Chapter 119: A Deadlock

Qin Feiyang glared, snapping angrily, "No time to dawdle, hurry up!"

"Oh!"

Feng Ling'er responded instinctively, reaching out to grab Cangxue.

Only after grabbing the dagger did she snap back to reality. This bastard—how dare he snap at her? Furthermore, for that split second just now, had she actually felt afraid?

Seeing that she was about to explode, Qin Feiyang grabbed her arm, and in the blink of an eye, they appeared outside.

"Huh?" Feng Ling'er gasped in surprise. This was simply miraculous.

"You little beast, die!" Lin Chen had been scanning the surroundings; the moment he saw them, he lunged at Qin Feiyang.

Feng Ling'er’s expression turned cold. "Lin Chen, I’ll give you one last chance. Flee with us now, and I will overlook everything that has happened until now!"

"Women are so long-winded," Qin Feiyang muttered, swiftly stepping back.

Lin Chen ignored her completely, continuing his charge toward Qin Feiyang with a hideously twisted expression.

"Stubborn fool!"

"Savage Elephant Fist!"

Feng Ling'er shouted, stepping in front of Qin Feiyang. Her jade-like hand darted out, fingers clenched tight, and she unleashed a punch that seemed to carry the faint roar of a savage elephant. The Savage Elephant Fist was also a perfect-grade martial art.

"You pair of scoundrels, neither of you is leaving here today!"

"Guiyuan Palm!"

Lin Chen gritted his teeth, his eyes bulging as he struck out at Feng Ling'er with a terrifying palm wind.

*Clang!*

Fist met palm, and a violent gust of wind erupted. Both were shaken, stumbling back repeatedly. The bones beneath their feet shattered with a series of crisp, crunching sounds.

"The Guiyuan Palm is also a perfect-grade martial art. It seems their strength is truly evenly matched," Qin Feiyang murmured. He had seen Lin Baili use the Guiyuan Palm back in Tieniu Town, so he had some understanding of it.

"You stinking bitch, are you determined to oppose me?" Lin Chen roared.

*Clang!*

With a flick of his hand, a three-foot-long sharp sword appeared out of thin air, glinting with a terrifying edge.

"If I can't have you, no one else will! Die!" His face was sinister. He gripped the sword, true energy surging, and with a shrill whistle, he unleashed a massive wave of sword light upon Feng Ling'er.

"Autumn Light Sword!" Feng Ling'er gasped. She had seen this blade more than once; its edge was sharp enough to slice through the defenses of any Martial Sect master. Lin Chen was a standout among the younger generation in Yan City not only because he was an alchemist but also because of this Autumn Light Sword, which could cut through hair and iron as if they were mud. Countless strong enemies had fallen to this blade.

As the Autumn Light Sword struck down with bone-chilling sharpness, she frantically swung Cangxue to parry.

*Clang!*

As sparks flew, the Autumn Light Sword, which had filled her with such dread, was instantly snapped in two by Cangxue.

"How is this possible?" Lin Chen froze on the spot, utterly dumbstruck.

Feng Ling'er was also stunned. She looked at the broken sword in Lin Chen’s hand, her heart filled with pure disbelief. It actually snapped! This dagger was no mere trinket! To be able to cut through the Autumn Light Sword—such sharpness was truly unprecedented!

In an instant, her confidence soared. Taking advantage of Lin Chen’s distraction, she stepped forward and plunged the blade into his right chest.

*Splurt!*

Blood sprayed like a fountain. Lin Chen let out an involuntary, agonizing howl.

However, Qin Feiyang frowned. The heart was almost always on the left side of the chest. Just now, Feng Ling'er could have easily pierced his heart and ended Lin Chen’s life, yet she had driven Cangxue into his right chest. He didn't believe she had missed; she must have done it on purpose to spare him.

"Let's go!" Feng Ling'er pulled out Cangxue, turned, and grabbed Qin Feiyang, running toward the stone wall.

"Aren't you afraid of letting a tiger back into the mountains?" Qin Feiyang asked, frowning.

Feng Ling'er didn't look back. "He’s just blinded by obsession right now. Once we escape, we’ll notify the Lin family to come and save him."

"Typical womanly mercy!" Qin Feiyang wrenched himself free, snatched Cangxue back, and turned to rush at Lin Chen, cold light surging in his eyes.

"Boom!"

Just then, a terrifying pressure descended. Zuo An dropped from the sky, holding a thumb-thick iron chain. At the other end, Ling Yunfei and the others were bound tightly, unable to move a muscle.

Zuo An looked down at Qin Feiyang like a demon god descending, smiling grimly. "If you dare move against him, I will slaughter them all!"

Qin Feiyang’s gaze darkened. He stopped and looked up at Ling Yunfei and the others. "Knowing that Eagle Claw Peak is treacherous, why didn't you just run away?"

"We did run! But he was just too fast; we couldn't escape," the fatty cried out in terror, along with the others. "Boss Jiang, what is going on? Why did a demon suddenly pop out?"

Qin Feiyang’s face was as calm as water. He looked down at Lin Chen, who was slumped nearby, and then—*whoosh*—he decisively lunged forward! Cangxue glinted with a cold light.

However, Zuo An moved like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Lin Chen, his face twisted into a savage grin. His bony, claw-like hand shot out toward Qin Feiyang.

"Damn it!" Qin Feiyang cursed inwardly, retreating quickly. He grabbed Feng Ling'er, preparing to enter the ancient castle.

