47: escape

The biting cold wind, like a knife, swept across the continuous mountain range, stirring up withered branches and snow foam. Li Ao's consciousness floated in boundless darkness and intense pain; each breath tugged at his tearing wounds, and the cold air inhaled into his lungs brought a needle-like sting.

He didn't know how long he had been fleeing, nor where he was. He relied solely on an indomitable will and the residual instinct of the Black Iron Hegemon Body, mechanically moving his almost-collapsed Physical Body. Blood continuously seeped from the wounds covering his entire Physical Body, leaving a shocking trail of crimson on the pristine white snow behind him, which was quickly covered by new snowfall.

Yun Shan's strike, imbued with spatial power, coupled with the backlash from forcefully using Nirvana Slash, had almost destroyed his vitality. Many of his Meridians were fractured, internal organs displaced, bones covered in fine cracks, and his Qi source was nearly depleted. If not for the powerful life force provided by the second stage of the Black Iron Hegemon Body keeping him barely alive, he would have died on the spot.

"Warning! host vital signs below critical value! Physical Body damage 71%! Energy reserves less than 5%! Recommend immediately finding a safe location for deep repair!"

"Detected residual unknown Rule power, continuously eroding host vitality... Initiating emergency purification program... Progress slow..."

The System's cold prompts intermittently sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of imperceptible urgency.

"Safe... location..." Li Ao's consciousness vaguely caught this phrase. He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids; his dark iron-colored pupils were already dim. As far as his sight reached, it was an endless expanse of primeval forest covered in ice and snow. This place was already far from the influence of Jia Ma Holy City and the Cloud Mist Sect, belonging to the chaotic border region between the northern frontier of the Empire and the Izumo Empire.

He had to find an absolutely hidden place; otherwise, he wouldn't need the Cloud Mist Sect's pursuers—just this harsh environment and the potential Demonic Beast encounters would be enough to kill him.

Relying on his last shred of energy perception and survival instinct, he stumbled towards a region deep in the mountain range where energy fluctuations were relatively chaotic and could interfere with perception. Finally, at the bottom of a leeward cliff, he found a narrow cave entrance covered by thick vines and ice and snow.

Using his last bit of strength to push aside the obstacles, Li Ao plunged headfirst into the pitch-black mountain cave. The entrance wasn't large, but the interior was quite deep, with numerous Branches, and a cold, damp aura permeated it, suggesting it might have once been an underground river channel.

He didn't bother to explore, and after confirming there was no immediate danger, he immediately sat cross-legged in the deepest, relatively dry corner. He took out the few remaining Medicinal Pills from his storage ring, swallowed them all without looking, and at the same time applied the previously purchased, unfinished "Quenching Bone Steel Bristle Bear" essence blood to the deepest parts of his wounds.

The Medicinal Pills transformed into a faint warm current and spread, while the violent energy contained in the essence blood stimulated his damaged Physical Body like steel needles, bringing a new wave of intense pain. Li Ao gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat mixed with blood profusely streamed down. He fully circulated the broken method of the Black Iron Hegemon Body, guiding this weak power to repair his Physical Body and counter the spatial Rule erosion from Yun Shan, which was like a maggot clinging to his bones.

"Initiating deep repair mode... Consuming System reserve energy... Analyzing heterogeneous Rule structure... Attempting to simulate 'Annihilation Rule' for neutralization..."

On the System panel, the percentage of energy reserves began to slowly decrease, while the Physical Body repair progress and Rule purification progress bars struggled to climb at a frustratingly slow pace.

Outside the cave, the wind and snow howled. Inside the cave, in the dead silence, there was only Li Ao's heavy and painful gasping, and the flickering flame of life, like a candle in the wind... Jia Ma Holy City, undercurrents surged.

The news of Li Ao's solo raid on the Cloud Mist Sect, his clash with a Dou Ancestor, and his successful escape, despite the Cloud Mist Sect's best efforts to suppress it, spread like wildfire within the upper echelons due to the numerous witnesses and the informants placed by various factions, causing a huge uproar.

Deep within the imperial palace, Jia Xingtian looked towards Yun Lan Mountain, his expression extremely solemn. Li Ao's appearance and Yun Shan's Breakthrough had both disrupted the balance that the Empire had maintained for many years. An uncontrollable peerless Genius, and an ambitious Dou Ancestor who might have an even more terrifying power behind him... The future of the imperial Family was full of variables.

"Old Jia, we..." Beside him, President Fa Ma hesitated to speak.

"Observe the changes," Jia Xingtian said in a deep voice. "Increase surveillance on the Cloud Mist Sect, and at the same time... secretly search for Li Ao's whereabouts. If this child can survive, he might become the key to checking Yun Shan in the future."

