“Junior Brother Tengfei, are you okay?”
The two disciples of the Floating Cloud Sword Sect rushed to Wang Tengfei's aid, their concern evident in their eyes.
Wang Tengfei's chest had caved in, and numerous ribs were broken, making him cough up blood incessantly.
Wang Tengfei's bloodshot eyes bulged with disbelief. He couldn't comprehend why the situation had taken such a drastic turn.
Chen Fan had been trapped in the sun’s flames, so his primeval qi should have been exhausted eventually. He would then be consumed by the flames and reduced to ashes, ensuring his demise.
"Prepare to meet your end!" Chen Fan declared, striding forward and delivering a powerful punch.
His punch seemed to create a cage encompassing all directions, unleashing a storm-like torrent of air that produced clattering sounds.
Enveloped by the punch’s qi, Wang Tengfei’s group struggled to breathe. They felt like the atmosphere had become an iron plate pressing down on them.
“Sword Qi Pierces Heaven!”
“Red Lotus Swordplay!”
The man and woman’s faces changed dramatically.
Wang Tengfei was already severely injured and couldn’t fight, so they had to step in. Otherwise, all three of them would soon be reduced to minced meat.
Both of them were at the late stage of the seventh level. While not as strong as Wang Tengfei, they could still put up a fight.
As they unleashed their cultivation, the man's sword soared into the sky before descending with great force like a meteor.
Meanwhile, red lotuses blossomed under the woman’s sword. From the lotus pods, the seeds shot out in all directions like bullets, penetrating any and all obstacles with a popping sound.
“Run!” shouted the man, not all that eager to see the outcome of their joint attack.
They grabbed Wang Tengfei and used their cultivation to the max, turning into blurs as they sped off, leaving a long trail of smoke on the ground.
“Hmph, they are quite fast!”
Chen Fan pushed his palm down, engulfing the two attacks. The trio had already run far away, so he decided not to pursue them with a cold harrumph.
“Are you alright, Senior Sister?” Chen Fan asked, looking at Qin Yao.
She shook her head and said, “I’m fine.”
Chen Fan nodded, then removed the ring from Lin Ba's finger.
It was a storage ring, a tier above storage pouches. It contained the treasures Lin Ba had acquired at the auction.
Next, he made a grabbing and pulling gesture, and Wang Tengfei’s sword flew into his hand.
This sword was a grade higher than his Killing Wind. The three fleeing disciples had disregarded this grade-two sword, allowing Chen Fan to benefit from it.
“Senior Sister, catch.” Chen Fan tossed this precious sword to Qin Yao.
Qin Yao’s choice of weapon was also a sword. However, her current weapon was only a grade-one sword. With this new sword, her strength would receive a significant boost.
“Come on up, Senior Sister. We have to get away quickly. The commotion earlier was too big. Some experts in the county city must have sensed it and are likely already on their way.”
Chen Fan mounted the Golden Horned Horse. His powerful aura immediately subdued the horse, and he gestured for Qin Yao to join him.
During the auction, many Qi Grandmaster powerhouses had coveted the Realm Breaking Pill, but Lin Ba had ultimately obtained it.
If those people saw that Lin Ba was dead, they would undoubtedly try to seize the pill, so they had to escape promptly.
Qin Yao hesitated, concerned about the physical contact that would occur if they both rode on the Golden Horned Horse.
Chen Fan saw through her concerns and smiled. “It’s fine, Senior Sister. It’s very spacious up here. We can ride with some space in between.”
Realizing they couldn't linger any longer, Qin Yao nodded and mounted the horse.
Chen Fan squeezed his legs against the horse’s belly, prompting the Golden Horned Horse to swiftly gallop toward the Spring Autumn Sect.
The horse’s back was indeed spacious, but the two still experienced some physical contact as it raced forward. They felt some ripples in their hearts, and memories of what happened in the Qingyang Mountain Range involuntarily resurfaced in their minds.
Not long after the two left, several people with powerful auras descended as they had expected. Upon seeing the chaotic battlefield and Lin Ba's corpse, the eyes of these Qi Grandmasters narrowed.
“Lin Ba was actually killed!”
Someone immediately grabbed at the air with their hand and pulled Lin Ba’s corpse to them. They searched carefully but failed to find anything of value.
“Someone killed Lin Ba and even stole the Realm Breaking Pill!” said that male Qi Grandmaster unhappily, an eerie light flashing in his eyes.
The Golden Horned Horse was speedy, covering ten thousand miles in just one day. An hour later, Chen Fan and Qin Yao returned to the Spring Autumn Sect.
The two met up with Qin Changkong and recounted the events. He felt a mix of anger and joy.
“It’s all thanks to you this time, Xiaofan. Without the Fire Spirit Chalcedony, Yaoyao would have only had a seventy to eighty percent chance of succeeding when fusing with the Bone Spirit Flame. Now that we have it, the success rate should be as high as ninety percent,” Qin Changkong said.
He had given Qin Yao 350 primeval stones, thinking it was enough. However, it turned out to be far from enough. Chen Fan had to spend over a thousand primeval stones to win the bid for the Fire Spirit Chalcedony, preventing it from falling into Lin Ba's hands.
Chen Fan smiled, “You’re too polite, Uncle Qin. It's my duty to help. Oh, right, when is Senior Sister going to fuse with the Bone Spirit Flame, Uncle Qin?”
Qin Changkong said, “The required materials are all prepared. I’m thinking of letting Yaoyao fuse with the Bone Spirit Flame immediately.”
“Alright, I’ll stand guard outside and not let anyone disturb you,” Chen Fan said, nodding. A sharp aura blossomed from him.
“Mmm, I’m counting on you, then.”
Qin Changkong entered his loft, arrived at a secret room, and began to help Qin Yao fuse with the Bone Spirit Flame.
Chen Fan stood as a vigilant guardian, his gaze sharp. Anyone who dared to intrude would face his fierce attacks.
He sat cross-legged in front of the door and began cultivating, using up many primeval stones.
Although he had yet to form the Heaven Seizing Furnace inside him, Chen Fan had already caught a glimpse of its ingenious use, allowing him to refine everything in heaven and earth.
As large quantities of primeval stones burst open, waves of primeval qi surged forth, rushing into him. This refining speed was several times faster than before.
The abundant primeval qi entered Chen Fan and circulated, condensing and strengthening his aura, which continued to rise steadily.
Absorbing the energy in Wang Tengfei’s flames of the great sun not only tempered Chen Fan’s physique but his Myriad Elephants Divine Art also advanced to the fifth layer. Simultaneously, the primeval qi in his dantian underwent refinement, purging all impurities.
Chen Fan had recently advanced to the middle stage of the sixth level and should have taken some time to stabilize his foundation before attempting another breakthrough. However, now that his primeval qi had been refined, he no longer needed to worry about this.
Furthermore, he had a huge amount of primeval stones on him now and wasn’t afraid of using them.
Soon, a resounding boom echoed from within him. The primeval qi in his dantian rose dramatically, and he successfully advanced to the late stage of the sixth level.
However, Chen Fan didn’t stop there. He continued using large amounts of primeval qi, strengthening his aura.
Two days later, he advanced to the peak of the sixth level. He was now only a step away from breaking through to the seventh level.
Chen Fan stood up, overjoyed, when he sensed the thick primeval qi and strength within him. He threw out a punch, causing a boom in the air.
“Heh heh, with my current strength, I can sweep through all martial artists below the Qi Grandmaster realm!”
The sound of a door opening rang out from behind.