"What is it?" Ling Feng stared at Xiao Hu, asking curiously.

"I... I can't sense the Boss at all!" Xiao Hu frowned, his expression troubled.

"What..." Ling Feng's face instantly turned ashen.

Not being able to sense him—didn't that mean he was dead?

"No... that's not what I mean. The Boss should be fine, and he should still be on this continent, but for some reason, I instantly lost his direction in my mind; I just can't feel him! It’s as if his soul has become extremely weak, even weaker than a normal person’s," Xiao Hu quickly explained.

Ling Feng swayed slightly and asked, "Do you mean... even if he's okay, he must be severely injured at the very least, right?"

"Yes..." Xiao Hu hesitated before continuing, "But not necessarily. If that were the case, since I'm bound to him by a Soul Blood Pact, I should also be affected, but right now, aside from not sensing him, there's absolutely no other abnormality!"

"If you're fine, then he must be fine too. Perhaps he's reached a new environment and severed the connection of the pact!" Hearing that he was safe, Ling Feng breathed a sigh of relief, and her thoughts began to stir.

"But... if we can't sense the Boss's location, how are we supposed to proceed?" Xiao Hu asked, his eyes flickering.

Ling Feng was worried about the same issue. Soul sensing provided location and an accurate direction; searching aimlessly across a continent to find one person was equivalent to looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Which direction did you originally sense him in? Let's just go that way!" Ling Feng suggested.

There was no other way. This seemed to be the best course of action.

The two of them reluctantly continued forward with Bishop Dima.

The group traveled for an entire month, successfully evading several direct pursuits by the Heretics. This day brought them to Dragon Yang City, one of the most prosperous cities in the Kejia Papacy.

Dragon Yang City was situated at the junction of the Kejia Papacy and the Dijia Papacy, much closer to the Divine Temple than most Kejia cities. It was extremely bustling. The structure of Dragon Yang City was somewhat different from other towns; most towns were managed by the Church, but this city was governed by the City Lord.

The origin of this distinction was quite simple: this area was the territory of the Aike family, one of the Ten Great Families of the continent!

Although the Church governed everything, some great families remained above such concerns; otherwise, the great war eighteen years ago would not have erupted. It was precisely because of the Aike family's influence that this city had not been attacked by the Heretics.

The Heretics primarily targeted the Church, and even when establishing their own factions, they needed to leverage the power of the great families, so they would never move against them. Consequently, even though the war spread across the entire continent, many cities governed by great families remained untouched by conflict.

"Searching like this is no way to go about it!" Ling Feng thought as she walked the city streets. Aimlessly searching meant finding Chen Feng was practically impossible.

Half a month prior, Bishop Dima had proposed a method: follow the traces of battle.

When they first sensed Chen Feng's specific location, they had noticed signs of fighting on the ground, followed by clear evidence that a unit was fleeing pursuit from the Heretics.

Ling Feng suspected Chen Feng was mixed in with this unit, which is why she accepted the suggestion to follow the battle traces—or, rather, to follow a legion known as the [Sweeping Horizon].

However, when they reached Dragon Yang City today, the clues ran dry. If their guess was correct, they had likely dispersed to enter the city individually.

Finding this unit might lead them to Chen Feng's whereabouts, Ling Feng reasoned.

The group wandered the streets, making inquiries here and there about the location of the [Sweeping Horizon].

After inquiring for a short while, they immediately attracted the attention of two men standing nearby.

..................................................

"What's the purpose of this group inquiring about us?" Kamura asked White, pulling his arm.

White, watching Ling Feng and the others inquire as they walked, was equally puzzled.

That night, the First Boss had gone to ambush the Second Divine Envoy and Mayat as planned but never returned. White had led his team out during the chaos and fled toward this area.

Escaping the large-scale encirclement meant they were much safer. Later encounters involved only minor threats, and they progressed steadily while fighting and recuperating. The route was winding, but although they didn't know the First Boss's exact direction, they knew his ultimate goal was the Divine Temple, so they continued moving in that direction.

