"Draw your sword!"
One of the individuals drew a peculiar sword, immediately evoking a sense of danger in the Golden Lion, prompting it to turn and flee.
But before it could escape far, a crimson sword light, imbued with world-shattering power, shot towards it.
The Golden Lion was struck with immense terror and hastily dove into the woods, then fled with all its might towards the back of a mountain peak.
Yet, in the next moment, the red sword light annihilated a vast expanse of trees, pierced through the mountain peak, and directly inflicted a gaping wound upon the Golden Lion.
Furthermore, after being wounded by the crimson sword energy, the Golden Lion instantly felt a profound weakness, as if its strength had been utterly drained.
"This is bad, Old Rhino, hurry back and save the Golden Lion."
Yang Qianrou, who was also fleeing, witnessed this scene and urgently spoke to the Rhino King, her voice laced with anxiety.
Although the two beasts had been sworn enemies in the past, after being subdued by Ning Beichen, they had long since reconciled and become friends.
Just as the Rhino King was about to dash back to rescue the Golden Lion, it saw the Golden Lion frantically urging them to leave, for it knew how terrifying that sword was.
If the Rhino King returned to save it, it would surely fall victim to that strange sword. Not only would it be unable to save the Golden Lion, but it would also endanger both itself and Yang Qianrou.
"Go, hurry, there's danger!"
The Golden Lion roared loudly at the Rhino King.
"Trying to leave? Stay right here!"
At that moment, the pursuers from behind had caught up. The peculiar long sword unleashed crimson sword energy, aimed directly at the Rhino King.
Both the Rhino King and Yang Qianrou, who was seated on its back, sensed the danger of the crimson sword energy and wished to escape. However, they were unwilling to abandon the Golden Lion, leaving them in a state of indecision.
"Go!"
With a mighty roar, the Golden Lion, utilizing its full strength, shielded itself in front of the crimson sword energy.
The Rhino King stomped its foot, white smoke billowing from its nostrils. Like a frenzied train, it sped through the mountain range with Yang Qianrou, while the pursuers gave chase.
However, their speed always lagged slightly behind the Rhino King. Nevertheless, during its escape, the Rhino King was still wounded by their sword light along the path.
Initially, they intended to slow down the Rhino King. Unexpectedly, the wounded Rhino King not only failed to slow down but its speed increased. If viewed from high above, one would see dust billowing throughout the mountain range and trees constantly toppling.
Meanwhile, Ning Beichen, who was in secluded cultivation, remained oblivious to all of this. He was still struggling fiercely within the Sea of Suffering. Without experiencing it, one could not comprehend the terror of the Sea of Suffering.
The Sea of Suffering was not a literal ocean. In Buddhism, it represented the sufferings of the world, of which there were eighty-four thousand kinds.
Birth, old age, sickness, death, being with the ones you hate, being separated from the ones you love, and not getting what you want were merely seven worldly sufferings. One could only imagine the horror of the Sea of Suffering, which encompassed eighty-four thousand types of suffering.
Thus, the Sea of Suffering tormented Ning Beichen to the brink of death. At this moment, he would rather endure the agony of a thousand cuts than the pain of the Sea of Suffering.
However, there was no choice in such matters. The path of cultivation was inherently against the heavens; to cease progressing was to retreat. Who else but him was cultivating the "Duguhai Bi'an Gongfa" (Sea of Suffering Shore-Crossing Art)?
Fortunately, Ning Beichen was only attempting to ascend to the second realm. After enduring countless hardships, a colossal wave, a thousand meters high, suddenly crashed down upon him, submerging him.
But this time, Ning Beichen was unharmed. He was enveloped by a bubble of energy that carried him away from the Sea of Suffering. He did not reach the shore but was instead delivered to a lotus platform.
Shortly thereafter, Ning Beichen's consciousness returned to his physical body from the lotus platform.
Then, with a resounding boom,
A wave of energy erupted within the cave dwelling. A luminous glow enveloped Ning Beichen, making him appear like an immortal. Da Feng Novel Network.
However, the glow quickly vanished, as if it had never appeared.
After a while, Ning Beichen's eyes flew open with excitement. He saw that his clothes were covered in dust. He then calculated that he had been in seclusion for approximately two months.
Despite enduring immense suffering in the Sea of Suffering, he had successfully advanced his realm, making the hardship worthwhile.
Ning Beichen's consciousness swept outwards, instantly encompassing a radius of a thousand miles. The perception beyond a thousand miles was weak, but within a hundred miles, everything was crystal clear.
"Awesome!"
Ning Beichen couldn't help but give himself a thumbs-up. After ascending to the second realm, Ning Beichen clearly felt a seismic shift in his power.
As for how strong he had become, Ning Beichen himself honestly did not know. He only knew that he was at least significantly stronger than before.
"Yang Qianrou."
Ning Beichen happily emerged from his seclusion and called out to Yang Qianrou.
However, Yang Qianrou did not respond. The cave dwelling was empty, with no sign of her.
Ning Beichen went to Yang Qianrou's room and looked around. He discovered that Yang Qianrou was not there either. Her living quarters were also covered in dust, clearly indicating that no one had occupied the space for some time.
"Hmm, where did she go?"
Ning Beichen furrowed his brow. However, he didn't overthink it, assuming Yang Qianrou had simply gone out to cultivate.
Ning Beichen first took a bath and changed his clothes, as the ones he was wearing were stale and smelly. He simply discarded them without washing.
Upon his return, Ning Beichen also hunted a small ferocious beast, brought it back to the cave dwelling, and had a hearty meal.
After eating his fill, Ning Beichen finally remembered something: Yang Qianrou was nowhere to be found, and even those two idiotic beast kings were missing.
"Did they all leave with Yang Qianrou?"
Ning Beichen frowned. He then used his senses to scan a thousand miles, but he could not detect the presence of the two beast kings or Yang Qianrou.
"Why did Yang Qianrou run so far?"
Ning Beichen was somewhat displeased. While she had the two beast kings to protect her, it wasn't entirely safe. Those two beast kings were merely ordinary creatures, not powerful ones.
If they encountered a truly formidable beast king, one of them would be enough to handle both of them.
Ning Beichen waited for a few more days, but Yang Qianrou and the beast kings did not return. This gave Ning Beichen a growing sense of unease.
With this feeling of apprehension, Ning Beichen began to meticulously examine the surrounding area. He discovered signs of fallen trees and blood, which immediately put Ning Beichen on high alert.
"Something's not right!"
Yang Qianrou was not the type of person to disappear without a trace. Even if she had gone out to improve her strength, she would not have completely ignored him, her leader.
This was because, in the month prior to Ning Beichen's seclusion, Yang Qianrou had visited his secluded dwelling every day to check on him. Even if not every day, it would not have been longer than three days between her visits.