Burning his vital essence, Yan Peng drove the young man wearing the Carefree Headwrap back with a slash, forced an escape route, and fled into the mountain forest.
Only when his body began to weaken did he stop and look around, confirming that he had shaken off that wretched pair.
Yan Peng hurried to find shelter from the wind and rain. As he regulated his breathing and recovered, he waited fearfully for dawn, terrified of running into a mountain demon, a Wood Spirit, or some monstrous beast. That would truly be escaping the gates of hell only to stumble onto the Bridge of No Return.
At first light, Yan Peng fled south. When the Prefecture City of Qisong Prefecture came into sight, he hastily took out a mixture containing lead powder and pearl powder, spreading it evenly over his face and exposed skin.
Before he reached perfection in the Dayan Realm, the greatest outward abnormality caused by his cultivation method was his blue-green skin. By concealing it, he could travel freely between cities.
After entering the Prefecture City and taking a winding route, Yan Peng slipped into a courtyard he had purchased under a false identity. Avoiding the deaf-mute servants, he opened the door to a secret chamber.
He activated a mechanism, and the chamber wall suddenly split open, revealing two chests made of refined steel.
Yan Peng bit his fingertip and smeared blood over the chests. Grotesquely shaped Gu Worms crawled out from who knew where, scrambling to devour it.
This was a trap he had left in reserve. Whoever came, if they did not know the trick and tried to open or even move the chests directly, they would fall victim to the Gu Worms.
While the Gu Worms fought over the blood, Yan Peng opened both chests.