Chapter 106: Desperate Breakthrough! A New Hunt!

That middle‑aged man leading the Wan Family, with a cat‑catching‑mouse expression on his face, was as smug as could be. "Kid, let's see where you run this time!"

He stepped closer, his long sword angled toward the ground, the tip still dripping with blood of unknown source.

The surrounding Wan Family Cultivators also sneered as they closed in, sealing off every escape route for Wang Shan.

Wang Shan leaned on his sword, his chest heaving violently, each breath tinged with the scent of blood.

The tattered garment on his body, soaked through with sweat and blood, clung uncomfortably tight.

"Run? In Wang Shan's dictionary, that word doesn't exist." Wang Shan grinned, though the smile looked increasingly fierce.

"Even at death's door you keep talking back!" the middle‑aged man snorted disdainfully, "Refining Body Stage Eight Midphase, holding out this long still shows some skill. Too bad, that's where it ends!"

As soon as his words fell, he ordered the attack.

At that moment, the true Qi suppressed inside Wang Shan, spurred by the life‑or‑death crisis, surged like a breached dam.

The seemingly impenetrable Refining Body Stage Eight Midphase bottleneck, under this violent onslaught, let out a strained groan, hinting at loosening.

"Hm?" Wang Shan himself was startled—such a boon? Even on the brink of death, feeling the edge of an upgrade?

That thought just

"All or nothing!"

Madness flashed in his eyes as he unhesitatingly fished a wholly crimson pill, radiating astonishing energy, from his storage bag—the Third Tier Breakthrough Pill he had exchanged for system points but never dared to use!

This thing is meant for cultivators in the Qi‑Refining stage to break through a great realm; he's using it to pierce a minor barrier of the Body Refining stage—like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken, utterly extravagant! Yet now his life hangs by a thread; who cares about waste!

"Palace!"

The pill entered his throat, and an indescribable torrent of scorching flow erupted instantly, tearing through his limbs and bones like magma.

"Ah—!"

Wang Shan felt every inch of flesh and every bone being ripped and reshaped by this domineering force—excruciating pain, an unspeakable agony!

"What is he doing?!"

"Crazy? Taking pills right before death?"

The Wan Family Cultivators, seeing Wang Shan gulp the pill suddenly, were each taken aback.

The middle‑aged leader also furrowed his brows, sensing something amiss, and barked loudly, "What are you standing still for! Attack! Kill him!"

"Kill!"

The few Wan Family Cultivators nearest Wang Shan immediately brandished their weapons and surged forward.

"Well timed!"

Wang Shan's eyes glowed crimson; under the massive pressure of the combined assault, he let out a deafening roar!

"Kach—! Kachakach!"

Inside him, something seemed to shatter, and immediately a breath many times stronger than before erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption!

Body Refinement, Ninth Stage, Early Phase!

It's achieved!

"How… how is this possible?!" a Wan Family Cultivator about to slash at Wang Shan's head was halted by the sudden surge, his motion freezing, his face full of disbelief.

"Get out of the way!"

At this moment Wang Shan felt his whole body brimming with explosive power; speed, reaction, the five senses—all fully enhanced! Without a second thought, he thrust a backhand palm outward!

"Thunder Rush Palm!"

It was still the Thunder Rush Palm, but now as it unfolded, the rushing palm wind carried faint thunderclap sounds! The true Qi in his palm coalesced, with subtle sparks of electricity.

"Bang!"

The Wan Cultivator hastily raised his steel blade to block, but a crisp "Kach" rang out as Wang Shan's palm snapped the blade cleanly in half! The mighty palm force lingered, imprinting solidly onto his chest.

"Puff—!"

The cultivator, as if struck by a hammer, spewed a gush of fresh blood, his body flung like a kite with its line cut, crashing into a large tree seven or eight meters away, sliding down, clearly on the brink of death.

The power of a single palm, to this extent!

The remaining Wan Family Cultivators who had charged were frozen in place by the sudden scene, their gazes at Wang Shan like they had seen a ghost.

"Body Refinement, Ninth Stage… he… he actually broke through in the heat of battle?!"

"And… this kid's force feels even stronger than a typical Body Refinement, Ninth Stage, Early Phase?!"

The Wan Family leader's pupils also contracted; the smug expression on his face vanished, replaced by deep shock and disbelief.

"Damn it, where did this monster come from? Leveling up mid‑fight? Is anyone even allowed to survive!"

Wang Shan had no time to heed their astonishment.

The brief burst of power after a breakthrough is the strongest; he must seize this chance!

"Want to kill me? In the next life!"

Wang Shan roared, and while everyone was stunned, he flicked his wrist; a yellow‑hued Talisman materialized between his fingers, infused with true Qi, and without hesitation he slapped it onto the ground!

"Second Tier Earth Escape Talisman! Go!"

Buzz!

A flash of yellow light, and Wang Shan's body sank like into quicksand, plunging rapidly underground, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

Only a boastful line echoed where he vanished: "Wan Family scum, clean your throats and wait; I, your little lord, will be back!"

"What?!"

"Earth Escape Talisman?!"

The Wan Family leader only then realized, so angry he nearly spat a mouthful of old blood.

