WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Figures flickered through the Ancient Forest as Yuncheng and his men frantically searched for Ye Wushuang and his companion.
"Brother Chengx, there's movement up ahead," a young man suddenly called out to Yuncheng.
"Let's go!"
Yuncheng's eyes turned cold. He shot forward, leading the way. About ten minutes later, the dozen or so men came to a stop before a clearing.
Suddenly, their pupils contracted.
The clearing was a scene of utter destruction, with enormous corpses strewn about haphazardly.
They were all Cyan-Eyed Demon Wolves!
Many of them had been torn in half, while others were smashed into the ground. Blood stained the earth a deep crimson. It was an extremely brutal scene.
A foul wind blew past, and the thick stench of blood assaulted their senses, making them shudder involuntarily.
"Cyan-Eyed Demon Wolves!"
"Seventh-Level!"
"Eighth-Level!"
"And even a Ninth-Level one!"
"Who did this?"
Staring at the bloody scene, Yuncheng was deeply shocked. Even he wouldn't dare to face over a dozen powerful Cyan-Eyed Demon Wolves head-on.
Yet now, they all lay dead here, killed so decisively—torn in two. It was horrifyingly brutal.
"Brother Chengx, do you think an Inner Sect Disciple came to the Fierce Demon Cave?" one of the disciples asked, equally shocked. In their minds, only an Inner Sect Disciple would possess such power.
"Impossible!"
Yuncheng frowned. "Inner Sect Disciples don't normally come here."
"Then could it be Ye... Ye Wushuang?" another youth at the Body Tempering Sixth Layer mumbled. The moment the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize his mistake and quickly shut up.
"Are you an idiot? Ye Wushuang is only at the Body Tempering Sixth Layer. It would be impressive if he could kill a single Sixth-Level Fierce Beast, let alone Eighth and Ninth-Level Cyan-Eyed Demon Wolves! Even a pig would know better."
"If he could do that, I'd be able to fly by now."
The others all cursed at the young man, looking at him as if he were a complete moron.
"Alright, forget about all this for now. First, we kill Ye Wushuang. We need to report back to Steward Chen Kun," Yuncheng said, silencing them with a cold voice.
"But Brother Chengx, Ye Wushuang is too fast. He left no trace. Maybe we should go back and wait," someone said with a frustrated look.
"Hmph. The Fierce Demon Cave is only so big. As long as he doesn't leave this area, we'll find him." Yuncheng sneered. After ordering his men to collect the Demon Bones from the Cyan-Eyed Demon Wolves on the ground, he led them onward in their search.
He wasn't worried about Ye Wushuang escaping the Fierce Demon Cave's vicinity, because outside, there were not only Fierce Beasts but also Demon Beasts comparable to the Qi Vortex Realm.
Meanwhile, for three or four consecutive days, Ye Wushuang and Yangg Qing'er were constantly hunting Fierce Beasts.
During this time, Ye Wushuang successfully completed his Bone Tempering and entered the Body Tempering Seventh-Layer Bone Tempering Realm. His Physical Strength, speed, and reflexes had all improved significantly.
His Eight Kills of Battle technique, honed through dozens of life-and-death battles, had also reached the Realm of Eight Kills. A single punch now contained a domineering Killing Power fueled by Blood Qi, increasing its might by eightfold and greatly boosting his Combat Power.
Of course, the one who had changed the most was Yangg Qing'er.
After taking that first step, she accompanied Ye Wushuang on countless hunts, and her once-timid heart was forged into something strong.
Just as she'd said, she didn't want to be a decorative vase, constantly needing Dii Qingxue's protection.
So, whenever Ye Wushuang hunted Fierce Beasts, she was no longer afraid. Instead, she would volunteer to fight them herself. Although her fighting style was clumsy at first and she suffered some setbacks...
...the faster she grew, surprising even Ye Wushuang. 'I can't underestimate this girl,' he thought to himself.
Of course, this period also allowed Yangg Qing'er to truly understand Ye Wushuang. Deep down, she was no longer afraid of him. In fact, she was grateful to him for introducing her to a thrilling new life—something she could never have experienced at Dii Qingxue's side.
「On the fifth day.」
The two arrived at a mountain ridge covered in lush, ancient trees.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
A series of sharp sounds echoed from the woods, accompanied by flashes of light and faint crackling noises.
"Brother Ye, someone is under attack up ahead."
Yangg Qing'er suddenly called out to Ye Wushuang. With her Divine Sense, she could clearly perceive the commotion in front of them.
Ye Wushuang raised an eyebrow and gave Yangg Qing'er a look. The two of them then crept forward quietly.
On one side of the ridge, a thin young man was battling several flying creatures.
This young man was at the Body Tempering Eighth Layer. His clothes were tattered, his hair was cut in slanted bangs, and around his neck was a conspicuous blue-black chain.
Ye Wushuang recognized it instantly. It was a Slave Lock Chain. This meant the man was a prisoner of the Fierce Demon Cave.
"Lightning Eagles!"
Ye Wushuang's attention was drawn to the Lightning Eagles in the sky.
These Lightning Eagles were flying creatures of the Thunder Attribute. They were over two meters long, with grayish-white feathers, beaks like silver hooks, and talons like anchors. On their foreheads was a small silver horn from which lightning faintly crackled.
There were six of them in the sky, all Seventh-Level Fierce Beasts. However, being of the Thunder Attribute, they not only possessed the immense destructive force of thunderbolts but also had lightning-fast speed, making them terrifying opponents.