They arrived here last night. To avoid detection, they deliberately scattered the team into several hundred small groups, entering the city from different directions. The recent fighting had depleted the unit significantly; the goal of dividing into hundreds of groups was to procure supplies and equipment separately for faster resupply.

Kamura and White, leading one of the smaller teams, happened to arrive here and saw Ling Feng's group making inquiries about them.

"It's a bit strange. They don't look like Heretics; they look more like people from the Church. But why would people from the Church be looking for us?" White observed.

"Let's follow them and see what they want," Kamura suggested.

White nodded. The two men dispersed their small sub-unit and then swaggered behind Ling Feng's group.

..................................................

"Let's get something to eat!" Xiao Hu's eyes lit up as he looked at the appetizing city ahead.

He possessed a childlike mindset. Although he was worried about Chen Feng’s safety, thinking that if he was fine, the Boss would be fine, too, he instantly forgot his worries upon seeing how prosperous Dragon Yang City was.

"Alright!" The group entered the largest restaurant in Delicious City and found a place to sit down.

Bishop Dima followed behind the two. Naturally, he was responsible for covering the costs of food and drink, and he was quite pleased to do so—pleasing a Divine Envoy might mean becoming Pope with just a word!

Ling Feng and Xiao Hu chose a spot by the window and ordered some food.

"Is there still no trace of him?" Ling Feng asked Xiao Hu.

Xiao Hu groaned internally, replying helplessly, "You've asked this for the three hundred and twenty-seventh time!"

"Oh," Ling Feng responded, a shadow of dejection crossing her face.

Both she and Chen Feng were not very proactive about their feelings. When they were together, she hadn't sensed anything unusual, but now that Chen Feng was gone, her heart was constantly preoccupied with thoughts of him.

"Congratulations to Boss Reina on becoming a Commander!" Several fawning voices shouted as they entered the main hall.

"Hahaha... Since my brother has become an official, naturally, he won't forget you all. From now on, you follow me, and I guarantee you'll eat well and drink richly!" The stout man leading the group, known as Boss Reina, said smugly.

"Then we thank you, Big Brother!"

The others shouted in unison.

The group found seats, and Reina waved his hand, saying, "Today, the treat is on me. Order whatever you like!"

"How can we dare impose? How dare we let Commander take the expense?" one man quickly flattered.

"What's the big deal? Let's go big; I was just luckier than the rest!" Reina declared, calling over the waiter to order a table full of dishes.

"Boss, could you tell us how you... suddenly became a Commander?" a bald man asked.

"Hahaha, it was sheer luck!" Reina laughed. "Yesterday, I saw a fellow arrive in the city looking dejected. He was dressed very shabbily and loitered outside shops, clearly looking to sell something. I immediately sensed something was off, so I stopped him, saying I wanted to buy his goods. Who knew this idiot actually believed me? I took him to a secluded spot and knocked him out. Guess what I found on him?"

"What was it?" they all asked simultaneously.

"It turned out to be Perfect Crystals! This kid had five Perfect Crystals on him!" Reina announced.

Everyone gasped upon hearing the words Perfect Crystals.

"Since Perfect Crystals are so valuable, I certainly didn't dare keep them for myself. So, I conceived a bold idea: hand them over to the City Lord. So I went to the City Lord's Mansion, but how could the City Lord meet a mere patrol soldier like me? So I waited outside the gate. After waiting for a long time, I finally managed to catch the City Lord coming out, and I presented the Perfect Crystals to him! The Lord was overjoyed upon seeing them and immediately promoted me to Patrol Commander, putting me in charge of fifty men!" Reina exclaimed excitedly.

"Boss is truly amazing!" His cronies praised. "If I had found those Perfect Crystals, I probably would have swallowed them myself. How could I be like the Boss, turning them in? Come, let's toast the Boss..."

"Hahahaha..." Reina laughed heartily, raising his wine cup and drinking heartily.

The group drank and laughed wantonly, the entire hall buzzing loudly.

