Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun parried with his spear.

The water cave was too narrow, making it difficult to wield the long spear.

Clement had clearly anticipated this, his rapier moving as fast as a silver thread in the rain, specifically targeting Siron's old wounds, joints, and points of leverage.

After the three sword strikes, Xilun was forced back to the stone wall.

The fifth sword strike tore open the skin and flesh of his left shoulder.

The eighth sword strike nearly caused the golden spear to slip from his grasp.

With the tenth strike, Clement thrust his sword towards Siron's heart.

Xilun's eyes hardened, and he actually took half a step forward.

The rapier pierced the side of the old wound on the right chest.

Blood gushed out.

But he also took advantage of this moment to firmly grip Clement's sword-wielding wrist with his left hand.

A chilling aura erupted.

At the same time, the Great Thunder Breathing Method forcibly vibrates the internal organs.

Lightning exploded from his palm.

Clement's light armor on his chest lit up with protective patterns, but he was still shaken and let out a muffled groan.

Xilun's forehead veins bulged.

He didn't let go; instead, he pressed the accumulated chill and lightning within his body into the other's wrist.

Clement's expression finally changed.

This is not for killing.

It was to cripple his swordsman in a mutually destructive manner.

madman.

Clement raised his knee and slammed it into Celen's abdomen.

boom!

Xilun was sent flying backward and crashed into the pool of water.

A bluish-white frostbite appeared on Clement's right wrist, and his fingertips were briefly numb.

During this brief period of numbness, Xilun had already sunk to the bottom of the water.

Clement quickly caught up.

Suddenly, dark blue lightning flashed from below the pool.

boom!

The entire shallow cave shook violently.

Xilun detonated underwater lightning.

Rocks collapsed, the spring burst open, and murky water flooded the cave.

Clement was forced to retreat, slashing through the falling rocks with his rapier.

When the mist cleared, Xilun was gone.

Only a narrow water vein, forcibly blasted open, remained, leading to a deeper seabed fissure.

Clement stood still and glanced down at his right hand.

The frost marks are fading.

However, the numbness has not completely subsided.

The deputy arrived with his men and, seeing the corpses scattered on the ground and the broken water veins, his face turned grim.

"Captain, should we give chase?"

Clement was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"Seal off the outside."

"Another lockdown?"

The deputy couldn't help but exclaim, "He's escaped so many times already!"

Clement looked at him.

The deputy immediately shut up.

Clement sheathed his sword, his voice calm.

"Every time he escapes, he bleeds more, consumes more medicine, and his wounds are harder to heal."

He gazed at the dark water veins.

"He is not immortal."

"He's just pushing death back."

……

Xilun was swept far away by the submarine rift.

This time, he almost lost control of the direction.

The shockwave made his internal organs feel as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer. The new and old wounds on his right chest merged into one, and the blood dispersed into a faint mist in the water.

He bit down on a piece of hard leather strap he had taken from the guards to prevent himself from biting off his tongue while he was unconscious.

The water carried him into a drainage ditch beneath an abandoned quarry.

This place is not far from the original valley.

After going around in circles, he returned to the vicinity of land.

As dawn approached, Xilun climbed out of an abandoned well.

Outside the well are abandoned villages.

Broken walls, withered vines, a half-collapsed stone house, and a long-dried-up manger.

In the distance, you can see the gray-white quarry walls, like a row of silent bones standing in the morning mist.

He staggered into a half-collapsed stone house, and after confirming that no one was there, he finally sat down against the wall.

My body is shaking.

It's not fear.

It is an instinctive reaction to blood loss, cold, and excessive stress.

Xilun took out the last two healing pills, swallowed one, and crushed the other and applied it to his chest.

Then, he took out the second Frost Mist Marrow Crystal.

This time, he did not absorb it immediately.

He stared at it for a long time.

If used now, it can stabilize the injury and may also advance the Xuan Yin Breathing Technique to a new level.

But there were still twenty-six guards behind them, including Clement and Oin.

The fewer resources available, the fewer choices you have.

Xilun closed his eyes.

Rod's voice echoed in my mind.

"Young master, we can look for the things again if we can't bring them back, but people can't die."

Then Lund's words from the letter came to mind again.

Don't push yourself to become a monster.

He let out a soft breath.

"teacher."

"I'm afraid I can't listen to you this time."

The icy mist crystals shattered in his palm.

The cold mist engulfed his fingers.

Xilun activated the Xuan Yin Breathing Technique, and his consciousness sank into the depths once again.

Outside the stone house, the morning mist was thick.

The faint growl of a hunting dog could be heard in the distance.

The hunt is not over yet.

And his chilling breath, after each brush with death, finally began to truly seep into his bones.

On the seventh day, Xilun killed the second Blood Compass.

A compass is certainly not a living thing.

But it is more troublesome than living things.

The object was contained in an iron box on the chest of a guard, covered with a waterproof tarpaulin on the outside and engraved with fine blood-red lines on the inside. It only required a drop of blood that truly belonged to Xilun to vaguely point to a location within a range of several miles.

The ambiguity is deadly enough.

Clement didn't need to know which rock he was hiding behind, he only needed to know where he was running to.

