Hearing Yi Feng's excited question, the group was left dumbfounded.
Thinking they must have misheard, Lin Ruowei solemnly explained.
"Fellow Daoist, we are trapped in this mining site, forced to endure grueling labor every day. Even with our tempered physiques, it's nearly impossible to endure..."
"Previously, someone tried to escape the mining grounds and was immediately captured by the patrolling sentinels. Their fate remains unknown, but given the ruthless methods here, theyâve likely met their end."
"I deeply regret this. I never imagined you would also be dragged into this."
Cheng Yuxun chimed in, taking partial responsibility.
"Fellow Daoist, please forgive us."
"Regardless, weâve led you into this dire situation. It wonât be long before the sentinels come for you, condemning you to this sunless mine alongside us. This is entirely my fault for failing to foresee this!"
"If you wish to punish me, Iâll accept it without complaint!"
By the end, both of them hung their heads, not daring to meet Yi Fengâs gaze, their voices heavy with guilt as they braced for his anger.
Yet, to their shock, Yi Feng suddenly shot into the airâheading straight for the heart of the mining site.
"Fellow Daoist, what are you doing!?"
"Whatâs he thinking? Has he lost his mind in anger?"
The trio was horrified, their eyes wide as they watched.
Meanwhile, Yi Fengâs spirits soared, a rare grin spreading across his face.
Hovering above the mining site, he gazed down at the countless toiling cultivators, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Finally, something worth his time!
Below, many noticed his presence, murmurs of confusion spreading like wildfire.
"Someoneâs up there!"
"Itâs not a sentinelâwho is that? He looks familiar..."
"Wait! Isnât that the young hero who sent Tao Qianhai flying?!"
"Holy shit! Why is he here?!"
"But his cultivation is intactâhe wasnât captured! Why is he just floating there?"
"This..."
As the commotion grew, Lin Ruowei and the others clenched their fists, their hearts sinking. They were certain disaster loomed, their eyes nearly welling with panic.
Yet, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yi Feng only grew more exhilarated, like a parched man stumbling upon an oasis.
After hunting beasts at sea and wandering the desert for days, heâd finally found some decent opponents. He could only hope they wouldnât disappoint!
Drawing a deep breath, his voice boomed across the land.
"Whoâs in charge here? Get the hell out here and face me!"
The roar left everyoneâs ears ringing.
Lin Ruowei and Cheng Yuxun gaped, questioning their own hearing.
What the hell was happening?!
Theyâd thought theyâd wronged their fellow Daoist and were consumed by guiltâyet here he was, flying up just to pick a fight?!
What kind of confidence did it take to have such audacity?
The scene reminded them of past Daoists whoâd foolishly challenged the Black Dragon Divine Guards, only to perish far from home, their millennia of cultivation vanishing like smoke.
This guy was even more reckless than them!
As expected, his fate would be brutal.
They were doomed.
The entire crowd stood frozen, their hearts lodged in their throats.
In less than three breaths, dark figures materialized in the skyâthe terrifying Black Dragon Divine Guards, their oppressive aura suffocating.
At the sight of over a dozen guards, the cultivators below didnât dare lift their heads, their breaths shallow as horrific memories resurfaced.
But Yi Fengâs eyes only burned brighter, his lips curling into a smirk as he launched into his well-practiced taunts.
"So, you're the so-called Sentinels?"
"I've heard you enslave countless cultivators to mine, killing them at will, your hands drenched in bloodâtruly wicked beyond measure!"
The words sent tremors through the ground.
Lin Ruowei and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
This fellow cultivator was undoubtedly skilled and righteous in spirit, but his recklessness was his downfall. To dare confront the Black Dragon Divine Guards without knowing their terrorâsuch bravado would surely lead to disaster!
Watching the lone figure standing defiantly in the sky, Lin Ruowei felt a pang of guilt, her lips bitten red with anguish. Ordinary cultivators would have been paralyzed with fear, and though his words were satisfying to hear, none dared to echo them.
In stark contrast to the terror below, the Black Dragon Divine Guards remained utterly composed.
Glancing down at Yi Feng, they didnât even bother to assess his cultivation.
His unfamiliar face marked him as an outsider, and his righteous outburst confirmed itâjust another ignorant lowborn whoâd slipped through the net. A lucky stray, perhaps, but nothing more.
A fool who didnât know his place, delivering himself to their doorstep!
The guards exchanged smirks, their disdain palpable.
"The weak exist to be enslavedâthat is the natural order. Whatâs so strange about us killing trash like you?"
Their arrogance radiated unshakable confidence, as if they were invincible.
Yi Feng grinned.
"Perfect. I specialize in beating the strong!"
Win or lose didnât matterâthe stronger the better. Dying would be ideal!
In one swift motion, he drew his greatsword and shot forward like a bolt of lightning!
"Good!"
"Then letâs see whoâs truly strong!"
With a thunderous roar, his afterimage blurred through the air.
Cheng Yuxun couldnât bear to watch, already mourning the fate of this passionate cultivator, doomed to perish in a foreign land because of his own misunderstanding.
He bowed his head with a sigh, consumed by guilt.
"Ah..."
The next instantâ
Crisp cracks echoed across the sky, followed by eerie silence. The battle was over as quickly as it had begun, like slicing through melons and vegetables. The gap in power was like heaven and earth; the fight should have ended in seconds.
Yetâ
Thuds soon struck the ground.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sounds made Cheng Yuxun frown.
That didnât sound like a single corpse hitting the dirt...
When he looked up in confusion, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Scattered across the ground were several dismembered bodiesâall Black Dragon Divine Guards!
A single glance was enough to freeze his breath.
"This...?!"
His gaze shot back to the sky. Yi Feng stood as calmly as ever, not a speck of blood or dust on him.
The sheer impossibility of it made Cheng Yuxun suck in a sharp breath.
"Hiss!"
This was beyond terrifying!
The dreaded Black Dragon Divine Guards, who had effortlessly crushed countless cultivators before, had been wiped out in an instant by this man. How?!
Cheng Yuxun and Lin Ruowei stared, their pupils trembling.
The other cultivators, startled by the sounds of falling bodies, looked up and gaped at the severed limbs of the guards. The scene was so horrifying that the entire crowd fell into dead silence.
Shockâ
Unprecedented shock rippled through the thousands of cultivators from across the realms.
Yetâ
Amidst this suffocating tension, a furious curse suddenly rang out from above.
"Damn it..."
"What kind of pathetic Black Dragon Divine Guards are these? Is this all youâve got, daring to preach 'the strong rule all'? Canât you even muster a single worthy opponent?"
"Whoeverâs in chargeâget your ass out here, now!"
The furious roar thundered across the scene, leaving the crowd utterly stunned.
No one could have imagined such audacityâwho in the world was this fearless cultivator, bold enough to hurl such insults? Just how formidable was he?!
As shockwaves of disbelief rippled through the onlookers, the sky suddenly darkened. Swirling clouds gathered overhead as several shadowy figures emerged from distorted ripples in the void. At their forefront, the captain stepped forth, his oppressive aura shaking the very heavens!