Chapter 154: Bald Forest and the Mirror-Killing Array

However—

Just as Qin Feng walked into a gloomy and bald forest, the tragic scene before his eyes made him stop with a frown.

The bald forest was a cluster of withered, leafless trees.

The originally desolate earthen mountain, covered in bald trees and wheeling black crows cawing incessantly, was already desolate enough. But now, those bare tree branches were pierced with bloody and mangled things.

Indeed, they were countless dismembered corpses!

Many of them! And without exception, they were the bodies of disciples from the Earth Corpse Sect.

After being killed, these people had all been brutally dismembered, their heads tied to the tree branches by their own hair and suspended in mid-air. Many of them died with grievances unredressed, their bulging eyes wide open, staring fixedly ahead, the expressions of terror on their faces clearly showing that they had died full of resentment.

Aside from the heads, many of the torsos had also been mutilated. The female disciples of the Earth Corpse Sect, in particular, had been violated beyond recognition; some had a wooden stake thrust directly through their lower body and out of their mouths, while others had their breasts cut off and were nailed alive to the trees with wooden spikes. More ruthlessly still, their own intestines had been used to spell out three large, blood-red characters on the ground!

Kill, kill, kill!

The three blood-red characters, reeking of blood, delivered a powerful visual impact.

Qin Feng furrowed his brows deeply.

More than that, a raging fire was already beginning to burn within his eyes.

Although these Earth Corpse Sect disciples were strangers to him, Qin Feng knew that eight or nine out of ten had died because of him. While they might not all have been good people, being murdered so brutally was the act of utter beasts.

These innocent people must have died at the hands of Yan Wen!

During these past two months, unable to wait for him to emerge, Yan Wen had begun frantically slaughtering the disciples of the Earth Corpse Sect to vent his anger, even resorting to such inhumane desecration of corpses—he truly deserved to die!

At this moment, a towering fury ignited in Qin Feng's heart.

Someone like Yan Wen was actually ranked on the righteous path's *Human Spirit Roll*?

What a damn monumental irony!

Lying inside the coffin, Qin Feng glanced toward the bald forest and sneered repeatedly in his heart.

The opponent had clearly set a trap, hoping to provoke his anger and lure him into the snare. Originally, he had no intention of walking into the trap, but seeing these Earth Corpse Sect disciples who had indirectly suffered a brutal and dismembered death because of him, Qin Feng suddenly changed his mind. Because this Yan Wen had truly provoked his ire!

"Originally, I wanted to play with you properly, but since you are courting death of your own accord, I will send you off in the most tyrannical way possible!"

Having made up his decision, Qin Feng controlled Xing Bing and stepped directly into the bald forest.

Walking and observing along the way, Qin Feng's anger grew more intense, and his killing intent grew stronger!

Indeed—

He had taken only a few steps when the surrounding space suddenly rippled with a ghostly distortion, followed by a massive restraining force that enveloped Qin Feng within a formidable barrier.

Stopping in his tracks, Qin Feng's eyes flashed with a purple radiance. After scanning the surrounding situation, he sneered coldly toward a certain spot in the void: "Yan Wen, you don't need to hide your head and show your tail anymore. You went to great lengths to intercept me here simply to take my life. I have already come. If you have balls, come out and fight!"

With a single sentence—come and fight! The fighting spirit throughout Qin Feng's entire body instantly surged to the absolute peak!

That peerless aura was by no means comparable to that of ordinary people.

In the void, three talismans burned eerily, instantly revealing three figures. They were precisely Yan Wen and his two attendants, whom Qin Feng had seen at the auction.

On the whole, Yan Wen could indeed be considered a notable figure.

His appearance was exceptionally handsome—at least much more handsome than his own—yet his build was far too slender, lacking any masculine vigor. Strictly speaking, the Nine Palaces Sect belonged to formation cultivators, a rather unconventional branch of magical cultivation. However, such people were often terrifying because the arts they practiced were mysterious and bizarre divine abilities. Especially the huge black-and-white ancient scroll strapped to his back; its mysterious aura made Qin Feng quite wary.

"Hahaha!"

Hearing this, Yan Wen actually burst into a maniacal laugh. Having slaughtered countless people over the past few months, a towering aura of ferocity had naturally accumulated all over his body. The killing intent in his eyes flared brightly, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he taunted derisively, "Little bastard, you're damn well courting death! You actually dared to make me wait bitterly for you in this godforsaken place for two months. I really thought you had turned into a coward and would hole up inside forever and never come out. Hmph! To dare to seize something I had my eyes on, you are simply tired of living. Even though you managed to obtain the Yellow Springs Token by luck, so what? Whoever I, Yan Wen, want to kill, no one can stop—not even Tianzhi. Today is your death day. Prepare to meet your maker!"

Within the span of a few months, Yan Wen had killed countless people, and his self-confidence had swelled unprecedentedly. Seeing Xing Bing at this moment made him feel omnipotent, wanting to annihilate Xing Bing in one fell swoop.

