Chapter 9

Hong Xi's face was dark, having made a series of misjudgments, he had already lost the trust of Wei Hongshan and Lu Zhuo.

Taking a deep breath, Hong Xi said, "How about this, you divide the disciples into two teams to guard them, and I will go alone to hunt and kill! After all, that boy is just at the initial stage of the Xuantu, no matter what, he can't cause much trouble."

Lu Zhuo and Wei Hongshan exchanged glances, both indicating their agreement. Since Hong Xi had made the decision, if anything went wrong, they would have a scapegoat before the sect leader. Why not?

Hong Xi glanced at the two of them. How could he not know their thoughts? But his resentment towards Xu Yang overshadowed all his concerns.

A faint blue Xuan energy surged around him, and Hong Xi shot off in the direction of Linyuan City.

Xu Yang, who was running at full speed, did not know that Hong Xi had already started chasing him. Even if he did know, he had no better plan. Now, he had to keep running; returning to Linyuan City meant safety.

"If I had three months, I wouldn't be running for my life like this. I would have the strength to face Xuanshi experts!" Xu Yang's mind was filled with many temporary enhancement techniques, but limited by his current strength, he could hardly cultivate or use them.

If given three months, Xu Yang should be able to break through again, reaching the late stage of Xuantu, with his physical strength enhanced to thirty jin. After cultivating some temporary enhancement techniques, he wouldn't fear one or two Xuanshi-level experts.

Running all night, the eastern sky began to show a faint white glow.

Xu Yang's body was somewhat fatigued. He had run non-stop for a whole night, a level of endurance that no Xuantu could achieve.

"Breath... breath..." Xu Yang slowed down, his legs moving mechanically. Even after his brain issued the command to stop, he still ran forward for dozens of steps before finally stopping.

"Gulp... gulp... gulp," Xu Yang took out his water pouch, unscrewed the wooden stopper, and drank heartily. After drinking more than half of the remaining water, he wiped the water droplets from his lips and let out a deep breath.

"Ha ha ha!" Xu Yang recalled the thrilling events of the previous night and couldn't help but laugh. What were three Xuanshi experts? They were still played by him, a mere Xuantu, with all their strength unable to be utilized.

"Rest for a moment before continuing. Those three Xuanshi might have just started chasing." Xu Yang chuckled, found a mountain hollow, and entered it, sitting cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

Time passed bit by bit. After Xu Yang, a middle-aged man with a sinister face was chasing with clenched teeth. His face was pale, and sweat was rolling down.

"Damn brat, if I catch you, I'll grind your bones to dust!" This man was Hong Xi. He had been chasing madly, repeatedly finding the broken branches and leaves left by Xu Yang, but never seeing his figure. While marveling at Xu Yang's endurance, his murderous intent and impatience grew even more.

Running all night, the Xuantu realm could not endure it. They had not condensed a Xuan energy vortex, and the Xuan energy in the star sea was not enough to last long.

Even Hong Xi, a late-stage Xuanshi expert, felt exhausted. He relied on his anger to support himself, with the Xuan energy vortex continuously rotating and spewing Xuan energy into various meridians. By now, his Xuan energy was almost depleted.

In the mountain hollow.

"Breath... inhale... breath..." Xu Yang regulated his breathing, ate some dry rations, and felt his spirit refreshed. This desperate run had improved his strength, and he felt he could break through to the mid-stage of Xuantu at any time.

"At this stage, it's still mainly about accumulation and strengthening the body. With a solid foundation, advancing to a higher realm will be a natural progression." Xu Yang stood up, brushed off the dirt, and took a deep breath. "I should hurry and return to Linyuan City."

"Boy, I think... you won't be going back!" A sharp voice came from nearby, followed by a fierce gust of wind.

Xu Yang was on high alert, leaping to avoid the gust of wind. A dark light flashed, and it turned out to be a branch, shot with force.

The branch missed Xu Yang and hit a tree in front, breaking it into two pieces.

Xu Yang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a pale, thin middle-aged man staring at him with a hateful gaze.

"Chasing so fast!" Xu Yang was secretly alarmed, then forced himself to calm down.

"Good boy, you've made it hard for Master Hong Xi to find you!" Hong Xi's eyes glowed with malice. "Finally, I've caught you. I'll make you beg for death!"

Xu Yang narrowed his eyes, his disheveled black hair fluttering, his eyes like stars in the night, shining brightly.

Xuan energy surged from his feet, and without a word, Xu Yang charged at Hong Xi.

Hong Xi's momentum was momentarily halted. He had just caught up with Xu Yang, and his Xuan energy vortex was almost depleted. He wanted to delay by talking, to recover his Xuan energy, and then kill this hateful boy. But to his surprise, the boy ignored the difference in rank and charged straight at him!

