Chapter Seventy-Seven: Escaping Death

Bai Qingzhou shook his head forcefully. Once his mind cleared a little, he turned his gaze to the burly cultivator collapsed on the ground. Enduring the searing pain, Bai Qingzhou picked up the Azure Rainbow Sword and walked slowly toward the fallen man.

Drawing near, he saw the burly cultivator’s pale face, caught in unconsciousness. Bai Qingzhou’s expression grew cold and severe. The image of the handsome cultivator from earlier flashed in his mind—how he’d knelt and begged for mercy, a sight vivid in Bai Qingzhou’s memory. Who could have guessed that scarcely two breaths after sparing his life, the man would turn and point the blade at him?

“Hmph! Such villains deserve death!” Bai Qingzhou spat coldly. With a single motion of his sword, the cultivator’s head was severed in an instant, blood spraying across the ground.

Seeing the man’s head roll away, Bai Qingzhou knew he was truly dead at last. Only then did he exhale a long, ragged breath and collapse limply to the ground.

It was his first time killing a fellow cultivator.

He fell silent, a thousand thoughts churning within him.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a mountain wind swept by, a chill seeping into his body and jolting him awake. Only then did he notice several jackals prowling nearby, their eyes fixed hungrily upon him.

Dragging his exhausted body upright, Bai Qingzhou swung his sword with little care, scaring the beasts away. He then approached the burly cultivator’s corpse, crouched down, and began searching it.

Soon enough, he found a few talismans, spirit stones, and some common pills. He didn’t bother to examine them, simply shoving everything into his storage pouch in one go.

Standing, he also retrieved the broadsword that had fallen into the undergrowth, collecting all his belongings before leaving the place.

Both of his arms were useless, so his pace was sluggish. His left arm, having wielded a mid-grade Profound-level talisman above his cultivation, had suffered a devastating backlash, shattering the bones entirely. His right arm had been slashed by the burly cultivator, the surge of spiritual energy severing tendons and muscles, leaving his entire body’s spiritual flow in chaos.

He had recognized the talisman used during the fight—a mid-grade Profound-level offensive talisman called the Impact Talisman, worth more than twenty low-grade spirit stones, exceedingly precious.

“To think, I never noticed such an expensive talisman…” Bai Qingzhou shook his head in secret.

But then he remembered his sect leader had tucked it into his storage pouch long ago, just in case. A warmth spread through his heart. If not for that talisman, he would have perished here today.

Dragging his wounded body, every step heavier than the last, Bai Qingzhou’s thoughts swirled: “In this state, I’ll never make it out of the forest…”

The spiritual backlash had left him dangerously weak—if he encountered a monster beast, he’d stand no chance with both arms useless. He might not escape death after all.

“I need to find a place to tend my wounds first…” Bai Qingzhou resolved.

Glancing around, he began searching for a hidden spot.

After a long chase, he was already near the forest’s edge. The trees here were dense, wild beasts plentiful, and many burrows and dens dotted the terrain.

Soon, he discovered a cave tucked away in secrecy. Standing at a safe distance, he sensed for any monster beast aura within. Finding none, he approached the entrance.

Inside, to his surprise, stood a tiger over three meters tall.

As Bai Qingzhou entered, the tiger immediately crouched into an attack stance.

Sensing that it was just an ordinary beast, Bai Qingzhou paid it no heed and walked directly toward the depths of the cave.

“Roar!”

The tiger, defending its territory from an invading predator, let out a furious howl and lunged, its fangs snapping toward Bai Qingzhou’s calf.

Clang!

The tiger’s sharp teeth struck his skin with a faint metallic ring. Its powerful jaws could not pierce the body that had been refined by mid-stage Qi Refinement—how could a common beast hope to bite through that?

With a casual motion, Bai Qingzhou kicked the tiger, sending it flying into the wall, then crashing heavily to the floor. On the ground, the tiger whimpered in fear, a hint of dread in its eyes. It dared not approach again.

Bai Qingzhou found a spot, sat cross-legged, and with a thought, retrieved a Blood Replenishing Pill from his storage pouch, swallowing it straight away.

He began to circulate his spiritual energy, guiding the medicine through his body.

The pill melted instantly on his tongue, releasing a surge of medicinal power that surged inside him, immediately starting to repair his injured left arm and right shoulder.

Eyes tightly shut, Bai Qingzhou used what little spiritual energy he had left to lead the medicine, mending his wounds as best he could. Soon, the bleeding was staunched and the pain lessened somewhat.

