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, and I will go alone to chase and kill him! After all, that boy is only at the initial stage of the Xuantu, no matter what, he can't cause a big wave."

Lu Zhuo and Wei Haoshan exchanged glances, both indicating their agreement. The plan was Hong Xi's, and if anything went wrong, he would be the scapegoat in front of the sect leader. Why wouldn't they be happy with that?

Hong Xi glanced at the two of them. How could he not know what they were thinking? But his resentment towards Xu Yang overrode all his concerns.

For a long time, Hong Xi had prided himself on his intelligence. He would never allow himself to be toyed with by a mere Xuantu.

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

Xu Yang, who was racing 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 just 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 a Xianshi expert!" 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 reaching thirty jin. After cultivating some temporary enhancement techniques, he wouldn't fear one or two Xianshi-level experts.

After a night of running, 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 match.

"Phew... Phew..." 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 bag, unscrewed the wooden cap, and drank heartily. After drinking most of the remaining water, he wiped the water droplets from his lips and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ha ha ha!" Xu Yang recalled the thrilling events of the previous night and couldn't help but laugh. What did it matter if there were three Xianshi experts? He, a mere Xuantu, had still managed to toy with them, leaving them with all their strength but unable to use it.

"Take a break and then continue. Those three Xianshi experts might have just started chasing." Xu Yang chuckled, found a mountain hollow, and entered it. He sat cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing.

Time passed slowly. 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 his face.

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

A night of running was too much for a Xuantu. They had not yet 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 Xianshi expert, found it quite strenuous. He relied on his anger to keep going, his Xuan energy vortex rotating continuously, pumping Xuan energy into his meridians. By now, his Xuan energy was almost depleted.

In the mountain hollow.

"Exhale... Inhale... Exhale..." Xu Yang regulated his breathing, ate some dry rations, and felt his spirits lift. 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, the focus should be on 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 don't think you'll be going back!" A sharp voice came from nearby, followed by a fierce gust of wind.

Xu Yang's senses were on high alert. He leaped to avoid the gust of wind and saw a dark flash. It was a branch, shot with force.

The branch missed Xu Yang and hit a tree in front, breaking it in half with a crack.

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 me down so quickly!" Xu Yang was inwardly alarmed but forced himself to stay calm.

"Good boy, you've made it hard for me, Hong Xi!" Hong Xi's eyes glinted with malice. "I finally 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 sky, shining brightly.

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

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

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

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

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

Hong Xi's physical strength was at least fifty jin, three to four times that of Xu Yang! Xu Yang's only advantage was the eight combat techniques from the "Dynamic and Static Qi Induction Technique," which maximized the use of his physical strength.

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

Indeed, a Xianshi was stronger than a Xuantu. With internal energy released externally, each punch and kick could carry a hundred jin of force, far beyond what a Xuantu could resist. Moreover, a Xianshi 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 kill you!" Hong Xi taunted, then rushed 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 Xianshi.

Xu Yang had just caught his breath. Being deflected by Hong Xi's casual block, he felt a tightness in his chest, showing the significant difference in physical strength. Seeing Hong Xi attack, Xu Yang's eyes flashed with a fierce light, 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 for Xu Yang's chest.

In his mind, Hong Xi had already planned how 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 and pounce, a dagger suddenly appearing in his hand.

A cold sensation in his abdomen, Hong Xi knew a sharp blade had entered his body. He was both shocked and angry, but before he could react, Xu Yang twisted the blade, trying to cause maximum damage! In a fit of rage, Hong Xi struck Xu Yang's shoulder with a backhand, sending him flying like a broken kite.

The blow was hasty and not very powerful, but it still sent Xu Yang rolling on the ground, his right shoulder bone cracking, and half his body numb.

Xu Yang struggled to stand up, still holding the short dagger, with a piece of intestine hanging from the blade. A cruel smile appeared on his face, like a lone wolf in the snow, willing to endure injuries to take a bite out of his prey!

Hong Xi trembled, clutching his abdominal wound. His intestine was severed, and the pain was unbearable. Blood gushed out, and his strength was rapidly fading.

"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 or heal, saying coldly and charging again.

The previous stab was a lucky shot. If Hong Xi had reserved some strength, he would have avoided it. If his Xuan energy was full, the ordinary dagger would not have pierced his vital points.

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

In the ensuing 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 fight ended quickly, not lasting more than a hundred breaths. But in that short time, the line between life and death was stark.

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 since drained.

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

Clang! The dagger in Xu Yang's hand fell to the ground, covered in blood and with various nicks. After this battle, the ordinary short dagger was ruined.

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