Kamura frowned, nudged White beside him, and cautiously asked, "Was the person he knocked out one of ours?"

White raised an eyebrow. "What kind of joke are you making? Do you think I wouldn't know a soldier I led out? This kind of weakling couldn't stand up to even one of our men, let alone a group. It definitely wasn't one of ours!"

"I don't believe it was one of ours either. Besides, we only arrived last night and hadn't even dispersed the team yet, so no one could have gotten lost!" Kamura countered. "I truly can't figure it out—besides the First Boss, who else could produce five Perfect Crystals at once?"

"Heh, you're right. We really should investigate, but judging by this fellow's tone, the person carrying the crystals must have had a low cultivation level," White remarked.

"If someone can be knocked out by him, how high can their cultivation be?" Kamura laughed too. "A low-cultivation person carrying five Perfect Crystals—don't you find that strange?"

Hearing this, White also became suspicious. Watching these arrogant men, he was about to grab them and question them when a glint flashed in his eyes, and he devised a scheme.

He whispered a few words into Kamura's ear. The two exchanged a knowing smile.

A moment later, White deliberately bent over and spoke in a voice loud enough for the stout man's table to overhear: "What exactly is a Perfect Crystal? Just getting five lets you become a Commander? That's incredible!"

Kamura looked at him with disdain. "What a country bumpkin, not even knowing what a Perfect Crystal is. It looks a lot like a Crystal Stone, transparent from the outside, and it can store meditation energy!"

"Is the thing you're talking about about this big?" White feigned ignorance, pulling out a stone similar in size to a Perfect Crystal.

"Yes!" Kamura confirmed. "But it should be perfectly transparent, with every facet emitting light, and the whole thing should exude a feeling of closeness!"

"Then I've seen something like that," White suddenly lowered his voice. "I just saw them take out several a moment ago—at least six..." As he spoke, he subtly pointed toward Ling Feng's table.

Kamura seized the opportunity, pretending to be shocked as he clapped a hand over White's mouth. "What? Really? Shh, keep your voice down..."

The two lowered their voices, pretending to discuss something important.

In reality, their words couldn't fool anyone, but their performance was too flawless. Their demeanor and expressions were impeccable, leaving no room for doubt.

Indeed, as soon as their voices dropped, Reina and his group immediately took notice.

Reina’s ears perked up upon hearing news of more Perfect Crystals. What angered him was that these two suddenly stopped talking!

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he stood up and walked directly to the table opposite White and Kamura. "What were you two just saying?"

White and Kamura's faces shifted instantly, turning sickly pale, looking as if they were about to cry.

Reina snorted and lowered his voice. "Tell me about this Perfect Crystal you were discussing just now?"

"What Perfect Crystal? I don't know anything about that!" White pretended to be confused. "My Lord, you must be joking. How could poor wretches like us know what a Perfect Crystal is?"

The more he acted ignorant, the more anxious Reina became. He said coldly, "Don't refuse respect when it's offered. Did you think I didn't hear what you just said? Tell me, I am the Patrol Commander now. With one word from me, even ten of you couldn't escape!"

White immediately showed a flicker of panic, but biting his lip, he insisted, "My Lord, I truly don't know!"

"You really don't know? Heh, heh, I'll find out once I have you arrested and thrown in the dungeon!" Reina declared, about to call for his men.

White saw the moment was ripe. Only then did an expression of remorse cross his face, his expression shifting several times before he said, "Fine, I'll tell you! It's like this: when we came in just now, I secretly watched them..." (He subtly pointed toward Ling Feng's table) "...on their table, there were six or seven stones like the one he (he pointed at Kamura) mentioned. You know I don't recognize these things either. When you mentioned the Perfect Crystal just now, I finally knew. My Lord, please don't have me thrown in jail; I have an eighty-year-old mother and a four-year-old child, plus a twenty-year-old mistress..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Reina looked displeased. "If you dare lie to me, I'll kill you!"

