C8 Outside the Country Border

Inside the second-level Space-Time Prison of the Return to the Ruins Tower, Chu Yan was drenched in sweat. His body coiled like a taut bowstring, he harnessed his energy and lunged forward with such force that the air itself seemed to scream in protest.

Chu Yan thrust his arm out, sending ripples through the air as if it were thick, boiling water.

"Furious Dragon Bind!" he bellowed.

His fingers curled into claws, striking with the ferocity of a dragon seizing the ocean, and he viciously grasped the head of a stone golem. The golem's head, as if made of tofu, was effortlessly penetrated by Chu Yan's talon-like grip.

With a low growl, Chu Yan unleashed a torrent of formidable power from his arm. A cacophony of crackles emanated as the immense force flowed instantaneously into his palm and fingertips.

Boom!

The golem's head exploded into dust with a thunderous crash, leaving a stark, bare neck in its wake. Chu Yan's face broke into a grin of satisfaction.

Relaxing his stance, he surveyed the golem and let out a breath, "At the second level of the Genuine Force Stage, one should be able to leave an imprint on rock with a palm strike. Yet, with the Raging Dragon Bind, I can obliterate a golem. The martial arts taught by the immortals are truly exceptional."

Chu Yan estimated that although he had returned to the second level of the Genuine Force Stage, his strength could now rival that of someone at the third level with modest achievements.

The more he practiced, the more Chu Yan sensed the profound and boundless essence of the technique. It seemed that what he had mastered was merely the surface of the Raging Dragon Bind; greater power and deeper secrets awaited his discovery.

During his rest, Chu Yan pulled out the manual, allowing the human silhouette projected from its pages to demonstrate the technique several more times, helping him correct the imperfections in his recent practice.

After a brief pause, Chu Yan repeated the Raging Dragon Bind over a dozen times. The shattered remnants of the golems lay scattered across the floor. With a casual tap on a protruding part of the wall, the remains of the golems melted away like wax, slowly sinking into the ground.

After the stone figure vanished, the ground returned to its pristine, solid state, as though nothing had ever occurred.

Chu Yan had stumbled upon this secret not long ago.

The second layer of the Space-Time Prison not only isolated the passage of time from the outside world, creating a secluded microcosm, but it could also materialize stone warriors tailored to Chu Yan's specifications for his solitary training.

Once his practice session was over, a simple press of a wall mechanism would automatically clear away the stone figures, a remarkably convenient feature.

After days of intensive training, Chu Yan had mastered the Raging Dragon technique. Realizing that dawn was less than two hours away, he retrieved the Cyan Astral Sword that Princess Chu Chan'er had sent him through a eunuch on the day he departed the imperial city.

The Cyan Astral Sword had been Chu Yan's sidearm in battle, yet he preferred the sweeping might of his Dragon-Breaking Spear, especially since longer weapons held an advantage on the battlefield. Consequently, the sword had seen little action.

Despite this, Chu Yan's prowess with the sword was no less remarkable than his skill with the spear.

Leaving the capital this time, Chu Yan had not taken any weapons with him. The timely gift of the Cyan Astral Sword from Chu Chan'er fortuitously resolved this issue.

It was a stroke of luck that Chu Chan'er had sent him his original sword; otherwise, he would not have accepted it.

Drawing the sword from its sheath, a dragon's cry echoed as a glint of cold light spread along the blade, painfully bright to the eyes.

With a series of movements—downward slash, forward thrust, reverse sweep—Chu Yan's swordplay illuminated the Space-Time Prison with a luminous arc, spinning like a ribbon in the air.

Forged on the battlefield, Chu Yan's swordsmanship was devoid of frivolous flourishes; every strike was lethal, executed with ruthless precision.

As he continued his drill, the atmosphere within the Space-Time Prison grew tense and charged, as if on the brink of battle, exuding a chilling aura of menace.

The caravan pressed on westward for another ten days.

Since leaving the capital of the Southern Yuan Kingdom, the group had been traveling westward, now nearly two months into their journey.

The landscape had shifted from verdant mountains and clear waters to the barren, wild ridges that now stretched before them. Everywhere one looked, an air of desolation hung heavy.

Chu Yan recognized this transformation and knew they were nearing the border of the Southern Yuan Kingdom.

Once they crossed the border, a three-day journey would bring them into the territory of the Prefecture of Persia.

In recent days, Chu Yan had redoubled his efforts in swordsmanship and the Raging Dragon technique. Whenever he found a moment of solitude during the day, he would retreat into the time-space cage to train, even if for just half an hour, making the most of every opportunity.

As a result, not only had he honed the Raging Dragon technique to greater precision, but Chu Yan had also regained the peak of the second level of the Genuine Martial Realm, teetering on the brink of the third.

His intense dedication to training was fueled by the prospect of advancing to the next level of the Return to the Ruins Tower once he fully restored his third level of Genuine Force, among other reasons.

Another day dawned, and in the morning, the leader of the escort came to inform Chu Yan that they were only twenty miles from the Southern Yuan Kingdom's border. Beyond it lay a lawless land between two nations.

Chu Yan, having once marched his army along this path in an assault on the Prefecture of Persia, offered no comment and instructed the leader to stick to the plan.

After the leader departed, Chu Yan's grip tightened around the Cyan Astral Sword, his eyes betraying a profound intent.

At noon, while the group rested at their temporary encampment, two figures emerged—one portly, the other lean.

The corpulent man, dressed in white, sported an iron claw at his waist, while his slender counterpart in black bore a curved scimitar.

Their abrupt appearance caught the eye of everyone present, their approach stirring an unspoken tension.

From a distance, their presence seemed to constrict the hearts of those who watched.

The escort, responsible for the safety of the convoy, quickly sensed the disturbance. He set aside his provisions and firmly grasped his weapon.

Xiao Pei could sense the atmosphere tightening around them. She moved closer to Chu Yan, her gaze fixed nervously on the two figures approaching.

Chu Yan, on the other hand, appeared oblivious to the shift in the air. He continued to munch on his dry rations, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

As the two strangers continued to close in, showing no signs of stopping even when they were still over thirty yards away, the guard captain rose to his feet. With a forceful thrust, he slammed his spear into the ground, the impact resonating with a sharp clang. He then bellowed at the approaching pair, "Halt! We are soldiers of the Southern Yuan Kingdom. Identify yourselves!"