The Cave?
At the sight of the cave, Old Master Zhong's eyes lit up. Gripping his small dagger tightly, he leaped swiftly towards the direction of the cave.
The entrance of the cave was about the height of a person, with walls that seemed to have been polished smooth, forming a stone cave. Though it appeared unremarkable, outside the cave, Old Master Zhong saw countless miasma that repelled any approach.
Miasma repelled? It was as if a force was continuously resisting the peripheral miasma.
Seeing this, a heavy feeling settled in Old Master Zhong's heart. Should he go in?
Inside, there could be treasures, but at the same time, it could be a disaster. If it were the nest of a fierce beast, entering would mean certain death. If it were an empty cave, there could be treasures inside. However, the earlier sound indicated that there were living creatures inside for sure.
He was only at the Innate Realm, and the weakest at that. Entering would increase the likelihood of death. So, he decided not to enter. He would come back when he had the power to protect himself.
Having made up his mind, Old Master Zhong decisively prepared to leave.
"Xiong Shen, what are you doing?" Suddenly, a furious shout echoed from within the cave.
Old Master Zhong paused, tightening his grip on his dagger, and carefully activated his Turtle Breathing Technique, listening intently.
"What am I doing? Yaying Sword, suppressing this gloomy spring. Today, I'm taking it out. Only one person can obtain it. With the five of us, naturally, four have to die," a fiercely aggressive voice declared.
"Without us, you can't retrieve it. Only by combining our strengths can we pull it out. Otherwise, if there's any negligence, we'll be devoured by the gloomy spring's Yin Qi, turning into ashes, never to return. Do you want to die together?" the previous voice angrily retorted.
"Die? Haha, do you know why I'm called Xiong Shen, the Ferocious God? You all can die. Isn't it just to magnify my power fivefold? Although I'll be weakened for a period of time, but, Yaying Sword, from now on, it's mine, haha," Xiong Shen laughed.
"No~~~~"...
Three of them shouted unwillingly.
"Someone outside, come and save me quickly, I'll give you everything!" Suddenly, a voice from inside shouted.
"Hmph," Xiong Shen snorted angrily, and the voice from inside abruptly stopped.
Old Master Zhong glanced around, cold sweat pouring down his body. Had he been discovered again?
If one of the four could detect him, then Xiong Shen could surely detect him too. If he just left like this, there would never be peace again.
The person inside found him and asked him to save him? With his current cultivation, how could he save anyone? And why didn't Xiong Shen come out to kill him?
Old Master Zhong quickly weighed the pros and cons. Escape? Or go in?
Escape. Old Master Zhong believed that Xiong Shen inside must be an extraordinary figure. If he couldn't escape to Kaiyang Sect, he would be caught up by him. The fact that he hadn't come yet clearly indicated some restraint inside.
Having quickly judged the situation, Old Master Zhong gripped his small dagger tightly and swiftly stepped inside.
Inside, it was like a hall, with a fist-sized night pearl in the corner, illuminating the interior brightly.
Without the other four, there was only one figure in a black robe. The figure stood motionless, hands stretched out like a zombie. A faint black aura emanated from him, as if he were practicing some kind of technique.
Gloomy spring? Yaying Sword? Where were they? The ground below was flat, where were the other four? Could it be that this black-robed figure intentionally lured him in?
Thinking of this, Old Master Zhong's heart skipped a beat, his dagger tightening in his hand, growing nervous.
"Kid, leave now, and I won't hold it against you. Get lost," the black-robed figure said.
Xiong Shen, this person was Xiong Shen. He wanted him to leave? If it were someone ignorant of the world, upon hearing these words, they would run as far as they could. But who was Old Master Zhong? Would he be scared and confused by a single sentence?
Xiong Shen, he was Xiong Shen. So the other four were indeed dead. As for how they died, where their bodies went, Old Master Zhong didn't know. He only knew that Xiong Shen was in a critical moment now and couldn't move.
Leave? If he left, he would truly die. After Xiong Shen passed this difficult moment, it would be his time to die.
