Chapter 99 - 97: Immortal Treasure Opportunity?

In truth, when Chen Jingsheng first heard the word "treasury" from the bandits, he almost laughed out loud.

A bunch of bandits—what could they possibly have besides some silver taels and Mixed Pills?

But unexpectedly, there actually was something...

The metal sphere Chen Jingsheng currently held in his hand was one such treasure.

The second treasure was an identical metal sphere, but it had been obtained by Elder Zhu Qiming of the Danxin Alliance.

The fact that Chen Jingsheng and Zhu Qiming each ended up with one was certainly not the result of a friendly negotiation and an even split.

Without Wang Xingjian needing to say another word, Zou Feng could already guess what had happened with near-perfect accuracy.

The two groups, who had originally cooperated to exterminate the bandits and retrieve their goods, immediately turned on each other the moment they discovered something truly valuable in the bandits’ treasury.

Naturally, both sides wanted to take all the spoils for themselves.

After all, one glance was enough to tell this thing was no ordinary item, and the aura it emitted was far too profound.

Just getting near it made one feel refreshed, with sharpened senses of hearing and sight.

Neither Chen Jingsheng nor Zhu Qiming were ignorant men; they had seen their fair share of Magical Artifacts.

Yet, they both knew, in that very first moment, that every Magical Artifact they had ever seen before was nothing but scrap metal compared to this thing.

It was possible this was a legendary... Immortal Treasure!

With that realization, a life-and-death struggle for wealth began.

But because the two sides were evenly matched, by the end of the fighting, each side was left with only three survivors, all of them heavily injured.

Both parties finally realized that if they kept fighting, even if one side managed a pyrrhic victory and took the treasures, they would have to pray to the heavens just to make it out of Qifeng Mountain alive...

Thus, forced by the circumstances, Chen Jingsheng and Zhu Qiming each took one metal sphere and called a temporary truce.

Only then were the three survivors from each side able to retreat in one piece.

Hearing this, Zou Feng knew that Chen Jingsheng and Wang Xingjian were, of course, the survivors from the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s side.

But where did the other person go?

Zou Feng immediately asked, and Wang Xingjian sighed. "He’s dead!"

"All the brothers were badly wounded at the time, and his injuries triggered a hidden vulnerability from his Cultivation. He tried to recuperate for two months after returning, but in the end, he didn’t make it."

"By the way, the main Cultivation Skill that brother practiced was the same as yours, my friend—the Tribulation-Indestructible Body..."

"..."

Zou Feng was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized he was the replacement for the man who had croaked.

’There were six people in total who reached that temporary truce. There must be some kind of arrangement between them for the final distribution of the Immortal Treasures...’

Taking a sip of wine, Wang Xingjian continued, "Agreeing to a truce back then was a move of desperation. No one wanted to miss the chance to obtain this treasure..."

"But since you’d already split them, why not focus your energy on figuring out how to open the treasures?" Zou Feng interjected.

Before Wang Xingjian could explain, Chen Jingsheng spoke up first. "You have to press the two spheres together and infuse them with the Inner Qi of at least the Seventh Grade Realm. That’s the method to open them!"

"We got that method by interrogating a surviving bandit..." Wang Xingjian picked up the thread. "He said that’s what their chief told them. It’s just a shame the bandit chief was only Ninth Grade, so he never had the chance to open it."

"Although we don’t know how that bandit chief learned the method, we’re certain the bandit we interrogated wasn’t lying!"

This certainty stemmed from Wang Xingjian’s immense pride in his interrogation techniques.

Upon learning the opening method, the two groups could only stare at each other blankly. It was a dead end.

The reason was simple: at the time, both Chen Jingsheng and Zhu Qiming were only at the Eighth Grade Realm. Even if one side had managed to take both treasures, they wouldn’t have been able to use them anyway.

As for taking the treasure back and asking their respective bosses for help?

Heh, when faced with an Immortal Treasure you might only see once in a lifetime, who would be willing to hand it over to their gang leader?

Even if they were rewarded for their contribution, it would surely be nothing more than scraps.

Seeing that they were at a temporary impasse, the remaining six men devised a wager.

A wager sealed on the spot with a Heart Demon Poison Oath.

One year later, the six of them would split into two teams of three and compete in three duels.

Whoever won two of the three matches would unconditionally receive the other party’s treasure.

The one-year deadline was set because both Chen Jingsheng and Zhu Qiming were confident they could advance to Seventh Grade within that time.

But as fate would have it, one of the men on Chen Jingsheng’s side died suddenly not long after returning.

To make matters worse, several of the subordinates they’d brought along had been killed during the fight for the treasure. As a result, besides Wang Xingjian, every single person Chen Jingsheng could trust in the Black Flood Dragon Gang was now gone.

This created an awkward situation. Where were they supposed to find someone trustworthy whom they could also control?

Find an existing Eighth Grade Martial Artist?

Putting aside the question of whether they could control him, Zhu Qiming’s side would probably refuse immediately.

That’s right. It wasn’t enough for Chen Jingsheng to choose the final person; the other party had to agree as well. Otherwise, the duel agreement would be void.

And if the duel was off, then nobody got anything.

After much consideration, they decided the most reliable solution was to find a "wild" new talent who had just reached Entering Grade and cultivate him themselves.

Zhu Qiming’s side agreed to this proposal.

Under these circumstances, it wasn’t long before Zou Feng, a new talent who had just reached Entering Grade, appeared on their radar.

