Zhan Yan, who was just about to give his last words, felt his pupils tremble. He stared at the small, exquisitely crafted head with rosy lips and pearly teeth that Xu Yunfan held pinned to his chest. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he saw Xu Yunfan tear a root as fine as a strand of hair from the small child and quickly place it in his mouth.

After pushing the extremely dissatisfied Ginseng Child back down, Xu Yunfan stared at Zhan Yan, silently waiting for the effects of the root to take hold.

Zhan Yan smacked his lips and opened his mouth.

"You..."

The word "you" had just left his lips when Zhan Yan’s entire body shuddered. He suddenly widened his eyes, feeling a torrent of scorching heat erupt from his stomach and instantly flood his body.

The blood, which had already almost completely drained from him, was now violently forced from the depths of his flesh and jetted out from the gashes on his skin.

Xu Yunfan: "..."

"You..."

Zhan Yan’s throat suddenly bulged like a frog’s, and crimson-gold sparks burst from between his teeth.

That single Ginseng Root from the Ginseng Child had been in his stomach for no more than three breaths, yet it had now become a roaring Melting Furnace in his gut.

Xu Yunfan watched, wide-eyed, as a bloody mist sprayed from his master’s every pore, some of it jetting out as far as ten zhang.

HUM!

A clear, melodious sound like a phoenix’s cry erupted from the top of Zhan Yan’s Skull.

Every strand of his once-withered white hair suddenly stood on end.

He could clearly see his master’s mangled body; his internal organs were practically shattered. The dissipating Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength was now being wildly amplified by this surge of Qi of Ginseng.

As Zhan Yan’s head tilted back unconsciously, his neck made a clicking sound like grinding gears.

Most terrifying of all was the bowl-sized hole in his chest. A glassy, bone-like membrane was now growing over it at a speed visible to the naked eye.

When this wisp of Qi of Ginseng completely transformed into immeasurable Spirit Marrow, a sudden change occurred.

Zhan Yan’s withered muscles swelled as if being inflated, and the golden-red glow flowing under his skin condensed into a tangible Qi Armor that circulated endlessly around his body.

’Is he going to explode?!’

Xu Yunfan quickly opened his palms, unleashing his Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength in a torrent to bind Zhan Yan’s body.

Since their Strengths shared the same origin, such a maneuver was possible.

If another Martial Artist had tried to send their Strength into someone’s body, it would have only caused the recipient to explode.

Finally, Xu Yunfan watched as Zhan Yan’s eyes bulged, his head lolled to one side, and he passed out completely.

"..."

With a trembling hand, Xu Yunfan felt for the pulse on Zhan Yan’s neck. He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he found a slow, powerful heartbeat.

This wisp of Qi of Ginseng seemed to be too potent for Zhan Yan’s weakened body to handle, but all in all, things were moving in the right direction.

In the distance, Lv Cheng finished calming the women and children and hurried over. When he saw Zhan Yan lying unconscious on the ground, he looked shocked, his face filled with grief.

"Senior Brother!"

Just as he was about to lunge forward, Xu Yunfan said, "He’s not dead. His condition has stabilized. If you pounce on him, he might really draw his last breath."

Overcome with emotion, Lv Cheng froze mid-step, his face a mixture of shock and joy.

Only then did Xu Yunfan recognize the old man. When he had first passed through Divine Weapon Ridge, this was the man who had approached him to strike up a conversation.

’I can’t believe he’s Zhan Yan’s junior brother.’

Just as Xu Yunfan was about to speak, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. The mountain wind carried a strange vibration as it brushed past his ears.

His ears twitched slightly, and his gaze shifted to the distance.

Lv Cheng’s reaction was faster than he had expected.

The old man, who had been hunched over moments before, suddenly straightened his back, his muscles tensing like an iron bow. Three fingers of his right hand were already gripping a Refined Steel Short Saber tucked into his hemp-cloth belt.

