Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

"It's a formation. The enemy must have already noticed. Let's get some distance away first."

Bending down to examine the wisp of spiritual light that Bai Jiuniang had touched, Wang Mian immediately knew that he had stepped into the range of the array set up by the other party, and then ordered Bai Jiuniang to escape from this place.

His purpose in entering Fenglei Valley for the second time was to lure out the Qi Refining cultivators of the Lü clan.

Wang Mian could easily guess that the cultivators who had entered Fenglei Fortress a few days ago were from the Lü family. If he and Bai Jiuniang appeared in Fenglei Valley, the other party would definitely try to capture him.

As expected, not long after Bai Jiuniang fled, a beam of light flew out from Fenglei Fortress and headed straight for Wang Mian and Bai Jiuniang.

It is a flying boat, and it is extremely fast.

Bai Jiuniang instantly activated the last two Gale Talismans, further accelerating her already lightning-fast escape speed, creating a sharp whistling sound as she disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.

The flying boat that had been suddenly thrown far behind also accelerated suddenly, its speed only slightly slower than Bai Jiuniang's.

Lu Xingyun, who was steering the flying boat, had already increased the speed of the flying boat to the maximum, but there was still a gap between him and the monster in front of him. The monster then turned to fly through narrow paths and was extremely agile.

"Good luck. Just bite it and it will slow down when its demonic power is depleted." Lu Xingshui said slowly, staring intently at the figure in front of him.

The aura of this mid-grade demon beast was only equivalent to that of a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator. Even though its demonic power was more abundant than that of a cultivator, it could not withstand the repeated consumption of two Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators.

Let it escape.

"Such speed indicates this beast is unusual. Do not kill it; capture it alive as well," Lü Xingshui added.

Bian Zening and Lü Xingzhuang, who were behind him, responded in agreement.

Before the flying boat.

Bai Jiuniang flew over the mountain ridge, the strong wind blowing the trees crooked and about to break, then flew straight into Luopo Mountain, turned a corner, and flew towards Guiku Gorge.

"This boy may be trying to use the terrain to get rid of us." Bian Zening looked at the Ghost Cry Gorge, whose terrain was complex and varied. The gorge was sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, sometimes with obstacles, and sometimes with waterfalls.

As Lü Xingyun, who was steering the flying boat, was unfamiliar with the strange and complicated terrain, he began to fall behind Wang Mian.

Lu Xingshui could certainly see through Wang Mian's intentions.

He grabbed the helm of the flying boat and poured his magic power into its control core. The flying boat suddenly accelerated, smashing rocks and tree trunks to pieces and closing the distance between them again.

"Once I get close, you all use your magic to interrupt his escape speed. We can't let him continue to escape, lest we increase the chances of things going wrong," Lu Xingshui instructed.

The group of people all took out their magical implements and channeled their magical power, their spells ready to be unleashed.

The flying boat controlled by Lü Xingshui, a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, increased its speed once again, and got closer and closer to Bai Jiuniang. In just a few breaths, it closed to within five or six zhang.

A gust of evil wind came, and Bai Jiuniang turned her demon body, and a huge rock crashed down beside her.

When Wang Mian turned around, he saw another spell coming, which Bai Jiuniang narrowly avoided. Throughout the Ghost Cry Gorge, the booming sound of spells exploding echoed continuously.

"Ninth Sister, let's go straight into the Thousand Caves Cave."

Ghost Cry Gorge was merely a deception; Thousand Caves was the battlefield Wang Mian had chosen.

Another spell struck, the aftershocks causing Bai Jiuniang's body to tilt slightly, giving her no chance to adjust her posture before two more deadly spells followed.

Bai Jiuniang activated her protective magic artifact, and the magic collided with the artifact's spiritual light, producing a loud explosion.

The spells cast by the two Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators were so powerful that they dimmed the spiritual light of the magical artifacts and slammed Bai Jiuniang against a mountain wall.

Before Bai Jiuniang could react, the flying boat crashed straight into her again.

Wang Mian could even see Lü Xingshui's cold smile. A ruthless glint appeared in Bai Jiuniang's eyes as her demonic power surged wildly, causing her essence blood to boil.

The instant the flying boat collided with her, Bai Jiuniang transformed into a pale red streak of light and fled, her speed more than twice as fast as before.

"I'm going all out!" Lu Xingshui muttered to himself.

After casting several Swift Wind Talismans, he poured his magical power into the flying boat as if it were free, chasing after the fleeing figure.

Two beams of light shot out of Ghost Cry Gorge one after the other, and then crashed into the dark Thousand Caves Cave one after the other, as if swallowed by a giant beast.

