On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

Chapter 5 Fallen Spirit Mountain

To replenish qi and blood, you still need to eat a lot of meat.

Zhao Fan didn't know if he had escaped their pursuit; he just kept running east, where his cave was located.

As long as they escape back to their cave, there's a small, incomplete Five Elements Formation outside. Even if the two Qi Refining Level 5 cultivators catch up with them, they won't be able to break the formation.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhao Fan's movements became faster and faster.

The cave dwelling is not far from the market town, about two hundred miles to the east. Normally, Zhao Fan could reach it in a day, but now with the Swift Travel Talisman, the time can be shortened by about half. He can return to the cave dwelling in just one night.

Although the effect of a single Swift Travel Talisman only lasts for one hour, he still has three or four more, which should be enough.

It was the feeling of physical weakness that made Zhao Fan crave food so much.

Although the tortoise shell does not consume spiritual power, it does devour vital energy and blood, something Zhao Fan had never expected.

He was caught off guard, which made it difficult for him to suppress the restless hunger within him.

The fasting pill I just swallowed lost its effect after a short while.

While fleeing, he rummaged through his storage bag for anything that could stave off hunger.

He had been running away and was constantly expending his energy. Now, after being sucked in a large amount by the tortoise shell, his legs were starting to tremble as he ran.

Unfortunately, there was nothing in the storage bag. He had long been used to fasting and usually only ate fasting pills.

Although some spirit rice is specially made for cultivators and can increase their cultivation level, it is too expensive. The most common first-grade spirit rice costs one spirit stone to buy two catties. If you eat one catty of spirit rice a day, it will cost fifteen spirit stones a month.

For independent cultivators, the most important thing is naturally the pills used for cultivation, followed by protective items such as magical artifacts.

These two things alone have already left most independent cultivators with very limited resources.

Suddenly, a fireball shot out from the sky, heading straight for Zhao Fan.

Zhao Fan was on high alert when he noticed the sudden appearance of the fireball.

The shield appeared in front of Zhao Fan in the next moment.

The fireball struck and immediately exploded, sending Zhao Fan flying.

At this moment, although Zhao Fan still had most of his spiritual power, his body was too weak to stop his movements for the time being.

The next moment, the fiery red halberd descended from the sky, its tip piercing straight towards Zhao Fan.

Zhao Fan reacted quickly, kicking the shield with his foot and using the recoil to narrowly avoid the attack.

But it didn't end there. Just as he dodged that attack, another whooshing sound came from the side, and a golden spear pierced towards Zhao Fan's thigh at an almost unavoidable angle.

Zhao Fan desperately tried to recall the great shield, but it was too late. He had lost all means of counterattack and could only watch helplessly as the golden light flashed past his trouser leg, leaving a trail of blood.

However, the excruciating pain I had imagined did not occur; although it hurt a little, it did not seem serious.

Zhao Fan glanced at it immediately and realized that because too much of his blood and energy had been drained, his legs were too thin, which caused the spear to miss and only graze his skin.

Zhao Fan felt incredibly lucky and quickly steadied himself.

Seeing that Zhao Fan was still unharmed despite all this, the cultivator surnamed Lu frowned, his eyes showing a hint of wariness.

This kid seems to have more than just powerful magical artifacts; he might have other tricks up his sleeve.

Zhao Fan did not notice the change in the cultivator surnamed Lu. With his path blocked, he had no choice but to turn back. He needed to find a place to recover his strength as soon as possible. Besides returning to his cave, only Yulin Mountain remained.

However, just as this idea began to emerge, another disturbance arose behind the scenes.

Zhang Tie had already positioned himself in Zhao Fan's path.

Both the east and west sides were blocked, and there was still that golden spear to the south.

Zhao Fan glanced around, then turned and headed straight north.

In this situation, the only option is to flee north. Given his current physical condition, he absolutely cannot fight the two of them head-on. Escaping, however, offers him a slim chance of survival.

Seeing Zhao Fan head north, the cultivator surnamed Lu and Zhang Tie smiled slightly, revealing a triumphant smile. This kid was indeed unfamiliar with the surrounding terrain.

"That attack definitely hit, but he's unharmed. He clearly used some kind of secret technique. He has a lot of good stuff on him. If we push him into a corner, it's hard to say what he might do next."

The cultivator surnamed Lu spoke softly, his words filled with greed.

Zhang Tie looked at the cultivator surnamed Lu with eyes full of admiration.

"Brother Lu is so wise that he is almost supernatural, which is admirable. As long as we drive this kid to Fallen Spirit Mountain, no matter how many tricks he has, he will have no use for them."

A dozen or so miles north of here, there is a low mountain called Fallen Spirit Mountain.

Legend has it that a powerful cultivator at the Core Formation stage once exploded his golden core here and died, creating a unique dead land where the entire mountain is barren.

From then on, when cultivators entered this place, their spiritual energy would solidify and become unusable, hence the name Fallen Spirit Mountain.

The two watched Zhao Fan's retreating figure and followed him at a leisurely pace.

A distance of a dozen miles is not far for a cultivator; it only takes the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly, a vast, dark land appeared before Zhao Fan.

In the distance, there is a small hill that looks like a burial mound.

The mountain is not high, only a hundred feet high, and it occupies only a few miles around. Calling it a mountain is an understatement; it's more like a small mound of earth.

Zhao Fan naturally realized that something was wrong.

But the two people behind him kept chasing him, leaving him no time to worry about anything else, and he ran straight up the mountain.

After running only a couple of steps, Zhao Fan quickly sensed that something was wrong.

His spiritual energy had completely stagnated, and he couldn't use a single bit of it.

Just as he was about to turn around, two people descended from the sky behind him.

The two men, one on the left and one on the right, one wielding a sword and the other a halberd, blocked Zhao Fan's escape route.

"Kid, you think you're so fast? Keep running! None of the prey we brothers have our eyes on can escape!"

From the moment he stepped into this place, Zhao Fan knew he had been tricked.

Previously, with spiritual power, he could manage to hold his own, but now, with no spiritual power left and his body depleted of qi and blood, he has become a lamb to the slaughter.

Zhao Fan was unwilling to accept his fate and turned to continue running away.

After running a few steps, Zhao Fan was pleasantly surprised to find that the Swiftness Talisman on his body was still effective!

Zhao Fan saw hope again, and his speed increased.

The two people behind him had lost their spiritual power and couldn't catch up with Zhao Fan for a while.

As Zhao Fan receded into the distance, the cultivator surnamed Lu raised his hand and fired several hidden arrows, aiming straight for Zhao Fan's back.

Zhang Tie took out two crooked black sticks from somewhere, intertwined their bottoms, and they became a complete bow. He then pulled out a sinew from his waist, and in the blink of an eye, a hard bow was made.

Hearing the whooshing sound behind him, Zhao Fan dared not take the hit head-on. He lunged forward and dodged the hidden arrows.

However, the uneven stones on the ground hurt his body, and Zhao Fan even felt as if his ribs were about to break.