Chapter Fifty-One: The Blood-Red Temple in the Desolate Wilds

Qin Feng was momentarily taken aback, but the sincerity in Zhan Bai’s eyes was unmistakable. Considering the Qin family’s longstanding reputation in the cultivation world, he felt at ease.

“Senior brother, you—?”

It was Fang Xinyi, standing nearby, who still harbored doubts and voiced her concerns.

Zhan Bai waved his hand, signaling Fang Xinyi to remain calm. He stepped forward, placing his hand on Qin Feng’s shoulder and gave it a gentle pat.

Qin Feng did not resist Zhan Bai’s touch, allowing his hand to rest on his shoulder, for he sensed no malice in Zhan Bai’s gaze.

As Zhan Bai’s hand made contact, a warm current entered Qin Feng’s body at the point of touch.

Qin Feng was about to resist, but Zhan Bai’s voice sounded softly in his ear.

Do not resist. Guide my power into your meridians and stabilize your unsettled realm.

Qin Feng hesitated, then nodded.

With the infusion of this external force, the turbulent energy within Qin Feng instantly became docile.

“You’ve only just advanced, and your realm is still unstable. Forcing yourself to travel such a distance without calming your internal energy may leave hidden dangers for the future.”

Zhan Bai’s words pierced directly to the heart of Qin Feng’s condition, his conduct upright and honorable.

A wave of warmth surged in Qin Feng’s heart.

After a moment, Zhan Bai withdrew his hand, and Qin Feng opened his eyes, cupping his fists in gratitude. “Thank you, Brother Zhan!”

“Haha, it’s a small matter. Don’t worry about it.” With a glance at the dilapidated temple atop the hill, Zhan Bai then turned to Qin Feng, speaking solemnly, “Brother Qin Feng, you must be curious why we are here, aren’t you?”

Qin Feng nodded.

Everyone feels curiosity. Before someone like Zhan Bai, it was best to admit it openly, with no need for concealment.

Qin Feng’s candor naturally earned Zhan Bai’s approval; like attracts like, after all. Smiling, Zhan Bai began to explain, “This temple bears an evil name—it is called Bloodfork. A month ago, along with this small mountain, it suddenly appeared in the Cloud Wilds.”

At this point, Zhan Bai seemed to fall into a brief reverie, his expression shadowed.

The first person to discover the temple has already died! Over the following month, many entered the temple, and all perished. Yet three days ago, one person emerged alive.

With this, Qin Feng’s expression shifted, and Zhan Bai cast him a meaningful glance, then abruptly changed the subject.

“But after he came out, he uttered just one sentence, then died.”

That sentence was—

There is treasure in the temple!

“There is treasure in the temple? You’re here to seek it?”

---

Qin Feng’s gaze was deep. Though the mention of treasure was enticing, he acutely sensed something unusual in Zhan Bai’s words.

Seeing Qin Feng’s thoughtful expression, Zhan Bai nodded again, inwardly admiring him.

“It’s not so simple! Treasure belongs to those destined for it. I harbor no excessive ambitions here. The main reason I came was to meet a few like-minded friends; we agreed to gather here and jointly unravel the secrets hidden within the Bloodfork Temple.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng’s mind stirred, recalling the two corpses he had seen earlier, and he fell silent in contemplation.

Zhan Bai did not notice this subtle change, but after a pause, he extended an invitation to Qin Feng: “Brother Qin Feng, I see you are quite formidable. Why not join me in exploring the temple? In fact, among our group, there is another friend who is also a disciple of the Qin family. Perhaps you know him…”

“A Qin family disciple?!”

Qin Feng was startled. Thinking of those two skinless corpses, a sense of foreboding overcame him.

Though his heart was shaken, Qin Feng made sure not to show it outwardly.

Taking a deep breath, he feigned delight and asked, “Oh? Is it a disciple from the Qin family of Skywind City? Which cousin might it be? Is he… in the temple now…?”

