THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

Chapter Sixty-Seven — Bound Through Life and Death

“Wait!”

Zhuo Fan suddenly sat upright with a violent gasp.

Blinding sunlight pierced through the dark cave entrance, forcing him to squint immediately.

Only then did he realize something shocking.

He could move.

Though his body still felt weak, most of his injuries had already healed.

His eyes narrowed instantly.

Closing them, he carefully examined his body internally.

Inside his dantian, the Blood Infant lay quietly curled within a sea of crimson qi. Though still exhausted and weak, it no longer looked lifeless like before.

In fact—

Its tiny eyelids were already twitching faintly.

It was waking up.

Zhuo Fan inhaled deeply.

At this point, he could fully confirm it.

The mysterious man who entered his consciousness last night…

…was absolutely beyond the mortal realm.

Otherwise, no one could possibly heal both him and the Blood Infant’s fatal injuries overnight.

Especially the Blood Infant.

That creature was directly tied to his soul itself.

Even Sacred Domain experts might not necessarily save it so casually.

Which meant—

That blue-robed man’s cultivation had probably reached a terrifying level.

But then…

Why help him?

Zhuo Fan slowly touched the center of his forehead.

He still clearly remembered the blue-robed figure pressing a finger there before disappearing.

Something had definitely been left behind inside him.

Unfortunately, with his current strength, he could not detect it whatsoever.

After thinking briefly, Zhuo Fan finally shook his head and stopped worrying about it.

Whatever that existence wanted—

It was not something current him could resist anyway.

At his current level—

A sixth-layer Qi Gathering cultivator—

What qualifications did he even possess for such a being to scheme seriously against him?

Thinking this far, Zhuo Fan suddenly laughed bitterly at himself.

Sometimes, he truly overthought everything.

Right now, he was still trash by Sacred Domain standards.

Yet mentally—

He still kept thinking like the former Demon Emperor.

Ridiculous.

Strength.

Only strength mattered.

Without power—

Even understanding the truth changed nothing.

After calming himself fully, Zhuo Fan slowly looked toward the sunlight outside the cave.

Though the surrounding forest had already become blackened ruin beneath the azure flames earlier—

The sunlight still remained warm and bright.

Peaceful.

Then suddenly—

A faint groan echoed nearby.

Zhuo Fan immediately turned.

Only then did he notice Xue Ningxiang collapsed weakly inside a pool of dried blood.

His expression changed instantly.

Without hesitation, he rushed over and carefully lifted her into his arms.

A Heart Protection Pill appeared between his fingers immediately before he gently fed it into her mouth.

Then—

A stream of gentle yuan qi circulated throughout her body.

Moments later, Zhuo Fan slowly exhaled in relief.

Thankfully, her injuries were mostly external.

The real problem was exhaustion.

She had completely overdrawn herself fighting the wolf pack earlier.

A few days of rest would solve most of it.

Zhuo Fan lowered his gaze toward her pale face silently.

Then, almost unconsciously—

He reached out and gently brushed the dirt and dried blood from her cheek.

The rough warmth of his hand seemed to wake her slightly.

Xue Ningxiang’s eyelashes trembled faintly.

Then slowly—

She opened her eyes.

The moment she saw Zhuo Fan—

A bright smile appeared instantly on her pale face.

Beautiful.

Pure.

“Big Brother Zhuo…”

Her voice sounded weak and dreamy.

“Did we all die together?”

Zhuo Fan froze briefly.

Then sighed helplessly.

“No.”

“We’re still alive.”

“You’re lying…”

Xue Ningxiang smiled sleepily.

“You were hurt so badly…”

“How could you already move around?”

Then her smile softened even further.

“But…”

“…this is nice too.”

“If we died together…”

“…that wouldn’t be so bad.”

Before Zhuo Fan could answer—

She fell asleep again immediately.

Zhuo Fan stared at her quietly for several moments afterward.

