"Damn demon, what did you make me eat?" Chen Yuanxiu struggled to stand but felt her body completely weak and sore. The innate power within her was suppressed by some kind of drug. The more she tried to activate her innate power, the more forcefully the drug suppressed her. The pill was forcibly given to her by Lv Kong before he left, clearly a kind of drug that temporarily sealed a cultivator's realm.

Lv Kong was notorious for his use of poisons.

Behind the pillar, Jiang Xuan looked at Chen Yuanxiu.

"Who is this woman? How did she end up in the depths of Heitan Mountain and get captured by Lv Kong? Lv Kong probably plans to do something perverse to her... such a beauty. If she’s truly ravaged by the demon, what a waste." The cave was extremely dark, and Jiang Xuan could only make out the silhouette of the woman by the faint light coming from the cave entrance.

In truth, he couldn’t see her very clearly.

He could only judge by her figure and the contours of her face that she was a beauty.

And Lv Kong had also called her beautiful.

That surely couldn’t be wrong.

A tribulation realm demon, what kind of women hadn’t he seen or tasted? Jiang Xuan thought his judgment probably wasn’t as good as Lv Kong’s, after all, Lv Kong had seen far more than he had.

"If I save her, I may not be able to get her out. If Lv Kong targets her, there’s no way I’ll survive and make it back to the earth city. She’s a stranger to me, and if I create trouble for her..." Jiang Xuan knew the weight of his responsibility.

"If I die, the tribe will perish!"

But Jiang Xuan quickly changed his mind. "My father taught me that a man must stand tall, without guilt in his heart. How can I watch someone die without helping?"

"… But perhaps I’m overthinking. Right now, I can’t even protect myself." Jiang Xuan thought.

He had been using his secret technique to keep an eye on Lv Kong’s movements. Lv Kong hadn’t hidden his aura, so even though he was about three or four miles away, Jiang Xuan could still sense him.

Lv Kong hadn’t gone far!

Jiang Xuan also believed that, with Lv Kong’s cultivation level, even if he was three or four miles away, the cave and valley were still within his sensory range. There was no way Jiang Xuan could bring anyone out. In fact, it would be difficult for him to escape on his own. If he stayed still and hid, his aura and scent could remain concealed, but once he moved, it wouldn’t be as perfect.

"I can hide my own aura, but I can’t hide this woman’s aura. If her aura leaves the valley, Lv Kong will definitely notice."

"I have to leave! If I stay trapped in this cave, it’ll be too easy for him to discover me!"

"I can’t wait for death. If I get a chance, I’ll save her. If not, I need to survive!" Jiang Xuan thought rationally. "I still have a Blood Fury Pill. If I take it and use Invisible Escape Technique at the extreme, my speed will reach tribulation realm levels, or even surpass the average tribulation expert. But comparing it to Lv Kong..."

It was hard to judge Lv Kong’s maximum speed.

Unless absolutely necessary, Jiang Xuan wouldn’t take the Blood Fury Pill.

Jiang Xuan thought for a moment before stepping out from behind the pillar.

Chen Yuanxiu, struggling to stand, immediately saw Jiang Xuan, looking like a "burden"—he had three knives hanging from his waist, another at his side, a satchel on his back, and a large bundle of bloodstained prey hanging at his other side. He appeared to be a young tribal hunter who had been in the mountains for a long time.

Chen Yuanxiu didn’t recognize the person before her as the legendary Jiang Xuan.

But she still saw the young tribal hunter as a lifeline.

"Save me..." Chen Yuanxiu managed to utter a faint sound.

"Shh!" Jiang Xuan motioned for her to be silent.

Then, before Chen Yuanxiu could react in disbelief, Jiang Xuan ran out of the cave without a second glance... Chen Yuanxiu struggled to move a few steps but stumbled and fell.

"Kill me, kill me!!" Chen Yuanxiu screamed in despair.

Jiang Xuan heard her voice but didn’t stop.

After leaving the valley, Jiang Xuan began to accelerate, heading in the opposite direction of Lv Kong, running faster and faster!

"I remember passing by a canyon a hundred miles away before I came here to rest and recover my innate power. From afar, I sensed a group of demon beasts. The leader’s aura made me feel uneasy—probably a tribulation realm expert. While not as strong as that red serpent I fought, demon beasts are hard to kill, and they’ll definitely cause Lv Kong trouble..."

Swish!

