Chapter 248: When You are at Your Peak, I Will Retreat

In the Forbidden Sea, a massive, concealed ship sped along with a near-instantaneous movement, skimming across the surface with hardly a ripple in its wake.

"Brother Xun, Brother Ox, faster—run!!"

Xiao Chi was shouting, drenched in cold sweat, as he pointed urgently. "Brother Ox, veer left!"

"Moo!!"

Brother Ox wielded the formation flags with vigor, channeling the power of the five elements to propel the ship at a breakneck pace in the specified direction.

Chen Xun, standing at the bow, looked back, fists clenched so tightly they cracked, eyes blazing with rage. How dare they try to ambush us!

The Yu family, one of Da Li’s three ancient cultivation clans, had immense power. If they engaged, even one slip would mean dealing with relentless reinforcements, whereas they had no one else to rely on. Once entangled, it was impossible to predict who else would join in to exploit the situation.

“That damned Yu family elder, Long Guanzi, huh?” Chen Xun seethed. “Brothers, remember this grudge!”

Chen Xun's gaze turned icy as he raised his voice, “When we reach Deity Transformation, if this old dog is still around, we’ll beat him until he’s toothless. And if he’s dead by then, we’ll dig up the whole Yu family graveyard!”

“Moo!!” Brother Ox bellowed in agreement. It had been ages since anyone dared pull such a trick on them.

“Brother Xun…”

Xiao Chi, thoroughly rattled, couldn’t help his trembling voice as he considered the Yu family’s reputation. “Or…maybe we wait until that old fiend dies and then dig up his grave?”

“Little Chi, we’ll need to plan this carefully. That wretched old man won’t escape my wrath!”

Chen Xun took a deep breath, the pressure of the elder’s immense power still lingering in his mind. “If that guy had succeeded, we’d have paid an unimaginable price to escape.”

Inwardly, he steeled himself. *I’ll retreat while you’re at your peak, but once you’re weak…brothers, we’ll be back for revenge.*

Xiao Chi snarled with pent-up frustration, his survival instincts overwhelmed. At that moment, he’d thought it was all over. Thankfully, Brother Ox had already prepared their escape, so they could slip away without a trace.

"If you encounter forces that large, don’t take them on. Our objective has been reached," Chen Xun said firmly, relaxing slightly with his two brothers by his side. "Brother Ox, I’m counting on you to finish setting up that teleportation array. I’ll dive into these body-tempering techniques."

"Moo~~" Brother Ox gave a short grunt, though his anger hadn’t fully subsided. He made a mental vow: Even if that old bastard dies, he’d make sure the Yu family elder was disturbed eternally.

"Brother Xun’s right—I’m all in favor!”

Xiao Chi shook with relief and the thrill of having escaped. Brother Xun's quick reaction meant they still had all their goods, thoroughly inspected by Brother Ox before they traded.

Chen Xun reviewed the assortment of items in his storage ring, finally feeling more at ease. In their standoff, Brother Ox had secretly inspected everything to ensure there were no hidden tricks. Long Guanzi might have thought they were most interested in the fifth level of the Water Spirit Technique and the method for crafting Extinguishing Spirit weapons, but Chen Xun had kept his focus on high-value, versatile resources instead.

*You may have your ancient family techniques and flashy skills,* Chen Xun thought as he turned to the dark sea with a trace of quiet menace, *but I’ll make sure we’ve got you figured out by the time you fall.*

With a soft hum, the enormous ship entered its final acceleration stage, covering hundreds of miles in an instant and vanishing beyond the horizon. A few days later, they returned to their island. The familiar, calm breeze seemed to welcome them back with quiet solace.

“Brother Ox, take these diagrams for the formation. Once you've learned them, destroy them.”

Chen Xun handed over several large, gleaming formation diagrams from his storage ring. "Xiao Chi, help Brother Ox out. Setting up this formation is intricate work."

"No problem, Brother Xun," Xiao Chi said, bounding to life. "And we’ll keep that Starshifting Black Ore supply going strong for Brother Ox!"

"Moo~~!" Brother Ox trotted along, gleefully nodding as he carefully stashed the precious diagrams.

“Get to it then,” Chen Xun said with a satisfied glance at the tranquil island, feeling secure. "I'll dive into studying these body-tempering techniques. Call out if there’s any trouble.”

"Moo~~" Brother Ox had already started off, with Xiao Chi perched on his back, practically bouncing with excitement. There was no place as safe as home.

Chen Xun sat cross-legged on the shore, pulling out a manual on body tempering and letting his mind settle into its intricacies.

After the tempering effects of heavenly tribulation, his body had reached a new threshold, though he was at a bottleneck with no further progress in sight. Tempering and cultivating the body were worlds apart. Since ancient times, there were those who refined Qi and those who refined their bodies. Qi refiners harnessed the world’s energy to nourish themselves and ascend to greater heights, while body refiners treaded a much grimmer path.

“They’re similar to my ideas for tempering, yet these methods are just as blood-soaked as I imagined. Pure vitality from spirit beast essence and monster cores,” Chen Xun murmured, flipping through the manual. “If a long-life practitioner relied on this, the spirit beasts in the world might truly face extinction.”

Body refining required rare medicinal herbs to temper muscles and bones and cleanse one’s bloodline. At higher stages, it demanded the essence of spirit beasts and even monster cores. Though they lived in a brutal world, where longevity came at a high price, many hesitated to cross the line that separated them from demonic cultivators. Most sects limited body tempering to foundational stages, using spirit herbs to enhance resilience or break through to the next cultivation realm without relying on pills.

The ancient manuals they’d obtained were from a time when mythical creatures roamed freely and cultivation techniques had to match that intensity.