"If you dare hide again, I will kill him first!" Zuo An stepped on the fatty's face, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Boss Jiang, I have old parents and young children at home, I can't die! You have to save me!" the fatty wailed in terror.

"You haven't even married, where would you get children?" Ling Yunfei’s face darkened. He snapped, "Be a man and show some backbone! The worst that happens is death; what’s there to be afraid of?" He looked at Qin Feiyang, a faint smile on his face. "I have no other wishes, but if I die, please take care of my mother."

He then looked up at Zuo An and roared, "Old bastard, bring it on! If I even flinch, I’m your grandson!"

"That’s more like a man," Feng Ling'er nodded. She looked down at Lin Chen and snapped, "Do you see? He is only fifteen or sixteen, he just became a disciple of the Martial King Palace, but he has backbone and conviction—he is hundreds of times stronger than you. Don't you feel ashamed?"

Lin Chen sneered, "Backbone and conviction? That’s all bullshit. Nothing is more important than staying alive. Master, kill one of them! If you don't show them you mean business, they won't wake up!"

"Makes sense," Zuo An chuckled. He pointed a finger into the air, and a bolt of battle energy shot out, piercing Chen Ying’s forehead!

*Aah!*

With a scream, she fell dead on the spot! A blood hole the size of a thumb appeared in the center of her forehead, blood gushing out. The fatty, Lu Hong, and the others were terrified out of their wits. Even Xu Jian’s cold face was filled with horror.

Only Ling Yunfei stared coldly at Zuo An, showing no fear or panic.

"You’re Jiang Haotian, aren't you? Hand over the Nether Ghost Flame immediately, or the next one to die will be him!" Zuo An pointed at Xu Jian, his old eyes seething with murderous intent.

Feng Ling'er was frantic, looking helplessly at Qin Feiyang.

Qin Feiyang swept his gaze over the fatty and the others, then looked up at Zuo An. "It’s not too late to stop now. If this matter blows up, you’ll surely die!"

"Trying to scare me?" Zuo An sneered, his eyes full of disdain.

"Don't think that just because you are an Eight-Star Battle Emperor, you can act so lawlessly!" Qin Feiyang retorted sternly. "If the Yan Prefecture can't handle you, there is the Provincial Government! If they can't, there is the Imperial Capital! Tell me, no matter how strong you are, can you be stronger than the people of the Imperial Capital? Can you be stronger than the Emperor of the Great Qin Empire? In this world, imperial power is supreme; how can you be allowed to wreak such havoc!"

Zuo An’s pupils contracted. If this really blew up, there would be no need for the Imperial Capital to intervene; the experts of the Provincial Government alone would be enough to crush him to pieces. But! If he silenced all these people, there would be no trouble at all.

Deep in his old eyes, Zuo An hid a murderous glint. "How about this: as long as you return the Nether Ghost Flame to me, I will not only let you all leave, but I will also stop refining Blood Fiend Pills from this day on. How about that?"

Qin Feiyang shook his head. "No one dares to believe your word. Let's do this: you come with us to Yan City to surrender. Once we see the Prince of Yan, I will give you the Nether Ghost Flame."

"Hehehe..." Zuo An began to laugh wickedly. "Kid, you’re very smart, but smart people often die younger. Unfortunately for you, you have exhausted my patience."

With those words, he flicked his finger. A bolt of battle energy shot out and instantly pierced Xu Jian’s forehead. Xu Jian died on the spot!

However, Qin Feiyang laughed. "Kill them, then. I wasn't that close to them anyway. Oh, and by the way, that Lu Hong is my enemy—hurry up and kill her, she’s an eyesore."

"Jiang Haotian, we are fellow disciples at the very least! How can you be so heartless?" Lu Hong’s face changed, and she shouted angrily.

"When you were plotting against me, I didn't see you worrying about any fellow-disciple ties!" Qin Feiyang gave a disdainful laugh and looked at Zuo An. "Old bastard, I’ll be honest with you: I won't give you the Nether Ghost Flame. As for them? Kill whoever you want!"

Having said that, he took Feng Ling'er and entered the ancient castle.

"Boss Jiang, you can't abandon me!" the fatty wailed.

Zuo An was stunned. He turned his head sharply to look at Lin Chen, shouting angrily, "Didn't you say they were very close to Jiang Haotian?"

"This..." Lin Chen was also confused.

"How laughable," Ling Yunfei shook his head, mocking them. "We’ve known Jiang Haotian for less than three months. Besides, people only use each other; how could he possibly compromise with you just to save us?"

Zuo An’s expression darkened; he was at a loss.

Inside the ancient castle, Feng Ling'er stared at the Nether Ghost Flame and suddenly said, "Jiang Haotian, why don't we just give him the alchemy fire?"

Qin Feiyang replied, "Do you really think that if we return it, he’ll let us go?"

Feng Ling'er said, "Didn't he just say so?"

Qin Feiyang frowned. "What kind of judgment is that? Can't you see he’s just placating us? Once he actually gets it, he won't hesitate to kill us all to silence us."

For once, Feng Ling'er didn't explode. She looked at Qin Feiyang, feeling helpless. "Then what should we do? We can't just stand by and watch them die, right?"

"Don't worry. That old bastard is just as anxious as we are," Qin Feiyang said. "As long as we don't show ourselves, he won't dare to kill the three of them. Because if he kills them, he loses his bargaining chip. The top priority now is to find a way to make contact with the outside world. Sigh, only the big shots in Yan City can save us now."

The problem, however, was that Zuo An was guarding the outside. How could they contact anyone? This was, quite simply, a dead end.