CHAPTER 164: CHAPTER 164: WOMAN UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

After taking the elixir and meditating for a moment, Luo Feng opened his eyes.

"You’ve recovered so quickly?" a cool, clear voice sounded beside him, carrying a hint of surprise.

Cang Nanyue, clad in white, examined Luo Feng, her expression one of astonishment at his complete recovery. Even Zi Yuan hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Luo Feng simply nodded.

In terms of cultivation, Zi Yuan’s was the highest among them. But in terms of physical constitution, even Zi Yuan couldn’t compare to him with his eighteen Meridian Wheels.

"That’s good." Cang Nanyue’s gaze suddenly shifted to the depths of the forest. "Luo Feng, I have some matters to attend to. Look after the other four."

"You..."

Before Luo Feng could ask, a cool breeze swept past. When he looked up, Cang Nanyue was gone.

Flying is indeed convenient. Luo Feng shook his head with a wry smile, his gaze sweeping over the pitch-black forest, his expression growing grave. Cang Nanyue’s words had clearly warned him of potential dangers lurking here.

This is the Ghost Howl Forest. I wonder what she needs to take care of... If a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert needs to handle it, it must be serious. Luo Feng couldn’t help but treat the situation with caution.

With a glint in his eyes, Luo Feng drew his Tiger Soul Saber, his figure flashing and vanishing silently into the canopy of a nearby tree.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Cang Nanyue appeared before them.

The moment Luo Feng saw Cang Nanyue, a peculiar gleam flashed deep within his eyes. She carried a faint killing intent, and there was even a lingering scent of blood about her. If my guess is correct, she must have been in a fierce fight last night.

However, Cang Nanyue clearly had no intention of mentioning it, and Luo Feng didn’t ask, merely heightening his vigilance.

"Sister Nanyue, what’s our training today?" Having taken elixirs, everyone’s condition had recovered. Zi Yuan looked at Cang Nanyue anxiously as she asked. The memory of yesterday’s training battle against the Fire Cloud Demon Wolf was still vivid.

Cang Nanyue gently ruffled the small braids on Zi Yuan’s head, a faint smile playing on her rosy lips. "You’ll find out soon enough."

The beauty’s faint smile was captivating, full of charm, yet Cang Nanyue’s grin at that moment sent a shiver of unease through Zi Yuan and the others.

A short while later, they followed Cang Nanyue deeper into the Ghost Howl Forest.

The Ghost Howl Forest teemed with Demon Beasts, and from time to time, one would charge out at them. However, before these Demon Beasts could even get within a hundred meters, they would drop dead. Each time a Demon Beast appeared, Cang Nanyue would merely flick her jade-like fingers. A gust of wind would shoot out, and a bloody hole would instantly appear on the creature’s forehead. They died without even a chance to scream.

Witnessing such methods left Zi Yuan and the others secretly dumbfounded.

Soon, they arrived in a flat canyon. The canyon spanned several miles, its perimeter littered with jumbled rocks, but the interior was remarkably flat, giving it a strange appearance.

Just as Bing Ruolan was about to enter, Luo Feng grabbed her arm. "Careful, there’s a Demon Beast inside," he warned.

"A Demon Beast?" Zi Yuan’s large, limpid eyes scanned the canyon. The canyon floor was as flat as a plain, with no sign of any Demon Beast. "Luo Feng, how could there possibly be a Demon Beast here?" Unconvinced, Zi Yuan stepped towards the canyon’s interior.

She had only taken a few steps when a sudden upheaval occurred!

BOOM!

The ground beneath Zi Yuan’s feet suddenly bulged, and a black shadow erupted from the earth, lunging straight for her.

Zi Yuan’s willow-like brows arched. With a sharp cry, the sword in her hand transformed into a streak of lightning, striking outwards.

However, the black shadow was extremely cunning. It instantly burrowed back into the ground, and her sword strike hit nothing but dirt.

