The Hunt

Zhou Heng unleashed his Flying Cloud Steps, moving as fast as lightning. In no time, he had traveled several miles.

He found a clean, hidden hollow in a tree and concealed himself inside to continue recovering his True Essence Power. It was not until half a day later that he opened his eyes again. A cold glint flashed through them, like a bolt of lightning.

Not only had his cultivation fully recovered, it had even advanced considerably, surging all the way to the peak of the Sixth Layer of Body Refining!

He could break through to the Bone Refining Realm!

Zhou Heng's belly was full of fury. The four members of the Shi Family had repaid his kindness with treachery. They had shown not the slightest gratitude—instead, they had coveted what he had and wanted him dead. People like that didn't deserve to live!

Once he broke through to the Seventh Layer of Body Refining, the first thing he would do was kill those four treacherous beasts!

Zhou Heng calmed his mind and cast aside every distraction, entering a state of desirelessness and thoughtlessness. He simply circulated his True Essence Power and began to assault the Bone Refining Realm!

The Skin Refining Realm was the easiest. As long as you weren't as stupid as a pig, you could surely make a start within ten days and take the first step on the martial path. The Flesh Refining Realm, however, was much harder to break through; at most, only half of every ten martial artists managed it.

The Bone Refining Realm was the true dividing line, enough to filter out nine out of every ten martial artists!

The Zhou Family had a total of 327 clan members in the Flesh Refining Realm, but only a mere 74 had reached the Bone Refining Realm. There were even fewer in the Blood Refining Realm—just six!

It was clear that the farther one traveled along the martial path, the more difficult it became!

This also showed just how important comprehension was. The higher one's realm, the more crucial comprehension became.

Zhou Heng remained calm and unhurried, merging with the heavens and earth, his heart attuned to nature. The Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles Manual turned through his mind. Nine Black Broken Swords danced in a resplendent galaxy, as if they could suppress all creation for eternity.

He began to break through the barrier to the Bone Refining Realm.

The Twelfth Layer of Body Refining involved storing True Essence Power in the skin, flesh, bones, and blood in turn, lighting up the entire body. Once the muscles reached their peak, they grew so dense that breaking through that barrier became incredibly difficult.

The Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles danced wildly through his body. His True Essence Power turned into countless black blades, launching a fierce assault on the layer of muscle. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Like ten thousand arrows loosed at once, they pierced the muscles of his left hand first and advanced toward the bones.

Then came his right hand, his abdomen, his left shoulder, and his right leg, until the force spread throughout his whole body.

Boom!

His body shuddered. His eyes snapped open, and in each pupil appeared a Black Sword, darker than the night itself. Then, slowly, they faded away.

The Bone Refining Realm!

Zhou Heng gazed up at the starry sky. The moon had yet to reach its zenith, and his breakthrough to the Bone Refining Realm had taken no more than three hours.

His father, Zhou Dinghai, had taken almost a whole month!

Zhou Heng didn't let success go to his head. His journey outside had greatly broadened his horizons. In Raw Stone Town, his speed of cultivation was monstrous, but in the wider world, though it was still astonishing, there might well be people who surpassed him.

He waited quietly for midnight to arrive.

The Black Broken Sword in his Dantian trembled, releasing a vast amount of free energy right on schedule. It flowed through his body with his blood. Zhou Heng looked within himself and immediately realized that the amount released had increased again.

He activated the Moon Shadow Heart Art and absorbed the free energy. The layers of skin and flesh were already saturated with True Essence Power, while a channel had been opened through his bones. Like a hungry infant, they greedily devoured the True Essence Power.

This process of absorption was also a process of tempering his body.

Half an hour later, Zhou Heng stopped. All the free energy in his body had been completely absorbed. He made a rough estimate: it would take about a month to reach the peak of the Seventh Layer of Body Refining!

Zhou Heng stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling the abundant strength in his body after breaking through his limits. It seemed that even a mountain in his path could be smashed to pieces!

Thump! He threw a punch. The large tree in front of him, as thick as a bowl, toppled at once, kicking up dust all over the ground.

"At the peak of the Flesh Refining Realm, a person has about 3,000 jin of strength. I've only just broken through, yet I already have 4,000!" Zhou Heng smiled with satisfaction. Strength increased fastest just after a breakthrough, then the rate of improvement gradually slowed until one ran into the barrier of the next realm and couldn't advance any further.

Normally, gaining this extra 1,000 jin of strength would have taken at least a month, if not longer. But the Black Sword was a priceless treasure. It had given Zhou Heng a large amount of pure free energy directly, shortening the whole process to a mere forty minutes.

He leaned against the tree trunk and dozed through the night. At daybreak, he set out at once and returned to the place where he had encountered the four members of the Shi Family. A large patch of scorch marks had appeared on the ground.

It seemed the four members of the Shi Family had taken everything valuable from the Golden-Crowned Snake and then set fire to the remains, determined not to leave him a single thing.

Zhou Heng carefully examined the traces around him, then sprang away, speeding southeast.

The four members of the Shi Family couldn't have gone far!

As he ran, Zhou Heng stopped from time to time to check that he hadn't lost the trail. After entering the Bone Refining Realm, his speed had improved greatly. About three hours later, he reached a stretch of muddy ground, where four distinct sets of footprints led straight ahead.

