Chapter 121: A glimmer of life, deep in Ti Lan Mountain!

The original plan was to first follow the trend of Ti Lan Mountain to reach Huangzhou Prefecture, then go east all the way from Huangzhou Prefecture to Central Province.

But now, most of the enemies should have guessed his intention to go to Central Province, and they surely set up a heavenly net and earthly trap along the way.

Without any trace of sealing pressure, he can now rely on sneak attacks to kill a Martial Practitioner of the Martial Master Seventh Stage.

But if faced with a siege, a group of Martial Practitioners above the Martial Master Third Stage could wear him down to death, and even if they couldn't kill him, they could cling to him tightly.

If his whereabouts are exposed, he will face the pursuit of all forces of the entire Great Yu!

For now, the only option is to continue following the trend of Ti Lan Mountain, cross Ti Lan Mountain, go through Moon-Viewing Mountain into the grassland where the Dusk Cloud State originally lay, then detour to Northern Wasteland Liangzhou, then go south from Liangzhou to reach Central Province.

Although this makes a big detour, it will surely disrupt the enemies' encirclement plan.

But this journey……

Looking at the map, he carefully calculated.

The time has already come to late August, and the specific entrance examination date of the Ascension Immortal Society is the eighteenth of the winter month.

That is to say, less than ninety days remain for him.

He must cross Ti Lan Mountain, Moon-Viewing Mountain, traverse the grassland of the Dusk Cloud State, pass through Northern Wasteland Liangzhou, and reach the Ascension Immortal Society in Central Province within ninety days.

He has already obtained the Immortal Gate Permit of the Ascension Immortal Society; if he cannot arrive on the examination day, he will be considered to have given up.

And the price of giving up is that he can never join the Ascension Immortal Society for life.

Not being able to join the Ascension Immortal Society, aside from losing his last talisman, the people of the Ascension Immortal Society probably now all know that he possesses a first-rank martial technique, and once they also intervene……

Fang Xu simply dare not think about this matter.

After a round of calculations, confirming that following this route he had a great chance to reach the Ascension Immortal Society before the entrance examination, he put away the map and headed straight forward.

Ti Lan Mountain is vast and deep; Fang Xu also dare not get too close to its depths.

After all, rumors have long circulated among the folk that demons exist in the depths of Ti Lan Mountain.

High-grade ferocious beasts already have strength comparable to Martial Masters, and demons stronger than high-grade ferocious beasts are certainly not weaker than Martial Venerables among humans.

Unable to venture deep inside, Fang Xu continually moved along the range of activity of high-grade ferocious beasts.

Although staying in this position often brings encounters with high-grade ferocious beasts comparable to Martial Masters, they merely possess strength comparable to Martial Masters but are not true Martial Masters.

With Fang Xu's current strength, dealing with them is no problem.

And the advantage of this position is that Martial Practitioners below the Martial Master level dare not venture deep into this area.

Compared to Martial Practitioners above the Martial Master level, there are more Martial Apprentices and those who have not reached the Martial Apprentice Realm.

Although these Martial Practitioners pose little threat to him, they are all pairs of living eyes and mouths; once his whereabouts are discovered by them, he will surely face a large number of Martial Masters and Martial Venerables in pursuit.

Roar!

While swiftly advancing through the dense forest, Fang Xu suddenly heard a low beast roar coming from the left side of the forest ahead.

Swish!

A flash of light in his hand, and the long staff was instantly drawn and gripped.

Clatter! Clatter!

The ferocious beast hidden in the bushes ahead seemed to have detected his trail; its terrifying body charged straight through the dense undergrowth, rushing straight at him!

Fang Xu gripped the long staff, carefully sensed the aura of the ferocious beast ahead, his eyes narrowed, and he directly charged forward!

Before the thick bushes, the charging Fang Xu did not wait for the beast to appear; he stomped hard, leapt high, and swung the long staff with a fierce whistling sound, smashing it down onto the bushes!

Boom!

The sharp long staff broke through the bushes and struck the body of a ferocious beast the size of a water buffalo, bearing sharp spikes on its back!

After taking the blow hard, a piece of the beast's hard bone spikes was broken, but it did not harm its core.

