133: Chapter 133 Prey? Hunter?

Wu Chen heard this.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"The direction he's heading is the Endless Mountains! Once we confirm the target's route and destination, how could he possibly escape?"

He paused, a cold sneer curling at the corners of his mouth. "This time, we don't need to act ourselves. We just need to borrow a blade to do the killing."

Hearing this, several of his confidants' eyes flashed with realization.

Zhao Kun asked, "Senior Brother, do you mean..."

"On this journey, Chu Feng must pass through several dangerous places: the Desert Plains, Black Wind Canyon, and White Bone Ridge."

Wu Chen said slowly, his finger tracing in the air as if sketching a map. "These places are a mixed bag where Loose Cultivators, demonic Cultivators, and Bandit Cultivators run rampant."

Zhao Kun's eyes lit up. "Senior Brother, are you saying we should use the hands of those outlaws?"

"Exactly."

Wu Chen nodded. "Chu Feng has many treasures on him, not to mention that as the Head Deacon of Duobao Peak, he surely possesses other valuables."

"How could those bandit and demonic Cultivators let such a fat sheep go?"

He looked into the distance, a cold sneer playing on his lips as he whispered, "Chu Feng, do you think victory is already in your grasp? To think you'd actually give me an opportunity to kill you! Let's see how you die!"

The big shots of the Duobao Sect hold immense power both inside and outside the Sect.

Wu Chen was no exception! His Revered Master was the Peak Master of Zhenbao Peak and held considerable influence in the Desolate Realm.

Using his Revered Master's reputation, Wu Chen had befriended many Disciples from various Sects over the years and planted informants within some Loose Cultivator organizations and small families.

Wu Chen even had contacts among those from the Demonic Path.

This was strictly forbidden in Righteous Path Sects, but Wu Chen relied on his status, believing that as long as he kept it hidden, nothing would happen.

Besides, there were some dirty jobs that those of the Righteous Path couldn't easily perform, while those of the Demonic Path had no such qualms.

This time, Wu Chen planned to use these connections and spend resources to hire some demonic and Bandit Cultivators to ambush and kill Chu Feng.

Wu Chen had even made up his mind to sell Chu Feng's information to the Outer Boundary Demon Sect.

The Outer Boundary Demon Sect was currently a mortal enemy of the Duobao Sect.

If they knew a Genius Disciple of the Duobao Sect was alone, the Outer Boundary Demon Sect would never let the opportunity slip!

At that point, he didn't believe the Outer Boundary Demon Sect wouldn't be interested in killing Chu Feng!

Various vicious schemes continuously churned in Wu Chen's mind.

He didn't just want Chu Feng dead; he wanted him to die miserably, preferably with his reputation ruined and not even a bone left behind!

Only then could he vent the hatred in his heart and reclaim the face he had completely lost on the Dueling Platform.

"Contact the people from the Outer Boundary Demon Sect immediately and tell them Chu Feng's whereabouts."

"Remember, do not reveal our identity. Just pass the information along."

"Say... that the Duobao Sect's Genius Disciple, Chu Feng, is heading to the front lines with heavy treasures, passing through the Desert Plains, with only a single guard at the Early Stage of the Golden Core."

Hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed in Zhao Kun's eyes. "Senior Brother, if the Sect finds out about colluding with a demonic Sect..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Wu Chen interrupted coldly, "Keep it hidden; who would know it was us? Besides, once Chu Feng is dead, who will investigate? It's perfectly normal for a Genius Disciple of the Sect to die outside."

"Yes, Senior Brother Wu, I'll get right on it." Zhao Kun said no more and hurriedly nodded in response.

"Right, also contact our Bandit Cultivators near the 'Endless Mountains' and tell them that if they can intercept and kill Chu Feng, the reward is one million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

One million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was no small amount.

It was enough for a Golden Core Cultivator to purchase several Treasure Artifacts or support decades of cultivation.

Such a bounty was enough to drive countless outlaws into a frenzy.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother, I'll arrange it immediately," Zhao Kun said.

Wu Chen nodded with satisfaction. "Go, be quick. Chu Feng has already set out. We must cast our net before he reaches the Desert Plains."

"Yes!"

Zhao Kun took his orders and left.

Wu Chen stood alone on the viewing platform, gazing at the northern horizon.

"Chu Feng, oh Chu Feng, do you think you can rest easy now?"

"In this cultivation world, the most terrifying thing isn't an enemy in the open, but a venomous snake hiding in the shadows."

"And I am that venomous snake. By the time you realize it, it will already be too late."

He could almost see the scene of Chu Feng dying a tragic death in the desert, his body devoured by Yao Beasts and his Divine Soul completely extinguished.

At this thought, a smile finally appeared on Wu Chen's face—a cruel and delighted one.

...

At the same time.

Chu Feng and Tang An had flown fifty thousand miles heading north.

The journey started smoothly enough; they flew along the official roads, occasionally encountering other Cultivators, but everyone passed by quickly without disturbing one another.

But after passing Qingyang City, the environment began to turn desolate.

At this moment, they appeared in a desert.

Looking as far as the eye could see, yellow sand filled the sky, stretching beyond the horizon.

The scorching sun hung high, baking the sand until it was blistering hot, the heat waves distorting their vision.

The temperature around them rose higher and higher; even the air became dry and scorching, to the point where they could feel a stinging pain in their nostrils when breathing.

Suddenly, the sand below exploded as a thick sandworm shot up into the sky!