That evening, Xilun hid for three hours in a dry well north of the deserted village.

There is cold water at the bottom of the well.

There were also rotting animal carcasses.

He endured the foul smells with his adaptive internal organs and practiced the Xuan Yin breathing technique in the mud and water.

As the cold breath flowed along his internal organs, he had several illusions as if his lungs no longer needed clean air, and that even stench, dampness, and cold could be broken down by his body into usable substances.

The pursuers passed by the well opening twice.

The third time, the guard carrying the compass stopped.

Xilun made the first move.

He sent the water line out from the crack in the well wall, like a transparent needle, piercing the other person's boot sole and freezing their feet for half a breath.

Only half a breath.

enough.

Xilun burst out of the well, his golden spear piercing through the wooden frame at the well's opening and dragging the man down to the bottom.

After a brief struggle, the compass was shattered by lightning.

The price he paid was being shot in the back.

The lead bullet was lodged below his shoulder blade, and he didn't manage to remove it until nightfall using a short blade.

He didn't sleep that night.

He used half a piece of cold bone crystal to complete four rounds of breathing exercises at the bottom of the well.

The cold breath did not flow back along the meridians for the first time, but instead seeped directly from the bone crevices, covering the wound.

He saw the door.

It still hasn't been pushed open.

On the twelfth day, the Tussor hunting team began to change their tactics.

Instead of blindly pursuing them, they left markers at all freshwater points, abandoned mine shafts, drainage ditches, and coastal reef caves, leaving Sirion with nowhere to rest and recuperate.

This trick is very effective.

Xilun can escape underwater, but he cannot cultivate underwater forever.

Deep meditation requires a relatively stable environment.

Healing takes time.

The refining of resources needs to be uninterrupted.

Clement understood this.

He no longer treated Xilen as an ordinary fugitive, but as a dangerous extraordinary individual who could break through at any moment.

They won't let me sleep.

They won't let us sit down.

Don't give him more than an hour of quiet at a time.

Hound boats, speedboats, guard squads, fragments of the Blood Compass, and remnants of the sealing net, like rings of cold iron chains, slowly tightened around the north bank of Baiya Town and the quarry hills.

Siren was forced to move deeper into the mountains.

There is little water and food there, and the cold is not as intense as at the seaside.

However, there is fog in the mountains.

There are abandoned mine shafts.

There is underground water seepage.

There is also sufficiently complex terrain.

On the fifteenth night, he found temporary shelter in an abandoned lime kiln.

The cave dwelling was half-collapsed, the air was filled with pungent dust, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of lime powder. If an ordinary person hid inside, their footprints would be completely exposed.

Xilun, however, did the opposite.

He moistened the lime powder with water vapor, laid out dozens of fake footprints, and mixed his own blood into them, letting the smell spread throughout the cave.

When the pursuers came in, it was like entering a maze.

Four guards suffered eye burns from lime powder.

Siren did not kill them.

He only took the medicine, muskets, and dry rations, then froze their knees with his cold breath, leaving them screaming as they waited for Clement to come to their rescue.

It's not that I'm soft-hearted.

It's because wounded soldiers are more troublesome than corpses.

When Clement arrived, he saw four guards lying in the cold, damp lime, and his face turned grim for the first time.

The deputy gritted his teeth and said, "He did it on purpose."

"Um."

"He's slowing us down."

"Um."

"Captain, if this continues, morale will collapse."

Clement knelt down to check the knee of one of the guards.

The cold breath penetrated very deep, but it did not destroy the bones.

It can be cured.

However, you cannot pursue it for at least half a month.

Xilun made a very precise move.

Weaken the hunters without letting the hatred get completely out of control.

Clement stood up and looked at the other end of the cave.

There was a line of words condensed from water vapor, which was quickly absorbed by lime.

—Should we continue pursuing it?

When the deputy saw this line of text, the veins on his forehead bulged.

"He's provoking us!"

Clement shook his head.

"No."

He reached out and wiped away the remaining marks. "He's telling us that he hasn't reached his limit yet."

The deputy's chest heaved as he whispered, "And what about us?"

Clement remained silent.

Even hunting teams aren't made of iron.

After nearly a month of pursuit, more than a third of the victims have died or been injured.

The blockade of Baiya Town requires money, manpower, and the Tusor family's name to suppress local forces.

Oin had just taken power, and the internal situation was not yet completely stable, while the armed insurgent party was keeping an eye on things from the outside.

The longer it drags on, the greater the risk.

But giving up now would be even riskier.

What would happen if a Xiren, who is about to advance to the third rank, returned to the North District alive with hostility towards the Tusor family?

Clement knew better than anyone.

So he had no choice but to continue.

"Send a message to the Third Elder."

Clement said, "Tell him that Xilun is still recovering from his injuries and his resources are being depleted, but he still has the ability to fight back. Request additional blockade personnel, not ordinary guards, but at least Tier 2."

The deputy hesitated, then asked, "Won't the Third Elder think we're incompetent?"

"meeting."

Clement turned and walked out. "But the dead don't need face; the living do."

……

On the twenty-first day, Rena finally managed to get the message into the mountains.

