Du Lang's entire body trembled as he watched Ling Feng kill Zi She in what was practically an insta-kill. An uncontrollable fear surged through him.
But Du Lang reacted quickly. The moment Ling Feng struck Zi She down, he turned and fled without a second thought for his fallen comrade.
Ling Feng didn't bother chasing him. The Demonic Jiao Prince would come looking sooner or later—he just had to wait at the entrance of Zuowang Valley.
Meanwhile, Jiang Biyi was still shaken, her face pale. Ling Feng patted her back reassuringly until she finally calmed down a little—only to glare at him indignantly.
"Hmph! And you say you're not a pervert! Taking advantage of me at every chance!"
Ling Feng's eye twitched. "Pretty sure you were the one who threw yourself at me. And now I'm the bad guy?"
Jiang Biyi placed her hands on her hips. "You scared me half to death earlier! Wuwuwu..."
She shuddered, recalling how close she'd come to dying.
Ling Feng ignored her dramatics and shrugged. "Where's Brother Ye? Shouldn't he be protecting you? And Senior Wei? I checked the inn—he should've met up with you by now."
"Oho! So you do care about me!"
Jiang Biyi's tears instantly turned into a smug grin. "Fine, since you're so worried, I'll reluctantly forgive you!"
Ling Feng resisted the urge to facepalm. This girl...
"Uncle Wei was lured away by those demons," Jiang Biyi explained, her expression turning serious. "Then Ye Xingnan got captured by those jerks! If I didn't have... that woman's Qianyuan Heavenly Barrier, you wouldn't be seeing me right now! Wuwu..."
Ling Feng rubbed his nose. He didn't know who "that woman" was, but from Wei Wuyan's tone, she had to be someone incredibly powerful.
What puzzled him was the complicated mix of emotions Jiang Biyi seemed to have toward her—resentment, affection, and something else he couldn't quite place.
"By the way, bad guy, why are you here?" Jiang Biyi bit her lip guiltily. "I didn't tell you about the Wuji Cave Heaven, did I?"
She pouted. "I didn't mean to hide it! Uncle Wei said I couldn't tell anyone. Plus, I have to go in and retrieve something!"
"I'm not blaming you."
Ling Feng smiled faintly. As troublesome as Jiang Biyi could be, her childish temper made it impossible to stay mad at her.
"From you and Brother Ye's movements that day, I guessed you were here for something important." He ruffled her hair. "Turns out I was right. And since I found out about the Wuji Cave Heaven from the demons, it's not like you spilled the secret."
"Yay!" Jiang Biyi beamed. "Then you'll help me get what I need inside, right?"
"Did I say that?" Ling Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Hmph! Too bad! I'm sticking with you now, and you can't shake me off!"
She plopped down beside him, arms crossed.
Ling Feng sighed. "Fine, fine. Senior Wei gave me a treasure, so looking after you is the least I can do while he's gone."
As they spoke, Wang Chuanjia and the others approached, dragging Xue Ji along. Ling Feng glanced at her coldly.
"Seems your friends abandoned you."
"Demons don't need friends," Xue Ji hissed. "I'm useless to you now. Just kill me."
Ling Feng shook his head. "Oh no, you still have one last use—leading me to the Lingxu Spring."
Xue Ji's face twisted in fury. This humanis insufferable!
"You wanted to use us as cannon fodder," Ling Feng said, gripping her chin. "Now it's your turn."
His voice turned icy. "And you don't get a say in the matter."
Meanwhile, the Demonic Jiao Prince, having successfully captured and brainwashed Cao Meng into a puppet, was heading back to the rendezvous point, waiting for the Wuji Cave Heaven to open at the third watch.
But as they traveled, Du Lang came stumbling toward them in a panic.
"Third—Third Prince!"
Du Lang crashed to his knees, wailing. "Disaster! Xue Ji's been captured! Hei Xiong and Zi She—they're dead! Killed by some brat!"
The Demonic Jiao Prince grabbed Du Lang by the collar, his eyes blazing. "Say that again!"
"Th-That human from the Northwestern Army—he's a monster! He killed Zi She in one move!"
Du Lang trembled uncontrollably, remembering how Ling Feng had drained Zi She's king beast bloodline for some twisted martial art. If he'd been a second slower, he'd have ended up as "supplements" too.
The prince's face darkened. "A king-tier expert? You dare lie to me?!"
With a sickening splatter, Pei Shao's head exploded like a melon.
This was all his fault! If he hadn't claimed there was only one king-tier expert among them, they wouldn't have suffered such losses!
Poor Pei Shao—wrongfully accused even in death!
Blood sprayed across Du Lang's face as he stammered, "Third Prince, he—he really wasn't king-tier! He was... Pulse Formation Realm!"
If Pei Shao's spirit could hear this, he'd be cursing Du Lang's ancestors to the eighteenth generation: You idiot! Couldn't you have led with that?! Aaaah!
"Pulse Formation Realm?!"
The prince's grip tightened. "Say that again!"
"H-He is! But his speed, his swordsmanship, his movement art..." Du Lang shuddered. "He's not human. He's a freak!"
The Demonic Jiao Prince fell silent, his expression unreadable.
A Pulse Formation Realm cultivator, strong enough to insta-kill Zi She—a demonic genius with king beast bloodline?
Is that even possible?