2: Chapter 2 Outsiders
The next day, Yuan Feng woke up and cultivated as usual, but before he finished, he sensed unfamiliar Auras intruding into his territory.
Yao Beasts are territorial, leaving their unique Aura Imprint within their domain, and they do not rashly invade the territory of other Yao Beasts, as this signifies provocation and a declaration of war.
The three unfamiliar Auras that intruded into this mountain forest lacked the unique 'Demonic Qi' of a Yao Beast; instead, they carried a dense 'Human Qi.' This meant Cultivators had entered!
One must know that the Tianli Mountain Range is far from peaceful; the figures of Cultivators can be seen from time to time, arriving to search for Heaven And Earth Treasure and engaging in conflict with the Yao Beasts within the mountain range.
Some Cultivators are buried within the mountain range, their bodies destroyed and their Dao dissipated, while some Yao Beasts are slain, their blood staining the ground.
The mountain forest where Yuan Feng resided had no good things or Heaven And Earth Treasure, apart from the Spirit Fungi And Spiritual Items that had suddenly appeared a few months prior.
Therefore, few Cultivators came here; those who did merely flew past in the sky and could not discover Yuan Feng, who was hidden in the shadows.
These three unfamiliar Auras charged straight in. Under Yuan Feng's perception, one Aura was in front, and the other two were trailing, seemingly in pursuit.
Yuan Feng quickly got up, activated the Breath Concealment Art to lower his Aura to the minimum, and then used the large, leafy trees to conceal his figure. Only a pair of Jet-Black Eyes peered out through the gaps between the leaves.
He saw a Fiery Red Streak of light flash across the sky, revealing a figure: a middle-aged man, dressed in fiery red robes, with a pale face and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
The middle-aged man held a longsword glowing with crimson light. His brow was furrowed, as if he had made a decision. With a ruthless expression, he took out a Blood-Colored Medicinal Pill and swallowed it whole. Instantly, the Spiritual Qi around his body surged, and his Aura skyrocketed by a large margin.
Swish!
A crimson Sword Light, about Ten Feet Long, tore through the air. Its Aura was terrifying, and it was as fast as a shooting star, causing the face of the pursuer behind him to turn ashen. The pursuer only had time to gather the Spiritual Qi within his body, transforming it into a shimmering, watery shield to block in front of him.
The next moment, a loud bang struck, and the watery shield shattered instantly, as brittle as thin paper.
That person was struck by the Sword Light, instantly splitting into two charred halves of a corpse that plummeted into the mountain forest below—a truly miserable sight.
The middle-aged man stood holding his sword, blood flowing incessantly from his mouth. His gaze fell upon the figure who had arrived late, and he sneered, "Li Yuanji, this was your own Younger Brother. For this earth origin fire lotus fruit, you disregard even familial affection?"
"Hmph!"
The Cultivator called Li Yuanji coldly snorted, a look of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. While secretly gathering Spiritual Qi, he shouted:
"Chen Fufeng, so-called familial affection is worthless in the face of an Opportunity for Breaking Through A Realm. Once I consume the earth origin fire lotus fruit and Break through to Late Stage Qi Refining, everything will be worth it.
I shall raise my brother's wife and daughter!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yuanji instantly attacked. Golden light rippled, transforming into a Golden Long Spear that pierced the air like a sharp arrow, aiming straight for Chen Fufeng's head.
The latter was already prepared. He gathered crimson Spiritual Qi, swung his sword down, shattering the Golden Long Spear, and lunged forward, completely disregarding his own injuries in a fight-to-the-death style.
The two began Fighting Spells above the mountain forest. Crimson Sword Qi whistled, and golden Spiritual Qi surged, causing Yuan Feng, who was in the shadows, to frown.
"He's not an ordinary Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator; he's close to Late Stage, similar to my Realm..."
Just as he was pondering, the outcome of the battle was about to be decided.
Chen Fufeng was already heavily injured. The fact that he was able to slay Li Yuanji's Younger Brother with a single sword strike was entirely due to the power of that Blood-Raging Qi-Burning Pill.
Fighting up until this moment, the medicinal power of the Blood-Raging Qi-Burning Pill had run out, making it impossible for him to continue the fight.
