Li Muzhan’s heart sank, breathing a silent curse at the Monk of Immortality, this monk was truly… Looking up, the cliff face soared another ten zhang high. But the stone wall was sheer, covered in slick moss, offering no handhold whatsoever.

He drew his sword and, with a mighty heave, with a hiss, the blade sank into the rock, right up to the hilt. Then, bracing the rope, he stepped onto the sword’s guard.

At that moment, the middle-aged monk leaped upward, charging directly at him, now only three zhang away. At such close range, the monk surprisingly retracted his Adamantine Finger, driving his left palm straight at Li Muzhan.

Standing on the sword guard, Li Muzhan calmly drew an arrow. Nocking it onto the Ice Jade Bow, he narrowed his eyes, focusing on the monk whose left palm shone with a brilliant yellow sheen, as if cast from bronze.

He knew this palm technique was extraordinary; it had deflected his previous arrow without harm. Its power was not to be trifled with.

He drew the Ice Jade Bow to its limit, pouring in the Tai Ce internal energy, an endless stream. Only when the goose-feather arrow felt stretched to its absolute maximum did he release the string.

A streak of dark light shot out. The dark light, swift as lightning, reached the monk in an instant.

Soundless. “Hah!” The middle-aged monk let out a dismissive sneer and met it with his left palm.

Li Muzhan stomped down hard on the sword guard, rocketing upward like an arrow, intercepting Xiao Yuan mid-air, sweeping over to the cliff face, and simultaneously severing the rope. “Good kid!” the middle-aged monk roared, the sound like a sudden thunderclap that shook Li Muzhan’s blood and momentarily stalled his internal energy.

Their upward momentum instantly checked, they began to plummet straight down, destined to crash back into the valley floor. Li Muzhan took a deep breath, his mind instantly settling into profound stillness.

His pores opened, and the Tian Yuan Tu Na Shu began to circulate. After falling one zhang, a thread of pure internal energy entered his body, which he immediately directed toward his feet.

Just as they neared the cliff face, his body suddenly bent, shooting out diagonally, finally escaping the confines of the gorge. Xiao Yuan, held tightly in his arms, was perfectly still, her eyes wide.

Then, she let out a cheer. Li Muzhan felt no joy; his expression was as tranquil as still water.

The moment he landed, without pausing, he engaged his superior lightness skill, streaking across the dense wild grass toward the mountain peak. This was the ridge of Xiannu Peak.

Looking up, under the vast, magnificent sky, the towering rock formation at the summit resembled a young maiden, standing against the wind. Li Muzhan flew along the ridge and asked, looking down, “Xiao Yuan, you didn’t misremember, there’s a cliff over there, right?” Xiao Yuan had already wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to his chest like a small cat, and looked up, “Yes, that cliff is so deep; it goes all the way to the bottom of the mountain!” “That’s good then,” Li Muzhan sighed in relief.

Suddenly, Xiao Yuan’s eyes widened, and she cried out in alarm, “Ah! He’s coming up!” Li Muzhan twisted his head to look, his feet never ceasing their movement.

His bones were stronger now, his strength greater, and his lightness skill had improved by twenty percent; his speed was phenomenal, like a fired arrow. The middle-aged monk leaped clear of the cliff face but halted, smiling faintly as he watched them.

Li Muzhan kept his head turned, looking him in the eye, his feet still moving—a strange sight. He was focused solely on the monk’s hands; the moment they moved, he intended to shift position.

Unsure of the effective range of the Adamantine Finger, caution was paramount. The middle-aged monk remained still, laughing loudly, “Little monk, run!

Run! I want to see just how far you can run!” In the time it took to say this, Li Muzhan was already more than thirty zhang distant.

He looked back, feeling a blast of wind rush past his face. Li Muzhan squinted and asked, “Xiao Yuan, do you have clothes in your bundle?” Xiao Yuan, nestled in his embrace, nodded softly, “Yes, several sets.

What do you need them for?” “Take them out. We’ll make a parachute; we’re jumping off the cliff in a moment,” Li Muzhan said.

“Ah?!” Xiao Yuan paused, then hurriedly added, “It’s too high! Jumping from there will kill us!” “Is it higher than Wohu Mountain?” Li Muzhan asked.

Xiao Yuan shook her head, “Wohu Mountain?” Li Muzhan remembered that Xiao Yuan had never seen Wohu Mountain. “Don’t worry, I’ve jumped off Wohu Mountain and came out unharmed.

