In the land of Yongzhou, towns and cities can be found everywhere. Even in rural areas, there are traces of travelers, and cultivators are a common sight.

Li Fan and his companions traveled along the road, no longer riding the Jiao Dragon in high spirits as they did before.

At this moment, they were far from Liuyue City. Entering the Yongzhou territory through Liuyue City, they passed many mountains, rivers, villages, and cities, with cultivators everywhere but few traces of demons.

Occasionally, they encountered demons, but they were all domesticated by humans. Perhaps minor demons were active in the countryside but did not pose much threat.

This inevitably made Li Fan sigh, realizing that the heartland of the Da Li Dynasty was more suitable for human habitation, especially for ordinary people, as it was a safer environment here.

"There's another mountain gate ahead, likely a sect. Let's avoid it," Xing Feng spoke. They had committed a massacre in Liuyue City, and now the court was likely hunting them down everywhere. Fortunately, the world was vast. Just the Yongzhou territory alone spanned vast lands, making finding someone akin to finding a needle in a haystack unless they entered the public eye, such as going to a major city.

Sect news is relatively well-informed, especially some major sects, so it is better to avoid them when encountered.

"Agreed," Li Fan nodded, "How many Seventh Realm forces are there in Yongzhou?"

"Not many," Xing Feng said, "Seventh Realm Cultivators are already at the top of the Da Li Dynasty. The reason Liuyue City has several Seventh Realm forces is due to its geographical position; it's a gateway. Once you've passed Liuyue City into Yongzhou, it's like entering another world. You see demons are rarely encountered on this journey, and those we do meet are mostly human demon servants or minor demons hiding among humans in their transformed form."

Li Fan nodded slightly. In the past, he often encountered mid-realm demons when traveling in the wilderness. But now, even in the wilderness, there were traces of humans everywhere.

"Uncle Master, where shall we go next?" Li Fan asked.

"Let's find a place to cultivate. See if you can break through to the Sixth Realm. Currently, the court should be issuing wanted orders everywhere. Once you break into the Sixth Realm, your ability to protect yourself will be much stronger. By then, we will move separately; otherwise, our target is too large," Xing Feng said.

"Once you reach the Dao Body Realm, the old man will attend to his own affairs. It's been years, and who knows if there's a chance to break through to the Seventh Realm," Lu You said from the side.

"With Master Xing here, Uncle Lu, you can go cultivate now," Li Fan looked at Lu You. Ever since they met outside Liuyue City, Lu You had revealed his identity to protect him, putting in all his effort, so Li Fan didn't want to take up too much of his time.

"There's no hurry," Lu You said, "Your cultivation doesn't hinder my training."

"Very well," Li Fan smiled, "Then let's find a place to retreat."

The group continued their journey. Li Fan seemed to have something on his mind, and Lu Yuan asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

"I wonder how Senior Brother is doing," Li Fan replied. After all, Senior Brother had not yet reached the Seventh Realm, and encountering a Great Cultivator from the court could be dangerous.

"Don't worry, Ruyu is not an impulsive person," Xing Feng said from ahead.

"Agreed," Li Fan nodded without thinking much further, hoping that both he and Senior Brother would soon enter the Seventh Realm. Then, anywhere within the Da Li territory would be accessible to them.

The group arrived at a large mountain gorge. This place was quiet and rarely visited by people, suitable for cultivation. Li Fan decided to retreat here for a period of time.

In front of the mountain wall in the gorge, Li Fan willed, and his flying sword unsheathed, piercing into the mountain wall. Moments later, it opened up a cave residence.

"The Dao Body Realm focuses on integration, where a Qi Cultivator harmonizes their flesh with the great Dao of heaven and earth, forging a Dao body. Are you clear on this?" Lu You asked beside Li Fan.

"Yes," Li Fan nodded. In this attempt to break through the realm, he naturally needed to understand the next stage first.

"By the way, since you're also practicing Martial Arts, this Seventh Realm Demon Core might first help your martial path to break through the realm. On this point, you should consult your Master Xing," Lu You looked towards Xing Feng.

"The great Dao merges. Once you reach the Sixth Realm, a Qi Cultivator instead needs to build their physique, while a Martial Cultivator needs to comprehend the true essence. The Sixth Martial Arts Realm is also referred to as the True Realm. Both paths of cultivation compensate for deficiencies and evolve towards a more perfect direction. For those who practice both paths, breaking through this realm is more advantageous, as they gain insights from both sides. However, your primary focus is Sword Dao; ultimately, everything should serve your Sword Dao," Xing Feng said, glancing at Lu You.

"The method Xiao Fan practices is extraordinary, so there's no need for us to worry,"

"Indeed," Lu You nodded with a smile, "A sword of Condensed Core can slay a Dao Body Sword Cultivator. Even among the Li Mountain Sword Cultivators, only those prodigies through the ages could achieve this."

"Uncle Master, Qingshan was still young when he descended the mountain. If there's a chance, I hope Uncle Master can guide him a bit," Li Fan called out, looking towards Yang Qingshan, "Qingshan, come over here."

Yang Qingshan came forward, looking at Lu You, "Uncle Grandmaster's Sword Dao is so extraordinary that casual advice from you could probably lead me to break through to the Ning Dan Realm."