Wang Xingjian wasted no time in having someone investigate Zou Feng’s character and history at the Yang Mansion.

The conclusion was that, aside from his fondness for brothels, the young man had no major flaws.

In fact, this fondness for brothels actually put Chen Jingsheng more at ease. If Zou Feng had no hobbies at all, he would have found the young man difficult to read.

Therefore, he immediately dispatched Wang Xingjian to visit in person, promising the position of Incense Master right from the start.

After Zou Feng joined the Black Flood Dragon Gang, they looked after him in every way, providing an ample supply of Pure Pills.

At this point, Zou Feng finally understood why Chen Jingsheng treated him almost like his own son.

"Brother, that’s the whole story!"

"You don’t need to worry too much. The duels end when one side concedes; it doesn’t have to be a fight to the death."

"But if there’s a chance to win, you must fight with everything you’ve got. After all, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both of us!" Wang Xingjian said with rare solemnity.

Zou Feng’s expression grew pensive, and he didn’t respond immediately.

But he knew full well that unless he was prepared to break with Chen Jingsheng and Wang Xingjian right now and fight his way out of this place, he really had no choice.

’Because from the moment I saw the Immortal Treasure... no, from the moment I agreed to join the Black Flood Dragon Gang, I was already the "Sixth Person."’

’Even if I hadn’t reached Eighth Grade, I would have been pushed into one of the duels when the time came.’

At the same time, Zou Feng also understood why the three from the Danxin Alliance—Zhu Qiming and the others—had developed killing intent toward him the day after he joined the Black Flood Dragon Gang, causing them to appear on his List of Gods.

Zou Feng had always wondered why those three from the Danxin Alliance, despite clearly wanting him dead, had never taken any actual action against him.

Now, he finally knew.

Killing intent was one thing, but because of the wager sealed by the Heart Demon Poison Oath, they couldn’t use other means to get rid of him, at least not before the duels were complete.

’And now that I know the truth, it’s obviously my turn to swear the Heart Demon Poison Oath...’

Sure enough, Wang Xingjian was the first to speak. "Brother, if you agree, it’s time for you to swear the same Heart Demon Poison Oath."

"Although we and Elder Zhu’s group of three all wish each other dead so we can have the Immortal Treasures for ourselves, this is a secret that belongs only to the six of us..."

’Elder Zhu?’

The fact that Wang Xingjian didn’t use his full name this time immediately alerted Zou Feng that something was off.

And just as he thought, three figures slowly emerged from the shadows not far away.

Although Zou Feng had never seen them before, there was no doubt that these were the three men from his List of Gods: Zhu Qiming, Wei Lingyun, and He Qingzhi.

The three of them stopped about a hundred feet from the terrace. They said nothing, merely waiting in silence.

Just as Wang Xingjian had said, this was a secret exclusive to "the six of them."

And for Zou Feng to swear the oath and join their ranks, Zhu Qiming’s trio naturally had to be present to witness it for it to be valid.

’They even came in advance. This is their way of backing me into a corner...’

However, as for swearing a Heart Demon Poison Oath, Zou Feng couldn’t give a damn.

After all, no matter how recklessly he trained, he would never develop a Heart Demon.

Besides, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t the least bit tempted by these so-called Immortal Treasures.

The most important reason he had achieved his current strength so quickly was that his Cultivation had no side effects, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that he’d also had a steady supply of various cultivation resources.

He had consumed a crazy amount of everything, from Pure Pills like the Qi Blood Pill to the Evil Pills gifted by the remnants of the Ten Directions Sect.

And the Celestial Essence Sword Sect’s Nine Yang Profound Qi Pill had given him a profound understanding of the immense benefits that top-tier resources could bring.

Even taking a step back, Zou Feng wasn’t afraid of Chen Jingsheng trying to pull something after the fact.

With his current strength, he might feel a bit uncertain against a Seventh Grade from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, but against a Seventh Grade Martial Artist like Chen Jingsheng, he was confident he could escape with ease even if he couldn’t win.

So, there was really nothing to hesitate about.

"Alright. Since such an opportunity has presented itself, I certainly don’t want to miss it!"

With that, under Wang Xingjian’s guidance, Zou Feng swore the Heart Demon Poison Oath on the spot.

Once Zou Feng had finished his oath, Zhu Qiming’s group of three left directly, without so much as a word of greeting.

After confirming that the three had gone, Chen Jingsheng and Wang Xingjian both relaxed.

Wang Xingjian gazed in the direction the trio had left and said, "Brother, during the duels, although it’s not necessarily a fight to the death, if you get the chance, it’s best that before the opponent can concede, you..."

As he spoke, Wang Xingjian made a throat-slitting gesture.

Chen Jingsheng chimed in, "That’s right. If you really can’t win, it’s better to concede quickly and preserve your strength."

"But if you think you can win, find an opportunity to strike a fatal blow!"

This was, in fact, a loophole in the poison oath that could be exploited.

After a winner was decided, the constraints of the oath would certainly prevent them from attacking again.

But in an all-out duel, it was often impossible to hold back. So, as long as the opponent was killed before they had a chance to concede, it wouldn’t be considered a violation of the Heart Demon Poison Oath.

Zou Feng naturally understood all of this; in fact, he was an expert at it.

An ordinary Eighth Grade Martial Artist, once hit by his Five Poison Fire Lotus Palm, would find it too late to concede.

’A dead man opening his mouth to concede before dying completely... that probably wouldn’t count as violating the Heart Demon Poison Oath, right?’