Time ticked by, moment by moment.

When the last of the medicine’s power was spent, Bai Qingzhou slowly opened his eyes. Looking at his still-weak left arm and the wound on his right shoulder, a bitter smile crossed his lips.

His wounds were too severe; a single Blood Replenishing Pill was far from enough. Though his left arm had regained a little strength, it was still useless for any real effort. His right shoulder’s gash had closed, but the chaotic spiritual energy within could not be calmed in a short time.

He had no choice—his storage pouch was empty, not a healing pill left.

He could only remain in this state, sneaking his way back to the market town.

Ignoring the frightened tiger cowering in the corner, Bai Qingzhou strode out of the cave, finding that dusk had already fallen.

By the faint moonlight, he determined his direction and set out.

He dared not activate his flying artifact here in the monster forest. If a flying beast appeared, he couldn’t possibly fend it off in his current condition and might very well fall to his death from the sky.

It was safer to travel on foot.

Moving slowly, Bai Qingzhou relied on memory to skirt the territories of monsters.

An hour passed.

Rustle, rustle…

His footfalls rustled the fallen leaves. He held his breath, not daring to inhale loudly.

Not far ahead, a monster beast shaped like a giant pheasant was tearing at the carcass of a lion, its beak pecking hungrily at the flesh.

This was a Scarlet Rooster Beast—a first-rank monster.

Carefully avoiding its territory all the way, Bai Qingzhou found himself stumbling upon one just as he was about to leave the forest.

If he were uninjured, he’d be confident in taking it down within a few exchanges. But things were different now.

All he could do was carefully skirt around it, wary of disturbing its meal.

Rustle, rustle…

Bai Qingzhou crept away, eyes fixed on the Scarlet Rooster Beast, anxious that it might look his way.

Fortunately, the beast was absorbed in its feast, completely unaware of the cultivator passing behind it.

Once clear, Bai Qingzhou let out a heavy breath, oriented himself, and hurried on.

After another half hour, he finally emerged from the beast-infested woods.

Gazing at the familiar scenery beyond the trees, Bai Qingzhou felt a wave of relief. The constant threat to his life had kept him on edge for so long; now, at last, he had escaped and could savor the feeling.

A thought summoned the Immortal Wind Eagle. With a light leap, he mounted the flying artifact, using what little spiritual energy he had left to speed toward the market town.

Swish!

The Immortal Wind Eagle sliced through the sky at breathtaking speed.

But Bai Qingzhou’s injuries were severe. The short journey from the beast forest to Luogu Market took him four stops to rest along the way, and twice the usual time to return.

The prolonged exhaustion of energy and spirit left his face ghostly pale.

As he neared the market, Bai Qingzhou pulled a black robe from his storage pouch, wrapping himself tightly.

He had no choice but to be cautious.

In his mind, the attack was clearly orchestrated by Yu Hou, who must have hired two rogue cultivators to carry it out. Bai Qingzhou had no recollection of either man, which meant they bore him no personal grudge. The handsome cultivator had even addressed him by name.

It must have been Yu Hou, still harboring resentment from their last encounter, who joined with these two to carry out the ambush. And for them to show up so soon after he’d entered the beast forest, someone must have been watching him in the market all along.

Now he was wounded—who could say Yu Hou didn’t have more accomplices? He had to conceal himself to be safe.

Stowing the Immortal Wind Eagle, Bai Qingzhou walked slowly into the market town. At night, the streets were less crowded than by day, but still busy with foot traffic.

Dressed in a black robe, Bai Qingzhou blended in among the many cultivators who shrouded themselves in darkness to conduct their trades at night.

His breath was shallow, eyelids growing heavier, his pace slower and weaker with every step.

He knew he was on the verge of collapse.

“I can’t faint in the street…” Bai Qingzhou gritted his teeth and pressed on.

Luckily, the bustling crowd kept anyone from noticing his condition.

He pressed forward and finally reached his destination.

Knock, knock, knock!

Three knocks at the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me…” Bai Qingzhou replied weakly.

Moments later, the door creaked open.

A lean, weathered face appeared—it was Old Luo’s courtyard.

Seeing Bai Qingzhou’s pale face, Old Luo was shocked. “Master! What happened to you?”

But Bai Qingzhou, seeing that familiar face, could hold out no longer. A crushing wave of exhaustion overtook him, his eyes fluttered shut, and he collapsed.

“Master! Master!”

Before losing consciousness, Bai Qingzhou could still hear Old Luo’s anxious voice.