During the entire evening, hiding inside the tree hollow, Zhu Furong has seen Chang Shun only two times with an interval of 2 hours. It has been about 40 minutes since Zhu Furong last saw Chang Shun searching for him. By now the night has fallen. It is completely dark inside this jungle.

According to Zhu Furong's observation, Chang Shun shouldn't be coming to this spot again for the next 80 minutes. There is also a possibility that he has given up on the search after scanning the forest two times.

'That's not possible. Given he has been chasing after me for the whole day, there's no way he will give up without seeing my dead body.' With this thought in his mind, Zhu Furong slowly deactivated the array. Keeping the array plate away, he cautiously crawled out of the tree hollow.

Sitting still, he swept his gaze all around him and also heightened his hearing. With his vision he can easily see somewhat of a 5 meters distance in this darkness. It's already amazing for him to see this much with his low Cultivation rank.

Though if he uses his Divine Sense he can probably see as clear as day as far as his Divine Sense can spread. But it's risky. It may alert Chang Shun.

Well, nothing but grass and bushes are within five meters of him. As for any suspicious sound, there are only footsteps of small animals, noise made by insects and slithering of reptiles.

There is so much one can observe in this pitch darkness. Due to the density of the jungle not much of the moonlight can come in. And the amount that makes its way in, couldn't scatter due to various sizes of tree crowns present in this jungle.

It can't be helped. Zhu Furong has to take this gamble. This is the only chance he has to make an escape. Fighting a head-on battle with a peak Revolving Core is just asking for death.

With careful steps, Zhu Furong picked a direction and started to walk, making sure not to make much noise. The direction he picked is the north.

He entered the jungle from the east side, and according to his memories of the map of the continent, the Western Fort where his uncle Zhu Da is, is only a few miles away from here. Also, if you entered the jungle from the east, your enemy will think that you will exist from the opposite side of the jungle, which is the west. So that direction is a no go.

The south has more population compared to the north. So Zhu Furong didn't go that way to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

In the north there should be a river from east to west. Zhu Furong thought he could use it to his advantage in some way. So he picked the north direction for his escape.

But what he didn't know was his exact location. Which jungle among thousands of jungles he is in? There should be about 10 jungles in this area of the map, which jungle has he entered?

Zhu Furong cursed himself for not looking carefully at his surroundings while he was being chased. But he also knows he didn't have the leisure to do so. He is being unreasonable.

Running away from Chang Shun wasn't easy, it really took a toll on his body. He is still somewhat tired. He even has some sore muscles which he only got while he was going through intense physical training when he was six or seven years old.

'Ah those crazy days.' Zhu Furong reminisces about his past, now feeling even more tired.

"Get going will you. How long are you going to stand here like a statue? Are you waiting for Chang Shun to give you a push?" Zhu Xingzuo hurried with impatience.

"Don't die on me Big Brother, I will be in quite trouble. You still have to fulfill your promise of helping me with my hatching." Zhu Xingzuo reminded, somewhat worried.

Zhu Furong shook his head and started to walk again.

"When did you become so caring of me? Even if I die, you can just find someone else to help you out can't you?" Zhu Furong asked.

Zhu Xingzuo snorted. "Only if it was that easy. You forgot we are bonded with blood? Your death will have a significant effect on me. I will definitely suffer from some hidden injuries and such injuries will take a long time to heal. It will only add extra years to my hatching." "Also, where is the guarantee that I will find someone reliable? You know I am a Primal Beast egg right? And you know how greedy people can be right?" He grumbled.

"Everybody wants a taste of Primal Beast omelette don't they?" Zhu Furong jokes.

"Fuck you!" Zhu Xingzuo cursed aloud.

A cool breeze hit Zhu Furong's face along with a slight noise of water flowing.

"We are close to the exit and it seems the forest is close to the Hanshu River." Zhu Furong murmured.

"Phew! At last." Zhu Xingzuo relaxed which in turn made Zhu Furong take a breath of relief as well. He gave up his vigilance for a second and this second cost him dearly.