Then carefully carried her deeper into the cave and laid her beside the Sorrowless Grass.

For spirit beasts, the grass acted like bait.

But for humans—

It truly did calm the nerves and restore exhaustion.

After making sure she rested comfortably, Zhuo Fan finally walked toward the still-unconscious Xie Tianyang.

His expression instantly changed completely.

Cold again.

“Wake up.”

No response.

Zhuo Fan kicked him lightly.

Still nothing.

Seeing this, Zhuo Fan sneered.

Then—

BOOM!

He viciously kicked Xie Tianyang directly in the ass.

“AAAHHHHHHH!”

A miserable scream exploded through the mountain range instantly.

Countless nearby spirit beasts trembled in horror hearing it.

What kind of monster made sounds like that?

The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range truly became more dangerous every day.

Inside the cave—

Xie Tianyang’s lips trembled tearfully while he muttered weakly:

“What hell is this…”

“I didn’t do anything evil while alive…”

“So why am I getting tortured after death…”

Zhuo Fan nearly laughed out loud.

“One kick counts as torture?”

“You really are Sword Marquis Manor’s precious young master.”

Xie Tianyang finally noticed Zhuo Fan standing beside him.

Then instantly froze.

“…You kicked me?”

He looked completely wronged.

“If we’re all dead…”

“…why do you get to torture me?”

Zhuo Fan burst out laughing.

“If we were both dead, then sure, we’d be equal.”

“But unfortunately…”

“…we’re alive.”

“And right now…”

“…you can’t move.”

Xie Tianyang blinked several times blankly.

Then suddenly exploded.

“Wait—”

“We’re alive?!”

He immediately looked around the cave wildly.

Then joy flooded his face.

“Hahahaha!”

“We really survived!”

But moments later—

He suddenly realized something horrifying.

Slowly—

Very slowly—

He turned toward Zhuo Fan.

“…Why can you move?”

“You were injured far worse than me.”

“And your cultivation’s lower too.”

“So how the hell are you already walking around?!”

Zhuo Fan merely shrugged casually.

Then even deliberately bounced lightly in place a few times just to provoke him further.

Xie Tianyang stared blankly.

Then finally muttered one exhausted word:

“…Monster.”

He genuinely could not understand it anymore.

That kind of fatal injury should have required at least months to recover from.

Yet Zhuo Fan practically revived overnight.

This was no longer talent.

This was terrifying.

At this point, Xie Tianyang truly felt emotionally exhausted.

Originally, he already hated the fact Zhuo Fan surpassed him in schemes, combat instincts, formations, and ruthlessness.

Now this bastard apparently recovered faster than monsters too.

How exactly was anyone supposed to compare against him?

Finally, Xie Tianyang gritted his teeth furiously.

“Tell me honestly…”

“…are you even human?”

Zhuo Fan patted his shoulder seriously.

“Of course I’m human.”

“I just happen to be slightly more outstanding than ordinary people.”

Xie Tianyang nearly coughed blood from anger.

Still—

As irritating as Zhuo Fan was—

His recovery truly saved all of them.

At least now, someone capable of fighting still remained.

Without wasting further time, Zhuo Fan immediately began setting formations outside the cave.

Spirit stones floated through the air one after another as ancient formation marks spread beneath the ground.

Soon—

An ancient first-grade formation fully activated.

Grand Concealment Formation.

Instantly, the cave completely vanished from the mountain forest.

Its aura disappeared entirely.

Even sixth-grade spirit beasts passing nearby would never notice it existed.

Only then did the three of them finally gain true safety.

…

Three days later—

Xue Ningxiang finally woke completely.

And after learning everyone survived safely, her joy became impossible to hide.

As for what happened to the Bloodthirsty Wolf pack—

Neither she nor Xie Tianyang understood.

Only Zhuo Fan possessed vague guesses.

That terrifying azure flame…

…and the blue-robed man…

Were definitely connected somehow.

