"Yes, Granduncle-Master!" the lean man in grey replied respectfully. Beside him, Wei Canglong quickly cautioned, "Senior Brother, Teng Qingshan's strength is probably even a notch above mine!
Although Protector Liu Jian is quite capable, compared to that Teng Qingshan..." Wei Canglong had witnessed Teng Qingshan's power firsthand by the lava lake beneath Fiery Mountain. "This isn't a one-on-one fair match!" the handsome middle-aged man said coldly.
A flicker of red crossed Liu Jian's eyes, and he chuckled softly, "Elder Wei, rest assured, I know my own limits. Moreover, this time coming to the Barren Lands, every one of us is carrying the poison 'Southern Dream' (Nanke Yimeng).
Once afflicted by 'Southern Dream,' perhaps only Xiantian experts can resist, but those in the Houtian realm... Heh heh, they'll be fish on the chopping block!" Wei Canglong nodded upon hearing this.
In truth, martial artists generally disdained the use of poison, always striving for fairness in duels to prove themselves. However, this time, the Iron Clad Sect's elite force was deployed for a major secret—a secret that could influence the very rise or fall of the Iron Clad Sect.
This was precisely why, even without being entirely certain if Teng Qingshan was tracking them, they were determined to kill him! Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip away!
For the sake of the objective, any means necessary became understandable. "Liu Jian, hurry and follow!" the handsome middle-aged man commanded.
"After killing Teng Qingshan, follow the established route!" "Yes, Granduncle-Master." A bloodthirsty grin surfaced on Liu Jian's face, and then his body shot out with a whoosh toward the distance. He weaved flexibly through the dense forest, skillfully avoiding thorns and obstacles, following the direction Teng Qingshan had vanished, quickly disappearing from the sight of the other five members of the Iron Clad Sect.
"We continue moving forward," the handsome middle-aged man ordered. Immediately, the five members of the Iron Clad Sect cautiously and rapidly advanced along their predetermined path.
* Dense moisture permeated every corner. To Teng Qingshan’s senses, even the smell of decaying leaf litter carried the faint stench of rotting animal carcasses.
Midday sun struggled to pierce the thick canopy above, casting only sporadic patches of light onto the surrounding thorns and weeds. Teng Qingshan moved swiftly through the Barren Lands.
Quickly, nimbly! "Hmm?" Teng Qingshan suddenly tilted his head slightly toward a nearby spot.
In the thicket of thorns, a pair of faintly green pupils stared at him, radiating wildness and bloodlust. However, as their gazes met, the beast hidden in the thorns seemed to sense this human was difficult to deal with.
Swish! The beast vanished instantly.
Teng Qingshan did not stop his pace. He continued forward, though his brow furrowed: "Hmm?
What kind of beast was that? Its escape speed and concealment were quite clever." Many animals in the Barren Lands simply did not exist on the Earth of his previous life.
The book Teng Qingshan had obtained from the Guiyuan Sect's Martial Pavilion only described Demon Beasts; it offered no introduction to the various wild beasts. Yet, Teng Qingshan dared not underestimate them.
Some wild beasts, though lacking spiritual intelligence, might possess unique abilities. Their threat level might not be lower than that of Demon Beasts!
"Among the six people I saw earlier, one was Wei Canglong! And another, I saw during the last encounter at Fiery Mountain.
These six must be from the Iron Clad Sect," Teng Qingshan recalled the group he had chanced upon not long ago. "Why would the experts of the Iron Clad Sect come to the Barren Lands?
Could it be... they are also here to collect some Spirit Fruits?" Teng Qingshan paid no mind to the six from the Iron Clad Sect.
In his view, he was here in the Barren Lands searching for the Vermilion Fruit (Zhu Guo), and once obtained, he would leave! What the Iron Clad Sect people did here was none of his concern.
So, Teng Qingshan spared them a glance, felt no inclination to greet them, and continued rapidly toward Iron Arm Ape Mountain alone. ...
Hoo! Hoo!
Liu Jian, the Iron Clad Sect Protector dressed in grey, moved swiftly through the Barren Lands, gripping his short saber. "Damn it, this Teng Qingshan runs faster than a monkey!
Doesn't he know how dangerous the Barren Lands are? I've been chasing for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—at least ten li—and I still haven't seen a shadow!" Liu Jian tracked his progress by the crushed dead branches and broken thorns Teng Qingshan left behind, struggling to keep up.
It was indeed difficult! A normal Houtian expert would be considered fast if they covered over a hundred li a day in the Barren Lands.
After all, the area was too perilous; a moment of carelessness could lead to being ambushed—resulting in minor injury at best, or death at worst. But Liu Jian had no choice but to grit his teeth and accelerate to catch Teng Qingshan!
There were no established paths in the Barren Lands; thorns grew densely, weeds ran rampant, and dead leaves covered the ground everywhere. Therefore, anyone passing through would inevitably push aside thickets or even hack through vines to advance, leaving clear traces for the pursuer.
Of course, if too much time elapsed, those traces became difficult to discern. Liu Jian trailed Teng Qingshan, separated by only about a li.
This separation was maintained only because Liu Jian was pushing himself to the limit. "At this speed, we're covering at least four to five hundred li a day!" Liu Jian cursed internally, but his eyes and ears meticulously scanned his surroundings.
"Luckily, this is still the outer region of the Barren Lands! Right, keep up the pace!" Liu Jian didn't want to waste time and urged his internal energy, increasing his speed slightly.
