On the seventh day after leaving Wangfeng City.
Li Yuan had ventured deep into the Wild Mountains. The official road had long since given way to winding, rugged beast trails. Towering ancient trees and jagged boulders surrounded him, and the air was heavy with the damp, rich scent of decay unique to the primeval jungle, along with a faint demonic aura. Now and then, a low-tier demon beast foolish enough to show itself would be cowed by the Crimson Sun Aura naturally radiating from Li Yuan, sharp with Soldier Fiend Energy, and flee with a whimper before it could get close.
Following scraps of information he had picked up at a teahouse, he had traveled west. The farther west he went, the more treacherous the terrain became. The vegetation gradually thinned, revealing vast stretches of heavily weathered, reddish-brown rock. Even the sky seemed lower. Gray-black whirlwinds often formed in the mountain hollows ahead, sweeping up sand and stones before spiraling away with a mournful howl. That was how Black Wind Gully had gotten its name.
He had not pushed himself to travel at full speed. Instead, he had devoted more of his attention to consolidating his strength and familiarizing himself with his newly acquired power. By day, he traversed the mountains, using the terrain to hone his Movement Technique and grasp the finer points of circulating Qi and Blood and unleashing strength in the Crimson Sun True Scripture. At night, he found secluded spots to meditate, using Internal Vision to observe the dark crimson gold sun's rotation and trying to guide the Soldier Fiend Energy settled in the bones of his arms into an even deeper fusion with his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood.
He discovered that after fusing with Soldier Fiend Energy, his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood had