Chapter 129: Emerging from the Painting, Pretending to Be Dead

Having struck, Qin Feng did not wait foolishly for the outcome. He immediately withdrew and bolted toward the exit. It would be best if Li Xingjian and You Qing died, but as long as either survived, they would certainly hunt him to the ends of the earth.

He knew well that while the Tri-Element Flame Burst was formidable, it would only inflict minor injuries on Li Xingjian if caught off guard; it was impossible to slay him with it. Qin Feng’s true goal had been to collapse the cavern, creating a sealed space for that mysterious demonic entity and using its power to eliminate Li Xingjian.

"Hmph, let you taste what it's like to be plotted against."

A taste of his own medicine! It would be best if he were killed. That would at least be some justice for the late Zhan Bai.

Qin Feng ignored what followed. The faint, angry roars echoing from the collapsing cavern—whether from Li Xingjian or You Qing—made him laugh heartily.

"Damn, that feels good!"

He had originally intended to lurk and calculate against that lecherous toad, but catching a big fish like Li Xingjian was an unexpected and delightful surprise. After striking at Li Xingjian, Qin Feng finally felt a bit better. Moreover, he now knew the whereabouts of all the eggs. This was the most crucial point, especially the white one; as long as Li Xingjian survived, the egg would likely fall into his hands.

"Birds of a feather, truly!"

One a petty villain, the other a lecherous toad. He would have to settle scores with Li Xingjian at the Shu Sword Mountain sooner or later; with these two together, it saved him the trouble. Let the lecherous toad run free for a while longer. The next time they met would be the day of his death.

Lost in thought, Qin Feng flew out of the underground karst cave. Returning the way he came, he reached the surface and sped off in a random direction. Since he had ambushed Li Xingjian and You Qing, there was no telling when they would emerge; the priority was to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

Qin Feng remained cautious, draping the large black cloth over his body once more. This way, even if Li Xingjian escaped and immediately pursued him, he would not be easily discovered.

After sprinting for a while, Qin Feng’s brow twitched. He stopped and found a relatively hidden spot, staring at a point in the sky. Suddenly, a massive, jagged black rift in space tore open. Several figures in black robes flew out from the rift, each followed by a floating coffin. Their attire was that of the Earth Corpse Sect, and their cultivation levels were all at the Earth-Gang stage. These were mid-to-high-ranking members of the Earth Corpse Sect—the second wave permitted to enter this realm in search of treasures or inheritances.

Qin Feng watched them coldly, silently memorizing their appearances and builds. Once they dispersed, he waited a while longer to ensure it was safe before emerging and flying toward the black spatial rift. He had seen such rifts before, but they were always much smaller. The energy within those rifts was usually unstable, so he had never dared to test them. However, having observed this one with his Purple Heaven Eyes, he noted the energy fluctuations were relatively steady. Since others had already emerged, it was clearly a viable passage. Without hesitation, he slipped into the rift before it could close.

Upon entering, darkness swallowed him for a mere moment before his vision cleared. He found himself back in the underground mine where he had first encountered the mural. This time, he had the opportunity to examine the mural closely, especially the central area, which depicted a well and a severed corpse head.

"A well? A corpse head? What does this mean?"

The mural surely held some information, but what connection did the well have to the demon den, and how did the head relate to the mysterious, sealed demonic entity? Qin Feng could not fathom it; his strength was insufficient to comprehend such deep secrets. Even the experts at the Heaven-Gang stage had fled in disgrace after seizing the eggs; the thing inside must be unimaginably terrifying.

"Sigh, why am I worrying about this? If I become strong enough, I’ll come back to investigate!" Putting the thought aside, he turned and walked toward the exit of the mine.

The immediate priority was to leave and find a hidden place to lie low. He had not only killed Li Xingjian’s son but had also plotted against Li Xingjian himself. Any one of these reasons was enough to drive Li Xingjian to madness; as long as he lived, he would surely hunt him relentlessly.

Qin Feng pondered where to hide as he walked. Returning to the Qin family was out of the question; doing so now would only bring them trouble. Furthermore, he was not ready to reveal his secrets; his strength was not yet enough to master his own destiny. He refused to let others hold his life in their hands.

