11: Breakthrough again

“This…”

Wang Xiangui was instantly speechless.

Indeed, was he safe by staying put?

The answer was obviously no, otherwise they wouldn’t have encountered the Black-Haired Monster.

Rather than waiting for death, it was better to follow Shen Xi and take a chance. After all, he was at the Yuánqì Realm, and his chances of survival were much higher than his own.

Having understood this, Wang Xiangui no longer hesitated. He quickly caught up to Shen Xi: “Big Brother, wait for me.”

Seeing Wang Xiangui, a middle-aged man with a bulging belly, call him Big Brother, Shen Xi found it a bit hard to maintain his composure.

In the world of Martial Artist, the strong truly are respected.

Before, the other party had wanted to fight and kill him, but now it was “Big Brother” with every other word, and his tone couldn't be more pleasant.

It was a pity that if it weren’t for the occasional flash of resentment and hostility deep in Wang Xiangui’s eyes, which revealed his true thoughts, Shen Xi might have actually fallen for it.

It was merely a relationship of mutual exploitation.

Shen Xi was very clear about this; his relationship with Wang Xiangui was not as close as it seemed. It was just that due to circumstances, they had to temporarily form an Alliance.

Wang Xiangui needed his strength for protection, and he needed Wang Xiangui as cannon fodder to scout ahead. They were simply taking what they needed.

They continued forward.

During this time, they collected over ten more catties of Ore and once again encountered a Black-Haired Monster.

The strength of this Black-Haired Monster was also at the Yuánqì Realm, and with the enhancement of its black hair, its strength was clearly much greater than that of an ordinary Yuánqì Realm practitioner.

Shen Xi spent a lot of effort to successfully kill the opponent and also sustained some injuries.

It was precisely because of this that he personally experienced the pain of the black hair emerging.

This was indeed a torment, as if countless ants were gnawing at his wound, or as if someone had poured sulfuric acid on his wound.

Even Shen Xi, who had endured much hardship since childhood, couldn't help but let out a painful roar.

Beside him, Wang Xiangui’s eyes were incredibly complex, wondering what he was thinking.

He looked as if he was about to make a move, but in the end, he held back.

Shen Xi naturally took in Wang Xiangui’s small actions.

The other party wanted to kill him while he was dealing with the black hair, but he was also worried that if he died, no one would protect him, so he held back.

However, if Wang Xiangui knew that Shen Xi was guarding against him even while healing, he would surely be filled with lingering fear, fortunate that he didn’t make a move, otherwise, the one who died would surely be himself.

Another three hours passed.

The view ahead suddenly became wide open.

Visibility was no longer limited to ten meters; it was suddenly clear.

“Are we out of the swamp area?”

Wang Xiangui said with some excitement.

The swamp, this cursed place, was cold and damp, with all sorts of dangers, keeping him on edge at all times.

Shen Xi also showed a knowing smile, but the next second, his smile froze.

The path beneath their feet was still swamp, and the surrounding air was still rotten and damp.

All signs indicated that they had not left the swamp area.

The reason they could suddenly see the path ahead was simply because two lights suddenly appeared before their eyes.

No!

Those weren’t two lights, but two eyes.

These two eyes were as huge as basketballs, suspended in mid-air, like two small suns.

It was the light emitted from these two eyes that allowed the Two People to see the path clearly.

“Run!”

Shen Xi roared in a low voice.

If the eyes alone were comparable to two basketballs, how enormous would the true body be?

This monster was even more terrifying than the giant python.

Shen Xi finally understood why the Forbidden Ground was a place of certain death.

With such a monster existing, those in the Yuánqì Realm simply couldn't survive.

“Damn it, what in the world is this thing?!”

Wang Xiangui finally reacted belatedly.

He let out a loud cry, ignoring everything else, and took off running.

As for Shen Xi, he had already fled.

At the brink of death, he naturally couldn’t care about Wang Xiangui.

Their situation now was: I might not be able to outrun that monster, but I only need to outrun you.

In the Forbidden Ground, a bizarre and somewhat comical scene unfolded.

Shen Xi ran in front, Wang Xiangui chased behind, and further behind were two large eyes following them.

And the true appearance of the owner of the large eyes remained unclear to anyone, always shrouded in black mist.

“Shen Xi, you bastard, wait for me!”

With death imminent, Wang Xiangui no longer bothered to call him Big Brother and cursed loudly.

Shen Xi couldn't be bothered to respond to the other party; with that effort, it was better to save some strength for running.

After running for an unknown amount of time, Shen Xi finally shook off that monster.

As for Wang Xiangui, he didn't know where he had run off to, nor whether he was dead or alive.

“Thanks to Wang Xiangui!”

Shen Xi exclaimed with great emotion.

If Wang Xiangui hadn't run slowly and been targeted by the monster, he really wouldn't have escaped so easily.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Xi did not continue on his way.

He found a hidden place to hide and began to recover his state.

Not only that, Shen Xi also took out all the Ore he had collected during this time.

【Martial Arts practice accelerating...】

【Year one, you began to absorb the energy of the heavenly spirit stone, and your Cultivate speed increased.】

【Year five, you are diligently Cultivating in an orderly manner, vaguely touching the threshold of the Minor Completion of Vital Energy. To capture this glimmer of Breakthrough, you practiced Martial Arts day and night.】

【Year ten, this glimmer of inspiration was clearly within reach, yet you could never grasp it. In a fit of rage, you coughed up a mouthful of old blood, losing one month of Lifespan.】

【Year fifteen, the heavenly spirit stone was on the verge of depletion, and you finally successfully entered the Minor Completion of Vital Energy. The Origin Qi in your Dantian began to circulate rapidly, forming a small vortex, and your combat power surged.】

【Year twenty-three, you stabilized your Realm, and the Benlei Eight Styles were also mastered to perfection, subtly showing the potential to once again advance to Innate Martial Arts.】

【Year thirty-six, you wanted to continue Cultivating, but found your Lifespan clearly insufficient, and could only reluctantly give up.】

【Cultivation: Minor Completion of Vital Energy】

【Martial Arts: Benlei Eight Styles (Acquired Martial Arts, with the potential to advance to Innate Martial Arts)】

【Lifespan: One year and one month】

【Yao Beast Lifespan: Zero】

His Realm had once again increased, adding eight months to Shen Xi’s Lifespan, and because he lost one month of Lifespan due to extreme anger, Shen Xi could now live for one year and one month.

As for the demon beast lifespan, it had been completely used up.

This made Shen Xi somewhat helpless. Unfortunately, the Black-Haired Monster was not a Yao Beast, but rather unfortunate Martial Artist who had been corrupted and turned into monsters. Killing them did not yield demon beast lifespan rewards.

Otherwise, his demon beast lifespan wouldn't be so little.

To continue to Breakthrough quickly, he must find a way to obtain more demon beast lifespan.