When Cai Xiaowen saw the spiritual qi sword rushing toward him, realization struck like a bolt of lightning. They had been discovered from the very beginning. A bitter, self-mocking smile crept onto his lips—his final expression—before the blades impaled him. In the next instant, his body was torn apart, shredded into bloody pieces.
The two other members of Xiao Zendong's team met the same gruesome end. Despite their powerful cultivation at the Transcending Tribulation stage, being caught off guard by a tier 8 array was more than enough to seal their fate.
Only Xiao Zendong managed to narrowly escape. Relying on supernatural reflexes and a secret escape technique, he tore free from the trap—though not unscathed. His left arm was severed in the process, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
His face turned ashen, drained from blood loss and the searing pain. With the loss of an arm, his combat strength had dropped by at least twenty percent. Whatever hope he had of completing the assassination was now gone.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it! How did a barbarian see through everything?!'
He staggered back, then glanced toward the center of the array. His eyes locked onto Feng Fan, standing at the core, smirking openly at him. That expression, calm and mocking, stoked the flames of Xiao Zendong's rage.
But he didn't linger. Rage was useless here. He had no intention of dying like a fool.
Teeth clenched, eyes burning, Xiao Zendong turned and bolted, heading straight for the breach in the array they had opened upon entry. That was his only chance at survival.
But when Xiao Zendong arrived at the entry point, his heart sank; there was no breach for him to leave. The array was perfectly intact, seamless as if it had never been touched.
Only then did the horrifying truth dawn on him.
They hadn't been discovered during the assassination attempt; they had been watched from the very beginning.
"Impossible… How can they have an Array Master that skilled?" he muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief and rising fear.
"Oh? Why couldn't we?" a voice echoed behind him.
Xiao Zendong spun around—and there he was. Feng Fan stood just a few dozen meters away, hands behind his back, a mocking grin on his face. Despite letting a high-value target escape a perfectly laid ambush, Feng Fan had made no move to call for reinforcements. The reason was simple; the immortal dagger on Xiao Zendong's body was far too valuable. It would be his and his alone.
If the Transcending Tribulation experts from his own camp joined the fight, they would undoubtedly try to claim Xiao Zendong's dagger for themselves. That was something Feng Fan absolutely couldn't accept.
Xiao Zendong's gaze sharpened as he studied Feng Fan. The realization struck like a slap to the face—this man, this barbarian, the one who had seen through all their schemes and toyed with them from the shadows... wasn't even a Dao Seeking realm expert.
It was a humiliation he would carry to his grave.
"To think I'd be outplayed by someone like you," he snarled, eyes filled with venom.
There was no way out now. The array was too powerful to break through from the inside fast enough. If he wanted to escape, he had to kill the one controlling it.
And now that the bastard had willingly stepped within reach.
Xiao Zendong's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging across his temples as if they might burst at any second. His lips curled in fury, and his breath came in sharp, ragged gasps.
Never in his entire life had he felt so utterly humiliated.
"I'll skin you alive!" he roared, his voice laced with murderous rage.
The moment the words left his mouth, his figure blurred, vanishing like a ghost.
Despite not being able to follow Xiao Zendong's movements with the naked eye, Feng Fan stood as still as a mountain. Not a single muscle twitched. There was no fear in his gaze. His lips curved into a smirk, as if mocking Xiao Zendong's fury.
After all, Feng Fan wouldn't have shown himself so boldly unless he was completely certain of his ability to handle the situation.
Spiritual qi began to gather around his hands, swirling and dancing like miniature storms. His fingers moved with grace, drawing complex runes into the air in a flash.
Just then, Xiao Zendong reappeared behind Feng Fan, his dagger already mid-thrust, aimed straight for the base of Feng Fan's skull. The blade glinted with ominous light, black spiritual qi writhing along its edge like hungry shadows.
But Feng Fan didn't flinch. He didn't even bother to turn around.
A barrier erupted behind him, radiating terrifying power. Though small compared to the massive one enveloping Red Pole's camp, this was still a tier 8 defensive array, dense enough to withstand a full-force strike from most Transcending Tribulation cultivators.
And yet, as the dagger collided with the barrier, a sharp cracking noise echoed out like ice splitting beneath a heavy boot. Fractures spread across the surface of the array.
Xiao Zendong's eyes gleamed with vicious triumph.
But Feng Fan's reaction was the opposite of fear. His grin widened in delight, his eyes sparkling like a child discovering treasure.
'Just as I suspected… that really is an Immortal artifact!'
Xiao Zendong wasn't strong enough to pierce through his defensive formation so easily. Only with an artifact forged beyond the mortal realm could do that. Feng Fan wasn't angry—he was thrilled. That weapon was going to make him rich.
Xiao Zendong, however, saw only his enemy's impending death. "DIE!" he shouted, pouring more spiritual qi into his arm, driving the dagger forward with brutal force.
With a final shatter like breaking glass, the barrier cracked open, and the dagger shot forward, straight toward Feng Fan's exposed neck.
But it met only empty air.
Xiao Zendong blinked. The body in front of him flickered, then vanished like smoke.
A voice purred behind him. "Looking for me?"
Before Xiao Zendong could even begin to turn, a dry crack rang through the air—followed by a surge of excruciating pain that exploded through his lower body. It was so sudden and intense that it blanked his mind, robbed him of breath.