Inside the cave, countless days passed.
Zhao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his scarlet eyes filled with murderous intent, and the surging of his blood and qi even distorted the space around him.
He slowly stood up, casually crushing a top-grade Spirit Jade in his hand. The remaining spiritual energy was absorbed into his body, and a ruthless smile curled at the corner of his lips, "Peak Martial Venerable, achieved!"
During this period, he frantically refined Spirit Jade, relying on the corresponding cultivation techniques from the Upper Realm that he had signed in with the system.
Now, he has not only solidified his Martial Venerable Realm, but has also touched the threshold of that barrier. His strength has increased several times over compared to before.
"The suction force of this barrier is getting stronger and stronger, otherwise I really wanted to break through to the Martial Venerable in one fell swoop."
Zhao Yan moved further away from the barrier, afraid of being sucked in.
On the other side, Lin Yu also slowly finished his practice. When he stood up, he took light steps and his figure floated several feet away silently. When he landed, not even a trace of spiritual energy was leaked out.
He is now Great Grandmaster Perfection of his cultivation. When he practices the Primordial Unity Ki Technique, even the spiritual energy in the cave is spontaneously drawn to him. He is only one step away from the Martial Venerable Realm.
"Let's go, let's get out of the mountain!" Zhao Yan picked up a pile of Spirit Jade wrapped in cloth, a cold blade in his hand, his killing intent fully revealed.
"Wait for me a little longer, I'll be Martial Venerable soon." Lin Yu didn't want to go out so early. Anyway, there was plenty of time. The Golden Bull Martial Arts School was so big, he could run away but not escape.
"Wait my ass! I can't hold back any longer. If I wait a few more days, I'll be sucked into the Upper Realm!" Zhao Yan kicked Lin Yu, urging him to hurry up.
Left with no other choice, Lin Yu casually stuffed a few pieces of purified Spirit Jade into his pocket, and the two of them left the cave one after the other, following the original route away from the mass grave.
As soon as he left the mass grave area, Zhao Yan could no longer contain himself and headed straight for a branch of the Golden Bull Martial Arts School.
With his current strength at the Peak Martial Venerable, dealing with these small fry is a piece of cake.
In the blink of an eye, the branch was filled with wails of agony. The guild master, who was in charge, was beheaded with a single blow, and the elixirs and treasures in the storeroom were looted.
Before leaving, he deliberately left a bloody "Zhao" character on the wall.
When the news reached the Golden Bull Martial Arts School, Jin Potian was furious, but also full of apprehension. He could only bite the bullet and report to Bai Xuan and Tie Kuang.
Inside the Golden Bull Martial Arts School, Bai Xuan was playing with the woman in his arms, his face full of impatience.
Upon hearing that Zhao Yan had appeared, a hint of disdain flashed in Bai Xuan's eyes. "The little rat has finally come out."
The next morning, Jin Potian led dozens of martial arts masters, following Bai Xuantie Kuang straight towards the branch headquarters. They followed the tracks deliberately left by Zhao Yan and chased him all the way to the outskirts of the mass grave.
"It's just ahead!" Jin Potian pointed to the woods ahead, his eyes filled with resentment.
But as soon as they stepped into the woods, a murderous aura suddenly arose all around them, and two figures emerged from the shadows.
Zhao Yan, wielding a cold blade, moved with ghostly speed, and with a flash of cold light, he reaped the lives of two martial artists.
The overwhelming pressure of Peak Martial Venerable swept over them, and the members of the Golden Bull Martial Arts School instantly went weak in the knees, losing even the courage to resist.
"Jin Potian, your death is near!" Zhao Yan's voice was hoarse as he rushed towards Jin Potian.
Jin Potian was terrified and turned to run, but Lin Yu blocked his way.
"Master Jin, so many days have passed, how come you're still Great Grandmaster?" Lin Yu blocked his retreat, a smile playing on his lips.
"What? Didn't your envoy grant you a breakthrough?"
