Medical Sage

A Peak Powerhouse of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer was undeniably strong. On Earth, at least, they could certainly be considered the pinnacle of power! Moreover, this was a sneak attack…

The Yuue Family powerhouse from the Black Water Ditch, wrapped in tattered animal skins, pulsed with intense Spiritual Energy as a terrifying glow manifested in his hand. With a raise of his arm, a Low-Grade Magic Artifact—a meteor hammer covered in barbs—appeared. It flew straight for Chen Fei, unleashing the combined might of the artifact and Spiritual Energy with a tumultuous force.

BUZZ!

The sky trembled as if a bolt of cloth was being violently torn apart. The surface of the Low-Grade Magic Artifact meteor hammer reflected the Yuue Family expert’s cold smirk, causing everyone present to pale in shock and erupt into an uproar.

Clearly, no one had expected the Yuue Family expert to suddenly attack with the intent to kill Chen Fei!

”Yuue Dongming, how dare you!?” Li Manlou roared, his face livid with rage as he summoned his Silver Short Sword. Evidently, the name of the expert in animal skins was indeed Yuue Dongming.

”Heh heh, Li Manlou, have you lost your mind? Did you forget about me?” Just then, a cold sneer accompanied by a wave of demonic light washed over the crowd. Langye stepped forward, tore through the attack from the Silver Short Sword with a single claw, and let out a wild, cold laugh. His ruthless sneer sent a shiver down everyone’s spine.

”Langye, you...” Seeing this, Li Manlou’s expression changed drastically. His strength was on par with Langye’s. If Langye was truly determined to intervene, it would be impossible for him to spare any effort to protect Chen Fei.

Damn it, this is bad!

”Chen Fei, run!” Li Manlou bellowed, his voice so loud it made everyone’s eardrums ache.

”Run? A mere cultivator of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer... what can he do before me, Yuue Dongming—What? How is this possible!?” Yuue Dongming’s face, at first filled with mockery, suddenly turned ashen and unsightly as he let out an involuntary, incredulous cry.

He saw that his hammer hadn’t smashed Chen Fei into a bloody pulp. On the contrary, it felt as if it had struck something incredibly sturdy, sending sparks flying with the shrill sound of clashing metal that made his palm go numb.

WHOOSH!

Young Master Chen didn’t hesitate for a moment. Using the force of the rebound, his body shot backward at an angle, and he turned to flee at an incredible speed. He was keenly aware that in this situation, staying even a second longer could lead to disaster. He had to escape, and quickly.

All of this may sound lengthy, but in reality, it happened in the blink of an eye.

”Hiss! What? He actually...” Xu Tianying’s and Taoist Qingyue’s pupils contracted as they witnessed the scene, their faces masks of utter shock. That was Yuue Dongming, a bona fide Peak Powerhouse of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer! His full-power sneak attack had not only failed to kill his target, but Chen Fei had actually escaped completely unscathed? This was astonishing!

Although they themselves were also Peak Powerhouses of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and quite formidable, they knew full well that if they had faced Yuue Dongming’s despicable, full-power sneak attack, they would not have escaped unharmed. But now? Chen Fei had not only escaped, but he was completely unscathed! What did this mean?

Did it mean that Chen Fei possessed power comparable to, or perhaps even greater than, their own? Although Taoist Qingyue and Xu Tianying were reluctant to admit it, the facts were right in front of them, leaving no room for disbelief.

However, the truth was not far from their speculation, though it wasn’t quite so exaggerated. Chen Fei’s current strength was indeed considerable, but at most, it was only comparable to an average powerhouse of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. He had not yet reached the heights of the Peak of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. The reason he was able to block the fatal sneak attack without a scratch was actually quite simple. First, he was cautious enough to have already focused his mind and spirit. Second, the hammer never truly struck him; he had blocked it in advance with his Mystic Stone Mirror.

After all, the Mystic Stone Mirror was now a bona fide Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, and it was certainly useful for something like this.

”He has a treasure on him!” Yuue Dongming shouted, his face somber. He had finally realized that Chen Fei must possess some kind of treasure. Otherwise, how could he possibly have blocked a fatal blow from a Peak Powerhouse of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer?

”We can’t let him get away, or we’re all doomed!” Langye roared ferociously, baring his fangs. No matter what happened today, they could not let Chen Fei escape. Otherwise, he would become an extremely dangerous menace.

”Run! I’ll hold them off!” By this time, Li Manlou had already reacted. His white sleeves fluttered as his Silver Short Sword radiated a frightening sword light, blocking the only path his pursuers could take. The Spiritual Energy within him erupted, pulsing through the air with fearsome and overwhelming power.

Instantly, both Langye and Yuue Dongming were intercepted. If Li Manlou’s only goal was to delay the two of them, it would be exceedingly difficult for them to break free. After all, the terrifying power of Li Manlou’s Qi Refining Eighth Layer, combined with his Mid-Grade Magical Artifact-level Silver Short Sword, was nothing to scoff at.

