Su Yang and Tu Bing had been traveling through the forest for four days.
They had deliberately avoided the official roads whenever possible, choosing instead to move through the wilderness where there were fewer people and, more importantly, fewer eyes that might recognize them. Although the danger of encountering fierce beasts was greater, neither of them wanted to take the risk of walking openly along a road when they had no idea whether the people pursuing them had already received news of their escape.
Four days of continuous travel had left even Su Yang somewhat exhausted.
The forest had gradually changed as they moved farther from the depths. The trees were no longer as ancient and enormous, and the dense canopy overhead had begun to thin, allowing more sunlight to penetrate through the branches. Even the atmosphere felt different. They were getting closer to civilization.
Su Yang adjusted the position of the Earth Bear cub, which Tu Bing was carrying, before looking toward the young man walking beside him.
"Tu Bing."
Tu Bing immediately rolled her eyes.
"Didn't I tell you?"
Su Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me what?"
"When we're around other people, you can call me Tu Bing."
She glanced at him.
"But when we're alone, call me Bing'er."
Su Yang looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Fine, Bing'er."
For some reason, hearing him say it seemed to satisfy her.
She smiled faintly before continuing to walk.
"Much better."
Su Yang couldn't help shaking his head.
The two continued walking side by side.
Their relationship had changed considerably during the time they had spent together. At first, Tu Bing had merely been another escort traveling alongside him, a seemingly quiet young man who had been unconscious after the ambush.
Now, Su Yang knew that the person beside him wasn't a man at all.
She was Shen Bing.
And she had already reached the mid stage of Leaving Aperture in the Spirit Dao while simultaneously cultivating her martial arts to the peak of True Essence.
That alone was enough to make her background suspicious.
Su Yang wasn't stupid.
A person capable of cultivating two systems simultaneously, possessing a strange bloodline that allowed her to cultivate the Spirit Dao, carrying powerful talismans, and possessing such terrifying cultivation at her age couldn't possibly come from an ordinary family.
But Su Yang hadn't asked.
Everyone had secrets.
And since Bing'er had never voluntarily explained her origins, he had no intention of forcing her to do so.
Besides, they had only just escaped a life-and-death pursuit.
There was no need to complicate things further.
"How much longer?" Tu Bing suddenly asked.
Su Yang looked toward the thinning forest.
"If we continue at this pace, we should reach Dongtai Prefecture soon."
"Good."
Tu Bing sighed.
"Four days of walking through the forest is enough."
Su Yang nodded.
He also wanted to return as quickly as possible.
The moment they entered the city, they would at least be able to obtain information about what had happened while they were gone.
More importantly, he wanted to know whether the escort mission had caused any trouble for the Changlong Escort Agency.
The two continued forward.
Not long afterward, Su Yang suddenly stopped.
Tu Bing looked at him.
"What?"
Su Yang raised his hand.
"Listen."
A faint sound had reached his ears.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The sound of something striking flesh echoed through the forest.
Then came a furious roar.
"Roar!"
Su Yang and Tu Bing exchanged glances.
They immediately moved toward the source.
As they pushed through a cluster of trees, their eyes widened slightly.
A huge beast lay in a clearing.
Its body was covered in thick fur, its claws were sharp enough to tear through stone, and blood flowed from several wounds along its body.
It was a Rank One fierce beast.
Yet standing before it was a young martial artist.
The man's fist was covered in blood.
He stepped forward.
His muscles bulged.
His Qi-Blood erupted from his body like a raging furnace.
"Die!"
His fist descended.
BOOM!
The Rank One fierce beast's skull shattered beneath the punch.
Its enormous body collapsed to the ground.
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
What terrifying physical strength.
He didn't recognize the man.
But Tu Bing did.
Her expression changed slightly.
"Gao Yuanhua."
Su Yang looked at her.
"Who?"
"Rank 70 on the Martial Ranking."
Su Yang's gaze immediately sharpened.
"Rank seventy?"
Tu Bing nodded.
"He's a disciple of the Mountain River Martial Hall."
Su Yang looked at the man's clothing.
The Mountain River Martial Hall's robes were unmistakable, but this man's attire was slightly different from the ordinary disciples.
Gold stripes decorated the edges.
Tu Bing continued.
"He's a personal true disciple."
Su Yang nodded slowly.
So this was Gao Yuanhua.
A Ranked genius.
The young man in the clearing suddenly turned his head.
His eyes landed on Su Yang and Tu Bing.
For a moment, there was silence.
Gao Yuanhua's brows furrowed.
He didn't recognize them.
That alone irritated him.
His expression was already somewhat strange.
There was an unstable quality to his eyes, as though his emotions were constantly pressing against the limits of his restraint.
Tu Bing noticed it immediately.
Her voice became serious.
