Everlasting

 

The mouth in the centre of that large hand was in the process of devouring the cultivators who had chosen to remain within the forest. With a grasping motion, a cultivator was caught and slowly pulled into the centre where the black-coloured hole devoured him.

Like a cat toying with its prey, the hand did not kill all the cultivators instantly. Instead, it kept chasing after them, flying over their heads. It was in no hurry. Only after it had toyed with a cultivator to a certain extent, having pushed out all the dread from the fleeing cultivator’s heart did it capture the cultivator and devour him or her.

“Argh!”

Chen Feng and the others were able to observe it all clearly. One of the cultivators screamed out in dread. It was like the final cry of a dying man. Next, the grey hand casually captured him before the black-coloured hole in the centre of its palm slowly devoured the cultivator.

After devouring that cultivator, the hand moved in search of a new target, like a large wild cat placed within a closed room filled with mice.

“What is going on there?” Chen Feng and the others were astounded. Just a glance of the gigantic grey hand was enough to bring him a feeling of terror. What then would those trapped inside the forest – who had to personally face the hand – feel?

Bang!

As they were in shock, a level 5 Concealed stage cultivator was surrounded by three demonic humans. Their fists and feet lashed out and the cultivator was beaten to death.

“Not good. Everyone, don’t get distracted!” Chen Feng was quick to recollect himself. He saw two demonic humans rushing towards him. At the same time, Ye Ziming, Lu Ta and the Five Heroes of Pot Mountain were also besieged.

“How can there be so many demonic humans here? Demon Soul Valley is such a big place. Logically speaking, we should not be encountering so many demonic humans!” shouted one of the cultivators.

“Do you all still not get it? This is part of Mo Ji’s scheme. These demonic humans have been lured here using some unknown method. If I am not mistaken, that primordial ruin that Mo Ji mentioned is likely not far from here. Additionally, it is highly likely that there are plenty of demonic humans gathered there. By turning us into bait to lure a high number of demonic humans away, they could seize the opportunity to search for the treasure there,” said an extremely young-looking cultivator. It would not be an exaggeration to call the cultivator a kid. Appearance wise, he was even a few years younger compared to Chen Feng. Since entering Demon Soul Valley, he had maintained a taciturn attitude. Hearing his words, the surrounding cultivators grew shocked.

The aspect which caught Chen Feng’s attention the most was his cultivation base. Chen Feng’s senses informed him that the kid was only at level 4 of the Concealed stage. Logically speaking, for someone his age to reach level 4 of the Concealed stage was already sufficient for him to be labelled a genius. However, in the various battles they faced, Chen Feng noticed that the kid was not to be underestimated. Disregarding the previous battles they had to go through, the kid was casually smashing the demonic humans before they could approach him. Either that or they would inexplicably break apart. Chen Feng, who had been secretly assessing him, was unable to understand what happened. 

This kid is powerful. Surface wise, he appears to be at level 4 of the Concealed stage. However, he is giving me a peculiar feeling. It feels as though there is a great power within his body. It seems he has practiced a mysterious technique used to cover up his true power. Additionally, my Overwhelming Astral Sword would occasionally sense this energy fluctuation from him. If I am not mistaken, the kid should also possess a Prized artefact. Chen Feng thought.

While it would appear as though Chen Feng, Evil Moon Grotto Master and the old cultivator were the only ones with Prized artefacts, Chen Feng knew that some other cultivators must also possess Prized artefacts. Additionally, those who can remain unscathed after coming this far must surely possess cultivation bases superior to his. Truth be told, Chen Feng’s group was the weakest amongst the cultivators present. If it were not for the aegis of the Prized artefact, they would have been incapable of coming this far.

“Xiao Yin is right. Truth be told, I have been keeping a close eye on Mo Ji and her group. Unexpectedly, I was too late to stop them,” the old cultivator said.

So, this kid’s name is Xiao Yin. That is quite a feminine name, though. Chen Feng thought to himself.

“You know my name?” Xiao Yin said, his face flickering. Since coming out from his sect, he had been keeping a low profile. Unexpectedly, someone had called him using his name.

“How can I not recognize someone as important as the Young Sect Master of Demon Sound Sect?” the old cultivator said with a smile.

“Just who are you?” Xiao Yin’s face sank for a moment before he recollected himself.

“I am just an ordinary cultivator. Naturally, I cannot compare against a Young Sect Master like you,” again, the old cultivator replied with a smile.

As he spoke, the power of his Ardent Sun Needle grew. Then, like a sun, it rotated around him and the demonic humans leaping towards him were all melted down by the intense heat.

“How can an ordinary cultivator possess such a powerful Prized artefact?” Xiao Yin sneered.

“Hey, hey. If Young Sect Master had not utilized the Demon Sound Sect’s Invisible Ripple, I could not have been certain about your identity. Besides, since you are on an adventure, it is only natural for you to not use your real name. That would invite problems,” said the smiling old cultivator.

