148: Chapter 148 Breakthrough, Return to Truth!

The wind howled, and the surrounding trees retreated rapidly.

Xu Jianyi glanced back and discovered that all traces of anyone behind him had completely vanished.

He let out a long, stale breath, his tense nerves finally relaxing a little.

As a professional assassin, describing him as a "crafty rabbit with three burrows" was simply perfect.

This mountain Peak was not just a randomly chosen resting place.

The entire mountain forest was intricate and rugged; anyone who hadn't memorized the route beforehand would get lost within a few steps.

Moreover, he had set up dense traps and mechanisms throughout the forest, so even an opponent of the same Realm would suffer if they encountered them.

"A brute with nothing but raw strength."

"Want to catch me? Try in your next life."

He sneered, preparing to slow down and find a hidden cave to treat his wounds.

However, the very moment this thought arose,

Boom!

A dull, thunderous sound suddenly erupted from the mountain forest far behind him.

Xu Jianyi turned his head abruptly.

He saw large flocks of birds rising into the sky in terror above the distant forest.

A suffocating, terrifying Aura was closing in on his direction at an incredible speed.

"How is this possible?!"

Xu Jianyi's scalp went numb, and he was terrified to the point of his liver and gallbladder splitting.

That Aura was more than ten times stronger than when they had fought just moments ago!

Furthermore, the speed was completely beyond his comprehension!

Boom!

A small hill behind him actually exploded directly under the impact of violent True Qi.

Debris surged across the sky.

A figure like a demon god, carrying an earth-shattering Aura, violently smashed through all obstacles along the way and charged straight at him.

"What the hell kind of monster is this!"

Xu Jianyi's voice changed pitch from fear.

He could no longer care about suppressing his injuries; he burned the remaining essence blood in his body, pushing his movement technique to the limit.

A white afterimage wove frantically through the mountain forest.

To block the pursuer behind him, Xu Jianyi threw a dozen poisoned hidden weapons backward.

Swish, swish, swish!

The hidden weapons tore through the air, heading straight for the face of the charging figure.

Chen Ran's expression remained unchanged as his protective True Qi surged violently.

Bang, bang, bang!

The moment the steel-forged hidden weapons touched within three feet of Chen Ran's body, they were shattered into powder by the violent True Qi.

They couldn't stop him in the slightest.

The roaring sound behind him drew closer and closer.

With every step Chen Ran took, the ground collapsed with a boom, and the surrounding rocks were shattered to pieces.

He didn't need any exquisite movement technique, nor did he need to consider the obstacles in front of him.

Relying solely on that terrifying Physical Body strength and True Qi, he had forcibly carved a straight path through the mountain forest!

Five miles. Three miles. One mile!

"No! Don't come over here!"

Xu Jianyi roared in despair.

His Lightwork, which he took pride in, became a complete joke in the face of absolute power.

Boom!

Chen Ran's figure descended from the sky like a meteorite, slamming heavily onto the open ground in front of Xu Jianyi.

The earth trembled, and air waves rolled out.

With nowhere left to hide, Xu Jianyi gritted his teeth, drew his weapon, gathered all his True Qi into a single point, and stabbed fiercely at Chen Ran's heart.

"Die!"

Chen Ran remained expressionless; he simply raised his hand casually and slapped it across.

Bang!

The dagger shattered inch by inch.

The violent palm wind struck Xu Jianyi's chest without any resistance.

Accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of bones breaking, Xu Jianyi flew backward like a broken sack, snapping over a dozen large trees before crashing heavily into the mud.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he passed out immediately.

Chen Ran slowly retracted his palm and let out a stale breath.

Feeling the abyss-like power of the Return to Truth Realm within his body, he nodded with satisfaction.

"You certainly run fast, but unfortunately, it's still not enough."

He walked over to Xu Jianyi, grabbed him by the back of his neck, lifted him up, and turned to walk in the direction of the capital.

...

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Xu Jianyi slowly regained consciousness.

It felt as if all the bones in his body had been crushed and reassembled; the excruciating pain made his whole body twitch.

He opened his eyes abruptly and found himself tied to a thick wooden pillar.

The surroundings were dimly lit, and the air was filled with a heavy smell of blood and mold.

"Where am I?"

Xu Jianyi felt dizzy, the last scene in his memory still etched in his mind.

"Right, where is that person?"

Thinking of that final attack, cold sweat broke out on Xu Jianyi.

He couldn't care about the pain right now and began to observe his surroundings.

As a result, after seeing the scene in the distance, he froze in place.

He saw that the surroundings were an artificially "excavated" cave, and the walls of the cave still bore traces of True Qi.