Jiang Xuan’s speed in the forest reached its peak. His innate power was being consumed at an insane rate. When he had been traveling earlier, he hadn’t used Invisible Escape Technique like this, and now he was pushing himself to the point where his meridians might get damaged. This allowed him to cover a mile in just a few breaths.

This was a speed beyond innate limits!

A hundred miles was only four or five hundred breaths.

It wouldn’t take even a thousand breaths to go back and forth.

"I practice Black Abyss Power, and with Free Breathing Technique, I’m not afraid of meridian damage."

"At most, I’ll need a bit more time, but in one tea’s worth of time, I should be able to reach that canyon and return. If I can lead the demon beast group to fight Lv Kong, I should have a chance to rescue her."

"But in one tea’s time, if she’s already been ravaged by Lv Kong, she might just want to die."

Jiang Xuan thought again. "Actually, maybe not. Lv Kong discarded her and left. He seems to be looking for something, probably preparing for something. If he takes a little more time, I should still make it. I hope..."

"No matter what, at least I can save her life."

Jiang Xuan couldn’t bear to watch someone die without doing something. But he also couldn’t risk his life for a woman he didn’t know, so he chose a middle path. He despised men who violated women. This reminded him of his own tribe, where the women of tribes that lost life-and-death battles were subjected to the ugliest fates. Jiang Xuan always believed that men who violated women should be tortured to death.

A moment later.

Jiang Xuan had run nearly sixty miles when suddenly—he felt a terrifying killing intent enveloping him! Three miles away, as soon as he sensed the presence of the enemy, they had already sensed him and were rapidly closing in!

In just a few breaths, the enormous creature appeared before him.

It was the red serpent!

Its massive body moved faster than Jiang Xuan. Its cold, triangular eyes were filled with killing intent.

"Human, this is not a place you should come..." The red serpent’s voice sounded like a declaration of judgment.

"I know where Lv Kong is!" Jiang Xuan immediately interrupted the red serpent, turning and pointing behind him, "That way! Sixty miles away, the valley!"

He was gambling, betting that the red serpent was pursuing Lv Kong.

The killing intent in the red serpent’s eyes subsided slightly as it sized Jiang Xuan up, then asked, "You know Lv Kong?"

"I killed three of his disciples!" Jiang Xuan patted the large bundle at his side. "Their heads are here, want to see?"

The killing intent in the red serpent’s eyes further receded.

Boom!

The red serpent shot past Jiang Xuan and headed toward the valley, its killing intent sky-high!

After Lv Kong abandoned Chen Yuanxiu, he only left for a short while before returning to the cave.

He had brought back a giant white bear, clearly a beast with demon blood. It was exceptionally large.

"Beautiful lady, don’t worry, it’ll be over soon!"

Lv Kong drew his knife and roughly traced a formation on the ground. Then, in front of Chen Yuanxiu, he killed the unconscious giant white bear. Its blood flowed into the formation, and Lv Kong skinned it, laying its hide in the blood-filled formation.

Chen Yuanxiu struggled to get up again.

"Don’t struggle. The pill I gave you is a Sealing Source Pill, a higher-grade sealing pill than the Sealing Qi Pill. Even if you’ve mastered Heaven and Earth Divine Might, you won’t be able to use any power. The effects will last for at least six hours." Lv Kong laughed eerily, "Hahaha, let me take good care of you!"

He raised his hand.

A force enveloped Chen Yuanxiu, sending her flying onto the white bear’s hide.

The fur was smooth and soft, no less luxurious than silk.

"It’s a pity I couldn’t find a suitable demon beast. I didn’t want to run too far to find one!" Lv Kong grinned madly, "But this white bear has the bloodline of the Moonlit Silver Bear. It’ll do for now."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lv Kong flicked his fingers repeatedly, causing green light to shoot out. The light fell around the formation and ignited into flames. A total of twelve flames, each taller than a person, illuminated the cave.

"No! You can’t do this! You can’t!" Chen Yuanxiu had never been so terrified.

This was worse than violation!

Lv Kong had mentioned using her as a cauldron!

That was the art of extraction!

And it was clear Lv Kong had practiced some ancient, evil technique. The scene in the cave— the enormous head of the white bear beside the formation, grinning with its eyes glowing green—everything was so evil and twisted.

"Om mani padme hum..." Lv Kong muttered strange incantations.

