Chapter 142: A Quiet Night

As for everything that transpired in the demonic beast town, Lu Han remained completely unaware.

Stunned by the enormous palm print, Lu Han had chosen to continue his journey. Along the way, the two encountered a martial artist at the Postnatal Realm and briefly inquired about the location of the Soul-Chaotic Plain. Upon realizing that Lu Han was a Prevalent Realm warrior, the man readily pointed out the direction.

Lu Han possessed the map given to him by Qian Santong of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. The route from Maple Leaf City to the Soul-Chaotic Plain was clearly marked on it; once he knew the location of the Soul-Chaotic Plain, finding his way back would be a simple task.

...

"Crackle, crackle."

Beneath a tree in the forest, Lu Han was feeding firewood to the campfire. As he casually poked the flames, a tiny spark flew out. The mysterious woman sat quietly nearby.

Lu Han glanced at the mysterious woman and asked inwardly, "Sly Snake, what on earth is this woman's background?"

He gently patted the Evil Wind Beast nestled inside his robe.

The Evil Wind Beast poked its head out and said, "Hehe, let me tell you, she is—"

"Humph!" A soft, cold snort echoed in the Evil Wind Beast's ears, and it instantly stiffened.

"Lord Evil Wind hasn't had enough sleep yet. Goodbye!"

"Hey, hey..." No matter how Lu Han called out in his mind, the Evil Wind Beast remained completely unresponsive.

The mysterious woman cast a glance at Lu Han. She could sense the aura of ancient times within the bloodline of the Evil Wind Beast, yet she could not comprehend why the creature had chosen Lu Han.

Sensing the mysterious woman's gaze, Lu Han felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Forget it, even if I ask her, I probably won't get any answers. I might as well cultivate," Lu Han thought to himself.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and entered a meditative state of cultivation. Lu Han was not worried that the mysterious woman would harm him at this moment, because he possessed zero ability to resist her—at least, not for now.

His battle earlier with the eldest and third brothers of the Four Great Fiends had yielded immense gains, and he needed to digest the experience.

"Boom!" Lu Han circulated the *Heavenly Frost Chill*, and white, icy mist swirled around his body. He could feel the Prevalent Qi within him growing even stronger.

"Just as Master said, combat is the best form of cultivation," Lu Han mused inwardly.

Old Man Ling had once told him that a martial artist must experience countless battles before they could become a powerhouse in their own right and suppress all their peers. Combat itself was cultivation; if one merely practiced in seclusion without growing through actual battle, they would amount to nothing more than a embroidered pillow.

A fine, veil-like chill gradually enveloped Lu Han's exterior. How much time passed, he did not know, but the frigid aura around him grew increasingly dense.

"Buzz!"

The solid white frost suddenly exploded outward, leaving a thick layer of ice coating the ground where Lu Han sat cross-legged.

Feeling the surging Prevalent Qi within his body, Lu Han clenched his fist.

"This feeling is simply wonderful," Lu Han murmured.

He opened his eyes, a cold flash passing through his pitch-black pupils before vanishing in an instant.

"How long have I been cultivating? What about the mysterious woman? Could she have left?" Lu Han looked beside the campfire, but the mysterious woman's shadow was nowhere to be found.

"Has she already gone?" Lu Han surveyed his surroundings and finally spotted her sitting cross-legged beneath a nearby tree.

Although utilizing the *Sword Shadow Phantom Body* today had yielded miraculous results, Lu Han had only grasped its superficial aspects and remained a long way from achieving mastery.

With his eyes closed, the abstruse and obscure incantation of the *Underworld Crow Soul Codex* surfaced in his mind. He could feel the illusory form of the Underworld Crow within his Niwan Palace growing slightly larger, and his grey soul power continuously expanding. Even the Evil Wind Beast in his arms wore an expression of astonishment.

The Evil Wind Beast curled its lip. "This kid's soul talent is truly formidable; no wonder the Underworld Crow Throne chose him. No, I must step up my cultivation, or how will I ever manage to trample him underfoot?" In a rare occurrence, the Evil Wind Beast entered a meditative state of cultivation.

Adorned with sparkling stars, midnight descended upon the forest, enveloping it in profound silence. Suddenly, a sharp shout shattered the peace.

