Outside Fenshui Town.
Along a broad stretch of the Fen River tributary.
Several large ships had been linked together, forming a small dock.
Judging by the markings on the outside of these vessels, they all belonged to the Liu Family.
Liu Chengfeng, who had met Fang Hong before and ultimately caved under the pressure Fang Hong had brought him, was standing on a deck at this moment.
A carrier pigeon flapped its wings and flew straight over from the horizon, then landed directly in his hand.
He removed the small slip of paper tied to the pigeon's leg and opened it.
Liu Chengfeng's face immediately lit up with joy, and he hurried into the cabin.
Inside the cabin, a young man and a middle-aged man were conversing.
The young man wore a brown robe, and his tiger-like eyes were filled with arrogance.
Though he was talking to the middle-aged man beside him, he seemed not to regard him at all.
He looked unruly and haughty.
As for the middle-aged man, he wore brocade robes and carried an extraordinary bearing, yet he looked constrained at this moment, his face full of fawning smiles.
"Brother, good news! That brat surnamed Fang has already left Fenshui Town!"
Liu Chengfeng entered at this moment, his face brimming with excitement.
"Presumptuous!"
"You do not understand even the slightest bit of etiquette! How dare you behave so recklessly before Mr. Wu!"
Seeing Liu Chengfeng's excited appearance, the fawning middle-aged man's expression turned cold, and he immediately rebuked him.
This man was Liu Chengfeng's elder brother, the head of the Liu Family, Liu Chengyun.
He was also the Liu Family's only Bone Refinement expert.
"It's fine. Was what you just said true? Has that fellow Fang Hong really left Fenshui Town?"
At this moment, the arrogant young man in brown brightened and immediately asked.
"That's right, Mr. Wu. I have already received word from my subordinates. He has set off."
"He intends to travel by water to the Star River Sect, so he should arrive here before long."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Wu's face immediately lit up with delight.
"Good. But are you sure he has the Water Origin Spirit Liquid, and that he has not used it yet?"
"Of course," Liu Chengyun took over.
"We have already sent people to confirm it. This time, they discovered a Water Origin Cave."
"And all the Water Origin Spirit Liquid inside that cave was taken by Fang Hong."
Liu Chengyun revealed a flattering smile. "And after receiving your message, we had people watching him the entire time."
"That brat has been in secluded cultivation these past few days, making the inn's waiter brew countless medicinal soups to replenish his blood and qi."
"From the looks of it, that brat seems reluctant to use the Water Origin Spirit Liquid."
"Ha ha ha!"
Hearing this, Mr. Wu immediately burst into laughter. "It is good that he is reluctant!"
"If he is reluctant to use it, then won't it all be handed over to me?"
"As long as I obtain that Water Origin Spirit Liquid, I will certainly be able to condense my blood this time and reach the Blood Replacement realm!"
After laughing excitedly for a while, he suddenly frowned.
"But are you sure the surrounding area has been cleared?"
"This is, after all, the Star River Sect's territory."
"The Star River Sect and my Crimson Spirit Sect are like fire and water. News of my presence here absolutely cannot leak."
Mr. Wu narrowed his eyes and looked at Liu Chengyun coldly.
Liu Chengyun's heart tightened at those words, and he hurriedly stated his position.
"Rest assured, Mr. Wu. Before you arrived, I had already cleared out the entire surrounding area."
"Absolutely no one will know that you have appeared here."
Liu Chengyun gave his assurance with great confidence.
"Good." Mr. Wu nodded in satisfaction.
"We must thank you for lending us a hand this time, sir. Otherwise, we truly would have had no way to deal with Fang Hong."
"I heard that inside the Water Origin Cave, he easily killed a Great Python at the Bone Refinement realm."
Mr. Wu smiled and waved his hand. "No need for courtesy."
"That fellow intends to join the Star River Sect, which makes him an enemy of my Crimson Spirit Sect."
"As for easily killing a Great Python at the Bone Refinement realm—heh, it was merely a beast that had yet to grow into its full strength. What is there worth mentioning?"
Mr. Wu spoke with great disdain.
"Ha ha, naturally, Fang Hong cannot possibly be a match for Mr. Wu."
Meanwhile, Fang Hong was also traveling downstream by boat.
Before long, he had arrived at the location of that small dock.
Swish—
The instant Fang Hong saw the small dock blocking the vessel's path, he immediately stood up.
His gaze fixed ahead with vigilance, and his expression became extremely grave.
Then, he saw several people walk out from within that small dock and onto the deck.
Leading them was an arrogant young man wearing a brown robe.
He was looking at Fang Hong from afar.
Danger—very intense danger.
The instant Fang Hong saw the young man in brown, warning bells blared wildly in his heart.
"Boatman, stop for now."
