Roar!
Another demon appeared.
Just as Jiang Hao was about to act, Lou Feng from Tianhuan Pavilion moved first.
With a single slash—
Boom!
The demon was killed on the spot.
Jiang Hao could only watch.
"Junior Brother Jiang seems very enthusiastic about killing demons. Unfortunately, so am I. I wonder who will end up killing more," Lou Feng said with a grin, his expression twisted.
From the second day of their time here, Jiang Hao had sized him up.
This man wasn't acting on behalf of Tianhuan Pavilion. He was doing this solely because of Senior Sister Yunruo.
Lou Feng was madly in love with her.
For reasons unknown, he blamed Jiang Hao for her death and was now bent on revenge.
"Why isn’t Junior Brother saying anything?" Lou Feng's eyes widened with a ferocious and bloodthirsty glint.
"His hatred is growing stronger, making him increasingly unstable," Jiang Hao thought, feeling a tinge of unease.
It wasn’t just Jiang Hao who was worried—Zheng Shijiu was also on edge. If Lou Feng lost control, he might attack everyone present.
And he was already at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Even Xin Yuyue, though capable of suppressing him with her abilities, would lose her edge given the gap in their strength.
At that moment, Qing Xue from Tianhuan Pavilion spoke up:
"We haven’t encountered any groups of demons for quite some time now. It seems there aren’t many left. How about we split up and search?"
Hearing this suggestion, everyone sighed in relief.
Even Jiang Hao felt the tension ease.
He was deeply worried Lou Feng might suddenly attack. If his own cultivation level—also at late Foundation Establishment—was exposed, Qing Xue would certainly try to kill him.
With his cultivation nearly at its peak, this was no time for conflict.
Although splitting up was dangerous, it would give him time to break through.
Zheng Shijiu, well aware of the grudge between Jiang Hao and Tianhuan Pavilion, didn’t want to get involved.
The stakes were too high.
"Anyone opposed?" Qing Xue asked again.
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"What do you think, Junior Brother Jiang?" Zheng Shijiu turned to Jiang Hao.
"That sounds reasonable," Jiang Hao replied calmly.
His composure in such a tense moment earned Zheng Shijiu’s admiration.
Meanwhile, Lou Feng grinned, as if relishing the freedom to act.
"Which direction will you go, Junior Brother?" Zheng Shijiu offered Jiang Hao the first choice, adding, "Let’s make sure we don’t go in the same direction. That way, we can cover more ground."
After agreeing on a meeting point, Jiang Hao headed deeper into the cavern. Picking first had its pros and cons:
The advantage was that with Zheng Shijiu watching, others wouldn’t dare follow him. The downside was that everyone knew his chosen direction.
But as long as he moved quickly enough, the advantages would outweigh the risks.
Once out of sight, Jiang Hao veered off course, accelerating to his full speed, unleashing power that far exceeded that of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
After Jiang Hao departed, Zheng Shijiu turned to the two from Tianhuan Pavilion. Without a word, they each chose a different path.
Where they actually went, no one could say.
"Senior Brother Zheng, I’ve heard you don’t get along with Tianhuan Pavilion. Why didn’t you disrupt their plans this time?" Xin Yuyue asked with a smile.
"It’s not that I didn’t want to," Zheng Shijiu sighed. "One of them is at Foundation Establishment Perfection, and the other is at the late stage. I’m no match for them."
"Tianhuan Pavilion really is shameless," Xin Yuyue sneered.
"They’re furious, but Duanqing Cliff hasn’t shown much concern. That’s why Tianhuan Pavilion has the upper hand this time.
"Also, I’ve heard Junior Brother Jiang only advanced through the use of rare treasures. That’s why he’s still an inner disciple. If he were a core disciple, things wouldn’t be this way." Zheng Shijiu shook his head, sounding regretful.
"True," Xin Yuyue said, dropping the subject. She was curious, though.
"In the end, only four of us will likely make it out, right?"
"Yes, chances are high that Junior Brother Jiang won’t be among them," Zheng Shijiu replied.
"Is there no way for him to escape?" Xin Yuyue asked.
"Unlikely," Zheng Shijiu said after sensing the area. "Lou Feng’s aura is already chaotic, and he’s heading straight for Jiang Hao."
After a pause, Zheng Shijiu added, "Would you like to team up with me, Junior Sister, or go on your own?"
"Thank you for the offer, Senior Brother, but I’d prefer to train by myself," Xin Yuyue said with a polite smile.
"Very well. See you in a month." With that, Zheng Shijiu chose a direction and left.
Tianhuan Pavilion might be treacherous, but Bingyue Valley wasn’t much better. Xin Yuyue had no intention of placing herself in unnecessary danger.
As for Jiang Hao, she felt powerless to help.
Weak cultivation and a powerful enemy—perhaps an early death would be a mercy.
Jiang Hao sped deep into the cavern as fast as possible, bypassing any demons he encountered to avoid drawing attention.
The next day, he finally stopped by a lakeside.
After a full day of travel, he’d likely bought himself some time.
Now, his focus was on killing demons to gather enough Qi and blood to break through.
Without reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Qing Xue from Tianhuan Pavilion.
Roar!
A demon leapt out of the lake—a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Without hesitation, Jiang Hao slew it in one strike and absorbed a bubble.
[Cultivation +1]
"Only one," he muttered before continuing deeper into the cavern.
From time to time, he glanced at the area where stars seemed to fall from the sky. A sense of awe and dread kept him from approaching.
The demons were becoming scarce. It took him three days to gather enough bubbles.
[Blood Qi +1]
After killing another demon, Jiang Hao sighed in relief.
Both his Qi and cultivation had finally reached their limits.
[Blood Qi: 100/100 (Ready to Cultivate)][Cultivation: 100/100 (Ready to Cultivate)]
"Time to find a place to break through."
Meanwhile, Lou Feng discovered a demon’s corpse near the lake.
Looking up the shoreline, he let out a low, sinister laugh.
"I’ve found you."