Escape to Survival

"Fellow Daoist, you cannot escape either."

Chen Changming activated the Dragon Glide Step; having just slain the previous man, he was already in pursuit of the cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

At this moment, the man was facing Chen Changming head-on.

He had witnessed the entire process of his companion's demise.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

He roared, brandishing his sword as he charged.

He had realized that once he turned his back on his opponent, he would be unable to withstand those terrifying beams of light unless he possessed a magical treasure or protective talisman.

"Well come."

Chen Changming did not meet the attack head-on, instead activating the Dragon Glide Step to begin circling his opponent.

Though the man's swordsmanship was formidable, Chen Changming relied on the power of the Dragon Glide Step to dodge by the narrowest of margins, while his Spirit Finger Flick—instantaneous in its execution—caused the man significant interference.

Even when sword light landed on his body, it could not break through his golden skin.

This real-world combat gave the youth a much deeper understanding of the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art.

This technique was already powerful, but after he had reinforced it twice, its might had increased to a terrifying degree!

As time passed, the youth at the seventh level of Qi Refining finally could not hold on any longer; a Spirit Finger Flick struck his left arm, sending his entire body flying.

Chen Changming seized the opportunity and unleashed a dozen Spirit Finger Flicks in rapid succession.

Puff! Puff!

In his panic, the man managed to block seven or eight of the beams, but the remainder struck his body, killing him on the spot.

With this, all the members of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance had been slain by Chen Changming.

"Truly..."

The youth stood silently on the ground, his expression a complex mix of surprise.

He had never imagined he could kill someone of a higher rank, yet he had achieved it today; all of this stemmed from practicing the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art.

The Golden Core elder surnamed Ouyang had been right: if measured by his body-refining realm, he was at least comparable to the sixth level of Qi Refining, and when combined with the immense power of the Dragon Glide Step and the Spirit Finger Flick, he could contend with a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Chen Changming only sighed briefly before he began to work frantically, collecting the weapons and Storage Bags of everyone present, including the bow belonging to Li Changfeng.

Then, he began to dig up the spiritual herbs.

It took him over an hour to shovel up all the spiritual herbs along with their soil, placing them into a separate Storage Bag.

Crack, crack, crack...

During the final stage of digging, the space above the herb field became unstable, and once all the spiritual herbs had been removed, the collapse of the space finally began.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, the space above the herb field was shattered by force, then, like a broken glass vase, the cracks spread rapidly from a single point in all directions.

By this time, Chen Changming had already fled.

He had been well-prepared, and with the immense speed of the Dragon Glide Step, he had escaped the range of the collapsing Ziyuan Secret Realm.

However, this was only for a moment.

He ran desperately toward the back mountain, while the entire space collapsed with a deafening rumble, like the maw of a giant beast chasing him from behind.

Splash!

He finally reached the river and dove straight into the pool.

The silt in the pool had long since been cleared away, revealing an ancient teleportation array beneath.

The youth took out the teleportation token, and as he channeled his spiritual power into it, the array erupted with a brilliant light.

Hum!

At the very moment the collapse of the secret realm reached him, the teleportation array fully activated, and a thick pillar of light shot into the sky.

Outside the Ziyuan Secret Realm.

Dozens of people lay in pools of blood; a battle had just concluded.

"The secret realm is collapsing! Run!"

Someone shouted, scrambling to escape.

The others fled in a frenzy, though some were too slow and were mercilessly swallowed by the spatial storm.

A long time later.

A hundred miles away, a woman in white stumbled out from behind a giant rock, gazing toward the direction of the Ziyuan Secret Realm as tears streamed down her face.

"All our efforts, wasted..."

Her mood was low; at this moment, she even wanted to die.

Amidst the teleportation light, Chen Changming felt as if he were in a dream, yet the powerful tearing force of space caused his skin to ache, which couldn't help but startle him.

It seemed that if one's physical body was not strong enough, it would be easy to perish while using this long-distance teleportation array.

After a full incense stick's worth of time, his vision suddenly blurred, and a massive force surged, causing him to lose his footing and nearly collapse to the ground.

He had landed!

The light vanished, and what came into view was a deep, secluded cave.

"I've arrived in the Yan Kingdom?"

Chen Changming stretched his body and slowly walked out of the teleportation array; there were some white stones on the ceiling of the rock wall, emitting a faint, ghostly glow.

He looked back at the teleportation array and sighed to himself, thinking it a pity; the other end of this array was inside the Ziyuan Secret Realm, and if the secret realm collapsed, the array on that side would be destroyed as well.

From then on, this teleportation array would also lose its function.

"Why did the Medicine Sect build a teleportation array in the Yan Kingdom..."

Chen Changming stared at the array, pondering silently for a moment, feeling that there was a great mystery hidden within.

Perhaps, when the Medicine Sect was wiped out back then, something precious had been transferred away.

The place it was transferred to was within the borders of the Yan Kingdom.

Following an ancient flight of stairs, the youth slowly walked upward, and after half an incense stick's worth of time, the passage reached its end.

At the end, a massive boulder sealed the exit.

Chen Changming tried to move it, but the boulder was too heavy for him to budge; his only option now was to use the Purple Lightning Sword to cut out an exit.

Sshhh...

As gravel fell continuously, a passage half a meter in diameter was dug out by the youth.

A ray of sunlight, accompanied by a breath of fresh air, shone in and cast its light upon the youth.

Chen Changming's spirits were instantly lifted, and he crawled out through the passage.

What met his eyes was a vast, lush green jungle; the trees were thick and tall, reaching several dozen meters in height, with all sorts of vines and weeds covering the ground, and in the distance, the sound of a rushing river could be heard.

"The Medicine Sect's teleportation array is hidden so well..."

He was just about to slide his entire body out of the passage when he suddenly heard the cry of an eagle; the sound was high-pitched and intense, causing even Chen Changming to feel a momentary trance.

He looked up instinctively.

He saw a massive Black Eagle, its wings spread wide, flying over the treetops.

Foundation Establishment aura!

Chen Changming's expression changed drastically, and he shrank back inside.

This Black Eagle was actually a terrifying Level 2 demonic beast.

Boom! Boom!

The ground shook as a massive, grayish-black figure swung through the trees, leaping from branch to branch.

"Another Level 2 demonic beast!"

Chen Changming was horrified.

Fortunately, this Black Ape, which was three zhang in length, was still a great distance away from him.

Seeing two great Level 2 demons in a single instant, the youth did not hesitate to retreat back into the cave, quickly blocking the passage with the boulder before heading back along the stairs to the vicinity of the teleportation array.

"Too terrifying."

The youth panted continuously, his heart pounding, his face pale, and cold sweat beading on his forehead.

It was fortunate that these two demonic beasts had appeared in time; otherwise, had he emerged from the cave and been discovered by them, it would likely have been a nine-deaths-and-one-life outcome.

"This place must be similar to Cloud Mist Mountain, with demonic beasts running rampant outside; I cannot go out for now..."

Chen Changming muttered to himself, his gaze gradually becoming firm.

He decided to hide here for a period of time, and only after his strength had increased would he go out to find a way forward.

In his Storage Bag, he had hundreds of thousands of catties of spirit rice, enough to last him for hundreds of years.

The only thing he lacked was water.

However, there was a river not far outside; as long as he seized the right opportunity, he could risk going out to fetch more water.

A single risk would be enough to last him for a long time.