Chapter Sixty-Three: A Promise Upon Parting

Somewhere outside the Yunmang Mountains.

High in the air, a six-pointed star suddenly shimmered, and with a violent twist of space, a rift was forcibly torn open. Four people were spat out from within—it was Qin Feng, Zhan Bai, Tu Zheng, and Shi Yuan.

“Damn!”

Because they were still midair, Zhan Bai immediately summoned his flying sword. With a swift incantation, the sword enlarged to nearly ten feet long, just enough to bear the weight of the falling four, delivering them safely to the ground.

The teleportation had jolted the two unconscious companions awake. Now, both lay flat on the earth, retching violently.

Zhan Bai was merely a shade paler than usual.

Qin Feng didn’t fare much better, his stomach churning tumultuously.

Such intense spatial upheaval had nearly rattled their bones apart—an aftereffect of the teleportation array for which there was truly no remedy. Yet, as one’s cultivation advanced, resistance to this discomfort would gradually increase.

Tu Zheng was the most gravely wounded, and with Hua Ruyan’s death, his spirits had sunk low. He lay on the ground, hollow-eyed, staring blankly at the sky…

Shi Yuan, on the other hand, was in better shape. The high-grade defensive artifact she’d picked up had saved her life; though wounded, her injuries were not severe enough to hinder her movements.

“Is the Crimson Corpse Ancestor dead? And where are we now?”

Once she’d recovered a little, Shi Yuan glanced around and asked.

“Yes, the Crimson Corpse Ancestor was slain by Brother Zhan! We should be outside the Yunmang Mountains now.” Zhan Bai had just opened his mouth to speak when Qin Feng answered first.

Zhan Bai glanced at Qin Feng, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.

“I see. At least my life was spared,” Shi Yuan said, her wild little face tinged with lingering fear. After all, Zhan Bai wielded the Supreme Xuan Eight Extremes Sword—he was the most capable of killing the Crimson Corpse Ancestor. Having survived this ordeal, she patted her chest repeatedly, still shaken.

This time, they had indeed been careless—nine had set out, yet only four returned!

Most had perished or been gravely wounded.

Once she’d calmed down, Shi Yuan seemed to recall something. She slapped her beast pouch and released the massive python that had earlier swallowed Fang Xinyi. Appearing docile, the python opened its jaws and spat out Fang Xinyi. When the others looked, they saw her cheeks were rosy, completely unharmed.

Zhan Bai immediately relaxed.

All that remained was to return to Shu Sword Mountain, beseech his master, and see if there might be a way to restore the half-devoured soul of Fang Xinyi.

“My friends, now that all is settled, I must take Xinyi and hurry back to Shu Sword Mountain. I cannot linger here a moment longer—until we meet again!” Zhan Bai was the first to bid farewell.

The urgency in Zhan Bai’s eyes was plain for all to see, and everyone understood how he must feel in this moment.

So, Qin Feng was the first to clasp his hands and bid him goodbye. “Brother Zhan, until we meet again!”

“Until we meet again!”

With that, Zhan Bai drew his sword, swept Fang Xinyi into his arms, and leapt onto the blade. In a flash of silver light, he soared away, disappearing at once into the distant sky.

Such style, such grace!

Truly—

The sword immortal is the most enviable of cultivators! Especially the ability to ride a sword through the skies—such a dazzling sight is an irresistible temptation to anyone.

In this moment, the heroic bearing of Zhan Bai the Sword Immortal left a deep impression on Qin Feng: righteous, dashing—an embodiment of heroism itself.

Yet Qin Feng knew well that to become a sword immortal was no easy feat.

Let alone finding a legendary sword—even if one did, the blade might not accept its master. The greatest limitation of a sword immortal lies with the blade itself: without a supreme sword of peerless quality, one’s achievements can only go so far.

Hence, most sword immortals spend their entire lives seeking a sword worthy of legend.

After Zhan Bai departed, Qin Feng turned to Shi Yuan.

The wild, beautiful girl was grinning at him.

After the battle at Blood Qi Shrine, everyone’s impression of Qin Feng had changed greatly. This shift was a recognition: they now held absolute trust in one another.

“Qin Feng, I’m going to take Tu Zheng back to his clan.”

She hesitated, then pursed her lips shyly, “If you ever have the chance to come to Hundred Beasts Mountain, you must look for me. Until we meet again!”

“Until we meet again!”

Qin Feng nodded. Truth be told, he was quite fond of this clear-souled girl.

After their farewells, Shi Yuan released a giant eagle from her beast pouch. With one hand, she grabbed the soul-lost Tu Zheng, leapt lightly onto the eagle’s back, waved to Qin Feng, and urged the great bird away into the sky.

In a twinkling, all had gone.

Qin Feng was left standing there, all alone.

He shrugged.

Once more, he looked toward the Yunmang Mountains. The morning sun was already rising behind the clouds, casting half its face over the land. The mist atop the Yunmang Mountains was beginning to dissipate.

Clouds part, mists clear.

“Dawn has come.”

“It’s time to head home.”

Qin Feng let out a long sigh.

This journey to the Yunmang Mountains had yielded him great rewards—not only had he successfully advanced to the Human Gang Realm, but he’d also obtained a supremely evil artifact.

After reaching Human Gang, his cultivation speed had clearly slowed compared to the Mortal Gang stage; the amount of elemental energy required for each step was staggering. This was not something that could be achieved overnight.

As for that supremely evil artifact…

Qin Feng’s brow furrowed.

One of the Seventy-Nine Ancient Heaven-Slaughtering Evil Weapons!

And it ranked seventy-fourth!

Just the name “Heaven-Slaughtering Evil Weapon” was enough to make one realize this was no ordinary object. Mishandle it, and it might backfire with fatal consequences. Yet, images from Blood Qi Shrine kept flashing through Qin Feng’s mind, leaving him hesitant.

“To keep it or not?”

“I’ll decide once I return home!”

With a sigh, Qin Feng made up his mind.

He retrieved the Cloud Tiger Beast from his storage pouch, mounted it, turned in the direction of Luoyang Town, and sped away.

The journey was smooth and not far; traveling day and night, Qin Feng soon reached Luoyang Town.

Yet, just before entering the town, a thought struck him. He suppressed the powerful aura of his Gang energy, masking it down to the level of the tenth stage of the Mortal Gang Realm.

There were few masters in Luoyang Town.

If he didn’t actively reveal his strength, even his grandfather would not know he had advanced to the Human Gang Realm.

Once within the town, those who knew him looked at him with odd expressions.

Qin Feng thought for a moment and quickly understood. The incident in Tianfeng City, where he awakened a death soul, was likely no secret within the Qin family of Luoyang Town by now. After all, dozens of younger disciples had witnessed it, and with so much time passed, it was probably common knowledge in the entire town.

“I suppose certain restless elements are already stirring?”

“Hmph, just as well—this is the perfect chance to wipe out those who deserve it once and for all!”

At this thought, the corners of Qin Feng’s mouth lifted in a faint smile.

…