He took a small bottle from his pocket, threw it to the ground with a snap. "Bang!" A red mist filled the cave, turning the colors of the surroundings to a mix of red and green.

Chen Yuanxiu barely caught a whiff of it, but immediately held her breath. It was too late.

Her body started to heat up, and a buzzing sound filled her mind. Her heartbeat grew louder. In the depths of her mind, another voice began to whisper, coaxing her with dirty words. The world she could perceive began to turn chaotic.

"What... what is that?" Chen Yuanxiu asked.

"I like them to be proactive." Lv Kong grinned. He stood there, watching Chen Yuanxiu slowly become unhinged. He needed her to crawl to him, beg him.

But he didn’t wait long.

"Damn it!" Lv Kong suddenly sensed something, his figure flashing and disappearing from the cave. A moment later, he appeared on a cliff outside the cave, his eyes cold.

Whoosh!!

The enormous form of the red serpent flickered and appeared in mid-air, its massive tail sweeping straight at Lv Kong.

Lv Kong drew his knife!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Little snake, you’ve disturbed my fun, I’ll fight you to the death!"

"You killed my tribe, you deserve to die!"

The battle between the tribulation realm experts erupted once again!

"We can’t fight here. If I accidentally harm my beautiful lady, it’ll be bad. I’ll skin this stupid snake!" Lv Kong pretended to retreat, drawing the red serpent away from the valley.

The two fought as they moved, leaving behind a scene of destruction. The earth was filled with cracks. Even as he fought, Lv Kong, in his madness, continued to play with the red serpent, even though he knew his self-healing abilities were much weaker than a demon beast’s.

The insane old man and the red serpent soon fought more than ten miles away.

Jiang Xuan had finally arrived.

He was slower than the red serpent, so he arrived a step later. Looking at the traces of battle outside the valley, Jiang Xuan knew his plan had worked.

He rushed into the cave, immediately sensing the poisonous gas. Holding his breath, he dashed past the white bear hide, grabbed Chen Yuanxiu, and retreated out of the cave. As soon as he was out of the valley, he pushed his speed to the limit, running south at full speed.

"This woman smells so good... Wait, how can she smell this good?"

Jiang Xuan quickly realized he had been poisoned.

With the soft jade in his arms, his senses were heightened. Even the faint scent of Chen Yuanxiu seemed exceptionally clear to him.

"What a demon, not only did he capture her, but he also poisoned her! The faint red poison mist in the cave... I inhaled some too, and the drug’s power is terrifying! Even with my Free Breathing Technique, it’s still shaking my mind. I can only suppress it at all costs. Luckily, Black Abyss Power gives me ample innate energy, at least enough to resist for a few hours." Jiang Xuan struggled to resist. "I should be able to hold on!"

After a tea’s worth of time.

Jiang Xuan had already covered more than a hundred miles.

Due to the poison, his speed had slowed. By this time, he felt himself faltering, and he had to stop, find a place to sit cross-legged, and fully resist.

If he lost control and couldn’t release it, he might fall into a frenzy.

"There’s water over there! Feels like a small creek!"

After several breaths, Jiang Xuan, holding the woman, arrived at the end of a valley, beside a small creek. He gently set her down, discarded his satchel, and leaped into the water. The cold sensation helped clear his mind.

The creek was not deep.

Jiang Xuan sat cross-legged, the water rising to his chest. He entered a meditative state, focusing entirely on resisting the poison.

His innate power was rapidly being drained, but his breath surged.

"This poison could even affect a tribulation expert. At this level, it’ll drive an innate expert insane, maybe even cause permanent loss. Only someone with a strong will can resist it. Lv Kong has gone mad himself, probably because of the various poisons he’s used in his cultivation."

Jiang Xuan sat there, gradually losing track of time.

Chen Yuanxiu had already fallen into a semi-conscious state. She instinctively rolled into the cold creek, suddenly "waking" slightly. She struggled to stand and stumbled back into the water.

She felt Jiang Xuan’s presence.

Unmoving and meditating, Jiang Xuan tried to block out all distractions. But suddenly, a warm pair of jade-like arms wrapped around his neck, and a soft body pressed against his chest.

A scent enveloped him.

The strange woman had coiled around him like a snake, kissing his neck, her breath brushing against his ear.

Jiang Xuan’s eyes snapped open.

Damn it! Who could resist this?!

Already poisoned, Jiang Xuan, like Chen Yuanxiu, lost control.