Enraged, the Demon Ape sprang forth, pursuing Qin Mu with furious bounds. Yet, despite its immense power, its speed paled in comparison to Qin Mu’s agile form, hindered by its sheer bulk. The ape, driven to the brink of madness, tore up great trees one by one, stripping them bare with a single swipe of its hand, transforming them into colossal spears. With a mighty roar, it hurled one such arboreal weapon!
"Insignificant wretch, die!"
The strike was imbued with overwhelming force and astonishing velocity, though its accuracy left something to be desired. It whistled through the air, landing more than ten *zhang* from Qin Mu.
The Demon Ape’s fury intensified. It ripped up another massive tree, intent on launching a second strike, but alas, Qin Mu had already put considerable distance between them. The ape, defeated, could only pound its chest in helpless rage.
Elder Brother Qu whispered, "That little demon brat's cultivation is far beneath ours. His injuries must be more severe than mine. He can't travel much further."
He forced himself forward, but a suppressed groan escaped his lips. His chest ached with excruciating pain, his ribs likely cracked in multiple places by the Demon Ape's powerful blow. Yet, if even a "little demon brat" like Qin Mu could withstand such a violent strike, surely he, a cultivator of greater prowess, could endure.
What he failed to grasp was that Qin Mu’s cultivation wasn’t weak at all. In fact, it was quite formidable; it was merely the lack of attribute in his vital energy that prevented him from unleashing its full potential.
If one were to truly assess cultivation levels, Qin Mu, despite his youth, was the equal of any of them, including Elder Brother Qu himself!
Circumnavigating the Demon Ape's domain, the five cultivators eventually rediscovered Qin Mu's trail. Indeed, as Elder Brother Qu had predicted, Qin Mu had been injured by the ape, and his wounds were severe. After escaping the ape's territory, his pace had slowed, granting them an opportunity to close the gap.
However, as they continued their pursuit, they noticed a disturbing trend: Qin Mu’s speed was steadily increasing, as if his injuries were rapidly healing.
"That little demon brat must possess potent healing medicine!"
A chill settled in the hearts of the five. Elder Brother Qu had already consumed his sect's injury medicine, but its efficacy was clearly inferior to Qin Mu’s "medicine." Judging by the acceleration of Qin Mu's speed, his injuries were mending at a visibly astonishing rate!
This discovery of such a potent healing agent ignited a fiery desire in their eyes and hearts.
"Our sect's injury medicine is not exceptional. If we could obtain the formula for this superior medicine from that little demon brat, our Master would surely be overjoyed and reward us handsomely!"
Yet, unbeknownst to them, Qin Mu was not relying on any medicinal draught. Instead, he was running while regulating his breathing, circulating his vital energy according to the "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill" taught by the village chief – a technique that, despite its name, was in reality nothing more than a basic guiding skill, a fact he remained blissfully ignorant of.
During this desperate flight, while urging the "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill," Qin Mu made a startling discovery: his vital energy became more active while running, its circulation speeding up!
This contradicted the village chief's teachings. The village chief had instructed him that the "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill" required him to sit in quiet meditation, regulate his breathing, and slowly inhale and exhale to nurture and circulate his vital energy, using it to nourish his body.
For over ten years, Qin Mu had cultivated the "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill" strictly according to the village chief's method. Only now, in this desperate flight, did he stumble upon the realization that cultivating while running might be more effective.
At extreme speeds, the "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill" operated faster, the nurturing of vital energy quickened, and the rate at which it nourished his body dramatically increased!
Furthermore, waves of vital energy surged through his five viscera and six bowels, inundating his four limbs and hundred bones. It even coursed along the fascia between his bones and muscles, repeatedly.
The organs and bones in his abdomen, injured by the Demon Ape's palm strike, were constantly recovering under the relentless influx of vital energy.
Elder Brother Qu and the others believed he was relying on a superior healing medicine, never suspecting that his recovery stemmed from that seemingly unreliable "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill."
Gradually, Qin Mu noticed a specific area between his bones and skin where his vital energy was unable to reach: the space between his eyebrows.
This area, roughly the width of a finger, was inaccessible to his vital energy. While his vital energy could surge beneath his scalp, strengthening his skull, each attempt to reach the space between his eyebrows met with a significant obstruction, as if an invisible wall stood in its path.
As he urged his vital energy to impact this invisible wall, something even more peculiar occurred: he heard a mysterious voice.
The voice seemed to emanate from beyond the Nine Heavens, vast and distant, its pitch rising and falling in a melodious and sacred cadence, like a decree proclaimed by a deity from on high.
And each time this voice resounded, his vital energy would become uncontrollable, receding like a tide, circumventing the space between his eyebrows.
"Could this be the Spirit Embryo Wall?"