So the days quietly passed.

One month.

Then another.

Then three.

Gradually—

Everyone’s injuries healed completely.

Zhuo Fan fully recovered first.

Xie Tianyang restored roughly seventy percent of his strength.

And Xue Ningxiang—

Who suffered the lightest true injuries—

Spent most of those three months happily playing with the Burrowing Mountain Rat instead.

The atmosphere between the three gradually changed as well.

Warmer.

Closer.

Without realizing it—

Zhuo Fan and Xie Tianyang both began treating Xue Ningxiang like a younger sister.

And Xue Ningxiang herself became increasingly attached to both men.

…

BOOM!

Inside a nearby forest clearing, Xie Tianyang’s sword split a massive boulder cleanly in half.

He exhaled proudly before glancing toward Xue Ningxiang nearby.

The girl immediately clapped excitedly while laughing happily beside the Burrowing Mountain Rat.

Her admiration looked almost identical to how younger sisters viewed older brothers.

At that moment, Zhuo Fan slowly walked over.

“Your sword momentum improved again.”

He nodded slightly.

“At this rate…”

“…you’ll probably break through eighth-layer Bone Tempering soon.”

Xie Tianyang immediately snorted.

“And whose fault is that?”

“You broke through seventh-layer Qi Gathering during recovery too.”

Then he glared bitterly.

“And stop acting insightful.”

“If I’m about to break through, obviously I already know.”

Xue Ningxiang hurriedly stepped between them laughing helplessly.

“You two seriously argue every time you meet now.”

“You weren’t like this before.”

“That’s because of him.”

Xie Tianyang immediately pointed accusingly at Zhuo Fan.

“Every time I remember how this bastard used you as bait…”

“…I get furious again.”

Zhuo Fan rolled his eyes.

“Oh?”

“And who suggested abandoning her first?”

“That was different!”

Xie Tianyang instantly choked.

Then after several awkward seconds—

He stubbornly straightened his neck again.

“I didn’t know Ning’er was this good back then.”

“If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t abandon her.”

“Besides…”

“At worst I wanted leaving her behind.”

“You literally shoved her into the tiger’s mouth personally.”

Zhuo Fan shrugged calmly.

“I’m a Demon Path cultivator.”

“Being slightly more vicious than you is normal.”

“Slightly?”

Xie Tianyang exploded immediately.

“You’re vicious by an entire damn realm!”

Xue Ningxiang quickly waved both hands helplessly.

“Stop arguing already!”

“That happened forever ago.”

“I’m not angry anymore, so why are you two still fighting over it?”

“Because someone needs justice for you!”

Xie Tianyang immediately stood beside her protectively and glared at Zhuo Fan again.

But Zhuo Fan merely smiled faintly.

Finally—

Xue Ningxiang suddenly stretched out her pinky finger toward both men.

“All right.”

“We already survived life and death together.”

“So let’s end the old arguments here.”

Xie Tianyang reluctantly hooked fingers with her first.

Zhuo Fan stared silently for a moment.

Then slowly extended his own finger as well.

Three fingers connected together quietly.

And strangely—

A warm feeling spread silently through all three hearts at once.

In life—

Finding one true confidant was already difficult beyond words.

But companions bound through life and death?

That kind of bond…

…could rarely even be encountered once.

Slowly, the three withdrew their hands again.

Then suddenly—

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

“Since everyone’s mostly recovered now…”

“…it’s time to part ways.”

Silence.

Both Xie Tianyang and Xue Ningxiang froze immediately.

Then Zhuo Fan corrected himself calmly.

“More accurately…”

“…I’m leaving.”

“Tianyang.”

“Take Ning’er safely out of the city for me.”

“Ning’er.”

“I can’t fulfill my promise anymore.”

Xue Ningxiang instantly grabbed his sleeve tightly.

“Big Brother Zhuo…”

“…where are you going?”

