Chapter Ninety: An Unprecedented Crisis

Duan Liming and his companions were seething with hatred. They had thought that with Duan Hen, a formidable ally from their clan, they could easily slay their enemy. Never did they imagine things would turn out like this, their lives now held in the hands of their foe. The loss of their storage pouches was painful, but keeping their lives was paramount. The five glanced at Chu Feng, finding nothing further to say, and left with bitter reluctance.

“It seems I’ll need a pair of spirit boots. These ordinary boots just don’t hold up.” Chu Feng patted the dirt from his clothes, slipped his boots back on, took a spirit pill, and quickly departed.

Regarding Duan Liming and his group, Chu Feng naturally harbored resentment. He let them go only because he was wary of the Eastern King clan.

Yet he did not know that matters were not developing as he expected.

After Duan Hen, Duan Liming, and the other three left, they walked along a secluded path. Suddenly, a figure appeared, blocking their way.

The newcomer was slender, not tall, clad in a black robe and wearing a silver mask. Judging from the build, it was a man.

Seeing him, Duan Hen and his companions felt a chill; an ominous premonition arose in their hearts.

“Who are you?” Duan Hen demanded.

The masked man faced them, his voice cold as ice: “I didn’t expect Chu Feng to be so clever—he actually spared your lives.”

Duan Hen’s expression grew grave. He knew this visitor came with ill intentions, and at this moment, he was utterly powerless. “What do you want?” he asked in a deep tone.

The masked man replied, “As part of my plan, your fate is already sealed. How could you possibly return alive?”

Among the five, Duan Hen, Duan Liming, and two others’ faces changed drastically, while only the man in the green robe remained composed.

The masked man acted swiftly. After spirit transformation, he drew a longsword and, in the blink of an eye, severed the heads of the four.

Duan Hen, Duan Liming, and the other two stared wide-eyed, faces frozen in terror and unwillingness, as if unable to comprehend how swiftly death had come.

After the four fell, the green-robed man smiled faintly at the masked man and said, “So in the end, you had to do it yourself. Seventh Brother, you truly have nerve—everyone from the Eastern King clan has been outplayed by you.”

“Thus, a great enemy is removed. Why not?” The masked man glanced at the four corpses, then said to the green-robed man, “Second Brother, you’re mistaken. These people weren’t outplayed by me. They died at Chu Feng’s hands.”

The green-robed man smiled and nodded, “Seventh Brother is right. They died at Chu Feng’s hands.”

“Second Brother, I leave this to you,” said the masked man.

“Rest assured. The Eastern King clan will certainly give Chu Feng a warm welcome,” responded the green-robed man, smiling.

The masked man left. The green-robed man immediately used a communication talisman to inform his family, and through them, the Eastern King clan was quickly notified.

Two clan disciples had been killed by Chu Feng. The Eastern King clan was furious, but the matter was suppressed by the Eastern King himself, avoiding outside attention.

“Go. Execute Chu Feng by slow slicing!” The Eastern King personally issued the order. He knew Chu Feng possessed a Spirit Battle Saint Command, so he did not wish to capture him, lest unforeseen complications arise. After all, killings between students were not handled by the Spirit Battle Pavilion—dead was dead—and his actions could be said to violate its principles.

A Flying Eagle warship, bearing three thousand elite soldiers, departed at lightning speed from Eastern King City. Before long, they tracked down the scene of the incident.

The green-robed man provided the commander with an account of what happened, stating that Chu Feng had entered the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range. The commander had already received information about Chu Feng, including his appearance.

In fact, when the Eastern King issued the order, he had anticipated that Chu Feng would likely enter the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, which is why he dispatched as many as three thousand elite soldiers to hunt him down.

These three thousand soldiers were all sixth-rank earth spirit warriors, well-trained, fully equipped, and adept at joint attacks. The commander was courteous to the green-robed man, inviting him aboard the warship and promising that after Chu Feng’s elimination, he would return with him.

The Flying Eagle warship hovered over a certain area above the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, which was likely within Chu Feng’s range of activity, as he had not been inside the mountains long.

The range stretched deep and mysterious, with the occasional roar of exotic beasts echoing within—evidently, they fought for survival in these wilds.

Based on intelligence, since Chu Feng had slain Duan Hen, they classified him as a formidable fifth-rank earth spirit warrior.

Combining the speed of such a warrior with the elapsed time, they roughly determined Chu Feng’s maximum range of activity.

At this point, the warship began to move, flying along the perimeter of the estimated area. At intervals, a soldier would jump down.

Each of the three thousand soldiers carried a spirit artifact called a Sun Spirit Mirror, which could detect powerful living creatures within a mile radius. Anything comparable to a first-rank earth spirit warrior would be signaled by the mirror.

The soldiers began to search toward the center of the encirclement, confident that results would come within three or four hours.

However, their calculations were off. Chu Feng could not be judged by ordinary fifth-rank earth spirit standards; in truth, he was not within their encirclement.

