Five days later.
Li Xun stood by a black river, feeling somewhat disheartened.
In these five days, he had only managed to kill six demonic beasts. Of those, five were at the Spirit Meridian Realm, their demon cores of little value. As for spiritual herbs, he had found only three, none of which were even a thousand years old.
While they were valuable, they weren't anything extraordinary.
He hadn't encountered a single fellow disciple from the Profound Sun Sect. Instead, he had run into a few disciples from other sects, but after some questioning, he didn't gather any useful information.
They, too, seemed to be wandering aimlessly, like headless flies.
"Without a protagonist's halo, is my luck really this bad?" Li Xun muttered in frustration.
He didn't believe his strength was lacking, yet even with his abilities, there had been no opportunities to demonstrate them—not even a chance to rob anyone, since there was no one to intercept!
"Forget it," he sighed softly.
His poor luck meant that continuing the search might not yield much. He figured he might as well fly around the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm to familiarize himself with the terrain instead.
With that thought, Li Xun summoned his flying spiritual treasure. Just as he was about to board the Royal Spirit Boat, his expression shifted, and he turned to look behind him.
At the edge of his spiritual sense's range, dozens of kilometers away, he detected a bloodied figure. The individual was severely wounded and looked utterly battered, as if being hunted by some terrifying creature.
If it had been a disciple from another sect, Li Xun wouldn't have bothered. But the problem was that this person was wearing the inner disciple robes of the Profound Sun Sect!
"Finally, I've found one of my own!"
Without hesitation, Li Xun stepped onto the spirit Royal Spirit Boat, transforming into a streak of light as he sped toward the injured inner disciple.
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On the blackened earth.
Jiang Jue stumbled forward, his every step leaving bloodstained prints.
He was a late-stage Spirit Meridian Realm cultivator, capable of flying on a sword, but his injuries were too severe, and his true essence was utterly depleted. All he could do was rely on the most basic method—running—as he pushed himself forward.
"Senior Brother Li, where are you~~??"
Jiang Jue cried out in despair, but the heavens were silent. There was no one to answer him.
He was at the end of his rope. Every step he took drained the last vestiges of his strength. It felt as though, at any moment, he would collapse entirely.
Yet sheer willpower kept him moving. He refused to fall before finding Senior Brother Li.
If he couldn't locate him, then Senior Brother Yao Feng from Spirit Sword Valley and the others would be doomed.
Time passed slowly, and Jiang Jue had no idea how far he had traveled. His vision began to blur, and the world around him seemed to twist. His steps grew heavier, his once-running pace now reduced to a staggering crawl.
With a heavy thud, Jiang Jue fell to his knees. He could go no further.
As he stared into the endless darkness ahead, a bitter smile spread across his lips. Even now, he still hadn't found Senior Brother Li, had he?
That thought marked the end of his strength. His body tilted, ready to collapse onto the cold, hard ground.
But instead of the icy surface he expected, he felt a gentle force lift him. He struggled to open his eyes.
What he saw was a figure dressed in purple.
The pattern on the robes was unmistakably familiar.
It was the attire reserved for core disciples of the Profound Sun Sect!
At this moment, in the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm, there was only one person qualified to wear that attire—Li Xun!
"Senior Brother… Li…."
With cracked lips, Jiang Jue struggled to utter three words.
"Don't speak for now, Junior Brother. Take this pill first."
Li Xun knelt down, producing a Restorative Pill that he gently placed in Jiang Jue's mouth.
After Jiang Jue swallowed the pill, a notification rang in Li Xun's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. By investing one Restorative Pill. You've gained twenty years of cultivation. Would you like to claim it?]
Li Xun ignored the system and focused instead on his junior brother. His expression turned serious as he asked, "Who injured you this severely?"
The wounds caused by beasts and humans differed greatly. A single glance at Jiang Jue's injuries was enough for Li Xun to determine that the attacker was human, not a demonic beast.
"It was Ning Cheng."
After taking the pill, Jiang Jue's condition improved slightly. A trace of true essence appeared in his once-dry dantian, circulating through his body and rapidly mending his damaged meridians.
"You encountered Ning Cheng?" Li Xun frowned.
"Yes," Jiang Jue replied hoarsely, his face etched with sorrow. "A few days ago, I ran into Senior Brother Yao Feng from Spirit Sword Valley and traveled with him. Just yesterday, we came across a mountain."
"At the base of the mountain, there was an ancient aura of a ferocious beast. Senior Brother Yao Feng discovered a drop of blood from an ancient Qiongqi.
"At first, it seemed like a joyous occasion. But just as Senior Brother Yao Feng obtained the Qiongqi blood, Ning Cheng suddenly appeared and gravely injured him."
"Senior Brother Yao Feng fought valiantly but was ultimately subdued."
"Initially, both I and another disciple from Spirit Sword Valley were also captured by Ning Cheng. But for some reason, Ning Cheng suddenly let me go."
"He let only you go and no one else?" Li Xun asked in a deep voice.
"Yes." Jiang Jue nodded.
"This is directed at me, then," Li Xun said, his eyes flashing with a hint of killing intent.
Yao Feng was one of the few friends Li Xun had made after entering Zhen Tian City. On multiple occasions, Yao Feng had helped him out of tricky situations. Yet now, he had been defeated by Ning Cheng.
It made sense. The contracted beast under Ning Cheng's control was rumored to carry the bloodline of an ancient Qiongqi. Upon seeing the Qiongqi blood in Yao Feng's possession, it would have been more surprising if Ning Cheng didn't make a move.
What puzzled Li Xun, however, was that Yao Feng hadn't escaped. Yao Feng was no weakling and was even the leader of the Spirit Sword Valley disciples. Even if Ning Cheng ambushed him, escaping shouldn't have been an issue.
Disciples of Spirit Sword Valley were all sword cultivators. Aside from their proficiency in combat, they were known for their speed. Among those of the same level, very few could keep up with a sword cultivator.
Ning Cheng was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. Unless his contracted beast were adept at flying, it should have been impossible for him to catch Yao Feng.
As if sensing Li Xun's confusion, Jiang Jue spoke again.
"Besides Ning Cheng, there were three other individuals with him. Judging by their attire, they didn't appear to be disciples of the Beast Taming Sect. However, they didn't make a move, so I couldn't gauge their strength."
"Oh?" Li Xun raised an eyebrow.
This bit of information surprised him. He hadn't expected Ning Cheng to have helpers.
No wonder Yao Feng couldn't escape.
"Do you recall anything about those three individuals?"
"If I'm not mistaken…" Jiang Jue pondered carefully before speaking in a low voice, "Before entering the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm, those three seemed to be standing behind the Crown Prince!"
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