Chapter 144: Geng 444

Stepping out of the assignment office, Qin Feng’s expression was icy cold.

Qin Feng was not cold-blooded; it was just that those people all deserved to die!

Xing Bing’s memories were not false. Their hands were stained with the blood of countless individuals, and even many defenseless ordinary people had fallen victim to their cruelty.

Such people did not deserve pity in death!

Although Qin Feng was not a god and could not save the innocent who had already perished, he was willing to act as a butcher, slaughtering everyone who committed such heinous evils.

Tossing the Corpse Mine Token in his hand, a corner of Qin Feng’s mouth curled upward.

Corpse Mine Sector G-444 was now securely in his possession, and his thunderous, ruthless methods had struck fear into the hearts of many. He estimated that for quite a long time, no one would dare to come looking for trouble with him.

As for Gan Dao’s older brother, he was still deep within the Tianhuan Mountain Range and probably wouldn't return anytime soon. Even if he did return, what of it? If he dared to pick a fight, Qin Feng naturally would not show any mercy.

Leading his subordinates—who were still covered in blood from the recent killings—he marched imposingly toward the mining district.

Along the way, anyone who caught sight of them wisely ducked far out of the way.

The fierce reputation of Xing Bing the Fiend spread like wildfire.

Strictly speaking, Corpse Mine Sector G-444 was an ominous place. Because people frequently died here, everyone who had previously been assigned to this corpse mine sector had met with bizarre and untimely deaths. Actually, such fatalities were quite common among ancient burial mounds; grave robbers all knew that places producing corpses were extremely perilous, especially locations abundant with extreme Yin energy, where various ghosts and curses were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Even so, very few mining districts had a mortality rate as terrifyingly high as Sector G-444.

Moreover, the causes of death were utterly bizarre—everyone died of sudden, unexpected accidents.

The upper echelons of the sect had once dispatched an elder to inspect Corpse Mine Sector G-444, but he found absolutely nothing. They could only conclude that the area might have been afflicted with some kind of chronic death curse left behind by a deceased powerhouse. Later, as if to validate his words, that very elder who had investigated the place was beaten to death by a single palm strike during a confrontation with someone else a few years afterward.

Although the elder’s death might not have been directly related to the mining district, there were always people convinced of a connection to Corpse Mine Sector G-444. Over time, this cast a thick veil of mystery over the place, silently warning people that anyone entering this sector was destined to die!

G-4-4-4!

Its homophonic sound—Hurry, Die, Die, Die!

The number itself represented unmitigated doom!

From then on, this corpse mine sector was designated as a forbidden zone, intended to warn anyone within the sect who wished to take over this mining district to tread carefully.

Qin Feng had checked, and there were about ten other areas similarly classified as forbidden zones.

Yet, Corpse Mine Sector G-444 ranked number one in terms of danger!

Curses were extremely bizarre. In ancient times, they were formidable killing techniques prevalent among the Shaman lineage and the Ghost tribe, but those heterodox factions had long been classified as foreign fiends and had gone extinct in the Eastern Domain.

Why people died here remained a mystery to Qin Feng, but the reason the elders of the Earth Corpse Sect had failed to find anything unusual was likely because they were incapable of breaking the barrier originally set up by Red Corpse.

Merely considering his cultivation level, Red Corpse had at least been the foremost figure of the Earth Corpse Sect in his era. The barriers he cast naturally proved far more profound. It was only logical that even a thousand years later, descendants had yet to uncover the secrets of this place.

However, Xing Bing was an anomaly.

This also piqued Qin Feng’s curiosity: why couldn't anyone else enter, yet Xing Bing had accidentally stumbled inside?

This served as Qin Feng’s true reliance in wanting to explore the place. The seal must have developed some flaws, otherwise Xing Bing—who was merely at the Mortal Qi stage—could never have entered that mysterious and unfathomable realm.

At this thought, Qin Feng suddenly recalled the lunar eye pattern on Xing Bing’s back. Qin Feng had inspected it before, but after Xing Bing became a corpse, that lunar eye pattern was no longer visible on his body. Yet, in Xing Bing’s fragmented memories, the impression of this lunar eye pattern was exceedingly profound, which should not have been false. Why, then, had it vanished? Could it be that upon death, the pattern simply disappeared on its own? Was it truly some form of death curse?

A series of mysteries shrouded Qin Feng in a thick fog, leaving him utterly baffled.

Yet, in order to rescue Fang Xinyi, it remained necessary to brave this place.

Even if it was a realm of death!

Corpse Mine Sector G-444 was located deep underground. The group walked for a long time before finally arriving. Qin Feng currently had around a hundred subordinates under his command. Built upon the old foundation of those from three years ago, this group had gradually coalesced through the efforts of Fan Liu and the others.

These individuals had been meticulously selected by Fan Liu. Regardless of their cultivation levels, none of them were bloodthirsty or cruel. At least within the treacherous environment of the Earth Corpse Sect, they managed to maintain the baseline principle of not offending others unless attacked, which was quite remarkable.

With this, Qin Feng was very satisfied.

That kid Fan Liu was truly capable and possessed a sharp eye for picking people. In the future within the Earth Corpse Sect, he might well go far. For now, this force might not amount to much, but once it grew and matured, it would undoubtedly provide immense assistance to his own future.

To avoid drawing too much attention, Qin Feng had claimed a total of ten corpse mine sectors, from G-440 to G-449. Of course, while the concealment effect wasn't entirely obvious, at least it prevented making a massive public spectacle.

Upon reaching the destination, Qin Feng made a simple deployment.

Thirty men were dispatched to the other mining sectors just to put up a facade, while the remaining seventy-plus individuals were all concentrated at Corpse Mine Sector G-444.

Back then, Xing Bing had stumbled into that place completely by chance. Afterward, that passage had mysteriously collapsed, and a new one had to be excavated from scratch.

Gathering Fan Liu and a few others, Qin Feng gave a few brief instructions.

"Fan Liu, arrange for some men to go in and clear out this passage. Make it fast, and try to complete it within three months. Pay attention: once you approach this designated area, immediately withdraw all your men." Using his finger, Qin Feng pointed at a spot marked with charcoal on the map and commanded cleanly and decisively.

"Understood!"

Fan Liu nodded and assigned the tasks to his subordinates.

Once everyone had dispersed, leaving only Fan Liu behind, Qin Feng gave separate instructions: "Keep an eye on things here for me. If you spot any anomalies, report to me immediately. The danger index of this place exceeds your imagination. Remember not to venture in to investigate on your own, absolutely not!"

"Understood, I understand, Master!"

Fan Liu did not speak much, but he was exceptionally astute. Qin Feng often only needed to give a few brief words for him to grasp the full meaning several times over. Especially when Qin Feng wore an unusually grave expression, Fan Liu understood the severity of the matter and naturally etched it firmly into his mind.

As for forms of address, in front of others Fan Liu would only call him Senior Brother Xing. When they were alone, however, he insisted on calling him Master. Of course, Qin Feng didn't care much about the title, but since Fan Liu insisted, Qin Feng let him be. At least up to this point, this young man was truly utterly loyal to him.

The grave-digging work officially commenced. With Fan Liu keeping watch here, Qin Feng felt completely at ease.

During these days of waiting, he could finally have some freedom of movement.

"It's about time to go out for a stroll and scout the winds."

With everything properly arranged, Qin Feng sighed inwardly and muttered to himself.