Chapter 29

An ordinary person breaking a tree as thick as a bowl with a kick would feel a numbing and swelling sensation in their feet from the shock. However, Yang Ji felt nothing, his body full of robust energy, which was the result of his cultivation.

"I guess the density of my bones is now about the same as these trees. Even compared to tigers and leopards, it should be about the same. I wonder if I can reach the speed of a fox."

Yang Ji thought to himself. In the past, he had relied on martial arts techniques to achieve the realm of "catching a rabbit with bare hands."

However, the ninth stage of the Breathing Technique required him to achieve the speed of a fox or a rabbit without using any martial arts techniques.

"Let's go out and try."

Yang Ji lifted his head and slowly walked out.

With the arrival of spring, all the beasts were reviving. In these deep mountains, there was no shortage of birds and beasts.

As he walked out of the forest, before he even got close, a leopard hiding behind a rock in the grass was suddenly startled by something and ran away in panic.

Yang Ji knew that the leopard was not afraid of him, but it had sensed the aura of the venomous emperor, Xiao Ji.

Although leopards are hunters among beasts, they would retreat and flee as far as possible when encountering a venomous emperor like Xiao Ji.

"It's you!"

Yang Ji had originally planned to use rabbits or foxes as test subjects, but seeing the leopard, he changed his mind.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind suddenly arose, and Yang Ji pounced down with incredible speed. This time, he did not use any martial arts techniques, relying purely on his physical strength.

"Roar!"

The leopard, sensing the aura of Xiao Ji on Yang Ji, ran even faster, leaping through the forest with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages behind.

Yang Ji, who was already some distance away from the leopard, immediately fell further behind as he accelerated.

"Damn, I don't believe I can't catch you!"

Yang Ji, seeing the leopard put in all its effort, was also spurred on by a competitive spirit.

Boom!

Yang Ji exerted all his strength, his speed suddenly increasing. The distance between him and the leopard gradually closed, getting closer and closer.

"Roar! ——"

Feeling the approaching aura from behind, the leopard knew it couldn't escape and unleashed its innate ferocity, roaring and turning around, opening its massive mouth with a row of white, sharp teeth, and lunging at Yang Ji's neck.

"Come on!"

Yang Ji, instead of retreating, advanced, stepping forward and shaking his hand.

Slap!

With this seemingly effortless shake, the leopard was hit hard, howling in pain as it was thrown several yards away, landing with a thud.

Boom!

Yang Ji, moving like an arrow, didn't wait for the leopard to stand up. He delivered a heavy punch to the leopard's back, and with a series of cracking sounds, dust rose, and the leopard lay still.

Yang Ji, moving with lightning speed, felt a wave of fatigue after killing the leopard. His chest heaved as he panted heavily, and sweat poured down his forehead.

"Although my strength has greatly increased, my stamina still can't keep up. If this leopard had held on a bit longer, I probably wouldn't have been able to catch it."

Yang Ji realized that while his speed could now match a fleeing leopard, making him "as fast as a galloping horse," it was based on a large consumption of stamina and couldn't last long, let alone travel a thousand miles a day and eight hundred miles a night like a galloping horse.

However, the leopard's stamina was also limited, and after a hundred-meter sprint, it would slow down. Even if Yang Ji's speed couldn't last, he could still catch up.

After skinning the leopard, Yang Ji made a meal of roasted leopard meat and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Time passed unnoticed in the mountains, and Yang Ji, focused on his cultivation, made progress every day. Before he knew it, the Qingming Festival was approaching.

"It's time to pay respects to my parents."

Yang Ji thought to himself, packed his belongings, and set off.

The moon was bright, and it was already midnight. People, tired from a day's work, were drowsy and leaving one by one, leaving the vast wilderness empty and quiet.

The night was silent, and the air was filled with the eerie calls of night owls. Under the starlight, two figures, one large and one small, were racing at high speed.

"Xiao Ji, hurry up."

Yang Ji smiled at the figure behind him.

"Hisss!"

Xiao Ji let out a strange cry, its body turning into a black line, chasing after Yang Ji. The grass and leaves bent backward as it passed, its body not touching the ground, as if flying.

Yang Ji was not far behind. At first glance, his body's movements were identical to Xiao Ji's, and in the darkness, he looked like a giant python.

The two, one human and one snake, chased each other, integrating their martial arts practice into their playful activities.

Whoosh!

