Blood Burst

"I'll hold them off. You have to escape."

With that, Li Gang handed the Vermillion Fruit and pocket watch to Father Chu. "Take this Bloodline Fruit. Please bring this pocket watch back, and I hope you and your son will look after my wife and daughter."

"Brother Li."

Father Chu's eyes reddened. He wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

Li Gang's injuries were rapidly suppressed, and his aura began to surge explosively. In almost an instant, he surpassed his peak state, his Life Level even leaping past 8.6.

Li Gang had swallowed a Blood Burst Pill. Refined from the Source Energy Treasure Medicine Blood Burst Grass and various chemical substances, it could temporarily suppress injuries, burn cells and vitality, and greatly raise a martial artist's Life Level.

But the price of forcibly raising one's Life Level was total exhaustion after taking a Blood Burst Pill. Even in the best-case scenario, one would end up crippled.

Father Chu had carried it because he had long prepared himself to die in battle. Yet Li Gang had unexpectedly snatched it away.

"Kid, get going. Let Uncle Li hold them off!"

Li Gang's condition had recovered. He immediately gripped his saber and charged forward, unleashing the Armor Breaking Saber Technique in broad, sweeping strikes. Attacking without defense, he actually held Brother Snake back.

Chu Kuang's expression changed drastically. He wanted to help, but Li Gang forced him back.

"You brat, don't let me die for nothing!"

Li Gang laughed wildly as streams of saber energy raged around him. He intended to trade wound for wound and fight Brother Snake to the death.

Faced with such a suicidal style, Brother Snake might have had the higher Life Level, but he had no desire to risk his life. He could only keep dodging, abandoning his pursuit of Chu Kuang.

Father Chu grabbed Chu Kuang and left without saying a word.

Chu Kuang looked back at Father Chu and saw that his father's eyes had turned bloodshot.

"Go!"

In an instant, the two made their decision and fled toward the outskirts.

At that moment, the surviving twin wore a twisted expression of hatred and shouted, "That brat's combat strength is astonishing. He may possess an Innate Battle Physique. We absolutely cannot let him leave alive!"

Brother Snake's eyes filled with overwhelming killing intent. Martial battle physiques were immensely powerful. Whether an Innate Battle Physique or an Acquired Battle Physique, either represented the possibility of reaching the Mortal Transformation Realm.

If such a potentially dangerous opponent survived, he would likely bring Brother Snake enormous trouble in the future.

With that thought, Brother Snake tried to break free and pursue them, but Li Gang had completely gone mad and clung to him with a life-for-life fighting style.

"Seeking death!"

Brother Snake was instantly enraged. Enduring a slash from Li Gang that left a three-inch saber wound on his hand, he unleashed his ultimate technique, Green Snake in Sleeve, piercing through Li Gang's throat.

"Brother Li!"

The two had already fled several hundred yards away, yet Father Chu's eyes still nearly split apart at the sight.

He gripped his saber, ready to rush back and fight, but Chu Kuang tightly grabbed him with one hand. "It's useless. With your strength, you'll only be killed instantly if you go back."

"Split up and flee. He won't chase you. With my speed and defensive power, perhaps we'll both have a chance to live."

"Fine, then take this!"

Father Chu gritted his teeth and nodded. He knew that, in his current condition and at his current speed, following Chu Kuang would only burden him.

He made his decision, gave the remaining Vermillion Fruit to Chu Kuang, then resolutely went their separate ways and fled into the distance.

"You pursue Chu Yang. Leave this brat to me."

Brother Snake caught up and saw the two fleeing in separate directions. He immediately spoke to the surviving twin.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he decisively pursued Chu Kuang.

In his eyes, Father Chu was merely disabled. He had no hope of ever breaking through to the Mortal Transformation Realm in this lifetime. Even if he escaped alive, he could not become a threat.

But if Chu Kuang, who might possess an Innate Battle Physique, was allowed to live, he could truly become a major problem.

"Today, you will definitely die!"

Chu Kuang and Brother Snake turned into streaks of golden and green light as they fled one after the other.

But before long, Chu Kuang realized that the distance between them was steadily closing.

Both were incredibly fast. Chu Kuang's Thousand Jun Formation Breaker was top-tier in speed, and the Purple Perk gave him an additional fifty percent boost. Ordinary martial artists at Life Level 8 could not even catch his shadow.

Brother Snake's Slithering Snake Steps were more suited for combat, and far slower than Thousand Jun Formation Breaker. However, he had cultivated them to perfection. Relying on his higher realm and Life Level, he was still slightly faster than Chu Kuang.

"No. At this speed, there's no way I can escape his pursuit."

Chu Kuang fled swiftly. Seeing the distance between them constantly shrinking, he decisively changed direction and headed deeper into Phoenix Valley.

Seeing Chu Kuang flee deeper into Phoenix Valley, Brother Snake's eyes turned cold, and he said with great apprehension, "Seeking death!"

Despite his words, Brother Snake still followed after him.

One chased and one fled. Before long, they reached the depths of Phoenix Valley. Suddenly, an eagle's cry rang out from above, followed by a crimson giant eagle over ten feet long diving down at them.

Chu Kuang's expression turned grave as he activated Golden Bell Internal Force to protect his body, forcibly taking the giant eagle's blow before continuing deeper into Phoenix Valley.

On the other side, Brother Snake was also attacked several times. The crimson giant eagle was extraordinarily majestic, its spread wings like two great sabers, every feather seeming to be forged from red gold.

Brother Snake repeatedly used the Green Snake Sword Art, trying to kill it, but each strike against its feathers only scattered golden sparks.

Most troublesome of all, the giant eagle kept screeching. More and more crimson giant eagles gathered in the sky, continuously swooping down upon the two of them.

"Crimson Blood Eagles. What a nuisance."

Brother Snake was furious. He repeatedly used Slithering Snake Steps to evade them, forced to temporarily abandon his pursuit of Chu Kuang.

Phoenix Valley was famous because a flock of powerful source-energy vicious birds, the Crimson Blood Eagles, lived there.

Legend had it that these vicious birds possessed a trace of weak Phoenix Bloodline. Once mature, their average Life Level was above 8, making them quite powerful even among Apprentice Level fighters.

Apprentice Level martial artists could not yet fly. Against Crimson Blood Eagles, they could only passively endure attacks. On an open plain, they could easily be surrounded and killed.

Fortunately, Phoenix Valley's terrain was filled with rolling mountains. Brother Snake used the landscape to keep evading, eventually barely shaking off the Crimson Blood Eagles' pursuit.

"Damn it, that brat really is bold."

Watching Chu Kuang escape, Brother Snake's eyes darkened.

He knew Chu Kuang probably had not fled far, but he no longer dared to hunt him openly.

"I'm finally safe for the moment."

Meanwhile, Chu Kuang had shaken off Brother Snake and the Crimson Blood Eagles. Leaning against the wall of a hidden cave, he slowly let out a deep breath.

His internal force had been greatly depleted while facing the Crimson Blood Eagles' pursuit, but with the enhancement of the Iron Armor Technique, he had not suffered any injuries.

Now that he had finally escaped his pursuers for the moment, he slowly looked toward his panel, and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.