His state was manic, and his momentum was arrogant!

Qin Feng smiled coldly, the anger in his eyes burning ever brighter instead of diminishing.

Glancing around the surroundings, a hint of playful amusement appeared in Qin Feng's eyes.

Yan Wen's brain must have been kicked by a donkey! Without even checking his own weight, he even dared to shout defiantly at Tianzhi? Ha, Tianzhi's people were probably right beside him, not far away. Even if he didn't kill this Yan Wen today, this brat wouldn't live to see tomorrow's sun!

Tianzhi's people certainly wouldn't interfere with the battle between him and Yan Wen. Especially when it came to killing Yan Wen, they would care even less. In Tianzhi's eyes, what was Yan Wen? Probably not even an ant. Not only that, but if Yan Wen truly proved strong enough to kill him, Tianzhi's people might immediately manifest to help him slay Yan Wen with all their might.

"But would I need that?"

"Hehe!~"

Qin Feng controlled Xing Bing to twitch the heavy flesh on his face, wearing a thoroughly savage expression as he spoke grimly, "Enough of the nonsense. I haven't tasted blood in a long time. Today, I'm going to strip off your clothes, rip out your spine, and drink your fresh blood to avenge these fallen sect brothers!" Xing Bing's expression was utterly bloodthirsty! Matched with the coffin suspended behind him, it was fierce and ruthless—truly the hallmark of a generation of madmen.

"Hmph, spouting wild nonsense! Just a little bastard at the fourth tier of the Human Realm, and you want to kill me? Haha—"

In Yan Wen's eyes, Xing Bing was merely at the fourth tier of the Human Realm, and judging by his aura, he had just broken through within the past month and remained unstable. Although Earth Corpse Sect members could utilize some rather bizarre divine abilities through their natal corpses, in his eyes, they were worth less than a fart! Because the three of them were all above the sixth tier of the Human Realm, and Yan Wen himself had even reached the ninth tier of the Human Realm! From the perspective of comparative strength, it was pure suppression. Hence, he laughed arrogantly, mocking Xing Bing for overestimating his own capabilities. Moreover, after laughing, a fierce glint erupted in Yan Wen's eyes. Locking his reddened eyes fiercely onto Xing Bing, he sneered viciously, "Brat, you certainly have guts. Since that's the case, I'll kill you first, then dismember you, strip away your soul, and imprison you, slowly torturing you day after day to see how long your stubborn mouth can hold out!" With that, Yan Wen waved his hand, signaling the two men behind him to make their move.

"Cut off his limbs for me first. I want him alive!"

In Yan Wen's opinion, an opponent at the fourth tier of the Human Realm didn't require him to make a personal move. Letting his two subordinates handle it was already doing him a favor—it was an absolute sure thing.

As for himself, he stood aside with his arms crossed, waiting for a good show to unfold.

Yan Wen's two attendants consisted of an ordinary-looking middle-aged man and a white-haired elder who looked rather prudent and steady. Over the years, wherever Yan Wen went, he basically brought these two subordinates along, precisely because the middle-aged man was utterly loyal and the elder acted with extreme caution.

This time was no exception. Thinking of the elder's follow-up arrangements, Yan Wen seemed somewhat unconcerned, believing that making a massive fuss over a brat at the fourth tier of the Human Realm was completely unnecessary.

Yet the two of them silently carried out the order.

As the two men stepped forward, a light flashed in Qin Feng's eyes.

This time's opponents were quite good!

In Qin Feng's eyes, he didn't fear how strong an opponent's strength was; the two before him were clearly not reckless fools. Especially the elder—judging by his cautious gaze, this man was definitely deeply scheming.

It seemed that Yan Wen's ability to rank seven hundred and thirty-first on the *Human Spirit Roll* owed no small credit to these two subordinates.

However, since Qin Feng had chosen to meet them head-on, he naturally possessed absolute confidence!

Furthermore, having such opponents faintly stirred a sense of excitement within Qin Feng.

The smile curving the corners of Qin Feng's mouth made his opponents increasingly uneasy.

The two stopped three zhang away from Qin Feng—a distance just sufficient to prevent a sudden sneak attack from the opponent, allowing them at least to respond with composure.

These two were seasoned veterans of the pugilistic world who had experienced numerous major and minor battles, naturally understanding that self-preservation came first.

At this, Qin Feng nodded inwardly.

The powerhouses at the level of the Eastern Domain truly lived up to their reputation.

The so-called powerhouses he had faced back in the small pond of the Yunqi Kingdom were all mere trash. In battle, it was either you died or I died; regardless of the methods used, the person who could fight to the end and still remain alive was the true victor.

These people were the ones who had survived baptism through blood, fire, and life-and-death trials.

Such individuals were the true elites!

"Come, let's fight!"

At this moment, Qin Feng felt the blood throughout his entire body instantly begin to boil. This was his first time facing a duel against top-tier experts at the level of the Eastern Domain, so his mood was naturally exceptionally fervent.

