Chapter 389: Chapter 142: Reversal of the Chase, a Painful Concession for Peace... Demon Marrow Gold, Seven-leaf Star Orchid

Since when did the Demon Suppression Bureau produce such a monster?

Just then—

RUMBLE!

The entire Sealed Space seemed to tremble violently. The five massive cauldron phantoms, which had filled the area with their boundless, oppressive presence, shuddered abruptly before flickering like candles in the wind.

Finally, with a soft POP, the Five Elements Cauldron transformed into five faint streams of light that shot into Chu Fan’s left palm and vanished without a trace.

Some light returned to the surroundings. Though still dim, it was no longer absolute darkness. The heavy, oppressive force also receded like a tide.

The two of them leaned against a large boulder, panting heavily!

’He really can’t control such a powerful High-Grade Profound Weapon! Forcing it like that must have caused a backlash. His Primordial Qi is surely depleted!’

An unconcealable look of joy and viciousness appeared in Baili Bing’s eyes.

’Here’s my chance!’

But in the next moment, her expression changed drastically!

"Ugh!" She let out a muffled groan. She could feel several streams of sinister, venomous qi seeping into her meridians. It clung to her like a festering poison, penetrating the fine cracks that had formed in her Protective Primordial Qi after the violent tremor from where the Sword Gang had struck!

’It’s that Evil Qi again!’

The amount of this Evil Qi wasn’t large. It couldn’t take the life of an Acupoint Realm expert like her, and it might not even affect her combat strength in the short term.

But the true trouble with Evil Qi lay in its adhesive and corrosive nature. Once contaminated, it was like oil mixed into flour—extremely difficult to expel, leading to endless future troubles!

Worse, it would severely hinder her future Cultivation!

Baili Bing immediately had thoughts of retreat. She didn’t dare continue the fight.

She took one last deep look at Chu Fan, whose face was slightly pale as he quickly stuffed an Elixir into his mouth, then turned and bolted out of the Chaotic Stone Forest.

A mighty Acupoint Realm expert, forced to flee by a junior in the early Spirit Awakening Realm... If word of this got out, both she, Baili Bing, and the Medicine King Valley would be utterly disgraced!

But at this moment, how could Baili Bing afford to care about face?

Capturing this junior was no longer important.

What was important was to quickly leave this strange Chaotic Stone Forest, find a safe place, and focus all her energy on expelling the Evil Qi from her body!

The Sword Technique he cultivated could clearly draw upon the Evil Qi of this place. The longer she fought here, the more Evil Qi would accumulate, putting her at an even greater disadvantage!

"Trying to leave? Did you ask my saber for permission?"

A cold voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, came from behind her.

A figure flashed across the field. As if using Instant Teleportation, Chu Fan appeared before her again, barring her path with his long saber held horizontally.

Though his face was a little pale and his aura seemed somewhat chaotic, his eyes were still as sharp as a hawk’s, brimming with fighting spirit!

"Damn it..."

Baili Bing stared at the boy opposite her, who was as persistent as a maggot clinging to a bone. Her eyes were a mixture of shock and anger, laced with an indescribable frustration. "You forced yourself to activate a High-Grade Profound Weapon. You must be completely spent, a spent force! And you still dare to block my path?"

"Oh?"

Chu Fan replied nonchalantly. He unhurriedly picked up a fragrant Elixir, popped it into his mouth, and chewed a couple of times.

A healthy flush of color quickly returned to his pale face. "Then why are you running?"

"..."

Baili Bing was momentarily speechless, her chest tightening with frustration.

When it came to reserves of Elixirs, who could possibly compete with their Medicine King Valley?

But she hadn’t expended much energy chasing Chu Fan earlier. To deal with a mere Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator, there was no need to rely on Elixirs to replenish her Primordial Qi.

Now, seeing him recover by taking an Elixir right in front of her made her grind her teeth in anger.

She glanced at the bloody Evil Qi Blade Gang re-forming on Chu Fan’s saber, knew that words were useless, and snorted coldly. The Primordial Qi in her body erupted, and she transformed into a stream of light, charging straight at Chu Fan, intending to force her way through.

"Hmph!"

Chu Fan’s Long Saber vibrated, and its blade light surged, resembling a waterfall of blood that once again enveloped Baili Bing.

He knew there was a huge disparity in absolute power between them, so he refused to clash with Baili Bing head-on. Relying on his Ghostly Body Technique and exquisite Sword Technique, he fought like a cunning hunter, constantly skirmishing and entangling her.

Both his ferocious and brutal "Nine Blood Soul Blades" and his swift and violent "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" had already reached the Perfection stage, and had even undergone Breaking Limit once.

The stacking of terrifying Traits like "Sword Heavy as a Mountain," "Sword Swift as Lightning," "Knife Mastery," "Zhong Yue," and "Blood Evil Invading God"... combined with his Perfection-level, limit-broken Step Technique, made it exceptionally difficult and awkward for the injured Baili Bing to handle.

The situation had been completely and bizarrely reversed!

Previously, it was Chu Fan who had been fleeing for his life in the mountain forest.

Now, it was Baili Bing frantically running in front, with Chu Fan pursuing her relentlessly from behind like a life-reaping Yama!

The two of them, one chasing and one fleeing, covered a great distance through the mountain forest, leaving the Evil Qi-filled Chaotic Stone Forest far behind.

Having lost the geographical advantage, Baili Bing’s pressure eased slightly, but Chu Fan, relying on his recently mastered "Fleeting Shadows," was still consistently faster than her!

In an instant, he caught up again, his Long Saber showing no mercy as he unleashed another torrential storm of slashes.

However, without the constant interference of the Chaotic Stone Forest’s Evil Qi or the Cultivation suppression from the "Five Cauldrons Seal," Baili Bing gradually found the rhythm and advantage befitting an Acupoint Realm expert.

Her Protective Primordial Qi grew more stable, and her Swordsmanship became sharper.

Although she still couldn’t keep up with Chu Fan’s speed, she could now effectively block most of his attacks and even force him to retreat and dodge with an occasional counterattack.

"Brat! You can’t do anything to me!"

Baili Bing shouted coldly as she brandished her sword to parry, trying to break Chu Fan’s spirit. "Everything you’re doing is useless! You can’t even break through my defenses! Once your Primordial Qi is exhausted, you’re dead!"

Chu Fan’s figure flickered. He slashed at Baili Bing’s Protective Primordial Qi, then used the rebound force to retreat several dozen feet, where he stood holding his saber.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of dejection on his face. Instead, he revealed a thoughtful expression and said lightly, "Oh, my ’Running Technique’ just had a breakthrough. I was just using you for practice to get used to my new power."

Baili Bing: "..."

Chu Fan paused, his gaze calm as he looked at Baili Bing, but his tone carried a bone-chilling certainty. "It doesn’t matter if I can’t kill you today. Tomorrow, or perhaps next month, I will take your life."

"Besides..."

A cold smirk touched the corners of Chu Fan’s lips. "You already announced where you’re from. The ’Medicine King Valley,’ wasn’t it...? The monk can run, but the temple cannot."