Dragon Glide Step Breaks Through Again

"The Ziyuan Secret Realm is collapsing?"

Hearing the old man reveal one secret after another, Chen Changming was shocked, no longer able to maintain his composure.

"Yes. This herb garden is filled with spiritual herbs over a thousand years old; it was the lifeblood of the former Medicine Sect. They made heavy preparations long ago. Once all the spiritual herbs are dug up, the spiritual energy will fluctuate, causing the space within the entire secret realm to become chaotic. It will begin to disintegrate from the herb garden and spread outward, eventually causing the entire realm to collapse."

The old man said with extreme gravity, "This collapse happens very quickly. Those Qi Refining guards have weak physical bodies and simply cannot withstand the destructive power formed by this spatial collapse..."

"Are you implying that I can withstand it?"

Chen Changming sneered.

The old man replied, "Young man, your physical body is exceptionally strong, and your movement technique is fast. You should be able to escape after grabbing a share of the spoils."

"If I go out there, wouldn't I be walking straight into a trap?"

Chen Changming shook his head.

"Young man, the pool you saw earlier is an ancient teleportation array built by the Medicine Sect that leads directly to the Yan Kingdom."

The old man said eagerly, "Before I dissipate, I can help you activate the teleportation array."

Teleport to the Yan Kingdom?

Chen Changming fell silent.

Every word this old man spoke was astonishing.

He dared not believe it.

A moment later.

"What is your objective?" he asked coldly.

Chen Changming did not believe the old man's motives were as simple as just preserving his own life; there had to be a deeper meaning.

"I was originally a member of the Ouyang Family in the Yan Kingdom, but I fell within the borders of the Yue Kingdom a thousand years ago..."

The old man's expression turned sorrowful as he sighed, "So many years have passed; I fear my family has already fallen into decline. I want you to go to the Yan Kingdom and deliver my storage ring to my kin."

Chen Changming smiled mockingly. "If I kill you, wouldn't I be able to obtain the ring anyway?"

"Heh, I have hidden the ring. Even if you kill me, you won't get it; it will simply crumble along with the secret realm."

The old man's tone was indifferent.

Clearly, he had planned everything out long ago and was not afraid of the youth's threats at all.

He was dying anyway; if he were to cast caution to the wind, he would fear no threats.

"Very well, I will cooperate with you."

After a moment of silence, Chen Changming finally nodded.

His current situation was dire, and he could no longer stay in the Yue Kingdom. If he could take advantage of the chaos to snatch some spiritual herbs and then leave, he would be safe once he reached the Yan Kingdom.

He had heard of the Yan Kingdom.

It bordered the Yue Kingdom and was located in the south of the Northern Region.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

The old man revealed a smile.

"Let's go. I will accompany you to the teleportation array..."

Chen Changming flew over, closing the distance between them.

This old man was also harboring ulterior motives and must not be allowed out of his sight. Therefore, during the three days before the old man dissipated, Chen Changming intended to stay with him at all times.

"You are truly a cautious young man."

The old man seemed quite appreciative, turning to fly toward the pool with the youth following closely behind.

Three days later.

After the old man finished making all the arrangements, he handed Chen Changming a teleportation token and a storage ring. After explaining the location of the Ouyang Family, his illusory body slowly dissipated.

Chen Changming returned to his cave dwelling in silence.

The ring left behind by the old man surely held some secret, but unfortunately, he lacked the strength to open it for now.

"From today on, I must prepare for battle..."

The youth gently stroked the ring and muttered to himself, a look of determination appearing in his eyes.

At the moment the Ziyuan Secret Realm collapsed, he would have to snatch as many spiritual herbs as he could for himself. With these resources, his life would be much easier once he reached the Yan Kingdom.

Over the next three months.

Chen Changming visited the herb garden every few days, spending the rest of his time cultivating the Dragon Glide Step.

Whether he could outrun the speed of the collapsing secret realm depended on this third enhancement of the Dragon Glide Step.

"Dragon Glide Step, ten thousand times!"

Two months later, his Dragon Glide Step underwent its third enhancement.

This time, the power of the Dragon Glide Step surged tenfold, while the spiritual energy consumption only increased fivefold.

It seems the enhancement effects for each cultivation technique are quite different...

The youth thought to himself.

After the Dragon Glide Step broke through, it brought Chen Changming immense confidence, and he continued to cultivate the Evergreen Art.

Because he had consumed a "Pigeon Egg"—comparable to a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill—every day for the past two months, and had not neglected his practice of the Evergreen Art, his spiritual energy in his dantian had grown even stronger by the time the medicinal herbs were ready to ripen, even though his cultivation had not yet broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Invisibly, this had granted his strength a small boost.

With this, the youth felt even more confident.

He was now playing a game of the prepared against the unprepared.

The people from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Four Seas Merchant Alliance had no idea that a variable like him even existed.

"The medicinal herbs are about to ripen..."

That day, the youth strolled over to the herb field, observed it for a while, and smiled at one of the guards.

"Mm, it should be within these next few days."

The guard replied with a smile.

Chen Changming observed his surroundings nonchalantly, noticing that at this moment, a subtle, hard-to-detect glint flashed in the eyes of many.

"This is all thanks to Fellow Daoist Chen; otherwise, they wouldn't have ripened so quickly," another guard remarked.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Chen's mastery of the Cloud Rain Art is truly divine; it is truly admirable."

Others chimed in with flattering smiles.

"You fellow daoists are too kind with your praise."

Chen Changming cupped his hands, smiled, and drifted away.

Since the herb field was about to ripen, he did not intend to return to his cave dwelling; instead, he found a high vantage point in a mountain range ten miles away and hid himself.

From this spot, he could overlook the entire herb field.

Once there was any sign of movement, he would be able to see it clearly.

Two days later.

An incredibly rich medicinal fragrance wafted out from the herb field.

"The spiritual herbs are ripe!"

Someone shouted in surprise and excitement, "Quick, go notify the Young Miss!"

Pfft!

A sword manifested out of thin air, and the man's neck was severed in two.

His head rolled across the ground, his eyes wide with shock as he cried out, "Li Changfeng, you..."

The rest of his words remained unspoken.

The surrounding guards drew their weapons one after another, acting as if facing a formidable enemy.

"There's a traitor!"

One guard shouted in fury.

Li Changfeng raised his sword unhurriedly and gave a sinister smile. "Members of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, it is time to act."

"Kill!"

In an instant, about three-fifths of the people suddenly launched an attack on the remaining group.

"Four Seas Merchant Alliance, how despicable you are!"

After being struck by a sword, one male guard fled desperately toward the outside.

"Trying to run?"

A bow appeared in Li Changfeng's hand. He pulled the bowstring taut and suddenly released it.

Swish!

A brilliant arrow shot out.

In an instant, the fleeing man was struck, a massive, bloody hole exploding in his back as he died on the spot.

After firing that arrow, Li Changfeng caught his breath, as the exertion seemed to be quite significant.

A scream rang out as a man from the Four Seas Merchant Alliance was killed by someone from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Li Changfeng fired another arrow, killing that person instantly.

At this moment, someone lunged toward Li Changfeng, and the two immediately began to fight.

The entire valley had turned into a battlefield, though everyone tacitly avoided damaging the herb field.

After all, whether it was the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion or the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, their goal was these precious spiritual herbs.