146: Chapter 145 Two Filipino Monkeys! How dare you touch our ancestors' things?

The sound was high-pitched and thin, like a monkey's screech or a bird's chirp.

It was a rapid-fire chatter; Lin Feng couldn't understand a single word.

He turned around and looked toward the doorway.

Two people were standing there.

They weren't tall, both under 1.7 meters, with skin so dark it looked like it had been smeared with soy sauce.

Their eyes were small, darting around like two rat droppings.

Their noses were flat, pressed against their faces as if they had been punched flat.

Their lips were thick and protruding, revealing yellowed teeth inside.

Both wore dusty Explorer uniforms with badges pinned to their chests—red, white, and blue, with a sun in the middle surrounded by a circle of stars.

Philippines.

Lin Feng recognized that emblem.

He had seen it at the Conference of a Hundred Nations.

The two men were also looking at him.

They looked him up and down several times.

Their gaze lingered on the dragon slaying sword at his waist for a moment before moving to the bronze furnace, and their eyes lit up.

They muttered another string of words.

This time, Lin Feng understood a few terms—not because he knew the language, but because they sounded similar to Chinese.

"Chinese?"

"This."

"Ours."

Lin Feng looked at them without saying a word.

The two shared a glance, and one of them stepped forward.

He was slightly taller than the other, though not by much, standing under 1.75 meters.

He was thin as a bamboo pole, with little flesh on his face and cheekbones that jutted out like two small hills.

He pointed at the bronze furnace, spoke a string of gibberish, then pointed at himself and then at the door.

The meaning was clear—this thing is ours, now get out.

Lin Feng smiled. "Yours? From the Philippines?"

The two didn't understand and muttered another string of words.

This time their tone was more urgent and louder, as if they were arguing.

Lin Feng ignored them.

He turned back around to continue examining the bronze furnace.

The sound of footsteps came from behind him, hurried and heavy, like someone stomping their feet.

Lin Feng didn't look back.

The two spoke another string of words; this time the tone had changed from an argument to a threat.

Their voices were low, squeezed out from their throats with a sense of ruthlessness.

Lin Feng turned around and looked at them.

The two had already placed their hands on their weapons.

The tall one's weapon was a scimitar with a narrow, curved blade like a crescent moon; the hilt was wrapped in cord that had been worn smooth and shiny.

The short one's weapon was a short staff made of some unknown black material, its surface carved with patterns inlaid with silver wire.

Lin Feng looked at them, his smile fading. "Are you sure you want to make a move here?"

The two didn't understand his words, but they understood his expression.

Lin Feng's expression told them—he wasn't afraid.

The tall one hesitated.

He glanced at the short one, who was also looking at him.

They locked eyes for a second and then nodded simultaneously.

The tall one drew his scimitar, the blade glinting coldly in the dim light.

The short one gripped his staff tightly, and the silver wire on it flashed.

Lin Feng looked at them and sighed. "Fine. Since you want to die, I'll fulfill your wish."

He drew his dragon slaying sword.

The golden patterns on the blade lit up, illuminating the entire room.

The two squinted and took a step back.

They shared a look and then took another step forward.

The tall one made the first move.

The scimitar slashed down, fast and ruthless, the wind of the blade whistling as it aimed for Lin Feng's head.

Lin Feng sidestepped to dodge, and the dragon slaying sword swept out horizontally.

The blade sliced toward the tall man's neck.

The tall man's expression changed, and he hurriedly pulled his scimitar back to defend.

Clang—

Metal clashed against metal, and sparks flew everywhere.

The tall man was knocked back three steps, his scimitar nearly flying out of his hand.

He looked down at his hand; the webbing between his thumb and forefinger had split open, and blood was trickling down the hilt.

He looked up at Lin Feng, the greed in his eyes gone, replaced by fear.

The short one didn't give him a chance to retreat.

He gripped his staff and charged.

The short staff smashed toward Lin Feng's head with a whistle of wind, fast and fierce.

Lin Feng didn't dodge, raising the dragon slaying sword to parry.

Clang—

The staff struck the blade, making Lin Feng's arm go numb from the vibration.

Such great strength.

The short man was more than half a head shorter than him, but his strength was greater.