It's not him/her.

It was a trained grey-feathered seagull.

It landed on a dead tree outside the abandoned mine at dusk, with a piece of thin paper sealed with waterproof wax hidden in its anklet.

Xilun did not take it immediately.

He stared at the seagull for a long time, making sure there were no unusual sounds of water, metal wires, the smell of medicine, or the scent of hunting dogs, before using a water thread to pull the paper roll into his palm.

There were only a few lines of text on the paper.

"The items have been delivered."

"The prisoners are alive."

"Rhodes failed to provide support once and is now changing course."

"The moon phase clock has been disassembled; it contains silver marrow and is usable."

"The mansion is not destroyed."

"Your teacher is looking for you."

After reading it, Xilun closed his eyes.

His tense nerves finally relaxed by a tiny thread.

Rena is alive.

The items were delivered.

Lunar phase silver marrow confirmed to be usable.

The Brotherhood mansion remains intact.

This is the best news in nearly a month.

As for Lund looking for him...

Xilun lowered his head and burned the note, the firelight reflecting on his pale face.

"Don't come."

He said softly.

Clement wanted to kill him.

Oin was the one who was going to be crushed to death.

If Lund comes in, it will only make the situation more chaotic.

Of course, the teacher might not listen.

Xilun knew that third-tier gunslinger very well.

He might scold him for being reckless, but if he were really in trouble, he would still drag his old injuries to the most dangerous places.

He must complete the most crucial step before Lund finds this place.

Xilun stood up.

This abandoned mining area is located north of the Quarry Valley, and there is an underground drainage canal that was abandoned in the early years.

The canal water comes from deep within the mountains; it is extremely cold and still, and contains fine mineral salts, which can mask some of the smell of blood.

He has been observing for two days.

This is the most suitable place in the vicinity to break through the bottleneck of the Xuan Yin Breathing Technique.

It is also the most dangerous place.

Because once Clement discovers that he is staying here, he will definitely lead his men to surround and intercept him.

Siren had no other choice.

He walked into the main canal.

The water was up to my calves.

A chill crept up my bones.

He arrived at the deepest underground reservoir.

The reservoir is circular, with white mineral frost covering the surrounding stone walls. A narrow crack runs through the top, through which moonlight leaks and falls on the water's surface, resembling a thin silver knife.

Xilun laid out all his belongings on the dry stone platform.

A crystal of cold mist marrow.

A piece of cold bone crystal.

The last drop of Yinlingyuan Water.

Half a tube of dust removal agent.

A wisp of fragrance that purifies the soul.

There were also two ordinary healing potions that were stolen from the guards.

That's all.

He treated the wound first.

When the old bandage was removed, the dried scabs were torn off along with the skin and flesh.

Xilun's expression remained unchanged, only cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Clean, stop the bleeding, apply medication, and re-bandage.

After doing all this, he lit the last stick of the purifying incense.

The bluish-white smoke slowly spread above the underground pool.

Xilun drank the Yin Spirit Source Water to the last drop, then put the Cold Bone Crystal into his mouth and crushed it.

哢.

A chill exploded.

He sat down in the reservoir.

The icy pool water reached above his chest, just up to the edge of the wound.

A surge of excruciating pain came rushing in.

Xilun closed his eyes and grasped the last Frost Mist Crystal in his hands.

The Xuan Yin Breathing Technique is in operation.

In the first round, the cold breath enters the lungs.

He felt as if he had inhaled a whole winter fog; his lungs contracted, but there was no spasm. His internal organs adapted and actively cooperated, dispersing the cold to every inch of his inner walls.

In the second round, the cold breath enters the blood.

Blood flow slowed, bleeding from the wound stopped, and the heartbeat became heavy and rhythmic.

The third round was chilling to the bone.

A sharp, piercing pain came from deep within my bone marrow, like countless ice needles piercing me at once, only to be shattered one by one by the aftershocks of the thunderous sound.

In the fourth round, the cold breath entered the divine realm.

The white mist surrounding the spiritual core was covered by cold fog, and the cracks that had been caused by exhaustion were briefly frozen together in the extreme cold.

Xilun's breathing became slower and slower.

The surface of the reservoir began to freeze.

The ice spread outwards from his chest, circle after circle.

The icy mist crystals melted in my palm.

It didn't shatter.

Instead, it was as if its very existence was being absorbed by his body; the grayish-white crystals gradually became transparent, eventually turning into a cloud of pure cold mist that seeped into the wound in his palm.

boom!

It felt like an invisible gate inside my body had been forced open.

Xilun suddenly opened his eyes.

What we see now is no longer an underground reservoir.

He felt as if he were standing on a boundless black ice field.

The sky hung low.

The cold wind was silent.

In the distance, there was a tide, but it was not seawater; instead, it was layers of surging, cold air.

Those chilling breaths were no longer under his control.

They were always here.

In his lungs, in his bones, in his blood, in every breath he takes.

Xilun understood.

The Xuan Yin breathing method does not involve bringing cold into the body.

Instead, it helps the body accept that coldness is a part of life.

The so-called breathing exercises do not mean inhaling or exhaling the outside world.

Instead, it opens and closes itself.