Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Seeing Chen Fei's reckless disregard for others and his sole focus on her, Liu Yanqing's already pale face instantly lost all color, her eyes filled with despair.

She knew she couldn't escape.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Liu Yanqing let out a desperate scream, pouring all the remaining power in her body into the purple sword barrier in front of her.

The sword barrier shone brightly, and countless tiny spatial ripples vibrated violently, emitting a "buzzing" cutting sound, pushing its defensive power to the limit.

"boom!"

Shi Pojun's desperate, all-out strike from behind, a dark red blade carrying a fierce aura, slashed viciously into Chen Fei's back.

"laugh!"

This time, there was finally substantive contact.

The pale golden protective aura surrounding Chen Fei's body was forcibly torn open by Shi Pojun's desperate strike. The sharp blade energy and the remaining power of the Myriad Manifestations True Realm broke through the divine light's defense and struck Chen Fei's back solidly.

His clothes were torn, and a hideous, bloody gash appeared instantly on Chen Fei's bronze-colored back, blood gushing out and staining his tattered robes red.

However, that's all.

The blade pierced flesh three-tenths of an inch, as if striking an ancient sacred mountain, unable to advance any further. The recoil further numbed Shi Pojun's arms, causing his tiger's mouth to split open once more.

The destructive power contained in the blade encountered unimaginable resistance the moment it invaded Chen Fei's flesh and blood. Within that flesh and blood, there seemed to be boundless vitality and incomparably resilient power, as well as a hidden yet powerful devouring force that was frantically devouring and dissolving the invading alien energy.

The glimmer of hope that had just appeared in Shi Pojun's eyes was instantly replaced by even greater horror.

His desperate strike... only caused this little injury? Not even a serious one? What kind of physical body is this?
At this moment, Chen Fei seemed oblivious to the excruciating pain in his back, not even flinching. All his mind and strength were focused on the halberd aimed at Liu Yanqing.

The dark golden Qian Yuan Halberd ignored the seemingly solid purple sword barrier and, with an unyielding will to crush everything, slashed down fiercely.

"Crack!"

There was no earth-shattering noise, only a crisp sound like glass shattering.

The sword barrier, which embodied Liu Yanqing's last hope, was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks the moment the halberd blade touched it, and then shattered with a bang.

Countless tiny purple sword energies scattered and danced like fireflies, quickly disappearing into the gale-force winds stirred up by the halberd blade.

The moment the sword barrier shattered, the last glimmer of light in Liu Yanqing's eyes dimmed, replaced by boundless fear and despair.

The halberd blade, after effortlessly slicing through the sword barrier, struck the layer of boundary domain that she had hastily re-formed in front of her.

"laugh!"

Faced with the indestructible sharpness of the Qian Yuan Halberd and the pure, extreme brute force within Chen Fei's body, the Dividing Domain was as fragile as a sheet of paper, easily torn and pierced.

Next comes the physical body.

Liu Yanqing's graceful body, like a delicate piece of porcelain, was struck diagonally from above by a heavy halberd.

"puff!"

The sound of flesh and bones being forcibly torn apart and crushed rang out, and large patches of crimson blood, mixed with broken internal organs and bone fragments, exploded with a desolate purple light.

A shocking, massive wound instantly appeared on Liu Yanqing's body. Her left arm, along with half of her shoulder and chest, separated from her body and turned to dust in the violent energy.

Liu Yanqing was thrown backwards weakly, crashing heavily to the ground dozens of feet away, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

Liu Yanqing did not die immediately. Her powerful vitality at the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm allowed her to retain a trace of consciousness even after suffering such severe injuries.

But the intense pain, and the coldness and weakness brought on by the loss of life force like a flood, instantly overwhelmed her.

Liu Yanqing's eyes were wide open, filled with boundless pain and confusion, as well as a deep-seated fear.

"Yan Qing!"

Seeing Liu Yanqing's body sent flying by the cleavage, Shi Pojun's eyes widened in fury, and he let out a bloodcurdling roar. The roar contained anger, heartache, and the madness of a plan utterly collapsed, a desperate situation.

Although Liu Yanqing and he were not Daoist partners, they had fought side by side many times and had many shared interests. Now, seeing her severely injured by Chen Fei's halberd and her life hanging in the balance, it seemed that the last thread of reason in Shi Pojun's heart had snapped.

