Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

“Finally…”

Li Yun let out a long breath of relief as he watched Xiao Fanyun’s projection completely disappear from the hall.

He had not expected that a mere projection formed from a fragment of Xiao Fanyun’s power could possess such terrifying strength. The battle had forced him to confront that reality very clearly.

“The strength of that projection should be at least at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm,” Li Yun thought quietly. “That means Xiao Fanyun’s true body must already be at the second level of the Qi Sea Realm, or perhaps even the third.”

As this realization settled in his mind, his expression gradually became more serious.

Even the condensed projection had displayed overwhelming power. It was difficult to imagine how terrifying Xiao Fanyun’s true strength would be if he were to appear in person.

The moment the giant Qi finger had struck his Crimson Lotus barrier and cracked it open had already made one thing clear to Li Yun. If he had been facing the real Xiao Fanyun, he would not have been able to defeat him in a direct confrontation.

However, that did not mean he had no way to deal with the situation.

The Xiao Fanyun they had just fought was only a projection created from a portion of his power, not the real person himself. Because of that, Li Yun knew there was still a chance to defeat him if he used the right method.

Once he understood this, Li Yun immediately abandoned the idea of fighting Xiao Fanyun head on. He knew that a direct clash would only end in his defeat. Instead, he decided to rely on his hidden trump card.

That was why he deliberately detonated the Crimson Lotus defensive barrier earlier. The explosion had bought him the brief moment he needed to prepare and unleash the powerful seventh tier secret technique that ultimately destroyed the projection.

As for why he had not been burned or seriously injured by the explosion of the Crimson Lotus itself, the answer was simple.

His body had already been strengthened to an extraordinary level through the cultivation of the Ninefold Origin Flesh Scripture. The powerful physique granted by that technique allowed him to endure the force of the explosion without suffering fatal damage.

“Are all of you alright?”

Li Yun looked toward Zhu Ximen, Fu Ting, and the others as he asked the question.

They nodded one after another, confirming that they were unharmed.

Fu Ting hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Brother Li, what should we do now? We have offended Xiao Fanyun, and he is ranked first on the Four Peaks Disciples Ranking.”

Her voice carried clear anxiety.

The others also showed worried expressions.

Everyone present knew very well what kind of person Xiao Fanyun was. He was not known for mercy or restraint. On the contrary, he had a reputation for being the most ruthless individual among the inner disciples of the Martial Ascension Gate.

Now they had openly clashed with him, killed his young brother and even destroyed a projection formed from his power.

More importantly, Xiao Fanyun stood at the very top of the Four Peaks Disciples Ranking. His strength and talent were widely acknowledged throughout the sect, and because of that many elders favored him. With such backing and power, he had always acted without restraint within the inner sect.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Xiao Fanyun behaved like a tyrant there.

Because of this, Fu Ting, Zhu Ximen, and the others clearly understood that returning to the sect after provoking him would not lead to anything good.

Li Yun also fell silent for a moment as he considered the situation. After a short pause, he finally spoke.

“For now, we should focus on expanding our gains by hunting down all the zombies in the Black Wind Desert. Once we finish that, I will explain my plan.”

Zhu Ximen, Fu Ting, and the others exchanged glances before nodding. At this moment they chose to trust Li Yun and follow his lead.

With that decision made, the group continued their mission.

Three days passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

During those three days, they hunted down countless zombies scattered throughout the Black Wind Desert. Many of the creatures possessed cultivation at the Xiantian Realm, while others were only at the Body Tempering Realm. Regardless of their strength, the group exterminated them all.

Along the way they encountered several other groups of disciples from the Martial Ascension Gate. They also ran into disciples from the other three great sects of the Southern Martial Domain. Fortunately, no conflicts occurred between them during these encounters.

At that moment, Li Yun and the others were gathered inside a secluded cave. The atmosphere was heavy, and every person present wore a solemn expression.

During the past three days, they had encountered several groups of disciples from their sect. From those encounters, they had learned troubling news. Xiao Fanyun had already sent his followers throughout the entire sect with orders to locate Li Yun and his group and bring them before him.

The news had caused quite a stir among the inner disciples. Many of them were shocked when they heard that someone had offended Xiao Fanyun. What surprised them even more was that it was not just a single person but several disciples who had provoked him at once.

However, there was one strange detail in all of this chaos.

Although Xiao Fanyun was openly searching for them, the truth about Xiao Feng’s death had not spread within the sect. The matter remained completely hidden. Even with Xiao Fanyun’s men searching everywhere for certain inner disciples, no one knew that Xiao Feng had been killed by Li Yun and the others.

Li Yun sat quietly on a large boulder inside the cave as he thought about this situation. After a moment, he spoke slowly.

“This Xiao Fanyun is truly vicious.”

He looked toward the others as he continued.

“He understands that if the news of his brother’s death spreads, the sect will immediately intervene and investigate the matter. Once that happens, we would be taken into the sect’s custody and questioned about Xiao Feng’s death. If that situation arises, Xiao Fanyun would no longer have the chance to deal with us himself.”

The others quickly understood what Li Yun meant.

Xiao Fanyun was deliberately hiding the truth so that he could personally deal with them without interference from the sect.