Chapter 96 - 81: Refining the Bright God Pill, the Eerie Altar and Half-Step Sensing Profound

Qingyang Mountain was largely unpopulated. Xu Guang traveled quickly along the way and didn’t encounter anything. However... just as he was about to leave the mountains, near a babbling brook, he turned around for a glance and froze.

At some point, a figure wearing a light blue robe and a bamboo hat had appeared there.

"Young man, are you heading into the mountains to hunt?" The bamboo hat-wearing figure’s voice was old, carrying a sense of decay.

Xu Guang turned around, scratched his head, and asked with a simple, honest expression, "Are you talking to me?"

His heart was beating extremely fast. Because he couldn’t see the bamboo hat figure’s information! This person was above Refining Viscera!

"Naturally. Is there anyone else here besides you and me?"

"Of course. There are too many exorbitant taxes outside. Qingyang Mountain is the only place where no one collects taxes."

As if this were just a casual chat during a chance encounter in the mountains, Xu Guang turned and prepared to leave.

The bamboo hat figure watched Xu Guang without speaking. But the next moment, light danced in his eyes. He thought, "No, this person is not a hunter!"

Suddenly, a sonic boom rang out.

The bamboo hat figure rushed toward Xu Guang like a ghost, his body wrapped in a crimson light. "I knew there was something strange about you! How dare you run!"

His speed was too fast. He moved through the forest like a phantom fox. The crimson Power twisted like a python, toppling trees and kicking up dust wherever he passed.

Xu Guang’s expression darkened. Seeing that the bamboo hat figure was about to catch up, he abruptly turned around. "Why are you chasing me?!"

The bamboo hat figure froze slightly. He wondered why he was chasing Xu Guang. Then, he sneered inwardly. He was stronger than Xu Guang and was interested in him, so he would chase him!

Seeing that the bamboo hat figure wasn’t falling for his distraction, Xu Guang finally got angry. With a long howl, he continued to run forward, startling countless birds into the sky.

The bamboo hat figure caught up. Xu Guang turned, black spots appearing on his hands. His muscles rippled, swelling a size larger, and he threw a punch to clash with his pursuer.

The crimson Power wove and twisted along Xu Guang’s arm like a spinning top before suddenly exploding.

Xu Guang cried out in pain and then sprinted backward.

A hint of pleasant surprise appeared on the bamboo hat figure’s face. "You’re actually an Abnormal Person! Judging by your Combat Power, your Anomaly Vein seems quite impressive! Your heart must be excellent!"

BANG!

A ring of mist dispersed from the impact.

Xu Guang stood up, clutching his arm, his eyes filled with terror. Seeing the bamboo hat figure attacking again, he blocked left and right with one arm, but was struck in the chest by a palm imbued with crimson Power.

He was sent tumbling backward.

The bamboo hat figure wore an arrogant expression, standing casually in front of Xu Guang. "To be able to block a palm strike from me at a mere Refining Viscera level, you have the right to be proud."

Xu Guang lay face down on the ground, covered in dirt and looking incredibly miserable. Just a few meters behind him was a marsh.

"Why? I have no grudges or enmity with you."

"It’s just for fun. Just like how a toddler might occasionally crush an ant." The bamboo hat figure seemed to greatly enjoy this feeling of looking down from above, unexpectedly willing to share his mood with Xu Guang.

Xu Guang narrowed his eyes and suddenly smiled. "Is that all?"

The bamboo hat figure said playfully, "That’s all."

Suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end, as if he were about to be thrust into the maw of some fierce beast. As he turned, he saw a bloody, gaping mouth snapping viciously toward him.

"You foul beast!" The bamboo hat figure flew into a rage. The crimson Power surged, vibrating the surrounding air and causing waves of pressure to churn through the sky.

The giant crocodile let out a roar, the scales on its head bursting apart inch by inch.

At the same time, Xu Guang suddenly rose. Power swirled around his body, and a golden halo spread from his skin. His entire body turned an eerie black, his muscles and fascia undulating as formidable strength erupted forth.

"Then let me see just how strong a Martial Artist who has condensed a Blood Seal really is!"

After breaking through to the Three Viscera, his Combat Power had reached the Heroic Level. During their previous few exchanges, he discovered that the old man in front of him wasn’t at Sensing Profound at all! At the very least, he didn’t possess the nearly absolute suppression over Refining Viscera that Duan Jue had spoken of!

A long saber appeared in his hand, a fierce glint flashing deep in his eyes. Before the bamboo hat figure could dodge, Xu Guang threw a punch, several streaks of black light mixed within his palm.

BANG!

The bamboo hat figure’s body tumbled backward. Looking at Xu Guang’s transformation, his eyes nearly split open in fury. "You! So insidious! You were pretending to be injured all along!"

Xu Guang didn’t say a word. The whistling long saber displaced the air, emitting an ear-piercing sound like the collective howl of countless wild beasts.

The bamboo hat figure condensed the Power in his hands. The crimson Power transformed into a long dragon, forcefully locking into a stalemate with the long saber in midair.

The golden Power clinging to Xu Guang’s long saber twisted, transformed, exploded, and then vanished. Without hesitation, the crimson Power struck directly into the weapon.

This Treasure Saber, made of hundred-refined steel, actually shattered!

A trace of paleness appeared on the bamboo hat figure’s face, and thoughts of retreating rose in his mind. He had not yet fully reached Sensing Profound; he was still one final step away. But now...

Xu Guang charged forward once more, simultaneously commanding the giant crocodile to launch an attack.

The bamboo hat figure’s Power morphed into a snake, striking toward Xu Guang as if it were a physical entity.

BANG BANG BANG!

Xu Guang stepped back several paces to dissipate the tremendous force. Following that, without hesitation, he swung his palm and advanced again.

The space between his eyebrows split open, and a hideous Blood Eye emerged. At the same time, he let out a soft shout.

Divine Might combined with Soul Summoning—a standard crowd-control combo.

The bamboo hat on the figure’s head was blasted to pieces by the powerful wind, revealing a highly twisted face. One eye was large and the other small, strange horns grew from his head, and his lips protruded outward. He looked just like a Demon Fiend.

"Ah!"

While he was momentarily stunned, the giant crocodile bit down on him and dragged him into the marshy quagmire.

Xu Guang stepped forward. The Three Viscera Power he had been hiding all this time surged within his palms, manifesting in three different colors, and he ruthlessly blasted it out!

BANG!

SPURT.

Blood gushed frantically from the Demon Fiend-like old man’s mouth before he screamed wildly, "Don’t kill me! Spare my life, young friend!"