"Go die! The earth origin fire lotus fruit is mine!"
Li Yuanji's face was ferocious as he roared. The remaining Geng Metal Spiritual Qi in his body flowed entirely into his right hand, condensing into a radiant, Gold-Veined Long Spear, whose murderous Aura was intimidating.
The long spear left his hand, shooting out. A desolate, murderous Qi spread, actually giving rise to a Concept of warfare involving Clashing Weapons And Armored Horses.
Chen Fufeng's expression was solemn. He exerted all the Spiritual Qi he possessed, swinging the longsword in his hand, barely deflecting the incoming long spear to the side.
Poof!
A sound like a weapon piercing flesh and bone rang out. The Gold-Veined Long Spear pierced Chen Fufeng's right shoulder. The immense force it carried knocked him down from the air, pinning him to Wangyue Cliff.
"Seeking Immortality And The Dao is ultimately all for naught."
"Wanqing, Yun'er, Xiao'er, Qing'er... forgive me."
Chen Fufeng's eyes looked scattered. He gazed at the Great Sun in the sky, his thoughts running wild for a moment as he began reviewing his life in a flash.
Swish!
A figure descended from the air. Li Yuanji couldn't stop smiling; he had plotted for many days, even betraying his own Younger Brother, and was finally about to achieve his goal.
Completely ignoring the sword wounds on his body, Li Yuanji raised his hand. A Golden-Glow Talismanic Incantation appeared in his grasp and was activated by him.
"Chen Fufeng, don't blame me. The Cultivation World is where the strong prey on the weak. If you don't fight for it, you'll forever remain at the bottom!"
At this critical moment, a tall figure leaped out from a large tree not far behind him. It struck a Boxing Stance in the air, Black Demonic Power surged, and its thick, muscular arms carried the Might Of Shattering Mountains!
The Legacy Spell of the Tongbi Demon Ape Clan, Through-Arm Mountain Shattering Fist.
The hairs on Li Yuanji's entire body stood on end. The Aura Of Death instantly ignited his entire mind, and every cell in his body screamed.
He had just turned sideways, and the golden Talismanic Incantation in his hand stalled mid-air, failing to fully activate. He then saw a Fist The Size Of A Sandbag smash toward him with fierce Aura, and then he saw nothing more.
Bang!
A perfectly good head was smashed open, splattering red and white matter everywhere. The headless corpse crashed to the ground, deader than dead.
Chen Fufeng, lying on the ground, regained consciousness. The Spiritual Qi Long Spear that had pierced his right shoulder had dissolved into specks of light when it pinned him to Wangyue Cliff, leaving behind only a constantly bleeding hole.
This was not a real weapon, but a Spell cultivated by Li Yuanji, which could transform his own Spiritual Qi into a Killing Weapon, possessing considerable power.
"Who was it that attacked?"
Just as Chen Fufeng tried to get up and look, his vision darkened. He saw a majestic figure blocking the sunlight, standing straight in front of him.
Its body was ten feet tall, its Grey-Black Fur like Fine Steel Needles. Its arms were long, thick, and powerful, and a sharp Demonic Qi permeated the air, giving him a feeling no less terrifying than a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.
Chen Fufeng Secretly Cried Out In Despair. He could no longer suppress his injuries, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted, losing consciousness.
Yuan Feng licked his lips, his eyes flashing with excitement. Being The Sixth Brother felt too great.
"Heaven And Earth Treasure, indeed, belongs to the capable."
He looked at Li Yuanji's headless corpse, shook his head, and began Looting The Body.
He had heard the conversation between the two clearly from the side. Since the earth origin fire lotus fruit could make Li Yuanji willing to sacrifice his own Younger Brother to obtain it, it must be a good item.
"Late Stage Qi Refining is not far off!"
Yuan Feng stripped Li Yuanji bare, took the Small Black Bag hanging from his waist, and with the yao power surging in his other hand, blasted the corpse into a cloud of blood mist that drifted away with the mountain wind.
After doing all this, he looked at Chen Fufeng, who was lying on the ground with a few breaths left. As his thoughts churned, he suddenly recalled the clan protecting system.
