Escape

Seeing another demon wolf pounce at him, Wang Baole hurriedly raised his sword to block. But his cultivation was still a notch weaker, and the wolf's swipe forced him back several steps. Wang Baole rolled along the ground, barely evading the demon wolf's attack.

At that moment, the fireball arrived. The demon wolf lunging at Wang Baole twisted aside to dodge it, then continued its charge.

Wang Baole panicked. This demon wolf clearly wasn't someone to trifle with. He hastily slapped a Vajra Talisman and a Divine Movement Talisman onto himself, relying on speed and defense as he barely blocked and dodged.

As Qin Huaian wrestled with the demon wolf, he secretly condensed a fireball containing twenty percent of his spiritual power and flung it toward Wang Baole.

A fist-sized fireball—no, it could already be called a sphere of light—flew toward the demon wolf facing Wang Baole. The fireball remained condensed without dispersing, radiating dazzling white light. The demon wolf tried to dodge, but at such close range, there was nowhere to escape.

The fireball struck the demon wolf squarely in the belly, then exploded. The wolf was blasted into pieces, dead beyond all doubt.

Wang Baole stared, dumbstruck. Was that really the Fireball Technique? Its explosive power was that immense!?

A First-Order Middle Stage demon wolf had been killed in a single blow. That was insane! Brother Qin must have already reached the Qi Refining Middle Stage. Two months ago, he had still been at the Qi Refining Second Layer, just like him.

After launching that fireball, little spiritual power remained in Qin Huaian's Dantian. He swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill, and his spiritual power rapidly recovered.

Seeing its companion instantly slain, this First-Order Middle Stage demon wolf attacked even more fiercely. Its sharp claws lunged at Qin Huaian, who raised his sword to block.

The tremendous force of the impact numbed his arm. Qin Huaian retreated with the force, and the Seven Star Bone-Piercing Array in his other hand suddenly activated. Seven Black Iron Needles shot out at a speed invisible to the naked eye, flying toward the demon wolf pursuing him.

Caught off guard, all seven Black Iron Needles pierced into the demon wolf's skull. Without even a grunt, it toppled to the ground, rolling several times on the momentum of its charge before stopping at Qin Huaian's feet.

In no more than a few seconds, both First-Order Middle Stage demon wolves had died. Wang Baole's mouth fell open. "Q-Qin, Brother Qin..."

"Stop talking nonsense, run!" By then, they had followed the crowd in breaking through the wolf pack's blockade. Fewer than twenty percent of the people remained.

Everyone fled madly for their lives, with the wolf pack biting at their heels. From time to time, someone was knocked to the ground and swallowed up by the wolves.

Qin Huaian threw Wang Baole a Divine Movement Talisman and a Qi Recovery Pill, then slapped one onto himself as well. "Fatty, I'm borrowing yours!"

Little Fatty Wang Baole hurriedly caught what Qin Huaian had thrown him. He did not stand on ceremony, tossing the Qi Recovery Pill into his mouth.

Feeling his spiritual power rapidly recover, Wang Baole shouted excitedly, "Brother Qin, wait for me!" He then slapped the Divine Movement Talisman onto himself and raced after Qin Huaian.

Most of the remaining cultivators had exhausted their pills and talismans. The two quickly overtook most of them. Several other cultivators with profound cultivation, or speed-type magical artifacts and talismans, also accelerated and pulled away from the rest.

Qin Huaian and Wang Baole rushed into a dense forest. After changing directions several times, they gradually could no longer hear the wolf pack, nor could they see any other cultivators.

The two did not stop. After each took another Qi Recovery Pill, they ran for more than half a day. By then, only the chirping of insects and birds remained in the mountains.

"Brother Qin... huff... let's rest for a while... huff... huff... I really can't run anymore..." Wang Baole panted heavily, his face flushed red.

Qin Huaian felt that they had likely escaped the wolf pack. He stopped and looked around, but found nothing unusual.

Wang Baole sat beneath a tree without the slightest concern for his appearance, leaning against the trunk as he gulped down air.

"Brother Qin, I owe you my life this time."

"Fatty, don't get sentimental. Get up first. We need to find somewhere hidden to rest."

