C27 Advancement Profound Level Middle Period!

"Ha ha, there's no escape for you now!" Two men in black cornered a woman, their laughter dripping with triumph. That woman was none other than Su Yun, the one who had not yet emerged from the forest. Unexpectedly, she too had been intercepted.

With a defiant snort, Su Yun didn't back down but advanced, wielding a tree branch to fight back. But her efforts were in vain. As the weakest among her group, only at the Yellow Level Middle Phase, she was no match for these two masters at the Profound Level Early Period. Within a few exchanges, she was overpowered and on the brink of death.

Suddenly, a flash of a blade bisected the man in front of her.

"What the—!" The other assailant, pale as a ghost, didn't hesitate to turn tail and run.

"Bang!" A delicate yet powerful hand struck with a palm, sending him flying. He hit the ground lifeless, dead on impact.

"Yuv Henn, Ms. Ningyu!" Su Yun cried out, relief washing over her at the sight of her saviors.

Yuv Henn emerged, saber in hand, followed by Mao Ningyu. Yuv Qianer was likely back at camp, standing by for support.

Saber never far from his side, Yuv Henn had slain a peer, and even though it was an ambush, his prowess was undeniable.

Mao Ningyu, with her cultivation at the Earth Level Late Period, found dispatching a Profound Level Early Period adversary to be no challenge at all.

"Xiao Yun, what's happened? Why are you being pursued? And where are Ya Shi and the others? Weren't they with you?" Mao Ningyu inquired.

"Ms. Ningyu, here's what happened," Su Yun began, recounting the events.

As it turned out, the four had delved deep into the forest, reveling in their adventure. Hours later, weariness set in, and they decided to head back. Lyu Liya, pressed by nature's call, had stumbled upon two men in black engaged in a shady exchange. One handed a mysterious package to the other, a smaller man, with a sinister promise to teach Hua Country a lesson by poisoning Heavenly Sea University.

Lyu Liya's heart raced as she made a hasty retreat, but her departure didn't go unnoticed by the men in black. Suddenly, over a dozen of them emerged, each boasting a strength of at least the Yellow Level Late Period, and they began their separate pursuits of the four women. The Mi sisters led the men in black away, while Su Yun and Xiao Rou eventually split up.

"How long have you been on the run?" Mao Ningyu inquired after hearing Su Yun's account, pausing to consider the situation.

"Close to an hour now," replied Su Yun, her face etched with worry.

"An hour? That's not good! Which way did they go?" Mao Ningyu pressed, urgency in her voice.

"Over there!" Su Yun pointed.

Without hesitation, the trio dashed off in the indicated direction.

Meanwhile, Fei Liang's standoff continued, with the leader of his adversaries growing increasingly impatient.

"Vanish!" he commanded in a hushed tone, and just like that, he was gone.

"Hey!" At his signal, the rest followed suit and disappeared.

"Ninjutsu!" The onlookers' faces fell as they realized what was happening. Despite their readiness for such tactics, they could only watch in dismay as their foes vanished. Lee Shanfeng and his companions immediately ramped up their alertness to the max.

Elsewhere, a man in black reveled in secret triumph. He had refrained from using his ninja arts earlier due to the peculiar nature of the forest, which caused them to malfunction unpredictably. But now, it seemed the effects were exceptionally favorable.

"Meier, initiate the scan," Fei Liang ordered with a smirk, communicating telepathically with Meier. The true advantage of the ninja arts remained to be seen.

"Understood, Mr. Fei," Meier responded.

The scan revealed the ninjas, just as Fei Liang had anticipated, with nowhere to hide. Feigning obliviousness, Fei Liang edged closer to the hidden assailants.

"Hehe, foolish people, your blood will soon anoint my blade," the ninja thought smugly, watching Fei Liang approach, seemingly unaware of the danger. His eyes gleamed with a predatory hunger.

Twenty meters, fifteen, ten... He silently counted down the distance to his target.