Qin Mu was perplexed. The village chief, Blind Granny, and the others had spoken to him of "walls" and "breaking walls," explaining that these walls were seals within the human body's various treasure houses. Breaking a wall meant opening a seal and gaining access to the treasure within.
However, the village chief and the others had never specified the location of the Spirit Embryo Wall within the human body, nor had they explained how to break it.
Qin Mu was unaware that this wasn’t a deliberate omission on the part of the village chief and the others. It was because, in this world, there simply were no techniques or methods for breaking the Spirit Embryo Wall!
Ordinary humans and Spirit Bodies were fundamentally two distinct tiers of existence, two separate classes of beings.
For Spirit Bodies, the Spirit Embryo Wall was naturally open, placing them inherently on a higher level. Ordinary humans, with their closed Spirit Embryo Walls, were on a lower tier, and those elevated Spirit Bodies rarely concerned themselves with the needs of ordinary folk.
Among ordinary humans, warriors were rare, and as for ordinary humans who had opened their Spirit Embryo Walls, even the village chief, Blind Granny, and the others had never heard of such a phenomenon, and therefore, they had no knowledge of how to break the Spirit Embryo Wall.
Qin Mu, while running at a frantic pace, repeatedly urged his vital energy to assault the invisible wall between his eyebrows. The mysterious voice continued to resonate, causing his vital energy to retreat automatically. Although he failed to break the wall each time, he possessed unwavering patience, confident that he would eventually succeed.
He had no intention of revealing his discovery regarding the "Overlord Body Three Dan Skill" to the village chief and the others today. He planned to wait until he had successfully broken the wall, and then deliver a surprise.
However, for the village chief and the others, it was difficult to say whether it would be more of a surprise or a shock.
The more Elder Brother Qu and the other five pursued, the more anxious they became. The "little demon brat" in front of them wasn't just recovering from his injuries; his speed was actually increasing compared to before!
This was terrifying. It indicated that Qin Mu’s cultivation was progressing even as he fled!
Although the increase was gradual, it was still profoundly frightening!
Cultivation for everyone was a step-by-step process. Even after successfully breaking a wall, the advancement of cultivation was gradual, not a feat that could be accomplished in an instant. Who didn't spend dozens of days, months, or even years cultivating diligently to make progress in their cultivation?
Yet, this "little demon brat" was able to sense a clear increase in his cultivation while on the run. This was truly extraordinary!
Fortunately, Qin Mu’s initial cultivation was still inferior to theirs. Although he was currently improving, there remained a discernible gap between them.
However, catching up to Qin Mu was proving difficult. Having learned his lesson, Qin Mu was now far more cautious, carefully avoiding the territories of mutated beasts while running.
When Apothecary had taken him out to gather medicine, he had once told him that the mutated beasts of the Great Ruins were highly spiritual and possessed their own domains. These beasts would leave behind markers, such as trees with peeled bark, white bones thrust into the ground, beast heads impaled on wooden stakes, urine marks, and so on. As long as one observed these unusual signs, one could avoid entering their territories.
Earlier, the mountain cliff beside the Demon Ape's territory bore fist prints, indicating its domain. Qin Mu, unable to discern these fist prints, had inadvertently trespassed. Now, being much more careful, he wouldn’t stumble into the territories of other mutated beasts again.
Nevertheless, even when avoiding territories, many mutated beasts would venture out to forage, making the Great Ruins teeming with dangers.
As Qin Mu ran from the swamp, he encountered two lord-level mutated beasts engaged in a ferocious battle: a chicken-crested snake-necked snow eagle and a swamp poison dragon python. One massive creature swooped from the air, its wings stirring up powerful winds, while the other coiled in the swamp, creating turbulence. They fought with such ferocity that mountains crumbled and the earth fractured.
Before Qin Mu could even enter the swamp, he was swept away by the hurricane stirred up by the two colossal beasts. Upon landing, he ran into a terrified herd of wild cows and was nearly trampled to death.
"The village is getting further and further away…"
A slight unease settled in Qin Mu’s heart. The five figures behind him were relentlessly pursuing, making it impossible for him to return to the village. And what was worse…
The sun was about to set!
He and Blind Granny had left the village in the afternoon. Now, with the sun sinking in the west, darkness would soon descend. If he couldn’t return to the village before nightfall, he feared he would face grave danger!
"Elder Brother Qu, the sky is getting dark!"
Behind Qin Mu, Elder Brother Qu and the other five also noticed the approaching sunset. The youth who had been kicked by Qin Mu displayed a look of unease and said, "Master once said that the Great Ruins is a cursed land. After nightfall, it becomes a forbidden zone. We must return to villages protected by stone statues, otherwise, it’s a sure path to death!"
Elder Brother Qu shook his head and replied, "It's too late to go back now. We've traveled too far; it's impossible to return to the original village before nightfall. Darkness is dangerous for us, and it's equally dangerous for the little demon brat. Now, there's only one option: see where the little demon brat chooses to hide!"