"Scoundrel! Scoundrel thing!" he shouted, pointing at the spot where Wang Shan vanished, "Damn it, why does this kid have so many weird gadgets! Pursue him! Even if we dig three feet deep, we must dig him out!"

A swarm of Wan Family Cultivators scrambled, digging and hacking at the spot where Wang Shan disappeared, but once an Earth Escape Talisman is activated, unless they have special tracking methods, traversing underground—especially in these woods—is far from easy to locate.

……

Moreover, Wang Shan is now holding his breath, laboriously making his way through the earth layer.

This Earth Escape Talisman is indeed miraculous, but its consumption is huge, and moving underground feels terrible—stifling, oppressive, and you must constantly watch out for hard rocks.

He estimates the direction and rushes toward the rear‑mountain secret passage where Xiong Ba and his group retreated.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Wang Shan feels the Talisman's power waning, and only then does he cautiously poke his head out from a dense thicket.

What meets his eyes is a scene of utter wreckage.

Not far away is the hidden entrance to the secret passage, now littered with bodies lying haphazardly—some belonging to camp cultivators, others to Wan Family Cultivators. Clearly, a fierce ambush once took place here.

"Wang... Elder Wang?"

A weak voice comes from beside him.

Wang Shan turns his head and sees Li Hu leaning against a tree, his face as pale as paper, a blood‑stained bandage wrapped around his arm; his sister Zhang Mei anxiously tends to him nearby, and upon seeing Wang Shan, her eyes instantly light up with a mix of surprise and joy.

"Li Hu! Zhang Mei! You're both okay—what a relief!" Wang Shan feels a weight lift from his heart and hurries over, "What about the others?"

"Elder Wang, you... you're still alive!" Zhang Mei's voice trembles with sobs, her eyes rimmed red, "We... we have so many brothers..."

Li Hu pounds the ground, his voice hoarse: "Bear Leader... he was gravely wounded covering everyone's retreat... Brother Iron Head and the others, too... sigh!"

Wang Shan feels a heaviness in his heart and quickens his steps toward the deeper part of the secret passage.

The interior of the passage is dim, and the scent of blood grows even stronger.

Not far ahead, he sees Xiong Ba leaning against the stone wall, a sword wound so deep it exposes bone across his chest—gruesome to behold. Several trusted subordinates stand around him, each with a despondent expression.

"Wang... Old Wang?" Xiong Ba hears the movement, forces his eyes open, and when he sees Wang Shan, a flash of surprise passes through his murky eyes before a violent cough overtakes him, "Cough... you... you actually..."

"Brother Xiong, how are you?" Wang Shan rushes forward, pulls the finest Healing Pill from his satchel, and hands it over.

Xiong Ba waves his hand, a wry smile on his face: "Can't die... cough... this camp, I'm afraid... it's finished..."

He takes a few breaths, his gaze landing on Wang Shan, and suddenly, as if discovering something, his eyes widen: "Old Wang, your cultivation... Refining Body Stage Nine?!"

The few close confidants of Xiong Ba who hear this also turn toward Wang Shan, their faces showing shocked expressions.

How long has it been? He was only at Refining Body Stage Eight Midphase before; after a single great battle, he leapt straight to Refining Body Stage Nine? What on earth is this cultivation speed?

Wang Shan nods, offering no concealment: "A lucky breakthrough."

"Good! Very good!" Xiong Ba first bursts with excitement, then lets out a heavy sigh, his expression complex, "What a pity... what a pity! My Pioneer Camp, after this battle, is utterly depleted of vital energy."

He pauses, his eyes growing solemn: "Old Wang, the Wan Family Cultivators have suffered such a loss; they will never be satisfied. Their men are still hunting outside; this place is no longer safe."

"I understand," Wang Shan says gravely.

"The camp can no longer offer you shelter," Xiong Ba looks at Wang Shan, a hint of remorse in his eyes but mostly helplessness, "You must leave here as soon as possible; the farther you go, the better! Their target this time is you; if you leave, perhaps... perhaps they will stop troubling the remaining people..."

Although Xiong Ba knows this is merely wishful thinking, at present, it is the only way.

Wang Shan falls silent. He knows Xiong Ba is speaking the truth.

The Pioneer Camp, which he once thought could be a temporary haven, ultimately became entangled in massive trouble because of him.

A new hunt has already begun.

He must become stronger, strong enough to crush all enemies, in order to truly escape this fate of being chased like a dog, running everywhere.

"Brother Xiong, your wound..."

"My old life is still very tough," Xiong Ba grins, though his smile is bleak, "You don't need to worry about me; take your people and leave quickly! Head deep into the Man Yun Mountain Range, where beasts abound, terrain is complex; even the Wan Family Cultivators' numbers... wouldn't dare enter lightly..."

Wang Shan looks at Xiong Ba, then at the surrounding camp survivors with sorrowful expressions, his heart a swirl of emotions.

"Great kindness needs no thanks," Wang Shan says solemnly, "Brother Xiong, brothers, today's favor I will keep in my heart! If opportunity arises, I shall repay richly!"

Having spoken, he no longer hesitates, turns to Li Hu and Zhang Mei and says, "Let's go!"