"Huff…!"

  A gentle breeze swept across the hill, dispersing the lingering smoke and dust.

  Whehiled, Zhao Heng slowly opened his eyes, though his vision remained blurry and stung painfully.

  "Damn it, why does that Exploding Thunder Pearl feel like a fshbang too?" Zhao Heng couldn't help but mutter in frustration.

  His gaze shifted to the site of the explosion. The ground was barren, with ation remaining. Not far away, a charred and broken body y motionless, utterly lifeless. The blood-stained saber near it was rendered useless.

  Seeing this, Zhao Heng finally let out a long sigh of relief.

  "Finally dead!"

  Moments ago, Zhao Heng had risked taking a direct blow from his oppo's full-strength strike to shove an Exploding Thunder Pearl into Liu Hong's belt.

  With the destructive power of the pearl, capable of shattering rocks, even someone in the Boempering Stage like Liu Hong was doomed at such cle.

  The feud between Zhao Heng and Liu Hong had festered for a long time, with both sides itg to kill each other. Ultimately, Zhao Heng's superior tactics prevailed, eliminating his sworn enemy.

  However, even after sying such a formidable foe, Zhao Heng remained on high alert.

  This was, after all, Oxhorn Mountain, a pce teeming with mystical beasts. At any moment, one might appear. Moreover, there was the possibility that the disciples of the Boi might return.

  Pushing his battered body to move, Zhao Heng quickly made his way to Liu Hong’s remains, sing the area until he spotted a scorched but intact leather pouearby.

  The beast-hide pouch, though charred, remained unscathed—a clear sign of its extraordinary material, capable of withstanding the bst.

  Seeing the pouch brought a glimmer of joy to Zhao Heng's eyes.

  Liu Hong, as a steward of the Miseous Peak, also had ties to the demonic Blood Refi Sect. He was bound to carry valuable items. If the pearl had destroyed them, it would’ve been a tremendous loss.

  Zhao Heng picked up the poud swiftly pocketed it before taking out a bottle of corpse-dissolving powder and sprinkling it over Liu Hong’s remains.

  The powder rapidly dissolved the body, leaving behind nothing but a pool of dark liquid.

  During this process, a strange, fingernail-sized bug, grayish-bd almost indistinguishable from the surrounding soil, crawled out of Liu Hong’s remains. It moved stealthily and quickly toward the distance.

  Yet, before the bug could make it more than a few feet—

  "Ssh!"

  A bde cleaved down, splitting the bug in two. Despite being halved, the creature tinued writhing stubbornly.

  Zhao Heng, wielding his Bck Gold Leopard-Head Bde, sshed it repeatedly, cutting the bug into pieces. To ensure no traces remained, he sprinkled more corpse-dissolving powder on the fragments, turning them to sludge.

  Though Zhao Heng didn’t know what the bug was, his cautious nature dictated that any “witness” left behind should also be eliminated.

  After pleting the task, Zhao Heng surveyed the surroundings. firming nothing was amiss, he dragged his injured body away from the area as quickly as possible.

  He retraced his steps to a tree hollow he had used earlier as a hideout.

  Thanks to his familiarity with the path and his cultivation of the Aura- Teique, which allowed him to deteearby movements, Zhao Heng mao reach the hollow safely.

  Ohere, he sprinkled a special potion at the entrao mask his presend carefully sealed the opening.

  Finally, with all precautions in pce, Zhao Heng allowed himself a moment of rexation.

  He eagerly retrieved the beast-hide pouch, opening it to reveal a pile of shimmering blue spiritual crystals, roughly two or three hundred in total.

  In addition, there were some spiritual herbs and mystical beast materials, including a mystical beast heart. Judging by its dition, it appeared to belong to a sed-tier mystical beast.

  This discovery filled Zhao Heng with excitement—it was the exagredient o craft Boempering Pills.

  After emptying the pouch, Zhao Heng ied it thhly, eventually notig something unusual.

  Using his Leopard-Head Bde, he carefully slit the lining of the pouch, revealing a hidden partment. Inside were two thin manuals: one in light purple, the other in dark red, blending seamlessly with the beast-hide.