"I'll make you pay with your life! All things crumble, die!"

Shi Pojun went completely mad. He no longer cared about his severe injuries or the consequences. All that remained in his eyes was an overwhelming hatred and murderous intent towards Chen Fei.

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood containing his very essence, spraying it all onto the dark, cracked longsword in his hand.

The longsword, like a ravenous beast, instantly absorbed the essence and blood, emitting an eerie dark red light. The blade trembled violently, making a "crack" sound as it could no longer bear the weight, and the cracks rapidly widened.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Pojun gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and, in a manner close to self-destruction, frantically detonated all the remaining power within his body, along with all the spirituality and power contained in his natal longsword, which was of mid-grade Tai Cang Realm and had accompanied him in battle for many years.

"Boom!"

With a crisp sound, the dark longsword, unable to withstand such a violent infusion of power, broke in half.

But the broken blade did not fall; instead, it transformed into countless dark red fragments burning with blood-red flames, swirling around Shi Pojun and merging with the last, most frenzied burst of blood energy and elemental power erupting from his body.

All things are silent!

Shi Pojun let out a beast-like roar, and his entire body transformed into a colossal blade burning with crimson flames and filled with an aura of destruction.

A massive, dark red blade of light, piercing the heavens and earth, shot into the sky from the "human blade" that Shi Pojun had transformed into, emanating a terrifying aura that made the souls of Chang Guwu and Huang Jiugao tremble in the distance.

The blade's edge locked onto Chen Fei, slashing down with an unstoppable, suicidal momentum. Space itself shattered before this single strike, revealing the pitch-black void behind it.

"Senior Brother Shi, kill him!"

Not far away, Liu Yanqing, barely alive and with only his remaining body, used his last strength to let out a weak but desperate cry filled with resentment and hope.

Seeing Shi Pojun's desperate attack, her remaining eyes suddenly burst forth with an astonishing light—the light of seeing the only hope for survival in a desperate situation.

If this strike can severely injure or even kill Chen Fei, she might still have a sliver of hope...

However, just as the devastating crimson blade was about to strike Chen Fei, a sudden change occurred.

The crimson blade of light that Shi Pojun transformed into, seemingly capable of splitting the heavens and earth, drew a strange arc in the air; its target was not Chen Fei.

Instead, it was a purple-gold barrier that enveloped the area, its light flickering due to the fierce battle raging within.

"Boom!"

An unprecedentedly terrifying explosion erupted at the edge of the barrier.

The dark red destructive energy clashed and annihilated with the purple-gold barrier power, exploding in a frenzy. The blinding light instantly engulfed everything, and the terrifying shockwave swept through the entire barrier space like a tsunami.

"Crack!"

Wherever the blade's light passed, the purple-gold barrier was torn apart, melted, and annihilated. The area that had been frantically bombarded by the vengeful demon Huang Jiugao and already showed cracks collapsed completely, leaving a huge hole with a diameter of over ten feet.

Beyond the hole lay the familiar, gloomy sky of the secret realm, and the indistinct outlines of distant mountains. Although chaotic energy still raged at the edge of the hole, preventing it from healing quickly, it was indeed a path to survival beyond the barrier.

At the edge of the barrier, Shi Pojun's figure staggered out. He only had a bare hilt of a knife in his hand, his face was as pale as a ghost, and his breath was extremely weak.

"Now!"

Shi Pojun's bloodshot eyes, filled with madness and weakness, burst forth with an astonishing light the moment the hole appeared. It was the light of hope seen in a desperate situation, mixed with an almost ruthless decisiveness.

Without any hesitation, without even glancing at Liu Yanqing, who was lying on the verge of death not far away, with a last glimmer of hope still in her eyes, and without caring about Chang Guwu's reaction.

Shi Pojun forcefully gathered the Yuan energy within his body, activated his movement technique, and transformed into a dim, blood-red stream of light, plunging headlong into the hole in the barrier that had just been slashed open.

"call out!"

The blood-red light flashed and disappeared in an instant, passing through the chaotic energy turbulence and vanishing outside the hole, disappearing into the dim light and forests surrounding the secret realm, leaving only a faint smell of blood and the aftershocks of energy in the air.

Shi Pojun has escaped!