"How could I dare lie to you? You are the Grand Commander..." White seized the chance to flatter him a bit.

Reina then slowly stood up and returned to his own seat.

Seeing that such a flimsy lie was believed, White and Kamura couldn't help but doubt the man's IQ.

"Truly a 290!" White chuckled.

"290? What does that mean?" Kamura looked puzzled.

"Isn't that simple? 250 plus 38 plus 2!"

"Two...!" Kamura softly laughed.

A person who could be fooled by such a simple trick wasn't a 250, but a 2, right?

Reina didn't know he had been tricked and earned the title "290." He happily walked over to his table to discuss the matter with his drinking buddies. The bald man, upon hearing that Ling Feng and the others possessed Perfect Crystals, felt a stirring of greed. With a shout, he led several men toward Ling Feng's table, while Reina sat at his own, enjoying the spectacle.

White's voice and movements had been low, so Ling Feng and the others hadn't noticed them. He wanted to see if these people were friends or foes by provoking Reina's group after realizing Ling Feng's group was searching for the [Sweeping Horizon] legion.

The bald man slammed his fist on Ling Feng's table and shouted loudly, "Have you paid the protection fee yet?"

Xiao Hu, unaware this was an excuse, blinked his large eyes and asked with curiosity, "What protection fee?"

"It's... it's the protection fee for entering Dragon Yang City!" The bald man stammered, hastily concocting a reason.

Fists were the ultimate argument; if anything went wrong, the Patrol Commander would have their backs—why fear anything?

"We need a protection fee just to enter Dragon Yang City?" Xiao Hu's eyes lit up, his curiosity piqued. "How much?"

"How much? Hand over all the Perfect Crystals you have, and that will suffice!" the bald man declared generously.

Ling Feng realized they were deliberately looking for trouble. Her expression darkened, and she spoke softly, her ruby lips parting slightly, "Please leave. We are trying to eat!"

Hearing this, the bald man finally focused his attention on Ling Feng. He was immediately captivated by her elegance upon seeing her.

"I didn't expect such a stunning woman... Come, go entertain our Lord... and half of the protection fee will be waived!" the bald man proposed.

At this point, Xiao Hu finally understood they were making unreasonable demands. He raised his thin fist and shouted, "Get lost, or you'll regret it!"

"You'll make me regret it?" The bald man burst into laughter and said to the men behind him, "He'll show me something! Haha, he doesn't even know what he is!"

The remaining men all laughed.

The restaurant staff, seeing trouble brewing, all fled in fright.

Reina nodded secretly, satisfied with the bald man's performance, feeling he met his standards and deciding to give him more attention in the future...

"Is this city under your jurisdiction?" Ling Feng ignored these men and instead turned to Bishop Dima.

Bishop Dima immediately broke out in a cold sweat and explained, "Dragon Yang City belongs to the Aike family. It doesn't belong to our Kejia Papacy, nor the Dijia Papacy; it's an independent entity... However, they usually heed our words!"

After explaining himself at length, seeing Ling Feng's expression remain gloomy and looking at the group of burly men with obvious anger, he grew furious. How dare they make him lose face in front of a Divine Envoy!

"Get out of here immediately!" Bishop Dima roared.

The bald man pointed at his head and laughed. "Is that old man looking to die? How dare he speak to us like that?"

Bishop Dima had never suffered such an insult. He flicked his finger, and a streak of light flashed, striking the arm the man was pointing with.

"Bang!" The bald man's right arm was severed completely at the root, splattering blood everywhere.

"Ah!" The bald man cried out in agony, cold sweat pouring down his face, roaring, "You dare injure me? Do you know who we are? We are Lord Reina's men!"

The faces of the remaining big men also changed color. They stepped forward menacingly, staring at Ling Feng's group, ready to fight.

"I don't care whose subordinates you are. Tell Hardink to come find me!" Bishop Dima said angrily.

Hardink was the current patriarch of the Aike family and the City Lord of Dragon Yang City!

