With both opportunities in hand, Xu Chuan also prepared to leave.
He had originally planned to rest here for only two days.
But this trip back and forth, half a month had passed.
Yes, it took Xu Chuan a full half a month to completely refine the Sun Origin.
It is said that cultivation has no sense of time, and this was vividly reflected at this moment.
Without the Sun Origin and the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, only a giant pit remained.
Flying up along the pit, Xu Chuan found the cave where he had come.
Following the cave back, he finally saw Wei Kang's figure again.
At this time, Wei Kang had become as thin as a skeleton from hunger.
His eyes seemed to emit green light, clearly having been hungry for a long time.
This was understandable.
Before Xu Chuan went in, he thought it wouldn't take long, so he only left Wei Kang a few days' worth of food.
Who would have thought that just refining the Sun Origin would take Xu Chuan half a month.
Afterward, if he hadn't easily obtained the recognition of the Sun-Shooting Bow, Xu Chuan would have likely stayed for a much longer time.
Adding to that, Xu Chuan had also left an entrapment formation before he left, so Wei Kang couldn't get out and could only survive on that meager food. It was no wonder he was hungry.
"Young... Young Master, you're finally out!" he said weakly upon seeing Xu Chuan appear.
If Xu Chuan had come out any later, he would have likely starved to death here.
After saying this, Wei Kang directly fainted.
Seeing this, Xu Chuan quickly dispelled the formation, supported him, and stuffed a pill into his mouth.
After using his vital energy to help him refine the pill's potency, Wei Kang slowly woke up.
"Let's go, I've already found a way out."
With that, he directly took Wei Kang, turned into a rainbow light, and rushed out of the cave, reappearing underwater.
The moment the two appeared, the demonic beasts that smelled human scent swarmed towards them, wanting to devour them.
"A bunch of beasts, die!"
His strength greatly increased, Xu Chuan was itching for a fight. To court death by bothering him at this moment was simply asking for it!
Xu Chuan roared, holding Wei Kang in his left hand, and instantly unleashed several punches with his right.
The punches carried terrifying heat, instantly vaporizing the surrounding water and creating a vacuum.
Then, each punch accurately struck the attacking demonic beasts. No matter their cultivation level, as long as it did not exceed the third level of the Heavenly King realm, they would die, one by one!
They were blasted into nothingness by Xu Chuan's punches.
Wei Kang's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open as he watched everything in astonishment.
It was utterly unbelievable.
The underwater demonic beasts, which even the martial experts from the capital struggled to deal with, were so easily killed by Xu Chuan, as if they were nothing.
After dealing with these demonic beasts, Xu Chuan carried Wei Kang and soared into the sky.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they had appeared on the surface of the water, returning to the riverbank where the competition had taken place.
The River Sacrifice Festival had long since ended, and the riverbank, devoid of the previous liveliness, had returned to peace.
Wei Kang being dragged into the water by demonic beasts had also gradually faded from people's memories.
No one would pay much attention to someone unrelated to them; that was the way of the world.
Except for one person, and that was Wei Kang's mother!
She, with her frail health, waited by the river, longing for Wei Kang's return.
She had always believed that Wei Kang was not dead, and no matter what others said, she could not accept it.
Her poor child had not enjoyed a few days of good life, always suffering with her.
If it weren't for her, why would he have participated in this river crossing competition?
Thinking of this, her guilt intensified, and her complexion grew even paler.
"Kang'er, hurry back, cough cough cough!"
Wei Kang's mother repeatedly called out towards the river.
Passersby who witnessed this scene shook their heads and sighed.
The rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune always finds the unfortunate.
This described the mother and son perfectly.
Upon seeing this scene, Wei Kang, who had just emerged from the water, could no longer hold back his tears.
"Mother!"
He called out softly, his eyes red, for fear of disturbing his mother by the river.
Wei Kang's mother looked up, as if she had heard Wei Kang's voice.
Her gaze then shifted to the location where Xu Chuan and Wei Kang stood, and tears immediately streamed from her eyes.
"Kang'er!"
His mother rushed to Wei Kang and hugged him tightly.
"You're safe, thank goodness!"
She was afraid of losing him again.
Xu Chuan watched this scene, not wanting to disrupt the heartwarming reunion of mother and son, and silently left.
He did not want to be too entangled with Wei Kang, whose fate was too strange.
However, before leaving, Xu Chuan placed a storage ring on him, containing some vital stones and a cultivation technique that could be cultivated to the Samsara realm.
It was Xu Chuan's compensation for him.
...
Appearing again, Xu Chuan had arrived at the border of the Great Wilderness Dynasty.
Just one more step, and he would completely break free from the jurisdiction of the Great Wilderness Dynasty.
And enter the territory governed by the Undying Volcano.
Just as Xu Chuan was about to take this step, a sudden change occurred.
"Stop right there!"
A voice suddenly came from behind Xu Chuan, calling him to a halt.
Xu Chuan instinctively turned his head and looked. Not far away, a woman in white stood in the air. A veil on her face made it impossible to discern her emotions.
Seeing this person, Xu Chuan was greatly alarmed.
"Damn, why is she here!" Xu Chuan cursed inwardly.
The person was the mysterious Half-Emperor woman Xu Chuan had seen before in the Emperor's Treasure Vault.
He still vividly remembered her imposing presence!
He did not consider himself her match, and Xuan Lie, who was injured, was even less so.
Therefore, Xu Chuan had been extremely careful to avoid her all the way, fearing being found by her.
He never expected to encounter her here.
What a situation!
Although he was extremely reluctant to encounter this person, now that he had been called to a halt, Xu Chuan could only turn around and ask.
"May I ask why Senior has summoned me?"
Xu Chuan adopted a very humble posture, lowering his head, fearing that she would see through him.
Although he had disguised himself, he didn't know if he could deceive her.
Judging by her actions in the treasure vault before, it was clear she cared deeply about something in the vault.
If she knew he had taken everything from the treasure vault, he might meet his end here today!
"You are quite good at hiding, Xu Chuan!"
The woman directly called out Xu Chuan's name.
This made Xu Chuan's heart sink.
He didn't understand how he had been exposed.
"What is Senior talking about? I don't understand,"
Xu Chuan still wanted to play dumb, but the next moment, the woman made her move.
With a grab in the air, Xu Chuan was directly grasped by an invisible giant hand and brought before the woman.
"Stop playing dumb with me. I know very well who you are!"
"Hand over what you obtained in the treasure vault, or die!"
The woman commanded forcefully.
She didn't give Xu Chuan a chance to speak.
Moreover, the giant hand continued to tighten. If Xu Chuan dared to refuse, she would directly crush him!