Chapter 888

Chapter 888: A Difficult Start

The middle-aged man had not anticipated that Ling Zhiyuan, who was usually pampered and lacked real strength despite his talent, would know the tricks of evading pursuers.

He was filled with suspicion, wondering if someone had rescued this Young Master of the Ling family.

He commanded his subordinates to thoroughly search the nearby area.

They did find some traces, but their most crucial tool—the hunting dogs—had failed, leaving them to wander aimlessly through the mountains and forests without uncovering any useful clues.

"Keep searching!"

The middle-aged man growled fiercely, "We must find him, dead or alive. Whoever captures that little brat, whether alive or dead, will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, a household worth of land, and a high-level technique!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the martial artists lit up with excitement.

As the saying goes, people die for wealth just as birds die for food; such a generous reward was enough to make hundreds of people risk everything for a chance at fortune!

Everyone knew that the Young Master of the Ling family preferred literature over martial arts, and despite being in his teens, he was merely a first-level martial novice.

As long as they found him, anyone here could easily capture him!

Seeing the morale of everyone soar instantly, the middle-aged man waved his hand and ordered, "Split up and search. If you encounter danger, immediately light a flare signal. Whether you can seize this opportunity depends on yourselves!"

As the martial artists dispersed to search for Ling Zhiyuan, Wang Chen was trudging through the forest ten miles away.

The surrounding mountains were high and the forest dense, with towering trees supporting massive canopies that almost completely blocked out the sun.

The dim and damp environment bred swarms of mosquitoes that constantly harassed Wang Chen.

Fortunately, the spicy herb he had discovered earlier had excellent insect-repellent properties, sparing him from being covered in bites.

However, the real danger lay hidden beneath the grass, fallen leaves, and dry vines—poisonous snakes.

Wang Chen encountered several on his journey, but his keen senses and quick reflexes kept him from harm.

Even so, his hands and face were scratched by thorny leaves, leaving painful, itchy marks. The sensation was particularly unbearable when sweat from his forehead seeped into the wounds.

This body’s condition was truly lacking; despite having the cultivation level of a first-level martial novice, he was clearly unfit due to a lack of exercise. After running for some time, he was drenched in sweat, his limbs felt weak, and he was gasping for air.

His throat burned as if on fire, and his lips were cracked!

He desperately wanted to rest.

But intuition told Wang Chen that he was far from safe; perhaps his pursuers were close behind. If he stopped to rest now, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Thus, Wang Chen gritted his teeth and pressed on, relying on sheer willpower to keep moving deeper into the mountains.

The vast mountains held countless dangers, yet they were his only path to survival!

After running for about half an hour, Wang Chen felt dizzy, and his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood.

His physical strength was nearing its limit.

To be honest, since Wang Chen had crossed into the Mountain-Sea Realm, he had never felt this weak!

Just as Wang Chen was about to give in and lie down to rest, he suddenly heard the faint sound of flowing water in the distance.

The sound was subtle, but to Wang Chen, it was like a heavenly melody!

Instantly, he felt a surge of energy, mustering his last ounce of strength to run toward the direction of the sound.

As a result, Wang Chen stumbled slightly and nearly tripped over a vine root.

After running for about a hundred steps, he was delighted to discover a stream in the woods.

The stream was narrow, but the water was crystal clear, allowing him to see the pebbles and fine sand on the bottom, as well as some small fish.

With his throat nearly on fire, Wang Chen immediately rushed over and bent down to take a sip.

Given his long trek that had exhausted his strength and his urgent need for fresh water, gulping down mouthfuls would harm his body.

Taking small sips was the correct way to quench his thirst!

After drinking enough water, the military rations he had eaten earlier started to soften in his stomach, and Wang Chen’s strength quickly returned.

He carefully wiped away the traces he left by the stream and continued to flee deeper into the forest.

It wasn’t until the sky began to darken that Wang Chen stopped, climbing up into a large tree.

Leaning against a thick branch, he wiped the sweat from his face and let out a sigh, feeling soreness and pain throughout his body, as if every part of him was aching.

But the sense of danger that had lingered in his mind had now disappeared.

He was temporarily safe!

Wang Chen closed his eyes to rest for a moment, then took out his last military ration from his pocket.

He hesitated for a moment but couldn’t resist the temptation and began to eat.

After fleeing for his life, he had used up a lot of energy, and the first military ration he had eaten was long digested. Now his stomach was rumbling again.

If he didn’t fill his stomach now, the night would be hard to endure!

After he finished eating, Wang Chen took advantage of his regained strength to try practicing the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method.

This body-refining technique had helped him establish himself in the Misty Mountains Realm and achieve great things.

Now that Wang Chen was newly arrived in the Cangqing Realm, facing multiple crises, he needed to increase his strength desperately.

He took out the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method once more.

However, less than half a cup of tea later, Wang Chen stopped practicing.

The method was completely wrong!

Although they were both human cultivators, the body’s bones, flesh, and meridians were subtly different from those of his original body in the Haotian Realm and the one that descended into the Misty Mountains Realm.

This slight difference made it impossible for him to cultivate the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method internally, and at most, he could only strengthen his physique externally.

Wang Chen felt deeply disappointed.

He had originally planned to refine the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method first; as long as he reached the fourth realm, he could then use the panel to elevate the realm of the Bloodshed Wheel, greatly improving his combat ability.

But this road had been blocked right from the start!

Additionally, Wang Chen realized that, while spiritual energy existed in the Cangqing Realm, it was less than one ten-thousandth of that in the Haotian Realm!

With such a low concentration of spiritual energy, it would likely take decades to reach the Qi Training stage.

Wang Chen truly felt the difficulty of expanding into a small world.

He looked down, pulling open his collar, and saw a seal engraved on his chest.

It was the Xuan Yuan Seal!

This mark embedded in his skin emitted a slight warmth, and Wang Chen could constantly sense its inner destructive power.

With just a thought, he could activate it to return to the Haotian Realm.

This was Wang Chen’s only trump card!

However, he also understood that sometimes danger could strike suddenly and swiftly, without warning, making it possible that this trump card might not be utilized in time.

So he couldn’t afford any carelessness or negligence; he had to proceed cautiously and navigate through this difficult start!