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Zhao Yihe no longer had any transformation attacks, but the gloomy and cold aura on his face remained unchanged. Thunderstorm and Liu Canghai kept their distance from him, while Xunuo simply concealed himself within the formation, making it impossible for Zhao Yihe to find him. Suddenly, Zhao Yihe stopped his assault, grabbed the Flying Dagger Artifact, and leaped into the air, fixing his gaze in one direction for a moment. "Damn it," Zhao Yihe cursed under his breath. With a flick of his hand, he produced a Talisman, rubbed his fingers together, and the Talisman ignited spontaneously without wind. At the same time, Zhao Yihe's body swayed and vanished as if he had disappeared into thin air.
"Teleportation Talisman!" Thunderstorm exclaimed in shock.
Xunuo certainly knew what Zhao Yihe held in his hand, but he was more curious about why Zhao Yihe was leaving. Amid Thunderstorm's cry of alarm, Xunuo flew out of the formation and stood high in the air, extending his Divine Sense to its limits. After a moment, Xunuo gasped and dove back into the formation.
Mei Sanli and the others were already aware of Xunuo's formidable Divine Sense, which was one reason why Xunuo was highly regarded. Now witnessing Xunuo's display, Mei Sanli and Thunderstorm simultaneously abandoned their attacks and soared into the sky. At that moment, a powerful Divine Sense reached out from afar; even someone as strong as Mei Sanli broke out in a cold sweat. Mei Sanli quickly summoned a Winged Flying Boat, and both he and Thunderstorm jumped onto the flying vessel. The Winged Flying Boat buzzed loudly and vanished into the horizon in just a few flashes. The remaining three were oblivious to the impending disaster; in an instant, a spirit bird and a flying boat shot off into the sky, leaving only an empty formation standing by the riverbank.
Xunuo was the second to escape; he leaped into the formation solely to retrieve two fallen Cultivators' storage bags left behind within it. The moment Xunuo reappeared, he activated another Teleportation Talisman. After two consecutive teleportations, Xunuo summoned the Black Iron Boat, unleashing its maximum speed while channeling all his mana into it with both hands pressed against its sides, racing away at breakneck speed. It wasn't until his mana was depleted that Xunuo guided the Black Iron Boat down into a valley, stowed it away, and blurred into invisibility as he sank underground.
Xunuo wasn't particularly skilled in the Earth Escape Technique; moving underground was slower than running on the surface. He had no intention of using the Earth Escape Technique to flee but continued descending until he reached several hundred feet deep—his limit with this technique. The thickness of the ground could weaken Mind Power; Xunuo didn't dare hope that a Teleportation Talisman could evade tracking from his pursuers. Even with two Teleportation Talismans stacked together, he felt no confidence whatsoever because he had sensed several familiar Divine Senses earlier—one of which belonged to a Foundation Stage Cultivator from Crimson Flower Sect who had chased him out of the Great Mountains.
The Crimson Flower Sect had tracked him down. This time they had invested heavily, bringing along Cultivators who had previously interacted with him through Insect Path. These Cultivators were familiar with Xunuo's aura and had Tracking Disks capable of following him.
If it were Cultivators from Merchant Alliance pursuing him, Xunuo would have been confident in escaping after two teleportations. However, under the lock of Tracking Disks, that distance wasn't enough to ensure safety. Naturally, Xunuo also didn't plan to hide underground; that would be too foolish. Coincidentally, Xunuo entered an underground cave—small and without an exit. He took a quick glance around before turning around and vanishing from sight.
In the next moment, Xunuo appeared within Boundary Space. Only here could he evade their search. However, to hide in this shell-like space, he first needed to ensure that they couldn't trace where he ultimately disappeared. He also had to prepare for a prolonged battle; while others might find themselves deep within noble gates like an ocean of despair, for him entering Boundary Stone meant not coming out again. With a self-deprecating smile, Xunuo sat cross-legged to recover his mana.
Boundary Space was dimly lit and lacked any sense of time; it was unclear how long passed before Xunuo finally opened his eyes after exhausting his mana. Regarding this choice, Xunuo felt helpless but relieved that he could still preserve his life. As for others like Zhao Yihe—who still had some chance of survival—even Mei Sanli seemed unlikely to escape alive in Xunuo's view. Gradually calming himself down, Xunuo began contemplating what to do while hiding in Boundary Space.
Suddenly, he remembered the two storage bags he had just acquired. These bags belonged to the last two Foundation Stage Cultivators he had slain; Xunuo certainly didn't expect any Foundation Pills transported by Merchant Alliance Delegation would be found on them—any other gains would be considered fortunate outcomes. The reason Xunuo dared to take those two storage bags was due to a glimmer of hope lingering in his heart.
Xunuo threw the two storage bags into the air, and as the openings flared wide, a pile of items appeared around him. The storage bag of a Foundation Stage Cultivator contained no ordinary items; it was filled with various rare materials and Advanced Talismans, with Mid-Grade Spirit Stones piled high like two small mountains. Xunuo systematically sorted the items into categories and also organized the spoils from the previous battle. In the end, only a few bottles of elixirs remained.