  Zhao Heng’s meticulousness had paid off; without it, he would never have discovered the hidden items.

  He first examihe light purple manual.

  “Yin Wind Cw, Mid-Tier Mortal Skill!”

  This was the very demonic martial art Liu Hong had used earlier—a vicious and venomous cw teique.

  , Zhao Heng turo the dark red manual. The bold characters on its cover caused his eyes to light up.

  “Nine Lives Blood-Burning Saber Teique, High-Tier Mortal Skill!”

  "This teique!"

  Zhao Heng vividly recalled that during their fierce battle, Liu Hong had been ered by him and Hua Gu Xiong, yet suddenly unleashed this secret art. His strength surged, overwhelming both Zhao Heng and Hua Gu Xiong in an instant.

  Had it not been for his Red Undergarment and the Exploding Thunder Pearl, Zhao Heng would never have been able to kill Liu Hong.

  “However, as Hua Gu Xioiohis demonic secret art es at a cost—killing e the expense of self-injury. It’s not easy to master.”

  Zhao Heng inteo study the manuals further, but a sharp pain in his chest interrupted him, f a mouthful of blood from his lips.

  "No, the injuries are too severe. I need immediate treatment."

  The joy of survival and treasure acquisition gave way to the harsh reality of his dition. Zhao Heng finally felt the full extent of his injuries—deep cuts, cw marks, and multiple fractures.

  His chest and abdomen were particurly damaged; though the Red Undergarment had mitigated the impact of Liu Hong’s full-strength strike, the force had still broken several ribs and caused signifit internal injuries.

  Thankfully, Zhao Heng had prepared extensively, bringing plenty of medies for both internal aernal injuries.

  He decided to recuperate iree hollaining enough strength to leave Oxhorn Mountain safely.

  Sitting cross-legged, Zhao Heng began cirg the Green Pieique, refining the medial energy within his body.

  Meanwhile, in the Blood Refi Sect, thousands of miles away…

  A bck-robed youth hurried to the entrance of a mist-shrouded cave, bowing deeply.

  "Master, I report that one of our infiltrators in the Feathered Transformatio has fallen—his soul mp has extinguished."

  A hoarse, aged voice echoed from within the cave.

  "Send someoo retrieve his natal gu and trace the killer's aura. Interrogate and kill them."

  The youth hesitated. "Master, the infiltrator’s natal gu has also beeroyed."

  "Oh…?"

  The voice sounded intrigued before responding indifferently.

  "It matters not. A mere external agent’s death is insignifit. The sect has greater pns ahead; avoid unnecessary disturbances."

  "Uood!"

  The aged voice tinued, "Summon your Seventh Senior Brother. I have instrus for him."

  The youth’s face greard. "Master, the Seventh Senior Brother is currently gathering herbs for a special elixir he’s crafting."

  "Gathering herbs? Hmph! That sdrel s his cultivation to wander aimlessly. Trouble will find him sooner or ter!"

  At the same time, a decrepit temple stood a hundred miles from Oxhorn Mountain.

  Within, shadows of dozens of figures flickered. Leading them was a refined-looking young man in white robes, exuding an air of grace.

  Beside him stood four individuals: a monk, a Daoist, a young girl, and a seductive woman.

  Before them, Hua Gu Xiong, who had fled the earlier battle, was bowing respectfully as he reported.

  "You Master, that’s all that transpired. What are your instrus?"

  The young man furrowed his brow, pting.

  “The Sun-Moon Divi, Ren Woxing—what an audacious name. I’ve never heard of such a sect or person before. Still, sihey are fellow demonic cultivators who aided us, I should pay them a visit one day.”

  He paused before tinuing. “As for Liu Hong from the Feathered Transformatio, if he knew Blood Refi Sect secrets, he was likely an infiltrator. If they suspect us because of his death, it could spell trouble.”

  After a moment’s thought, he cluded, “Let’s leave this troublesion. We’ll find a pce to rebuild the sed strive to restore the Boio its flory!”

  "You Master is wise!"

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

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