Ye Bufan sat beside the wolf king's corpse, holding the Dragon Emperor Token. No matter how he infused it with his true qi, the token remained inert.
"Could it be blood?" Ye Bufan pondered. Just moments ago, his own blood entering the spatial jade pendant had activated the Dragon Emperor Token.
Ye Bufan took out his broken sword and cut his palm, letting a drop of blood fall onto the token.
Still, the Dragon Emperor Token showed no reaction.
"What if it needs true qi?" Ye Bufan clenched his fist, mixing true qi with his blood as it dripped onto the token.
"Buzz—"
The Dragon Emperor Token immediately emitted a glow, repelling all of Ye Bufan's blood. Simultaneously, an aura emanated from it, as if warning Ye Bufan not to soil the token.
"If you don't tell me how to awaken you, I'll keep trying," Ye Bufan chuckled, clenching his fist again. Blood dripped onto the token, drop by drop.
"Buzz—"
A surge of energy suddenly erupted within Ye Bufan, catching him off guard. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, as if the token were saying, "Since you like bleeding so much, I'll make you bleed until you've had enough."
"Pfft—"
The energy surged again. Ye Bufan's vision darkened, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground.
"I surrender, I surrender," Ye Bufan quickly begged for mercy.
At this, the energy within him finally subsided.
However, Ye Bufan had made a decision. "This energy of yours is considerable, isn't it? As long as it's inside me, I'll use the Nine Revolutions Heavenly Art to refine it into my own true qi."
With that, Ye Bufan sat cross-legged and began circulating the Nine Revolutions Heavenly Art. This battle had seen Ye Bufan make many fatal mistakes, and his yearning for strength grew even more intense.
For Ye Bufan, both combat and cultivation were indispensable.
The energy from the Dragon Emperor Token that had entered his body had already healed some of his wounds. As Ye Bufan circulated his true qi, his depleted reserves were slowly replenishing in his dantian.
While he cultivated, the energy from the Dragon Emperor Token was also being absorbed, gradually transforming into Ye Bufan's own true qi.
Time trickled by. The sky slowly brightened, and a wisp of purple qi from the east gently entered Ye Bufan's body.
"Hm?"
The purple qi, upon entering his body, was absorbed by the energy from the Dragon Emperor Token. However, after absorbing the purple qi, the energy released even more power, significantly boosting Ye Bufan's cultivation efficiency.
Once Ye Bufan entered his cultivation state, time in his consciousness seemed to fly. When he opened his eyes again, it was already the evening of the next day.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
"Swish—swish—swish—"
Sounds echoed from the forest. Ye Bufan extended his spiritual sense, pinpointed the source of the disturbance, and then quickly opened his eyes.
...
"Feng Quan, you abandoned your fellow disciples when facing danger. I will report you to the sect the moment I return." Wang Yao shouted at Feng Quan, her long sword rushing out from her sleeve.
Feng Quan drew two short swords from his waist, striking with both hands simultaneously to block Wang Yao's thrust. He then kicked fiercely towards Wang Yao's abdomen.
Wang Yao's strength was still somewhat inferior to Feng Quan's, and Feng Quan possessed greater combat experience.
This outer sect trial was actually a ploy by Feng Quan, who had claimed to be bringing Wang Yao out to gain combat experience, intending to create an opportunity for them to be alone. However, they unexpectedly encountered the Silver Hook Snow Wolf, and all his fantasies were shattered by it.
Wang Yao struggled to get up, but Feng Quan kicked her down again, simultaneously disarming her with his weapon, sending her long sword flying several meters away.
"Originally, I wanted to court you step by step, to make you my dao companion. But then we encountered the Silver Hook Snow Wolf. If you hadn't insisted on reporting me, we could have returned to the sect safely. Why did you force me to this?"
Feng Quan's face contorted into a sinister grin.
"Since that's the case, you won't be returning to the sect either. I'll simply claim that you were eaten by that monstrous wolf, and that I, with my higher cultivation, barely escaped with my life. No one would doubt me, right?"
As Feng Quan spoke, he approached Wang Yao. She tried to get up again, but Feng Quan gave her no opportunity, seizing her wrist and pinning her to the ground.
"If you cooperate with me obediently, I might consider sparing your life. If you resist, don't blame your senior brother for being rough and causing you pain."
"You scoundrel!" Wang Yao's eyes turned red, filled with despair. She never imagined that Feng Quan, whom she had believed to be a gentleman, was such a selfish villain and a lecherous brute.
Wang Yao struggled in defiance, wanting to drag Feng Quan down with her.
Feng Quan's gaze swept over Wang Yao unrestrainedly. He then used his true qi to suppress her acupoints and reached for her clothes with his other hand.
"Tsk tsk tsk—Fancy seeing such a good show while cultivating here," Ye Bufan's voice rang out.
Feng Quan's expression changed, and he turned to flee. A wave of energy descended from above. As Feng Quan rose, he was crushed by the energy, unable to breathe, and finally collapsed to the ground.
Ye Bufan descended from the sky. Wang Yao clutched her clothes tightly, tears streaming down her face.
"Crying won't solve anything," Ye Bufan said. "Since he's so disloyal and unrighteous, you don't need to be polite. Didn't he just give you a reason to kill him and report back to the sect?"
Wang Yao was stunned for a moment, then hurried to the side and picked up her long sword.
"He's yours to deal with now," Ye Bufan told Wang Yao.
Wang Yao took a deep breath, looked at Feng Quan, and said, "I hate that I was blind before, to have taken a liking to you. Today, I will put an end to my past."
With that, Wang Yao thrust her sword towards Feng Quan.
"No! No! No! Junior sister, you can't kill me, you can't kill me." Feng Quan then looked at Ye Bufan, "Don't kill me, I'll be your bull, your horse, your dog, anything, as long as you don't kill me."
Ye Bufan sneered. Wang Yao's sword pierced Feng Quan's heart. She said to him, "Comparing yourself to bulls and horses is an insult to those animals. You are worse than a beast!"