If the four companions weren't spared, would he be spared?
With a swift thought, Old Master Zhong made a decision. Strike while the iron's hot.
The dagger in his hand was infused with his maximum true qi. From a distance, it swiftly flew towards Xiong Shen.
Old Master Zhong was, after all, at the Innate Realm, and his strength was terrifying. Coupled with the sharpness of the dagger, even a piece of iron could be pierced through.
"Boom~~~"
With a loud bang, the dagger struck Xiong Shen's throat, but it only left a red mark and was bounced back.
Terrified, Old Master Zhong gripped the dagger, his mouth dry. Just a red mark from such a blow? Was this person made of iron? No, even if he were made of iron, it wouldn't be this exaggerated.
Xiong Shen's eyes widened, staring fiercely at Old Master Zhong, his eyes flashing with disdain and anger. But despite this, he remained motionless.
Seeing the look in Xiong Shen's eyes, Old Master Zhong's conviction grew stronger. If he didn't kill him now, his own death was assured in the future.
He couldn't move?
Old Master Zhong gathered his courage and walked behind him. Gripping the dagger with all his strength, he stabbed him several times.
"Clang, clang, clang"...
No effect whatsoever. Not even a bit. Meanwhile, Xiong Shen was burning with rage, bloodshot eyes, sweat beading on his forehead, but still unmoving.
Old Master Zhong didn't dare to approach him from the front, but instead poked at him from behind. However, not a single stab broke through Xiong Shen's skin. The more this happened, the more resolute Old Master Zhong became in his intention to kill him. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire.
"Kid, you're dead," Xiong Shen growled fiercely. The infamous Ferocious God of the demonic path, insulted to such an extent.
After thinking for a moment, Old Master Zhong was sure that Xiong Shen's body was absolutely indestructible. What to do? Strike his vital points? His nostrils? Eyes? Ears? Or from behind?
After thinking it over, Old Master Zhong finally made a decision, albeit a bit crude, but life was the most precious.
Staring at Xiong Shen's buttocks, aiming at the center, Old Master Zhong fiercely thrust his dagger with all his strength.
"Crunch~~~"
With a dull thud, Xiong Shen's eyes almost popped out, cold sweat beading on his forehead, the muscles on his mouth twitching involuntarily, as he exerted force in his hands.
"Boom~~~"
Old Master Zhong saw a black aura suddenly manifesting in front of Xiong Shen's hands, extremely dark, seemingly materializing out of thin air, rushing towards Xiong Shen's palms.
"No~~~" Xiong Shen cried out in terror.
At the same time, Old Master Zhong didn't even have time to pull out his dagger, quickly retreating.
"Whoosh~~~" The black aura entered his body, instantly rushing into Xiong Shen's body.
Xiong Shen's face showed a trace of regret, then he died. In an instant, his body seemed to shatter into countless fragments, disappearing in a flash.
Leaning against the wall, Old Master Zhong looked on in horror. Dead? Gone? Did the other four die like this too?
Xiong Shen died, decomposed into black smoke, even the dagger connected to him disappeared, turning into smoke? All that was left at the spot where Xiong Shen stood was a piece of black cloth?
Gloomy spring? Yin Qi devouring the body? Old Master Zhong looked on in horror. It was too terrifying. Such a powerful body, destroyed by a single attack of Yin Qi? Even his dagger turned to ashes?
The cave became empty. The once infamous Ferocious God had calculated everything, but perhaps he never expected to die so miserably.
Looking at the black cloth on the ground, Old Master Zhong's cold sweat hadn't dried yet. The Yin Qi was gone? Everyone was dead. Yaying Sword was not retrieved either. Could this black cloth resist Yin Qi? What material was it made of? It must be a treasure.
Should he take it?
In the end, Old Master Zhong went outside and fetched some branches, throwing them at the black cloth a few times. Seeing that nothing happened, he dared to grab the black cloth. Covered with patterns resembling the Red Phoenix Tianjing, it was densely packed with golden threads.
"Demonic Body Tempering Technique."
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/Jw-q2euGywY