"Ha!" Xu Yang exhaled and charged like a galloping horse, punching with a bone-cracking sound, aiming at Hong Xi's chest.

Hong Xi extended his arm to block, feeling a jolt in his arm and stepping back. He was secretly alarmed and quickly said, "Boy, hold on... If you keep your mouth shut about the ambush on Song Ren of the Qimen, I'll let you live!"

Xu Yang's punch was blocked, and he retreated two steps, feeling a tightness in his chest. He was equally alarmed. A Xuanshi was a Xuanshi; even with depleted Xuan energy, his physical strength far exceeded that of a Xuantu.

Hong Xi's physical strength was about fifty jin, three to four times that of Xu Yang! Xu Yang's only advantage was the eight combat techniques from the "Dongjing Yiru Qijue," which maximized the use of physical strength.

"Hmph, your Xuan energy is depleted. Otherwise, that branch should have pierced the tree trunk, not breaking into two pieces," Xu Yang sneered. "If you recover, I'm dead!"

Indeed, a Xuanshi was stronger than a Xuantu. With internal energy released externally, each punch and kick could add a hundred jin of force, far beyond what a Xuantu could resist. Moreover, a Xuanshi could use advanced Xuan techniques, causing far more destruction than ordinary punches and kicks.

Hong Xi was secretly angry that a branch had revealed his weakness. He knew this young man, though handsome, had a firm will and could not be swayed by words.

"Hmph, my Xuan energy is depleted, but my physical strength is three times yours! Without Xuan energy, I can still beat you to death!" Hong Xi taunted, then charged forward, twisting his waist and swinging his arm, punching at Xu Yang.

The punch came with a whistling wind, like a heavy hammer, with a force of forty to fifty jin, clearly showing the strength of a Xuanshi.

Xu Yang had just caught his breath. Being blocked by Hong Xi, he felt a tightness in his chest, showing the significant difference in physical strength. Seeing Hong Xi attack, a fierce light flashed in Xu Yang's eyes, and he did not dodge!

In Hong Xi's eyes, he thought his punch was so fast that the boy couldn't react, and he sneered, adding more force to the punch, aiming at Xu Yang's chest.

In Hong Xi's mind, he had already planned various ways to deal with Xu Yang after knocking him down, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

But as the punch approached, Xu Yang took a deep breath, and his chest muscles strangely caved in! Hong Xi's punch missed, and he saw Xu Yang roar, twist his waist, and charge forward, a sharp knife appearing in his hand.

A chill ran through Hong Xi's abdomen as he realized a sharp blade had entered his body. He was both shocked and angry, but before he could react, Xu Yang twisted the knife, trying to cause maximum damage! In a fit of anger, Hong Xi struck back, hitting Xu Yang's shoulder, sending him flying like a broken kite.

The blow was hasty and not very powerful, but it still made Xu Yang roll on the ground several times, his right shoulder bone cracking, and his right side numb.

Xu Yang struggled to stand up, still holding the short, sharp knife, with a piece of intestine hanging from the blade! A cruel smile appeared on his face, like a lone wolf in the snow, determined to bite a piece of flesh from his prey, no matter how injured he was.

Hong Xi shakily covered his abdominal wound with his hand. His intestine was severed, and the pain was unbearable. Blood gushed out, and his strength was rapidly draining.

"You... you..." Hong Xi's other hand trembled, pointing at Xu Yang. "Boy... you're ruthless!"

"Since you want to kill me, you should be prepared to be killed like a dog!" Xu Yang gave Hong Xi no time to recover, coldly saying these words and charging forward.

The previous stab was a lucky shot. If Hong Xi had reserved some strength, he wouldn't have been hit. If his Xuan energy was full, the ordinary knife wouldn't have pierced his vital points.

But in a life-or-death battle, there are no "ifs," only victory or defeat!

In the following fight, Xu Yang showed his ruthlessness, not caring about Hong Xi's punches. He dodged when he could, and if he couldn't, he took the hit, aiming to inflict more and more severe injuries on Hong Xi!

The battle ended quickly, not lasting more than a hundred breaths. But in this short time, the line between life and death was crossed.

Hong Xi's eyes were wide open, lifeless, staring at the morning sky. He had stopped breathing, his body covered in large and small wounds, and his blood had long run dry.

Xu Yang struggled to stand up, with seven or eight broken bones, his body almost shattered, and a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

With a clatter, the sharp knife in Xu Yang's hand fell to the ground, covered in blood and with various nicks. After this battle, the ordinary short knife was ruined.

"The physical strength of a Xuanshi is comparable to that of a rhinoceros or an elephant. Even without Xuan energy, it's not easy to kill them," Xu Yang thought, then struggled to squat down and picked up Hong Xi's leather pouch.