Seeing Li Manlou so fiercely determined to block them, both Langye’s and Yuue Dongming’s faces turned ashen and utterly grim. Langye, anxious and sinister, turned his gaze to Taoist Qingyue and Xu Tianying. He bared his fangs and said, ”Are you two really just going to stand there and watch the show? Haven’t you made up your minds yet? You’d better think carefully. If a genius with his level of talent is taken by the Exquisite Sect and cultivated, do you think any of us will still have a place in Eagle Gorge in twenty years? By then, your Floating Cloud Sect and the Xu Family will have to bow down to the Exquisite Sect as slaves!”

As he spoke, the expressions on Taoist Qingyue and Xu Tianying changed drastically once more. A world-shaking talent like that, given time, would undoubtedly dominate all of Eagle Gorge in the future. That was certain. And by then…

”This matter has nothing to do with the Xu Family. Whether you kill him or make peace, it’s all up to you!” Surprisingly, after a long moment of silence, Xu Tianying took several steps back and declared coldly, choosing not to get involved.

Seeing this, Langye’s face turned frosty. He fell silent and shifted his gaze to Taoist Qingyue.

”I... I...” Taoist Qingyue’s expression was conflicted as he hesitated for a long while. Finally, gritting his teeth, he said, ”How about this? Brother Dongming and I will stay behind to keep Brother Manlou busy. Brother Langye, you go chase that boy.” In the end, he couldn’t resist the malicious thoughts in his heart and chose to act, planning to hold Li Manlou back alongside Yuue Dongming.

With both of them at the Peak of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, their combined strength would be more than enough to simply stall him.

”Good! That’s the plan. I’ll go after that boy right now.” Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Langye’s ferocious, wolfish face. He turned and his figure shot away at extreme speed, giving chase to Chen Fei.

”Langye, get back here!” Li Manlou’s expression changed dramatically. With a flick of his hand, the Silver Short Sword shot out like a striking serpent, streaking like lightning toward the departing Langye.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

However, at that very moment, two streaks of light were already positioned in Li Manlou’s path. The instant the Silver Short Sword shot forward, they slammed into its blade with incredible speed, sending out a shower of sparks and a deafening clang that forcefully repelled the sword. A closer look revealed the two streaks of light to be none other than Yuue Dongming’s meteor hammer and a brush emitting an ink-black glow. The brush, a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, was Taoist Qingyue’s weapon.

”You...” Seeing this, Li Manlou’s face turned extremely ugly and ashen. But in that brief moment, Langye had already given chase and vanished from sight.

***

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away at the exit of Immortal Ascension Valley, Chen Fei cursed in frustration, beads of cold sweat on his forehead. ”Damn it, the exit is sealed!” That was right. To prevent Chen Fei from escaping, Langye had used a secret technique to lock down all the Formations around Immortal Ascension Valley. Naturally, this meant the exit was now closed, blocking his escape.

”I can open this Formation, but it will take time,” Zhen Jingkong said from within Chen Fei’s sea of consciousness, his tone calm and steady. ”However... I can feel that man is already catching up.” He sounded completely composed, not the least bit anxious.

”He’s catching up? What should we do?” Chen Fei’s expression changed again as he asked irritably. With his current strength, he might be able to contend with a Peak Powerhouse of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, but facing someone at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer was impossible. A direct confrontation would be suicide; he stood no chance of winning.

”What to do? It’s simple. Either I lend you my power again—but if I do, I’m afraid my soul will be so weakened that I’ll fall into a deep slumber—or...” Zhen Jingkong began, his voice trailing off.

”Or what?” Chen Fei pressed anxiously.

”Or, you run straight for that cliff over there,” Zhen Jingkong said, pointing toward it. ”The Teleportation Formation leading to the Cultivation World appears to be right at the bottom of it.”

”Wh-what? A Teleportation Formation to the Cultivation World!?” Hearing this, Chen Fei’s expression grew even more complex, and he hesitated. He had planned on going there eventually, but not now!

”My original plan was for you to go there, advance to the Foundation Establishment True Person Realm, and then find a way back. But look—if those at the Qi Refining Seventh and Eighth Layers can come here, there’s no reason you can’t return once you’ve reached the Qi Refining Eighth to Ninth Levels, right? Your current strength is still too weak. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in such a sorry state, like a stray dog. And you can forget about protecting your homeland in the future.”

”The enemies you’ll face then will be thousands, even tens of thousands of times stronger than these little shrimp. There really isn’t much time left,” Zhen Jingkong said, each word landing with the weight of a mountain. Hearing this, Chen Fei fell silent, his expression a storm of complex emotions.

WHOOSH!

After a long moment, he gritted his teeth, turned, and charged wildly toward the base of the cliff.