"Slam!!" It's like a huge 5 metric ton wrecking ball hit Zhu Furong's back with extreme force, sending him flying.

Cracking sounds could be heard from the moment of Zhu Furong getting hit to the moment he stopped after rolling several meters like a limp dead body.

"Pu!" Zhu Furong spit out a mouthful of fresh blood laying on one side. The blood hit the wooden mask somehow making its way out from the sides.

He could see a cliff in front of him and hear the sound of water coming from down below.

Applying pressure on his right hand he somehow laid flat on his back.

The sky is filled with stars with a gibbous moon. Ah, truly beautiful. It somewhat calmed Zhu Furong down.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Zhu Furong closed his mouth and gulped the blood in his mouth.

His eyes turned watery with pain. Most of his ribs are broken and his spinal cord is also injured.

A tall figure walked slowly to Zhu Furong and stood beside him.

Fair skin, long black hair tied in a topknot, orange hanfu and a sneer on his face. Chang Shun!

Chang Shun rubbed his palms. "Siii... What strong bones, it stings even though I covered my palm with a thick layer of Essence Qi. I thought you would burst into pieces after one strike but..." "You not only didn't burst but you seem to be still alive."

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" Chang Shun clicked his tongue in amazement. He slightly puckered his brows. "Are you a Body Cultivator?" "That explains your tough bones."

He smiled evilly. "Not that it matters to me. But you are quite unfortunate, you know? Only if you have died earlier you wouldn't have to suffer this much. And maybe suffer even more? Hehe."

"I was thinking about killing you and taking your possessions but now I changed my mind." "Didn't you want to talk before? Let's talk." Chang Shun rubbed his chin.

Zhu Furong glared at him furiously. But he isn't in a condition to have a brawl with Chang Shun.

"Ah before that, we should see what your face looks like shouldn't we?" Saying this Chang Shun bent down with his right hand extended to pull off Zhu Furong's mask.

Though Zhu Furong's physical body is heavily injured, he can still use his Divine Sense. The man in front of him is unaware of this.

Just as Chang Shun grabbed Zhu Furong's mask, a glint of light appeared between them. A small dagger launched towards Chang Shun's torso out of Zhu Furong's lower dantian at an extreme speed.

A slight gray fog is enveloping the dagger, it's Zhu Xingzuo's Chaos Qi. Only this method can deal some significant damage to someone at the peak Revolving Core rank. A weapon infused with Qi.

"What?" Chang Shun cried in alarm, moving back with a jolt.

His quick reaction saved his life. The dagger which was supposed to pierce his heart, pierced his shoulder. The dagger blade went in smooth as butter only stopped by the hilt getting stuck on the muscles. If not for that, the dagger would have made a hole in Chang Shun's shoulder.

"Aaahh!" Chang Shun yelled in pain looking at the hit stuck in his left shoulder.

He furiously glared at the spot where Zhu Furong was lying, but to his surprise there was no one there.

Chang Shun swept his gaze here and there looking for Zhu Furong but he couldn't find him, nor did he notice any traces. The only trace left is a meter long trail of blood leading to the end of the cliff.

Chang Shun strode there and took a peek down the cliff.

The cliff is about 1000 feet deep but Chang Shun couldn't see much below. The only way to find out what's down there is to climb down or wait for the sun to rise.

Given Zhu Furong's condition he shouldn't be able to move much further, so Chang Shun decided to take care of his wound first before going to look for Zhu Furong.

Chang Shun glared at the wooden mask he is holding with hatred. He gritted his teeth. "Don't let me catch you again."

...

As soon as the sun rose in the morning, Chang Shun climbed down the cliff and started searching.

The spot where Zhu Furong should have fallen, there are several stacks of rocks. On one of the surfaces of the rocks there is splattered dried blood, which can only be caused by a body slamming on it with great force.

Chang Shun looked above at the height of the cliff and then looked at the blood of the rock.