Roar!

After a strange cry, the beast's body shook, and all the spikes on its back detached instantly, shooting toward Fang Xu like arrows released from a bow!

Fang Xu quickly tapped his toes, retreated rapidly, and simultaneously swung his long staff before him like a windmill, blocking the incoming spikes!

How is this thing like the porcupine he saw in his previous life?

Looking at the beast before him, resembling an enlarged porcupine, Fang Xu had this thought.

After sweeping away a large number of spikes, his continuously retreating body suddenly kicked off the thick tree behind him and charged forward at the beast before him!

Having lost its full coat of spikes, the beast was like a de-spined hedgehog, retaining only its large size and a bit of intimidation.

Fang Xu darted out, swung the long staff half a circle behind him, then raised it high and brought it down on the beast's head!

Boom!

The terrifying force directly drove the beast's head into the soil below!

Seeing the beast's life force vanish instantly, Fang Xu had no hesitation and hurried forward.

He had a rough plan for this route.

Ten days, that is early September, he must reach Moon-Viewing Mountain, then spend over ten days crossing the grassland of the Dusk Cloud State, then spend a month traversing Northern Wasteland Liangzhou, so he should arrive in Central Province around early December.

So, on the road, avoid delays if possible.

After easily slaying the ferocious beast, his figure instantly vanished into this thicket.

Two days later, a group of more than ten Martial Masters appeared in this thicket.

One of them, holding a long bow and dressed like a hunter, looked at the not‑far‑away spot where Fang Xu had battled the beast, and frowned.

"Gentlemen, come over here to have a look."

Under the leadership of the hunter Martial Master, everyone came to the place where the beast had died miserably.

The hunter Martial Master looked around, saw the spikes stuck in the surrounding tree trunks, and saw the porcupine whose skull had been smashed to the ground, its flesh and blood completely devoured by other ferocious beasts.

"I recall the materials saying that this kid is skilled with a long staff, possessing astonishing strength……"

"Gentlemen, this beast is obviously killed by a single blow that smashed its skull, dying on the spot."

Touching the traces left by the long staff on the ground and the shattered skull, the hunter Martial Master instantly pictured Fang Xu's final strike in his mind.

From hunters entering the martial way and becoming martial masters, these martial artists are all tracking experts.

Through a few traces, they can roughly reconstruct the scene at that time.

"Qu Xiong means that the kid didn't come down from the nearby mountains, but went to Zhongzhou via Huangzhou Prefecture?" Among the martial masters, a middle‑aged martial artist in black tight‑clothes frowned and spoke.

Hunter Qu stood up, brushed off the dirt on his hands, fixed his gaze, and looked in the direction Fang Xu had left, saying: "Based on the current situation, that kid not only possesses a first‑rank martial technique, but also schemed to kill the martial venerable experts of all major forces; it can be said that ninety‑nine percent of the forces of the Great Yu are hunting him."

"Carrying the Ascension Immortal Society's Immortal Sect pathway certificate, he must certainly be heading to Zhongzhou to take the Ascension Immortal Society's year‑end entrance examination—something everyone knows."

"And as long as he isn't foolish, he will surely realize that on the road from Huangzhou Prefecture to Zhongzhou, the major forces have undoubtedly laid a heavenly net and earthly trap waiting for him."

"Does Qu Xiong mean he knows this road is hard to travel and is preparing to detour?" the black‑clothed martial artist asked again.

Hunter Qu nodded: "If we rush along this mountain range at full speed, we can reach the border between Mount Tilan and Mount Wangyue in at most ten days—that's Qingzhou territory."

"Leaving Qingzhou, heading southeast to Lan Shui, there are three roads that lead to Zhongzhou."

Hunter Qu spoke while pulling out a map and drawing an arc on it, saying: "That kid escaped from the ruins and headed for Zhongzhou; most people will intercept him at those three directions toward Zhongzhou along the way, and few would think he would detour toward Qingzhou and then circle back to Zhongzhou."

The surrounding martial artists listened to his confident speculation and all felt it made sense.

"What should we do now?" someone asked.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Hunter Qu smiled slightly and said: "Follow the mountain range toward Mount Wangyue; you can also notify the forces behind you to make adjustments and set up defenses at all the exits and key passages of Mount Wangyue."

