C18 A Counterattack

Over the course of a month, the vicinity of the Grade Nine Magical Beasts remained largely unchanged. Wei Lulin followed a safe route and arrived without incident at the edge of their territory.

At that moment, he was concealed atop a robust tree, one meter in diameter and ten meters tall. He had suppressed his aura and was surveying the area inhabited by the Grade Ten Magical Beasts.

His previous ambush occurred because he had ventured into the Grade Ten Magical Beast territory without scouting ahead, resulting in an unexpected encounter with Yao Yafeng and others. This time, he was wiser. He carefully observed the area before deciding whether to proceed.

Half an hour later, the perimeter of the Grade Nine Magical Beasts was devoid of both Grade Ten Magical Beasts and Human Martial Artists.

Assured of his safety, he leaped down from the tree and stepped into the Grade Ten Magical Beast territory.

Within the Grade Ten area, Wei Lulin moved at a much more cautious pace compared to his swift progress among the Grade Nine beasts. He remained vigilant, constantly scanning his surroundings for any sudden appearances of Magical Beasts or warriors.

It seemed as though the Magical Beasts of the Endless Forest were hibernating, or perhaps the Human Martial Artists had recently vacated the area. Wei Lulin encountered neither beast nor warrior as he made his way into the territory of the Middle Rank Grade Ten Magical Beasts.

Wei Lulin estimated that if the path ahead remained as secure as it was, he would reach Lindorin Town by nightfall at his current pace.

An hour and a half later, he was nearing the domain of the weaker Middle Rank Grade Ten Magical Beasts. It was then that his good fortune abruptly ended.

He stumbled upon a Middle Rank Grade Ten Storm Bear, as well as over ten martial artists exuding a fierce aura of killing intent. The martial artists had the Storm Bear encircled, but there was no combat between them.

Because there was no conflict, Wei Lulin had failed to detect them earlier. Had he been aware, he would have certainly avoided the area and not walked directly into their midst.

The martial artists, poised to strike, were taken aback by Wei Lulin's unexpected appearance. However, upon realizing that Wei Lulin was merely a minor figure at the Qi Refining Stage Level Two, their tense expressions quickly eased.

"I'm sorry, I've taken a wrong turn. I'll leave immediately." Encountering a Human Martial Artist in the Endless Forest, Wei Lulin knew he had to avoid them as much as possible, especially since he couldn't be sure of their intentions.

Without waiting for their consent, Wei Lulin turned on his heel and sprinted towards the edge of the Endless Forest.

"Xiao Chao, take him down." It was suspicious for someone at the Qi Refining Stage Level Two to be found near a Middle Rank Grade Nine Magical Beast without a scratch on them, let alone looking spotless. This raised doubts in the mind of the group's most astute leader. He wondered if Wei Lulin was under the protection of a master or if he possessed some valuable treasure.

Uncertain of Wei Lulin's situation but unwilling to let the opportunity slip by, the leader sent a loyal subordinate, who was at the Qi Refining Stage Level Three, to gauge Wei Lulin's strength.

If Wei Lulin was indeed protected by a master, losing a subordinate at the Qi Refining Stage Level Three would be inconsequential. However, if Wei Lulin possessed a treasure, the leader trusted the subordinate's loyalty to hand it over without fail. The leader held leverage over the subordinate, so there was no fear of betrayal.

After dashing several hundred meters, Wei Lulin glanced back and noticed someone rapidly closing in on him.

The distance made it difficult for Wei Lulin to assess the pursuer's strength, but the speed suggested they were at least slightly stronger than him.

Wei Lulin estimated the distance to the edge of the Endless Forest and realized the pursuer would undoubtedly catch up before he could escape.

"Time to give it my all!" Initially, he planned to channel all his Spiritual Force into his legs to boost his speed, but realizing escape was unlikely, he abandoned the idea.

To maintain an edge and exit the Endless Forest swiftly, Wei Lulin kept moving. He fine-tuned his stride and breathing rhythm, ensuring he could press on while preserving ample physical and Spiritual Force.

Half an hour later, the gap between the two narrowed to a mere ten meters. Wei Lulin glanced back and noticed his pursuer was at the Qi Refining Stage Level Three, wielding a common long sword. This realization allowed Wei Lulin's anxiety to ease slightly.

Ten-refinement weapons were typically wielded by Qi Refining Stage martial artists, and despite their targeted user base, they were quite valuable. The Ten-refinement Steel Blade in Wei Lulin's possession, for instance, was worth several thousand gold coins on the market.

Ordinary Qi Refining Stage martial artists rarely had access to Ten-refinement Weapons. Only those with substantial influence and exceptional talent could wield such weapons at this stage.

The Jiaang family, known for their weapon forging, had many Ten-refinement Weapons, which is why an ordinary man from their ranks possessed the Ten-refinement Steel Blade. Moreover, the area where the Sun Opening Fruit was harvested fell within the territory of a Grade Nine Magical Beast, a place fraught with peril. To motivate their man, the Jiaang family had bestowed the Ten-refinement Steel Blade upon Wei Lulin in advance.

Eight meters.

Five meters.

Three meters.

Wei Lulin, who had been advancing at a steady pace, suddenly picked up speed. His sudden burst led the follower to believe Wei Lulin was about to sprint with all his might to escape, especially since they were not far from the edge of the Endless Forest. Concerned that Wei Lulin might get away, the follower channeled all his Spiritual Force into his legs to boost his speed.

But after only two steps, Wei Lulin, having summoned all his Spiritual Force, spun around abruptly. Clutching the blade in his left hand, he raised his arm and leaped, executing a strike with the Basic Blade Technique.

The martial artist tasked with intercepting Wei Lulin was taken aback. He had not anticipated that Wei Lulin would not only refrain from fleeing but would also turn and launch an assault. With most of his Spiritual Force concentrated in his legs, he was ill-prepared to mount a full defense.

Left with no choice, he raised his iron sword, intending to parry Wei Lulin's attack with his weapon and then devise a counterattack.

However, this was a full-force attack from Wei Lulin, while his opponent's defense was nothing but a rushed response.

The disparity in their abilities was merely a Small Stage, with Wei Lulin wielding a Ten-refinement Weapon, while his opponent had only an ordinary iron weapon. When the two weapons clashed, the inferior iron weapon shattered instantly. Wei Lulin's steel blade carved a path through his adversary's right arm.

Initially, Wei Lulin aimed for the man's head, but a swift cut from his opponent's weapon altered his trajectory, resulting in a deep slash across the man's shoulder instead.

The Ten-refinement Steel Blade's exceptional sharpness allowed it to effortlessly sever ordinary iron, and it was even more lethal against flesh. The blade's tip grazed the man's shoulder, sending the arm that gripped his weapon soaring into the air.