With Liu Yanqing severely injured and Chang Guwu on the verge of death, Shi Pojun forcibly tore open the barrier at the cost of destroying his own natal weapon, and then chose the most ruthless path: to escape alone.

What are camaraderie among fellow disciples, what are the hopes of fighting side by side, what are the expectations of a confidante? In Shi Pojun's mind, all of these become insignificant when his own life is under the most direct and terrifying threat, and can be abandoned without hesitation.

On the path of spiritual cultivation, the law of the jungle prevails, and only the fittest survive—this is a creed etched into his very bones. For the sake of survival, nothing is worth sacrificing.

What's more, just now, he joined forces with Chang Guwu and Huang Jiugao to attack Chen Fei, attempting to relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao.

Chang Guwu's Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Dragon were like an ant trying to shake a tree, Huang Jiugao's Vengeful Demon Force Field was like a gentle breeze, and Shi Pojun's all-out strike landed squarely on Chen Fei's back. And what was the result?

It merely created a deep wound that exposed bone, but it did not damage the root cause of the problem. In fact, the wound was visibly healing itself.

At that moment, the last shred of hope in Shi Pojun's heart vanished completely.

He was acutely aware that Chen Fei's true strength had completely exceeded the scope of their combined efforts to deal with him.

Even if the three of them cooperated perfectly and used all their trump cards, they could not pose a fatal threat to him; at most, they would only add a few insignificant wounds.

If they continue to stay here and fight, all that awaits them is to be killed one by one by Chen Fei, this monster.

Since there's no chance of winning even if we join forces, what's there to hesitate about?
While Chen Fei's attention was drawn to Liu Yanqing, and while Chang Guwu and Huang Jiugao were still struggling to hold them back... if they didn't escape now, when would they?

As for Chang Guwu, Liu Yanqing, and the others who remained, whether they lived or died, whether they would harbor resentment, or whether they would reveal what happened today... those were all issues to be considered later. The premise was that he could live to see "later."

A glimmer of hope, fleeting and uncertain. Shi Pojun seized it in the most ruthless yet pragmatic way.

"No! Shi Pojun!!!"

A piercing scream suddenly erupted within the barrier, filled with boundless resentment and despair, as well as the coldness and madness of being utterly betrayed.

The scream came from Liu Yanqing, who had been nearly cleaved in two by Chen Fei's halberd. The last glimmer of hope that had ignited within her after witnessing Shi Pojun's desperate attack had now been extinguished, replaced by boundless silence and maddening resentment.

They abandoned her, they abandoned everyone else!
The greater the hope, the deeper the despair. Being betrayed and abandoned by the most trusted and relied-upon companion at the most crucial moment is a pain far more devastating than physical trauma.

"Hahaha... What a fine Shi Pojun... I, Liu Yanqing... was truly blind!"

Liu Yanqing's mangled body trembled, emitting a shrill and manic laugh filled with self-mockery and endless hatred.

She knew she was finished. Severely injured by Chen Fei, her life was hanging by a thread, Shi Pojun had escaped alone, Chang Guwu was barely able to protect himself, and the vengeful demon was even less reliable... Today, she had reached a dead end.

That being the case...

An extremely violent, mad, and destructive aura erupted from Liu Yanqing's mangled body. In her eyes, the last shred of reason was completely devoured by madness, replaced by a resolute determination to perish together with others.

"Chen Fei! Shi Pojun! You will both die a horrible death! May you all be buried with me!"

Liu Yanqing screamed hoarsely, igniting all her remaining Yuan Power, Divine Soul, and even her shattered Dao Domain, burning them completely, leaving not a trace behind.

If she could, she would prefer to use this final blow, earned by burning her life and everything, to strike at Shi Pojun, the heartless man who had betrayed her.

But Shi Pojun has already escaped, so the only remaining target is Chen Fei, the culprit who caused all this. If it weren't for him, would he have ended up like this?

If he weren't so powerful, why would Shi Pojun have fled alone?

Even if it means death, I'll take a piece of your flesh and make you pay the price!
Boundary Breaker: Soul-Burning Annihilation Slash!
With her remaining right arm, Liu Yanqing gripped the dim purple slender sword tightly, and with her last strength, she slashed at Chen Fei.

There was no earth-shattering display, no dazzling sword light. This sword strike consisted only of a dim, almost ethereal, gray shadow.