Lin Feng took a step back to steady himself.

The short man charged again, his staff raining down like raindrops or hailstones, strike after strike.

Lin Feng parried left and right, the dragon slaying sword and the short staff clashing, sending sparks flying.

The short man's strength grew and his speed increased, like an untiring machine.

Lin Feng was forced back repeatedly.

It wasn't that he couldn't win, but the room was too small.

The short man stood at the door, blocking his exit.

He could only retreat further inside, toward the wall.

His back hit the wall, and the short man's staff swung down again.

This strike was heavier than any before it, the wind of the swing sharp like a whistle.

Lin Feng sidestepped to dodge.

The staff slammed into the wall with a boom, and half the wall collapsed.

Adobe fragments flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

The short man was stunned.

He hadn't expected the wall to be so fragile.

Lin Feng didn't give him time to react.

The dragon slaying sword thrust out, swift and accurate, toward the short man's chest.

The short man hurriedly pulled back his staff to block.

Clang—

The staff blocked the sword, but Lin Feng's left hand was already raised.

Crimson flames gathered in his palm.

"Flame Impact!"

A fireball shot from his palm and slammed into the short man's chest.

Boom—

The short man was sent flying, crashing into another wall; the wall collapsed, burying him in broken bricks.

The tall man's face turned deathly pale.

The hand holding his scimitar was shaking, and his lips were trembling too.

He glanced at Lin Feng, then at the pile of rubble, and turned to run.

Lin Feng didn't give chase.

He stood in place, watching the tall man run out of the house, across the corridor, and into the distance.

After a few steps, the man stopped and looked back.

That look wasn't one of anger or hatred; it was pure terror.

Then he turned back and ran even faster, vanishing into the cluster of buildings in the blink of an eye.

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and looked at the pile of rubble.

The bricks were moving, falling away one by one.

A hand reached out from the pile, blackened and covered in blood.

Then came the head, the shoulders, and the torso.

The short man crawled out from the rubble, covered in blood; his clothes were torn, his face was mangled, his nose was crooked, and his lips were split, revealing missing teeth.

He couldn't even stand steadily, swaying like a tree about to fall.

But he didn't fall.

He gripped his staff and walked toward Lin Feng.

He took one step, two steps, three steps.

His legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground.

He looked up at Lin Feng.

His mouth opened as if to say something, but he only spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lin Feng looked at him without speaking.

The short man stood up again, swaying, his hand trembling as he held the staff.

He raised the staff and swung it at Lin Feng.

The swing was slow and light, like a falling leaf.

Lin Feng sidestepped and thrust the dragon slaying sword into the short man's shoulder.

The short man let out a miserable cry, the staff dropped to the ground, and he stumbled back a few steps before hitting the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor.

He lowered his head, staring at the wound on his shoulder.

Blood welled from the wound, flowing down his chest and dripping onto the floor—one drop, two drops, three drops.

He looked up at Lin Feng.

That look wasn't anger or hatred; it was... a plea.

Lin Feng looked at him. "What is your name?"

The short man didn't understand.

He just stared at Lin Feng, his gaze becoming increasingly unfocused.

Lin Feng sighed and sheathed the dragon slaying sword.

He took a Qi Recovery Pill from his wanxiang ring, knelt down, and stuffed it into the short man's mouth.

As the pill went down his throat, the short man coughed; the bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal.

His gaze slowly regained focus as he looked at Lin Feng, his lips moving slightly.

"What is your name?" Lin Feng asked again.

This time the short man understood.

He opened his mouth, his voice raspy. "Juan."

"Juan," Lin Feng nodded. "Go. Don't come back."

Juan looked at him, something flickering in his eyes.

It wasn't tears; it was light.

He lowered his head. "Thank you."

Lin Feng stood up and turned around.

He walked to the bronze furnace and reached out to touch its body.

It was ice-cold and smooth, like jade.

A rustling sound came from behind him.

Juan was picking himself up.

He stood for a long time before he could steady himself.

He glanced at Lin Feng's back, turned, and walked toward the door step by step.

At the doorway, he stopped and looked back.

"Chinese man, you are very strong."

He paused, "But the things here... they aren't yours, and they aren't mine. They belong to everyone."