This Xiannu Peak is nothing!” Xiao Yuan looked unconvinced but nodded, untying the bundle from her back. It contained four of her long dresses and one monk's robe, all neatly folded.

“Should I use all of them?” Xiao Yuan asked. “Yes, turn them all into a parachute,” Li Muzhan nodded, glancing back over his shoulder.

The middle-aged monk had started moving. Despite his burly frame, his movement was light and elusive as the wind, quick as lightning—even superior to Li Muzhan’s.

The distance was closing. Li Muzhan carried Xiao Yuan, ascending along the ridge, higher and higher, finally reaching the very summit.

This rock formation looked like a maiden from afar, but up close, it was massive, standing out abruptly and perilously against the void. He leaped onto the maiden’s head, the strong wind whipping his monk’s robe around him.

Xiao Yuan was not idle in his arms. In just a few quick motions, she tied knots in the garments, shaping them into a circular canopy, prepared for action.

Seeing him standing on the massive rock, the middle-aged monk stopped, laughing heartily, “Little monk, trying this trick again? Jumping off a mountain to escape?” Li Muzhan set Xiao Yuan down and suddenly sat down.

The area was flat and spacious. He sat cross-legged, placing the Ice Jade Bow beside him, forming a hand seal with both hands.

He smiled calmly, “Monk, your Adamantine Finger power is astonishing. I admire it, I truly do!” “Haha, this time, you can’t run!” The middle-aged monk laughed confidently, but his eyes were cold to the bone, radiating murderous intent.

Anyone who knew he used the Adamantine Finger was to be killed without exception. If the Lin Lu of Hexi learned he was being pursued by the Rantuo Temple, they would surely come after him.

Li Muzhan smiled but said nothing, shaking his head, his expression solemn and pure, as sacred as a Buddha’s. Seeing Li Muzhan like this, the middle-aged monk paused, rubbed his shaved head, and chuckled, “What, are you seeking nirvana now?

Are you going to submit obediently to death?” “That could be an option, provided you let my companion go,” Li Muzhan replied with a slight smile. “Hahaha, fine!

If I don’t kill her, she can become Old Third’s substitute wife!” The middle-aged monk threw his head back and roared with supreme satisfaction. “Hmph, I won’t be anyone’s substitute wife!” Xiao Yuan snorted, her eyes wide, putting on a fierce expression.

The middle-aged monk laughed loudly again, “Look, look at her! Hey, Old Fourth, what kind of substitute wife is that?

She’s a little beauty!” “Thanks, Boss! Haha!” A resonant shout echoed from a distance, still down in the valley.

Their voices drifted across Xiannu Peak, sharp and lingering, their echoes swirling around. Li Muzhan smiled, closed his eyes, formed another hand seal, and remained motionless.

“Eh, little monk, what trickery is this?!” The middle-aged monk frowned, sensing something was wrong. The moment he took a step forward, Li Muzhan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning, shooting out like tangible electrical energy straight toward the monk.

The middle-aged monk instinctively retreated a step, feeling a subtle sense of danger. Li Muzhan picked up the Ice Jade Bow, drew two goose-feather arrows—biting one between his teeth while gripping the other between his little and ring fingers—and nocked it, aiming vaguely at the monk.

His movements were slow, veins bulged on his neck, his face flushed crimson, and his muscles contorted into a terrifying grimace. Drawing in the Solar Essence into his body, directly forcing it through… No, this wouldn’t work.

The Solar Essence entering his body was heavy as a mountain. Activating it was incredibly strenuous.

After just this short time, he felt his mind exhausted, as if he might pass out at any moment. The Solar Essence advanced slowly along the Solar Meridian.

Wherever it passed, the meridians throbbed with agonizing pain, like being sawed and cut by blades. He inwardly sighed; the Solar Meridian had suffered considerable injury this time.

Xiao Yuan, standing behind him, also noticed the strangeness and watched him anxiously. Knowing he was channeling energy, she dared not speak, fearing she might disturb him.

“Heh heh, your archery is quite impressive…” The middle-aged monk grinned, frowning as he stared at him. Li Muzhan drew the Ice Jade Bow to its limit and paused.

The goose-feather arrow seemed to flash, its luster intensifying, and shot out like a flash, transforming into a bright streak of dark light. This dark light was incredibly fast.

Since the middle-aged monk was close, he took it lightly and slapped out with his left palm. Li Muzhan swiftly nocked the second arrow, the one held in his mouth transformed into a bright streak of dark light that shot out, catching up to the first streak, flying alongside it.

