Chapter Eighty-Six: Has Zhan Bai Fallen into Demonic Madness?

In Qin Feng’s heart, Li Haoran was a beast in human skin, a wretch steeped in evil, and he had to die.

But this was Mount Shujian. Li Haoran’s father was Li Xingjian. Killing Li Haoran would inevitably offend Li Xingjian, and for a master at the level of the Heavenly Gang, killing Qin Feng would be no more troublesome than a casual flick of the finger.

Thus, Li Haoran must die, but only after careful planning.

Killing a man was easy; the true difficulty lay in the aftermath.

Moreover, after the last time Li Haoran had been injured, a mysterious monster had suddenly appeared at his side to protect him. Clearly, it had been dispatched by Li Xingjian or by his mother, Qin Xinyue, to safeguard their son.

So he could be killed, yes—but only when the opportunity was right.

Jianyuan Peak was truly far away. Qin Feng took several days to reach it. Fortunately, he finally climbed to the summit. By then, his whole body was drenched in sweat; carrying Zhongwu all the way here had greatly strengthened the foundations of his physical body.

As soon as he stepped onto the mountaintop, Qin Feng exhaled a long breath of turbid air, then sat down on the ground with no regard for appearance.

Looking up, he saw the cliffs of Jianyuan Peak rising sheer and immense, the peak itself like a long sword thrust into the heavens—truly a magnificent sight. No wonder it bore the name Jianyuan.

After resting for a while, Qin Feng stood and headed toward the cave dwellings halfway up the mountain.

Jianyuan Peak was the residence of Sect Master Li Xingjian, Madam Qin Xinyue, and the disciples under them. Zhan Bai, a disciple of Li Xingjian and the leader of the Seven Cloud Swords, had carved out a cave dwelling halfway up the peak. Qin Feng climbed all the way up and, along the way, encountered many Mount Shujian disciples flying about. One group that seemed to be on patrol flew toward him.

“Hold it! State your identity, and explain why you have come to Jianyuan Peak!”

Qin Feng studied the man carefully. The leader’s attire was much the same as Zhan Bai’s—white robes and a sword on his back—but his bearing was far inferior. His face was somewhat thin and long, and his frame was not as tall or imposing as Zhan Bai’s. His cultivation appeared to be around the second level of the Human Gang Realm. Such cultivation, and yet he served merely as a mountain patrol disciple. It seemed Jianyuan Peak really was an important site within Mount Shujian.

Qin Feng did not dare be arrogant. He took out his identity tablet and tossed it to the patrolling disciple.

Then he said, “I am Qin Feng, a new outer sect disciple admitted this year. I came to Jianyuan Peak to visit Senior Brother Zhan Bai.”

“The identity tablet checks out, but...” Upon hearing that Qin Feng had come to visit Zhan Bai, the thin-faced man’s expression darkened slightly. He tossed the tablet back and explained, “Junior Brother, you need not go any farther. Senior Brother Zhan Bai, because of... certain matters, angered Master and has been sent to Ghost Sword Cliff to face the wall and reflect on his mistakes.”

“What? Ghost Sword Cliff?!”

Qin Feng was stunned.

Ghost Sword Cliff was mentioned in the Sword Canon of Shu Mountain: it was the place where, long ago, an elder of Mount Shujian had comprehended the Ghost Sword and fallen into demonic obsession. That man was slain there by the combined efforts of the elders of Mount Shujian, and afterward the cliff came to be known as Ghost Sword Cliff. It served to warn younger disciples of Mount Shujian not to stray from the righteous path and lose themselves to demonic madness through greed and desire.

Naturally, it was also often used as a place for disciples to face the wall and reflect.

Generally, any disciple showing signs of falling into demonic obsession would be confined there to repent and reform.

“Zhan Bai would fall into demonic obsession?”

What a joke.

At this sudden news, Qin Feng simply thought he had misheard.

Anyone could fall into demonic obsession. Qin Feng could as well. But Zhan Bai would not.

On this point, Qin Feng was absolutely certain.

The two of them had once shared life and death. The justice Zhan Bai upheld was also the very thing Qin Feng had always longed for. It was for that reason that Qin Feng had come to Mount Shujian, to this so-called cradle of righteous cultivation in the Kingdom of Yunqi, all for the sake of fulfilling his dream of becoming a sword immortal—a dream of justice.

“But... can all of this really be true?”

Qin Feng sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, Ghost Sword Cliff was also on Jianyuan Peak. He only needed to climb this precipitous mountain to uncover the truth of the matter.

“Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ll head back at once.”

Qin Feng thanked him, then turned and walked away. Only after the patrol of disciples had flown off did he turn back again, find a concealed place, and lie patiently in wait for nightfall.

Try going up the mountain in broad daylight?

He’d be blasted back down before long. Not only the patrol just now, but Ghost Sword Cliff itself would surely be guarded by disciples. In such an important place, how could they allow people to come and go as they pleased?

So he could only wait for night, when it would be easier to act.

Fortunately, after these past few days of carrying Zhongwu and training his body, he was already quite exhausted. Before long, lying there in ambush, Qin Feng fell into a deep sleep.

He was tucked within a thicket of weeds, so there was no fear of being discovered. Even if he were found, it would not matter; he had an outer sect disciple’s identity tablet, and with a casually invented excuse, he could bluff his way through. Jianyuan Peak might not allow random trespassers, but surely they would not forbid a man from sleeping here.

By the time he awoke, the moon was already hanging over the mountain peak.

However, tonight the moon was not very bright, veiled by dark clouds, shedding only a faint pale light.

That suited Qin Feng’s infiltration perfectly.

No matter what, he had to see Zhan Bai and clear up the doubts in his heart.

From his storage ring, Qin Feng took out the strange large black cloth he had once obtained from Ye Wuyin in the small grove at Luoyang Town and draped it over himself.

He had studied this black cloth before. It was extremely tattered, mottled with red and blue stains, greasy to the touch, and carried a faint stench—but such a ragged piece of black cloth possessed an extraordinary effect: it could conceal one’s breath and figure.

It was practically the supreme treasure for covert infiltration, murder, and plundering!

Qin Feng had even asked Tian Yao to examine it. Tian Yao had puzzled over it for a long time; it seemed familiar, yet he could not recall what it was. Still, he could infer that it ought to be part of some kind of treasure.

“What kind of treasure has a broken black cloth as one of its parts?”

Tian Yao could not explain it, and naturally Qin Feng understood even less.

Still, with this large black cloth, he could conceal himself very well. Qin Feng did not know what level of expert might still be able to detect him beneath it, but since even Tian Yao could not make it out clearly, it could not be ordinary.

Once he had draped the black cloth over himself, Qin Feng vanished at once into the darkness.

Along the way, he moved with great caution, deliberately choosing remote mountain paths. Though he encountered several patrolling stewards, none of them discovered him.

All of it was thanks to that large black cloth, and this only made Qin Feng more certain that it was no ordinary thing.

Given the chance, he would have to ask Tian Yao carefully and make him think it over: what exactly was this object?

...