After Bishop Dima finished speaking, he clapped his hands, and his waiting subordinates rushed over, taking down the group of thugs in a few swift moves and tossing them all out the window.

Reina was shocked that the other party was so ruthless. His legs trembled with fear, and he didn't dare step forward, turning around and fleeing out the door, presumably to rally men from the City Lord's Mansion.

After driving away the thugs, Bishop Dima immediately apologized to Ling Feng and Xiao Hu. "My two Divine Envoy Lords, I apologize for upsetting you just now. I will go find Hardink and have him apologize to you!"

Ling Feng was about to say it was unnecessary, but then she considered that if they searched everywhere themselves, it might take years. If they could get the City Lord's Mansion teams to help search, the effect might be much better. So, she nodded. "Let's go to the City Lord's Mansion together. We can have their people search for the [Sweeping Horizon] legion on our behalf; perhaps the results will be better!"

Bishop Dima quickly replied, "Yes." After finishing their meal, the group left the restaurant.

White and Kamura were greatly alarmed when they heard they were going to seek help from the Aike family to search for themselves. Realizing this group was not to be trifled with, they quickly left the restaurant to gather their own teams.

..................................................

Chen Feng floated quietly in the air, his eyes filled with a chilling indifference, devoid of any emotion.

In the King of Fighters series, "Orochi" is the incarnation of human evil, the concentrated embodiment of humanity's ugly will. He has no fixed physical form; he exists as something akin to a "soul," and to manifest physically, he requires a "catalyst." In King of Fighters '97, the sealed Orochi Soul possessed Chris, allowing him to appear!

The moment he saw Xiao Rou die, Chen Feng's madness surged, and various negative emotions began to spiral out of control.

Chen Feng's cultivation speed was too fast. Although his spiritual power was immense, his cultivation period was short, and he carried significant negative emotional baggage. If this were cultivation in the true sense, this would be an unstable Dao Heart.

Rising from a Level Two Fighter directly to the peak of Level Nine Heaven Venerable in just over three years was incredibly fast, bringing immense benefits, but the spiritual backlash was enough to drive one mad.

His cultivation had been too swift, leaving his state of mind unstable. Struck by the blow, his spiritual power instantly ignited.

This burning caused the stored power of faith, which had dissolved into his blood, to frantically merge with his spiritual strength. In a flash, his body absorbed an immense and unparalleled soul power, achieving a qualitative leap in strength.

Previously, Senior Yan Long had burned his own soul to grant Chen Feng temporary god-level power, enabling him to unleash the Final Battle Ogi Style!

Now, his own soul burned, and he instantly transformed into the Great Serpent!

However, this soul-burning came with clear consequences. The remnant soul of Yan Long was already weakened, and further burning might mean more than just a period of dormancy!

Of course, Chen Feng had no control over this. Having had his soul burned once by Yan Long, the spiritual imprint inside him was now operating under that method in its fury, completely ignorant of the outcome or caring about any consequences that might arise!

At this moment, he was utterly cold, looking at the Second Divine Emissary flying before him as if gazing upon a corpse.

“You are about to die!” Chen Feng stated coldly.

He pointed his finger forward, and the space directly before his fingertip instantly fragmented into countless spatial ions, charging towards the Second Divine Emissary like an electric drill.

The genuine Black Particles!

“Ah…” The Second Divine Emissary also sensed something was terribly wrong. His face instantly turned ashen. Gritting his teeth, two Divine Power Crystal Beans appeared in his hands. He crushed them simultaneously, and streams of ink-black light once again formed a frantic spherical shield around his body.

In truth, the Second Divine Emissary only knew how to convert the divine power within the Crystal Beans into defensive spheres or to accelerate his speed; he never used this energy for direct attack. Otherwise, had he crushed a bean into an offensive move, Chen Feng would likely already be dead.

This energy shield he manifested continuously flowed, emitting an eerie glow, but before Chen Feng’s true Black Particles, it was as brittle as thin paper.

“Bang!”

