Hearing this, Xu Yunfan released Li Miaoyun and tossed her aside. After confirming she couldn't move, he quickly went to Li Haomiao's side. Looking at the wound that had pierced his heart, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
"You're still not dead after all that?"
Li Haomiao rolled his eyes.
"Can't you say something nice for a change?"
After a moment, Li Haomiao spoke in a low voice.
"Thank you. Without you, I'm afraid I would have been done for."
Xu Yunfan waved his hand dismissively. "No need. I only stepped in when I saw that woman was a spent force. If she had been in top condition, you would've been on your own."
'That woman was too strong. Just by cultivating a wisp of qi with the Outer Three Harmonies, she could fight on par with someone in the Blood Refining Realm, while I'm only at First Level Great Mastery.'
'No way I could beat her. Absolutely no way.'
'Most importantly, Li Miaoyun's last words were what spurred him to action. If Li Haomiao couldn't hold her off, then both he and Fang Mushan would die.'
As for Fang Mushan, Xu Yunfan glanced over at him trapped in the snow nearby. Fang Mushan had put the most force into his attack just now, but had accidentally plunged deep into a snowdrift. The battle was over, yet he was still struggling to get out.
Hearing this, Li Haomiao slowly closed his eyes.
Xu Yunfan's expression flickered. He looked at the motionless Li Haomiao, then reached out and prodded his stomach.
Li Haomiao's eyes snapped open. "What are you doing?"
"I was thinking of cutting open your stomach to see if there's anything good inside."
"…"
Li Haomiao managed to lift his hand and place it on Xu Yunfan's shoulder.
"I think I'm running on fumes."
Xu Yunfan's expression grew frantic. "Don't you die yet! At least give me the Sunrise Qi Technique first!"
"…"
Li Haomiao desperately wanted to curse, but he couldn't muster any strength. He just stared, regulating his breathing, terrified he would lose control of his heart and send blood gushing from the wound.
An ordinary person would have died long ago from such a grievous heart injury. But having achieved Great Success in his sinews, bones, and skin, completed the Outer Three Harmonies, and entered the Muscle Training Realm, he had rudimentary control over his body's muscles.
Under these circumstances, as a master of the Flesh Refining Realm, he possessed an incredibly tenacious Life Force.
But a wounded heart was still an extremely severe injury. If not for that one Dragon and Tiger Pill, Li Haomiao would have already breathed his last.
He was on the verge of death.
"You'd better stop provoking him. If he gets even slightly agitated, I'm afraid he'll really die."
A wizened voice suddenly rang out from behind Xu Yunfan.
Startled, Xu Yunfan ducked his head and body, shooting forward as if skimming the ground. He only came to a stop after darting more than ten meters away.
He whirled around, only to find a large, ancient face with a white beard and white hair looming right in front of him.
Xu Yunfan's scalp went numb. His heart clenched violently as a chill shot straight from his spine to the top of his head.
His legs seemed to spring into action as he instantly settled into a horse stance. His knees buckled slightly inward, rooting him to the ground like an old tree. His waist was like a powerful, coiled spring. It twisted rapidly, driving the force of his entire upper body up through his spine.
The muscles of his back swelled, forming two hard mounds. Every fiber was tensed to its absolute limit, as if to force out every last ounce of his body's power.
His shoulders then dropped with the momentum, his arm muscles tightening like iron. Biceps and triceps worked in concert, driving his fist forward like a Heavy Hammer.
The fist howled, slicing through the air with a WHOOSH.
He was confident this one punch could shatter a boulder into dust.
In the next instant, his pupils shrank. A palm simply covered his fist, and all the force from his punch vanished without a trace, like a stone dropped into the ocean.
The hand then coiled around his arm like a serpent, pressing several points on his body.
Before Xu Yunfan could even react, the large face quickly retreated, and in the blink of an eye, was beside Li Haomiao.
Stunned, Xu Yunfan stared, only to see that an old Daoist in a long, cyan robe had appeared.
The old Daoist was incredibly tall, well over two meters, yet his body was as gaunt as a withered branch. He exuded an indescribably bizarre aura, looking much like a lanky specter from folklore, enough to send a chill down one's spine.
The old Daoist muttered incessantly, his voice low and hoarse, "His aptitude is too poor. It seems what little True Blood he had has been completely consumed by his Cultivation of the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer."
As he spoke, he slowly squatted down, his fingers moving like nimble specters, quickly tapping several points on Li Haomiao's body.
Amazingly, Li Haomiao's paper-white face instantly flushed with color, as if he'd been infused with a burst of vibrant Vitality.
His face a mask of pain, the old Daoist carefully took an Elixir from his robes. Then, full of exasperation, he smacked Li Haomiao twice and grumbled, "You little spendthrift! You've nearly used up all the Taoist Sect's foundational resources."
Li Haomiao slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the old Daoist before him, a trace of guilt appeared on his face, and he stammered, "Master, I was wrong. That day, I shouldn't have rashly trusted others and left the mountain without permission."
'An expert from the Taoist Sect?!'
The tension in Xu Yunfan's heart finally began to ease.
He had frequently asked about the Taoist Sect along his journey. All he knew was that it was the foremost sect of its kind in the Great Zhou Empire, teeming with masters and shrouded in mystery. Even his most subtle inquiries had failed to yield any useful information.
Just then, Fang Mushan finally managed to struggle out of the snowdrift.
His face was bright red and etched with guilt. "Sorry, I couldn't get to the front in time."
"Don't worry about it. Your resolve to join the fight was just as strong as mine. You just had some bad luck," Xu Yunfan reassured him.
As the two talked, Li Haomiao took the Elixir, raised a hand to point at Xu Yunfan ten meters away, and mumbled something.
The old Daoist shook his head slightly and said something in reply, but Xu Yunfan couldn't make out the words.
The moment the old Daoist finished speaking, Li Haomiao's eyes went wide, his voice rising considerably. "Master, you must be mistaken! He grasped the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hammer in a single try; he gets it with just a bit of guidance. And you call him a mediocre talent?!"
The old Daoist's expression was calm, his tone firm. "He has no trace of True Blood left in his body. This particular Kung Fu seems to have completely exhausted it. Besides, his aptitude is far too common. He would likely waste decades just to learn the most basic Martial Arts of my Taoist Sect."
He paused, then added faintly, "While those with True Blood are not numerous, they are not exactly rare either. Activating that sliver of True Blood in his body was a stroke of heavenly fortune. Bringing him to the Taoist Sect now would be pointless. It would only cause unnecessary trouble."
Hearing this, Li Haomiao was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xu Yunfan, his face full of guilt. "I've ruined him."
He paused, then said, "I promised to give him a True Skill of the Outer Three Harmonies, Master…"
"A True Skill?"
The old Daoist's brows knitted together instantly. He shot Xu Yunfan a look of clear displeasure.
Seeing this, Xu Yunfan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. An inexplicable feeling of discomfort welled up inside him as he cursed inwardly, 'This old codger…'
Then, Li Haomiao said a few more words.