Chapter Thirty-Three: The Aura of Darkness

Qin Feng lifted his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and merely nodded without replying.

“Uh…”

Fatty Qin looked a bit awkward, but instead of showing any anger, he grinned good-naturedly and rumbled, “Qin Feng, you really are gutsy. I’ve never had any patience for Qin Shaohong, especially that self-important face of his that he thinks is unrivaled in handsomeness. To me, it looks just like a pile of dung—I’ve always wanted to get my hands on him and teach him a lesson. But I never had the guts to do it myself, haha! Who would’ve thought you’d help me vent that frustration? No matter what, you’re my friend from now on—Fatty Qin won’t take that back…”

Qin Feng was taken aback. This chubby fellow was quite interesting—just because he had beaten up Qin Shaohong, he insisted on becoming friends. That kind of straightforwardness was to Qin Feng’s liking.

“Hey, are you sure about this? I haven’t awakened my bloodline soul, you know…”

“No problem!” Fatty Qin waved his hand dismissively, looking completely unconcerned. He glanced at Qin Shaohong and continued, “I, Fatty Qin, am not like that snob who looks down on everyone. From today on, you’re my brother. As long as I’m around, no one in the Qin clan will dare bully you—trust me!”

Qin Feng: “...!”

As they chatted, Qin Dingtian had already healed Qin Shaohong. Seeing the recovered arm and restored handsome face of Qin Shaohong, Qin Feng couldn’t help but marvel—those at the Celestial Martial Realm truly were extraordinary.

But the look Qin Shaohong gave him was practically shooting flames. Even so, the moment Qin Feng made a fist, Qin Shaohong shrank back in fear. As things stood, unless he broke through to the Human Martial Realm, Qin Shaohong stood no chance against Qin Feng. His bloodline soul had just awakened and needed time to stabilize before he could attempt to advance, so for now, he could only curse Qin Feng inwardly—“Just you wait!”

He certainly didn’t dare say that out loud; Qin Feng’s punch had left him traumatized.

“Haha, serves him right!” Fatty Qin gloated, while Qin Feng was left speechless. This guy was clearly no pushover either—once they entered the Ancient Clan Domain without Qin Dingtian’s protection, it looked like Qin Shaohong was in for more than a few beatings.

“All right, let’s set out!”

With that, Qin Dingtian produced a jade-green talisman, and the scene before them shifted dramatically. To everyone’s astonishment, a massive teleportation array appeared within the illusion formation.

“So, it’s this teleportation array again,” Qin Feng sighed.

He had taken this very array once before, when his father brought him to the Ancient Clan.

A top-grade spirit stone was placed on the array by an elderly, white-haired attendant who had come with Qin Dingtian. The array began to gleam with a six-pointed star’s strange light. With mixed feelings, Qin Feng stepped onto the formation.

This would be his second time entering the Qin Family’s Ancient Domain.

He knew little about this mysterious space, only that his father had told him it was a realm carved out by supreme magical means, accessible solely via teleportation array.

That was why, at the gate of the Ancient Domain, there was a super-sized teleportation formation—and a rather unpleasant fellow who guarded it.

A hunchbacked gatekeeper.

He was the one now barring their path.

His name was Qin Shan.

Following behind Qin Dingtian, Qin Feng scrutinized the gatekeeper. After all these years, the man looked unchanged—if anything, just as hideous as ever.

“Hideous” was actually a polite way to describe Qin Shan—his appearance was truly off-putting: a hunched back like a camel’s, sallow, withered skin, murky eyes, a few sparse hairs atop his head, and a set of broken, yellow-stained teeth. One glance was enough to last a lifetime.

Yet this was the man before whom even a powerhouse like Qin Dingtian bowed, respectfully presenting his token. “Greetings, Elder Shan. I’ve come to request an audience with the Grand Elder, bringing a few promising youths for him to assess and perhaps take in for cultivation.”

“Ah, Dingtian, it’s you, boy!”

To everyone’s shock, the gatekeeper addressed the lord of Tianfeng City as “boy,” leaving the group dumbfounded. Qin Dingtian was already advanced in years—could this old man be an even older monster?

“Yes, it’s me, your junior!” Qin Dingtian remained utterly respectful.

The gatekeeper lifted his cloudy eyes to peer at Qin Dingtian, looking for all the world like he might not recognize him at all. He accepted the token, and suddenly a blue light flashed in his eyes. After scanning the token, he tossed it back and lazily replied, “Go on in!”

“Thank you, Elder.”

Qin Dingtian retrieved the token, bowed slightly, and motioned for the group to follow him.

But as Qin Feng passed, the gatekeeper, who had seemed half-asleep, suddenly opened his eyes and studied him carefully. “Hm? This kid looks familiar. Have you been here before?”

Qin Feng kept silent, but Qin Dingtian answered, “Yes, Elder Qin—thirteen years ago, his father Qin Xiaotian brought him here, but he was not allowed inside.”

“Ah, I see!”

The gatekeeper’s face twisted in an effort to remember, but he soon waved them on, unable to recall.

Qin Feng had nothing to say; his memories of this place left him with no fondness for anyone within the Ancient Clan’s domain.

But after they had gone, the gatekeeper opened his eyes once more, a deep fear in his gaze. He muttered, “Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but I sense an intense demonic aura on that child… it has grown…”

With that, he closed his eyes again.

Of course, Qin Feng knew nothing of this—and even if he had, he would not have cared.

Led by Qin Dingtian, the four soon passed through a strange, transparent barrier and entered the true Qin Family Ancient Domain.

A primal, ancient atmosphere enveloped them at once.

Within the barrier was a world unto itself—mountains, rivers, waterfalls, birds, even a sun overhead. It was a veritable paradise, with spiritual energy nearly ten times richer than the outside world. Just one breath left the whole body feeling refreshed.

Yet, despite this, there was not a single man-made structure in sight—something that surprised the group.

Qin Dingtian smiled and explained, “No artificial buildings are allowed here. To preserve the most primitive cultivation environment and maintain harmony with the natural order, everyone lives in caves.”

With that, everyone understood—this truly was a secluded paradise.

“All right, the road is still long. I’ll take you there.”

With a gentle motion, Qin Dingtian lifted the three into the air, and together they soared forward. As a Celestial Martial expert, flight was child’s play for him, and in a few blinks, they arrived at the entrance of a massive cave.

After setting everyone down, Qin Dingtian stood solemnly and bowed toward the cave. “This junior, Qin Dingtian, City Lord of Tianfeng City in Yunqi Kingdom, requests an audience with the Grand Elder. Yunqi Kingdom has not failed your hopes—this time we have discovered a dragon soul of the Heaven rank and a…” Here Qin Dingtian paused, about to continue when an ancient voice sounded—

“Enter.”

Qin Dingtian’s expression relaxed.

“Yes!”

Not daring to delay, he led the three inside.

They were startled anew. From the outside, the cave seemed unremarkable, but inside it opened into a spacious chamber, sparsely furnished, clearly the dwelling of a lifelong ascetic.

No one was present. Qin Dingtian instructed the group not to touch anything.

After a short while, a childlike attendant appeared, bowing slightly to Qin Dingtian. “You’ve come from afar, City Lord, but the Grand Elder is in closed seclusion and cannot greet you in person. Please state your business here—the Grand Elder can hear you.”

“Yes,” Qin Dingtian replied with respect. He had encountered this situation every time he visited over the past thirteen years, and was used to it. After collecting his thoughts, he bowed and reported, “Honored Grand Elder, this junior brings three matters to report…”