He rubbed his chin. "Hmm... Falling from such a height with such severe injuries, even if he is a Body Cultivator he would definitely die."

Chang Shun looked towards the west flow of the river. The cliff continues for several miles it seems.

Chang Shun frowned for a second, contemplating. After a few minutes, he climbed up the cliff and started following the river to the west.

This Elder of the Sunlight Sect seems to have too much time in his hands.

Chang Shun followed the river for several miles, inspecting the bank of the river from time to time. Frustration could be clearly seen on his face from not finding what he wants.

After a day, Chang Shun could be seen riding a boat with his sword in his hand dripping with blood.

This guy slaughtered some fisherman just to sooth his anger. So cruel.

Chang Shun swiped the blade with his two fingers. "Tch! Fucking waste of time."

"Does he even have the grade 4 fire? You can't carry an essence of fire in a Spatial Bag or a Space Ring, since it may destroy it. The only way to carry special fire is to refine it. So if he did, he would have used it to fight against me, after all even if I am at Revolving Core rank, I have to be extremely cautious against a grade 4 fire. It's power is no joke— I am so stupid."

Chang Shun hung his head contemplating.

Though he is correct that special fires can't be stored in a Spatial Bag or Space Ring, that's only true for the lower realm. There are many ways available in the upper realm to store special fires in a Spatial Bag or Space Ring. That is by storing the special fire in a special container first.

After arranging his thoughts, Chang Shun decided to give up on his search and return to the Unknown Ruins where Xidi Junjie is waiting for him. And if he is lucky enough, Lin Kai should also be waiting for him there with the location of the grade four fire.

But Chang Shun doesn't know that he missed his only chance to catch Zhu Furong who is lying unconscious, stuck between rocks, just a kilometer ahead down the river.

Even though his body is in the same condition as a tattered cloth after his journey down the stream, Zhu Furong still seems to be breathing.

His chest stuck between two rocks with his lower half of the body flailing in the water, Zhu Furong's whole body is covered in a gray halo.

"Sigh! Here goes my years of Cultivation. When will I hatch if I keep expending my Chaos Qi like this?" Zhu Xingzuo lamented.

"Those two foolish gods, tying me to their idiot disciple. If I ever meet them again I will..." Zhu Xingzuo gritted his teeth with hatred.

It seems as if he realized something. "Doesn't this mean I have to die to meet them? Hell no!— Fuck you Hei Hai. Fuck you Bian Chao!" He cursed with all his might.

"Sigh!... This time it was really close. Who knew this guy would jump down the cliff with such an injured body? If not for me covering his body with a thick layer of Chaos Qi on time, he would have died on the spot as soon as he slammed on those rocks." Zhu Furong sighed and sighed.

"I feel like I have used more of my Chaos Qi than I gained after tagging along with this guy." "Oh god, why do I have to suffer so much? I am just an egg." Zhu Xingzuo lamented again and again. But he didn't stop supplying his Chaos Qi to every nook and corner of Zhu Furong's body to speed up his recovery. And thanks to this, the treatment speed of Zhu Furong's injuries could be observed with naked eyes.

Zhu Furong had 19 of his ribs broken, two of his vertebrae were fractured by the palm strike of Chang Shun.

After falling down the cliff, his right arm was broken. Zhu Furong went unconscious after this.

Flowing down the river, hitting the protruding rocks within the river, Zhu Furong obtained several more bone fractures.

After receiving such grievous injuries and still being alive, it can only be said that Zhu Furong escaped with a sliver of health.

Now looking at how his severe injuries got mostly healed just after two days of treatment, it's like looking at a wonder of the world.

The Monster Race bloodline which is known for its tremendous healing properties and the Chaos Qi which is closest to the Primal Chaos itself, two of these working together to heal a single body is nothing but a miracle encounter.

After three days, Zhu Furong's body was completely cured.

"Uff, I am tired as fuck! I need a deep sleep right now. Goodnight!" After complaining, Zhu Xingzuo went to sleep, while Zhu Furong was still floating, stuck in the river.