Chapter 121: A Knife in the Back (Part II)

The cyan figure was none other than Jiang Feng!

"Jiang Feng, it's you!"

Lei Peng, Su Bing, and Huo Liu were struck with terror. Lei Peng gritted his teeth and snarled, "How did you track us down?"

"I have many tricks up my sleeve. With my tracking arts, finding you was inevitable," Jiang Feng said through clenched teeth. In truth, he had relied on his immensely powerful spiritual force to hunt them down. "Now that you are exhausted, even with your peerless dark arts, you are no match for me. Let’s see how you plan to kill me a hundred times over now!"

"What are you planning to do?"

Huo Liu shouted, "Do you intend to strike us down? We are disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town! If you dare to lay a hand on us, you will be doomed for eternity. You will be cast out from the righteous path and sink into the abyss forever!"

"If I don't finish you off, should I wait for you to recover and then come for me? Should I let you leave me in a state where death would be a mercy? Fortunately, the talisman you sent out didn't mention me. If I kill you, it will all be blamed on the Demon Commander. What does that have to do with me?" Jiang Feng stepped forward, gathering his dark energy.

"You wouldn't dare!" Su Bing leaped up. "We are disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town!"

"Die!"

Jiang Feng pushed his "Wood Emperor Dark Energy" to its limit and struck out violently.

"Fight to the death!" Lei Peng, Su Bing, and Huo Liu struggled to retaliate, but their injuries were too severe. Jiang Feng shattered their Red Tiger Dark Energy in a single blow, sending their bodies flying.

Jiang Feng then lunged forward and unleashed three punches. His fists were more formidable than any flying sword; killing with his bare hands was far more effective.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Three thunderous impacts echoed. The heads of the three disciples from the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce were brutally crushed by Jiang Feng’s fists.

Jiang Feng reached out, grabbed the three corpses, and plunged beneath the surface of the sea. At the same time, he channeled his dark energy to erase every trace of his presence.

The White Emperor Glazed Tripod drifted through the deep sea in a streamlined motion. Despite being the size of a house, it moved with fluid, rapid, and silent grace. They were already a thousand fathoms deep. Ordinary practitioners of the Dark Arts could not reach such depths, as the crushing water pressure was overwhelming, and even Daoist dark energy struggled to withstand it. Only masters who had reached the True Dark Realm could travel at such depths.

Under Duan Xingyun’s control, the White Emperor Glazed Tripod moved with ease and safety. Duan Xingyun had mastered the "Star Sand Dark Energy," and since this stellar power held a natural affinity with the water element, it moved in perfect harmony with the currents. Using her dark energy to navigate the tripod through the water was highly effective.

"Hmm? Jiang Feng has come down. Let’s surface and check!" Seeing a faint green glow flickering on a screen inside the tripod—the sign of Jiang Feng’s Wood Emperor Dark Energy—Duan Xingyun quickly steered the vessel upward. She saw Jiang Feng swimming down and immediately tapped the screen, causing a beam of light to sweep out and pull him inside.

"Jiang Feng, what were you doing out there?" Duan Xingyun asked as he returned. He was drenched, clearly because his dark energy had been unable to fully repel the immense water pressure at such depth, allowing the moisture to soak through his clothes. Before one fully masters Daoist dark energy, their defenses remain fragile.

"Nothing much, I just went out to see how the battle between the Demon Commander and those three disciples from the Langya Chamber of Commerce was going," Jiang Feng replied calmly. Having just killed three inner-circle disciples of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce, he knew he had brought a catastrophic disaster upon himself. If this were ever exposed, there would be nowhere left in the world for him to hide. This was far more serious than killing Xuan Xingzi—that was merely an internal conflict.

This time, he had killed disciples from another city, and inner-circle disciples at that. Even for sects like the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Jiuyan Town or the Central Immortal Island, inner-circle disciples were precious beyond measure. If anyone killed one, the sect leaders and elders would hunt the killer to the ends of the earth! And these were disciples of the Lingbo Town branch—the greatest power near the Samsara Sea, where even the death of a low-ranking outer-circle disciple would cause a massive uproar.

Jiang Feng knew full well that before long, the deaths of Lei Peng, Su Bing, and Huo Liu would shock the entire world of Dark Arts and the righteous path. Although the talisman they had sent did not mention him—placing all the blame on the Demon Commander—if a war between the righteous and the demonic were to break out, someone might eventually uncover the truth.

