Chapter 582: “To what extent?” “Zuo Qiu’s extent.”
“Even more trickier.”
Bai Feng sighed, fully believing Tian Yan’s guess. After all, in the cultivation world, things like zombies and ghosts do exist—nothing new. The only thing worth pondering was—whether the birth of the Immortal Corpse with a hint of intelligence was part of the Immortals’ plan, or just a happy accident.
“But it’s not all bad news either,” Tian Yan continued. “Looking at how they’re slowly devouring cultivators and even mortals by sealing off the Western Region, it seems the Immortal Corpse’s methods are rather eccentric. Its power should be weaker than we imagined.”
“Hmm…” Bai Feng stroked his chin, deep in thought. “Does the Sacred Ground have any plans?”
“We think the Immortal Corpse might be connected to the Demon Path. While most people hide in cities, only the Demon Path is still running around outside. If we find the Demon Path, we might learn some secrets.”
“Looks like we gotta go to the Western Region then.”
Bai Feng nodded. Since they didn’t know the Immortal Corpse’s tricks or its whereabouts, striking from the side of the Demon Path was definitely smarter.
And if their guess was right—and the Immortal Corpse is still relatively weak—it’s best to take action as soon as possible. Can’t let this drag on.
Speaking of which, Ling Feng seems to have disappeared after entering the Western Region. Did he get targeted by the Immortal Corpse? If so, they can’t wait any longer. Had they known the Immortal Corpse was so bizarre and woke up so early, they wouldn’t have let Ling Feng venture into the Western Region first.
Ugh, after defeating Crow Immortal, Ling Feng got a bit overconfident—thinking the Immortal Corpse was just a piece of cake. Time for some serious reflection.
But before heading to the Western Region, Bai Feng planned to find Tong Zi to ask about new life-saving tricks.
So, after Tian Yan left, he entered the System Library once again. He looked at the empty library in silence for a few seconds, then raised his head—no sign of the Incarnation of the Tao on the ceiling either.
He glanced around but still couldn’t find the Incarnation.
“Stop hiding. I have something to talk to you about.”
He called out a few times but got no reply.
Could she have really run away?
Bai Feng pondered for a few seconds, then his gaze settled on the top shelf of the bookshelves. Looks like only that spot hadn’t been checked.
He approached the ladder and climbed up. Sure enough, the Incarnation of the Tao was hanging over the bookshelf, staring straight at him, one hand clutching her hair tightly—probably to prevent her hair from exposing her position like last time.
“…”
Does she just hate studying that much?
“I really need to find you for something,” Bai Feng sighed. “I’m planning to go to the Western Region. Do you have any life-saving methods?”
Seeing Bai Feng was not here to box her ears or make her learn idioms, the Incarnation of the Tao slowly climbed down from the top shelf. She nodded and replied, “I do, but I can’t give it to you directly.”
“Oh, really?” Bai Feng was surprised. He thought he could just squeeze a little, like grabbing a lamb and taking both the sheep and the wool home, but turns out he’s getting the whole sheep now. “To what extent?”
“Zuo Qiu’s extent.”
“…”
Zuo Qiu, you better repent—here, you’ve become a measurement unit to the Incarnation of the Tao.
“Time’s tight. Go find Zuo Qiu quickly. No dilly-dallying.”
The Incarnation of the Tao hastily shooed Bai Feng out of the System Library, as if afraid he’d demand she study idioms right then and there.
…
Western Region.
“Boss, it seems we can’t leave the Western Region,” said the burly man with a frown after their third return to the starting point. Clearly, this wasn’t a desert—there were signs all around, and they, being powerful Refinement Stage cultivators, shouldn’t be lost. Yet, this eerie situation was happening, as if some force was blocking them.
“We’re being watched,” Ling Feng looked around but found nothing. “Might as well dig deeper. If it doesn’t want us out, then let’s see what it’s really up to.”
But the girl with the White Wolf looked worried. “But isn’t that dangerous? Maybe we should stay here for now. We might meet others.”
“Of course danger is involved,” Ling Feng admitted. “But if that ‘thing’ that’s watching us keeps stopping us from leaving, staying put won’t help. It’ll just prevent us from meeting anyone else.”
And he had already contacted Shi Tou and their former senior brothers and sisters before entering the Western Region, planning to leave after rejoining civilization. Now, trapped here, they couldn’t notify Shi Tou either. By his calculations, those folks should have already arrived.
“But don’t worry too much,” Ling Feng looked at the others. “Young Master will notice something’s off here. Our job is to gather as much info as possible before he gets here.”
Soon, Ling Feng and the others stopped trying to leave and headed deeper into the Western Region.
…
Bai Feng stood on an open patch, observing ahead. After learning about the anomalies in the Western Region, he immediately informed the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect. As expected, the Sect Master summoned the Peak Master, along with a few rarely-seen elder who’d been in seclusion.
The Sacred Ground wasn’t about to change their lineup—they still brought that luxurious crew to deal with Crow Immortal, plus a few new, younger faces.
“My intuition was right—you’re not simple,” said the Holy Son of Tai Chu, a battle maniac, approaching. He was still at the Refinement Stage, but faced with Bai Feng in the Merging Stage, he still brimmed with fighting spirit. “Wanna fight?”
“…Are you serious?”
Bai Feng silently looked at the Holy Son of Tai Chu after breaking through to the Merging Stage, then getting reinforced by three divine spells. His mood was like: you’ve gotta be kidding.
“Yeah… never mind.” After some thought, the Holy Son gave up. “The gap’s too big; fighting wouldn’t be fun. But I’ll reach the Merging Stage soon. When that happens, I’ll challenge you for a proper fight.”
“…”
Bai Feng silently opened the system: “System, is there any quick way for me to break through to the Great Ascension?”
He didn’t want to fight the battle-happy Holy Son of Tai Chu.
[Yes. First, go beat up the Holy Son of Tai Chu. Then beat the Yao Chi Holy Maiden. Finally, combine the Child of Destiny with the others and beat them all up together.]
‘…’
Well, can’t rely on this system run by the Tao Incarnation. What a useless thing.
“Is Tian Yan right? That crazy guy?” The Yao Chi Holy Maiden also came over, eyes always fixed on the Merging Stage Tian Yan, mumbling softly, “Had I known I should have sucked up to Bai Feng earlier. Maybe I’d be in the Merging Stage by now.”
Tian Yan, overhearing, nodded seriously. “Exactly. Training with Bai Feng is much easier. My progress is faster that way.”
“Really?” The Yao Chi Holy Maiden’s eyes widened. “Little Tian Yan, don’t lie to me!”
“Lying? Of course not.” Tian Yan’s lips curled in a slight smile. “My cultivation all came from my own efforts. There’s no easy way to cultivate, right, Bai Feng?”
“…”
Bai Feng turned to look at Tian Yan—seriously, how shameless can you get? That’s all thanks to my hard work!
“Wow, Tian Yan can joke now?” The Yao Chi Holy Maiden’s eyes widened even more, as if this was more shocking than discovering an easy cultivation hack. “Aren’t you still the Holy Maiden?”
“No, I am still the Holy Maiden. It’s complicated. But you only need to know it’s all related to Bai Feng. He not only rekindled my emotions but helped me break through to the Merging Stage.”
“Huh?”
The Yao Chi Holy Maiden immediately looked at Bai Feng. The next moment, she took a step forward, placing her hand on his shoulder, gaze serious: “I was immature before. Can you take me under your wing from now on?”
