SWISH! A sound of rushing air cut through the silence. All Lin Ziqing saw was a fleeting afterimage before the head of a Fiery Prison Fire Wolf shot into the sky!

"S-such terrifying speed!" a young man stammered, dumbfounded.

It wasn’t just Lin Ziqing’s group of five who were shocked by Shen Haoran’s speed—even he himself was taken aback! This was the first time in half a month that Shen Haoran had fought without his giant black ruler. He never expected the resulting burst of speed to be so fast; it even seemed to surpass the limits of a Spirit User!

ROAR! After Shen Haoran slayed one Fiery Prison Fire Wolf, he completely enraged the remaining dozen or so. With another roar, they all charged at him, intent on tearing the human who had killed their companion to shreds!

"Bring it on!" Watching the ferocious charge of the Fiery Prison Fire Wolves, Shen Haoran let out a great shout. He gave his Soul-devouring Sword a flick and charged straight into the wolf pack!

"Is he crazy? Fiery Prison Fire Wolves excel at pack combat, yet he dares to charge right into them? Isn’t he just asking to be killed?" the curvaceous Junior Sister Su cried out in alarm.

"Hmph. He’s just a Tier One Spirit User. I knew we couldn’t rely on him! While he has the pack’s attention, let’s get out of here!" Lin Ziqing said, casting a disdainful glance at Shen Haoran, who was now surrounded by the pack.

Hearing Lin Ziqing, the five of them snapped back to their senses. With the entire wolf pack focused on that Tier One Spirit User, wasn’t this the perfect chance to escape? At this thought, they exchanged glances and started to turn and leave! 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

However, just as the five of them were about to leave, the head of a Fiery Prison Fire Wolf suddenly landed in front of them, blocking their path! A cold voice immediately followed, "Take one more step forward, and your heads will be next to fall!"

Hearing his voice, the five of them stopped in their tracks and looked toward Shen Haoran amidst the wolf pack. The pathetic sight they had imagined was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Shen Haoran appeared completely at ease among the wolves, even having the presence of mind to watch their every move!

What shocked them even more was that these Fiery Prison Fire Wolves, which had nearly cost them their lives, were like ants in Shen Haoran’s hands, easily crushed. Every time his Sword Light flashed, another wolf’s head would fly into the air! Already, five or six headless corpses littered the ground!

And Shen Haoran hadn’t stopped his slaughter! Although Fiery Prison Fire Wolves were Tier Two Spirit Beasts, their fearsome reputation came solely from fighting in a pack. The strength of a lone wolf was, at most, equivalent to a Tier Four Spirit User. But Shen Haoran? After half a month of life-and-death Cultivation, his speed was virtually unrivaled among Spirit Users. He could split the battlefield into a dozen fronts in an instant, picking off the wolves one by one! Moreover, his strength was not to be underestimated; he could stop a thousand-meter waterfall with a single punch. How could a mere Fiery Prison Fire Wolf possibly withstand one of his attacks?

Faced with the blood-crazed Shen Haoran, the remaining Fiery Prison Fire Wolves grew fearful. No longer daring to attack, they turned and fled! They were Spirit Beasts, after all, and had awakened their Spiritual Wisdom. They knew to run from a fight they couldn’t win; it would be a shame to throw their lives away for nothing.

Seeing the last of the Fiery Prison Fire Wolves retreat, Shen Haoran didn’t bother to give chase. He flicked the blood from his Soul-devouring Sword, walked over to Lin Ziqing, and held out his hand. "The problem’s solved. Now, where’s my payment?"

"Well... Brother, you see, we risked our lives for this Red Flame Grass. My brothers here aren’t willing to just hand it over. Could we perhaps change the terms?" Lin Ziqing said, his expression strained. ’To think that I, the top disciple of the Spirit Crane Sect’s Outer Sect, am now forced to grovel before some Tier One Spirit User brat!’

"Your brothers aren’t willing?" Shen Haoran said coldly. "Weren’t you all at each other’s throats a moment ago? What’s with the sudden unity? Don’t forget, I saved your lives. I’m just taking what I’m owed!"

"Brother, everything is negotiable," Lin Ziqing said. "How about we trade you a Spirit Gathering Pill for the Red Flame Grass? You can also consider it a favor owed to you by our Spirit Crane Sect!"