As he spoke, Lin Yu moved nimbly, his fists fierce and powerful. In just three moves, he knocked Jin Potian to the ground, stomped on his only remaining arm, and completely destroyed his cultivation.
"Your Excellency, save me!" Jin Potian cried out for help.
However, Bai Xuan and Tie Kuang, who were not far away, simply watched coldly.
Bai Xuan didn't even bother to look at him, a playful smile always playing on his lips, as if he were watching a drama that had nothing to do with him.
Tie Kuang, carrying his giant axe, grinned as he watched Jin Potian's head being crushed by Zhao Yan, seemingly assessing Zhao Yan's strength without making any move to intervene.
"It's your turn, you scum from the Upper Realm!" Zhao Yan's voice was hoarse and full of provocation.
"What, you only dare to hide in the back and watch the show? Or are you afraid of my knife?"
Bai Xuan's gaze finally changed, and his tone carried a hint of condescending mockery. "Interesting. I didn't expect that you, a rat from the Lower Realm, not only didn't die, but also managed to break through to this level."
"Enough nonsense, today is your death day!" Zhao Yan interrupted Bai Xuan's speech, his cold blade pointing directly at Bai Xuan.
A hint of impatience flashed in Bai Xuan's eyes. "Tie Kuang, go and kill this noisy rat. Don't get my hands dirty."
"Hehe, don't worry, senior brother, I'll definitely chop him up and feed him to the wild dogs in this mass grave!"
Tie Kuang, who had long been unable to restrain himself, grinned maliciously upon hearing this and slammed the giant axe on his shoulder heavily onto the ground, causing the ground to crack.
He strode towards Zhao Yan, his muscles swelling with each step, his fierce aura transforming into waves of energy that pressed down on Zhao Yan.
"Well done!" Zhao Yan's eyes flashed with bloodlust. Instead of retreating, he took the initiative to meet him.
The two collided instantly.
"Clang!"
The clash between the knife and the fist produced a deafening metallic clang.
The violent energy exploded, snapping the surrounding trees in half and creating a large crater in the ground.
Zhao Yan swayed and took three steps back, his arm slightly numb. He thought to himself, "The power of this Tie Kuang is indeed terrifying."
But a more maniacal smile spread across his face, "Haha, the raging bulls of the Upper Realm are nothing special!"
"You're courting death!" Tie Kuang roared, swinging his fists and creating a flurry of punches, each one powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks.
Zhao Yan brought the movement techniques of the "Sunflower Manual" to their fullest potential.
Faced with a barrage of punches, he didn't take them head-on, but instead intentionally or unintentionally steered the battle toward the direction where the cave entrance was hidden.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of the woods, a figure that blends almost seamlessly into its surroundings is moving silently.
Lin Yu hunted down the martial arts school leaders who were trying to escape.
To prevent them from returning and summoning people from the Upper Realm, Lin Yu adhered to the principle of eliminating any potential threats at the root, ensuring that no one could leave this area alive.
Completely sever Bai Xuan's and Tie Kuang's support.
The battle between Zhao Yan and Tie Kuang was extremely fierce, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
Although Zhao Yan was slightly weaker, his movements were unpredictable and his swordsmanship was cunning. He would attack from unexpected angles, which greatly annoyed Tie Kuang, who was incredibly strong but less agile, causing him to roar repeatedly.
Bai Xuan initially just stood by with his arms crossed, enjoying the cat-and-mouse game.
But gradually, his brows furrowed slightly.
He noticed that Zhao Yan seemed to be moving purposefully, guiding the battlefield deeper into the battlefield.
"Tie Kuang, stop playing around and finish this quickly!" Bai Xuan ordered coldly, sensing something was amiss.
Upon hearing this, Tie Kuang beckoned and summoned his giant axe. A dark red blood light emanated from the axe, clearly indicating that he had abandoned his playful intentions and his strength and speed had increased exponentially.
Zhao Yan's pressure increased sharply, and several wounds appeared on his body in an instant, dripping with blood.