After a while, Henry Harper slowly woke up, saw William Harper, and softly said, “Second brother, are you alright?” His expression relaxed, and he drifted back into a hazy sleep.

For some reason, Henry Harper’s words stirred a ripple in William Harper’s heart. William Harper gave a self-mocking smile—brotherly affection, to him, was superfluous; he didn’t need such bonds. If it weren’t for the fact that Henry Harper was still useful, William Harper wouldn’t have bothered to save him.

“Consider yourselves lucky. I’ll give you ten minutes. We leave in ten minutes, so you’d better wake that kid up. If he’s not awake by then, we’ll just have to leave him here to fend for himself.” Leonard Harper said, stuffing the bottle containing a drop of spirit fox blood into his storage pouch.

Suddenly, Leonard Harper remembered something—the bottle holding the spirit fox blood didn’t seem ordinary. If an ordinary bottle held spirit fox blood, the spiritual energy would surely burst it open. Where did this bottle come from? At William Harper’s current level, it was impossible for him to have such an item!

Seeing the change in Leonard Harper’s expression, William Harper sensed trouble. His eyes darted as he prepared an explanation.

A cold wind blew by, and leaves fluttered down from the trees.

Leonard Harper suddenly became alert, his nose twitching—he must have caught a scent.

At that moment, a shrill laugh echoed from deep within the forest, reverberating among the trees.

“Charles White!” Leonard Harper exclaimed in shock, not expecting to encounter this fiend.

Charles White, not considered a top expert in the cultivation world, was nevertheless a notorious demon in the martial world below. He practiced the authentic Ten Thousand Evils Return to Origin technique of the Heavenly Evil Sect, at the mid-level of the Middle Concealment stage.

Currently, the cultivation world is structured around three major sects, two great clans, and two demonic factions. The three sects are Luoyun Sect, Lingyun Sect, and Miyun Sect. The two great clans are the Luoyi Tian family and the Xilian Hao family. The two demonic factions are the Heavenly Evil Sect and the Nether Sect. The three sects and the two demonic factions generally do not interfere in mortal affairs, while the Luoyi Tian family and the Xilian Hao family are rooted in the mortal world and have significant influence there.

There is an agreement among these sects: any god-level expert is forbidden from walking among mortals, or they will be attacked by all. Most of the Taibai and Shangyuan level experts are busy cultivating, so mundane matters are mostly handled by disciples at the Lower Profound and Middle Concealment levels, who only act personally when necessary. Thus, the well-known figures in the martial world are these Middle Concealment level disciples.

Because disciples at the Lower Profound and Middle Concealment levels keep their sect’s affairs strictly confidential while traveling, the true strength of the Xilian Hao and Luoyi Tian families is unknown. In the martial world, people like Leonard Harper and Charles White are naturally seen as peerless masters by ordinary people, and their stories are widely circulated.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees.

“Nine Nether Spirit Fox blood—truly a fine thing.” Charles White laughed shrilly, his gaze roaming over the storage pouch at Leonard Harper’s waist.

Seeing Charles White’s face, Leonard Harper couldn’t help but gasp. Charles White’s face looked like a mass of paste smeared over his features; only through narrow gaps could one see his eyes. Even when he laughed, it was impossible to discern his expression. His long hair draped over his shoulders, and both his skin and hair were as lustrous and snowy as jade.

Leonard Harper felt a bit annoyed—he had gotten carried away in his earlier excitement and hadn’t noticed someone sneaking up on him.

“This Nine Nether Spirit Fox blood may not be yours to take. How about we make a deal? I’ll give you the blood, and you let the three of us go. We’ll stay out of each other’s way.” Leonard Harper’s eyes flickered as he spoke. As long as William Harper and Henry Harper were around, he wasn’t worried about getting more Nine Nether Spirit Fox blood. Losing a single drop was no big deal.

“The Lion King, who runs rampant in the martial world, actually begging for his own safety—isn’t that strange?” Charles White said. Since his face was always the same, Leonard Harper couldn’t tell what expression he was making.

“Better to avoid trouble when possible. If we fight to the death, it won’t be good for anyone—we might both end up badly hurt.” Leonard Harper said, channeling his energy and preparing to counter White Demon’s attack at any moment.

“Sacrificing the pawn to save the king, huh? Looks like the Lion King isn’t stupid. Losing this drop of Nine Nether Spirit Fox blood but gaining the whole corpse of the fox—that’s quite a bargain.” Charles White slowly drew his blade with his right hand, tracing a mysterious arc through the air, pointing it diagonally at Leonard Harper.

Charles White was just standing there, yet Leonard Harper felt an overwhelming pressure. The gap between the initial and mid-levels of the Middle Concealment stage was just one rank, but the difference was as vast as heaven and earth. Leonard Harper would need to cultivate for decades to reach the mid-level of the Middle Concealment stage. If he could never break through the barrier, he would be stuck at his current level forever.