"Clan-guarding... how exactly does this Broken System activate? There are no hints or anything."
[clan protecting system activated. Bind?]
Just then, the clan protecting system, which had been inactive, seemed to recover from a System Crash and underwent a new change, stirring Yuan Feng's heart. His gaze toward Chen Fufeng became much more fervent.
[clan protecting system activated. Bind?]
The System voice sounded again, seemingly urging Yuan Feng to make a decision.
"Chen Fufeng... perhaps this is truly fate. I can't let you die."
Yuan Feng had already made up his mind. For now, he needed to save the man first.
He dragged Chen Fufeng under an old tree, and then... there was no 'then.' He suddenly remembered that he didn't know how to heal injuries, and he was completely at a loss regarding the current situation.
"How should I save him?"
Yuan Feng's thoughts became active. After a Yao Beast enters the Qi Refinement Stage, yao power is born within its body, similar to the Spiritual Qi of a Qi Refining Cultivator, but definitely incompatible.
If he rashly channeled yao power into him, it might cause the Spiritual Qi within Chen Fufeng's body to riot, killing him faster.
"Since he dared to come out adventuring, he should have healing Medicinal Pills or similar items on him."
Yuan Feng's gaze fell upon a Small Black Bag on Chen Fufeng's waist. He bent down and took it.
"This must be a Storage Pouch, similar to the one that fellow Li Yuanji had."
After pondering for a moment, he extended a trace of Divine Thought into it, but encountered an obstruction, which must have been a Divine Thought Restriction set up by Chen Fufeng.
However, Chen Fufeng was currently unconscious, and the Divine Thought of a Qi Refining Cultivator was only so strong. It instantly shattered when Yuan Feng increased his Divine Thought output.
"Which one is for healing injuries?
After Yuan Feng scanned around, his gaze was drawn to four Crimson-Luster Fruits glowing with a crimson luster.
They were the size of a fist, with special scale-like patterns on the surface, naturally formed, and inside, a magma-like substance flowed.
"earth origin fire lotus fruit!"
Yuan Feng's mind stirred. He retrieved two Crimson Fruits from the Storage Pouch, and a wave of fresh fragrance permeated the air.
"As expected of a Heaven And Earth Treasure. No wonder Li Yuanji was so certain that consuming it would allow him to Break through to Late Stage Qi Refining."
Yuan Feng sighed inwardly, then stuffed the two fruits into Chen Fufeng's mouth. They melted upon entry, which was quite miraculous.
He observed carefully for a while. The power of the earth origin fire lotus fruit gradually took effect. The Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi within Chen Fufeng's body spontaneously mobilized, absorbing the power flowing in and beginning to repair the injured areas.
After confirming that Chen Fufeng was no longer in mortal danger, Yuan Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally found someone who could activate the System. If the person Died, who knew when the Year Of The Monkey And Horse Month would arrive before he found another.
He looked at the two Storage Pouches in his hand, his Ink-Black Eyes darting around. He took out the remaining two earth origin fire lotus fruits and put them into the other Storage Pouch, then quietly returned Chen Fufeng's Storage Pouch to its original position.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed quickly. The dazzling sunlight struck Chen Fufeng’s face. He groggily opened his eyes and took a moment to regain his senses.
"I... I'm not dead?!"
He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and pinched his thigh. It was truly not a dream, and he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I knew it! I, Chen Fufeng, am a person blessed with good fortune. How could I die prematurely before even reaching Foundation Establishment!"
"In the Words Of Fortune-Telling, this is Heaven Placing A Great Responsibility Upon This Person; after enduring hardships, there will surely be a rich reward!"
As he laughed, the corners of Chen Fufeng's eyes became slightly moist. He thought of his Wife And Children far away at home, and a wave of lingering fear washed over him.
"I should hurry home quickly, lest Wanqing and the others worry."
As he spoke, he was about to get up when a robust and powerful grey-black Demon Ape appeared before his eyes, grinning widely at him.
Chen Fufeng's face stiffened, and he sat back down, his face ashen. Yuan Feng's physique was even more powerful than the Late Stage Qi Refining Yao Beasts he had seen in the Tianli Mountain Range.
"My Life Is Over!"