"This boy is clever," Lu You laughed, "Stay by my side."

With that said, he turned and left, unwilling to continue disturbing Li Fan's retreat.

"I will guard outside," Huang Xiong said as he walked to the entrance of the cave residence.

"I'll stay here. With Uncle Grandmaster, Brother Huang also needs to cultivate," Lu Yuan said softly. Xing Feng was Huang Xiong's master, and it was a rare opportunity for Xing Feng to guide Huang Xiong's cultivation.

Huang Xiong glanced at Li Fan, only to hear Li Fan say, "She's right, Brother Huang, you should go."

"Alright." Huang Xiong nodded, as Xing Feng leapt towards the mountainside, with Huang Xiong following closely behind.

Yue Qingqiu, Lu Yuan, and Liu Ji stayed behind to cultivate, while Li Fan stepped into the prepared cave abode. With a single thought, several Demon Cores floated into the air, and powerful Demon Energy instantly enveloped the cave abode. A strand of throbbing sensation emanated from Li Fan's body, appearing somewhat greedy.

Li Fan's body seemed to transform into a vortex, demon energy spreading and shrouding the cave abode, being absorbed into his body. In no time, Li Fan's form also began to flow with terrifying demon energy, and a phantom of a Black Dragon circled around him. Soon, dragon roars resonated throughout the cave abode.

Outside the cave, Lu Yuan willed, turning Sword Aura into a barrier that enveloped the cave. An invisible force continuously struck against the barrier formed by Sword Intent, causing a strange flash in Lu Yuan's eyes—this commotion...

"Why do you always stay by his side?" A voice came from nearby, startling Lu Yuan, who looked in surprise at the speaker, recognizing it to be Yue Qingqiu.

Usually, Yue Qingqiu remained silent and did not like to speak, quietly staying with them, and Lu Yuan did not expect Yue Qingqiu to suddenly ask such a question.

"I'm thinking about human emotions." Seeing Lu Yuan's confusion, Yue Qingqiu softly explained.

"We are fellow disciples, all from Li Mountain, and are friends." Lu Yuan replied.

Yue Qingqiu seemed thoughtful and shook her head, "No."

Lu Yuan, looking at Yue Qingqiu's pure, flawless eyes, didn't know how to respond. Then she heard Yue Qingqiu softly say, "Is this not the affection between a man and a woman—a part of human emotions? Do you like him?"

Lu Yuan: "..."

Liu Ji, who was cultivating nearby, showed a peculiar expression and looked over with suspicion, a playful smile at the corners of her eyes.

"Why do you ask this?" Lu Yuan did not answer directly.

Yue Qingqiu shifted her gaze away from Lu Yuan, looking into the distance, confusion evident in her eyes.

"I find that I seem to be viewing the world from the perspective of humans now." Yue Qingqiu murmured to herself, "Is this normal?"

She was a demon who had walked out from Yun Meng Swamp.

She used to only yearn for humans, wanting to learn from them. Later, Li Fan said they were friends, so she left Yun Meng Swamp with Li Fan, wandering through the human world.

But as time passed, it seemed she had begun to see the world from a human's standpoint, almost like viewing it from Li Fan's perspective.

Now, seeing him slay demons and use Demon Cores for cultivation, she felt it was as it should be, yet she was also a demon.

Months later, atop the peak, Huang Xiong was practicing his punches, each move seemingly ordinary, but at the moment of impact, the air echoed with a boom, the space before him nearly frozen, as if a corner of the universe was shattered.

Not far away, Xing Feng watched quietly, his eyes showing a bit of surprise. Huang Xiong seemed dull, but his cultivation talent was unexpectedly high. Perhaps it was precisely because of his pure temperament, free of distractions, that he often pierced through to the essence of cultivation—great wisdom appearing foolish, great skill appearing clumsy.

As Huang Xiong cultivated, a tremor came from the ground. They looked down and felt the earth and mountains trembling, with cracks appearing, as if the mountain itself was about to split open.

Below, Lu Yuan and the others were all awakened by the shock; the barrier had shattered, and intense sounds emanated from the cave abode, pounding their eardrums like heavy hammers, making their scalps tingle.

"Fall back." Lu Yuan said, retreating her body.

In the distant direction, Lu You turned to look over, and Yang Qingshan seemed to have noticed as well, gazing intently, "What's happening?"

From the numerous cracks in the mountain range, thunderous light burst forth, carrying an ultimate sharp Sword Intent, shooting straight into the clouds. Above the sky, the wind and clouds changed, thunder was born, and sunlight pierced below, forming a strange spectacle.

"An anomaly." Lu You murmured, "It appears a breakthrough has occurred."

"I thought breaking into the Condensed Core Realm would cause some disturbance, but I didn't expect..." Yang Qingshan muttered softly. Just as he finished speaking, he saw the mountain break apart, as if being dismantled by countless sharp swords, with endless thunder shooting out from the shattered mountain body.

In that thunderous light, a figure transformed into lightning, soaring upwards, reaching for the sky.

"Taoist Body, Thunder Shadow, Sword Form." Lu You looked up at the sky. Underneath the apocalyptic scene, a figure stood tall in the heavens, with the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon descending upon him, like a god.

"Dao achieved."

Lu You laughed heartily, stepping forward as the sword entered the breeze.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.