Chapter 68

(Back to the hometown for the New Year)

In the dead of night, it was hard to distinguish directions.

Chen Zong leaned against a large rock, making his breathing so long and deep that even he could barely notice it. His heartbeat also became faint with the deep breaths. The Beast Blood Pill dissolved, gradually restoring his nearly depleted blood and qi.

The killing intent of the two eighth-layer Blood Qi Realm warriors made his nerves taut, unable to relax. He dared not let his guard down for a moment, for who knew when they would come looking for him again. He had to restore every bit of strength and raise his vigilance to the limit to have a chance of escaping and surviving.

At this moment, Chen Zong didn't dare to think about who wanted to kill him, because once he started thinking, he would be distracted. A slight distraction could be very dangerous if the enemy caught up.

The two black-clad figures, upon entering Black Bee Mountain, seemed to blend into the night, making it hard even for them to see each other clearly. They could only vaguely make out each other's outlines with their keen eyesight.

At this time, the black bees had already returned to their nests to rest, unless they were disturbed. However, other demonic beasts were still moving around. The senses of demonic beasts often surpassed those of martial artists, especially some demonic beasts for whom such a dark night was no different from daylight.

A low, intermittent sound came from the distance, as if two green, eerie lights were rapidly approaching, making Chen Zong feel a chill down his spine.

"Demonic beast!" Chen Zong muttered, looking at the green, eerie light. He could vaguely make out a shape, which became clearer as it approached. It was a wolf-like demonic beast.

The demonic beasts on Black Bee Mountain were mostly first-tier, so Chen Zong wasn't worried about danger. His only concern was the two pursuers.

The wolf-like demonic beast approached, its green, greedy, and cunning eyes emitting a low growl from deep in its throat. Suddenly, it burst into speed, and a gust of wind hit Chen Zong's face.

Without a word, he drew his sword and thrust it out.

The sword, like a ray of light, pierced through the night and the wolf-like demonic beast's neck, emerging from the back of its neck.

With a flick of his wrist, he sliced horizontally, cutting the demonic beast's neck in half and flinging it away, shaking off the blood from the sword and sheathing it. Without hesitation, Chen Zong immediately moved in the opposite direction of the demonic beast's corpse.

Before long, two black shadows followed the sound and arrived at the scene.

"Escaped again."

"This kid is too cunning."

"The environment of Black Bee Mountain makes it hard to kill him."

"Let's split up and search. With our strength, we can easily kill him in a direct confrontation."

"Agreed."

The two immediately split up, one chasing in the direction Chen Zong had gone, the other in another direction.

After running for a distance, Chen Zong found a more hidden spot to hide.

The night was too deep, and his vision was severely impaired, making it impossible to distinguish directions. Even with his senses enhanced by the mysterious sword tip, he was still at the Blood Qi Realm level. Without lighting, rash actions could lead to unpredictable dangers.

But if he waited until dawn, it would be advantageous for both him and the two pursuers.

"Must take advantage of the darkness to shake off those two," Chen Zong thought.

Time passed slowly, and the dark clouds that had obscured the crescent moon gradually dispersed, allowing a faint moonlight to fall. Chen Zong huddled tighter, feeling his blood and qi gradually recover, waiting for an opportunity.

Using the faint moonlight, Chen Zong's sharp eyes slowly scanned the area, landing on a large tree about ten meters away. About five meters up the trunk, there was a black object, like a large stone resting on it.

"Black Bee Nest?" Chen Zong thought.

Chen Wenzhe had done thorough research, including information about black bee nests, which helped Chen Zong and others make better judgments.

Upon discovering the black bee nest, Chen Zong's mind immediately started working. If used well, it could help him escape, but it was a double-edged sword. A slight mistake could harm him.

The venom from black bee stingers wouldn't normally be lethal, but in large quantities, it could be fatal.

Chen Zong weighed the pros and cons, as it was a matter of life and death, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

His right ear twitched slightly, and a faint footstep sound reached his ears.

"Human footsteps?"

"Only one?"

Two thoughts flashed through Chen Zong's mind.

Human and demonic beast footsteps were different, but it was hard for ordinary people to distinguish them by sound alone.

The footsteps were very subtle, indicating that the person was very cautious and careful, fearing that Chen Zong would discover and escape again.

Listening to the approaching footsteps, Chen Zong judged the distance and looked at the black bee nest about ten meters away.

Chen Zong then moved, taking smaller steps, inching closer to the black bee nest.

At this point, he had no choice but to take a risk. Everything depended on luck and his own abilities.

He circled around the black bee nest, looking for the right angle and planning his route.

A vague black shadow appeared ahead.

"Chen Zong, you can't escape," the black shadow, using the faint moonlight, discovered Chen Zong and immediately issued a deliberately suppressed, low, and hoarse voice.

"Who are you?" Chen Zong asked in a low voice.

"Heh heh." The black-clad figure laughed strangely in a low voice without answering.