With a tremendous crash, the black energy shield was immediately pierced, and one finger blast reduced one of the Second Divine Emissary’s arms to minced meat.

“Ah…” The Second Divine Emissary screamed, cold sweat streaming down his face, as his black shield vanished simultaneously.

He quickly crushed another Divine Power Crystal Bean. Black light flared around him again, and in the blink of an eye, the arm that had been blown to pieces grew back.

Even with the support of the Divine Power Crystal Beans, he possessed near-immortality, but facing Chen Feng, who could penetrate his shield with a single finger, he dared not linger. He turned and fled backward like a stray dog.

“Trying to run?” Chen Feng sneered. His body flickered from its spot, instantly reappearing in front of the Emissary.

Long-Distance Teleportation!

The Second Divine Emissary hadn't expected him to teleport. Unable to check his momentum, he crashed directly toward Chen Feng.

Chen Feng snorted, reaching out with his right hand toward the Emissary’s chest. His hand pierced the Emissary’s sternum, yet bizarrely, not a single drop of blood emerged. Chen Feng retracted his hand, and a white, misty substance appeared in his grip!

Fist King Orochi Skill—Soul Rend!

Soul Rend was an incredibly domineering technique, capable of directly extracting the opponent's soul.

In KOF '97, Orochi used this move when enraged that Iori Yagami betrayed him and denied their kinship, dragging his soul out. If it hadn't been for Kyo Kusanagi, Iori might have died then.

Immediately after, Orochi used this move to capture Kyo’s soul, forcing him into a state of no-self before unleashing the Final Battle Ogi Style!

This move was on the same tier as "Sunlight Incineration," demonstrating its formidable power.

“Bang!” After Chen Feng ripped out the Second Divine Emissary’s soul, the Emissary instantly went limp, dropping straight down from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground and immediately being pulverized into a bloody pulp.

Chen Feng held the Emissary’s soul aloft in his right hand, about to crush it, when suddenly a golden light shot from his forehead, his strength vanished instantly, and he fainted dead away.

At that same moment, the Hou Ye Bow held in his other hand emitted a black light, actually sucking the soul of the Second Divine Emissary from Chen Feng’s grasp into itself!

Chen Feng did not witness this, as he had lost consciousness, falling straight down like a cannonball!

…………………………………………………………………………

Xiao Rou’s grandfather, Jun Wunian, sat by a pond more than ten li behind the house, holding a fishing rod. Not far behind him, an old man with a white beard watched A'Can, who was exercising nearby, nodding continually.

Hoo, hoo!

A'Can's fist winds whistled sharply. His twin fists tumbled through the air like meteors, the powerful qi slowly sweeping up the dust on the ground, stirring a single falling leaf.

The white-bearded old man smiled and said, “Watch out!” He hooked his right hand towards the ground, and a giant boulder nearby flew directly towards A'Can.

A'Can’s eyes snapped open. With a loud roar, he thrust his fists forward, smashing towards the stone.

“Bang!” A massive sound erupted. The boulder was pulverized into dust, the fragments scattering outward with a muffled sound, like an explosion. A few pieces splashed into the pond.

“Old Man Yan, are you looking for trouble? You scared away the fish I finally got to bite!” Jun Wunian roared angrily.

Old Man Yan glanced at him dismissively: “You only know how to fish every day and ignore your descendants. Such a great talent as A'Can, and you don't cherish him. Alas, you are useless!”

Jun Wunian chuckled: “Isn’t he left for you?”

Old Man Yan gave him a look of disdain: “Don’t joke. If I had trained him since childhood, he would have reached the Silver Armor Warrior Level 5 long ago, instead of being only at the Copper Armor Warrior Level 7 now?”

Jun Wunian mocked: “Is Silver Armor Warrior Level 5 really that amazing?”

Old Man Yan’s eyes widened, and he stated proudly: “Nonsense! Have you ever seen anyone on the continent reach Silver Armor Warrior Level 5 before the age of twenty? Besides my unique training methods, coupled with the medicinal herbs I personally concocted, no one could reach such a realm immediately after their skeletal development finished! You can’t teach, yet you boast here. If you’re so capable, produce a student for me to see!”

