Ahead, the Gongming Family Cultivators led by Gong Mingliang were engaged in a frantic search, while behind him, a ferocious and violent Third-tier Peak Shadow Demon Leopard watched with predatory intent! Fang Hao was instantly plunged into an unprecedented desperate situation!

Having missed its strike, the Shadow Demon Leopard’s eerie green pupils locked onto Fang Hao. A low growl rumbled in its throat, and Demonic Qi surged around its body, carrying a chilling killing intent. It clearly viewed Fang Hao as prey that had intruded upon its territory.

Not far behind, Gong Mingliang’s powerful pressure at the Middle Golden Core Stage was also rapidly approaching like a tide, clearly having sensed the commotion and Demonic Qi here!

Attacked from both front and back! There was no way to retreat!

Cold sweat instantly soaked Fang Hao’s back. His mind raced frantically, calculating every possible path to survival.

Fight head-on? Absolutely impossible! Whether it was Gong Mingliang or the Shadow Demon Leopard, he could not confront either of them directly. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Escape? Where to? Gong Mingliang blocked the path back, the Demon Beast cut off the path forward, and the sides were unknown dangerous lands that might hide even more terrifying existences.

"I must shift the misfortune onto others!" In a flash, a hint of ruthlessness flickered in Fang Hao’s eyes! This was his only chance at life!

At the moment the Shadow Demon Leopard’s limbs bent slightly, about to pounce again, Fang Hao moved! He didn’t retreat; instead, he faced the Demon Beast’s direction, pushing Shrinking the Ground to an Inch to its limit. His figure transformed into a blurry green shadow, not charging in a straight line but sweeping toward the Demon Beast’s flank at an extremely tricky angle!

Simultaneously, he raised both hands! His left hand threw several explosive flame talismans he had been holding; their target wasn’t the Demon Beast but the mist-shrouded area behind it! His right hand fully activated the empty clarity mirror, sending a distorted spatial ripple toward the pursuing Gong Mingliang!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosive flame talismans detonated within the mist, flames soaring and the sound echoing loudly! Though their power wasn’t enough to harm a Third-Ranked Demonic Beast, the massive noise and spiritual fluctuations instantly grabbed most of the Shadow Demon Leopard’s attention! The Demon Beast instinctively believed a greater threat had appeared behind it, snapping its head around to look warily toward the explosions!

Meanwhile, the spatial ripple sent toward Gong Mingliang, though weak, was like a firefly in the dark night under his powerful Divine Sense, clearly marking Fang Hao’s "escape" path!

"Junior, where do you think you’re escaping!" Gong Mingliang roared. Suspecting nothing, he turned into a crimson light and charged straight toward the direction guided by the spatial ripple! His eyes were only on Fang Hao, completely ignoring the Demon Beast in the mist ahead (or rather, he was confident his Middle Golden Core Stage cultivation was enough to crush any Third-Ranked Demonic Beast).

All of this happened in an instant!

Fang Hao brushed past the edge of the Shadow Demon Leopard’s sharp claws with extreme peril, even feeling the sharp sensation of the cold edge cutting through the air! He didn’t stop for a second, his Divine Spirit Steps shifting continuously like a ghost as he instantly vanished into a more densely packed area of jagged rocks to the side, while fully concealing his Aura as if merging into the shadows of the stones.

In the very next moment after he disappeared, Gong Mingliang charged forward aggressively!

His appearance placed him directly in front of the Shadow Demon Leopard, which had just turned back and was wary of the explosion!

On one side was a human Cultivator who had intruded into the territory and even provoked it with explosions (Gong Mingliang); on the other was an enraged Third-tier Peak Demon Beast with a strong sense of territory!

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred!

"Roar!!!"

The Shadow Demon Leopard was completely enraged! It abandoned its pursuit of the "little bug" Fang Hao and poured all its fury onto this human Golden Core Cultivator who radiated a powerful Aura and dared to provoke it head-on! It turned into a streak of black lightning, lunging at Gong Mingliang with claw winds that seemed to tear through everything!

