Everlasting

 

“All right, stop arguing, you two. Now is not the time to be squabbling amongst ourselves.” The old cultivator stepped forward to act as the peacemaker. As for the remaining cultivators, they simply stood aside to watch. Some were even hoping that the two would get into a fight to the death.

“Ha ha, do you fellows think I am deliberately provoking you? Do you all know what kind of dangers you fellows will be encountering? Do you even know what caused those roars?” Chen Feng deliberately put on an enigmatic façade.

“Do you know?” Evil Moon Grotto Master asked coolly.

“Heh heh, for now, I cannot say what awaits us up ahead. However, there is one thing I can tell you all. The one releasing those roars is most likely a Yao King,” said Chen Feng coldly.

“Yao King?!”

“What? A Yao King?”

“Are you joking with us?”

Hearing Chen Feng’s words, the other cultivators lost their composure. Even the old cultivator’s face turned grim and extremely ugly to behold. All of them turned to look at Chen Feng, inquiring looks on their faces.

“Are you telling the truth? Is it really a Yao King? This is no joking matter. You should know that only Human Immortals can face Yao Kings. If people like us go forward, the only ending for us will be death,” asked the old cultivator, who stared intently at Chen Feng. He was seemingly attempting to look right through his soul to determine if he was lying or not.

“All of us are gathered here right now. Is there a need for me to lie to you fellows? Mo Ji had said before that this place has Prized artefacts. If so, having a Yao King appear here should be quite acceptable,” said Chen Feng with a sneer.

“If that is true, this will be a problem. This is a Yao King we are talking about. Forget a Yao King, even a few Great Yaos are beyond what we can handle,” said a young cultivator who was standing nearby.

“No wonder one roar from it could scare those mad demonic humans into running away. It turns out that thing is a Yao King,” Demon Sound Sect’s Young Sect Master, Xiao Yin said in a hushed tone.

“If there is a Yao King here, why did Mo Ji choose to come here? Isn’t that the equivalent of committing suicide?” A composed, middle-aged cultivator cast a suspicious gaze at Chen Feng.

“Hey, hey. If there is a Sacred artefact here, wouldn’t someone come here? If the Yao King is sealed, wouldn’t others try to risk it?” Chen Feng chuckled at the middle-aged cultivator. 

“What? Is there really a Sacred artefact?”

“A sealed Yao King.”

“Is that true?”

The cultivators there cried out in shock again as Chen Feng’s words shocked them once more. Observing the stunned looks on the faces of those cultivators, Chen Feng felt slightly pleased.

“I am only able to tell you all this much since I don’t know too much about it myself. Naturally, some of them are just my own speculations. If you fellows end up encountering a bona fide, unsealed Yao King, don’t blame me for lying,” said Chen Feng with a smile.

Sacred artefact! Sacred artefact!

Yao King! Yao King!

Sealed! Sealed!

Everyone kept mumbling those words as they pondered the veracity of Chen Feng’s words.

“Where did you get that information?” asked Evil Moon Grotto Master while regarding Chen Feng.

“You want to know? That’s simple. Kill this trash first.” Chen Feng pointed at the nearby Elegant Gentleman with a grin.

“Humph!” Evil Moon Grotto Master said nothing else.

“Little brother, some matters cannot be used as jokes. Lives can be lost as a result of that,” said the old cultivator as he shook his head.

“Believe it or not, that is up to you fellows. I will say it again, I just don’t want wastrels dragging us down,” said Chen Feng calmly.

“I believe there is a Yao King here. Even if it is not a Yao King, it is at the very least a very powerful Great Yao. At any rate, this opponent is not one that we can hope to fight against,” Xiao Yin suddenly said.

“I feel the same way. Still, Mo Ji and the others are surely not the type to come here because they are bored. This place must have some incredible treasures. Even if it is not a Sacred artefact, it should at least be at the Prized artefact tier. Don’t forget why we are here,” said the young cultivator.

They really are hiding something from me. Chen Feng thought to himself. 

“He he, fellows. I have already given you all so much important information, shouldn’t you fellows be a little open with me? Tell me, why did you fellows come to Demon Soul Valley? Given your abilities, surely you fellows did not come here for that 100,000 Basic Yang Pills,” said Chen Feng coolly.

“He he, you are right. How could cultivators with cultivation bases like ours come to this dangerous place, one that might kill us, for that 100,000 Basic Yang Pills?” replied the old cultivator with a laugh.

“Truth be told, we secretly got wind of a certain piece of information. According to that piece of information, a bunch of treasures is about to appear in Demon Soul Valley. As for where those treasures would appear, we do not know. Back then, when I first heard about it, I didn’t quite care about it. However, when I heard that someone was recruiting a large number of cultivators to venture into Demon Soul Valley, I became tempted. Thus, I secretly joined this group to have a look,” said the old cultivator with a smile.

“It’s the same for me. It is strange. I wonder who had spread that news out. Surely, it is not Mo Ji?” said the composed, middle-aged cultivator.

“Hard to say. That woman is full of deceit and insidiously cunning. Maybe, she had deliberately spread that news to lure in some cultivators to die for her,” the young cultivator disagreed.

“Regardless of where the news originated from, our objective now is to find Mo Ji’s group,” said Evil Moon Grotto Master.