At the very front of the cave, a bare-chested man with black hair draped over his shoulders was sitting cross-legged.

Fierce gale winds swirled around the man, and True Qi roamed wantonly over his body, like solidified demonic flames burning beside him.

Rumble.

Accompanied by a thunderous sound, the Aura on the man began to climb upward.

Xu Jianyi swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the scene of surging Aura in the distance.

"What kind of demonic cult member is this?"

"No, it seems like... he is undergoing a Breakthrough?"

Xu Jianyi blinked, quickly confirming his thoughts.

This person was indeed undergoing a Breakthrough.

And it was a Breakthrough of a major Realm.

"As expected, how could someone with such strength just be at the Peak of the Return to Truth Realm."

Xu Jianyi felt a bit better; if he had lost to an expert of the Innate Realm, he would have felt much better.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Swift gale winds stirred in the air, tearing apart everything in front of them.

Boom!

Suddenly, a terrifying wave of air erupted from the black-haired man.

Click.

Chen Ran lifted his eyes, feeling the ocean-like cultivation within his body.

"The Return to Truth Realm is finally achieved."

Chen Ran stood up, turned around, and walked to the side of the gloomy middle-aged man.

"Was it you who assassinated the First Prince that night?"

Xu Jianyi was stunned, then laughed instead: "So it's a lackey of the imperial court, wanting to take this grandfather to exchange for a reward?"

"I tell you, it's impossible; don't even think about getting a single clue from my mouth."

"Oh." Chen Ran nodded slightly.

He just wanted to confirm the person's identity, and after confirming it was the assassin from that night.

He shook his head slightly:

Whether it was the factional struggles of the royal family in the capital or the intertwining power of the eunuch clique.

None of this had anything to do with him.

What he cared about most now was the top-tier movement technique on Xu Jianyi.

"Enough, you talk too much."

Chen Ran couldn't be bothered to listen any further.

It was just the same old rubbish anyway.

He raised his hand and delivered a precise hand-blade strike to the back of Xu Jianyi's neck.

Bang.

Xu Jianyi rolled his eyes and passed out cleanly once again.

Chen Ran clapped his hands, took out several specially made golden needles for sealing meridians from his bosom, and pierced them into several of Xu Jianyi's Acupoints.

He completely sealed the flow of True Qi in Xu Jianyi's body, then flicked a finger, projecting a stream of True Qi to completely destroy Xu Jianyi's Dantian.

...

The Heavenly Prison, Cell Block D area.

In the dark and damp corridor, several Jailers were gathered together drinking and gambling.

As Jailers of the Heavenly Prison, they couldn't go out on weekdays, which was quite boring.

They could only find things to do to kill time.

"Open! Big!"

"Damn it, lost again!"

A Jailer cursed and threw the copper coins in his hand onto the table.

Just then, the iron door at the end of the corridor was pushed open.

Chen Ran, wearing the official uniform of a Prison Officer, walked in expressionlessly, carrying an unconscious old man in gray clothes in one hand.

The Jailers were startled, hurriedly swept the gambling tools on the table into their arms, and stood up straight.

"Lord... Lord Chen!"

Chen Ran glanced at them, ignoring their gambling behavior.

He tossed Xu Jianyi onto the ground casually.

"A newly captured prisoner, just a common petty thief from the Jianghu."

"Find any empty cell in Cell Block D and lock him in."

The Jailers looked at each other.

A bold Jailer stepped forward and glanced at the thin, battered old man on the ground who had no fluctuations of True Qi.

"My Lord, this old man looks half-dead; if we lock him in Cell Block D... won't he die inside?"

The conditions in Cell Block D were the worst, and it housed heinous criminals without any background.

"He won't die... never mind, if he dies, he dies."

Chen Ran's tone was flat.

"Just give him a mouthful of swill every day to keep him alive."

"Yes! Rest assured, My Lord, leave it to us brothers!"

The Jailers nodded repeatedly, dragged Xu Jianyi by his ankles, and walked toward the depths of the corridor.

For a Prison Officer of Chen Ran's status to personally catch a prisoner and bring him over.

It meant something different.

Where would a common prisoner be worth a Prison Officer doing it himself?

This person must have offended Prison Officer Chen, which is why he was specifically interrogated and brought to the Heavenly Prison.

These Jailers dared not say much; they had already been caught by their superior for fooling around today, so how could they dare to ask further questions?

They obediently followed instructions, dragged the old man, and threw him into a cell that reeked of foul odors.

After finishing all this, they returned to the lounge to prepare for judgment.

Fortunately, Prison Officer Chen didn't press the issue of the gambling, but ordered them to come again after some time, and turned to leave.