He truly had saved Wang Baole's life, but without Wang Baole supporting him from behind, Qin Huaian's escape would inevitably have been far more difficult. Saving Wang Baole was also saving himself.

They searched the surrounding area and found a small natural cave. The two chopped down some trees and blocked the cave entrance, making it somewhat more concealed. By then, the sky was gradually darkening as well.

Inside the cave.

"Fatty, we'll take turns keeping watch. You rest first."

Neither said anything more. After the day's events, both were exhausted in body and mind. Wang Baole leaned half against the cave wall and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Qin Huaian had come to mine, yet he had only spent four or five days in the mining area and had not excavated much ore. Including what those mining tyrants had given him, he had about ten thousand jin, along with one piece of Red Copper Essence.

This Red Copper Vein was finished. After the demon beasts' rampage, it would likely be abandoned. Who knew whether there would ever be another opportunity like this?

Over the past few days, the Mirror Body's cultivation had consumed one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone. Qin Huaian had eight Mid-Grade Spirit Stones remaining. Adding the Spirit Stones he had gained from those mining tyrants, he also had 2,400 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

He opened the panel:

Cultivation: Qi Refining (Fourth Layer 6/100)

Cultivation Art: Azure Splendor Art (Perfect)

Fireball Technique (Perfect)

Spirit Eye Technique (Great Mastery, can be optimized)

The Spirit Eye Technique had been a tremendous help this time. If Qin Huaian had failed to evade that First-Order Late Stage Silver Moon Demon Wolf, the two of them would likely have been torn into pieces by the demon wolf.

Qin Huaian did not remain idle. He split off a thread of consciousness to watch the surroundings while his main body and Mirror Body began cultivating.

In the latter half of the night, Wang Baole woke and replaced Qin Huaian. Qin Huaian also leaned half against the cave wall and dozed for a while.

At the first gray light of dawn, Qin Huaian opened his eyes. Wang Baole was sitting cross-legged in cultivation. Hearing Qin Huaian stir, Wang Baole rose as well. "Brother Qin, you're awake. Are we heading back today? We don't even know where we are now."

"The demon wolves probably haven't dispersed yet. We'll wait here for another two days."

Afterward, Qin Huaian chatted with Wang Baole for a while.

This Little Fatty came from Chen Kingdom, a neighboring country of Qi Kingdom. His great-grandfather had been an immortal cultivator, but had vanished before Wang Baole was born. According to his family, he had gone to the Million Mountains to search for spiritual herbs and never returned.

Wang Baole was eighteen this year. His family had originally been a prominent local lineage, but after his great-grandfather's disappearance, their fortunes slowly declined. By Wang Baole's generation, they had dwindled to the level of minor landowners and country gentry.

When Wang Baole was sixteen, he discovered some books his great-grandfather had left behind in the family ancestral hall. Following a cultivation art recorded in one of them, Wang Baole unexpectedly completed Body-Entry Guidance very quickly. In less than two years, he had cultivated to the Qi Refining Second Layer.

Qin Huaian could not help sighing. Both had taught themselves, yet Little Fatty had reached the Qi Refining Second Layer in under two years. There was quite a gap between him and the original owner.

Later, from the records in those books, Wang Baole learned that every ten years or so, the various immortal cultivation sects would gather disciples at major markets or the capitals of various nations. Wang Baole's great-grandfather had once visited Cloudfield Market and recorded the route there.

Following the route his great-grandfather had recorded, Wang Baole came to Cloudfield Market. He happened to encounter the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect recruiting workers for its Red Copper Vein, so he went to the mine to excavate ore. He had planned to mine while waiting for the sect to recruit disciples.

Who would have thought that in only a few months, he would encounter a beast tide and nearly lose his life?

"Fatty, I never expected your aptitude to be so good. You reached the Qi Refining Second Layer in two years. You have hope of entering a sect."

Thinking of how the original owner had taken six years to reach the Qi Refining Second Layer, Qin Huaian felt that comparing people really could make one die of frustration. Fortunately, he now had the Seed Space. Otherwise, Wang Baole might soon have left him far behind.

"Brother Qin, I heard the Million Mountains are extremely dangerous. We don't know whether we can make it out."

"I've never gone deep into the Million Mountains either. We'll head north all the way. We should be able to reach an area where humans are active."