"Chase him down! Today, we must break his legs!" Duan Yuan roared, his face full of rage, gritting his teeth.
He never expected to repeatedly fall into the hands of a young Cultivator who had just begun to Cultivate, and the anger in his heart was already uncontrollable.
He urged the Flying Sword beneath his feet, transforming into a streak of light, and closely pursued Ling Feng.
The other five people also stepped onto their Flying Swords, following closely behind Duan Yuan, as six streaks of light weaved through the forest.
Ling Feng, at this moment, had no time to spare for Duan Yuan, who was relentlessly pursuing him from behind; he only focused on running forward with all his might.
He used the dense, towering ancient trees around him as cover, deftly moving through them, constantly changing his route.
Ling Feng sped ahead, the wind whistling past his ears, as if it would tear his eardrums.
At the same time, he could clearly hear loud crashes from behind him—the sound of ancient giant trees falling.
These sounds made Ling Feng's heart pound even faster, a sense of tension filling his entire body, but at the same time, they also stimulated his deep-seated desire for survival, urging him to run faster, completely forgetting his body's fatigue.
And from behind, Duan Yuan and his group, riding their Flying Swords, clung tightly to Ling Feng, refusing to let go.
As they struggled to catch up, they continuously cast various Spells, sometimes unleashing furious palm winds, sometimes shooting sharp finger strikes, and even occasionally unleashing incredibly sharp Sword Qi, attempting to prevent Ling Feng's escape.
The surrounding ancient trees, with their lush branches and towering heights, could not withstand the impact of the Cultivators' powerful attacks. Struck by the six people, they collapsed one after another, emitting loud sounds.
"Run? Do you think you can escape?"
"Brat, if you know what's good for you, stop right now! Maybe if this old man is in a good mood, I'll be merciful and let you suffer less."
"Hmph! If you're so capable, then catch me!" Ling Feng heard Duan Yuan and the others' shouts from afar, but he didn't look back. His feet moved like the wind, and his speed increased even further.
He understood in his heart that once he was caught by these people, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, he dared not relax in the slightest. Despite this, he intentionally shouted loudly, verbally retaliating and mocking them.
"How strange, where does this brat get so much True Qi?" After chasing for half a day, not only had they failed to catch Ling Feng, but they also felt a significant depletion of their True Qi, gradually starting to feel a bit out of their depth.
Looking at Ling Feng, however, he seemed to have an endless supply of True Qi, always easily widening the distance between them.
Just like that, without realizing it, one person fled, and six people pursued, and the two sides had already run five or six li apart.
How could those five people endure the taunts and sarcasm? Being ridiculed by Ling Feng in such a way, the bottled-up anger in their hearts instantly erupted.
The five people's True Qi surged forth, and they once again accelerated, instantly closing to within ten zhang of Ling Feng.
Buzz! Buzz!
The five people each activated their Spiritual Artifacts with a soft shout, and the five Spiritual Artifacts transformed into brilliant rays of light, like five giant Dragons roaring as they charged towards Ling Feng.
These five people were all Cultivators at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm; the power of their attacks was extraordinary.
Wherever the light passed, the surrounding trees were shattered, and deep ravines cracked open in the ground.
Facing such a powerful attack, Ling Feng dared not be careless in the slightest.
He lightly tapped his toes on the ground, as agile and graceful as a dancing butterfly, his figure like a phantom as he leaped several times in quick succession, easily dodging the fierce attacks from the five people, and landing steadily on a large rock.
Just as he stabilized his body, Ling Feng glimpsed Duan Yuan rushing from afar, and a chilling light, terrifying to behold, suddenly flew out from his sleeve, streaking across the sky like lightning.
Ling Feng was greatly alarmed, naturally knowing that the cold light flying from Duan Yuan's sleeve was a small, exquisite Flying Sword.
This sword was not only exceptionally light, but its speed was as swift as the wind. With a slight tremor of its blade, flashes of spiritual light flickered, striking directly towards the rock where he stood.
No sooner said than done, Ling Feng dared not delay in the slightest. He pushed off with his toes again, and just as his feet left the surface of the giant rock, the cold light was already upon him!
With a loud "bang," the giant rock could not bear the force and shattered with a roar! Countless fragments of rock flew everywhere, a truly astonishing sight.
Ling Feng secretly congratulated himself, thinking that if he had hesitated even slightly just now, that sword strike would probably have directly severed his legs. Such terrifying power was truly heart-stopping.
Although Ling Feng successfully dodged the Flying Sword's attack, he was still inevitably affected by the aftermath.
He was flung several zhang away, like a kite with a broken string.
The moment his body hit the ground heavily, Ling Feng felt a sharp pain in his chest and couldn't help but spit out several mouthfuls of blood.
Ling Feng hastily scrambled to his feet, not bothering to brush off the dust from his body, and ran wildly into the distance without looking back.
At the same time, he cursed angrily, "You shameless scoundrels!
How dare you gang up to bully a new Disciple who just entered the Sect, and still call yourselves heroes?
If you have the guts, let's fight one-on-one!"
"Just wait until I become more powerful than all of you, then see how I deal with you!" The more Ling Feng thought about it, the angrier he got, and he couldn't help but start cursing again.
The six people were so infuriated by Ling Feng's scolding that they were almost losing their minds.
However, what made them even more angry was that Ling Feng's legs were as nimble as if they were greased, and no matter how hard they tried to catch up, they could never close the distance between themselves and Ling Feng.
What was even more exasperating was that every time they tried to launch an attack, they were always just a little bit short of hitting Ling Feng, but they just couldn't reach him.
They cast powerful Spells again and again, yet couldn't even touch the hem of Ling Feng's clothes.
