Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

After returning to the fantasy world, Huang Yiming didn't immediately go back to Yiming Village. Instead, he headed straight for the coordinates indicated by the system—the depths of Black Wind Ridge. He knew that although the people from the Qingyun Sect were about to arrive at Yiming Village, Qin Yuling had the firearms he had left behind, which should be able to delay them for some time. Furthermore, the appearance of the Spirit Clan's Holy Maiden might bring him the opportunity to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining—this opportunity was right before his eyes. As long as he could break through this level, he would have a fighting chance even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages.

The depths of Black Wind Ridge are even more desolate than the outer areas. Towering ancient trees block out the sun, preventing sunlight from penetrating the layers of leaves. The ground is covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, emitting a damp, musty smell. The air is filled with rich spiritual energy, but also mingled with a faint stench of blood, clearly indicating that this is a place frequently inhabited by demonic beasts.

Huang Yiming cautiously moved through the forest, his spiritual energy circulating slowly within him, constantly alert to any movement around him. His cultivation had reached the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining, just one step away from breaking through to the eighth level. The high-level spiritual vein fluctuations indicated by the system were likely the location of the high-level spiritual herbs that could help him break through.

After traveling for about half an hour, Huang Yiming suddenly heard the sounds of fierce fighting, interspersed with a woman's screams. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly rushed towards the direction from which the sound came.

Passing through a dense thicket of bushes, he saw a young girl in a white gauze dress being attacked by a group of demonic beasts. The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with skin as white as snow, and features as exquisite as a painting. She was as pure and ethereal as a fairy descended to earth. Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and she had several wounds on her body. Her white gauze dress was stained red with blood, and her breathing was erratic, clearly indicating that she was nearing exhaustion. Yet, she did not give up—a ball of green spiritual energy was gathering in her hand, constantly resisting the attacks of the demonic beasts.

These demonic beasts were all high-level beings deep within Black Wind Ridge. They were enormous, with exposed fangs and fierce eyes. There were five of them in total. Each one was equivalent to more than the fifth level of Qi Refining, with the leader reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, making it even stronger than the Qingyun Sect disciples that Huang Yiming had previously dealt with.

The girl's spiritual energy grew weaker and weaker, and her wounds multiplied. Just as a demonic beast's claws were about to strike her chest, Huang Yiming flashed forward, instantly rushing over. He aimed his modified pistol at the demonic beast, channeled his dual-realm energy, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Bang!"

The bullet pierced the monster's head instantly. It let out a shrill scream, crashed heavily to the ground, and died instantly.

The other monsters were taken aback at first, then became even more ferocious and charged towards Huang Yiming.

Huang Yiming sneered, nimbly dodging the attacks while continuously pulling the trigger. Bullets imbued with dual-realm energy shot towards the demonic beasts, the gunshots echoing through the forest, and one demonic beast after another fell to the ground. In just a few minutes, all five demonic beasts were dealt with.

The girl was completely stunned by what she saw. She blinked her clear eyes, her gaze filled with disbelief. She hadn't expected this suddenly appearing boy to be so powerful, easily defeating five high-level demonic beasts with just a strange artifact. What surprised her even more was that the boy's aura possessed both a mortal quality and a rich spiritual energy, as well as a strange aura she had never sensed before.

Huang Yiming walked to the girl's side, looked her up and down, and discovered that she possessed a rich spiritual plant energy and pure spiritual veins, clearly indicating that she was a member of the Spirit Clan. "You are the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Clan?"

The young woman snapped out of her daze, bowed slightly to Huang Yiming, and said respectfully, "Thank you for saving me, young master. I am Lingxi, the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Clan. May I ask your esteemed name, young master? And why are you here?"

"Huang Yiming." Huang Yiming smiled faintly. "I came here to search for high-grade spiritual herbs and happened to find you being attacked by demonic beasts. How come you're here alone? Where are the Spirit Clan members?"

Lingxi's eyes darkened, and her voice fell: "I came here to find a Qi Condensation Flower, which can help me break through my cultivation level, but I never expected to encounter this group of demonic beasts. My clansmen originally came with me, but they were attacked by Qingyun Sect cultivators on the way, and they were scattered. I was also chased here by the demonic beasts."

Huang Yiming nodded, understanding dawning on him—the people from the Qingyun Sect were indeed already active in Black Wind Ridge. It seemed their target was not only Yiming Village, but also the Spirit Clan.

He noticed Lingxi's wounds and took out a bottle of modern hemostatic and anti-inflammatory medicine from his storage space, handing it to her: "This is a healing medicine I made myself. It works very well. Apply it to the wounds first, and it will quickly stop the bleeding and reduce inflammation."

Lingxi took the medicine bottle, looked at it curiously, and opened the cap. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted out, instantly dispelling the smell of blood on her body. She applied the medicine to the wound, and a cooling sensation immediately came over her, greatly reducing the pain, and the bleeding from the wound quickly stopped.

"What an amazing medicine!" Lingxi's eyes lit up with surprise. "Young Master, this medicine is incredible! It's even more powerful than the healing herbs of our Spirit Clan. What kind of treasure is this?"

Huang Yiming smiled, offering no further explanation, only saying, "They're just some ordinary healing medicines, nothing special. You're looking for the Qi Condensation Flower to break through your cultivation realm?"