The elixirs obtained from the last battle had all been taken by Liu Canghai, so these few bottles must be the ones dropped by the two cultivators he had just slain. Xunuo opened each bottle to examine them. Skilled in Alchemy, although he had never crafted some of the higher-level elixirs and lacked the ability to refine others, he still possessed a keen eye for identifying them. When he opened a black Porcelain Bottle, a glimmering green elixir inside left Xunuo stunned. His face flushed red as he pinched the elixir between his fingers, scrutinizing it closely.
After what felt like an entire meal's worth of time, Xunuo finally burst into an ecstatic laugh that soon mingled with tears. This was a Foundation Pill, and it was the only one of its kind. It seemed that this Foundation Pill was not something transported by the Merchant Alliance Delegation but rather a personal possession of some Foundation Stage Cultivator. By some twist of fate, it had ended up in Xunuo's hands. A mix of emotions surged within him; his tears were not solely from joy but also from reflecting on how hard he had worked and how many risks he had taken to obtain this Foundation Pill—calculating every move, facing life-and-death situations, and committing ruthless acts. In the end, he found this treasure in what seemed like the most hopeless moment.
Since meeting Liu Canghai in Three Star City and joining Mei Sanli's group, Xunuo had done many things contrary to his nature in pursuit of the Foundation Pill. He had truly become an Evil Cultivator. However, he had no regrets about this path; even if time could rewind and give him another chance, he believed he would still choose this road without hesitation or mercy. On the Main Road in front of, he could only sever all ties and kick aside any obstacles. Cultivators sought longevity through actions that defied heaven; if heaven could be defied, why not humans?
At this moment, a glimmer of understanding arose within Xunuo; his path began to take on a vague shape. His expression gradually became calm and serious as he awakened from his initial ecstasy and madness, sitting quietly to contemplate that fleeting insight. He lost track of time in this state until he let out a soft sigh. The traces of his path were obscure and difficult to discern; they seemed to linger at the forefront of his mind yet remained intangible. Xunuo understood that his Realm was still insufficient and that his opportunity had not yet arrived; such insights on the Main Road could be encountered but not sought after. He reluctantly decided to abandon this moment of enlightenment.
Moreover, although Xunuo had obtained the Foundation Pill, he could not immediately consume it to break through his Bottleneck. A Cultivator faced two Heavenly Tribulations when advancing: the first being the Foundation Establishment Stage Tribulation. The Foundation Establishment Stage marked a watershed between mortals and immortals; only upon reaching this stage could one truly step into the realm of Cultivation and take a solid step toward longevity. This stage significantly increased one's lifespan. The second Heavenly Tribulation for a Cultivator was the Golden Core Stage Tribulation, which extended their lifespan to a thousand years—far beyond common understanding. Both Heavenly Tribulations coincided with significant increases in lifespan; it seemed that heaven punished such defiance against natural order.
Compared to the Golden Core Stage Tribulation, the Foundation Establishment Stage Tribulation was much easier to endure. The focus during this tribulation was on tempering the Cultivator's physical body and eliminating mortal roots within them. As long as a Cultivator's magical power and means were not lacking too severely, they could successfully weather this tribulation. If Xunuo wanted to consume the elixir to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he would need to find a place rich in Spiritual Energy without disturbances to attract Heavenly Tribulation for refining his mortal body. However, within Boundary Space, where could Xunuo summon down Heavenly Tribulation? Moreover, regarding the mystery of Boundary Stone, Xunuo knew far too little; he absolutely would not risk attempting to break through his Bottleneck within Boundary Space. Thus, he could only wait until after exiting to select a suitable location for advancement.
With that thought in mind, Xunuo turned back to continue planning his cultivation strategy while remaining in Boundary Space.
Currently at the peak of Foundation Stage cultivation and having undergone body refinement at Azure Sunfire Valley Fire Pool, both his body and magical power had been tempered and strengthened. Logically speaking, given his current condition and with a Foundation Pill in hand, advancing to Foundation Establishment Stage should pose no significant obstacles. However, Xunuo knew that he had previously relied too heavily on elixirs for advancement; unlike ordinary Loose Cultivators, he lacked sufficient training in refining his magical power. To ensure successful advancement with just one elixir, Xunuo decided that during his time hiding within Boundary Stone’s confines, he would primarily focus on refining his magical power.
Of course, this would be accomplished gradually while practicing Spells to condense his magical power over time. Although this method was slow-moving, it was undoubtedly solid. While Xunuo understood this approach well enough, he rarely practiced it—only after slaying an Ironclad Mountain Beast did he begin employing this method while cultivating near Spirit Lake. Previously, he mostly relied on elixirs for enhancing his magical power and neglected refining it through rigorous practice.
For cultivating Spells, Xunuo first settled on Bloodstorm Gale. Bloodstorm Gale had no apparent weaknesses; its swiftness combined with Golden Blade's sharpness made it particularly effective during combat.
The second Spell Xunuo chose was Hellfire Spell. Currently emphasizing Fire Root gave him some enhancement regarding fire techniques; more importantly, practicing fire magic allowed him to progress much faster than with other Spells. Strengthening Hellfire Spell was thus an obvious choice as well. Since Xunuo's Spiritual Root underwent mutation—from Wood Spirit Root to Fire Root—his Azure Vine Binding Spell significantly diminished in potency; not only did its power weaken considerably but also its progress slowed down drastically during cultivation. Even Yimu Qinglei Method—which Xunuo held high hopes for—fell into similar difficulties; hence why he had refrained from practicing these two Spells until now.
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