Chapter 369: You Still Want Me to Hold Your Hand, Grandpa?
Bai Feng nodded, and don’t even talk about Zuo Qiu—heck, even he could sense that thick, suspicious demon energy seeping from the surrounding area.
Is this secret realm really the handiwork of those Immortal Fire-throwing, Demon Energy-squirting sages who left behind the Divine Monarch’s legacy? Seems legit.
After pondering for a few seconds, he looked up at the towering gate in the distance. “Let’s go check it out.”
When they reached the gate, they could feel the demon energy even more intensely—like a bad horror movie villain hiding behind a door, with demon fumes sneaking out through every crack.
“Young master, should I open it?”
Zuo Qiu stood alert in front of Bai Feng, eyes fixed on the constantly billowing demon energy pouring from the door, as if some monstrous creature or worse was waiting behind.
‘This kinda feels like facing the big boss, maybe something like a Demon King.’
He muttered in his mind, sizing up the door’s surroundings—nothing but that single door. No other passage or escape route was visible. Guess we’re pushing this giant door open and hoping for the best.
“Zuo Qiu, step back a bit.”
Bai Feng raised his right hand, conjuring up a swirl of Immortal Fire. The flames surged toward the door instantaneously, burning away the demon energy. Even the cracks in the door stopped spitting out new fumes.
“All right, let’s go inside.”
He dispelled the fire, reaching out to push the door. But Zuo Qiu hurried forward first, placing her hand on the door wrapped in demon fumes. “Young master, let me do it first.”
“Be careful.”
Bai Feng nodded, not objecting. Instead, he summoned a mere strand of Immortal Fire on his hand—prepared to throw it in if something went wrong.
Fortunately, nothing went wrong. The heavy-looking door swung open with ease, revealing no sudden demon onslaught or popping monsters, only a narrow staircase leading underground.
He gazed down the stairs, illuminated by the flickering flame that revealed a passage opening into a new area.
“Young master, let me go first…” Zuo Qiu quickly changed her tone after noticing Bai Feng’s gaze. “No, wait—Grandpa, you should hold my hand instead!”
Bai Feng: ??
What exactly do you mean by “hold your hand”?
Zuo Qiu suddenly realized she might’ve spoken her mind without thinking. Frantically, she tried to backpedal. “I— I mean… holding hands.”
But after saying that, she felt even more awkward. She tried to explain further, but Bai Feng cut her off with a deadpan hand. “Got it, I know what you mean. Just walk normally.”
“Y-Yes…”
Zuo Qiu suppressed her embarrassment, steeling herself as she stepped onto the staircase, heading downward.
The staircase was short. Not long after, they entered a spacious room. Oddly enough, the walls had windows—exquisitely patterned, unlike anything you’d expect underground.
‘Could this be a building from a certain sect that got buried underground?’
Bai Feng studied the delicate windows, but the darkness outside made it look more like they were inside some vast black space rather than deep beneath the earth.
“Young master, be careful. The demon energy here’s even thicker.”
Zuo Qiu’s divine body was fully activated now, her hair blazing like flames. Bai Feng stood beside her, feeling an intense heat radiate toward him.
“Then let’s hit it with some firepower.”
Bai Feng released more Immortal Fire, burning away the demon energy in the room in an instant.
But soon, more demon energy oozed in from the windows and distant passages, as if trying to retake this space.
‘Tch, this isn’t as simple as a curb-stomp boss battle,’ he thought, already expecting that this was probably the final boss location. He didn’t bother wasting more energy. After confirming the room held no valuable clues, he turned towards another passage leading from the room.
This corridor seemed to connect multiple chambers. Along both sides, various doors with strange symbols and patterns—some obvious, like a gourd or a tiny sword, others inscrutable, randomly stitched together with no clear meaning.
“Young master, let me handle it!”
Zuo Qiu stepped forward, raising her hand. Flames erupted wildly from her palm, incinerating the demon fumes along the doors until they sparkled clean.
“Your internal fire seed still hasn’t fully formed, has it?” Bai Feng asked, eyeing her. “Ease up a bit; if the flames burn out, I’ll need to recharge you, and if any enemy shows up before I can, you’re toast.”
“No, it’s—It’s okay, young master! Your safety is the most important,” Zuo Qiu hurriedly shook her head. “Oh, and if you’re helping me recharge—please do it quickly. Don’t worry about my feelings—I can endure!”
Though she said that, Bai Feng suspected her words carried a strange eagerness, and that her lips curled into a faint smile, as if expecting something.
Uh-oh, this Child of Destiny’s mind is really fried—or maybe it’s just her demon energy messing with her.
Bai Feng held back a sigh of exasperation, watched her push open the door, and stepped inside.
Nothing sudden or deadly happened behind the door—no surprise attack, no monsters. Just a nearly abandoned alchemy room, with an enormous, rusted Pill Furnace at its center. Seems it’s too ancient and worn out to be used anymore.
He used his Immortal Fire to ‘clean’ the inside and outside of the furnace, then stored it away. Although broken, it looked impressive—probably an ancient artifact linked to the Immortals, and Lin Yan (the alchemy master) would definitely be interested.
On a nearby wooden shelf, he found several jade bottles containing some pills. No idea if they’re still potent, but given their pristine condition after all this time, they must be extraordinary. Carefully, he cleaned them with his Immortal Fire and planned to pack them along with the broken Pill Furnace to gift Lin Yan—an ancient alchemy tool with potential.
Besides that, there was nothing else worth noting—likely lost to the ravages of time and corrosion.
He also knocked on the wall, using his divine consciousness to scan thoroughly. No hidden rooms—good.
“All right, let’s move to the next room,” Bai Feng said.
Most of the remaining rooms were also damaged alchemy chambers; few items survived intact, and some rooms were just empty shells.
He stashed a broken formation disk into his space, then arrived at the final door.
Unlike the others, this door bore no symbols. And the demon energy was directly bleeding out from behind it—classic sign that the “final boss” was hiding there.
“Looks like the boss fight is right behind this door,” Bai Feng muttered, eyeing the weak Zuo Qiu one last time before placing his hand gently on her neck.
“Hold still, I’ll recharge your fire again.”
“Yes, young master.”
As flames poured into her, Zuo Qiu looked up at Bai Feng with a pleading expression. “Um… young master, maybe a little more, a little faster? You don’t need to worry about my feelings!”
Bai Feng: ??
What exactly do you mean by “faster”? Hold her hand? Or what?
Realization dawned on her—the words slipped out instinctively. She hurried to clarify. “I—I mean… holding hands.”
But as soon as she said it, things felt even more awkward. She scrambled to justify again, but Bai Feng simply held up a hand. “Got it, I know what you mean. Just walk normally—no need to overcomplicate it.”
“Y-Yes…”
Zuo Qiu swallowed her nervousness, braced herself, and stepped toward the last barrier, ready to face whatever was behind the door.