Hearing his words, everyone present nodded.

In the vast mountains, Fang Xu hurried forward; choosing this route indeed turned out as he had expected—over the past few days, aside from occasional disturbances by blind beasts, he had not seen any other martial artists on the way.

But just as he was considering whether to move to the outskirts to speed up his journey, he unexpectedly spotted several figures in the dense forest ahead walking toward him.

Seeing someone, Fang Xu's expression shifted slightly; he leapt a few times and quickly hid in the canopy of a towering tree.

The many figures ahead drew nearer and soon arrived not far from the tree where Fang Xu was hiding.

However, these people did not notice him.

"Dad, the reward we gained from this foray into the mountains should be enough for my younger brother to break through to the Martial Apprentice Realm." Among the group, a dark‑skinned youth holding a spear and with a bow slung across his back whispered to the elderly hunter beside him.

The old hunter glanced at the other martial artists nearby, but he did not share his son's optimism; instead, he sighed with worry.

"You two, don't just chat—pay attention to the traces around you!"

The martial artist of the Martial Master Realm beside the old hunter shouted at him.

"Please rest assured, I'm watching," the old man said, forcing a fearful smile and clasping his hands toward the martial artist.

Seeing this, the martial artist said nothing more.

"Damn, that kid really can run…"

Another martial artist looked at the surrounding dense forest where the sky was barely visible and complained impatiently.

"Alright, stop complaining!"

"The clan head said that if we can find that kid's trail, we can directly be promoted to core disciples!"

"Once we become core disciples, we can cultivate the family's yin‑yang dual‑cultivation method… hehe…"

Yin‑yang dual‑cultivation method?

Within the dense canopy of the large tree, hearing the martial artist's words, Fang Xu instantly understood that this group of people were likely martial artists of the Lü family.

From their words, Fang Xu obtained a very important piece of news!

The Lü family seemed to have guessed that he had not come down from the Huangzhou direction, choosing to cast a large net here, waiting for him to run into it!

It appears that among those hunting him, there are masters present.

His gaze swept over the people not far away, and Fang Xu pondered briefly.

Including the old hunter and his son, this group totals eleven people.

Of the nine from the Lü family, three are martial artists around the fifth level of Martial Master, while the rest are Martial Practitioners from the seventh level to the great completion of Martial Practitioner.

If he were to act, he has a seventy percent chance of wiping them all out.

But such search squads usually conduct carpet-style searches; there are certainly other squads not far away, and if the commotion of battle is not controlled well, it will inevitably alert the other squads.

Still, he cannot act!

After weighing the pros and cons, Fang Xu chose to continue restraining his breath, preparing to wait until those few people leave before making a plan.

The group huddled around the old hunter and his son, advancing in a slow search.

The old hunter's gaze suddenly swept over a broken dry twig, spotting a faint footprint; following the footprint, he glanced forward and soon noticed the towering tree where Fang Xu was hiding.

On the trunk of the large tree, the old hunter faintly saw the point of leverage Fang Xu used to climb up!

In the canopy, seeing this scene, Fang Xu's expression changed slightly!

Discovered!

These hunters' eyes are truly not ordinary keen!

A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes; he slowly gripped the staff in his hand, calculating how to kill this group as quickly as possible based on their positions.

Looking up at the dense canopy, the old man's expression became somewhat solemn.

It seems that all factions of the Great Yu are now hunting a martial artist named Fang Xu; the old man has also heard some rumors about Fang Xu, saying he slaughtered nearly a thousand people from various factions in the ruins, including many Martial Lord-level big shots, making him a fierce person!

The Lü family martial artists who found him and his son and offered a generous reward to enter the mountains are very likely seeking that martial artist named Fang Xu.

The old man can now be certain that someone is hiding in the canopy of this large tree, but he is not sure whether that person is the martial artist named Fang Xu.

He now understands only one thing.

If the person in the tree really is that Fang Xu, once he points him out, the other side will surely strike back with deadly force.

These Lü family martial artists are certainly no match for those Martial Lord-level big shots; if they ever clash, the old man's life and his son's will surely be silenced.

