Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Tragic (6)

Hearing Ling Lin’s words, Li Feng blinked.

’There really was other captured disciples?’

He had thought it was just nonsense the thin demonic cultivator spewed to buy time.

After all, everyone who entered this secret realm was considered elite among the outer disciples of their sects.

Even Ling Lin, who was still leaning weakly against him, possessed strength at the 8th stage of Qi Refinement.

Unless she was ambushed by multiple enemies at once, she should’ve been able to put up a good fight.

But Li Feng would have never expected a large group of demonic cultivators to be inside this place… much less organized enough to hunt righteous disciples.

Ye Shuang, who overheard, stepped closer with a frown.

“What do you mean, Sister Ling? Are there more demonic cultivators inside?”

Ling Lin nodded frantically.

“Actually, I was…”

She began explaining everything.

How she had been exploring the forest casually until she noticed a camp in the distance.

Thinking it belonged to disciples from another righteous sect, she approached out of curiosity.

But what greeted her was not allies…

It was a group of demonic cultivators.

Their robes were stained, their bodies battered, it looked like they had just fought.

And behind them, tied up and tossed aside like livestock, were multiple female disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

All of them seem to be unconscious.

That sight alone was enough to make her run.

“Before I could escape, two of them spotted me. They chased me deliberately… almost like they wanted me to run far from the camp and exhaust myself.”

The more she spoke, the more her voice shook.

When she reached the part where she nearly got devoured, her gaze lifted shyly toward Li Feng.

“…If it weren’t for Senior Brother Li, I… I probably would have been reduced to nothing but a cauldron.”

Her cheeks warmed as the memory of his “treatment” from earlier flashed in her mind.

Ye Shuang, not noticing her strange reaction, fell deep into thought.

Meanwhile Li Feng tilted his head, genuinely curious.

“Cauldron? Is it normal for demonic cultivators to do that?”

Of course he knew perfectly well what a cauldron was…a living vessel of yin, kept until one day harvested to strengthen someone else’s cultivation

But for such harvesting, specific techniques were required.

Not just any demonic cultivator could do it.

Ling Lin nodded and gestured weakly toward one of the corpses.

“Those men… they were disciples of the Fire Yang Sect and they’re notorious for it. As their entire cultivation method revolves around… devouring yin.”

Nearby, Ye Shuang also stepped in to explain further.

“The Fire Yang Sect is one of the infamous demonic sects that practices dual cultivation,”

Then her tone sharpened with disgust.

“But unlike the Harmony Sect, who focuses on mutual growth and balance, the Fire Yang Sect cultivates only by strengthening their yang. They absorb yin recklessly and cruelly treating women as nothing but resources…or should I say food.”

Hearing this, Li Feng finally understood why he felt so unpleasant when facing those two demonic cultivators and why an instinctive urge to smash them into dust had surged up in him.

Maybe it was the strange qi he sensed from them… a foul mixture filled with the resentment of countless devoured Yin, taken from who knew how many women.

Not to mention their way of destroying women completely went against his way of enjoying them.

Even though Li Feng’s actions might still make him look like a scumbag, but he had never truly harmed any woman he’d been with.

At most, he played a little rough in bed and nothing that would ever damage their life or future.

He even generously rewarded them for their excellent service in supporting his night life.

But now, hearing there was a sect that practically specialized in ruining beautiful women, Li Feng’s heart boiled with disgust and anger.

His lips curled into a sneer.

“It seems we’ll have to go help those captured female disciples.”

Then he lowered his gaze to Ling Lin and said righteously:

“Do you remember where that camp was? I’ll go and make sure every single female disciple is saved.”

Ling Lin nodded, her heart thumping at his heroic tone.

“Yes… I still remember that place.”

With her mind calming down, she finally noticed her fallen necklace lying in the distance.

Seeing this, Li Feng casually raised his hand.

A gentle swirl of qi rippled out, and the necklace flew neatly into his palm.

“Here you go, Junior Sister. It looks important to you.”

He smiled as he handed it over.

Ling Lin received it shyly, her cheeks warming.

“…Thank you, Senior Brother.”

The gratitude lingering in her eyes was far too tender for the short time they’d known each other but Li Feng accepted it with a faint, knowing smile.