The middle-aged monk extended his right palm to strike again. “Ugh…” The middle-aged monk let out a muffled groan, stumbling back a step, both shocked and furious.

Both streaks of dark light had pierced his palms, embedding themselves in his shoulders. Crack!

The Ice Jade Bow disintegrated into dust, particles scattering and drifting away on the wind. Only two fragments of the bow fell to the ground.

“Go!” Li Muzhan pulled Xiao Yuan, pushed off the giant rock, and the two hovered in the void about five zhang away before plunging rapidly downward toward the bottomless abyss. “Aaaaaah!” A roar of rage echoed from the cliff edge, piercingly high and resounding across heaven and earth.

Li Muzhan held Xiao Yuan’s waist with one arm, drawing his sword overhead to weave a net of sword light, layer upon layer, dense and unyielding, exactly the Zhen Yue Eight Swords. Crack!

With a crisp sound, the sword light retracted, and their descent speed increased sharply. He swung his sword again, weaving layers of continuous sword light above his head.

Simultaneously circulating the Tai Yin True Scripture and the Shao Yang True Scripture, one layer of sword light was intensely Yin, the other Shao Yang, overlapping and dense. He had intended to circulate the Solar True Scripture along with the Tai Yin True Scripture, but the Solar Meridian was damaged, and his internal energy was sluggish.

He could only switch to Shao Yang. One Yin and one Yang, layered densely, could maximally weaken the force of the Adamantine Finger.

Crack! Another crisp sound, the sword light retracted again, and their descent speed increased once more.

Xiao Yuan cried out in alarm, “Zhan Ran, what do we do?” Her long hair streamed out, her clothes flapped wildly, and the sound of her voice was instantly snatched away by the wind. Her bright eyes were wide open, fixed on Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan looked down, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and smiled, “It’s fine, don’t panic!” Saying this, he swung his sword again, weaving more layers of continuous sword light, feeling fortunate in his heart; thankfully, this monk was injured, and the Finger’s power was greatly affected. Otherwise, the sword defense could not have held.

In a few breaths, they had dropped over twenty zhang. He looked up; the middle-aged monk had become much smaller.

He estimated the monk’s finger power could no longer reach them. “Little monk, I will definitely kill you—!” The middle-aged monk’s roar surged against the wind, reaching them directly.

Li Muzhan let out a long breath and loosened his grip. The long sword almost slipped from his hand.

He quickly returned it to its sheath, took a dress from Xiao Yuan’s hand, and injected internal energy into it, calling out, “Xiao Yuan, hold on tight!” By now, the ground below was clearly visible: an expanse of lush, verdant forest. Xiao Yuan immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and clamped her legs around his waist, closing her eyes.

The scenery rushing past made her heart pound. Their chests pressed tightly together; Li Muzhan felt the soft pressure against his chest and his heart involuntarily wavered.

He quickly suppressed the fleeting thoughts, focusing on the long dress. Bang!

The dress sprang open, and their descent slowed. The soft pressures against his chest pressed further.

Xiao Yuan’s face flushed crimson, her whole body felt weak, as if boneless. She used every bit of strength just to keep from letting go.

Fortunately, this dress, which looked thin, proved extremely sturdy—better than the three spares. During the descent, Li Muzhan said, “Xiao Yuan, you take one dress, and give me two… When we separate, don’t panic!” “Zhan Ran, what are you doing?” Xiao Yuan quickly opened her eyes, propped herself up slightly, and stared into his eyes.

Their faces were mere inches apart, their breaths mingling. “Get ready!” Li Muzhan smiled, noticing only now how exquisite Xiao Yuan’s skin was up close—fair with a flush of pink, as if it would break if touched.

They were only thirty zhang above the ground when he suddenly released his grip. The dress suddenly billowed upward, caught by the wind, and they began to plummet rapidly.

Xiao Yuan cried out in fright and instantly clung to him tighter. “Let go!” Li Muzhan commanded sharply.

Xiao Yuan instinctively released her hold and immediately flew upward. She quickly opened her eyes, only to see Li Muzhan accelerating downward while she was flying up.

My subscriptions finally broke a thousand, ha! This is truly great news.

I must write more today, risking my life to repay all my readers. Do I still dare ask for monthly passes?

If I can catch up to the leading Doomsday, I’ll get an extra two thousand in prize money! But they are established masters, so it might be a pipe dream.

It’s all up to you esteemed readers. D