Cannot speak!

Absolutely cannot speak!

Although the reward promised by the Lü family is high, money is useless if you lose your life.

"Old man, did you find anything?"

Seeing the old hunter standing dazedly beside the big tree, a martial artist not far away shouted.

"No……nothing."

The old man hastily withdrew his gaze, smiling as he left the tree.

That martial artist eyed him suspiciously and walked straight toward the big tree.

"Sir, really nothing!!"

Seeing this, the old hunter's heart sank, and he quickly smiled and spoke.

But the more he said that, the more the martial artist sensed something was wrong; he shoved the old hunter aside and went straight to the tree where Fang Xu was hiding, looking up at the canopy.

Whoosh!

As he lifted his head, a long staff like a poisonous snake shot out from the dense canopy!

Behind the staff came Fang Xu's silhouette!

Pfft!

Though the staff had no sharp tip, under Fang Xu's terrifying force it pierced straight through the martial artist's head, jutting out from his chin!

After instantly killing that martial artist with one blow, Fang Xu suddenly crouched, then like an agile ape, he dragged the blood‑stained staff with one hand, pushed off with his feet, and rushed at the remaining few!

Bang!

As he passed the old hunter, he thrust his left palm forward, blasting the old man to death on the spot!

Although the old hunter did not reveal his hiding place at the last moment, Fang Xu had no intention of letting him go.

Having killed the old hunter, his speed was unaffected, and in an instant he darted into the midst of the Lu family martial artists!

He swept the long staff in his hand at the legs of the nearest martial artist!

As he broke that martial artist's legs and his body flew up, the staff swung hard into his chest!

Bang!

The terrifying force turned that martial artist into a flesh‑cannonball, which slammed into another martial artist nearby!

The staff swung behind him, his form flickered, and Fang Xu appeared directly beside two other Warrior Masters!

Under the horrified gazes of the two, he brought the staff down upon their heads!

Boom!

The terrifying force directly smashed their heads to pieces!

"It's that brat!"

"Quick…quick, send a signal!"

Though the martial artists were spread out, after Fang Xu swiftly killed five of them, one still managed to speak!

A sharp whistle rang out in the forest!

Although the whistle stopped after a brief moment, it ultimately got through!

After quickly dealing with those present and also slaying the old hunter's son, Fang Xu swiftly left the area.

He had barely gone ten or so breaths when another wave of martial artists rushed from the nearby forest.

This group of martial artists arrived, saw the carnage, and their faces grew grim.

"Quickly inform the others!"

One martial artist, realizing the gravity of the problem, immediately spoke up.

At once, the accompanying martial artists rushed off in all directions.

Fang Xu, fleeing the battlefield, had an ugly expression.

His whereabouts were exposed; he knew he would face relentless pursuit from now on!

The Lu family, second only to the imperial household in the Great Yu dynasty, commands a terrifying number of martial artists.

Besides that, they have the right to mobilize government troops.

Flee!

We must escape this place as quickly as possible!

His whole body's Blood Qi Power was mobilized, and Fang Xu darted through the dense forest, running forward.

Swish!

Swish!

The martial artists nearby who got the news quickly spotted his trail, each desperately giving chase!

Fortunately, on his panel his added agility attribute reached 158 points; with that 158‑point agility boost, his speed is now hardly slower than that of a Fifth‑Stage Warrior Master martial artist.

These martial artists shouted while they chased.

"Over here! That brat's over here!"

"Hurry, let the people up front stop him!"

"Surround him! Surround him! Don't let him get away!"

With their shouts, more and more martial artists joined, and from a god's‑eye view they were gradually forming a encirclement that trapped Fang Xu in this dense forest!

Seeing the pursuers draw nearer, Fang Xu knew he could not continue like this; he had to break out!

He abruptly turned, brandishing the long staff in his hand, and charged straight at the few martial artists on the left whose cultivation was at the Third Stage of Warrior Master!

"Careful, this brat's strength is formidable!"

These martial artists were also cunning; knowing Fang Xu had the power to slay Warrior Masters, they avoided direct combat, attacking with projected energy while desperately retreating!