Zhan Bai chuckled, “That brother from the Qin family is a close friend of mine. He set out half a day before me. If my guess is correct, he’s already inside the Bloodfork Temple. As for who he is, you’ll know once we enter.”

Zhan Bai deliberately kept Qin Feng in suspense, hoping to pique his desire to explore the temple.

But Zhan Bai had misjudged.

Upon learning that Zhan Bai had arranged to meet people inside the Bloodfork Temple, Qin Feng had already resolved to enter this mysterious, unpredictable place.

His purpose was clear: to personally deal with whoever had killed the Qin family disciple.

Though Qin Feng had never met the deceased Qin family disciple, he had absorbed their blood and essence. As a fellow member of the Qin family, bound by blood, it was his duty to avenge them.

“Very well, Brother Zhan, please lead the way. I will do my utmost to assist!”

“Truly? Let’s go, into the temple!”

Zhan Bai was delighted. Recruiting another expert into their ranks brought him joy. He took the lead, guiding Qin Feng toward the dilapidated temple atop the hill.

The mountain was not high; a few steps brought them to the summit.

The temple was in ruins, but its courtyard was large, overrun with wild grass. The sign above the entrance was tilted, resembling a coffin lid. The characters for “Bloodfork” were faintly visible, twisted and grotesque, blood-red and sinister, exuding an eerie sense of menace.

Zhan Bai entered the Bloodfork Temple first.

Qin Feng followed, taking a step forward—then suddenly froze, withdrawing his foot, his face filled with astonishment as he stared at the sign overhead in silence.

“Brother Qin Feng, what’s wrong?”

“This sign is very strange,” Qin Feng murmured.

---

Qin Feng’s unusual reaction startled Zhan Bai and Fang Xinyi, who then inspected the wooden sign. Yet no matter how they sensed, they found nothing odd about it—apart from the unsettling feeling those twisted characters evoked.

It was just an ordinary wooden sign, aged and weathered.

Zhan Bai was puzzled by Qin Feng’s fixation on the sign, while Fang Xinyi wondered if Qin Feng was simply too timid, frightened by a broken sign.

“Just a rotten coffin lid; what’s there to see? Let’s go, we’re almost late for our appointment,” Fang Xinyi said, clearly repulsed by such decayed relics. She frowned and urged them onward.

Zhan Bai shook his head with a smile, nodded, and entered the temple.

Fang Xinyi followed.

Their departure did not sway Qin Feng. He had his reasons for focusing on the sign: when he walked beneath it, his bloodline spirit—the twin-headed black python—had suddenly awoken in his body, as if facing a dire threat.

This bizarre occurrence was unprecedented!

At first, Qin Feng suspected something inside the temple was disturbing the black python, but upon closer inspection, he fixed his attention on the wooden sign.

His bloodline spirit was formidable; even against the monstrous illness within, it fought desperately and assimilated it. Yet before this broken sign, it was so fearful.

This object was certainly extraordinary!

In fact, it was far from ordinary!

It was definitely not just a simple wooden sign!

Qin Feng stared intently at it, then gritted his teeth, leaped up, and grabbed the sign. It was large—when held upright, it towered above him.

Though made of wood, the blood-red material was something Qin Feng had never seen before.

Meanwhile, Zhan Bai and Fang Xinyi had already gone ahead, unaware of Qin Feng’s actions.

Qin Feng, determined, channeled his mysterious energy to his eyes. After a wave of dizziness, his gaze glimmered faintly with grayish-purple light.

After advancing to the Human Gang Realm, his body had been transformed once more by his strange malady, entering its second stage of enhancement.

“Violet Sky Eyes!”

The name was one Qin Feng had chosen himself, a special ocular ability that allowed him to perceive mysteries at close range.

As expected, his eyes were enhanced, though only at a basic level. Yet even so, Qin Feng was able to discern something unusual.

On the surface of the wooden sign, blood-colored patterns crisscrossed like a spider’s web. Amid the patterns, tiny black lights flickered, converging toward the center of the sign—where they formed the severed, tragic head of a woman…