He unleashed his Flying Cloud Steps. Light as a feather, he swept across the wet ground, each step leaving only a shallow imprint that quickly sprang back as the mud regained its shape.

Another seven or eight hours passed, and the sky had darkened. Tracking grew difficult at once. Just then, Zhou Heng spotted a faint firelight flickering in the distance.

There they were!

He sprang into the air. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! After more than ten leaps, the firelight ahead grew brighter and brighter. The four members of the Shi Family sat beside a bonfire, roasting chunks of meat. Even from here, he could smell their savory aroma.

It was Golden-Crowned Snake meat!

A surge of anger rose in Zhou Heng's heart. Back in the Zhou Family, he had been looked down on by his clansmen, but he had never encountered anyone as shameless, treacherous, and ungrateful as these four from the Shi Family. His killing intent surged!

He leaped down from the tree and strode toward the bonfire, calling out, "You four beasts in human skin, mind if I borrow a light?"

"What!" The four members of the Shi Family jumped to their feet and stared at Zhou Heng in disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost!

This brat had actually dared to come looking for them?

And he even dared to call them beasts?

"Oh, calling you beasts really does the four-legged ones an injustice. You're worse than beasts!" Zhou Heng gave a faint smile, but a chilling killing intent rose on his face. "Your existence is nothing but a waste of food!"

"Courting death!" The four members of the Shi Family roared. Their weapons rang as they drew them, pointing them straight at Zhou Heng.

Shi Gang's gaze was cold. He was much more calculating than the others. If Zhou Heng dared to pursue them on his own, he must have something to rely on. No one would be stupid enough to come here just to die!

Could that deadly weapon he had used to kill the Golden-Crowned Snake be working again?

Was that possible? It had only been a little over a day!

No, this kid's aura... the Bone Refining Realm!

The other three members of the Shi Family also sensed the obvious change in Zhou Heng's aura, and all of them looked utterly shocked!

There was nothing especially remarkable about reaching the Bone Refining Realm. But Zhou Heng had clearly been at the Sixth Layer of Body Refining just yesterday! The leap from the Sixth to the Seventh Layer of Body Refining was a major breakthrough. How could he have completed it in a single night?

What kind of freak was he?

Impossible! There was no monster like that in the world. This kid must have used some special method yesterday to conceal his aura! Yes, that would also explain how he had managed to kill the Golden-Crowned Snake!

Once they had "figured it out," they relaxed.

"Who are you?" Shi Gang walked toward Zhou Heng, drawing his Green Blade, its edge gleaming with a cold, sinister light.

"A man who slaughters chickens and dogs," Zhou Heng replied coolly, not backing down in the slightest.

"All you can do is run your mouth!" Shi Gang gave a signal with his eyes. The other three spread out and moved to surround Zhou Heng. Once they were in position, a cruel look crossed his face. "Kill!"

All four rushed forward at once, their sharp blades slicing through the night toward Zhou Heng's head, neck, shoulders, and chest.

Zhou Heng let out a long cry and unleashed his Flying Cloud Steps, rushing straight up to one of them. His Black Sword thrust toward the man's chest.

The Shi Family member's face twisted with terror. Zhou Heng's sword had completely bypassed his defense, as if the weapon in his hand were nothing but a prop, utterly useless.

"Help—" He opened his mouth to cry out, but the moment he had barely uttered a single word, his voice cut off. His vision went black, and he never opened his eyes again!

Zhou Heng pulled his Black Sword back. Blood gushed from the man's chest. He had only been at the Sixth Layer of Body Refining. Zhou Heng didn't even need to use the sword intent of the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles; he could spot the weakness in the man's moves with a single glance and kill him in one strike!

"You little bastard!"

"How dare you!"

Shi Gang and the other two were both furious and shocked. They hadn't expected Zhou Heng's fighting strength to be so terrifying. It was true that someone at the Sixth Layer of Body Refining would be crushed by a martial artist in the Bone Refining Realm, but to die in a single move? That was absurd!

"Wind Sweeping Clouds!" Shi Gang roared in fury, swinging his saber. A terrifying gale burst forth, as if it would tear the very air apart.

He was a genius of the Shi Family. Zhou Heng had killed someone right in front of him, which was as good as slapping him across the face!

"Die!" He had to kill this kid, or how could anyone in the family ever follow him again? He couldn't even protect his own subordinate!

He was known as one of the Shi Family's two great geniuses for good reason. As he swung his saber, fierce blade energy filled the sky!

This guy was strong!

Zhou Heng's eyes narrowed, but in an instant, his mind settled into the stillness of a motionless ancient well. He swung his Black Sword, using the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A string of sparks flashed. Zhou Heng was forced back five meters, and a grave look crossed his face.

Shi Gang's expression was even worse. Though he hadn't taken a single step back, a wound had appeared on his left arm, slashed by Zhou Heng's sword. If he hadn't reacted in time, it wouldn't have been just a wound—he would have lost his entire arm!

This kid might not have as much strength as him, but how could he be so terrifyingly good at finding the tiniest opening!

Wind Sweeping Clouds was one of the three most powerful moves in the Wind-Cloud Saber Technique, one of the Shi Family's two great techniques. Yet after unleashing it, Shi Gang had not only failed to take Zhou Heng's head; he had ended up with a minor wound himself!

And what was more... he raised his saber and saw a small nick in its blade!