As for Li Xingjian retaliating against the Qin family, he likely lacked the courage. The Qin family was not a single entity, but a colossal force in the Eastern Region of Qingxuan—a super-tier power that the second-rate Shu Sword Mountain could not easily provoke. One move would affect the whole body. The Qin family was known for protecting its own, so he did not fear retaliation against them. Li Xingjian would only focus his pursuit on him.

Lost in thought, Qin Feng arrived at the outskirts of the Tianhuan Mountains. Outside the mountains, the scene was one of devastation—the aftermath of a fierce battle, with corpses strewn everywhere. How tragic! All of this was merely to satisfy the selfish desires of a few from the high-ranking factions.

On the battlefield, there were corpses of both Earth Corpse Sect disciples and Shu Sword Mountain disciples. Two groups of survivors were clearing the field: Shu Sword Mountain disciples were retrieving their flying swords, while Earth Corpse Sect disciples in black robes were using specialized tools to collect the dead. This was their duty. Since they were low-ranking initiates, their mutual hatred was not deep enough to interfere with each other's work.

The Earth Corpse Sect could regain its strength as long as they had corpses, much like how the Shu Sword Mountain could flourish as long as they had swords.

Seeing these two groups, Qin Feng stroked his chin. Suddenly, he had an idea. The most dangerous place is the safest place.

He decided to lie down among the corpses and hold his breath to feign death. Before long, a group of Earth Corpse Sect disciples approached. One young man in black, holding a "corpse jar" and looking quite sharp, glanced at the "dead" Qin Feng with a hint of suspicion.

"This corpse’s aura is a bit strange..."

Just then, the leader—a fierce-looking, obese man—shook his jowls and barked, "Fan Liu, you little brat, move faster! If we don't finish our quota today, I'll have you thrown to the living corpses!"

Terrified at the thought, the disciple named Fan Liu shuddered, hurriedly waved his corpse jar toward Qin Feng, and a black light enveloped him, pulling him into the jar.

Two hundred and thirteen! Only eighty-seven more to go to complete today’s task. Fan Liu sighed, looking at the setting sun. He had to hurry; the sect rules were cruel, and failure meant being fed to the living corpses. He was used to this environment. The squad had started with twelve; now only seven remained. The other five had been fed to the living corpses for failing their quotas.

The leader, Xing Bing, was cruel and bloodthirsty. He didn't view his subordinates as human, often stealing corpses they collected to meet his own double quota. This indirectly caused many to fail, but no one dared speak up because Xing Bing was more talented, stronger, and, most importantly, possessed a "Core Corpse."

Fan Liu shook his head and hurried to catch up, using his jar to collect usable remains. A whole body counted as one, while three-part remains counted as half. If they could be pieced together, they might count as one. This was the menial work left to new initiates.

He complained internally, but he had no choice. He could only hope to accumulate enough contribution points to enter the Ten Thousand Corpse Cave and select a powerful Core Corpse for himself. That would be his true initiation. Driven by this hope, he worked faster. Soon, the jar was full—three hundred corpses collected.

*Heh, turning this in will be enough for my contribution points.* Fan Liu gripped the jar tightly. Being clever, he always worked faster than the others, and he had even collected a few extra corpses just to be safe. He felt a surge of excitement, a faint blush on his young face.

As night fell, the team began their return. On the way, however, Xing Bing pulled Fan Liu aside.

"Fan Liu, come with me!"

Xing Bing’s fat face was full of bloodthirsty greed. Fan Liu’s heart sank; he knew something was wrong. Xing Bing had long noticed that he consistently exceeded his quotas. Now, it seemed, Xing Bing was targeting him. His companions looked at him with pity; if he lost this jar of corpses, he would fail his quota, lose his points, and likely be fed to the living corpses.

Trembling, Fan Liu asked, "Senior Brother Xing, what is it?"

Xing Bing glared, shouting, "Quit the chatter and come with me!"

"Yes!"

Fan Liu had no choice. He was weaker and couldn't afford to offend him. He could only hope Xing Bing wouldn't take everything. As he followed, he prayed silently.