"Su Yang."
"What?"
"Be careful."
Gao Yuanhua's cultivation method was problematic.
It could greatly amplify his fighting intent and anger, making his combat power considerably more violent, but the same characteristic also affected his temperament.
Whenever his cultivation became unstable, his emotions would become increasingly aggressive.
That was why he frequently entered the forest.
Fighting fierce beasts allowed him to vent his excess aggression and calm his mind.
But today...
He clearly hadn't calmed down.
Gao Yuanhua stared at Su Yang.
"Who are you?"
Su Yang didn't answer immediately.
There was no reason for him to antagonize a Rank Seventy genius.
Unfortunately...
Gao Yuanhua didn't seem interested in talking.
His eyes suddenly became fierce.
"Die!"
His foot slammed into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath him.
His body exploded forward like an enraged beast.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
What the hell?
Who attacks someone for no reason?
He immediately shifted his body.
Gao Yuanhua's fist tore through the space where his head had been a moment earlier.
WHOOSH!
The force behind the punch caused the surrounding leaves to explode outward.
Su Yang twisted his waist and raised his arm.
Bang!
Their fists collided.
A powerful force surged through Su Yang's arm.
His sleeve fluttered violently.
Yet his body remained stable.
Gao Yuanhua's expression changed slightly.
Su Yang's eyes became sharp.
The moment their fists collided, he had clearly sensed the opponent's Qi-Blood.
It was fierce.
Violent.
It surged through Gao Yuanhua's body like boiling blood, constantly gathering toward his limbs before exploding outward.
Then Gao Yuanhua's Qi-Blood suddenly erupted.
A reddish aura seemed to rise from his body.
His muscles expanded.
His bones cracked.
The momentum surrounding him became even more frightening.
"Raging Bull Fist!"
His fist shot forward.
The sound of a bull's roar seemed to echo through the forest.
Su Yang immediately understood.
This wasn't simply a fist technique.
The entire force of the body had been coordinated.
The waist transmitted power into the shoulder.
The shoulder transmitted it into the arm.
The tendons tightened like drawn bowstrings.
Then the force exploded through the fist.
A terrifying burst of Qi-Blood accompanied the punch.
Su Yang didn't retreat.
His right hand opened.
Instead of meeting force with force, his palm moved like a willow branch beneath spring rain.
Spring Swordplay.
Although the technique was called swordplay, Su Yang had no sword in his hand.
He didn't need one.
His fingers became the blade.
His wrist rotated.
His palm slid along the incoming fist.
Rather than blocking Gao Yuanhua's strength directly, Su Yang redirected it.
The force of the Raging Bull Fist was immediately dispersed to the side.
Yet the remaining power still traveled through his arm and into his body.
Bang!
Su Yang's feet slid backward.
His legs trembled slightly.
His expression changed.
The force was heavy.
Very heavy.
He immediately understood the problem.
His upper limbs had already undergone Bone Refining.
His arms could withstand and transmit tremendous amounts of force.
But his legs hadn't.
The moment Gao Yuanhua's strength traveled through his body and reached his lower limbs, his legs were unable to handle it as efficiently.
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
So that's the weakness.
He couldn't fight Gao Yuanhua normally.
At least not if he allowed the opponent's force to enter his lower body repeatedly.
His advantage lay in his refined upper limbs.
Then he would use that advantage.
Gao Yuanhua roared again and charged.
His Qi-Blood surged wildly.
His entire body seemed to become an enraged bull.
Su Yang's expression remained calm.
The next instant, Gao Yuanhua's fist descended.
Su Yang stepped forward instead of retreating.
His body tilted.
His palm brushed against the incoming fist.
Spring Swordplay once again diverted the majority of the force.
But this time, Su Yang didn't simply defend.
His waist twisted.
His right shoulder moved.
His entire upper body rotated like a drawn bow.
Then his palm suddenly changed.
The gentle quality of Spring Swordplay vanished.
A scorching, violent force erupted from his palm.
Summer Swordplay!
Su Yang's palm struck Gao Yuanhua's chest.
BOOM!
The sound was like thunder exploding inside the forest.
Gao Yuanhua's eyes widened.
The palm force penetrated through his muscles.
His Qi-Blood was violently disrupted as the force entered his body, shaking his organs and causing the circulation of his strength to collapse for an instant.
Blood surged into his throat.
His body was sent flying backward.
He crashed heavily onto the ground.
Bang!
Dust rose around him.
Gao Yuanhua lay motionless for a moment.
Su Yang slowly lowered his palm.
His breathing remained steady.
The forest became silent.
Tu Bing looked at the fallen Mountain River Martial Hall disciple.
Then she looked at Su Yang.
Her eyes contained a faint trace of surprise.
Su Yang stared at Gao Yuanhua.