"Yang Family or Fine Rain Gang?" Chen Zong asked again.

The black-clad figure's eyes changed, but he quickly returned to normal. The night was too dark, and Chen Zong didn't notice.

The black-clad figure moved, quickly approaching Chen Zong, moving so fast that it created a strong wind, which was especially clear in the silent night.

Chen Zong, however, leaped up, stepping on the tree trunk to gain momentum. He drew his sword and cut the connection between the black bee nest and the tree trunk, severing it. He kicked the black bee nest, sending it flying, and used the momentum to roll backward, his blood and qi bursting forth, and he executed the Wind Step.

One step, two steps, three steps, four steps!

Twelve meters, quickly away.

The black bee nest fell, and the black-clad figure quickly dodged. With a loud bang, the black bee nest shattered, and the black bees, awakened, flew out in a swarm, looking around in confusion.

The black-clad figure's face changed drastically, and without hesitation, he retreated. As he moved, the black bee queen, sensing the target, trembled and emitted a buzzing sound, like a call to arms. The other black bees immediately flew toward the black-clad figure at great speed.

There were about five to six hundred black bees in this nest, each about the size of an egg, and the black bee queen was the size of a palm.

"Scram!" The black-clad figure roared, his palms striking continuously, creating a strong wind that blew the black bees away. Some black bees were directly hit and killed.

This seemed to enrage the black bees, making them even more frenzied, charging at the black-clad figure without regard for their own lives.

Chen Zong could vaguely hear the black-clad figure's furious voice and couldn't help but smile to himself. He didn't stop, quickly moving away, the farther the better. However, he didn't relax at all, as there were two black-clad figures pursuing him, and only one had appeared. What about the other one?

After killing another demonic beast, Chen Zong quickly left to avoid the blood attracting other demonic beasts and exposing his location.

Continuing forward, Chen Zong didn't know where he was heading.

Black Bee Mountain wasn't particularly high, about 600 to 700 meters, but its area was much larger. Chen Zong estimated that he had walked several kilometers in fits and starts.

"Chased by the black bees, the black-clad figure shouldn't be able to escape easily, but what about the other black-clad figure?" Chen Zong thought while paying attention to his surroundings.

Suddenly, his forward step was empty, and he quickly retracted it. Upon closer inspection, he found a pit ahead. It was too dark to see how deep it was, and even his keen eyesight hadn't noticed it, almost causing him to fall in.

Turning around, a vague black shadow appeared ahead, seemingly having discovered him and quickly approaching.

"The other one?"

The two black-clad figures had different builds, one taller and thinner, the other shorter and stockier. The previous one was the stockier one, and this one was the taller and thinner one.

He came at full speed, creating a particularly piercing wind sound.

"Chen Zong, you can't escape," the black-clad figure's voice was like a night owl, very eerie.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Zong's face was resolute.

Behind him was a deep pit, unknown in depth, leaving no way to retreat. In front of him was a powerful enemy, like a tiger in front and a wolf behind. He had no choice but to fight.

Eighth-layer Blood Qi Realm!

"Die!" A voice full of killing intent reached his ears first, and a black shadow flashed, rushing toward him. The hand, like a knife, stabbed fiercely at Chen Zong's chest.

"Blood Ignition Technique!"

Without hesitation, Chen Zong directly used the forbidden technique.

His fully restored blood and qi instantly collided violently, generating an astonishingly high temperature. Chen Zong immediately felt as if a flame had been ignited inside him, spreading throughout his body, his temperature rising sharply, as if he were about to be cooked.

From the burning blood and qi, a more powerful force erupted.

Originally, Chen Zong's cultivation was at the fifth layer of the Blood Qi Realm, and using blood and qi could enhance his strength by 2,000 pounds. After using the Blood Ignition Technique, his strength instantly increased to 3,000 pounds, equivalent to a sixth-layer Blood Qi Realm martial artist.

Draw the sword!

A dazzling sword light shattered the darkness ahead, covering six meters. Caught off guard, the black-clad figure's eyes turned white, seeing nothing.

Under the intense light, shadows spread.

True Secret? Heaven's Light and Cloud Shadows Sword!

The terrifying sword light, carrying shadows, cut through the night and the black-clad figure's chest, almost slicing him in two. At the same time, Chen Zong, unable to dodge, was struck in the chest by the black-clad figure's knife-like hand, feeling his heart momentarily stop, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and flying backward.

Letting go of the sword hilt and the precious iron sword with both hands, he grabbed the black-clad figure's body, instantly flipping and falling into the pit.

The powerful force receded like a tide, and an unprecedented weakness spread throughout his body. As he fell, the wind whistled past his ears, and his consciousness became hazy, gradually slipping into unconsciousness, feeling as if he were falling into an endless abyss, as if the pit had no bottom.

It was unknown how long it took, but with a loud bang, a powerful shockwave jolted Chen Zong's body, and he spat out another mouthful of blood before completely losing consciousness.