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Join the ServerAnimosity surged through the crowd.
The disciples hurled furious curses at Qin Yangjun.
Qin Yangjun remained motionless, simply standing still.
Cheng Lieqing approached him then.
“It seems your junior brothers and sisters trust you implicitly; they’d rather believe you’re an imposter than accept the truth before their eyes.”
A strange, twisted smile played on Cheng Lieqing’s lips.
Struggle? Despair? Regret?
He yearned to know if these emotions would shake Qin Yangjun’s Dao Heart.
Yet, he found none of what he sought on Qin Yangjun’s face.
The man’s expression was as placid as stagnant water, utterly devoid of ripples.
In truth, Qin Yangjun had prepared himself for this very scenario long before, when he first resolved to act this way.
This scene unfolding before him held no surprises.
“Put away your twisted amusement; since we agreed to get down to business, let’s have no more idle chatter.”
Seeing Qin Yangjun’s composure, Cheng Lieqing’s interest waned considerably; truly, only the Myriad Dharma Demonic Physique could possess such an unyielding heart, a born cultivator of the demonic path.
Nevertheless, a slight curve soon returned to his lips.
“Senior Brother is right to chastise me. In that case, let us proceed with our task.”
A dark, demonic flame ignited in Cheng Lieqing’s hand, and just as he prepared to hurl it towards Hua Yaoyao, Qin Yangjun seized his wrist.
“Senior Brother, what is the meaning of this?”
Qin Yangjun’s gaze was cold as he looked at Cheng Lieqing.
“I recall our objective is to find the ancient spirit’s remains and true essence, not to commit murder.”
“Of course, I know that, but I’m merely easing Senior Brother’s burdens. If these people escape alive, it wouldn’t bode well for your reputation.”
‘What a pretense!’
Qin Yangjun found the man before him increasingly repugnant. Although the novel described a scenario where only Yueyao, Yu Lingyue, and Qian Xiaoyu escaped, with everyone else perishing under Cheng Lieqing’s hand.
Yet, under the current circumstances, Qin Yangjun could not simply flee with Hua Yaoyao.
Furthermore, if all these individuals died, his supposed explanation of ‘enduring humiliation to act as an undercover agent’ would become utterly hollow. Thus, he absolutely could not allow Cheng Lieqing to make a move.
Upon witnessing Qin Yangjun obstruct Cheng Lieqing, the others were forced to confront a stark truth: the man before them was indeed their Senior Brother.
For those of the demonic path would have no reason whatsoever to spare them.
At that moment, Hua Yaoyao was weeping uncontrollably, her eyes brimming with tears, fixed intently on Qin Yangjun.
Her mind, too, teetered on the brink of collapse.
“Why… Senior Brother, why would you do this?! Why?”
Even with all his mental preparation, Qin Yangjun found himself unable to meet Hua Yaoyao’s gaze, knowing full well the agonizing sting of profound betrayal.
‘But there was no other way; his identity dictated that he could not be a good man.’
This was precisely what Cheng Lieqing desired. He hadn’t originally intended to leave any survivors, but a sudden thought struck him: if these people escaped alive, perhaps he wouldn’t even need to spread rumors for Qin Yangjun’s reputation to be utterly ruined.
After all, the words of those who had experienced it firsthand would carry far more weight than any rumors he might disseminate.
Cheng Lieqing offered a faint smile and extinguished the flame.
“Then, as Senior Brother commands, let them live.”
Hum!
The moment Cheng Lieqing’s words faded, a sudden sonic boom reverberated.
Everyone felt the air around them vibrate as the blood poison beneath the abyss began to churn, and strange, resonant melodies echoed in their ears.
Cheng Lieqing looked up, scanning his surroundings, his eyes wide with horror.
“The Grand Dao resonates… Could it be that some Immortal Beast is achieving a breakthrough here?”
Qin Yangjun’s brows furrowed in a deep frown as well.
‘He did not recall this scene from the novel.’
“Stop dawdling. Lead the way. If it truly is an Immortal Beast and it notices us, you can forget about safely taking the item.”
Hearing this, Cheng Lieqing wasted no more words. With a sweep of his hand, a dark parchment map materialized before him. As his demonic energy infused it, the patterns on the map began to glow with a crimson light.
The light then erupted, conjuring a stone bridge in front of the altar, and a cave entrance, previously shrouded in mist, appeared.
*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*
The instant the passage appeared, the surroundings began to tremble, and fragments of rock continuously fell from above. From deep within the abyss, a series of beastly roars seemed to echo.
Those roars carried an immense pressure, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
Cheng Lieqing panicked, about to flee, but Qin Yangjun grabbed him.
“Release their restraints and bring them along.”
‘At a time like this, he still cares about these guys’ lives?’
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but seeing Qin Yangjun’s stern face, he knew the man wouldn’t let him go if he didn’t comply. He instantly released everyone’s restraints before making his escape.
Only after the group fled along the path into the cave entrance did the colossal beast’s roars outside gradually fade.
However, no sooner had they entered the cave than a wisp of crimson aura emanated forth. Without a moment’s hesitation, Qin Yangjun unleashed his spiritual energy, forming a protective barrier around himself and the disciples behind him, enveloping them all.
“Good! Good! Good! Hahahaha, I didn’t expect it to be this easy.”
Cheng Lieqing’s booming laughter echoed from ahead. Within the blood-red mist, visibility was incredibly low, preventing Qin Yangjun from discerning the situation in front of him.
Nevertheless, he could perceive the chains inscribed with runes all around, each extending towards the center.
Following the chains, Qin Yangjun walked forward. He first spotted Cheng Lieqing, and then a profound pressure settled upon Qin Yangjun as a colossal skeleton materialized before his eyes.
The skeleton resembled an ox, with a facial bone on its chest. It stood dozens of zhang (TL Note: An ancient Chinese unit of length, approximately 3.3 meters or 10.9 feet) tall, its entire form a reddish hue, subtly gleaming like jade. The crimson aura emanated directly from it, and even after thousands of years since its demise, the skeleton exuded an inexplicable oppressive force.
In a daze, it was as if he could see a monstrous, ox-shaped creature with a human face on its chest roaring at him.
‘Is this the fierce beast of the Upper Realm?’
Qin Yangjun couldn’t help but sigh with emotion internally.
After his moment of reflection, Qin Yangjun noticed Cheng Lieqing, standing before the skeleton, suddenly pulling out the parchment scroll and stroking his chin in apparent contemplation.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing, just….”
Cheng Lieqing drew in a slight, sharp breath.
“Hiss—this ancient scroll records that the Scarlet Glutton (TL Note: ‘Chitāo’ in Chinese, a mythical beast often depicted as a gluttonous ox-like creature) stood thirty feet tall, its power shaking the heavens. Even in death, its malevolent aura was enough to drive Golden Core cultivators to madness. The latter can be explained by the erosion of time, but this size… it’s far too different.”
Saying this, Cheng Lieqing glanced at the skeleton once more, then continued:
“Moreover, the battle back then was exceptionally fierce. Since the Scarlet Glutton perished, it should undoubtedly bear wounds. Yet, this skeleton is translucent like glazed jade, completely undamaged. Could its body possibly self-repair after death? Strange… truly strange…”
Qin Yangjun was somewhat speechless. It was indeed typical of the antagonist faction, he mused, to be so dilatory. Instead of securing their prize, they were standing there pondering trivialities. Didn’t they fear that prolonged delays would lead to unforeseen complications?
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