Ihe thatched hut on Qingxia Peak, ever since Yun Qingxue promised to refihe Boempering Pill for Zhao Heng, he had been busy iigating the required materials.

  He discovered that many of the materials were extremely valuable and scarce, including one of the key ingredients: the heart of a Tier-2 Mystic Beast.

  In the end, Zhao Heng decided to personally veo the mountains to gather the necessary herbs. As for the Tier-2 Mystic Beast heart, if all else failed, he would have to purchase o a high price.

  With his p, Zhao Heng didn’t rush into a. Instead, he remained i aered closed-door cultivation for several days.

  Dusk arrived, and after the rain cleared, the air became sweet and refreshing.

  The fragrance of spiritual herbs lingered around the hut, and dense mystiergy swirled in the surrounding area.

  Sitting cross-legged on his wooden bed, Zhao Heng pleted the final cycle of the Green Pieique. He felt his blood and energy surging, his vital force brimming—his state had reached its absolute peak.

  At that moment, Zhao Heng took out a "Body Refi Pill" that he had treasured for a long time.

  With pns to leave the sed veo the wilderness, Zhao Heng decided to break through to the ninth level of the Body Refi Realm to better prepare for any potential dangers.

  As the pill dissolved in his stomach, a familiar heat spread throughout his body.

  The pill’s pure mystiergy merged with his blood, stirring it inting torrent—surging, gathering, and finally bursting forth!

  As the energy reached its peak, Zhao Heng activated the perfected Green Pieique, guiding the turbulent blood to circute through his body, nourishing his muscles, bones, skin, and internal ans.

  At the same time, the trated mystiergy around the hut seemed to respond to his call, rushing toward him and flowing into his body through his acupoints.

  In that moment, Zhao Heng’s aura surged steadily ahodically.

  The m—

  In a small courtyard half the Servants’ Peak, Liu Hong opehe door to his room. His swollen, dark eye bags made it clear that he hadn’t been sleeping well.

  "It’s been over a month, and that brat still hasn’t left the sect. What should I do?" Liu Hong muttered to himself.

  He was, of course, referring to Zhao Heng.

  Ever sihe servant assessment, where his men were pletely wiped out and Zhao Heng became Yun Qingxue’s personal attendant, Liu Hong had felt as though he had released a tiger bato the wild. These past days, he hadn’t had a single good night’s rest.

  He had secretly assigned people to monitor Zhao Heng’s movements at the foot of Qingxia Peak.

  But over the past month, Zhao Heng had shown no iion of leaving the sect, apart from making orip to the Scripture Pavilion.

  Retly, Liu Hong discovered that Zhao Heng had been inquiring about certain medial materials.

  This made Liu Hong even more uneasy—he suspected that Zhao Heng reparing to break through to the Bone Refining Realm.

  This realization filled him with dread. He was even prepared to use his personal es within the sect to eliminate Zhao Heng, regardless of the risks.

  To Liu Hong, it was better to take the risk than to allow his eo tinue growing stronger aually turables on him.

  Just as Liu Hong was once again caught in indecision—

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  Someone knocked urgently on the courtyard door.

  One of his subordinates rushed in, whispering a few words into Liu Hong’s ear.

  Liu Hong, who had been tense and sullen moments earlier, suddenly lit up with energy.

  "That brat has finally left the sect!"

  "This time, I’ll ha myself. I won’t let him return alive."

  An hour ter—

  On a mountain path leading to Niu Jiao Mountain in the northwest of the Yuhua Sect, a young man in gray traveling gear walked briskly.

  He carried a shield on his back, with two bulging pouches strapped to his waist. A dagger was held in a reverse grip in one hand, while his other hand hovered he hilt of the bde at his side.

  This young man was her than Zhao Heng, who had just left the Yuhua Sect to head toward Niu Jiao Mountain.

  Although Niu Jiao Mountain was dangerous due to the frequent activity of mystic beasts, it was also the most abundant source of spiritual herbs he sect.

  Zhao Heng hoped to try his luck—given his current strength and means, he might even be able to kill a weaker Tier-2 Mystic Beast.

  As he walked along the rugged mountain path, Zhao Heng’s peripheral vision frequently darted behind him.

  He mobilized his blood energy, sending two streams of warmth toward his spiritual senses, enhang his eyes, ears, and other senses.

  "Qi Observation Teique—activate!"

  In an instant, Zhao Heng’s six senses sharpened dramatically. He faintly sensed several cealed gazes following him from a distance.

  Among them, one gaze felt particurly dangerous—and disturbingly familiar.

  "Liu Hong!"