Wherever the sword's shadow passed, tiny black cracks silently appeared in the space, as if even space itself had been divided by this sword strike that burned everything to its extreme.

This was Liu Yanqing's final swan song. Its power might not be as great as it was at its peak, but the Soul-Burning Poison and the Annihilation Intent attached to it were enough to cause irreparable damage to the soul and spirit of cultivators of the same level.

Chen Fei glanced indifferently in the direction where Shi Pojun had disappeared. Then, he looked away and looked at the sword shadow that seemed capable of slicing through the soul, and behind the sword shadow, at Liu Yanqing's eyes filled with madness and hatred.

"Clang!"

A soft clang rang out, not the sound of metal clashing, but a strange noise. A faint, dark golden light flashed on the blade of the Qian Yuan Halberd, carrying a suppressive and destructive will, as it collided with the gray sword shadow.

There was no violent explosion, no clash of energy.

The dark sword shadow that embodied everything about Liu Yanqing vanished silently the moment it touched the halberd's blade, failing to cause even the slightest ripple.

The annihilating intent of the Soul-Burning Poison attached to it could not even penetrate within three feet of the halberd before being purified and dispelled by an invisible force field.

After slicing away the sword shadows, the Qian Yuan Halberd's momentum didn't falter at all, continuing forward and gently striking Liu Yanqing's broken body.

"puff!"

With a muffled thud, Liu Yanqing's remaining half of her body, along with the slender sword in her hand, exploded, turning into a cloud of purple light and blood mist that spread out.

The venomous and frantic screams abruptly ceased.

The last scene reflected in Liu Yanqing's lingering soul was Chen Fei's cold and calm face, and in the distance, the terrified and panicked figures of Chang Guwu and Huang Jiugao fleeing in panic.

"Shi Pojun, you ungrateful wretch!"

Chang Guwu's eyes were bloodshot, and he was both shocked and angry. He never expected that Shi Pojun, who usually seemed generous, righteous and powerful, would be so selfish and ruthless at the critical moment of life and death.

But despite their insults, Chang Guwu and Huang Jiugao were not fools; on the contrary, they reacted extremely quickly.

Almost instinctively, the two simultaneously unleashed all their remaining strength and charged madly toward the barrier hole that Shi Pojun had escaped from.

Chang Guwu transformed into a streak of azure light, accompanied by howling wind and thunder. Huang Jiugao, on the other hand, transformed into a pitch-black demonic shadow, carrying billowing resentment.

All talk of joining forces to fight the enemy and sharing the same fate becomes a joke in the face of the threat of death.

At this moment, they had only one thought in their minds: while Chen Fei's attention was drawn to Liu Yanqing's dying counterattack and Shi Pojun's escape, they would break out of this damned barrier as quickly as possible.

The farther away from that monster, the better.

The two were incredibly fast. Almost the instant Shi Pojun disappeared, they reached the edge of the barrier. The huge hole was right in front of them, and they could even see the dim sky outside through it.

The hope of survival seemed to be right before their eyes.

however.

"boom!"

It was extremely dull, like a loud crash against a copper wall or iron barrier.

Chang Guwu and Huang Jiugao did not escape through the hole as expected, but instead crashed into an incredibly tough barrier.

The immense force of the impact sent both men reeling, their blood churning and their bodies staggering backward. Chang Guwu's old injuries were aggravated, causing him to cough up another mouthful of blood, his aura growing increasingly weak.

"how so!"

Chang Guwu steadied himself and looked up in disbelief. He saw that although the barrier in front of him was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, the large hole that Shi Pojun had cut out... was gone.

What should have been a hole has now been mostly repaired. However, the cracks on it seem to have widened and spread a bit more after their violent impact, but it's still just a hair's breadth away from breaking apart.

The hope of life was suddenly shattered, turning into an even deeper despair.

"It's over..."

Chang Guwu's face was ashen, and his heart was ice-cold. He slowly turned his head to look at the arena.

Liu Yanqing had turned into a blood mist. Although the barrier was on the verge of collapse, it still existed. The person who was like a demon god was holding a battle halberd and slowly turned around, landing on him and Huang Jiugao.

"It's Shi Pojun! It's Shi Pojun who wants to kill you!"

Chang Guwu jolted awake, as if grasping at the last straw. No longer caring about dignity, he screamed at Chen Fei with all his might, his voice shrill with fear. (End of Chapter)