Lin Feng didn't look back. "They belong to everyone, but first, they belong to China."

Juan was silent for a few seconds before turning to leave.

The sound of his footsteps grew distant and faint, finally vanishing into the wind.

Lin Feng stood before the bronze furnace, looking at it.

The furnace was tall, nearly reaching the ceiling, and thick enough that it would take two people to encircle it.

There was green rust on the surface, but its original form was still visible.

Patterns were carved into the furnace—clouds, cranes, mountains, and water.

The lid was round, with a beast perched on top; the beast looked strange, like a lion yet also like a tiger, with a pearl in its mouth.

The base had three legs shaped like beast claws, with the tips touching the ground.

[Great Void Alchemy Furnace (legendary grade)]

[Quality: Red]

[Status: Dormant]

[Effect 1: Auto-Alchemy—can automatically refine pills once Materials are added and a formula is set]

[Effect 2: Alchemy Success Rate +70%, Medicinal Pill quality increased by two ranks]

[Effect 3: Storage—internal space of 500 cubic meters, time flow is 1/100 of the outside world]

[Effect 4: ??? (Requires awakening)]

[Effect 5: ??? (Requires awakening)]

[Awakening Condition: Inject 1,000,000 mana points continuously for 10 minutes]

[Description: An Alchemy furnace left behind by the master of the Taixu Dojo, dormant for ten thousand years. Must be awakened with mana before use.]

Lin Feng looked at the description, his eyes lighting up.

Alchemy success rate increased by 70%, quality increased by two ranks, and internal time flow at one percent.

This was countless times stronger than his previous longevity immortal furnace.

He pressed his hand against the furnace and began injecting mana.

mana surged from his palm into the furnace.

The green rust began to flake off, revealing the bronze beneath.

The bronze was a deep brownish color, like the bark of an ancient tree.

The patterns began to glow—first the clouds, then the cranes, then the mountains, then the water.

The clouds drifted, the cranes flew, the mountains shifted, and the water flowed.

The beast on the lid also came to life; it opened its mouth and spat out a pearl.

The pearl was golden, like a miniature sun, suspended in mid-air and rotating slowly.

Lin Feng continued to inject mana.

One million wasn't a small amount, but he had over two million, which was enough.

His mana began to drop—2.3 million, 2.2 million, 2.1 million.

The patterns on the furnace grew brighter, and the beast became more lifelike, pacing around the lid and looking about as if it had just woken up.

Ten minutes passed.

He had 1.3 million mana left.

The green rust had completely fallen away, revealing the pristine bronze.

The bronze was deep brown with a layer of patina, like old jade or ancient copper—the marks left by time.

The beast on the lid crouched down and looked at Lin Feng.

Its eyes were golden, like two gemstones.

Lin Feng withdrew his hand.

The furnace lit up, glowing from the inside out.

The light was soft, like moonlight, candlelight, or the light in an elder's eyes.

[Great Void Alchemy Furnace has been awakened]

[New effects unlocked]

[Effect 4: Furnace Fire Control—can freely control the Alchemy fire within the furnace for combat or Alchemy]

[Effect 5: Furnace Guardian—when under attack, the furnace can be summoned for protection, absorbing 2,000,000 points of damage. Cooldown: 12 hours]

Lin Feng looked at the description and smiled.

Two million damage absorption—this was four times stronger than his previous longevity immortal furnace.

He reached out and stored the furnace in his wanxiang ring, then walked out of the house.

The wind outside was strong, and sand stung his face.

He squinted, looking into the distance.

There was still much to see in that cluster of buildings, but he didn't want to look anymore.

Those two Filipinos would be back.

Not Juan, but the tall one.

Since he ran away, he would definitely call for backup.

This place wasn't far from the Secret Realm entrance; their people would arrive soon.

He didn't want to fight more people.

Not because he couldn't win, but because it was unnecessary.

A waste of time, energy, and pills.

He turned and headed away from the buildings.

After a few steps, he stopped and looked back.

The small house had collapsed; the walls were down, the roof had caved in, and only a pile of rubble remained.

That bronze furnace was already in his ring.

He turned and continued walking.

The wind blew from behind, ruffling his hair.

He did not look back.