Chapter 102: Two Paths Available

Qin Feng felt utterly speechless.

The battle had erupted with such suddenness that the disciples of the Shu Sword Mountain had no time to react before their formations were thrown into chaos. Their initial tactical layout was completely shattered, leaving the squads scattered and forced to fight individually. Everywhere he looked, there was a sea of people and a field of corpses, making it impossible to discern any direction.

Caught in the thick of the fray, Qin Feng found himself near the center of the battlefield. The endless stream of enemies made it extremely difficult for him to extricate himself. Surveying his surroundings, he saw that his own squad had been torn apart. Li Haoran, Huo Siyan, and Old Man Qiu had all been swept away in the chaos. The Shu Sword Mountain disciples who had been by his side had all fallen in battle, leaving Qin Feng to fight alone.

"If Li Haoran is dead, all the better," he thought. He wasn't too worried about Huo Siyan, but Old Man Qiu was a concern; the old man was only at the tenth level of the Mortal Gale Realm, and whether he could save his own skin was anyone's guess. This was Qin Feng’s first time experiencing a battle of such magnitude, and he had not expected it to be so brutal. He fought as he retreated, slowly making his way toward the edge of the battlefield.

"Roar!"

His current opponent was a formidable giant corpse of the strength-based variety—a hulking mass of explosive, dead muscle. It dragged a thick, crimson iron chain that was clearly stained with the blood of many Shu Sword Mountain disciples. The one controlling this monstrosity was a master from the Earth Corpse Sect at the Human Gale Realm. The man looked to be in his thirties, clad in black, standing atop the giant corpse’s shoulder. He licked his scarlet lips, eyes locked on Qin Feng. Wherever Qin Feng went, he followed, clearly marking him as a "soft target."

"Damn it!" Qin Feng did not want to waste time; he just wanted to escape the battlefield as quickly as possible. However, the man mistook his caution for fear and commanded the giant corpse to swing its massive iron chain toward him.

A flicker of anger crossed Qin Feng’s face. "You’re courting death!"

In a flash, Qin Feng dodged the crushing blow and vanished. He reappeared directly before the giant corpse, swinging his heavy blade, Chongwu, with all his might toward the man on its shoulder. As a body cultivator, Qin Feng’s agility was far beyond his opponent’s expectations. A fierce look flashed in the man’s eyes as he pulled a palm-sized white bone shield from his robes, which instantly expanded to block the strike.

Qin Feng sneered. Under the infusion of the Three Thousand Dragon God Power, the muscles in his arms swelled visibly. He hammered his blade directly against the white bone shield.

Brute force broke the defense.

With a thunderous "boom," the bone shield was smashed to pieces by Chongwu. The momentum remained unchecked, crushing the man and half of the giant corpse’s torso into a mangled mess. The giant corpse could no longer stand and collapsed backward with a crash.

"Hmph, a weakling who couldn't even withstand a single blow." The opponent had underestimated him and paid the ultimate price, reduced to a pile of gore by Qin Feng’s blade. Qin Feng didn't care about the details; on the battlefield, it was kill or be killed. Underestimating one's enemy was a one-way ticket to death. He didn't care about the process, only the result. Whoever stood at the end was the victor.

With a cold snort, Qin Feng hoisted Chongwu onto his shoulder and prepared to leave. But after only a few steps, he heard the clanking of chains behind him. He looked back to see the mangled remains of the black-clad cultivator beginning to squirm. The gore seeped rapidly into the crevices of the ruined giant corpse, causing its body to twitch violently. It was clearly a fusion technique—and a suicidal one at that.

The black-clad disciple of the Earth Corpse Sect was dead, but before passing, he had activated a secret art to use the corpse's energy to take his opponent with him. By the time Qin Feng realized what was happening, the giant corpse had begun to bulge rapidly. The necromantic secret art had taken effect; it was about to self-destruct!

Seeing the danger, Qin Feng tucked Chongwu into his storage ring and leaped forward at top speed. However, he had underestimated the enemy's resolve to die with him. The explosion of the massive corpse tore everything within a radius of several dozen meters to shreds. The shockwave caught Qin Feng, blasting him into a small grove of trees ahead. He wasn't injured, though his blood qi was somewhat agitated.

Once inside the grove, Qin Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had at least exited the main battlefield, where enemies were fewer. If he remained cautious, he should avoid further trouble. He found a patch of tall grass, cleared a space with his blade to ensure no one was hiding, and crawled in. He draped his black shroud over himself to mask his aura and waited in silence. After several powerful divine senses swept past the area, he carefully emerged and headed in a different direction.

Such groves were common throughout the Tianhuan Mountains. Yet, Qin Feng remained vigilant; forests were ideal spots for ambushes, especially for a demonic sect like the Earth Corpse Sect.

As he moved deeper into the woods, he heard screams in the distance. Identifying their source, he chose to take a wide detour. Whether it was the Shu Sword Mountain or the Earth Corpse Sect, it had nothing to do with him. His only goal was to cross the Tianhuan Mountains and leave the Shu Sword Mountain behind. Protected by his black shroud and his own keen divine sense, he easily bypassed many dangers, even skillfully dodging several groups of Earth Gale Realm experts passing through the area.

The grove was not large, and before long, he reached its edge. As he stepped out, the view opened up, but a new dilemma faced him.

There were two paths. One led down the mountain; there were no living people in sight, but the ground was littered with the mangled remains of Shu Sword Mountain disciples. Qin Feng frowned.

The other path led up the mountain. In the distance, seventy-two strange, massive black coffins were laid out in neat rows across the center of the path. The path up had no corpses—only coffins. The path down had no coffins—only countless shattered bodies.

Should he go up or down?

In truth, either path would allow him to leave the Shu Sword Mountain, but he knew both were fraught with extraordinary danger and hidden traps. Still, a choice had to be made. Qin Feng closed his eyes; when he opened them again, a purple light shimmered within.

Suddenly, his expression shifted drastically. His gaze locked onto one of the coffins on the path leading up.