RUMBLE... RUMBLE...

At the same time, the entire canyon began to tremble slightly. Countless mounds of earth appeared within the canyon, surging towards Zi Yuan like waves, accompanied by an overwhelming Demon Qi.

"What is this?" Startled, Zi Yuan’s figure flashed, and she retreated to Luo Feng’s side, staring in shock at the churning ground within the canyon.

Luo Feng shrugged and smiled. "If I’m not mistaken, this should be a nest of Tunneling Rock Beasts. You walking in just now was like a sheep entering a tiger’s den."

Remembering her reckless action, Zi Yuan’s face flushed red.

Cang Nanyue gave Luo Feng a meaningful look. This was indeed a Tunneling Rock Beast nest. These beasts were notoriously difficult to detect when lurking underground, yet Luo Feng had sensed their presence with such ease.

"A Tunneling Rock Beast nest?" Upon hearing this, a trace of lingering fear appeared on Zi Yuan’s small face.

These Tunneling Rock Beasts were top-tier Level Two Demon Beasts, not exceptionally strong in direct combat. An ordinary martial artist at the peak of the Sixth-Layer God Bravery Realm could defeat them. However, when hidden underground, their danger level skyrocketed. Even a martial artist at the peak of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm had to proceed with caution.

Tunneling Rock Beasts loved to ambush from beneath the ground, suddenly attacking and dragging their enemies into deep subterranean lairs. Once ensnared by Tunneling Rock Beasts, even Zi Yuan wasn’t confident she could escape unscathed. One would need to reach the Eighth-Layer Hell Realm, the stage where one could externalize Gang Qi, to be able to kill the Tunneling Rock Beasts directly while they were still underground.

There were no fewer than a thousand Tunneling Rock Beasts in the canyon before them. If dragged underground, they would surely be devoured in an instant.

At this thought, Zi Yuan felt a wave of dread. The words that followed, however, plunged her into an abyss of despair.

"Today, the five of you will train in this canyon. Apart from Light Martial Arts, you can use any other Martial Arts." A rare smile appeared on Cang Nanyue’s usually cold face.

Upon hearing this, several sharp intakes of breath sounded around them. Not only did they have to venture into a Tunneling Rock Beast lair, but they were also forbidden from using Light Martial Arts! If word of this got out, it would scare countless people to death.

Demon! Looking at Cang Nanyue, a faint smile playing on her lips, Luo Feng grimaced internally. Ji Wuyue was already extremely strict, but compared to this woman, the difference is like night and day!

"Let’s go. Hopefully, we’ll still have our bodies intact by tonight." Drawing his Tiger Soul Saber, Luo Feng took the lead and walked into the canyon.

In the following days, aside from two hours dedicated to discussing Martial Arts and cultivation experiences, Luo Feng and the others spent all their time battling various Demon Beasts.

The first day, it was the Fire Cloud Demon Wolf.

The second day, the Tunneling Rock Beasts.

The third day, the Azure Fur Toothed Dog.

The Demon Beast they faced was different every day.

Gradually, Luo Feng began to understand Cang Nanyue’s intentions. These Demon Beasts each had unique characteristics: the Fire Cloud Demon Wolf possessed immense strength; the Tunneling Rock Beast was eerily agile; the Azure Fur Toothed Dog was as fast as the wind. This training method greatly enhanced their practical combat experience, ensuring they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage against any type of opponent in the upcoming Newcomer’s Championship.

Time flew by in the mountains; in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Over this half-month, the strength of all five had improved significantly. As a Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist, Cang Nanyue’s knowledge of Martial Arts and cultivation experience were extraordinary. Each of her explanations brought them immense benefit.

Night fell, and the moonlight cast a clear, silvery glow.

