Before Gu Tiannan and his disciple could subdue the black-robed youth, Qin Sang had already heard the roars from the other side of the mountain. They didn’t sound human, more like the howls of wild beasts.

He darted behind a rock and witnessed the scene in the mountain hollow, his heart sinking with dread.

The black-robed youth was covered in wounds, clearly at the end of his strength. The flying needle was broken and could only be used to hinder Gu Yuan.

What was even more horrifying was Gu Tiannan’s current appearance. His entire body had undergone a grotesque transformation—his flesh had swollen grotesquely, making him twice as tall as before, with bulging veins and limbs that resembled monstrous claws. He had turned into a hideous beast.

Gu Tiannan emitted a dreadful roar from his throat, his eyes bloodshot and filled with unrestrained madness, completely devoid of any trace of rationality.

His appearance was unrecognizable; he had completely lost all semblance of his former self.

Not only was Gu Tiannan as swift as the wind, but his physical strength was also extraordinary. His fingers were like blades, effortlessly crushing giant rocks. The black-robed youth could barely keep up, exhausted by the sheer physical power of Gu Tiannan.

The black-robed youth's attacks were ineffectual, striking Gu Tiannan as though hitting metal, leaving no mark whatsoever.

As the cat demon had said, Gu Tiannan’s destructive power at this moment was indeed comparable to a thirteenth-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator. It was unclear what method he had used to conceal this strength previously, but there hadn’t been a single hint of it!

Completely overwhelmed by Gu Tiannan, the black-robed youth could no longer hold out. In his final moments, he cast a desperate glance towards Qin Sang and the white cat’s hiding place. Despite the distance, Qin Sang could still clearly feel the intense hope in his eyes.

Bang!

The black-robed youth was struck in the back by Gu Tiannan’s claw, crashing heavily to the ground. As he tried to rise, Gu Tiannan grabbed his throat, snapping it with a single hand, ending his life.

Huff, huff…

Gu Tiannan hunched over, gasping heavily, his grip still tight on the black-robed youth’s neck. His arm trembled violently, as if he was struggling to control his murderous instincts.

Seeing this, Gu Yuan quickly retracted his short sword and darted behind Gu Tiannan. He threw several silver needles into Gu Tiannan’s head, shouting, "Master!"

Awakened to some semblance of sanity by Gu Yuan’s intervention, Gu Tiannan’s eyes gradually lost their bloodthirsty red hue, regaining a glimmer of clarity. His rationality eventually prevailed, and his body emitted a series of crisp cracks as he returned to his human form, now even paler than before.

Gu Tiannan wavered, almost collapsing to the ground, but was caught and supported by Gu Yuan.

"

Cough, cough...

Quickly!"

Gu Tiannan coughed violently, his voice weak and urgent. "Quickly! Retrieve the heart!"

Gu Yuan promptly complied, helping Gu Tiannan sit down on the ground, then crouched by the black-robed youth’s body. He reached into the youth’s chest, pulling out the still-beating, blood-soaked heart and handed it to Gu Tiannan.

The heart exuded a flow of bright red blood, yet it had an eerie bluish-black sheen.

Gu Tiannan clutched the heart with a greedy expression, his eyes burning with intensity. Suddenly, he coughed violently, his face changing dramatically. He concentrated his spiritual energy into his fingers and quickly tapped several times on the heart.

The heart convulsed, and black demonic flames erupted, burning it into a dark liquid. The liquid then solidified into two pills: one large and one small.

They resembled two pills.

Gu Tiannan tossed the smaller pill to Gu Yuan, who swallowed it eagerly. Gu Tiannan, unable to wait, swallowed the larger pill immediately.

After both master and disciple consumed the pills, a faint flush of color appeared on Gu Tiannan’s face. The previous weakness vanished completely, and his overall vitality improved noticeably.

Gu Yuan, his face full of relief, asked with his eyes open, "Master, how do you feel?"

Gu Tiannan grunted in response, inspected his body, and nodded with great relief. "Fortunately, we obtained this Blood Heart Pill in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Gu Yuan, still angry, exclaimed, "That kid was incredibly troublesome!"

Gu Tiannan snorted. "If it hadn’t been for that cat demon with such strange methods appearing out of nowhere, we wouldn’t have had to chase him so many times. He wouldn’t have been able to wreak havoc for so long! By the way…"

Gu Tiannan suddenly looked towards the source of the commotion, where the azure light in the sky seemed to churn like a storm, indicating an ongoing fierce battle.

"Has there been any movement from the Qin person?"

"Don’t worry, Master," Gu Yuan stretched his limbs and replied, "I’ve been keeping a close watch. That Senior Uncle Qin seems to be of little power, but he has managed to keep the cat demon occupied. The azure light hasn’t dissipated; they are still locked in battle without pause, so they wouldn’t have noticed our actions."

Gu Tiannan nodded and glanced at the chaotic battlefield. "That’s good. Clean up here to avoid leaving any traces. Don’t underestimate him. This person seems to have a cunning mind and is likely not simple. We must not let any flaws be discovered."

The master and disciple immediately got to work. Gu Tiannan meticulously erased any traces left on the black-robed youth’s body.

Gu Yuan used his short sword to hack at the surroundings, obscuring the claw marks left by Gu Tiannan on the battlefield. He cautiously asked, "Master, what about the situation over there? It seems that Senior Uncle Qin might end up dying the cat demon."

Gu Tiannan shot him a fierce glance. "This is Shaohua Mountain. No matter how careful we are, it’s impossible to erase all traces. We almost encountered a mishap this time. Are you trying to invite trouble by targeting people from Shaohua Mountain?"

Gu Yuan forced a smile. "Master, you mentioned earlier that we should find another place. It feels a bit unsatisfactory not to make any gains before we leave. If Senior Uncle Qin can indeed kill the cat demon, we naturally won’t provoke him. But if the cat demon kills him, such things are common. It’s simply a matter of skill. We can’t be blamed for it. Besides, I think Senior Uncle Qin’s background is not trivial. Without the protection of Shaohua Mountain, that Sky Shuttle could prove very useful…"

…

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Meanwhile, a person and a cat quietly retreated.

The white cat, still shaken, said, "The few times we’ve faced Gu Tiannan before, he wasn’t as terrifying and insane as he is now. You should be convinced now. We don’t ask for you to take action against him, only that you report everything to your sect. Any righteous immortal sect would not tolerate such a demon wreaking havoc among mortals, right?"

Qin Sang, deep in thought, glanced at the white cat and replied, "None of the villagers from Black Tiger Valley died. If Gu Tiannan isn’t a fool, he will definitely notice something is wrong. By the time I request help from the sect, he will have already escaped."

The white cat sighed softly. "Hei Kid couldn’t bring himself to kill them. He only kills those who are truly evil."

Qin Sang frowned slightly as he considered Gu Tiannan.

There was no doubt that Gu Tiannan’s cultivation was indeed at the thirteenth stage of Qi Refining Realm.

When Gu Tiannan left the sect, he was only at the eighth stage of Qi Refining Realm. At his age, breaking through the ninth stage would have been considered lucky, otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to hide his true cultivation level out of fear of suspicion.

It was highly unusual for him to reach the thirteenth stage of Qi Refining Realm. It could be concluded that this achievement was due to the effects of that demonic art!