Zhuo Fan’s eyes slowly turned toward the distant mountains beyond the horizon.

“The third region.”

Both Xie Tianyang and Xue Ningxiang inhaled sharply.

“You still want entering there?”

“We only planned that earlier to escape Ghost Seven!”

“Why go now?”

Zhuo Fan remained silent briefly.

Then finally smiled bitterly.

“To be honest…”

“…the third region was my true destination from the beginning.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“Everything before…”

“…including dragging both of you along…”

“…partly involved using you.”

Xie Tianyang instantly cursed loudly.

“Damn it!”

“So you planned using me as bait too?!”

Zhuo Fan nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

“So if you don’t want dying meaninglessly…”

“…leave now.”

“And stay far away from me.”

Then he turned and began walking away immediately.

But suddenly—

A soft hand grabbed his arm.

Zhuo Fan stopped.

Xue Ningxiang stood behind him smiling brightly.

“If Big Brother Zhuo doesn’t mind me being a burden…”

“…then let me come too.”

Her voice softened.

“Even if you use me as bait again…”

“…I still want helping you.”

Zhuo Fan froze completely.

For several seconds—

He genuinely did not know what to say.

Then suddenly—

Another hand landed atop theirs.

Xie Tianyang sighed helplessly.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“I’m not following because I trust you.”

His eyes narrowed toward Zhuo Fan.

“I’m following because someone needs watching you.”

“Otherwise…”

“…you’ll probably sell Ning’er again.”

Zhuo Fan stared at both of them silently.

Then finally laughed.

A rare laugh.

Real.

Warm.

Though inwardly—

He still thought the exact same thing:

With your intelligence…

…I could probably sell both of you together.

But for once—

That thought carried no malice whatsoever.

Because somewhere along the way—

These two had already become more important to him than he expected.

Companions bound through life and death.

Such bonds…

…were rarer than any treasure in existence.

[End of Chapter Sixty-Seven]

Chapter Sixty-Eight — Clash of the Beasts

The third region of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range was a place where even the air felt murderous.

Ancient trees blocked out the sky completely.

Every direction echoed with monstrous roars, shrill screams, and the sound of predators tearing prey apart somewhere deep within the forest.

Before even stepping fully inside—

Cold sweat already covered the backs of ordinary cultivators.

Hidden within waist-high grass, three figures crawled silently across the ground.

Zhuo Fan.

Xie Tianyang.

Xue Ningxiang.

None of them dared stand upright.

Even though all three had consumed Breath Concealment Pills, this place was completely different from the outer regions.

Out there—

Being detected meant danger.

In here—

Being seen meant death.

One glance from the wrong spirit beast and they would not even have time to scream before disappearing into something’s stomach.

So the three could only crawl slowly through the forest like insects.

Every movement careful.

Every breath restrained.

Every sound terrifying.

A monstrous howl suddenly echoed somewhere nearby.

Xue Ningxiang shivered instinctively.

Even Xie Tianyang’s forehead glistened with cold sweat now.

Half a day later—

After crawling barely ten kilometers—

Xie Tianyang finally collapsed completely.

“Damn it…”

He sat upright immediately while panting heavily.

“I’m done crawling.”

“This is humiliating.”

Then he waved dismissively.

“And seriously…”

“…what are the chances we randomly encounter a fifth-grade spirit beast anyway?”

“Idiot!”

Zhuo Fan immediately hissed.

“Get down!”

“If something sees us now, we’re already dead!”

Xie Tianyang rolled his eyes carelessly.

“Relax.”

He glanced around the dense forest confidently.

“The trees are huge. The grass is thick. No spirit beast is spotting us that easi—”

ROOOOAAAR!!!

A thunderous roar exploded directly beside them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five enormous trees suddenly collapsed violently nearby.

Then—

A gigantic black bear over thirty feet tall stepped directly into view.

Its muscles bulged like forged iron.

Its claws tore trenches into the earth itself.