Fang Hong spoke directly.
Before his words had even faded, and before the boat had fully stopped, Fang Hong had already emerged with a bundle of luggage on his back.
The muscles in his legs suddenly bulged.
The next moment, his entire body leaped into the air.
He crossed several meters in a single bound, shooting toward the mountain forest along the right bank.
"Not good, that brat is trying to escape!!"
The several people on the small dock's deck in the distance all darkened upon seeing this.
They immediately bent their legs and sprang forward.
Especially the brown-robed young man at the front. While still in midair, he stomped heavily on the water's surface with both feet.
The stomp exploded like thunder, sending water splashing everywhere.
His downward momentum instantly halted, and he leaped up once more, landing on the shore.
He then immediately raced in the direction Fang Hong had fled.
As for the Liu brothers, Liu Chengyun and Liu Chengfeng, their speed was clearly much slower.
The forest was lush with grass and trees.
Yet Fang Hong paid no attention at all to the grass, thorns, and branches clawing and tearing at him.
He charged forward without a care, barreling through everything in his path.
Before long, his clothes had been torn in many places by branches and thorns.
As a result, he looked somewhat bedraggled.
But sensing that dangerous presence behind him drawing ever closer, Fang Hong did not dare stop.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.
After only a short while, Fang Hong's figure abruptly halted.
Because a brown figure had already appeared in front of him.
It was precisely the brown-robed young man he had seen earlier.
"Why did you stop running?"
Wu Dongliang looked at Fang Hong with a cold smile.
Fang Hong looked at him calmly, then removed the luggage from his back and tossed it into the flowers to one side.
"To catch up to me so quickly, it seems you are not merely at the Bone Refinement realm."
Fang Hong spoke calmly.
Wu Dongliang let out a disdainful snort.
"Bone Refinement?"
"This young master has already reached major completion in Marrow Refinement, close to perfection!"
"Now, I only need the Water Origin Spirit Liquid in your possession to cleanse my blood and break into the Blood Replacement realm!"
Wu Dongliang said arrogantly, "If you know what is good for you, hand over the Water Origin Spirit Liquid at once."
"I can even leave you an intact corpse!"
"Otherwise..." Wu Dongliang revealed a cruel smile.
"I will let you experience exactly what the Crimson Spirit Sect's methods taste like..."
Crimson Spirit Sect!
This fellow was actually a disciple of the Crimson Spirit Sect!
Fang Hong's heart jolted when he heard those words.
No wonder the man had caught up to him so quickly.
Though the enormous gap between their cultivation realms was part of the reason.
Fang Hong had cultivated both the Iron Leg Skill and a Flesh Refinement movement technique to perfection.
The other party should not have been able to catch up so quickly.
Was this the foundation of a disciple from a great sect?
The various methods they possessed were simply beyond comparison with ordinary independent martial artists.
"This region should be within the Star River Sect's territory, right?"
Fang Hong narrowed his eyes. "A disciple of the Crimson Spirit Sect appearing here means you do not intend to let me leave alive."
"Since that is the case, there is nothing more to say."
As he spoke, Fang Hong slowly raised both hands.
Once he learned that the other party was a disciple of the Crimson Spirit Sect, Fang Hong knew it.
If he did not kill this man, he would not be able to leave alive.
Even if he handed over the Water Origin Spirit Liquid, the other party would certainly not spare him in order to prevent the news from leaking.
Seeing Fang Hong's movements, Wu Dongliang seemed to have witnessed some tremendous joke and immediately burst into wild laughter.
"Ha ha ha, what do you mean by this?"
"You are only at the Bone Refinement realm. Could it be that you want to kill me, someone at major completion in Marrow Refinement?!"
Wu Dongliang laughed until tears came out.
Fang Hong smiled calmly.
"Why not?"
As he spoke, the look in his eyes gradually turned savage.
"When I slap your head into pulp, I hope you can still laugh this happily!!"
Buzz—!!
In an instant, all the blood and qi and internal strength throughout his body surged and circulated madly.
In the blink of an eye, Fang Hong's muscles began to swell wildly like balloons.
His twisted, overlapping muscles and snake-like veins bulged, pulsing and trembling madly.
Amid the countless writhing muscles, a layer of muscle scales resembling snake scales appeared over Fang Hong's body.
Jade Scale Body Tempering Technique!
His pair of legs, as thick and powerful as elephant legs, resembled steel pillars and carried a dull iron-blue sheen. As they stomped heavily onto the ground, the earth shook.
His clawed hands, like the arms of a demon, clenched tightly, and a muffled boom like an airburst sounded from his palms.
Fang Hong raised his eyes toward his opponent and flashed a savage grin.
"Come!"
"Let us see who dies!!!"
Boom!!!
Before you continue