“I think Mo Ji’s group may have already discovered the treasures. Either that, or she has found the place. The Yao King wouldn’t have roared out so loudly otherwise,” said Chen Feng.

“Since there is a Yao King, this will be too dangerous. I suggest we retreat,” said another cultivator.

“Retreat? What a joke! I will not be retreating after coming this far. Personally, I have never seen how a Yao King looks like,” said another cultivator with a contemptuous tone.

“If there is really a Yao King, going in means certain death.”

“Say there really is a Yao King. If Mo Ji’s group can enter, so can we. Besides, I still want to settle the account with that woman.”

After a round of dispute, two of the cultivators there decided to stop going forward and turn back. The roars earlier had filled them with feelings of danger. Add Chen Feng’s news about a Yao King, the two became terrified.

“Cowards. Since they are so timid, they should never have entered Demon Soul Valley from the start,” said the young cultivator with a ridiculing tone.

“I don’t have the time to argue with you fellows. If I am late, I fear there will be nothing left.” Seeing the continuous disputes between them, Chen Feng could no longer hold himself back. His figure flashed out as he rushed forward.

“Let’s go.” Xiao Yin was the first to follow him.

After the two cultivators left, the remaining headcount for the group – including Chen Feng – was seven people.

They were Chen Feng, Evil Moon Grotto Master, Elegant Gentleman, the old cultivator, Xiao Yin, the middle-aged cultivator and the young cultivator.

Chen Feng covertly analysed those people’s cultivation bases and was secretly shocked. Not only were their cultivation bases all higher than him, Evil Moon Grotto Master, Xiao Yin and the old cultivator possessed Prized artefacts while the middle-aged cultivator and the young cultivator appeared to possess certain concealed techniques of their own.

I wonder if I am doing the right thing by joining up with these people. That Evil Moon Grotto Master is especially powerful. Chen Feng was feeling somewhat worried.

Still, I do have a trump card up my sleeve. Chen Feng then smiled.

Shua!

As Chen Feng was silently pondering his situation, a figure quickly appeared beside him. It was none other than the one who had been following behind him all this time, the Young Sect Master of Demon Sound Sect, Xiao Yin.

“Oh? Is there anything you want?” Seeing Xiao Yin move alongside him leisurely; Chen Feng could not stop himself from asking. He did feel somewhat fearful of this cultivator who was younger than him.

After having witnessed Xiao Yin utilize his Grotto Soul Flute to attack, Chen Feng knew that this fellow was incredibly powerful. Additionally, he was also the Young Sect Master of the Demon Sound Sect. Someone like him must surely possess certain life-saving means. It wouldn’t be farfetched for him to have some hidden experts serving as his bodyguards.

“The things you said earlier, you were making it up, weren’t you? I can sense it.” Xiao Yin suddenly smiled.

“Oh?” Chen Feng was stunned. He did not expect that.

“Is that so? Then, why didn’t you expose me?” replied Chen Feng with a faint smile.

“Although you made it up, it was not done blindly. Since entering these ruins, I have been sensing this strange aura. I believe there is a powerful guy within these ruins,” said Xiao Yin.

“If so, why do you keep going to death’s door? You are Demon Sound Sect’s Young Master. Your body is practically worth its weight in gold,” said Chen Feng with a smile.

“Humph! Without power, even if I am the son of an Immortal Human, it would still be pointless. At the end of the day, the motto for us cultivators is: might makes right.” The smile on Xiao Yin’s face suddenly disappeared.

“That is true.” Chen Feng smiled.

“I want to make a deal with you,” Xiao Yin suddenly said.

“Oh? What kind of deal?” Chen Feng felt curious.

“Next up, I hope we can form a temporary alliance to help each other when snatching treasures. It will be better than going at it alone,” said Xiao Yin with a smile.

“Oh, so you want a partnership. Why find me, though? Aren’t the others more suitable? I am just a minor cultivator who just recently reached the Concealed stage.” Chen Feng could not stop himself from chuckling.

“Partnering up with powerful cultivators, I fear that I will end up on the losing end. You are the only one who doesn’t look like the type to secretly plot against me,” said Xiao Yin in a hushed tone, a wry smile on his face.

“Ha ha ha! Hopefully, you are not making the wrong choice,” Chen Feng laughed out.

“Since we are partners now, there is something I need to tell you. You have to be careful. Some people will probably attack you.” This time, Xiao Yin was using secret vocal transmission to communicate with Chen Feng.

“Oh, is that so?” Chen Feng felt shocked.

“Let me guess, the Evil Moon Grotto Master?” Chen Feng then said.

“There are others. At any rate, you need to be careful. They all have their eyes set on your Prized artefact. Later on, if the opportunity presents itself, someone will surely attempt to snatch it away. Furthermore, that Evil Moon Grotto Master is truly a narrow-minded fellow. Since you have offended him, it is only a matter of time before he tries to kill you,” Xiao Yin reminded him.

“Thank you for your reminder. I am actually hoping someone would attack me now.” Chen Feng deliberately put on a cryptic smile.

Bang!

As they were swiftly advancing, a building to their side, over 100 zhang in height, abruptly exploded. Countless boulders came smashing down upon Chen Feng and the others (1 zhang = 3.333 m).