Jun Wunian shook his head and smiled: “We haven't seen each other for so many years, but your fiery temper and competitive spirit haven't changed at all! However, speaking honestly, not to discourage you, I truly haven't seen a Silver Armor Warrior Level 5 under twenty. But I have seen a Gold Armor Warrior Level 5 at seventeen!” As he spoke, he recalled Chen Feng from a year ago and laughed again.

He hadn’t seen Chen Feng fight, but based on what Whyte had told him later, his strength was definitely no less than a Gold Armor Warrior Level 5.

“A Gold Armor Warrior Level 5 at seventeen?” Old Man Yan nearly spat blood: “Don't lie so fantastically! If you said seventeen and reached Silver Armor Warrior, I’d believe you, but Gold Armor Warrior, Level 5 Gold Armor Warrior? You must have met them in a dream!”

Jun Wunian retorted: “Ignorant and confined, only knowing how to work in isolation. You’ve become a frog in a well. The world is vast, how could someone like that not exist? Otherwise, why would Whyte willingly serve him?”

Old Man Yan knew Jun Wunian never lied and certainly wouldn't joke about something like this. Surprise flashed across his face, but he remained somewhat unconvinced: “Are you telling the truth? Such a genius truly exists?”

Jun Wunian replied: “When have I ever lied to you!”

Only then did Old Man Yan believe him, saying with utter disbelief: “There really is such a genius. I truly wish to meet him. When can you introduce me?”

Jun Wunian said: “The young man is planning great things; how could he possibly meet someone like you…”

“…” Old Man Yan roared in anger: “I am still a grandmaster! How dare you look down on me?”

“Would a grandmaster hide in this little gully pretending to be insignificant?” Jun Wunian offered him no quarter.

“…” Old Man Yan bellowed: “I am deliberately hiding my talents! My main purpose here is cultivating medicinal herbs and developing new formulas…”

“Alright, say whatever you want, just don't interrupt my fishing! The fish is biting, it took the bait!” Jun Wunian laughed, yanked the fishing line, and immediately pulled up a small fish barely two fingers long.

Seeing the fish he caught, Old Man Yan’s face turned green: “That was my prized goldfish! Didn't you say you were just trying out the empty cast?”

“Hmm, empty casting is boring. I’ll put some effort into catching a few more for us to have with drinks tonight!” Jun Wunian shamelessly declared.

“…” Old Man Yan.

Using goldfish as snacks—only he could think of that. How many goldfish would it take…

As the two argued incessantly, they suddenly heard an explosion in the distance.

“What was that sound?” The explosion immediately caught the attention of both men, and even A'Can, who was practicing his punches nearby, stopped.

“Such a powerful energy fluctuation. Damn it, something happened! Xiao Rou is still over there!” Jun Wunian’s face changed drastically, and he shot off like a whirlwind!

In a short while, he reached the location of the energy fluctuation and saw Chen Feng falling from the sky. He reached out and caught him, gently lowering him to the ground.

“This is… Chen Feng?”

Although Chen Feng’s transformation into the Great Serpent had greatly altered his appearance, Jun Wunian recognized him instantly.

However, as Chen Feng landed, Jun Wunian also saw his granddaughter, who had lost all signs of life. His expression immediately darkened.

“Xiao Rou…” With a mournful roar, he rushed toward her.

…………………………………………………………………………

Chen Feng felt as though he were in a dreamlike void, his mind hazy.

This time, the cost was too great. Burning his soul to transform into the Great Serpent had caused his soul power to rapidly regress. He was now like a candle in the wind, facing imminent death at any moment!

“Did I die? If not, where am I?”

Chen Feng gazed at the chaotic surroundings and murmured to himself. He was no longer in human form but a hazy wisp of gas.

He had no idea what had happened, constantly drifting in and out of consciousness, unaware of his own actions.

