The old man pursued Raed into the depths of the Devil's Forest.
"This kid is truly insane. He dares to venture alone into the heart of the Devil's Forest."
Indeed, the deeper parts of the Devil's Forest were perilous, especially if nightfall struck while you were there.
Raed sprinted at full speed, aware that the old man was determined to kill him and would follow him into the forest's depths.
"The effects of the two pills are almost gone. I need to find a cave to recover."
Raed felt his strength waning as his cultivation level steadily dropped from half-step to the fifth level.
He discovered a cave and took refuge there until the explosive pills' effects faded.
The incense burned continuously, and his cultivation level stabilized at the fifth level. Only then did he grasp the full impact of those pills.
"Ah... Damn you, old man. If I don't kill you, I'm not Raed."
The pain was unbearable, affecting every part of his body, including his soul, bones, and eyes.
Every inch of him ached, and the wounds that had previously stopped bleeding now widened, oozing more blood.
"Damn it, this blood will attract monsters. I need to scatter powder to mask the scent."
Despite his inability to move, he used his spiritual power to retrieve the powder from his storage bag, spread it around the cave, and eliminate the blood smell.
The agony and weakness persisted for nearly half a day until evening. Raed sat and began taking medicinal pills and Qi gathering pills.
"Damn it, could this kid have been devoured by a beast, or did he escape?... No... I need to confirm his corpse, or this kid will haunt me if he survives."
The elder was resolute in either killing Raed or ensuring his death; otherwise, he would not return.
Such a genius must be eliminated early, or one must face the consequences of provoking him.
"But where is this kid? Hmm... If I were him, I'd definitely find a cave for treatment, in a slightly elevated area to avoid attracting monsters. Let's start by searching this large mountain."
The old man carefully avoided monsters and climbed the large mountain, searching with his spiritual power.
In the cave, Raed crouched, recovering. He felt the old man's spiritual power penetrating through him, so he quickly exited the cave and fled in the opposite direction.
"Ha ha ha, found you, kid. Let's see how you'll die this time."
The old man grinned wickedly, malice gleaming in his eyes.
"Since you're so determined, old man, you'll face some consequences before I kill you next time."
Raed smiled as he formulated a plan. He detected the old man's presence about 800 meters away, meaning Raed was out of his immediate range..
Since it was evening, finding Raed would be nearly impossible for him.
Raed, cautious of the beasts, used his enhanced spiritual power from the Tyrant Heavenly Emperor Technique to his advantage.
He felled a tree with his sword and crafted a small wooden dummy.
"Though it's just a decoy and doesn't resemble anything, it will serve its purpose."
He prepared some medicinal materials, swiftly powdered them, wrapped them in leaves, and sealed them tightly to prevent the scent from escaping.
He then removed his gray robe and draped it over the wooden dummy.
Using his spiritual power, he detected a location about a thousand meters away, where a group of demonic monkeys, led by a leader at the intermediate third level, resided.
Raed proceeded cautiously, infused some of his energy into the robe, placed it on a nearby tree, and moved away. He then created a loud noise and fled quickly.
"Hee hee hee... Found you, kid. Do you think you can escape from my grasp?"
From a distance, the old man heard the noise and rushed over with a fierce expression. He approached the noise's location cautiously.
The old man used his spiritual power to track Raed's unique energy and followed the trail quietly to avoid alerting Raed and making him flee again.
"I've found you, kid. It's death for you."
The old man looked at the tall tree, saw the gray robe with Raed's energy, and prepared to strike with a surprise attack to eliminate Raed