Chapter 444 - 278: Eradicating Evil, Foiling the Plot

Chapter 444: Chapter 278: Eradicating Evil, Foiling the Plot

Night fell, and the roars of beasts echoed outside Celestial Rock City.

A constant stream of beasts attacked, and the pressure on Yu Fei’s section of the wall increased dramatically.

Sixth-rank beasts had already begun to appear in the attacks, but he had yet to encounter one.

In his most outwardly dangerous encounter, a flock of 5th-rank avian beasts attacked. Yu Fei, his sword wreathed in wind-aspected Gang Qi, seemed to defeat them by the narrowest of margins. To Zhuang Yan, however, this was a display of Yu Fei’s superb Swordsmanship.

He carefully controlled his power, presenting himself as a Five Realms Divine Intent Martial Artist with exceptional Swordsmanship and Body Technique, so as not to startle everyone.

At dawn, a 6th-rank beast charged his position. He reined in the power of his Sword Qi, managing to hold it at bay until Zhuang Yan sent reinforcements to deal with it.

"Mr. Gao, that was hard work. Get some rest. This Green Sea Qi Tide will last for a while, so you need to conserve your strength!"

"We here at Celestial Rock City have prepared supplies for everyone. We’ll need to trouble you to come help again in twelve hours."

Yu Fei smiled. "You’re too kind, Mr. Zhuang. This Green Sea Qi Tide is truly bizarre. I’m just glad Celestial Rock City took me in!"

"Haha, go get some rest. After the Green Sea Qi Tide is over, I’ll host a banquet to thank you all!"

Yu Fei was led to a stone chamber not far from the base of the city wall. This was his designated resting place. Someone had already brought in a table laden with food, and the sight of it made him realize how hungry he was.

Among the food on the table, the meat dishes were nothing special—there was no shortage of beasts here—but the Spirit Fruits, vegetarian dishes, and hot meals were a true rarity.

Though the Mist Sea was covered in forests, Spirit Fruits were extremely scarce.

The forests here were affected by a warping power, and most of the fruit they bore was inedible. The non-toxic ones, in turn, had a poor taste.

He had eaten plenty of cold rations in the Eternal Night Forest. While they were packed with energy, it never felt like a proper meal.

In addition, there were several Qi-replenishing medicinal drinks.

After he finished eating, Yu Fei put away the Qi-replenishing drinks, had a servant clear the table, and then lay down on the bed.

A moment later, he used his waypoint ability to leave the room, teleporting near the Hidden Tiger Gang’s headquarters.

The two Grandmasters from the Great Wilderness Sect he had sensed the other day were here.

’It’s only been a few months, yet so many new Great Wilderness Sect disciples have appeared here.’

He had memorized their auras last time. Once a disciple of the Great Wilderness Sect was tainted by the warping power, their physical conditioning improved significantly. More importantly, they emitted a strange odor, like rotting vegetation.

Yu Fei needed to get close to identify them using his sense of smell. ℴℴ𝘮

After a sweep of the area, he discovered that there were far fewer Great Wilderness Sect disciples this time. All of them, about thirty or so, were at the Gang Qi Realm. They were gathered in a separate stone chamber.

The two Grandmaster-level Martial Artists were alone in a room within the Hidden Tiger Gang’s headquarters.

"The Sect Leader has ordered us to extinguish the flames and let the beasts into the city. We..." a silver-haired Grandmaster from the Hidden Tiger Gang said, his voice trailing off.

’This Sect Leader must be the head of the Great Wilderness Sect,’ Yu Fei mused. ’But when did a power like this emerge? Is there a Martial Saint behind them?’

"Muhuu, I’m afraid the two of us are no match for Shi Lan and their two companions. Even with our disciples, I still think this is an impossible task."

Zhang Song’s expression was grave; he was not optimistic about the Sect Leader’s orders.

"Besides, the Sect Leader only said to organize one attempt. He never said the two of us had to go into battle ourselves! I say we let our subordinates give it a try. If an opportunity presents itself, then we can make a move."

"If it doesn’t work, there’s no need for us to risk our lives!"

Muhuu nodded. "Honestly, I’m still spooked by that bizarre incident last time. So many of our disciples just vanished without a trace—no sign of them alive or dead. In this massive Celestial Rock City stronghold, only the two of us were left. It’s just too strange!"

A flicker of fear showed in Zhang Song’s eyes as well. They were Grandmasters, true, but they were even more terrified of things they couldn’t comprehend. The worst kind of fear is the one you create in your own head.

"The entrance to our secret passage is right beneath our feet, and our only hidden tunnel wasn’t discovered. Yet so many disciples just disappeared. Who was the enemy? How did they appear? And how did they leave?"

"Until we solve these mysteries, let me tell you, I still don’t dare to sleep too soundly in this city."

The two men looked at each other, a mutual understanding passing between them: they would only go through the motions.

"Then let’s pick half the men. Have them try to destroy the flames in three days. If it works, great. If not, we’ll just let it be."

Zhang Song shook his head. "Send all of them. That way, even if they fail, we can still report that we completed our task. And if a real opportunity arises, it won’t be too late for us to act!"

In the martial world, age erodes courage.

Both men were getting on in years. They had joined the Great Wilderness Sect only to extend their lives, and had no intention of dying for its cause.

Yu Fei had no plans to move against the two Grandmasters. A Grandmaster Martial Artist’s strength surpassed that of a 7th-rank beast, and there were two of them.

However, he wasn’t going to leave just yet. If he allowed more than thirty Gang Qi Realm Martial Artists from the Great Wilderness Sect to destroy the flames, it would be a huge problem if they succeeded.

In his perception, the auras of all the lit flames in the city were interconnected. He wasn’t sure if extinguishing a portion of them would break this connection. When the Green Sea Qi Tide struck, he could use his waypoint to escape, but the tens of thousands of Martial Artists in the city would be in grave danger.

Thinking this, Yu Fei decided to use his old trick. He used his Sword Qi’s ability to pierce through space and teleported into the hidden underground chamber where the men were hiding.

Suddenly, thirty-two streams of Sword Qi flowed out. A tiny wound appeared on the forehead of each Great Wilderness Sect disciple, and in a single pulse of Sword Qi, all of them were killed.

After his recent life-and-death battles in the Eternal Night Forest, the killing power of Yu Fei’s Sword Qi had increased dramatically. An ordinary Gang Qi Realm Martial Artist was incredibly fragile in his hands.