His soul was severely wounded, yet his body was undergoing a strange transformation. The drop of blood the Golden Profound Tiger had placed on his forehead—which he had been unable to absorb—had been stored within his body. Now, it was rapidly fusing with his existing blood, causing his entire circulatory system to emit streams of golden light.

His current blood had integrated the essences of Yan Long, the Phoenix Fire, and the Golden Profound Tiger, fundamentally altering its nature. Had it not been for this change, the soul-burning incident would likely have killed him instantly!

But if he hadn't burned his soul to the point of complete unconsciousness, how could the Golden Profound Tiger’s blood have fused with the blood of Yan Long and the Phoenix Fire?

The golden light that shot from Chen Feng’s forehead after he used the ‘Soul Rend’ on the Second Divine Emissary was precisely the process of the Golden Profound Tiger's blood integrating with his body.

While this change was strange, it provided him with no spiritual energy, so his spirit remained extremely weak, and he could not wake up.

“Over a month has passed; why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Old Man Yan stood beside Chen Feng’s bed, looking puzzled.

Jun Wunian, not far away, looked much older than a month ago. Xiao Rou’s death had dealt him a heavy blow. Although his granddaughter wasn't his biological child, they had shared more than a decade of affection; losing her so suddenly was devastating.

“His physical body has no issues, but the critical problem is his soul power—it seems like it could extinguish at any moment!” Old Man Yan remarked. “This situation is too bizarre; in all my years of practice, I have never seen anything like it!”

“Alas, you look after him. If you can cure him, that’s best. If not… sigh!” Jun Wunian trailed off with a sigh.

“I know. He is currently hanging by a thread. If you hadn't been nourishing him daily with meditative practice, he would have died long ago. But this kind of sustenance isn’t a long-term solution; he probably won't last much longer!” Old Man Yan said, stroking his white beard. Looking at Chen Feng’s current state, he seemed to make a decision: “Keeping him like this is not an option. I have thought of a potent method, but I hesitate to use it, as if it goes wrong, he might die instantly, with no chance of recovery!”

Jun Wunian responded: “If there’s no other way, try it. We’ve reached this point; how can we not try? Besides, how could the situation possibly get worse than it is now?”

“That’s true!” Old Man Yan seemed to resolve himself, slapping his thigh: “But my method requires a high price—at least one Earth Spirit Grass. I don't have any here!”

“Earth Spirit Grass?” Jun Wunian exclaimed in shock: “You can’t find a single stalk of that thing anywhere in the world. Where will you get one?”

“Alas, that’s true. Earth Spirit Grass is a peerless spiritual medicine. If a Nether Dweller consumes it, they can gain the strength of a Nether Venerable. The medicinal potency is too immense, making it incredibly difficult to find. However…” Old Man Yan seemed to recall something and couldn’t help but say: “Old Man Dun Lun in Longyang City has one. I just don't know if he’d part with it!”

“Who is Old Man Dun Lun?” Jun Wunian inquired.

“He’s a medicinal fanatic just like me; he only enjoys collecting rare herbs from across the world. I saw one stalk of Earth Spirit Grass with him, but that old fellow is stingy; he probably won’t give it up!” Old Man Yan explained. “But if you have something that truly moves him, he might exchange it! The problem is finding something that can move him!”

“What does he need?” Jun Wunian asked with some curiosity. He took out the ten Perfect Crystal Stones Chen Feng had given him years ago: “Does he need this? It’s ten of them.”

“Perfect Crystal Stones? And ten of them?” Old Man Yan’s eyes widened. “I really don't know if he needs this, but if there’s absolutely no other way, I suppose we’ll have to try!”

With that, Old Man Yan took the Perfect Crystal Stones from Jun Wunian’s hand, tucked them securely on his person, and then said: “Then I’ll go fetch A'Can. We will head to Longyang City this afternoon!”

ps: Sigh, it’s late, but today was over 10,000 characters! Mission accomplished! Wahahaha... Can I get some monthly tickets? Sob, sob!! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www**m for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!) First published.