Upon entering the mountains, Chu Feng, wary of further schemes from Duan Liming’s group, had rushed in at his utmost speed.

His physique was remarkably robust, his speed far surpassing that of typical fifth-rank earth spirit warriors, and even rivaling the sixth-rank.

On the edge of the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, although there were lurking beasts, they were relatively weak and easily dealt with by Chu Feng.

At this moment, Chu Feng was four miles east of the encirclement, resting beneath a towering ancient tree.

He examined his spoils—the storage pouches taken from Duan Liming’s group.

Chu Feng lacked spirit power and could not open the pouches normally, but he had no intention of doing so conventionally.

With a slash of the Dominion Sword, the pouches burst open, their contents scattering across the ground.

Among the young man’s belongings, Chu Feng found over a hundred and twenty spirit stones—a surprising gain.

It seemed the youth, having attained high cultivation, required much spiritual energy and thus carried spirit stones when traveling.

Apart from this, Chu Feng had acquired nine spirit herbs, though only one was of use to him.

There were also some healing pills and medicinal ointments, as well as various valuables. Truly, the wealth of these clan scions was impressive; the combined fortune of the five amounted to a hefty sum, with banknotes alone exceeding a million taels, not to mention a dozen treasured collectibles.

As for their clothes and the ruined storage pouches, Chu Feng simply tossed them aside.

“A fine harvest indeed!” Chu Feng murmured, feeling quite content.

“Chu Feng, for killing members of the Eastern King clan, your crime warrants death! You are surrounded—surrender and you’ll keep your corpse intact!” Suddenly, a thunderous shout rang out from the distant sky.

Startled, Chu Feng wondered when he had ever killed members of the Eastern King clan. His thoughts immediately turned to Duan Liming’s group.

“Are they dead? Or was it that young man?” Chu Feng shook his head, uncertain, for he had not slain them. Though the youth was gravely wounded, as a fifth-rank earth spirit warrior, dying would have been difficult.

The one shouting was undoubtedly a master. Chu Feng’s expression darkened, sensing danger. He climbed a mountain peak, then leapt onto a tall ancient tree, peering through the foliage toward the direction of the voice.

After breaking through the First Extremity Realm, Chu Feng’s eyesight was extraordinary, far surpassing ordinary people. He clearly saw, fifty miles away in the void, a warship hovering.

He instantly realized that the Eastern King had indeed dispatched a great number of soldiers to execute him. After a moment’s silence, he could almost confirm that either Duan Liming or that young man had died, though he could not fathom how it involved him.

Chu Feng felt an unprecedented sense of crisis, knowing that even if he figured things out, it would make no difference. Now, his only option was to flee for his life.

“Truly ruthless!” Chu Feng muttered coldly. He had always known that once students left the Holy City, their lives were left to fate, with only special cases being handled. Even if he had really killed Duan Liming’s group, it would be considered a feud among students, and the Spirit Battle Pavilion would not intervene.

Chu Feng believed the Eastern King understood this well, yet as a Saint Spirit Warrior, arrogant and domineering, he had no intention of abiding by the rules any longer.

Chu Feng had not expected that, inexplicably, he was now in total opposition to the Eastern King clan.

Such a massive warship and so many men were clearly meant to capture him immediately. While Chu Feng did not know the exact size of their encirclement, he understood that if they failed to find him, the Eastern King would likely escalate.

Chu Feng recalled chatting with Xiao Yue, who mentioned a kind of spirit hound in the army, famed for tracking across ten thousand miles. Originally ordinary dogs, they became adept at tracking after being fed special spirit medicines.

From the current situation, the enemy had not deployed such means, likely due to lack of time and not yet possessing anything Chu Feng had used.

At this point, only one path remained: to break deeper into the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range. For the army, the mountains posed a significant barrier. If Chu Feng were tasked with tracking someone, he would choose spirit hounds rather than deploy large numbers of troops, for the range was vast and deploying such forces was futile.

To cross the range? Chu Feng knew his current strength was insufficient, but with no alternatives, he could only take it step by step.

Chu Feng believed that as he grew stronger, his chances of survival would increase greatly.

He calmed himself, glanced at the distant warship, then quietly descended from the ancient tree, studied his map for a while, and pressed onward into the depths of the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range.

Chu Feng gripped the Dominion Sword, his mind alert. Along the way, though great beasts blocked his path, Chu Feng easily dealt with them.

Of course, the Dominion Sword was meant for possible soldiers, not for slaying beasts. He did not kill the beasts, merely repelled them with his formidable strength; killing them might leave a trail for the enemy to follow.

Chu Feng, sword in hand, was ready to fight to the death. Yet after advancing more than ten miles, he found he had not encountered any soldiers.

Clearly, things were better than he had anticipated. A single warship with thousands of soldiers could not form such a vast encirclement.

Chu Feng concluded at once that he was not within their circle, and so was somewhat reassured.

Nonetheless, he knew that safety was only temporary. He must prepare thoroughly, for an encounter was only a matter of time.