“Your eyes sure are sharp. Others may call me Young Sect Master, but I am just an ordinary person. You, on the other hand, you don’t look like some ordinary character, old man.” Xiao Yin smiled back. His words contained a sense of maturity, of one who had experienced the vicissitudes of life, a complete mismatch for his age. People like him were usually those who had been to many places and experienced many things.

So, this kid is the Young Sect Master of Demon Sound Sect. Demon Sound Sect is quite a sizable sect amongst the demonic sects. It is comparable to sects like the Nine Firmaments Palace. To think that such an inconspicuous kid could possess such a background. I wonder if there are any experts serving as bodyguards around him.

The conversation between Xiao Yin and the old cultivator were done openly. Thus, the cultivators fighting off the demonic humans were able to hear about it as well. Everyone of them felt shocked.

“Brother Ye, I feel something amiss here. This task should just be an ordinary one. So, why did so many experts appear here? Elegant Gentleman and those who have condensed out their Soulflames; experts like Evil Moon Grotto Master and this old cultivator. Besides, there is also this Young Sect Master of Demon Sound Sect. People like them are probably not interested in 100,000 Basic Yang Pills, no?” Chen Feng asked through secret vocal transmission.

“Something is indeed amiss. Those who can survive to this point are all experts, but there are still some powerful experts concealed amongst them. Our strength is just too lacking.” After responding, Ye Ziming stepped forward to pull Lu Ta back before both of them disappeared. Next, two muscular demonic humans descended from the sky, punching a huge crater on the iron-like ground.

Shua!

The Overwhelming Astral Sword swiftly sent out two sword beams to pierce through the two demonic humans’ heads.

“Brother Chen, if us brothers can survive this, we will follow Brother Chen’s lead in the future. As long as Brother Chen gives the word, be it to go through a mountain of blades of a sea of flames, we five brothers will certainly do it,” Big Pot Bro suddenly shouted.

Chen Feng was taken aback. Then, he smiled. It was not too shocking. Given how dangerous their current situation was, death would quickly befall the Five Heroes of Pot Mountain if they could not gain any protection. At that moment, what they needed was to find someone powerful that they could rely on. Although Chen Feng’s cultivation base was not high, he possessed a Prized artefact as a means of protection. Additionally, they have something of a friendship with him. Thus, Chen Feng was their best choice. Bluntly speaking, he was their last life-saving straw.

“Considering how dangerous our current situation is, I cannot give any assurance either. All I can say is, I will do my best,” Chen Feng said calmly.

“Thank you, Young Master!” All five bros shouted simultaneously, changing the way they addressed Chen Feng. In the future, they will be depending on Chen Feng.

I suppose this is my first batch of followers. Chen Feng thought to himself in a self-deprecating manner. Truth be told, Chen Feng had been wanting to recruit the five of them. This development was the best possible scenario for Chen Feng. Assuming, of course, that he could lead them out from Demon Soul Valley intact. 

Sigh! This is truly a difficult task. Whether we can escape or not is still a problem. Chen Feng sighed to himself.

Truth be told, Chen Feng did not have any clear objective in recruiting the five bros. He instinctively thought that more people meant more power. They might be able to help him out in the future. At any rate, Chen Feng was not of the opinion that he could singlehandedly become an invincible figure in this world. Besides, even if he could achieve that, there would always be a higher mountain.

Chen Feng and the others formed a small group, gathering close together, relying on the Overwhelming Astral Sword for protection. Likewise, the others too, formed groups of three or five. As for the earlier group that had attempted to charge out earlier, there were no longer any signs of them. By Chen Feng’s estimate, they had likely met with a grim ending.

“Now that it has come to this, everyone, stop hiding. Display out your powers. We need to deal with this problem before anything else,” said the old cultivator as he looked around.

Bang!

A forceful aura suddenly rose up from an inconspicuous-looking cultivator. Originally, his cultivation base was only at level 4 of the Concealed stage. Suddenly, seemingly having broken an invisible restraint shackling his body, his aura kept rising until it was at level 7 of the Concealed stage.

Woah!

A Soulflame flew out from his glabella to quickly circle around him, reducing two demonic humans into ashes.

“Another expert who has condensed out his Soulflame,” said Chen Feng coolly. The method he used to conceal his true aura was very unique and Chen Feng had actually failed to notice it.

Bang!

Another cultivator began radiating a mighty aura. This time, it was a brawny cultivator with a thick beard. His hand reached out and a black and shiny bow appeared in his hand. His fingers pulled and the surrounding demonic energy gushed towards it to form five sharp and tangible arrows in the blink of an eye.

Sou! Sou! Sou! Sou! Sou! 

Five sharp arrows shot out at the same time and five demonic humans that were 100 metres away were struck. Immediately, they burst apart like firecrackers and their fragments were scattered across the sky.

“Spirit Gathering Bow, that is a top-grade Magic artefact!” Ye Ziming uttered in shock.

Immediately following that, another three cultivators radiated formidable battle power and instantly wiped out the surrounding demonic humans. Thus, the strain on the other cultivators lessened and they were finally able to take a breather.