58: Murderous Intent

Deep within the Immortal Cave.

Time seemed to freeze.

Nine ferocious black Dragon shadows coiled and intertwined, transforming the entire space into a massive meat grinder.

At the center of the Formation, Zou Feng’s figure was completely swallowed by dense black Qi.

Wei Changkong’s smile grew even more gentle, as he held the Dragon-shaped token, his posture elegant, like a Grandmaster conducting an orchestra.

Everything was under his control.

“Junior Brother Zou, to be able to become a stepping stone for the Third Prince to ascend to the throne is a blessing you, a grassroots Cultivator, have accumulated over three lifetimes.”

His voice was unhurried, carrying a compassionate pity.

“Go in peace; your Luck, your Opportunity, will all become part of His Highness’s supreme endeavor.”

Guo Fan, standing nearby, could no longer hold back and let out a piercing, Laughing wildly.

“Hahaha! Senior Brother Wei is right! Trash should know its place! Everything on you will belong to us!”

His eyes greedily swept over the black Qi, as if he could already see the scene of himself dividing the spoils after Zou Feng’s death.

The other two Disciples also wore expressions of fawning excitement.

Only Cold Moon, still clutching her ancient sword, stood far off in the corner.

Her brow furrowed slightly.

Something was wrong.

It had been a considerable time since the Formation was activated.

Logically, a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator, no matter how much he struggled, should have been completely refined into a puddle of pus and blood by now.

Yet, the mass of black Qi showed no signs of shrinking; instead, it grew more agitated and restless.

What emanated from within was not a series of desperate screams.

It was an extreme, suffocating silence, like the stillness before a volcanic eruption.

Wei Changkong also noticed the anomaly.

The Dragon-shaped token in his hand began to heat up slightly.

The feedback from the Formation’s core was not the smooth sensation of prey being digested, but a persistent blockage, as if something was firmly resisting.

The refining power of the nine Dragon shadows was like mud oxen entering the sea, going in but never returning.

“Hmph, still making futile resistance?”

Wei Changkong’s eyes turned cold, and he increased the output of spiritual Qi.

“Refine him for me!”

Boom!

The nine Dragon shadows roared even more fiercely, and the black Qi surged, almost solidifying into ink.

However, at this very moment...

An unexpected change occurred!

“Aang…”

A shriek, not like a Dragon’s roar but more like a dying wail, erupted simultaneously and without warning from the mouths of all nine Dragon shadows.

The sound was filled with pain, unwillingness, and a terror of being forcefully torn apart.

The next second...

Under everyone’s bewildered gaze, the nine once-invincible black Dragon shadows began to tremble violently.

The runic chains on their bodies snapped one by one.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on their massive Dragon bodies.

What seeped through the cracks was not the radiance of energy, but a void, a collapsing, deathly grey.

“What’s going on?!”

Guo Fan’s laughter abruptly ceased, his expression instantly freezing.

Wei Changkong’s pupils contracted sharply; he stared intently at the Dragon-shaped token in his hand.

The token, forged from ten-thousand-year profound iron and inscribed with countless Formation patterns, was now, at a visible speed, developing cracks from its center!

Crack… crackle… An indescribable, terrifying backlash force, following an invisible Karma connection, was violently surging back from thousands of miles away!

“No! Impossible!”

Wei Changkong shrieked in horror.

The core of the Nine Dragons Soul Locking Formation was the Third Prince’s Luck!

There was only one possible reason for the Formation to malfunction.

That was, something had happened to the Third Prince, who was the energy receiver!

But how could this be possible?

His Highness was far away in the Imperial Capital, surrounded by countless experts, and protected by the Imperial Dynasty’s Luck; who could harm him?

As this thought flashed through his mind...

“Bang—!!!”

A deafening boom echoed.

The nine massive black Dragon shadows could no longer sustain themselves, and like punctured balloons, they exploded simultaneously!

A destructive energy storm instantly swept through the entire Immortal Cave!

“Pfft!”

Wei Changkong bore the brunt of it.

The Dragon-shaped token in his hand exploded into dust with a “bang.”

An irresistible force slammed into his chest; he was like a giant mountain had struck him, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

Rumble!