"Strike!" Just as the ninja was about to pounce from a mere three meters away, a deep cry stopped him in his tracks. Fei Liang, as if by magic, produced a knife and delivered a swift, precise slash towards him.

"Chi!" In a flash, Fei Liang bisected the ninja.

"How is this possible!" That was the final flicker of consciousness in the ninja's mind.

"Hah!" But Fei Liang was relentless, striking out at the nearest other ninja with explosive force.

"Chi!" The ninja scrambled to defend himself, but it was too late; his head was ruthlessly severed by Fei Liang. This was a ninja in the early stages of the Profound Level.

"Damn it!" The lead ninja was both shocked and enraged, his face darkening to the point it seemed it might start to rain. He was clueless as to how Fei Liang had pinpointed the location of the two ninjas. In a single move, he had lost two more men, shifting the odds to four against six, completely losing their edge.

The remaining ninjas leapt into action, their main advantage being their ninjutsu, which now seemed utterly ineffective. If they didn't come out, were they just waiting to be slaughtered?

"How did Old Three figure this out? He's incredibly skilled," Lee Shanfeng exclaimed, astonished. The others echoed his sentiment.

"Hmm? Move!" Suddenly, Fei Liang's expression changed, and he lunged at Lyu Lishi.

Fei Liang tackled Lyu Lishi to the ground, holding her tight as they rolled to safety.

"Chi!" Still, the blade's energy grazed Fei Liang, eliciting a muffled grunt and a grimace of pain.

"A Profound Level Late Period Expert!" Mao Yuntian shouted, alarmed.

"A Profound Level Late Period Expert, huh? Excellent. Now, witness my true power," Fei Liang declared, rising from Lyu Lishi without noticing the blush on her cheeks.

"Meier, it's time to boost my power. Use a hundred crystals each for my spiritual energy and physical strength," Fei Liang communicated telepathically. Harnessing Realm Energy to enhance his abilities could advance his strength by two levels at once. Reaching the middle Profound Level, he'd be nearly on par with his opponent.

"Mr. Fei, your current spiritual energy is 483, your physical strength is 486, and you have 1192 crystals remaining. Are you sure you want to proceed with the enhancement?" Meier inquired.

"Confirmed," Fei Liang responded firmly.

“Hiss!” A familiar pang of pain coursed through his body, as if a multitude of ants were feasting on Fei Liang's heart, locusts burrowing into his flesh, and ice piercing his veins one moment, only to be plunged into boiling oil the next. Fei Liang felt as though he was on the brink of bursting apart.

"My lord," greeted the lead ninja in black, bowing his head in respect upon the arrival of the newcomer.

"Hmph, what a joke. Your true strength? You..." The assailant who had just attempted a sneak attack ignored Fei Liang's words, opting instead to scoff at him. But his mockery was cut short as he froze in disbelief.

A formidable aura suddenly erupted from Fei Liang, growing in intensity. It surged through the peaks of Yellow Level Late Period, ascended through the early and peak stages of Profound Level Early Period, and finally settled at Profound Level Middle Period.

"Mr. Fei, your current stats are as follows: mental strength at 783, physical strength at 685, reaction speed at 678, attack power at 677, defensive capability at 682, overall combat strength at 1359, explosive force at 125. Your cultivation has reached Profound Level Middle Period, with 992 energy crystals remaining," Meier reported.

"Understood," Fei Liang acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Profound Level Middle Period!" Lyu Lishi gasped, astounded. But before they could further express their amazement, they noticed the ninjas closing in on them.

"Profound Level Middle Period? Kill him!" The ninja with the prowess of Profound Level Late Period let out a relieved breath before issuing a stern command. He was not about to let the situation slip out of control again.

At his command, the original four ninjas, along with several others he had brought, encircled Fei Liang and his party of six. It was nine against six, with the opposition boasting a Late Period Expert. Fei Liang and his allies found themselves ensnared in peril once more.