Yet, despite the danger, Jiang Feng felt no fear. He had already staked everything. In ten years, if he failed to become a Dark King, he would die regardless. Since he only had ten years to live, he might as well go all out. Besides, if he hadn't killed them, he might not have lasted ten years; they would have made his life a living hell within a few.

*Death is the only true disaster. I am not afraid. Let the heavens collapse if they must,* Jiang Feng thought ruthlessly. He kept his composure, revealing nothing to Duan Xingyun; there was no benefit in her knowing. He had already hidden the three corpses in his Landscape Bottle to deal with later.

"And how was the battle?"

Duan Xingyun did not suspect him. Even if he told her, she would never believe he was capable of killing the three of them. It was a feat beyond their capabilities—even Hua Tianjin wouldn't dare kill them. Only masters at the Void Dark Realm, the great Demon Emperors, or the supreme lords of the righteous path would dare such a thing.

"I didn't see clearly. I was afraid of being discovered, so I hurried back," Jiang Feng said. "Lei Peng and the others were no match for the Demon Commander. It’s very likely they were killed by him."

"That’s impossible. Even if the Demon Commander stripped them of their dark arts, he wouldn't kill them. They are inner-circle disciples of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce; he wouldn't want to trigger a full-scale war between the righteous and the demonic. We must be careful from now on. Lei Peng and his companions will never let us go," Duan Xingyun said, shaking her head as she understood the gravity of the situation.

"Is that so? We can leave the Samsara Sea now! We have sufficient medicinal pills, and with the protection of the tripod, you have broken through your cultivation level, so the danger is significantly reduced. Once we leave, if we can find a few ancient treasures, our strength will skyrocket, and we won't need to fear Lei Peng and his lot," Jiang Feng said smoothly.

"Indeed. My dark energy has just condensed, and I need a long period of recovery. In the deep sea, I can cultivate and absorb the water energy." Duan Xingyun nodded, turned the screen, and retreated to meditate in seclusion.

Jiang Feng also hid behind the screen, crossing his legs in meditation, but his consciousness entered the Landscape Bottle.

"Tsk, tsk! Jiang Feng, you truly are willing to risk everything to bring down the mighty. You even dared to kill inner-circle disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce; even I am starting to feel a little uneasy."

Inside the Landscape Bottle floated three corpses with shattered heads—Lei Peng, Su Bing, and Huo Liu. A moment ago, they had been arrogant disciples of Lingbo Town, bullying and killing as they pleased, but now they were nothing more than lifeless husks.

Jiang Feng had brought them along for two reasons: first, for their artifacts, and second, as a precaution. He knew that the great righteous sects possessed supreme dark arts capable of resurrecting the dead. But now that their bodies were destroyed, how could they ever be brought back?

Jue, watching the corpses, felt a sense of unease. Killing disciples from other sects was manageable, but the consequences of killing disciples from the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town were unimaginable. Everyone knew the sect viewed itself as the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao—arrogant and tyrannical. They were the only ones allowed to kill; no one was allowed to touch them.

"The Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce is vast and wealthy, ten times stronger than the one in Jiuyan Town, with resources beyond count. Their inner-circle disciples are incredibly rich. One cannot get rich without ill-gotten gains, and a horse cannot grow fat without night grass. No matter how destitute these three might be, they are a hundred times richer than the Master of Wuming Island. Now, their treasures and pills all belong to me."

Jiang Feng laughed, using his dark energy to retrieve the bodies and strip them of their clothes. The garments were originally precious artifacts, but they had been ravaged by the Demon Commander’s 'Soul Annihilation' technique; the inner arrays were shattered and beyond repair.

After stripping them, Jiang Feng shook his head and tossed the rags into the Landscape Bottle. Even though the artifacts were broken, the materials were still high-grade. He planned to let his ten Shuras devour them later to reinforce their own carapaces.

Among the corpses, not a single flying sword remained. All had been pulverized by the Soul Annihilation. Even the three powerful artifacts—the "Golden Dharma Image," the "Jade Purifying Bottle," and the "Wind-Thunder Banner"—were reduced to mere fragments.

The power of Soul Annihilation was truly fierce and terrifying. Jiang Feng couldn't help but click his tongue in awe.