He crashed heavily against the stone wall dozens of feet away, and the hard rock wall was dented into a human-shaped hollow, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading out.

Wei Changkong slid down the wall to the ground, an unknown number of bones broken, his aura instantly plummeting to its lowest point.

His elegant white robe was now stained crimson with blood, utterly disheveled.

“Ah!”

“Help!”

Guo Fan and the other two Disciples were not spared either.

They were struck by the violent energy shockwave, each of them like a scarecrow in a gale, sent flying, battered and bruised, blood gushing from their mouths and noses.

Although their injuries were not as fatal as Wei Changkong’s, they all suffered broken bones and tendons, lying on the ground wailing, temporarily losing all combat ability.

The Immortal Cave was a mess.

Shattered rocks, dust, and rampant spiritual energy turbulence.

Only Cold Moon, in the corner, at the moment the Formation collapsed, plunged the ancient sword in her arms into the ground, retreated rapidly, narrowly avoiding the core of the impact.

But even so, she was shaken, her Qi and blood churning, her face pale.

Her sword-wielding hand trembled slightly.

Not out of lingering fear.

But because of an unprecedented shock that made her very Divine Soul tremble.

Her gaze was fixed on the center of the storm.

The dust gradually settled.

The energy turbulence slowly subsided.

A figure, step by step, calmly walked out from the wreckage.

Zou Feng.

He was still wearing his ordinary Sect long robe.

His clothes were neat, unblemished by dust.

There was not a single injury on him, not even a strand of hair was out of place.

He simply stood there, but the faint aura around him was deeper and more dangerous than ever before.

Like a behemoth lurking in the abyss, finally opening its eyes.

The entire Immortal Cave was dead silent.

Only the suppressed, painful groans of Guo Fan and the others could be heard.

Zou Feng’s gaze calmly swept over the people lying on the ground.

There was no anger, no mockery, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation in his eyes.

It was as if he was looking at a few stones by the roadside.

Finally, his gaze stopped on Wei Changkong, who was struggling to get up from the ground in the distance.

Wei Changkong raised his head, his face covered in blood and dust, completely devoid of his previous composure and gentleness, leaving only endless horror and disbelief.

“You… you…”

He wanted to ask, what did you do? What happened to His Highness?

But the blood surging in his throat choked his words, allowing only a “ho ho” sound like a broken bellows to escape.

Zou Feng looked at him, and spoke with an indifferent expression.

His voice was very calm, as if stating a trivial matter.

“Your master received my ‘gift’.”

One sentence.

A light, airy sentence.

But in the ears of Wei Changkong and Guo Fan, it was no less than a Nine Heavens divine thunder rumbling deep within their Divine Souls!

Gift?

What gift?!

Could it be… could all of this… A thought so absurd that it sent chills down their spines and almost froze their blood, surged wildly in their minds.

From beginning to end, this was not a killing trap at all!

This was a trap!

A shocking trap that used Zou Feng himself as bait to ensnare them, and even the Third Prince thousands of miles away!

They thought they were the hunters.

Little did they know, from the moment they stepped into this Immortal Cave, they were already fish on someone else’s chopping block!

A bone-chilling coldness shot from their tailbones all the way up to their Heavenly Spirit Caps.

“No… this is impossible… absolutely impossible!”

Guo Fan roared like a madman, unable to accept this fact.

This was too absurd!

How could a Foundation Establishment Stage Disciple, who hadn’t even officially entered the inner Sect, possess such heaven-defying means to gravely injure a Prince who carried the Imperial Dynasty’s Luck and was on the verge of reaching the Late Golden Core Stage, from thousands of miles away?

This wasn’t real!

This must be an illusion!

Zou Feng no longer paid attention to their breakdown.

He took a step, slowly, step by step, walking towards them.

His footsteps were very light.

“Tap.”

“Tap.”

“Tap.”

Each step was like a drumbeat of death, heavily striking the hearts of Wei Changkong and the others.

The killing intent in the space no longer needed to be concealed.

Cold, pure, solid as substance.

“Now.”

Zou Feng’s voice sounded again.

“It’s your turn.”