Meanwhile, Ye Shuang watched quietly from the side, as a strange look flickering across her face as she observed the timid, shy Ling Lin.

’It seems something must have happened…’

She had arrived a bit late perhaps which is why she thought she have missed something important.

Before she could think further, Li Feng suddenly leaned down and scooped Ling Lin into his arms in a princess carry.

His rough palm sank naturally into her soft waist.

Ling Lin froze for just a moment. Even though her weakness had almost worn off, she didn’t say anything and quietly leaned into his firm chest.

Held securely in a man’s arms, she finally allowed herself to relax.

A soft smile appeared on her face, her earlier fear replaced by a growing sense of safety.

Li Feng also smiled faintly, enjoying the warm, delicate body resting against him.

“Lead the way,” he said calmly. “The sooner we get there, the better.”

It was as if the prideful girl she used to be was returning.

Straightening her back slightly, she confidently pointed toward a direction.

Soon, Li Feng while still carrying Ling Lin started walking toward that direction.

Ye Shuang followed behind, once again trailing after the two of them.

After moving through the dense forest for a long while, the air around them gradually changed.

The wind felt colder.

The leaves rustled less.

Even Ling Lin, resting in Li Feng’s arms, subconsciously tightened her grip on his robe as she sense those strange qi in the air.

“We should be getting close…” Ling Lin whispered, her voice trembling slightly at the memory.

Li Feng reached out and gently squeezed her delicate shoulder.

“Don’t worry. With me here, I wont let any demonic disciple touch you.”

He offered some clichéd, sweet words, hoping to score a few more points.

And it seem pretty effective as Ling Lin’s cheeks flushed pink at them.

For some reason… even though they were just simple words, she seemed to enjoy them.

“Mhmm…”

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The forest grew darker as they moved.

Branches wove overhead like crooked fingers, and every now and then, the faint scent of dried blood drifted through the air.

Soon,

Ye Shuang’s eyes narrowed as she murmured,

“Senior Brother Li… ahead.”

Li Feng also noticed something too and hurriedly stepped through a patch of bushes, and the moment the trees parted, a heavy metallic smell hit them.

…Blood.

All three of them froze.

Because right ahead, half-buried under withered leaves…

…lay a corpse.

It was a male disciple.

His azure-white robe was torn and stained with dark patches of dried blood.

His eyes were wide open, frozen in shock, as if his final moment had caught him completely off guard…but his face had already gone stiff, pale, lifeless.

Li Feng stopped his step as soon as he recognized the familiar sect robe—

….It was Azure Moon Sect.

Ye Shuang and Ling Lin recognized it too.

They unconsciously glanced at Li Feng, worry flickering in their eyes.

But Li Feng didn’t speak as he stared at the corpse with a calm eye.

He gently lowered Ling Lin so she could stand on her own.

Then he slowly walked toward the corpse.

“…”

He knelt down and checked.

The emblem of the Azure Moon Sect was still faintly visible on the torn robe.

And when Li Feng looked at the disciple’s face, he finally remembered him….he was one of the top ten winners of the Outer Sect Tournament.

A bright, heroic young man.

But his once heroic and bright face was now…. cold and lifeless, eyes open but empty.

Once again, Li Feng was reminded of a bitter truth.

In this world, life was terrifyingly fragile without strength.

Mortal or immortal… it made no difference.

If one was weak, then sooner or later, their fate was the same.

Weakness didn’t just invite death—

…it promised it.

And now seeing his own fellow sect disciple lying dead on the ground… even though they weren’t close or had ever spoken to each other…

….a strange discomfort slowly crept into his heart.

Behind him,

Seeing that Li Feng had fall silent in front of the corpse, Ling Lin and Ye Shuang approached, wanting to comfort him.

“Senior Brother Li—”

But before they could finish, their breath halted.

Suddenly, the forest reacted.

FLAP!

FLAP!

FLAP!

A flock of birds burst into the sky in frightened panic, as if something had startled them into fleeing.

Ye Shuang and Ling Lin stiffened as they looked at Li Feng imposing back.

Their heartbeat quickened.

Because just now….only for a heartbeat.

A faint pressure had leaked out of Li Feng’s body.

Even thought it was just a trace.

… But it was enough to make both of them forget to breathe.

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