Seeing the blade qi and sword qi constantly flying at him, Fang Xu's eyes flashed, he did not dodge, and charged straight into those blade and sword qi!

As the blade and sword qi were about to reach him, a dark qi suddenly flashed before him!

The next moment, a huge Dragon Scale Shield appeared out of nowhere!

Pfft!

Pfft!

Blade aura and sword aura struck the Dragon Scale Shield, leaving only white marks, and had no effect on Fang Xu's speed!

While blocking these attacks, his body had already arrived before several Martial Masters.

The scorching Blood Qi Power circulated within his body; the next moment, the odd long staff in his hand faintly glowed red.

Boom!

A staff strike!

The scorching power distorted the space before him slightly.

The staff struck the body of a Martial Master at the Third Realm, leaving him unable to utter a sound before being beaten to death by the staff.

As the staff struck that Third Realm Martial Master, Fang Xu's left fist also blasted out at the nearby Martial Master.

The Blood Qi Power within his body surged rapidly to his left arm; the next moment, a fist aura tinged with faint red light actually detached from his fist and directly blasted the Martial Master's chest.

"Internal force leaving the body?"

"You've broken through to Martial Master?!"

After taking a punch from Fang Xu, that Martial Master, though severely injured, was not dead yet, and shouted with a face full of horror.

All the martial practitioners involved in the hunt had already learned the detailed information about Fang Xu.

The report showed that Fang Xu only had the cultivation of a Sixth Realm Martial Apprentice, yet he possessed innate divine strength and had the power to kill Martial Masters.

But the power to kill Martial Masters does not make him a Martial Master; at least he cannot perform the Martial Master's signature internal force external release.

Now it's different; seeing Fang Xu's blasted fist seal, that Martial Master felt fear!

Fang Xu didn't bother talking to him, flashing his body to close in and blasting another punch at that Martial Master!

Seeing this, that Martial Master tried to dodge, but his meridians transmitted a burning scorching sensation!

"No……"

He, his face pale with horror, still wanted to say something, but a huge fist directly slammed into his head!

The terrifying power directly caved in his skull, and that Martial Master instantly died a miserable death on the spot!

Having dealt with the two, Fang Xu didn't linger and directly escaped through a gap in the encirclement!

Seeing this, the surrounding martial practitioners gave chase again!

At the same time, inside Qingzhou City, apparently after receiving a report from the mountain martial practitioners, seven figures bearing the aura of Martial Venerables flew out from the Lü Family manor, rushing toward the distant Tilan Mountain!

A Martial Master realm martial practitioner can leap across several zhang with a single bound, while after reaching Martial Venerable, this ability becomes even stronger—a single burst can send them flying a hundred zhang, which is no longer difficult.

Although Fang Xu didn't yet know that the Lü Family's Martial Venerable had set out, his exposed whereabouts made him clearly aware that a Martial Venerable expert's deployment was only a matter of time.

Thus, the direction he now chooses to flee toward is the interior of Tilan Mountain!

Rumor has it that there are demons deep within Tilan Mountain!

Under normal circumstances, he would certainly not dare to approach, but now it's different.

Once a Martial Venerable expert receives the news and comes to kill, he would have absolutely no chance of escape.

Being captured would mean certain death, but fleeing to the depths of Tilan Mountain, if lucky, still offers a sliver of hope.

As he erupted with full power, his speed ever increasing, the pursuing Martial Masters behind him suddenly realized they had arrived before a bottomless mountain ravine.

Watching Fang Xu suddenly burst forth, he leapt across the ravine and landed on the opposite cliff, vanishing from sight, causing the faces of the many pursuing Martial Masters to turn grim.

"That kid's gone crazy! The opposite side is a forbidden zone!"

"We can't chase further; I heard Seventh Lord say that inside the opposite forbidden zone lives a group of Earth Fiend Demon Apes, among which there exist beings comparable to Martial Venerable experts!"

"What should we do now?"

"Wait, wait for the family's Martial Venerable to arrive before we talk!"

On the other side of the ravine, the numerous Lü Family martial practitioners who had pursued to this point all stopped in their tracks, none daring to cross the ravine to chase onward.

(End of Chapter)