  From the moment Zhao Heng had stepped out of the sect, he had vaguely sensed Liu Hong’s presence.

  As he moved farther away from the sect, Liu Hong’s aura became increasingly clear.

  "So he’s finally decided to act personally."

  Zhao Heng had anticipated this. His trip wasn’t just about gathering herbs—it was also about "luring the s of its hole."

  He khat Liu Hong had been having him monitored for weeks. Both of them were waiting for the right moment to elimihe other.

  Liu Hong feared that Zhao Heng’s growing strength would one day spiral out of trol, while Zhao Heng worried that Liu Hong would use his es to strike preemptively.

  Both were equally desperate.

  However, Zhao Heng believed that with his current strength and trump cards, he could face Liu Hong head-on.

  Thus, he had made the first move. If he could kill Liu Hong outside the sect, the threat would be permaly ralized.

  That said, the mountain path they were currently on wasn’t the ideal location. Zhao Heng po make his move at Niu Jiao Mountain.

  It seemed that Liu Hong had a simir idea—they both tinued forward without i, one in the open and the other in the shadows.

  After an hour of travel, two peaks resembling bull horns loomed high in the distance.

  The dense forest on the mountain was shrouded in shadow, and the chilling roars and howls of beasts echoed from within, sending shivers down one’s spine.

  "Niu Jiao Mountain, finally."

  Zhao Heng paused briefly, sensing the restless auras of those behind him.

  Without hesitation, he quied his pace, activating the Boransformation Steps, and rushed into the dense forest surrounding the mountain.

  However, instead of taking the rail up the mountain, Zhao Heng deliberately circled around to a steep and hidden path he had once discovered.

  Knowing that Liu Hong was a Bone Refining Realm cultivator and had brought reinforts, Zhao Heng had no iion of fronting them head-on.

  His best strategy was to set up an ambush.

  Meanwhile, at the base of Niu Jiao Mountain, Liu Hong and his elite subordinates had followed Zhao Heng’s trail.

  Just as they were about to make their move, Zhao Heng accelerated into the dense forest, vanishing from their sight.

  "Damn it. That brat might’ve noticed us!" Liu Hong’s eyes narrowed, and he quickly made a decision.

  "Go! Don’t give him time to set up an ambush."

  Under Liu Hong’s and, the group charged up the mountain trail.

  But after advang only a few hundred meters—

  "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

  Dozens of arrows tore through the forest, pierg through branches and leaves as they rained down on Liu Hong’s group.

  "Watch out!" Liu Hong roared, quickly dodging alongside his subordinates.

  Despite their swift reas, one of their men was stru the chest by an arrow, sustaining serious injuries.

  Liu Hong’s first thought was that this was Zhao Heng’s doing.

  But upon sed thought, it didn’t make sense—Zhao Heng had only just ehe mountain. How could he have prepared su ambush?

  Drawing his bde, Liu Hong poi toward the shadows of the forest.

  "Who dares ambush us? Do you know we’re disciples of the Yuhua Sect?"

  In response, a burst of raucous ughter echoed from the forest.

  "Heh heh… Of course, we know you’re from the Yuhua Sect. That’s the whole reasoacked!"

  Moments ter, more than a dozen fierd oddly dressed men and women emerged from the shadows, their eyes filled with malice as they gred at Liu Hong’s group.

  Liu Hong’s eyes narrowed. With a gnce, he determihat these people were nhteous cultivators.

  "So, you’re demonic cultivators. Do you think you challehe Yuhua Sed live to tell the tale?"

  The leader, a burly man in bck, sneered. "The Yuhua Sect? Your sect crippled one of our disciples and sndered our Hehua Sect. Do you think we wouldn’t retaliate?"

  Liu Hong’s heart sank. He was torween fusion and urgency.

  He couldn’t afford to waste time dealing with these demonic cultivators while Zhao Heng got further away.

  "What do you want? Say your pied let us through!"

  The burly man snorted. "We’ll let you through… after you help us find someone."

  "Who?"

  "A servant from the Yuhua Sect, from Servants’ Peak—Liu Hong."

  Liu Hong froze in shock. "What…? Why are you looking for me?"

  The burly man’s eyes widened with fury, his gaze like a bde.

  "You’re Liu Hong? Ha ha ha… What luck! We’ve been searg for you everywhere, and here you are!"

  "Brothers, cut this bastard into pieces!"

  "What?!…"

  Liu Hong was stunned. He didn’t uand why they would immediately attack him upon hearing his name.

  But as the demonic cultivators charged with murderous i, Liu Hong had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead his men into battle.

  [--------------------------------------------]

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