At the Nalan Family mansion, Nalan Jie listened to his subordinate's report, his expression constantly changing. He was both shocked by Li Ao's strength and worried about the impact of this incident on the upcoming Three-Year Agreement. Nalan Yanran's emotions were even more complex; how could that Xiao Family waste, whom she once looked down upon, now be indirectly connected to such an earth-shattering figure? And after this battle, the Cloud Mist Sect's prestige was damaged, making her position as Young Sect Leader delicate.

The Mu Family and other Families were equally shaken, and they all adjusted their strategies, seeking ways to protect themselves or even profit in the coming storm.

Mittel Auction House.

Ya Fei stood in front of the huge Empire map, her delicate brows furrowed. Days had passed, and despite using many secret channels, there was still no definite news of Li Ao. He had vanished as if into thin air.

"The northern border, the branch of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the chaotic area at the Izumo Empire border... these places are the most likely, but the scope is too vast, the environment complex, and the search extremely difficult." Ya Fei rubbed her brows, feeling a wave of powerlessness.

Elder Teng Shan sat behind her and slowly said, "Don't be impatient. With such severe injuries, he will certainly need a long time to recuperate in hiding. Continue to increase the search efforts, but be sure to be careful and never expose our intentions. I believe he won't die that easily. When he reappears, it might be our Mittel Family's opportunity."

Behind Cloud Mist Sect Mountain.

"Still haven't found him?" Yun Shan's voice betrayed no emotion, but the kneeling spy below trembled.

"Reporting... reporting to Old Sect Master, our people have been sent out, focusing on all possible hiding places around Jia Ma Holy City and the main roads leading to various parts of the Empire, but... we found nothing. He might have used some extremely clever concealment method, or... he has already fled beyond the Empire's borders."

Yun Shan was silent for a moment, then waved his hand, dismissing the spy. Cold light flickered in his dim eyes.

"The backlash from the Rule power, plus my spatial erosion, makes it impossible for him to recover in a short time. Continue searching! We must find him alive or dead! Also, keep a close eye on that Xiao Family boy and the Mittel Family; they might make a move."

In the courtyard of Jia Ma Holy City.

Xiao Yan was drenched in sweat, his xuan heavy ruler making heavy whooshing sounds as he chopped and thrust repeatedly. His gaze was focused and fierce, as if he were treating the wooden stake in front of him as the Cloud Mist Sect, as Li Ao, as all the great mountains weighing on his heart.

Old Yao's ethereal figure watched silently from the side. He could feel that ever since the battle on Yun Lan Mountain, Xiao Yan had been Cultivating even more desperately, even with a self-abusive madness. Pressure had transformed into the most direct motivation.

"Teacher, I feel... I'm about to Breakthrough," Xiao Yan stopped, gasping for breath, his eyes shining. Under immense stimulation and frantic Cultivation, he had actually touched the threshold of a three-star Great Dou Master.

Old Yao nodded, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes, but more was solemnity: "Breakthrough is a good thing, but remember to solidify your Foundation. Xiao Yanzi, you still have a long way to go; there's no need to be overly eager for momentary speed."

Xiao Yan nodded heavily, but his tightly gripped ruler handle showed his inner turmoil. He knew the gap between himself and that person was still enormous, but he wouldn't give up. Every Breakthrough was a step towards that great mountain.

Time quietly flowed by amidst the anxious waiting and secret actions of various forces. Half a month passed, and news of Li Ao remained elusive. Some speculated he had died from his severe injuries, buried in the wilderness; others believed he was hidden somewhere, biding his time.

And at this moment, deep within the dark mountain cave of that remote mountain range.

Li Ao still maintained his cross-legged posture, as if he had transformed into a sculpture covered in scabs and frost. Most of the wounds on his Physical Body had scabbed over, but his face was still as pale as paper, and his aura was weak.

However, if someone could look within his Physical Body, they would find that the originally rampant spatial Rule power had been largely neutralized and devoured by a deeper, more domineering silver-gray Qi flow (the Annihilation Rule simulated by the System)! His damaged Meridians, under the effect of the Black Iron Hegemon Body and the Medicinal Pill's power, were slowly but steadily reconnecting and widening, becoming tougher. Deep within his nearly depleted Qi Sea, a faint but incredibly pure Dou Qi was being re-nurtured.

"host vital signs stable! Physical Body damage reduced to 45%! Heterogeneous Rule power purified 87%! Black Iron Hegemon Body proficiency increased, approaching the Middle Stage Bottleneck of the second stage! System energy reserves remaining 32%..."

The most dangerous moment seemed to be passing. Breaking before establishing, when this broken Physical Body reawakened with vitality, it would undoubtedly be even more terrifying than before!

Li Ao's eyelids, which had been closed for a long time, trembled slightly.