Born into the Qin family, the blood flowing through Qin Feng's bones was entirely bellicose. His thirst for battle was like drinking fine wine—infatuated and intoxicating.

Qin Feng didn't know why he felt this way.

Perhaps he was simply born a combat fanatic, living for battle and dying for war!

Even if he had to fight against the heavens with brute force, he would never submit!

His eyes flickered with a purple radiance, taking in every hidden danger in the surroundings.

In the eyes of the two opponents, although Xing Bing's cultivation was only at the fourth tier of the Human Realm, this person was shrouded in mystery.

This mystery gave off a faint sense of unease!

It wasn't as if they had never encountered weak opponents before; those people either turned and fled or trembled all over, falling to their knees to beg for mercy. Yet this Xing Bing before them not only maintained complete composure, but even dared to issue threats against their party.

When things are abnormal, demons are afoot!

This brat definitely possessed some trump card!

At that moment, the two exchanged glances, seeing solemnity in each other's eyes. The elder nodded, retrieved a strange dharma disc from his bosom, and flashed a blue light on his right hand, tapping his fingertip against the disc.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man closed his eyes tightly and formed a rather intricate and complex set of hand seals with both hands.

The next moment, the ground began to rumble and shake.

Then, under Qin Feng's slightly surprised gaze, seven enormous ancient mirrors rose with loud clanks in front of the two men.

The seven ancient mirrors looked quite extraordinary on the exterior, with silver-shining mirrors embedded within gilded ancient bronze frames. As Qin Feng's purple eyes flashed, two silver figures suddenly stepped out from the leftmost and rightmost mirrors respectively.

These two silver figures were identical in appearance to the two men casting the spells.

They were merely mirror-image avatars.

As soon as the two silver figures appeared, they immediately began casting offensive spells.

Qin Feng sensed them; the strength of their mirror-image avatars was slightly inferior to their true bodies.

The man on the right produced a huge brush,挥毫泼墨 (wielding it to paint and splash ink) in the air. In an instant, a massive white tiger-like demonic beast flashed with silver light, roared, materialized from the void, and lunged toward Qin Feng.

The man on the left drew out a set of strange iron talismans and tossed them into the sky. The talismans instantly arranged themselves into a bizarre formation in the air, flashed, and summoned a bolt of black lightning crashing down from the sky.

Qin Feng frowned slightly and controlled Xing Bing to launch a swift counterattack.

As soon as the Corpse Scale Claw was unleashed, his right arm abruptly bulged and grew larger, reaching out to grab the incoming white tiger. With a crisp *crack*, he snapped the white tiger's neck. On the other side, the coffin stood suspended in mid-air, letting the black lightning strike it directly. After the thunderous force surged into the coffin, it didn't even cause a vibration before vanishing into thin air.

In the blink of an eye, the first wave of attacks was neutralized.

At the same time, Qin Feng's counterattack commenced!

The opponent splashed ink once more, painting a two-headed demonic wolf wreathed in black flames, which lunged forward. The iron talismans also shifted formations in the air; this time, five bolts of black lightning appeared.

The Corpse Scale Claw surged again, swatting the double-headed Nether Wolf aside with a single slap. It crashed through dozens of trees in succession, its life or death unknown. Simultaneously, an arm reached out from within the coffin and gripped fiercely at the cluster of iron talismans. The talismans suddenly shook violently in the air and, under a massive twisting force, tangled together before dropping to the ground with a loud *thud*, turning into a useless lump of scrap iron.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng controlled Xing Bing to charge forward, tearing the two silver figures to shreds with a single claw each.

Array cultivators belonged to the magical path; their main bodies were relatively frail, and their physical strength was extremely fragile. Under a single strike, the two silver figures turned into countless dots of silver light and were sucked back into the second mirrors on the left and right with a *swish*.

Immediately afterward, the second mirrors on both sides flashed again, and two more figures stepped out.

This time, one of them was a silver figure similar in build to Xing Bing—chubby, with flesh jiggling up and down as he walked. The other was a tall figure whose appearance vaguely resembled Zhan Bai.

"I didn't expect it to be a mirror-slaughter formation!"

Fortunately, during the two months he spent within Tianzhi's sphere of influence, Qin Feng had had Tianzhi provide him with information regarding the Nine Palaces Sect, as well as the combat skills and divine abilities they commonly used.

The Nine Palaces Sect cultivated formations, pushing the Dao of formations to the absolute pinnacle; they could even integrate formations into combat at an extremely fast pace. One had to know that while formations possessed formidable power ten or a hundred times greater than human strength, high-power formations typically required a tremendous amount of energy and time to set up. Yet through ten thousand years of heritage and wisdom, the Nine Palaces Sect had managed to condense formations into real-time combat, possessing genuine skill.

And the array being executed here with the aid of the seven ancient mirrors and the array disc was a signature killing array of the Nine Palaces Sect—

The Seven Profound Mirror Slaughter Array!