Bloodlust burned inside its crimson eyes.

“Fourth-grade spirit beast…”

Zhuo Fan’s pupils contracted instantly.

“Berserk Tempest Bear!”

All three immediately turned pale.

Even Xie Tianyang froze completely.

But before the massive bear could charge toward them—

WHOOOSH!

A gigantic tail thicker than a tree trunk suddenly wrapped around the bear’s body.

The Berserk Tempest Bear roared in panic before being lifted directly into the air.

Then—

CRUNCH!

A monstrous jaw suddenly appeared from the forest and swallowed the entire bear whole.

Blood exploded outward instantly.

The sound of bones crushing echoed horrifyingly through the valley.

Slowly—

The creature responsible finally revealed itself.

A colossal serpent over thirty meters long slithered through the forest.

Its scales resembled black stone.

A crimson crown-like crest rose from its skull.

Its icy triangular eyes swept across the forest constantly searching for prey.

“Fifth-grade spirit beast…”

Zhuo Fan inhaled sharply.

“Diamond Crest Python!”

“RUN!”

The three immediately dropped flat again and crawled desperately through the grass.

This time—

Even Xie Tianyang moved faster than anyone else.

At this moment, he finally understood exactly how terrifying the third region truly was.

Out here—

A moment of carelessness meant instant death.

Thankfully, the python had already eaten the Berserk Tempest Bear and remained focused on swallowing its prey.

After scanning the surroundings briefly, it eventually slithered deeper into the forest without noticing them.

Only then did the three finally breathe again.

Xie Tianyang looked like he was about to cry.

“Damn it, Zhuo Fan…”

“My brain must’ve been smashed by a sword…”

“…for me to follow you into this nightmare.”

Zhuo Fan merely snorted.

“No one forced you.”

“You’re free to crawl back anytime.”

Xie Tianyang instantly shut up.

Crawl back?

At sunset?

Into the second region?

Absolutely impossible.

At least beside Zhuo Fan, they still had formations protecting them at night.

Alone?

He would not survive till dawn.

Finally, he cursed bitterly:

“I boarded your damn pirate ship already.”

“You can’t kick me off halfway now.”

Zhuo Fan and Xue Ningxiang exchanged helpless looks.

Then continued forward silently.

…

So the strange journey continued.

Crawling by day.

Formation concealment by night.

One month passed like that.

Eventually—

The three finally crossed over three thousand miles into the third region.

By now, all their limbs ached constantly.

Even their waists felt half broken.

But strangely—

The deeper they went—

The fewer spirit beasts appeared.

Zhuo Fan understood immediately why.

This territory belonged to sixth-grade spirit beasts.

Absolute rulers.

Neither fourth nor fifth-grade beasts dared approach recklessly.

Within the third region—

Sixth-grade spirit beasts were kings.

Any lesser creature trespassing their domain would be hunted relentlessly.

Even across thousands of miles.

Because to spirit beasts—

Territory meant dignity.

And kings protected their dignity with blood.

Finally, Zhuo Fan slowly straightened his back for the first time in weeks.

Xie Tianyang blinked nervously.

“…We can stand now?”

Zhuo Fan nodded.

“In the outer regions, too many beasts meant too many eyes.”

“But here…”

“…hiding properly matters more than crawling.”

Xie Tianyang immediately relaxed slightly.

“So this place is actually safer?”

Zhuo Fan smiled faintly.

“You could say that.”

“Of course…”

“…if we encounter a sixth-grade spirit beast…”

“…we die instantly.”

Xie Tianyang’s face immediately darkened again.

Then suddenly—

BOOOOOOM!!!

A terrifying explosion shook the entire forest violently.

The ground beneath their feet trembled nonstop.

Trees swayed.

Birds scattered.

All three froze instantly.

Because this pressure…

…was completely different from anything before.

Even fifth-grade spirit beast battles could not produce destruction on this scale.

Which meant only one possibility remained.

