Chapter 30: Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation!

Before long, Ling Feng found a massive cave not far away. Judging by its aura, it was likely the lair of that Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger.

The lair was piled high with the bones of various beasts, and even human bones.

Clearly, these were all individuals who had once set their sights on the Sky-Sun Crimson Blood Fruit.

With a surge of sword qi, Ling Feng cleared out an open space. He sat down cross-legged and took the Sky-Sun Crimson Blood Fruit from his bosom.

Without much hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the fruit. The crimson fruit melted instantly upon contact, turning into juice that flowed down his throat and into his stomach.

"So hot!"

Ling Feng's first sensation was that his body felt as if it were being roasted by raging flames. This was the Sky-Sun Spiritual Power contained within the fruit. Consuming this fruit could cause one's true qi to explode in volume and could even naturally imbue the true qi with a trace of fiery heat and dominance.

Drenched in sweat, Ling Feng's skin soon turned as red as a steamed crab. Wisps of heat rose from his pores, condensing into clumps of white mist upon meeting the air, drifting slowly upward.

The juice of the Crimson Blood Fruit within his body felt like rolling lava, surging and rampaging through his internal organs.

Ling Feng clenched his teeth, feeling as if a fire were burning inside him, growing more intense by the second, as if it intended to burn him into ashes from the inside out.

An ordinary person would likely have lost consciousness under such circumstances, but Ling Feng endured the heat, activating the techniques of the "Immortal-Inquiry Qi Refining Manual" to gradually absorb and refine the incredibly pure spiritual energy within the Crimson Blood Fruit.

The Sky-Sun Crimson Blood Fruit was an extremely rigid and yang-natured exotic fruit. The heat it contained was far beyond what a mere Qi Condensation Realm martial artist could refine. Generally, it required several medicinal herbs with neutralizing properties to be refined into a "Sky-Sun Great Pill" before it could be consumed.

Ling Feng's reckless decision to swallow it directly was only possible because of his unique constitution; an ordinary person would likely have had their brain scorched long ago.

Gradually, Ling Feng adapted to that scorching, domineering energy, and the speed at which he refined the medicinal power increased. The true qi within his body surged rapidly.

Under the impact of the Crimson Blood Fruit's heat, his meridians also became more resilient.

After an unknown amount of time, Ling Feng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation!" A sharp light flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. He had only just promoted to the fifth stage; even if he had activated his Human Path Eye to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, combined with the Qi-Boosting Pill the Sect Leader had "gifted" him, it should have logically taken ten to fifteen days to achieve another breakthrough.

This Crimson Blood Fruit had not only directly increased his cultivation by one level but had also imbued his true qi with the heat of fire, naturally elevating the power of his sword qi.

...

"Dammit! Dammit! Where the hell did that little bastard run off to!"

Xiao Qinggang slashed a demon beast down with his sword, his eyes flashing with terrifying killing intent.

It had been five whole days!

Xiao Qinggang had been searching the outskirts of the Great Desolate Mountain Range for five days, yet he still had no sign of Ling Feng, which was making him lose patience.

"Senior Brother Xiao, could that kid have gone to the territory where high-level second-tier demon beasts roam?" the red-haired man in front suddenly asked.

"How is that possible? What kind of strength does that kid have? He's only at the fourth stage of Qi Condensation. How would he dare?" Xiao Qinggang snorted coldly.

"Senior Brother Xiao, have you forgotten? That kid even killed Qingfeng," the red-haired man added.

"Bullshit! That kid only succeeded because he caught Qingfeng off guard with a sneak attack!"

Xiao Qinggang glared fiercely at the red-haired man and delivered a kick directly to his backside. "If it weren't for Qingfeng's carelessness, could a brat like him have killed him?"

As he spoke, Xiao Qinggang sheathed his sword, tilted his chin up, and snorted, "However, we can't rule out the possibility that the brat is being self-righteous and has entered deeper into the mountains."

The corners of the mouths of the red-haired man and the other inner disciples twitched, but none dared to embarrass Xiao Qinggang. Someone immediately chimed in, "Senior Brother Xiao's analysis makes perfect sense. Let's set off immediately!"

"Let's go!" Killing intent sharpened in Xiao Qinggang's eyes. He swore silently that once he found Ling Feng, he would grind him into ashes to satisfy his hatred!

The group moved at an extremely fast pace.

Over the past few days, they had searched the outskirts of the Great Desolate Mountain Range for a long time without finding a single clue.

However, since there was only one entrance to the Great Desolate Mountain Range from Mount Nine Immortals, as long as Ling Feng entered through that entrance, he would certainly follow the paths carved out by predecessors.

There was no doubt about that.

Soon, Xiao Qinggang and the others indeed found signs of combat. Following the trail, they eventually located a "battlefield."

Two days had passed since Ling Feng killed Wang Tong and his four companions. Because the aura of the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger had not yet dissipated, the corpses on the ground had not been carried off by wild beasts or demon beasts; they were merely covered in maggots, and the entire battlefield reeked of corpse stench.

"These people must have died only a few days ago." The red-haired man leading the way crouched down to examine the wounds on the corpses and said slowly, "They must have died by our Immortal-Inquiry Sect's Star-Shattering Sword Technique. I heard that the sword technique Ling Feng used when he killed Qingfeng was the Star-Shattering Sword Technique."

"You little bastard, you can't run this time!" A grim killing intent erupted in Xiao Qinggang's eyes. "Search the surrounding area. Once you find him, notify me immediately. I want to grind him into ashes with my own hands!"

"Yes!" The disciples responded in unison, their figures blurring as they scattered from this location to search for Ling Feng's tracks.

...

Meanwhile, Ling Feng was inside the Cloud-Patterned Hanging-Eye Tiger's lair, unaware that danger was approaching.

He had spent two days finally completely absorbing the medicinal power of the Sky-Sun Crimson Blood Fruit. His cultivation had stabilized at the peak of the sixth stage of Qi Condensation; he was essentially just one final step away from another breakthrough.

Stretching his limbs, Ling Feng slowly stood up and rubbed his stomach. Two days had left him feeling quite famished.

A Qi Condensation Realm martial artist was, after all, still a mortal being and had not yet reached the stage of being free from the need for food.

"It's time to head out!"

Ling Feng walked out of the cave, intending to hunt some wild game to satisfy his hunger.

"Stop right there!"

Suddenly, a sharp shout came from the side.

Ling Feng turned his head to look. It was a man dressed in the inner disciple uniform of the Immortal-Inquiry Sect, with red hair standing up like the quills of a hedgehog.

"You must be Ling Feng!" The red-haired man lunged toward Ling Feng in a single stride. A cold sneer hung on his face, and his dark, sharp eyes stared at Ling Feng like a hawk eyeing its prey.

Ling Feng frowned slightly, glanced at the red-haired man, and said coldly, "What is it?"

"It really is you!" The red-haired man's gaze tightened, and then he burst into loud laughter. He pulled a signal arrow from his bosom and shot it into the sky.

"A cloud-piercing arrow! Senior Brother Qinggang, come quickly!"

The red-haired man roared. The signal arrow soared into the air, flashing a brilliant light mid-flight; this was the signal the red-haired man and Xiao Qinggang had agreed upon.