Chapter 207: Breaking Through the Pass and Emerging

He instinctively reached for his chest; the Yang Jade Pendant that had lost all its luster in the mysterious space now lay snug against his skin, warm and moist, even more intimately connected than before, as if fused with his blood, becoming an inseparable part of his body.

Zhang Jun's thoughts stirred slightly, and he quickly focused his inner vision on himself.

Upon seeing this, even though he was usually calm and steady, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air, his eyes instantly filling with incredulous joy. The viscera previously severely wounded by the Shadow Elder old monster had now healed, his meridians were tougher than before, and faint golden light seemed to circulate within them.

What surprised him even more was that the bottleneck of the Pure Yang Ultimate Skill, which had troubled him for a long time, suddenly burst through in an instant! Originally only at the initial stage of the sixth layer of Qi Refining, his dantian qi sea now surged, and he had steadily reached the peak of the sixth layer, just a step away from entering the brand‑new seventh‑layer realm. His inner Pure Yang True Qi rushed forth like the Yellow River entering the sea, far stronger than before—many times over—and flowed smoothly and responsively, with no trace of sluggishness.

His sea of consciousness had expanded several times over, his spiritual sense greatly strengthened, thoughts clear and lucid. In his mind, the teachings of the mysterious forefather master on the deeper harmonization methods of the Pure Yang Ultimate Skill and the myriad wondrous variations of the Nine Yang Divine Needle were as vivid as carvings, the once obscure and puzzling key points of his practice now suddenly became clear and integrated. It was practically a rebirth.

"Xue'er!" Zhang Jun sprang to his feet, surging power coursing through his limbs. The heightened awareness brought by his sudden strength spread like a tide, making every rustle of wind and grass, every insect chirp and ant movement within dozens of feet crystal clear in his mind.

In an instant, his face changed, an icy, bone‑piercing killing intent uncontrollably emanating from him, making the temperature of the cave seem to drop several degrees.

He clearly "saw" that, in a poison‑mist‑filled thicket less than a li away, Lin Xue was surrounded by seven or eight black‑robed men wearing the attire of the Shadow organization, her breathing slightly ragged, showing she had been fighting for a while.

"Courting death!" Zhang Jun gritted his teeth, bloodshot eyes flashing as a volcano‑like fury exploded in his chest. He didn't even have time to savor the joy of his breakthrough; his body flickered and he shot out of the cave like an arrow from a bow, tapping his toe on the jagged rocks and turning into a faint golden blur that raced toward where Lin Xue was trapped, so fast that several afterimages lingered where he had stood.

In the thicket, the dark‑green toxic mist churned incessantly.

Lin Xue's delicate face was pale, fine beads of fragrant sweat dotted her forehead, and her breathing was a little ragged. Relying on her deep knowledge of poisons and the exquisite footwork passed down from her sect, she barely held off the several black‑robed attackers, her silver needles fluttering like butterflies, occasional cold flashes keeping the encroaching foes at bay; her blue‑green robes fluttered, yet now bore several narrow slashes from weapons, oozing bright red blood—a shocking sight.

Although these black‑robed men were far weaker than the experts they had met outside the altar earlier, their strength lay in numbers, their attacks were ruthless, and their coordination was fairly tacit; evidently they had received death‑orders to either trap her here until she died or capture her alive.

"You little slut! I'll see how long you can last! Surrender quietly and you'll suffer less fleshly pain!" the one‑eyed black‑robed leader sneered, his long blade whistling with tiger‑like vigor, every strike aimed at Lin Xue's vital spots, his words full of mockery.

Lin Xue clenched her silver teeth, her internal qi draining heavily, her vision beginning to blur slightly. She clung to an unyielding will to stay upright, but her heart was filled with anxiety. She did not know whether Zhang Jun was alive or dead, only hoping to break out of the encirclement soon to find his whereabouts, even if only a sliver of hope remained.

Just as a black‑robed man spotted the moment her old strength had waned and the new had not yet arisen, he silently thrust a short dagger coated with deadly poison toward her soft ribs, the bluish‑glinting tip about to pierce her clothing—

"Get lost!"

A thunderous roar that shook the earth like a clap of thunder burst from the woods outside, carrying boundless fury; the sound waves rolled, shaking leaves to fall rustling from the trees.

Immediately after, a golden figure shot forward at a speed nearly impossible to catch with the naked eye, bearing the force of thunderbolts, charging like a tiger descending the mountain and suddenly crashing into the battle circle.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Crack!"

A series of dull, drum‑like punches and kicks accompanied by grating bone‑cracking sounds rang out in rapid succession.

Those few black‑robed men, who had still been fierce and confident of victory, didn't even get a clear look at their attacker before they were struck as if by a gigantic rhinoceros charging at full speed; each let out a short, miserable scream, spat blood, and was flung backward to slam heavily against distant tree trunks before rolling to the ground—some suffered broken tendons and bones on the spot and passed out completely, others had their sternums collapsed, clearly unable to survive.

In the blink of an eye, the several black‑robed men who had besieged Lin Xue lay scattered on the ground, none able to rise.

The golden figure steadied before Lin Xue, aura deep and mountain‑like—it was Zhang Jun, who had arrived just in time.

"Xue'er, how are you?" Zhang Jun grabbed her slightly swaying delicate frame, his voice brimming with restrained urgency and deep lingering fear; his sharp eyes swept over her, and when he saw the tears in her clothing and the blood seeping out, the killing intent in his gaze surged again like a rising tide.

"Zhang Jun!" Lin Xue's delicate body trembled, then she recognized him; the tightly wound string in her heart suddenly loosened, a surge of indescribable joy and great injustice flooding her chest, the tears she had been holding back spilling over and blurring her vision: "You… you're all right! Wonderful! You're really all right!"

She instinctively clutched Zhang Jun's arm, her knuckles whitening from the force, as if afraid he were merely an illusion that would vanish the next moment. Then she keenly sensed the tremendous change in his aura—his pure yang true qi, now vast, refined, and overwhelmingly domineering, far stronger than when they had parted, as if they were two different people.

"Your cultivation… you…" Lin Xue stared, her beautiful eyes wide and shining, her voice trembling.

Zhang Jun gave a faint smile, turned his hand and gently pulled Lin Xue into his embrace, feeling her slight tremor and familiar fragrance; the weight on his heart finally fell away: "This is a long story; let's leave this place first."