The Thousand Caves Cave, as its name suggests, is filled with caves of all sizes, countless in number, with caves connected to caves, and no one has ever explored the full extent of its caves.

"Hold on to the magical artifact and give chase!" When they first entered the cave, the entrance could still accommodate the size of the flying boat, but it gradually began to shrink, and the flying boat could no longer be used.

Holding the entire plate, Lü Xingzhuang stared at the trembling pointer, guiding the group in the right direction.

Several beams of light traveled through the cave. Many of the bats that had been startled by Bai Jiuniang were killed by the group and fell into the thick layer of luminous sand on the ground.

"Front right!"

"Front left!"

"Forward left... forward and backward... forward and up..." With each change of the array plate in Lu Xingzhuang's hand, he accurately judged the direction Wang Mian was moving in. No matter how Wang Mian changed his position, he could not shake them off.

On the contrary, the distance between them was reduced by a considerable amount.

In addition, Bai Jiuniang used a secret technique to increase her speed, but now she was running out of steam and her speed began to decrease slowly. The crisis was imminent. Wang Mian turned around and grabbed Bai Jiuniang, and a fish-shaped shuttle suddenly appeared under his feet.

"Ninth Sister, heal your wounds quickly." Holding the tiny Bai Jiu Niang in his arms, Wang Mian controlled the flying shuttle, and with a flash of light, it suddenly disappeared into the dark cave.

"Damn it, that's Brother Xingshan's Blue Fish Shuttle!" Lu Xingyun, who had come straight after them, couldn't help but curse as the blue light disappeared around the corner of the rock wall.

Lü Xingzhuang also looked unwell.

However, the most furious was Lü Xingshui. He also saw that his younger brother's magical artifact had been controlled by the other party. Enraged, he gathered his magical power and chased after them at lightning speed.

Wang Mian sensed the approaching aura. A Qi Refining Level 6 expert and a Qi Refining Level 7 expert were chasing after him, while a Qi Refining Level 4 expert was also chasing after him. He knew that such an escape would not lead to his survival.

Luring the enemy here, making it appear as if they are fleeing in panic and seeking a way out by taking advantage of the terrain, is all part of a backup plan.

A jade jar appeared silently in Wang Mian's hand.

Soul-Tearing Ointment.

What's the most suitable thing to do in this narrow, cavernous space? Poisoning, of course!

This was Wang Mian's trump card. The Soul-Tearing Ointment was colorless and odorless, and its activation was silent and stealthy. Only in this cave could it be used to its fullest potential.

If a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator is poisoned by this poison, their soul will be severely damaged. If a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator is poisoned by this poison, their soul will be in disarray and difficult to stabilize. Wang Mian did not seek to kill the people behind him, but only hoped to escape alive.

All the pretense, including Bai Jiuniang burning her essence blood to increase her escape speed, was only to confuse the opponent and lower their guard as much as possible.

Only through such calculations could the poisoning attempt possibly succeed.

Even before arriving at Luopo Mountain, Wang Mian had already put himself in the shoes of the people from the Lü family and anticipated that their cultivation level would not be weak. He knew he couldn't defeat them in a fight, and he couldn't escape either.

For him, the Iron-Boned Old Man was someone he couldn't ignore; he had to save him.

What he owed Tie Gu Sou wasn't just a meal, but two lives. If Tie Gu Sou hadn't saved him at Songlin Pool that day, he would have already died, and Bai Jiu Niang would have died as well.

According to Hua Gu, the risk of rescuing Tie Gu Sou is too great. Wang Mian should either hide away to avoid trouble, flee to another place, or return after improving his cultivation.

As for the Iron-Boned Old Man, we can only give up and remember this grievance to seek revenge in the future.

Wang Mian refused.

He understood Hua Gu's worries, and he understood even more that cultivators value sincerity—sincerity in the Way, sincerity in their hearts, and sincerity in the face of Heaven and Earth.

Wang Mian knew perfectly well that if he fled to seek refuge, he would surely be hindered by his inner demons in the future. It would be a small matter if his cultivation could not advance an inch, but a big one if he lost his life during his breakthrough.

It was not unwise, nor was it a display of strength; it was for his own sake, and also to repay the life-saving grace, that he had to take this risk, and that the person had to be saved.

"Ninth Sister, hold your breath!" Wang Mian whispered a reminder.

Sensing the approaching presences behind him, Wang Mian activated his magic to catalyze the Soul-Tearing Ointment. Wisps of smoke rose from the jade jar in his hand, filling the cave as he fled.

Colorless, odorless, and silent.