Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

A mountain breeze stirred, bringing a slight chill.

Cao Xiong silently circulated his internal energy, his right hand gripping the Evil-Sniffing Longsword tightly.

He met the Yaksha's gaze calmly.

"Die!"

The Yaksha let out a loud hiss, and the steel fork in his hand shot down from above, carrying billowing black smoke.

Cao Xiong's eyes glanced towards the bottom of the cliff, where the dull sound of water hitting the rocks was exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest.

"Could this be the way out that Liu Mingzi was talking about?"

Cao Xiong didn't have time to think too much; the Yaksha's attack gave him the illusion that he was powerless to resist.

"Sword Drawing Technique~"

Cao Xiong unleashed his strongest attack, channeling all his inner strength. The longsword and steel fork collided fiercely, the two completely different forces generating immense destructive power.

The rock beneath Cao Xiong's feet shattered instantly.

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string and crashed into a boulder.

"Boom!"

The pebbles fell in all directions.

On the other hand, Yaksha, though he did not retreat a single step, was trembling slightly in the hand holding the steel fork, clearly indicating that his victory was not easy.

Before Cao Xiong could recover, Yaksha flapped its wings, its steel fork gleaming with a chilling light.

Cao Xiong had exhausted his internal energy and could only raise his hands, relying on his fighting instincts to grab the steel fork and desperately defend himself.

The moment Yaksha withdrew his weapon, Cao Xiong turned around, his back to the cliff.

"die!"

Yasha's arm muscles bulged as he attacked again.

Cao Xiong felt as if this force could tear his body apart.

The steel fork pierced Cao Xiong's palm bit by bit, and blood flowed to the ground.

Yaksha licked his lips greedily.

"What a robust body! I will make you my corpse servant, to serve me forever."

When he was just a step away from the cliff, Cao Xiong suddenly leaned back, his hand slipping off the steel fork. The pain of the fork piercing his flesh made him gasp.

His body plummeted towards the bottom of the cliff.

Yaksha flapped his wings, flew into the air, folded his wings to his sides, and swooped down, his speed even three points faster than Cao Xiong's.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Xiong had already fallen dozens of meters, with the turbulent river below him almost within reach.

The Yaksha faced the ground, observing more closely. He channeled his spiritual power, increasing his speed once more, and thrust his steel fork towards Cao Xiong's chest, intending to pin him down.

Despite the excruciating pain of his hand being pierced, Cao Xiong gripped the steel fork tightly.

The Yaksha was clearly much stronger than Cao Xiong. Even while falling, the steel fork was getting closer and closer to Cao Xiong's chest.

"Go back here!"

Cao Xiong gritted his teeth and strained, the veins on both sides of his face bulging, but the steel fork could not be pushed in an inch further.

The yaksha spat out a plume of black smoke, which flew straight at Cao Xiong's face.

The fishy stench made Cao Xiong feel nauseous, dizzy, weak, and completely powerless.

The steel fork easily pierced Cao Xiong's armor, and he only felt the cold touch of the fork on his chest.

Thanks to the enhancement of the copper skin and iron bones in the entry, the steel fork failed to penetrate Cao Xiong's body immediately, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

"Thump~"

Just as the steel fork pierced Cao Xiong's chest an inch deep, he finally landed and fell into the water.

After Cao Xiong fell into the water, he was sucked into a whirlpool, leaving only a wave on the surface.

It's hard to imagine that such a turbulent river could exist among these mountains.

"Do you think you can escape once you're in the water?"

"Doesn't that mean that going to heaven and sea are all my strengths?"

Yaksha sneered and followed closely behind, plunging headfirst into the river.

The Yaksha moved beneath the water's surface as if on flat ground, its eyes constantly scanning its surroundings. Strange rocks stood tall, and various aquatic plants, taller than a person, were everywhere.

For a time, Cao Xiong could not be found.

The Yaksha channeled its spiritual power, opened its blood-red maw, and emitted a sharp sound like that of a bird.

The river surged violently, and jets of water shot out from the Yaksha's mouth, turning water plants and boulders into dust under this powerful force.

Cao Xiong, who was hiding in a reef, was immediately exposed.

"Found you~"

Cao Xiong looked over and saw that a vortex had formed in front of the Yaksha, constantly releasing a strong suction force, and pebbles of different sizes were thrown into the vortex.

Cao Xiong plunged the Evil-Sniffing Blade into the reef, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands to avoid being swallowed by the whirlpool.

Seeing that Cao Xiong could still hold on, Yaksha continued to control his spiritual power to enhance the vortex.

Just as Cao Xiong was about to give up, a suction force also appeared behind him from a rocky cave that had been covered by seaweed, as if it were challenging the Yaksha. The suction force was no weaker than the Yaksha's magic.

Cao Xiong was caught between two powerful forces, feeling his blood boiling and his internal organs being repeatedly squeezed and kneaded.

His armor was already tattered and blood was constantly seeping from his skin.

"Pfft~"

Cao Xiong, who was already at his limit of holding his breath, coughed up a mouthful of blood, his mouth and nose wide open, and river water poured in.

In the moments before he lost consciousness, Cao Xiong only knew that he had not been captured by the Yaksha, but had been dragged into the rocky cave.

Cao Xiong was sucked into the reef cave too quickly. Yaksha withdrew his magic and rushed to the cave entrance, but because his body was too large, he could not squeeze in.

He used a steel fork to widen the opening several times over, only to find once inside that the rocky cave was unfathomably deep and the passage was narrow.

After venting his anger, Yaksha turned and left.

……

When Cao Xiong regained consciousness, he found himself no longer in the undercurrent.

Instead, it was in a dry and spacious cave.

Crimson crystals were embedded in the mountain wall, radiating light and dispelling the darkness inside the cave.

"This place feels so familiar."

Cao Xiong looked around and felt as if he had been here before.

His mind was in a daze, and he couldn't remember where this familiar feeling came from.

After checking his body and finding that the injury was not serious enough to affect his foundation, he felt a little relieved.

He picked up the Evil-Sniffing Longsword beside him, used it as a crutch, and barely managed to stand up.

"Awoo~"

A robust gray wolf with glossy fur walked in through the cave entrance.

Its body occasionally emitted spiritual energy fluctuations unique to the Qi Ling Realm, clearly indicating that it was a demon beast that had entered the realm.

When the gray wolf saw Cao Xiong wake up, it wagged its tail excitedly and tried to get closer.

Cao Xiong looked in the direction of the wolf's howl and met the gray wolf's eyes. Cao Xiong's mind instantly cleared.

He finally understood why he felt a sense of familiarity with the cave.

This is Chipingpo. The gray wolf that just entered the cave is the little gray wolf that he helped when he came to Chipingpo to eliminate the wolf demon.

Cao Xiong looked at the gray wolf. "Did you save me?"

The gray wolf nodded, stuck out its tongue, and happily ran to Cao Xiong's side, rubbing against his thigh.

"Cough cough~"

Touched by the gray wolf, Cao Xiong realized that he was currently naked and desperately needed a piece of clothing.

"Little gray wolf, could you find me an animal hide?"

The gray wolf tilted its head, then turned and left the cave.

After the gray wolf left, Cao Xiong sat cross-legged on the ground and began to use his internal energy to heal his injuries.

"This time we were really lucky to escape from the Yaksha."