Chapter 88: An Ambush

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A month had passed since Chu Feng left Jingsheng City. During this month, his journey had been swift; he advanced over a thousand miles, largely because there were fewer mountains along the way.

Along the journey, Chu Feng encountered several villages and passed through two cities. As always, he remained discreet, and though he met some members of the Spirit Battle Pavilion on the road, there were no conflicts.

Though the mountains were sparse, Chu Feng still gained much. In a gorge, he harvested a Blackheart Mushroom.

According to the “Compendium of Spiritual Herbs,” the Blackheart Mushroom is a rare spiritual herb and highly poisonous. Even a touch can poison an average Spirit Warrior, and those with weak cultivation might die.

This herb was required for his medicinal formula, yet it was not available in the Hall of Spiritual Herbs.

Naturally, Chu Feng carefully picked the mushroom and stored it in a medicinal box, which he placed in his storage ring.

Though highly toxic, the body-strengthening formula he used already required poisonous ingredients. Since breaking through the First Extreme Realm, Chu Feng had developed a certain resistance to toxins. A mere touch would not poison him; only ingesting the mushroom might do harm.

That morning, as usual, Chu Feng sat in meditation atop a mountain peak, calmly comprehending the way of the sword.

Afterward, he drew the Domain Suppressing Sword and began practicing his sword techniques. His mind was clear and empty; he lost himself in the insights of the “Sword Dao,” gradually closing his eyes.

Various states of mind shifted and transformed. His spirit seemed to wander between heaven and earth, and slowly, he faintly touched upon that mysterious and ethereal state he had once entered when unleashing sword energy.

Unknowingly, Chu Feng’s spiritual consciousness began to emanate—not by his will, but naturally.

In a sudden instant, a familiar feeling returned to his heart. Excitement surged within him, though he quickly regained composure. He sensed he was on the verge of touching that ethereal realm.

He was astonished to discover that his spiritual consciousness diffused into the void, resonating subtly with it.

Within the range of his spiritual sense, Chu Feng made another discovery: a thin, mist-like layer was enveloping the blade of the Domain Suppressing Sword.

It was so faint it could hardly be seen with the naked eye, but his spiritual sense could feel it.

“Could this be the mysterious power that infuses the sword?” Chu Feng’s heart raced.

He had no time to ponder further, unwilling to interrupt the profound state he was in. He concentrated, realizing that the state he had entered was not exactly the same as that elusive, almost unreal realm, but there was a faint resemblance. The key, he sensed, lay in the release of spiritual consciousness.

This was progress. Chu Feng relaxed his body and mind, pushing his sword technique to the limit and experiencing it deeply. Sometimes he felt extremely close to that ethereal state, separated only by a thin veil; at other times, it seemed distant as if divided by an abyss.

This state lasted for two whole hours, and only when he fully grasped it did Chu Feng stop.

Now, when he released his spiritual consciousness and wielded his sword, he could easily enter that particular state and sense the mysterious power entwined about the blade.

“It seems that when I unleashed that sword energy before, my spiritual consciousness had already been released unconsciously—I just hadn’t realized it.” Chu Feng mused, his spirit uplifted. Without a doubt, his comprehension of the “Sword Dao” had made a breakthrough.

Five days later, Chu Feng arrived at Wanshan City.

Wanshan City was named for the Ten Thousand Mountains, for beyond it lay the vast range of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

The Hundred Thousand Mountains stretched on endlessly, spanning a million miles, each peak at least a thousand fathoms high.

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The Hundred Thousand Mountains were perilous and ancient—a range older than any in human territory, a true primordial forest. Towering ancient trees soared a hundred meters high, and some, it was said, even reached a thousand meters, so vast that hundreds could not encircle them.

Such an immense, flourishing wilderness was naturally abundant in resources and spiritual herbs, which was precisely why Chu Feng had come.

But this was only one reason. The Hundred Thousand Mountains were known for their dangers; ordinary cultivators dared not enter.

It was as if a mysterious power suffused these mountains, where ancient trees outlived all others, and strange beasts of every kind abounded.

These beasts were colossal and savage, unlike anything found elsewhere. Though not true demons, their armored hides and formidable bodies surpassed even many Earth Spirit Warriors. Since ancient times, it was rumored that these beasts might possess traces of demon blood.

Chu Feng’s other purpose in coming was to temper his body. In his view, before becoming a Heaven Spirit Warrior, there was no better place for body refinement.

Within this range, no city could exist. So before entering the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Chu Feng decided to stay in Wanshan City for a few days. Along the way, he had worn out countless pairs of shoes and needed to replenish his supplies, including clothing and other necessities.