"Hmm." Lingxi nodded. "I'm currently at the seventh level of Qi Refining, just one step away from advancing to the eighth level. The Qi Condensation Flower is the key to my breakthrough. However, the Qi Condensation Flower is located on the deepest spiritual vein in Black Wind Ridge, where not only are powerful demonic beasts guarding it, but also Qingyun Sect cultivators secretly searching for it. I simply can't get close."

Huang Yiming's heart skipped a beat—the Qi Condensation Flower was exactly the high-level spiritual herb he was looking for; with it, he could break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. "I'm also looking for the Qi Condensation Flower. Why don't we go together and look after each other?"

Upon hearing this, Lingxi's face lit up with a delighted smile: "Really? That's wonderful! Thank you so much, young master! With your help, I'm sure I can find the Qi Condensation Flower."

Just then, two figures rushed over; it was Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu. Yang Xiu's injuries had improved considerably. Thanks to the protection of the dual-realm energy talisman, her wounds had mostly healed, though her breathing was still slightly weak.

"Yiming, are you alright? We were so worried!" Qin Yuling rushed forward as soon as she saw Huang Yiming, her eyes filled with concern. When she caught sight of Lingxi, a hint of wariness flashed in her eyes. "And who is this?"

"She is Lingxi, the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Clan. I just saw her being attacked by demonic beasts and I rescued her," Huang Yiming introduced with a smile. "Lingxi, these two are my friends, Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu."

Lingxi bowed slightly to Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu, speaking respectfully: "Greetings, Miss Qin, and Miss Yang."

Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu nodded in return, but their eyes still held a hint of wariness. They could sense that Ling Xi was quite powerful, and there seemed to be a special emotion hidden in her gaze towards Huang Yiming, which inevitably made them feel a little jealous. However, they also knew that Huang Yiming was not the type to be fickle, and besides, Ling tide was now an ally, so they couldn't be too hostile.

Lingxi seemed to sense Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu's thoughts. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she took out a pure white spiritual herb, brimming with spiritual energy, from her storage space and handed it to Huang Yiming: "Young Master, I found this Qi Condensation Flower by chance before, intending to use it to break through my cultivation realm. But you saved my life, so I'm giving this Qi Condensation Flower to you as a token of my gratitude. I know you also want to break through your cultivation realm, and it should be able to help."

Huang Yiming's eyes lit up when he saw the Qi Condensation Flower in Ling tide's hand—the spiritual energy of this flower was far more abundant than he had imagined; with it, he would definitely be able to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. "No, this is too precious; I can't accept it. You went through so much trouble to find this flower; you should keep it for yourself."

"Please accept it, young master," Lingxi insisted. "If it weren't for you, I would have already perished in the jaws of demonic beasts. How could a mere Qi Condensation Flower repay such a life-saving debt? Moreover, I believe that after you break through your cultivation level, you will definitely be able to protect us, protect the Spirit Clan, and resist the threat from the Qingyun Sect."

Looking into Ling tide's sincere eyes, Huang Yiming then looked at Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu. Seeing that they did not object, he nodded and accepted the Qi Condensation Flower: "Alright, then I will accept it. Don't worry, I will definitely protect you and resist the threat from the Qingyun Sect. I will also help you find your clansmen."

Lingxi smiled happily, her eyes filled with gratitude. Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu watched this scene, their jealousy lessening somewhat—they understood that Lingxi was genuinely grateful to Huang Yiming, and that the Qi-Gathering Flower was indeed important to him.

"Alright, let's leave here first. The smell of blood might attract more demonic beasts and Qingyun Sect cultivators," Huang Yiming said.

The three nodded and followed Huang Yiming deeper into Black Wind Ridge, intending to find a safe place first so that Huang Yiming could take the Qi Condensation Flower to break through his cultivation realm.

After taking only a few steps, Huang Yiming suddenly stopped, his eyes becoming wary. He gestured for Qin Yuling, Yang Xiu, and Ling tide to be quiet: "Someone is watching us from the shadows."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuling, Yang Xiu, and Ling tide immediately became alert, circulating their spiritual energy and paying attention to the surrounding movements.

Huang Yiming slowly turned around, his gaze locking onto the cluster of spiritual herbs beside him, his tone icy: "Come out, stop hiding, I've already found you!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a dark figure leaped out from the thicket of spiritual herbs. Clad in the azure robes of the Qingyun Sect, his face covered by a black cloth, his eyes fixed on them with a sinister glint. He held a communication jade talisman in his hand, muttering under his breath, "The Sect Master has ordered: capture Huang Yiming alive, seize the Spirit Clan's Holy Maiden, and bring her back to the Qingyun Sect. No mistakes allowed..." Huang Yiming's eyes instantly turned icy—he hadn't expected the Qingyun Sect's spies to have tracked him this far, and that their target wasn't just him, but also Ling tide. It seemed the Qingyun Sect's ambitions were far greater than he had anticipated.

Lingxi's face also turned pale; she, too, hadn't expected the Qingyun Sect cultivators to find this place so quickly. Qin Yuling and Yang Xiu gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes warily fixed on the sentry, ready to fight at any moment.

Seeing that he had been exposed, the sentry ceased hiding, channeling his spiritual energy and charging towards Huang Yiming. Simultaneously, he threw out a communication jade talisman, clearly intending to send a message to the Qingyun Sect. "Huang Yiming, Holy Maiden of the Spirit Clan, surrender now, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Huang Yiming sneered, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He knew he absolutely couldn't let this sentry relay the message, otherwise the main force of the Qingyun Sect would arrive soon, and they would be in dire straits. "Want to capture us? You'll have to see if you have the ability first!"