From the depths of the Ghost Howl Forest, usually dead silent during the day, now came bursts of dull, mournful wails, like ghosts crying and wolves howling, striking terror into one’s heart. The Ghost Howl Forest had once been the site of a great decisive battle against the Demon Sect. Countless martial artists had perished there, their blood flowing in rivers. Rumor had it that the vengeful souls of those deceased martial artists still lingered in the forest, appearing each night to claim lives.

On their first few nights in the Ghost Howl Forest, Bing Ruolan and Xu Mei, the two young women, had been somewhat fearful, but now they were accustomed to it.

A bonfire crackled in the woods, with Zi Yuan, Xu Mei, and the others seated around it.

"Bing Ruolan, congratulations on reaching the Mid-Stage of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm," Xu Mei said to Bing Ruolan with a smile.

Bing Ruolan had already reached the peak Initial Stage of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm half a month ago, and now she had smoothly advanced to the Mid-Stage.

A charming blush appeared on Bing Ruolan’s beautiful, refined face as she smiled faintly. "Xu Mei, you’re about to break through too, aren’t you?"

Xu Mei shook her head slightly, her beautiful eyes turning to Luo Feng as she said with a wry smile, "I don’t have Luo Feng’s freakish cultivation speed."

Hearing this, Yang Hong, seated nearby, couldn’t help but glance at Luo Feng, his eyes filled with a mixture of envy and admiration. In just half a month, Luo Feng’s aura had approached perfection, and his cultivation had reached the peak Mid-Stage of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm. He was only a step away from the Late Stage of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm. Xu Mei and Yang Hong had both entered the Mid-Stage of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm before Luo Feng, yet now his cultivation had surpassed theirs.

Zi Yuan, sitting to one side, pouted her rosy lips, clearly displeased that Luo Feng was stealing all the limelight. "I’ll soon reach the peak Late Stage of the Seventh-Layer Essence Storage Realm too!"

Luo Feng merely smiled at her words and said nothing. My biggest gain during this period isn’t the improvement in my cultivation. It’s Cang Nanyue’s cultivation experience. This experience from a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert will help me avoid many detours in my future cultivation.

Lifting his head to look at the elegant figure standing on a tree branch, Luo Feng stood up. "I’m going to have a word with Sister Nanyue."

Initially, Luo Feng had found Cang Nanyue to be cold and unfeeling. However, an incident ten days prior had changed his mind. Ten days ago, Bing Ruolan had been accidentally captured by a hundred-year-old Purple Thorny Vine in the Ghost Howl Forest. Cang Nanyue had immediately pursued it for half a day before finally rescuing Bing Ruolan. That was the first time Luo Feng had seen Cang Nanyue truly angry.

WHOOSH!

Executing Teng Dragon’s Step, Luo Feng’s figure flickered and landed beside Cang Nanyue.

"Luo Feng, is something wrong?" Cang Nanyue didn’t turn around, her light, ethereal voice drifting on the wind.

Luo Feng walked over and sat down beside Cang Nanyue, following her gaze. She was looking into the depths of the Ghost Howl Forest, which was dark and shadowy, like a colossal beast lying in wait.

"Sister Nanyue, are you investigating something in this Ghost Howl Forest?"

For the past half-month, Cang Nanyue had ventured out alone late every night, only returning at dawn. Each time she came back, Luo Feng could sense a faint killing intent, sometimes even the lingering scent of blood. What Cang Nanyue is doing is definitely not simple.

Cang Nanyue glanced at Luo Feng and chuckled. "Are you interrogating me?"

Luo Feng rubbed his nose. "You could put it that way."

"You’re the first student who has dared to speak to me like this." Cang Nanyue smiled faintly, her long black hair dancing in the wind. The moonlight on her profile made her look exquisitely beautiful. For some reason, in the presence of this student, who was several years younger than her, she found her mood calming.

Drawing back her gaze, Cang Nanyue shook her head slightly. "Luo Feng, this isn’t something you can get involved in yet. Right now, you just need to focus on preparing for the Newcomer’s Championship. The rewards for this year’s Newcomer’s Championship will be very generous."