Gong Mingliang was caught off guard! He never expected a Third-tier Peak Demon Beast to suddenly appear here, let alone launch such a frantic attack upon meeting! After all, he was at the Middle Golden Core Stage; his reactions were extremely fast, and he hastily summoned a Flame Flying Sword to block!

Clang!!!

Sparks flew everywhere! The Demon Beast’s claws collided fiercely with the Flame Flying Sword, producing a deafening crash! Gong Mingliang’s body shook violently, his blood and Qi churning, and he was actually forced back several steps! Meanwhile, the Shadow Demon Leopard was also burned by the scorching flames on the Flying Sword, letting out a roar of pain as its offensive grew even more ferocious!

"Vile beast! You seek death!" Gong Mingliang was both shocked and enraged; he immediately realized he had been played by Fang Hao! But at this moment, he couldn’t afford to think much more, as the Shadow Demon Leopard’s frantic attacks forced him to respond with all his strength! The Middle Golden Core Stage and the Third-tier Peak Demon Beast were evenly matched in strength, and for a time, they fought tooth and nail. Demonic Qi and flames crisscrossed, shattering large sections of the surrounding rocks!

Meanwhile, Fang Hao took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and had already fled hundreds of feet away, hiding deep within a profound rock crevice. He held his breath, listening to the intense sounds of fighting and roaring from afar, his heart still pounding.

"It worked!" He let out a long sigh of relief, his back soaked with cold sweat. The risk he just took was truly like dancing on the edge of a blade; one slight mistake would have meant eternal damnation.

He dared not be careless and immediately set up a few simple concealment and early-warning Formations within the crevice. Then, he sat cross-legged and swallowed a Medicinal Pill, focusing all his efforts on restoring his heavily depleted spiritual power and healing the internal injuries caused by Gong Mingliang’s palm wind earlier.

The battle in the distance lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, finally ending with an angry roar and a streak of crimson light receding rapidly. Clearly, Gong Mingliang had broken free from the Shadow Demon Leopard’s entanglement, though he must have consumed a significant amount of energy and perhaps even sustained some minor injuries. The Shadow Demon Leopard likely didn’t gain much of an advantage either.

"After this battle, Gong Mingliang will definitely be more cautious and hate me even more to the bone." Fang Hao understood this well. Temporary safety was merely a breathing space.

He had to use this time to find the "void crystal dust" as quickly as possible and then leave this place of trouble far behind.

Once his injuries and spiritual power had mostly recovered, Fang Hao cautiously extended his Divine Sense. After confirming the surroundings were temporarily safe, he quietly stepped out of his hiding place.

He delved deeper into the area where spatial ripples were becoming increasingly frequent with even greater caution. Along the way, he avoided the Auras of all Demon Beasts, bypassed obvious danger zones, and pushed his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes and Ethereal Art to their limits, carefully sensing the ethereal Aura of the "void crystal dust."

His hard work paid off. After passing through an area filled with strangely distorted stone forests, Fang Hao finally captured a trace of powdery substance, several times more concentrated than before and resembling silver starlight, slowly drifting down beside a tiny spatial rift that had just vanished!

"void crystal dust!" Fang Hao was ecstatic! He immediately took out a specially made jade bottle and carefully collected the precious powder. Though the quantity wasn’t large, it should be enough to repair the golden puppet’s core Formation!

After collecting the void crystal dust, Fang Hao didn’t dare to linger for a moment and immediately fled at full speed in the opposite direction from where Gong Mingliang had left.

Now, only the final material—"earth core jade marrow"—was missing. And the Black Wind Abyss was clearly not the place to search for it.

"I must leave the Black Wind Abyss and find a place where earth fire is active!" Fang Hao made up his mind, his figure vanishing into the depths of the thick mist.

Surviving this desperate situation made him realize the importance of strength even more profoundly. Repairing the golden puppet could not wait.