Ling Feng simply led the chase effortlessly, as if he were toying with them.
"If you're so capable, don't run!" one of them roared.
Duan Yuan sneered. "Do you only know how to run? Ling, Grandpa promises to fight you one-on-one!" The others also chimed in, cursing as they chased.
Ling Feng had no mind to argue with them anymore; he had only one thought: to escape from here as quickly as possible and hide in the depths of the back mountain to avoid the pursuit.
So, he ran with all his might, maintaining a certain distance from the six people chasing him.
However, as time passed, Ling Feng's physical condition gradually worsened.
After being hit by that powerful aftermath earlier, he now felt as if the Qi and blood throughout his entire body were boiling, surging uncontrollably and unable to calm down.
Especially the hideous bloodied hole on his left shoulder, from which fresh red blood continuously flowed, instantly dyeing half of his new Daoist robe a shocking red.
Having only recently entered the Sect, Ling Feng was completely ignorant of how to use True Qi to stop bleeding.
Coupled with the long period of rapid fleeing, he lost a large amount of blood, and his originally rosy face had now turned as pale as paper, completely devoid of color, which was alarming.
Finally, Ling Feng's stamina was completely exhausted. His vision suddenly went black, he felt dizzy, and his body involuntarily tilted forward, falling heavily to the ground.
"Why aren't you running anymore? Weren't you running quite fast just now!" The six people caught up, slowly surrounded him, their faces showing mocking and cruel smiles.
Ling Feng struggled to get up from the ground, leaning against a large tree, his eyes glinting with a cold light, staring fixedly at these six enemies without fear.
"I said I would cripple your legs, so how could I go back on my word?" Duan Yuan approached Ling Feng step by step with a grim expression, holding his sword. Then he stopped, a strange and cruel smile playing on the corner of his mouth: "Junior Brother, don't blame me for being ruthless. Blame yourself for not knowing what's good for you and refusing to hand over that incredibly precious three-leaf qingzhi!"
Before his words finished, Duan Yuan unhesitatingly raised the sharp long sword in his hand, poised to sever Ling Feng's Achilles tendons. It seemed Ling Feng was about to suffer unimaginable torment.
Just at this thrilling and critical moment, a series of sharp, piercing sounds suddenly came from afar—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Six incredibly sharp Sword Qi shot forth like lightning, landing accurately at the feet of Duan Yuan and the others, kicking up a cloud of dust.
At the same time, a sweet, melodious voice, like a heavenly sound, drifted from afar: "Duan Yuan, I'm afraid you'll have to go back on your word today."
The person's figure was not yet visible, but merely hearing this voice caused Duan Yuan and his subordinates to stiffen as if under a freezing Spell, unable to move, and their faces revealed deep fear.
Especially Duan Yuan, his legs even began to tremble uncontrollably.
"It's her!" Duan Yuan exclaimed in shock, losing his voice.
The faces of the other five also changed dramatically. After exchanging glances, they turned and fled in unison, not even daring to look back.
A moment later, Ling Feng endured his injuries, struggling to get up from the ground. He didn't bother to check his wounds but looked in the direction from which the voice had just come, and shouted hoarsely, "Thank you, young lady, for your righteous assistance. This great kindness will never be forgotten..."
"Alright! Don't rush to thank me. First, swallow this Medicinal Pill!"
Ling Feng's words were not yet finished when a faint light suddenly flashed through the forest, streaking towards him like a meteor. As it approached Ling Feng, the light's speed abruptly decreased, finally falling steadily into Ling Feng's open palm.
At the same time, Ling Feng heard the woman's voice from the forest again: "Hurry and take it! Then leave this place quickly. Wild Beasts often appear here, and once night falls, these Beasts are far more vicious than you imagine."
"I am eternally grateful for your life-saving grace, young lady. I have no way to repay you..."
Ling Feng dared not delay and quickly swallowed the Medicinal Pill in his hand.
Instantly, a warm current flowed down his throat, rapidly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.
His body, which had been in unbearable pain, now felt much lighter.
Just as Ling Feng wanted to bow in gratitude, he was interrupted by the woman again: "Junior Brother, why are you so polite? I'm not trying to scare you, Junior Sister, but the Vicious Beasts here love to hunt for food at night, and they are especially sensitive to the Qi of Cultivators, particularly fond of devouring your vital blood."
Hearing the woman's words, Ling Feng cupped his hands again in a bow, "Thank you for the information, Senior Sister!"
After speaking, he turned and headed back the way he came.
Not long after Ling Feng left, another graceful figure floated over.
If Ling Feng were still there, he would surely recognize the newcomer as Yu He, who had come to find him.
She frowned as she scanned her surroundings, and just as she was about to leave, the woman from the forest slowly walked out, smiling gently, "Junior Sister Yu He, what has you in such a hurry? It's really strange, today you're the second group of people to come to this back mountain, preventing me from Cultivating in peace."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Yu He's face immediately broke into a bright smile: "Ah! It's Senior Sister Xiu Ying! What a coincidence."
She quickly stepped forward, saying with a smile, "Actually, it's nothing important! I was just looking for a Utility Disciple who was being chased and beaten by Duan Yuan, and who knew I'd run into Senior Sister here. Since Senior Sister has been Cultivating peacefully here, that Junior Brother must be safe and sound, right?"
Xiu Ying smiled faintly and replied calmly, "I did see Duan Yuan and the others chasing a Junior Brother just now. Fortunately, I intervened in time and drove them away. However, that Junior Brother seemed to be quite seriously injured."
Yu He thought for a moment, then comforted her, "As long as he's alive, that's good. With Senior Sister here, he naturally wouldn't encounter any misfortune."