This sandworm was as thick as a water bucket and over ten zhang long, its body covered in a yellowish-brown hard shell. Its head was a circular mouth filled with sharp teeth, and it had no eyes, relying entirely on vibrations to sense its prey.

"Strike!" Tang An was prepared; with a wave of his Flying Sword, a solid arc of Sword Qi slashed out.

With a squelch, the sandworm was sliced in half. Brown bodily fluids sprayed out, making a "chi-chi" corroding sound as they hit the sand and sending up puffs of white smoke.

"These beasts are truly endless!"

Tang An cursed and slashed his Flying Sword repeatedly, killing three more Venomous Scorpions that had burrowed out of the sand.

These Venomous Scorpions were the size of millstones, their tail stingers gleaming with a faint blue light—clearly extremely toxic.

But under Tang An's Sword Qi, they were like paper, instantly shredded into pieces.

Chu Feng did not act.

These Yao Beasts were mostly at the Profound Yao level, not worth mentioning.

Before long, they had fought their way through the storm zone.

The environment changed once more.

Ahead was no longer a sea of yellow sand but a rocky, jagged Gobi desert.

Black rocks protruded from the ground like the fangs of a monster, their forms hideous.

Further away, a layer of pale green miasma drifted, dyeing the sky an eerie color.

"Brother Feng, did we take a wrong turn?" Tang An asked hesitantly, pointing at the miasma-filled area ahead.

No matter how you looked at it, this place didn't seem like a proper path. With dense miasma and rampant venomous creatures, what sane person would come here?

Normally, one should go around it.

"It's correct! By cutting through here, we can save a significant amount of travel time!!" Chu Feng smiled, and lightning suddenly flickered beneath his feet.

By the time he reappeared, he was already three miles ahead of Tang An!

"Wait for me!" Tang An didn't have time to think; he hurriedly moved his feet in quick succession, using his movement technique to chase after him.

One after the other, the two quickly entered the miasma zone.

The miasma here was pale green and carried a pungent, fishy stench, clearly emitted by some kind of toxic creature.

Fortunately, both had protective spiritual light, so they were temporarily unaffected.

After catching up to Chu Feng, Tang An suddenly realized something and shouted to Chu Feng as they flew side by side, "I remember now, isn't this the Desert Plains? How did we end up here?"

The Desert Plains was one of the famous dangerous lands of the Northern Continent.

Spanning thirty thousand miles, it was filled with miasma year-round, rampant with venomous creatures and countless lurking Yao Beasts.

It was said that in the depths of the plains, there were even beings at the Peak of the Earth Demon level, comparable to Cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core.

Ordinary Cultivators would rather take a detour of a hundred thousand miles than cross this place.

"Hehe! You only just realized?"

Chu Feng shook his head helplessly. Tang An's reaction was far too slow.

"Hehe! I've never been here before, so I didn't recognize it at first!" Tang An felt a bit embarrassed.

He had too little experience; in critical moments, his reactions were indeed a bit slow, making it hard for him to distinguish the surrounding environment and terrain or know his location.

This was one of the reasons why his eldest brother, Tang Chuan, insisted on sending him to the front lines.

Flowers in a greenhouse, after all, cannot withstand the wind and rain.

Chu Feng and Tang An continued forward, the surrounding miasma growing increasingly dense.

A pungent, foul stench filled the air. As their protective spiritual light came into contact with the miasma, it made a "zi-zi" sound, clearly being slowly corroded.

Tang An couldn't help but frown and said in a low voice, "Brother Feng, this miasma is too toxic. We need to be careful not to get caught."

"I've heard that the miasma of the Desert Plains can corrode spiritual power. Over time, even protective spiritual light won't be able to block it."

"These are Miasma Clearing Pills; they can resist the toxicity of the miasma." Chu Feng took out two emerald green pills from his storage ring, swallowed one himself, and handed the other to Tang An.

The Miasma Clearing Pill was an Earth Rank Spirit Pill specifically designed to counter various toxic miasmas, and it was quite valuable.

As an Earth-grade Alchemist, Chu Feng always carried various pills for emergencies.

Tang An took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation, then laughed. "As expected, Brother Feng, you've thought of everything. However, with the miasma being so thick here, I'm afraid there might be some powerful Yao Beasts lurking."

Once the pill entered his stomach, a cool sensation spread through his body. His protective spiritual light immediately stabilized significantly, and the corrosive effect of the miasma was greatly reduced.

"The thicker the miasma, the more powerful the Yao Beasts here. There might even be Earth Demon inside." Chu Feng scanned the surroundings with a grave gaze, his tone remaining calm.

The two continued forward, the ground beneath their feet gradually becoming soft, as if they were stepping on a thick layer of humus.

This humus was dark brown and emitted a putrid smell, clearly formed from countless years of fallen leaves and corpses piling up and rotting.

It felt spongy to step on, and in some places, they would even sink half a foot deep.

From the surrounding rock piles, low growls occasionally echoed, as if something was watching them from the shadows.

The sounds seemed sometimes far and sometimes near, drifting unpredictably, making it impossible to determine their exact location.

"Brother Feng, I feel like something's not right. This place is too quiet—so quiet it's giving me the creeps." Tang An looked around, feeling a bit uneasy.

Indeed, aside from the occasional beast roar, this miasma zone was terrifyingly silent.

There were no insects chirping, no birds singing, and even the sound of the wind had diminished greatly, as if they had entered an isolated world of death.

Only the sound of their footsteps and breathing was exceptionally clear in this silence.