As he accelerated, the distance between Liu Jian and Teng Qingshan slowly closed. * Teng Qingshan was unaware of being tracked; covering four to five hundred li a day in the Barren Lands was effortless for him.
"Hmm, movement?" Teng Qingshan suddenly halted, his ears twitching. Shasha~~~ A faint sound drifted from behind him.
Teng Qingshan frowned and turned to look back: "A wild beast behind me? Doesn't feel like it...
It seems to be steadily approaching me!" Teng Qingshan remained motionless, gazing into the distance, and finally, through a gap in the clinging vines, he spotted a vague human silhouette far off. The figure flashed momentarily through the opening, but in that instant, Teng Qingshan saw clearly.
"It's a person! One of those six from the Iron Clad Sect!" Teng Qingshan instantly confirmed it.
"Why is he following alone?" Teng Qingshan felt a surge of doubt. At this moment, he hadn't considered that the other party intended to kill him.
After all, in his mind, the Iron Clad Sect seemed to have no reason to pursue him. However, the man's unusual behavior made Teng Qingshan instantly alert.
The figure rapidly approached. Teng Qingshan watched him intently!
The distance shrank until the pursuer clearly saw Teng Qingshan, and their eyes met... Liu Jian, who had been tracking diligently, felt his heart tremble when Teng Qingshan stared at him: "This Teng Qingshan is truly cautious.
He spotted me from so far away! Now what?" In a mere second, an idea formed in Liu Jian's mind.
A smile spread across his face as he strode toward Teng Qingshan. "Brother Teng!
You've made me chase quite hard." "Who are you?" Teng Qingshan asked, frowning. In the still, deep mountain forest of the Barren Lands, only Teng Qingshan and Liu Jian were present.
"Haha, I am Liu Jian, Protector of the Iron Clad Sect." As Liu Jian approached, he smoothly sheathed his short saber. While plunging the blade into its scabbard, his right hand casually pressed against his left abdomen.
Inside a hidden inner pocket of his robes rested a small gourd. His abdomen felt hard, and with a slight press from his right hand, Ching!
The gourd immediately cracked slightly. However, this slight cracking sound was completely inaudible, masked by the simultaneous sound of the short saber settling into its sheath.
"Protector Liu?" Teng Qingshan smiled faintly. "I wonder why Protector Liu is in such a hurry to follow me.
Is something the matter?" "It's like this, our Elder Wei saw you earlier..." Liu Jian slowed his pace, stopping four or five paces away from Teng Qingshan, not getting any closer, merely observing him. Teng Qingshan's expression clearly shifted: "You...
you used poison!" Teng Qingshan distinctly sensed an unfamiliar substance infiltrating his bloodstream, causing his body to immediately feel faintly numb. Although the sensation was weak, Teng Qingshan instantly controlled the flow of his vital energy (Qixue) and expelled the unknown substance from his body.
Outwardly, with a soft peng, Teng Qingshan slumped to the ground, feigning weakness. "Haha, yes, I used poison.
Too bad, you realized it too late," Liu Jian said with a smile. "Don't you feel your limbs are weak and numb?
Unable to even muster your internal energy? Stop struggling!
Once afflicted by our Iron Clad Sect's 'Southern Dream,' even a Xiantian expert's strength is affected." "Protector Liu, I hold no grudge against your Iron Clad Sect, do I?" Teng Qingshan said bitterly from his feigned collapse on the ground. "Correct, no grudge," Liu Jian sneered.
"But why did you have to come to the Barren Lands?" "I come to the Barren Lands, and you must kill me?" Teng Qingshan stared at Liu Jian. At this moment, Teng Qingshan desperately wanted to know why the Iron Clad Sect wanted him dead.
Thus, feigning poisoning offered a chance to make them reveal their reasons. Klang!
Liu Jian drew the short saber at his waist, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Teng Qingshan, stop asking!
Blame your bad luck. What a pity...
a master on the Earth Ranking (Di Bang) at only seventeen years old, destined to die silently here in the Barren Lands, his corpse to be eaten by wild beasts. Still, dying by my hand is a blessing cultivated over three lifetimes." As he spoke, Liu Jian advanced toward Teng Qingshan.
Suddenly— He swung the short saber fiercely. Whoosh!
The blade carved an arc, aiming directly for Teng Qingshan's neck—intending a swift decapitation! Teng Qingshan, who had been weakly seated on the ground, moved his right hand.
Pa! An illusionary impact struck Liu Jian's right wrist, followed by the audible snap of bone.
"Ah!!!" Liu Jian cried out in pain, and the saber flew from his grasp, tumbling a few times before landing in the weeds. Liu Jian gritted his teeth and attempted to claw at Teng Qingshan with his left hand.
Peng! Teng Qingshan's fist slammed into Liu Jian's abdomen.
With a deep thud, Liu Jian was thrown backward, landing heavily. He curled up in agony, his face ashen white.
"My Dantian, my internal energy..." He discovered in horror that his Dantian was fractured, and all his internal energy had scattered. A destroyed Dantian meant he could never cultivate internal energy again!
Inability to cultivate internal energy was a fate worse than having both legs severed for a martial artist! "You—why aren't you poisoned?" Liu Jian lay on the ground, staring at Teng Qingshan in terror.
"You couldn't possibly have an antidote, and I didn't see you take one." Teng Qingshan stepped onto the dry leaves and broken branches on the ground, causing a crisp sound, and walked toward Liu Jian step by cold step.