"A favor from the Spirit Crane Sect? Is that worth much?" Shen Haoran raised his Soul-devouring Sword to the tip of Lin Ziqing’s nose. "Cut the crap and hand over the Red Flame Grass. Otherwise, you know the consequences. With my speed, killing you all would be child’s play!"

’Was he joking? Trying to trade a Spirit Gathering Pill for a Third Grade Spiritual Medicine like Red Flame Grass was like offering scrap iron for gold! And a favor from the Spirit Crane Sect? That held no appeal for him. After all, Shen Haoran hadn’t forgotten his two-year agreement with their Inner Sect Disciple, Zuo Chuan!’

Feeling the killing intent radiating from Shen Haoran, Lin Ziqing’s expression turned grim. He was certain that if he even uttered the word "no," this Sharp Sword would pierce his chest without a shred of hesitation. Although he was a Tier Nine Spirit User, his Spiritual Power was completely depleted. Factoring in his opponent’s terrifying speed, his chance of death was one hundred percent!

Resigned to this reality, Lin Ziqing could only take out the Red Flame Grass and hand it to Shen Haoran. With a dark expression, he asked, "Brother, could you at least leave a name?"

"Leng Feng!" Shen Haoran replied coldly, taking the Red Flame Grass. He gave Lin Ziqing one last look before turning and vanishing into the forest.

"Leng Feng? That name sounds so familiar... Where have I heard it before?" Junior Sister Su murmured, watching his retreating figure.

"That’s it! In Yunluo Town, he’s the Leng Feng who has the Top Grade Spirit Stone!" Lin Ziqing suddenly exclaimed.

"A Top Grade Spirit Stone!" Hearing this, the eyes of all five lit up with greed.

"Senior Brother Lin, we can’t let him get away!" Lured by the prospect of a Top Grade Spirit Stone, the five of them instantly forgot their earlier conflict and united once more.

"But finding him in a forest this dense won’t be easy," Junior Sister Su said, frowning.

"Who said we have to find him ourselves? There are plenty of people in this forest who’d love to find him! We’ll rest for a bit, then spread the word that Leng Feng is in the central part of the Profound Spirit Mountain Range." Lin Ziqing stared viciously in the direction Shen Haoran had vanished. "Hmph. Trying to snatch something from me? You’re still far too green!"

After leaving, Shen Haoran found a safe spot. He let out a long sigh of relief once he was sure Lin Ziqing and the others hadn’t followed. Looking at the Red Flame Grass in his hand, he nodded in satisfaction.

Elder Yan had told him that Red Flame Grass was one of the key Spirit Medicines for refining the Body Tempering Pill. He was surprised he had found it so easily.

"Shen the kid, are you sure you want to let those people go?" Elder Yan’s voice suddenly rang out in his mind, just as Shen Haoran was feeling pleased with himself.

"We don’t have some deep-seated feud, after all. Killing them would be too inhumane," Shen Haoran replied with a nod.

"Hmph. Misplaced mercy," Elder Yan snorted. "With a personality like Lin Ziqing’s, do you really think he’ll let you off the hook so easily?"

"It won’t be long before you realize just how foolish you’ve been!" After saying his piece, Elder Yan fell silent.

Shen Haoran didn’t take Elder Yan’s warning to heart. ’I’m not going to the Spirit Crane Sect anyway,’ he thought. ’Who knows if I’ll ever even see them again? I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’

"Changmao, come out," Shen Haoran called out. "You were a huge help in finding the Red Flame Grass. What would you like as a reward?"

"Red Flame Grass? No, no, no, this isn’t the treasure I meant," Changmao said, having climbed onto Shen Haoran’s shoulder. It shook its head while looking at the herb. "But the treasure’s aura is very similar to this one!"

"Not the Red Flame Grass?" Shen Haoran was stunned.

"What? You’re saying the aura is similar to this?" Hearing that, the previously silent Elder Yan suddenly grew excited.

"That’s right!"

"Haha! Shen the kid, you’ve hit the jackpot! To think you’d stumble upon such a treasure!" Elder Yan exclaimed in delight.

"What treasure?"

"Let’s go take a look! It has to be that item, no doubt about it!" With that, Elder Yan urged Changmao onward.

’What’s with all the secrecy?’ Shen Haoran thought, hurrying to keep up.