Xu Yunfan’s brow twitched. ’This Second Level Martial Artist seems to have a few secrets, to have noticed someone approaching at almost the same instant I did.’

"A Martial Arts Master," Xu Yunfan said suddenly. "And not a weak one."

’In fact, "not weak" is an understatement. They’re extremely strong, far beyond the level of Great Mastery of Blood Transformation.’

From a cliff a hundred zhang to the northwest, he could hear three terrifyingly long breaths. An ordinary warrior breathed at most once every three counts, but these people could suppress their breathing to once every seven.

"Experts of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm are coming! You, quickly take your master and head to the back mountain. There’s a secret path there that should lead to the outside world!"

Lv Cheng’s expression turned grim. Divine Weapon Ridge was at the end of its rope. Although Xu Yunfan had a Divine Weapon and was strong enough to kill an expert at Great Mastery of Blood Transformation, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm represented a fundamental transformation of the body.

Xu Yunfan raised his head and stood up, asking, "Aren’t you going to take that secret path?"

"We just came out from there. This group of women and children can’t make it through. The secret path is too narrow for an eighty-year-old woman, and we can’t carry three-year-old children through it."

Lv Cheng gave a short, grim laugh. "These people from Daqian," he said in a low voice, "they probably got word from that direction."

As he spoke, he pulled a rolled-up silk cloth from his robes and pressed it into Xu Yunfan’s hand.

"This is a map. Go quickly, or there won’t be enough time."

Xu Yunfan didn’t hesitate. He looked up, taking one last, long look at the women and children resting in the safe area above. Among the nearly one hundred people, he could occasionally hear a child’s cry, quickly muffled by an adult’s hand. He heard a woman’s faint sob, which was just as quickly stifled.

He hoisted Zhan Yan up with one arm. With a flick of his right wrist, he glanced at the location of the secret path on the silk cloth. Then, moving like a shooting star, he quickly vanished from Lv Cheng’s view into the back mountains of Divine Weapon Ridge.

Lv Cheng watched him go, his lips trembling. He then took a deep breath and calmed his expression.

He turned around, and just then, three figures burst through the thick fog and appeared before him.

Lv Cheng stared at the churning fog thirty zhang away, the nails of his left hand digging deep into his palm as he slowly regulated his breathing.

The Coiling Dragon Pattern embroidered on the moon-white brocade robe was the unique four-clawed style of the Daqian Royal Family.

"Thirty years we haven’t seen each other, and it seems Junior Brother Lv has learned to use the living as shields."

The man in Profound Armor on the left removed his iron helmet, revealing a face half-ruined by fire.

His Yanling Saber dragged across the bluestone, kicking up sparks. The two-word inscription "Divine Craftsmanship" was faintly visible on the blade, its edge still wet with blood.

When he saw the man’s face clearly, Lv Cheng’s pupils shrank, his expression filled with shock.

"Qin Lie!? You’re still alive!"

This was the personal saber of Qin Lie, the True Inheritor of the Sword Casting Hall. The Sect Leader himself had forged it from Cold Iron over forty-nine days, and now it was stained with the blood of their fellow disciples.

’They came from the direction a portion of the Divine Weapon Ridge disciples had taken to escape.’

At this thought, Lv Cheng’s face twitched, and he nearly lost his composure.

Qin Lie looked at Lv Cheng’s stooped frame, a complicated emotion flashing in his eyes. He then said coolly, "It’s been thirty years. I never thought the once dashing and debonair Junior Brother Lv would now be so old and frail."

"Senior Brother Qin’s Martial Arts have certainly improved greatly. After so many years, to think you’ve actually entered the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm."

A strange expression crossed Lv Cheng’s face. ’How could I not understand? Qin Lie has defected to Daqian, his hands stained with the blood of Divine Weapon Valley.’

Qin Lie said, "When Divine Weapon Ridge was destroyed back then, the rest of us had to find another path. I’m surprised to see you still guarding this place, Junior Brother."