already been left far behind.

"Where is the person?"

"G-Great, Your Excellency, I, I couldn't keep up. Lord Thorn Crocodile Turtle is still following."

"Trash!"

The Black Eagle opened its mouth and spat out a mouthful of black Qi and Blood, instantly piercing through the Gray Eagle.

Sensing the increasingly violent aura of the Venerable One standing on its body, the Black Eagle's heart trembled, and it desperately burned its Qi and Blood, which was less than 50 percent.

wisps of black blood continuously squeezed out from its pores.

Half an incense stick later, The Thorn Crocodile Turtle's mountain-like form appeared in the Black Eagle's sight. The Black Eagle looked around but couldn't find the person the Venerable One wanted.

The Black Eagle felt a sense of foreboding. Before it could do anything else, it felt a heavy weight on its back.

Then, its entire body began to fall uncontrollably like a meteor.

Looking at the Venerable One again, he plummeted at extreme speed, appearing on the Thorn Crocodile Turtle's back within a few breaths.

"Where is the person I want?"

The Thorn Crocodile Turtle bent its limbs, cold sweat dripping from its forehead, and said tremblingly, "Venerable One, the person is in the mountain forest ahead."

"Useless thing."

The County Magistrate heavily stepped onto the Thorn Crocodile Turtle's back, leaving behind a blurry afterimage as he pursued the direction Ye Xiaofan had disappeared.

In contrast, the Thorn Crocodile Turtle's limbs were deeply embedded in the swamp. Its eyeballs bulged, black blood seeped from its mouth, and its pupils rapidly dilated.

It lost its life in just one breath.

At the same moment, the Black Eagle crashed heavily beside the Thorn Crocodile Turtle.

It created a pit about ten feet deep.

After a while, the Black Eagle struggled to climb out of the pit, blood at the corner of its mouth and its feathers in disarray.

Clearly, the Venerable One hadn't intended to kill him.

The Black Eagle had saved its life.

"Ye Xiaofan is running northeast. That's the Clear Water River, and we can use it to hide and escape downstream."

Tie Wuqing suddenly leaned close to Ye Xiaofan's ear and said loudly.

Ye Xiaofan nodded, his body turning as he dashed towards the northeast. Wherever he passed, the vegetation bowed, and dead leaves danced.

Although there was nothing behind him, a cultivator's sixth sense was constantly warning him.

Ye Xiaofan knew that danger he couldn't face directly was imminent.

After a rapid sprint, a cliff suddenly appeared ahead. Ye Xiaofan, without any hesitation, jumped down with Tie Wuqing on his back.

This was because he could already hear the roaring river water below.

"Gang Leader Tie, conceal your aura, inhale."

After reminding Tie Wuqing, Ye Xiaofan retracted his Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke, used his movement technique, and utilized the river wind to plummet rapidly into the river.

While in mid-air, Tie Wuqing dismounted from Ye Xiaofan's back.

"Plop!"

To conceal their auras, the two did not use their Qi and Blood, and the icy river water instantly soaked them.

Both were geniuses who had cultivated Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke, possessing formidable physical strength. They moved through the water like arrows loosed from a bow using only their physical power.

On the other side, a short while after Ye Xiaofan and the other had jumped into the river, the County Magistrate arrived at the cliff's edge, stepping on the treetops.

His gray eyes, devoid of pupils, stared intently at the rolling river water.

Then, he jumped down without hesitation.

Ye Xiaofan was his opportunity to strengthen his foundation, and he couldn't give up easily.