Wu Xulong first engaged the two Early Golden Core experts in battle.
Whenever one of them charged in the direction Yang Lingtian had fled, Wu Xulong would swiftly block the way.
But there were two opponents, after all. After several minutes of fierce fighting, one of them still managed to break free.
The other, meanwhile, kept Wu Xulong firmly occupied.
Still, he had bought Yang Lingtian some time to escape and widen the distance.
Having broken through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he drove the Imperial Sky Boat with all his might.
Its speed had already surpassed that of the Foundation Establishment peak and was infinitely close to that of an ordinary Golden Core expert.
However, the person pursuing him was a genuine Golden Core expert. He was still several notches faster than Yang Lingtian.
Yang Lingtian sensed the formidable aura of the Golden Core assassin behind him and knew that the man was drawing closer and closer.
He opened the map of the Star-Moon Dynasty that the mysterious old man had given him last time, checking his location and deciding where he should flee.
Yang Lingtian knew his own limits. If he encountered someone at the Foundation Establishment peak, he would still have the strength to fight.
But against a Golden Core expert, he was completely outmatched. They were not even on the same level.
Seeing the Golden Core assassin closing in, Yang Lingtian could not think of any good solution.
At that moment, the Chaos Bead seemed to sense Yang Lingtian's emotions, and its voice rang out in his mind.
"Master, there is currently one way to help you shake off your pursuer."
"What? What way? Hurry up and tell me." Yang Lingtian asked anxiously.
"You must force out a drop of your blood essence and drip it onto the Imperial Sky Boat."
"You possess the Chaos Dao Body, so your blood essence contains a trace of Chaos Qi. It can make the Imperial Sky Boat display even greater speed for several hours."
"But this will damage your body, severely deplete your vitality, and leave you extremely weak. You will need time to recover."
Yang Lingtian thought for a moment before deciding to use this method.
Although he would have to pay a price, it was still better than being caught and killed by a Golden Core expert.
Thus, he forced a drop of blood essence from his fingertip. At once, he felt his mind grow hazy.
This was far more than an ordinary drop of blood. It was essence blood containing immense energy and vitality.
At that moment, wisps of Chaos Qi began to spread from the drop of blood essence.
Yang Lingtian immediately dripped the blood essence onto the Imperial Sky Boat. The drop was quickly absorbed by the boat.
After absorbing the blood essence, the Imperial Sky Boat seemed to have broken free of some kind of shackle.
It was also as if it had been awakened from slumber. In an instant, a vast aura spread outward.
The Imperial Sky Boat's speed suddenly exploded, and it shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
This speed had completely surpassed that of the Early Golden Core and was even considerably faster than the Mid Golden Core.
Pain began to appear on Yang Lingtian's face. His entire body started trembling, and his consciousness grew increasingly blurred.
Clearly, losing a vital drop of blood essence had inflicted tremendous damage on his body.
After sensing a strange energy fluctuation, the Golden Core assassin pursuing him from behind noticed Yang Lingtian's aura rapidly moving away.
He realized that Yang Lingtian's speed had surged. Before long, Yang Lingtian had left him far behind.
"How is this possible? Even with a flying Mid-grade Spirit Artifact, how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator display such speed?"
The Golden Core assassin behind him wore a look of disbelief, deeply shaken.
Then humiliation welled up within him. "Damn it! I am a dignified Golden Core expert, yet I actually let a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator escape."
"No! I have to continue pursuing him. He must have used some kind of secret technique to suddenly burst out with such speed."
"And the price for using such a secret technique must be immense, and it cannot last long. He definitely cannot have gone far."
Although he had lost track of Yang Lingtian's presence and aura, the Golden Core assassin still refused to give up and began searching the area.
At this moment, Yang Lingtian's body had become incomparably weak. He had passed out completely and collapsed on the Imperial Sky Boat.
Although the Imperial Sky Boat no longer had Yang Lingtian controlling and driving it, it had absorbed a drop of blood essence containing Chaos Qi.
It seemed to possess the force of primordial chaos, continuing to fly forward without the slightest reduction in speed.
The energy contained in that drop of blood essence could keep the Imperial Sky Boat flying for several hours.
After carrying the heavily unconscious Yang Lingtian through the air for several hours, the energy in the blood essence was finally exhausted.
The Imperial Sky Boat then plunged straight down from the sky and smashed violently into the earth below.
Fortunately, Yang Lingtian possessed the Chaos Dao Body, and his physical body was extraordinarily powerful.
Without using any protection, relying solely on his physical strength, even an Early Foundation Establishment expert's attack could not injure him in the slightest.
Otherwise, falling from such a height while unconscious would have long since crushed him into a pool of bloody pulp.
Only after several days did Yang Lingtian slowly awaken.
When he first woke, he still felt somewhat dizzy, and his entire body seemed devoid of strength.
Yang Lingtian felt bitter inside. "I never expected forcing out a drop of blood essence to come at such a heavy price."
"Fortunately, no demonic beast came over while I was unconscious. Otherwise, I would have been eaten."