They circled in the sky, attacking relentlessly. Even though the young man was at the Body Tempering Eighth Layer, he was struggling to cope and had nearly been killed several times.
"Should we save him?"
Yangg Qing'er asked.
Ye Wushuang glanced at the sky, then observed the young man. After a moment's thought, he said to Yangg Qing'er, "You wait here. If anything unexpected happens, be ready to support me."
With that, Ye Wushuang charged toward the young man. He had left Yangg Qing'er behind so she could back him up in case the young man had any ill intentions.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
In the sky, the six Lightning Eagles formed a pattern and dove down from six different directions like six bolts of lightning.
The young man's expression changed, and he hurriedly retreated, but he had no path of escape.
Despair washed over him!
BOOM!
But at that moment, a loud explosion erupted behind him.
When he turned around, he saw a white-robed youth slam a fist into one of the Lightning Eagles, tearing it in two.
The thin young man hadn't expected anyone to help him and was stunned for a moment.
"Let's finish them together!"
This white-robed youth was none other than Ye Wushuang. He shouted at the young man.
"Alright!"
The young man's expression hardened. Looking at the descending Lightning Eagle, he threw a powerful punch upward, blasting it out of the sky.
CRACK!
Another Lightning Eagle was killed.
A surge of the power of thunder and lightning struck Ye Wushuang, shocking him like an electric jolt. His body stiffened, and a numbing sensation spread through him.
'This is bad!'
Ye Wushuang's expression changed. He finally understood how terrifying the Lightning Eagles were. A single hit from their lightning could paralyze you and render you helpless.
Realizing this, he quickly activated his Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique and actually absorbed the lightning from his body. The numbing sensation quickly vanished.
'It can even devour and absorb Thunder Power!'
Ye Wushuang's eyes lit up. He had just discovered that the power of thunder and lightning unleashed by the Lightning Eagles could be absorbed by his Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique, which in turn increased his Cultivation.
'The power of thunder and lightning is a form of the Power of Heaven and Earth. This is great stuff.'
Overjoyed, Ye Wushuang turned and locked his gaze on the remaining Lightning Eagles as if he had just discovered a priceless treasure.
The three remaining Lightning Eagles, having failed in their attack, soared up into the Firmament.
The two men took the opportunity to regroup, watching the three remaining Lightning Eagles in the sky.
The three Lightning Eagles seemed to be enraged. Bolts of lightning erupted from their horns and shot toward Ye Wushuang and the young man as they took the chance to dive down for the kill.
Ye Wushuang and the young man shot up from the ground, twisting their bodies to dodge the lightning bolts as they threw punches at the diving eagles.
BANG!
BANG!
With two consecutive bangs, two more Lightning Eagles were killed. The last one managed to escape and flew back up into the Firmament.
Normally, those in the Body Tempering Realm could not fly; only those in the True Essence Realm could ride the air. Thus, the two could do nothing but watch it.
SKREEE!
The Lightning Eagle circled in the air, screeching incessantly. As if realizing it couldn't defeat the two of them, it turned into a streak of lightning and fled.
Seeing the crisis was averted, the young man turned, clasped his fists to Ye Wushuang, and said, "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it," Ye Wushuang replied with a faint smile.
"I owe you my life. My name is Qiu Mo!" Qiu Mo stated his name forthrightly.
Ye Wushuang was surprised by the young man's directness and replied, "Ye Wushuang!"
"Ye Wushuang, I know who you are!" Qiu Mo said. "You killed Ba Hu. In a way, I already owed you a favor for that."
"Oh?" Ye Wushuang was curious.
"Ba Hu killed my younger brother. I wanted revenge, but his older brother, Ba Ziyun, is a Qi Vortex Expert. I was no match for him. He framed me and had me locked up in the Fierce Demon Cave," Qiu Mo explained, his face filled with hatred at the mention of Ba Ziyun.
"So that's how it is."
Ye Wushuang understood. From Qiu Mo's tone, he could tell he wasn't lying, so he let his guard down and turned to call Yangg Qing'er out.
But then he heard Yangg Qing'er's panicked shout, "Brother Ye, run!"
Yangg Qing'er's figure appeared, running quickly toward them.
Ye Wushuang frowned.
Beside him, Qiu Mo was also watching Yangg Qing'er. He suddenly realized something and said urgently, "This is bad! Lightning Eagles aren't just pack animals, they're also extremely vengeful. That last one must have gone to get reinforcements."
'Reinforcements!' The thought struck Ye Wushuang, and he understood.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
At the same time, from the southeast of the ridge, dozens of lightning-fast shadows shot toward them.
There were forty to fifty Lightning Eagles, including several Tenth-Level Fierce Beasts. There was even a Lightning Eagle King whose aura was incredibly powerful, far surpassing that of a Tenth-Level Fierce Beast.
'Could it be... a Demon Beast!'
At that thought, Ye Wushuang's face fell.
"It's a Fierce Demon!" Qiu Mo's expression also changed drastically.
'A Fierce Demon!'
Ye Wushuang's pupils contracted.
The Fierce Demon was the Lightning Eagle King. It possessed the bloodline of a Primordial Alien Species, making it Demon Beast Level, with strength comparable to the Qi Vortex Realm.
Never mind Ye Wushuang at his current Body Tempering Seventh Layer; even if he were at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer, he would still be no match for it. He would face a brutal death with no hope of a proper burial.
The only plan now was to flee as quickly as possible to survive.
"Damn it, we're trapped!"
However, just as Ye Wushuang was about to move, the Lightning Eagles had already formed a perimeter, surrounding the three of them.