"Sword Shadow Phantom Body!"

The sound of a sword ringing out pierced the air.

Lu Han suddenly sprang to his feet. A flash of white sword shadow flickered beneath his feet, and he instantly darted forward over thirty feet, transforming into a blurred afterimage. The next moment, he appeared before a tree the width of a foot, his hands forming seals at lightning speed. Prevalent frost erupted from his palms as he slammed a strike directly into the trunk.

"Heavenly Frost — Star-Shattering Palm!"

A muffled thud echoed, and the tree snapped cleanly at its midpoint.

"Creak!"

With a groaning sound, the tree crashed heavily to the ground, falling precisely toward the spot where Lu Han stood.

"Hum!"

Another sword chime rang out. A sword shadow flickered beneath Lu Han's feet, and he instantly vanished from his original spot.

Looking at the fallen tree, Lu Han wore a satisfied smile.

"My speed this time was even a fraction faster than earlier today at the restaurant. It must be due to the advancement in the *Underworld Crow Soul Codex*," Lu Han murmured.

The cultivation of the *Sword Shadow Phantom Body* relied on immensely powerful soul power. Ordinarily, an ordinary Prevalent Realm practitioner would find it impossible to master, but Lu Han was different; his soul power was not inferior even to experts of the Profound Monarch Realm.

Now that the *Underworld Crow Soul Codex* had advanced a step further, the *Sword Shadow Phantom Body* naturally ascended to a higher level as well.

In truth, the mysterious woman had been keeping her attention on Lu Han all along.

"His choosing him is not without reason; very few people can match this level of diligence, and he possesses both daring and his own principles. Did he truly have the confidence to escape from a Profound Monarch today, or does he possess some other hidden trump card?" The mysterious woman rested her chin on her hand, watching the distant Lu Han who had entered cultivation once more.

Sensing that something was continuously observing him, Lu Han snapped his eyes open and looked around, yet he discovered nothing at all.

"Could it be my imagination? That shouldn't be," Lu Han muttered as he scanned his surroundings.

"Such formidable perceptive ability. His soul power is not a whit inferior to my own; I almost got discovered by him," the mysterious woman thought to herself.

"Although the *Star-Shattering Palm* increases exponentially in power when fused with the Heavenly Frost Qi, it is still merely infinitely close to a Profound-tier martial skill. It was fine prior to the Prevalent Realm, but now that I've stepped past it, I'm gradually beginning to find it inadequate," Lu Han reflected.

Back in Maple Leaf City, a technique infinitely close to a Profound-tier skill was considered extremely powerful. However, ever since Lu Han encountered Sha Wei from the Soul-Reaping Bandits in the Soul-Reaping Mountains, followed by the Soul-Chaotic Plain, the Evil Wind Cave, and the demonic beast town, the enemies he faced wielded at least Yellow-tier advanced martial skills, with the majority utilizing Profound-tier skills. Therefore, in terms of martial skills alone, Lu Han no longer held any advantage.

Had it not been for the mastery of *Heavenly Garment*, which granted him physical strength and defense far surpassing ordinary people, coupled with the *Heavenly Frost Chill*—which, although a Profound-tier intermediate skill, could easily rival ordinary Profound-tier advanced techniques—it would have been utterly impossible for Lu Han to fight opponents above his realm.

Now that Old Man Ling was dormant, Lu Han had no alternatives. In truth, he did possess one Profound-tier advanced martial skill, but during the fierce battle in the Evil Wind Cave, the Biluo Sword had been lost, rendering him unable to execute his currently strongest technique, the *Ice Lotus of the Sword Domain*.

If he had the Biluo Sword in hand, his combat strength would increase dramatically, and he wouldn't have had to fight for so long at the restaurant today.

Finishing his cultivation, Lu Han fell into a deep sleep beside a tree. This was the soundest sleep he had experienced since falling into the Forest of the Cold Abyss. The blood of the Soul-Capturing Mink was already safely stored in his spatial ring; soon, he would return home, cure his father Lu Tianhong of the Tiger Toad Poison, and at this moment, Lu Han felt an incomparable sense of relief.

The night was profoundly quiet.