The remnant sword plunged into the body of the Yan Jiao Rhino, churning within it, before bursting forth from the rhino's horn, snapping it clean off.
"Ah—" The Yan Jiao Rhino cried out in agony, crashing heavily to the ground, barely clinging to life.
"Bang—"
Daoist Ming Yuan suddenly plummeted from the sky. Ye Bufan rushed forward to support him, noticing a gaping wound on Ming Yuan's chest. The wound was large, with the skin scorched black from burns, appearing horrific.
"Hmph—" The Yan Jiao Rhino crawled on the ground, lunging towards Ye Bufan and Daoist Ming Yuan. Ye Bufan conjured a protective shield of true qi, forcefully resisting.
"Begone!" Ye Bufan found the Yan Jiao Rhino incredibly troublesome. He concentrated all his true qi into a single point, unleashing it in an explosive burst, barely managing to push the rhino back.
"Illusionary Sound Demonic Eyes!" Ye Bufan unleashed his mental power technique again. The Yan Jiao Rhino instantly froze.
Ye Bufan channeled his true qi into Daoist Ming Yuan's wound, hoping to slowly repair it and alleviate the pain. However, fate was unkind. The wound inflicted by the Yan Jiao Rhino could not be healed by true qi; in fact, any true qi that approached the wound was absorbed by the fire element energy surrounding it.
"Human! Stop wasting your true qi. My Yan Jiao Rhino's fire is not ordinary. This wound will only grow larger. Hahahahaha." The Yan Jiao Rhino broke free from Ye Bufan's mental assault and spoke to Ye Bufan and Daoist Ming Yuan.
"Even if my wound cannot be healed, I will not let you live," Daoist Ming Yuan declared with a roar.
The Yan Jiao Rhino glared resentfully at Ye Bufan and Daoist Ming Yuan, "You wait, it won't be long before the demon beast army arrives here. Then you will all die! You will all die!"
The Yan Jiao Rhino struggled on the spot. Ye Bufan marveled at its tenacious vitality. He had shattered its internal organs with the remnant sword, yet it could still muster the strength to struggle.
"It won't be long, but that's for the future. All I know is that I only need to kill you now to protect the peace of Great Xia," Daoist Ming Yuan bellowed. He circulated his true qi, and his halberd flew out, growing immense. It descended from the sky, stabbing directly into the Yan Jiao Rhino. The halberd smashed heavily into the beast's body.
"No!" The Yan Jiao Rhino was blasted into fragments by Daoist Ming Yuan.
"Senior, are you alright?" Ye Bufan asked.
Daoist Ming Yuan smiled helplessly and said, "It's nothing. I'll be fine after a period of recuperation. After all, I'm old now, my body isn't what it used to be. Injuries are common."
But after only a few steps, Daoist Ming Yuan's expression changed. He coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "噗" sound.
Ye Bufan was startled, and Daoist Ming Yuan sank to the ground.
"Senior!"
Daoist Ming Yuan quickly waved his hand and sat on the ground, circulating his true qi.
Looking at the elder's wound, Ye Bufan pondered a solution. Then, he said to Daoist Ming Yuan, "Senior, do you trust me?"
"Try whatever method you have. My old bones will die sooner or later," Daoist Ming Yuan said, taking a deep breath.
Ye Bufan nodded, his expression becoming grave. He extended his right hand, and the Purple Nether Cold Flame appeared in his palm.
"You might feel a chill entering your body later, you'll have to endure it," Ye Bufan said.
Daoist Ming Yuan nodded solemnly. Ye Bufan enveloped the Purple Nether Cold Flame with his true qi and guided it towards Daoist Ming Yuan's wound. As the flame drew near, Daoist Ming Yuan felt a cold burning sensation replace the original scorching pain from the Yan Jiao Rhino.
"Inhale!"
Ye Bufan urged his true qi, controlling the Purple Nether Cold Flame. Through the flame, thread-like tendrils entered Daoist Ming Yuan's wound.
To better control the Purple Nether Cold Flame, Ye Bufan poured out his mental power.
Under Ye Bufan's control, the Purple Nether Cold Flame absorbed the fire element energy from Daoist Ming Yuan's wound, becoming extremely agitated. Ye Bufan was also overwhelmed but, to avoid harming Daoist Ming Yuan, he could only try his best to calm the Purple Nether Cold Flame and prevent it from becoming too restless.
Sweat beaded on Ye Bufan's forehead, while Daoist Ming Yuan also broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Time ticked by, and the sky outside gradually brightened.
As the sun slowly rose, Ye Bufan withdrew his true qi. Daoist Ming Yuan slowly exhaled, and the Yan Jiao Rhino's wounds had all turned into necrotic tissue.
Daoist Ming Yuan took a deep breath, slowly withdrew his energy, and his complexion was considerably more ruddy than before.
That night, Ye Bufan treated Daoist Ming Yuan with the Purple Nether Cold Flame, which surprisingly enhanced the flame's power. This was quite a significant improvement.
"Ye Bufan, if it weren't for you this time, I would surely have perished here," Daoist Ming Yuan said, cupping his fists towards Ye Bufan.
"You are too kind, Senior," Ye Bufan returned the gesture. Daoist Ming Yuan stood up and took out a token from his pocket.
"Youngster, I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. This token, I obtained many years ago in a secret realm. It's called the Dragon Emperor Token. There are nine such tokens in total, each representing one of the nine claws of a nine-clawed golden dragon. Legend has it that the Dragon Emperor Token is connected to the secrets of ancient cultivation. I am now in my twilight years, and this token would only be buried with me. Today, I shall bestow it upon you." Daoist Ming Yuan handed the Dragon Emperor Token to Ye Bufan.
"Thank you, Senior." Ye Bufan did not refuse. When Daoist Ming Yuan produced the Dragon Emperor Token, Ye Bufan noticed that its material was very similar to his own remnant sword.
Upon receiving the Dragon Emperor Token, Ye Bufan felt his remnant sword react, as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
"Youngster, I am injured, so I shall take my leave," Daoist Ming Yuan said. "I will report this exit to the Great Xia military, and they will send troops to guard it."
Ye Bufan nodded, and the two of them left the cave.
Not long after they departed, a figure suddenly appeared within the cave.
"A mid-stage Foundation Establishment demon beast. This time I've struck it rich with such high-grade beast hide."
The figure looked at the Yan Jiao Rhino on the ground and skillfully began to dismember it.
"Who!" At that moment, the figure stopped what they were doing and looked back. Ye Bufan stood not far away, watching them silently.
"Hiss—" The black-clothed man felt his scalp tingle. Looking at Ye Bufan, it seemed as though he had been standing there for a long time, yet he hadn't noticed.