Three days later, Chu Feng left Wanshan City and set out toward the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Half an hour later, Chu Feng’s heart tightened—he sensed killing intent.

He immediately became alert. Suddenly, the scenery changed. The trees and grass vanished, replaced by a sea of fire; even the stones on the ground glowed red-hot.

“A barrier!” Chu Feng instantly realized he was trapped—not knowing if he’d stumbled into someone’s snare by accident or was being deliberately targeted. If the latter, it meant his movements had been leaked.

The temperature soared; wild flames swept toward him, threatening to burn him to ashes.

At this moment, the Violet Battle Robe shone, shielding Chu Feng with an extraordinary aura and resisting the flames.

But without spiritual power to fuel it, the Violet Battle Robe could not unleash its full strength.

The flames were powerful and soon broke through the violet light. In a flash, burning heat wrapped about Chu Feng’s body.

Almost instantly, his shoes—unprotected by the robe—were reduced to ash.

Chu Feng remained calm. He touched his hair and found his once-flowing locks had been scorched to short stubble. He quickly realized that the hair unscathed by the flames must have grown after he broke through the Extreme Realm.

“Fortunately, the new hair also broke through, or I’d be bald by now. And thank goodness for the Violet Battle Robe, or I’d be standing here naked,” Chu Feng thought, secretly relieved.

Though inexperienced with barriers, Chu Feng had read about them in the Heaven Battalion. He knew that if one had enough strength, barriers could be broken by force—a truth the Golden Hall Master had often emphasized.

Though the barrier seemed boundless, it had limits—one’s eyes could be deceived.

This barrier was not large. Walking through the flames a short distance, Chu Feng reached a wall-like edge.

Without hesitation, he struck with his fist. With a resounding crash, the barrier wall broke open, and the entire illusion shattered—the flames vanished.

The real world returned. Chu Feng glanced around, said nothing, then took a pair of boots from his storage ring.

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As he opened his storage ring, his spiritual sense spread out fifty yards and quickly detected several people hiding behind a massive boulder.

Chu Feng was momentarily dazed, unsure if this was coincidence. Five people hid behind the rock—three of whom he recognized. It was the group he’d confronted outside the Xuan Battalion over Yu Feng; one was Duan Liming.

Chu Feng had not expected Duan Liming to be the one ambushing him here.

Clearly, neither Duan Liming nor the other two had the skill to set such a barrier. Of the other two, one was a youth in blue, seventeen or eighteen at most; the other, a young man in silver, perhaps twenty-one or twenty-two.

It seemed likely the silver-clad youth had set the barrier.

For a moment, many thoughts flashed through Chu Feng’s mind. Was the Dongwang Clan truly moving against him, tracking his every step? Yet, on reflection, it seemed wrong—the Dongwang Clan had deep foundations and many talents; if they truly wished to deal with him, they would not send Duan Liming. Unless they had absolute confidence in the silver-clad youth. But from what he had seen, Chu Feng did not think the young man posed a real threat.

Chu Feng sat on a stone, lost in thought as he donned his boots. Once composed, he stood and, without glancing at the boulder, said coolly, “Why hide? If you don’t come out now, I’ll be on my way.”

Soon enough, Duan Liming and the others leapt out to face him.

Clearly, they were shaken by how effortlessly Chu Feng had shattered the barrier.

Yet their shock did not show. Duan Liming looked at Chu Feng, his gaze cold and tinged with anger. He said darkly, “You’re hard to kill. Even that didn’t finish you off.”

Chu Feng glanced at Duan Liming, his own expression icy. “You? Not qualified. You’d best worry about yourselves.”

Duan Liming sneered, betraying no fear—evidently full of confidence in the silver-clad youth at his side.

In fact, Duan Liming had not tracked Chu Feng here; they were near the Hundred Thousand Mountains on another mission. It was only by chance that they had seen Chu Feng in Wanshan City. With the young man present, Duan Liming saw an excellent opportunity. They set up the barrier in advance, hoping to kill him.

Chu Feng ignored Duan Liming and looked at the youth. “The barrier was your work? Its power was a bit lacking.”

“I’m not especially skilled with barriers, but it was enough. You do have some strength. Still, I have many ways to kill you,” the youth replied, calm and supremely confident.

“Is that so? If you intend to kill, be prepared to be killed. If you cannot keep me here today, I will keep you.” Chu Feng’s anger stirred; a cold light flashed in his eyes as he stared at the youth. “Are you prepared for that?”

The youth’s expression hardened, murderous intent surging as he replied, “The Dongwang Clan does not tolerate insult. Otherwise—death!”