Raise a sword!

late at night.

Old Hao leaned against the rock wall, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Although he knew he wouldn't have a good ending, he still couldn't help but feel frustrated when he learned he only had half a month to live.

"senior?"

A faint sound suddenly rang out in the cave.

Clang, clang—

The chains rattled, followed by hurried footsteps.

A few breaths later, Old Hao arrived at Jiang Peng's side with a shocked expression.

Looking at that face covered in frost, with only a pair of bright eyes showing, Old Hao seemed to realize something.

He simply raised his hand and pointed.

At the same time, a soft voice rang in Jiang Peng's ear.

"You...you're still conscious! Don't make a sound, I'll teach you the art of telepathy!"

A rudimentary sound transmission spell appeared in Jiang Peng's mind; it was just a simple technique consisting of a few hundred words.

Jiang Peng studied in silence, and after about half an hour, he mastered the method of transmitting sound.

Old Hao, however, pretended nothing had happened and returned to his original spot.

"Senior, I've learned it." Jiang Peng tried to transmit her voice.

Old Hao responded calmly.

"Your physique is so incredible that you can even withstand the Yin Sha Land, and you even used the living person to refine the zombies, thus forging a body of copper and iron... Amazing! So, when you turned away last time, you wanted to confess this to me?"

Jiang Peng replied, "That is indeed the case, but seeing your sincere words, I cannot bear to disturb you."

In the darkness, Old Hao's face stiffened.

"You're not a human being!"

Jiang Peng smiled and continued to transmit her voice, "With my indestructible body and your combined strength, senior, is there any chance we can escape from Old Demon Dan's clutches?"

Mr. Hao did not respond for a long time.

Just as Jiang Peng was about to ask further questions, Old Hao's voice transmission finally sounded.

"Old Demon Dan's poison skills are unpredictable. He planted a poison seed in my heart meridian. That poison seed not only suppresses my cultivation, but I can also die from the poison with just a thought from him."

Jiang Peng had anticipated this.

For nearly a year, apart from indulging in a ton of pills, Jiang Peng spent most of her time with Elder Hao.

Although Old Hao never mentioned his own situation, Jiang Peng could tell from the subtle clues that Old Hao was not capable of taking action.

"What if it's just me alone?"

Mr. Hao pondered for a moment.

"You have a chance to strike. Old Demon Dan doesn't know your strength, and that's your biggest advantage! With your current physical strength, a sneak attack from behind, striking his vital point in the dantian, might give you a glimmer of hope."

"Even if I manage to catch him off guard and strike successfully, I still won't be able to kill him!"

"What are you thinking? You still want to kill him in one blow? Dream on. It would be good enough if you could seriously injure him. While he's recovering, run away as fast as you can! I have a move that can delay him for a moment, and that's your only chance."

Jiang Peng was startled.

"Senior, are you going to forcefully intervene? But what if that Old Demon Dan becomes enraged..."

Before Jiang Peng could finish speaking, Old Hao interrupted, "Stop pretending! I'm going to die anyway, I might as well fight for your life, you young upstart!"

"If you were stupid, I wouldn't bother with you! But you happen to have some talent, and even with your strange physique, you might achieve something great in the future!"

Old Hao spoke in a serious tone, and then returned to the matter of dealing with Old Demon Dan.

"Remember, never entertain the thought of fighting back. A cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining, even if not skilled in body tempering, is not someone you can kill with a single blow. If Old Demon Dan disregards his injuries, he could even capture you immediately!"

"Fortunately... Old Demon Dan has gone mad in his pursuit of Foundation Establishment. At this crucial moment, he's afraid of any hidden dangers within his body, so he would never disregard his injuries to pursue you. This is your last chance!"

"I will teach you another footwork technique called 'Cloud Stepping Step'. You should study it secretly. Even if you can only use a little bit of it, it will allow you to escape faster."

After listening attentively to Elder Hao's explanation of the many essential elements of "Stepping on Clouds," and confirming that he had completely memorized them, Jiang Peng asked, "Senior, is there anything you would like to ask?"

"I have a daughter named Hao Xue. I would like to trouble you to find her and help her escape after you leave. Do not let her fall into the hands of Old Demon Dan."

"If I manage to escape alive, I will never fail my senior's trust."

Old Hao nodded slightly.

"My daughter is in Cangshan Market."

At this point, Old Hao seemed a little tired and stopped transmitting his voice.

Jiang Peng didn't disturb her any further, but instead silently began to ponder the "Stepping on Clouds" in her mind.

...

half a month later.

early morning.

Just as Jiang Peng was conserving her energy, she suddenly felt the puppet talisman on her chest tremble.

The next moment, he stood up straight, the frost on his body falling to the ground.

Jiang Peng stood silently in place, her gaze fixed on Old Hao, who had been awakened.

Just then, Old Hao also looked at him, and the two locked eyes, neither of them speaking.

A few breaths later, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Dan Laomo, dressed in a tattered green Taoist robe, quickly approached.

He checked Jiang Peng's condition, nodded with satisfaction, and then went to Old Hao.

Jiang Peng was also controlled by the puppet talisman, following closely behind Dan Laomo.

"Fellow Daoist Hao, let's prepare to set off." Old Demon Dan raised his hand, but did not rush to make a move. Instead, he looked at Old Man Hao with great interest.

He enjoyed the feeling of controlling the life and death of others and wanted to see this late-stage Qi Refining disciple in front of him grovel and beg for mercy.

Old Hao silently closed his eyes, looking resigned to his fate.

Seeing this, Old Demon Dan shook his head.

"How boring! Well then, let me tell you something you've been wanting to hear! After you die, I don't intend to let your beautiful daughter go either..."

Old Hao suddenly opened his eyes and cursed angrily.

"You beast!"

"Okay, okay, that's how it is. Now, make the insults even harsher..."

Just as Old Demon Dan was getting into the mood and was preparing to torment Old Master Hao again...

Jiang Peng, who was standing close behind him, knew that the opportunity had arrived.

A thought flashed through his mind, and the fire in the Purple Gold Alchemy Furnace in his mind suddenly became blazing.

A talisman descended from the sky and entered the alchemy furnace; it was the puppet talisman that had originally been on Jiang Peng's chest!

Resisting the Demon Lord Dan's consciousness to remove the talisman is nowhere as fast as directly using the Golden Finger to refine it!

Almost at the same time, Old Demon Dan suddenly screamed in agony.

"ah--"

He clutched his head and howled in pain.

Without hesitation, Jiang Peng channeled all the power in her body, gathering all the spiritual energy within her into her right fist, and then swung her arm fiercely.

Even a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining would react with incredible speed, but the two were simply too close together, and Dan Laomo, though determined to stop them, was already too late.

With a muffled thud, Jiang Peng's fist slammed solidly into Dan Laomo's dantian!

This was a simple, unadorned punch, devoid of any skill whatsoever.

But this punch caused Dan Laomo, who was already in extreme pain, to immediately kneel on the ground.

"court death!"

A sharp, angry roar kicked up dust.

bang——

Thick green poisonous smoke suddenly exploded from Dan Laomo's body, enveloping everything around him.

Amidst the toxic fumes, Old Hao shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Kid, now's the time! Run!!!"