“Sixth-grade spirit beasts…”

All three spoke simultaneously.

Another explosion echoed.

Then another.

Lightning flashed across the distant sky while pillars of flame erupted somewhere ahead.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Then without hesitation—

He sprinted directly toward the source.

Xie Tianyang panicked immediately.

“Are you insane?!”

“If two sixth-grade spirit beasts are fighting…”

“…getting caught nearby means instant death!”

But Zhuo Fan never slowed down.

Because if one of those beasts truly was the Thundercloud Sparrow—

Then this was his chance.

The perfect chance.

An opportunity impossible to find normally.

Xue Ningxiang followed him without hesitation.

Xie Tianyang cursed loudly.

Then chased after both of them helplessly.

Several minutes later—

The sounds became deafening.

Lightning.

Explosions.

Roars.

The entire mountain valley ahead looked like a battlefield between natural disasters.

Finally, the three hid behind an enormous stone cliff and carefully peeked outward.

Then instantly—

All three inhaled sharply.

Two gigantic spirit beasts hovered above the valley itself.

And both radiated overwhelming sixth-grade pressure.

The first—

A giant azure bird covered entirely in lightning.

Its body stretched nearly fifteen meters long while crackling thunder constantly danced across its wings.

Every flap summoned storms.

Every cry shook the sky.

Countless bolts of lightning rained downward continuously, pulverizing mountains into dust.

“Thundercloud Sparrow…”

Zhuo Fan’s eyes instantly lit up.

The mysterious blue-robed man had told the truth.

The Thundercloud Sparrow’s territory truly existed here.

Then Zhuo Fan turned toward the second beast.

And immediately—

His expression darkened.

A gigantic lion wrapped completely in crimson flame hovered opposite the Thundercloud Sparrow.

Its burning mane resembled flowing magma.

Its wings spread enormous seas of fire across the valley below.

Wherever its flames landed—

Everything turned to ash instantly.

“Sixth-grade spirit beast…”

Zhuo Fan narrowed his eyes sharply.

“Crimson Flame Lion King.”

Xie Tianyang’s expression changed instantly.

Because even among sixth-grade spirit beasts—

The Crimson Flame Lion King ranked terrifyingly high.

Its raw physical strength reportedly rivaled ordinary seventh-grade beasts already.

Meanwhile—

The Thundercloud Sparrow clearly specialized in lightning and speed instead.

If this battle continued…

…the Thundercloud Sparrow would probably lose eventually.

Which completely disrupted Zhuo Fan’s original plan.

Initially—

He intended letting both spirit beasts injure each other severely before secretly feeding the Thundercloud Sparrow a Blood Silkworm.

That way, he could subdue it directly.

But if the Thundercloud Sparrow died first—

Everything would become meaningless.

No.

Absolutely not.

That bird could not die.

BOOM!

At that exact moment—

The Crimson Flame Lion King suddenly unleashed an enormous mountain-sized fireball.

The Thundercloud Sparrow answered immediately with a storm of lightning.

The collision exploded across the valley violently.

But then—

The lion suddenly accelerated.

Too fast.

Its gigantic body smashed directly into the Thundercloud Sparrow midair.

The smaller bird instantly lost balance and spiraled violently through the sky.

Zhuo Fan clenched his fists tightly.

Just as expected—

The Thundercloud Sparrow possessed superior elemental control.

But physically?

It could not compare against the Crimson Flame Lion King whatsoever.

If this continued—

Defeat was inevitable.

“Big Brother Zhuo…”

Suddenly, Xue Ningxiang tugged his sleeve gently.

“Can’t we help the little bird somehow?”

Zhuo Fan nearly spat blood hearing that.

Little?

That “little bird” could erase entire mountains casually.

Still—

Her words matched exactly what he was already thinking.

The Thundercloud Sparrow absolutely could not die.

Not under any circumstances.

[End of Chapter Sixty-Eight]