As they reached the halfway point up the mountain, a blue phosphorescent light suddenly flashed in the darkness, disappearing in an instant at the mountain top. But in the moment before the light vanished, Yang Ji's pupils caught a glimpse of a vague human figure.

"Hmm? Someone!"

Yang Ji was startled and glanced at Xiao Ji, who also nodded. Clearly, this was not just Yang Ji's hallucination.

"Who would be here in the middle of the night in such a remote place?"

Yang Ji was puzzled. At this hour, most people would be asleep, and it was unlikely that anyone would be out here except for someone like him, who practiced in the mountains.

"Let's go check."

Yang Ji, with a thought, picked up Xiao Ji, lowered his breathing, and crouched down, using the body techniques he had learned from Xiao Ji. His body moved like a flexible python, gliding through the forest.

Yang Ji's parents' graves were on the mountain, and he had to check them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A shadow slithered toward the mountain top. As he reached the top, Yang Ji's breath caught, and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Looking for death!"

Yang Ji's eyes flashed with a murderous intent, and his body trembled with anger.

Under the moonlight, a figure was kneeling at his parents' graves, with two bags, one large and one small, beside him. The small bag contained tools like a shovel and a pick, while the large bag revealed a corner filled with dense, dry bones. The phosphorescent light Yang Ji had seen came from these bones.

The figure, kneeling on the ground, was digging with a shovel, having already dug a small patch of earth.

"Desecrating graves and digging up remains" was the ultimate act of disrespect. However, when Yang Ji saw the dry bones in the large bag, he suddenly knew the identity of the figure.

"Heretic believer!"

Yang Ji stared coldly at the figure.

In the border regions, only one type of person would secretly dig up graves and steal bones: the "heretic believers" suppressed by the government. These people collected bones to build altars and gain evil powers, and their reputation was notorious.

With the Qingming Festival just over, no one would expect someone to steal bones. This person chose to act at night, moving quietly to avoid drawing attention from the government, doing it stealthily.

"Who's there?!"

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed, and the mysterious figure, who was quietly digging, sensed something and looked in Yang Ji's direction. His eyes, sharp and cold, met Yang Ji's.

Their eyes met, and the figure's body trembled, and he stood up abruptly. Without any panic at being discovered, he dusted off his clothes and calmly looked at Yang Ji.

"Brat, what are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping at home?"

The man was a head and a half taller than Yang Ji, with prominent cheekbones and a cold, sinister aura.

"Today is Qingming, I came to pay respects to my ancestors."

Yang Ji said calmly, his heart filled with a strong desire to kill.

In the past, "heretic believers" were far from Yang Ji, and with the government's suppression, he, as a scholar, didn't need to worry about them.

But this time was different. If he hadn't come to pay respects in the middle of the night to avoid the madam's pursuit, his parents' remains might have been dug up by these people for their evil rituals.

"Killing someone is just a matter of lowering one's head," but desecrating graves and disgracing ancestors was unforgivable. No matter what, Yang Ji would not let this person go.

"Hmm?"

The Bone Messenger, Cao Ge, was clearly taken aback. He had been very careful on this mission to collect bones, especially choosing to act after the Qingming Festival to take advantage of people's complacency and avoid being discovered.

"Digging up graves and stealing remains" was extremely taboo and hard to hide. If the government noticed, it would cause a significant disturbance.

He chose a grave in the deep mountains after the Qingming Festival, thinking no one would notice his bold actions. And at midnight, no one would come here.

However, "man's plans are often overruled by fate." He had randomly chosen a grave and didn't expect to encounter the owner at midnight.

"Hehe, brat, you chose the wrong path. Heaven has a way, but you chose the path to hell."

After the initial shock, the Bone Messenger quickly recovered, grinning and subtly moving a few steps closer to Yang Ji, narrowing the distance to prevent him from escaping.

"Since you're here, you won't be leaving."

The night was silent, and the eerie calls of night owls from the depths of the forest made the atmosphere even more terrifying.

"Hmph! I never said I was leaving."

Yang Ji coldly laughed and took two steps forward, surprising the Bone Messenger.

In the past, he would never have wanted to have anything to do with these "heretic believers." But now, if he let this person go, he might come back at any time, and Yang Ji would regret it.

"Daring to dig up my parents' remains, I'll make sure you have no place to rest in peace!"

Yang Ji's eyes flashed with a murderous intent.