"I wonder whether that Golden Core assassin followed me here. I still cannot let my guard down."
He then tried circulating his Spiritual Power, only to find it extremely difficult. A sharp pain also spread through his body.
Although he could still display the corresponding level of strength, every time he used his cultivation power, it caused some subtle damage to his body.
It seemed that until his vital essence recovered, he had better avoid taking action as much as possible.
It looked as though he could only continue driving the Imperial Sky Boat to find a safe cave and properly heal his wounds.
Although this would continue damaging his body, he had no other choice.
Just as he was preparing to drive the Imperial Sky Boat, his powerful Divine Soul sensed someone approaching.
After all, his Divine Soul was currently comparable to that of a Golden Core expert, allowing him to detect movements more than a thousand meters away.
He immediately put away the Imperial Sky Boat, stood in the distance, and gazed into the distance.
Before long, several figures gradually entered his field of vision.
Two of them, a man and a woman, were both at Qi Refining Level 9. The others had not even reached Qi Refining Level 7.
"Huh? There seems to be someone over there." The woman was the first to spot Yang Lingtian.
The group then hurried toward Yang Lingtian and surrounded him.
"I cannot sense any cultivation aura. He is obviously a mortal."
The Qi Refining Level 9 man spoke in a flat tone. Although his gaze swept over Yang Lingtian, he did not take him seriously.
A mere mortal naturally could not enter his sight.
"Which family are you from?" the woman asked Yang Lingtian.
"I do not belong to any family. May I ask where this is?" Yang Lingtian answered simply before asking in return.
"No family? Then you must be from one of the small villages nearby."
"This is a small mountain within Tianshan Valley. Demonic beasts appear here year-round, yet you, a mere mortal, dared to come here."
The woman spoke patiently, without any lofty air.
"Forget it. Consider yourself lucky to have run into us. Follow behind us from now on."
Yang Lingtian thought it over. He was unfamiliar with the area, so following them for the time being seemed safer.
"All right, thank you!" Yang Lingtian accepted readily.
Through their conversations along the way, Yang Lingtian learned the names of the group members.
The man was called Bai Qing, and the woman was called Bai Zi. The others were also surnamed Bai, clearly members of the same family.
He also learned that this place was called Tianshan Valley, the largest mountain valley basin in the Star-Moon Dynasty.
The area around Tianshan Valley was surrounded by towering mountain ranges. The valley was several thousand meters deep, with precipitous cliffs that were nearly impossible to climb.
Thus, this place was cut off from the outside world. Unless one's cultivation reached the Golden Core, it was impossible to fly out of Tianshan Valley.
As a result, outsiders rarely entered this place, and few people could leave.
Yang Lingtian did not know whether this counted as an isolated paradise or a cage.
Fortunately, he possessed the Imperial Sky Boat and could fly out.
But his damaged body had yet to recover, and the weakness caused by losing a drop of blood essence had not faded.
Therefore, Yang Lingtian planned to recuperate properly in Tianshan Valley before making further plans.
Moreover, there was still a Golden Core expert hunting him outside. This was the best place to lie low and avoid the storm.
Yang Lingtian followed the group over several small mountains and traveled dozens of miles before they finally reached a flat area.
This was clearly one of their gathering places. By the time they arrived, more than a hundred people had already assembled there.
However, all of them were Qi Refining cultivators, with the highest cultivation being Qi Refining Level 9.
They were also all dressed in uniform, clearly belonging to the same faction.
"Bai Qing, you finally made it back." A very burly man walked over and spoke.
"All the small teams that went out have completed their missions on time. You were the only ones left."
"Bai Qing, did you bring back the Bloodfire Wolf's heart?" another man walked over and asked.
Bai Qing casually flipped his hand, producing a wooden box. Inside was the Bloodfire Wolf's heart.
"The Bloodfire Wolf's heart is here. The mission is complete," he answered proudly.
"Excellent! All the auxiliary ingredients are ready. Now we are only missing that one main ingredient." The man's expression brightened.
Then his gaze suddenly fell on Yang Lingtian behind Bai Qing, dressed in tattered clothes.
Looking utterly downcast, Yang Lingtian made the middle-aged man's brows knit slightly. "Who is he?"
"Just a mortal who got lost on one of the small mountains." Bai Zi stepped forward to explain.
"We happened to run into him. It was fate, so we brought him out with us."
The middle-aged man gave Yang Lingtian a deep look before turning to Bai Qing. "You are the grandson of the Grand Clan Chief."
"You possess great authority and freedom, so you may bring an outsider with you if you wish."
"But this is an extraordinary time. I hope you will not let some trivial matter delay the important business of our Bai Family."
"We understand. Don't worry. He is only a mortal and will not delay us," Bai Qing replied.
Just as everyone was preparing to sit down and rest, a voice came from the distance: "Everyone, assemble!"
A woman dressed in white then walked over from afar, followed by several subordinates.
When she approached, everyone immediately clasped their fists and called out, "Greetings, Miss Bai Xueyou!"
Yang Lingtian looked toward the young lady approaching. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and her figure was also excellent.
She could be considered a breathtaking beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.
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