Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Serrated Hideout

The elderly man passed away. The others, too, succumbed to the poison. It meant complete annihilation—no survivors.

Qin Feiyang rose, surveying the bodies scattered around him with eyes growing colder still. These men were but cannon fodder; the ones truly deserving death were the city lord himself.

He sat beside the dying embers, swallowing a healing pill and a bone-mending pill, watching the flames rise and fall, lost in thought.

Time slipped by.

The fire dwindled to ash. The fragrant wild boar roasting over the flames was burnt to cinders, but Qin Feiyang seemed oblivious, as if in deep meditation.

Gradually, dawn crept across the sky, though no sun appeared. Heavy clouds hung low, a prelude to storm, casting a stifling oppression over the land.

A sound stirred.

Ling Yunfei finally awoke, opening his eyes in confusion as he gazed at the sky. Suddenly, remembering something, he scrambled to his feet, scanning his surroundings with wary alertness.

"Relax, they're all dead," Qin Feiyang's voice rang out, steady as a balm. Ling Yunfei exhaled in relief.

"The pain!" he groaned. Once his tension eased, a tidal wave of agony crashed over him, making him grit his teeth.

Qin Feiyang gathered himself and rose, looking upon Ling Yunfei with a faint smile. "Your wounds are severe; you'd best not move too much."

Ling Yunfei asked, "And you?"

"I'm alright," Qin Feiyang replied, though his pallor betrayed his true condition.

Ling Yunfei eyed him suspiciously. "If the city lord learns we're alive, he'll surely come after us again. Shouldn't we strike first?"

Qin Feiyang shook his head. "He's not only the lord of Black Bear City, but a true Battle King. Killing him is no easy feat."

Ling Yunfei frowned. Indeed, it was a thorny problem.

"Let's go. We'll discuss it back home," Qin Feiyang said.

After collecting the pouches of the fifteen fallen men, the two left the gorge. Not long after, another city lord's guard hurried toward the valley.

"With such a good opportunity last night, Jiang Haotian should have been slain by them," he muttered, grinning brightly.

But as he entered the valley and saw the fifteen corpses, his smile froze. He rushed over, inspecting each body.

When he finished, his expression was one of utter horror. They were all dead! Who had done this?

Scanning the area, he found no one else. After a thorough search, he turned and sped back to the city lord's mansion.

"Impossible!" The city lord sprang to his feet, glaring at the guard with disbelief.

The guard knelt, reporting respectfully, "I saw it myself, my lord. It's absolutely true."

"Ridiculous! Two nine-star martial masters, eleven one-star martial lords, and two two-star martial lords—who could possibly kill them? Unless Luo Xiong and his men intervened personally," the city lord snapped, refusing to believe.

"It wasn't Luo Xiong's group," the guard replied.

"How do you know?" the city lord demanded.

"They all died from poisoning. With Luo Xiong's strength, he wouldn’t need to resort to poison. If I’m not mistaken, it was Jiang Haotian and Ling Yunfei," the guard explained.

"Impossible!" the city lord roared.

"I'm certain, my lord. I found several sky-blue hairs on the elder of the Ling family. In all of Black Bear City, only Ling Yunfei has sky-blue hair," said the guard.

"Even two filthy brats can't be killed. Useless fools!" The city lord was beside himself with rage. He had worked so hard to create this opportunity, only for it to end in failure.

"Please, my lord, calm yourself. From what I observed, Jiang Haotian and Ling Yunfei must be gravely wounded. If we send men now to intercept them, we’ll surely finish them off along the way," the guard suggested.

The city lord considered this, then nodded. "Very well. Go to the Jiang and Mu families. Tell their patriarchs that if they kill Jiang Haotian and Ling Yunfei, I’ll turn a blind eye to their massacre of the Ling family."

"Brilliant, my lord," the guard flattered, bowing before taking his leave.

...

A lake, a hundred yards across, nestled in the mountain ravine. Its surface rippled with clarity.

At its edge, Qin Feiyang and Ling Yunfei stood upon a slab of blue stone, washing the blood from their bodies.

"Alas, a tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs," Ling Yunfei sighed deeply, both frustrated and helpless.

On their journey, savage beasts often blocked their path. At full strength, such creatures posed no threat. But wounded as they were, especially Ling Yunfei, who could barely walk quickly, they inevitably suffered more injuries fighting these beasts. Forced into detours, they relied on a supply of healing pills for survival.

Qin Feiyang, scanning the lake as he washed, warned, "Don't complain yet. There are likely water beasts lurking here. Stay alert."

No sooner had he spoken than a savage beast erupted from the water, sending waves meters high. Its gaping maw lunged for them.

The creature stretched five or six meters long, armored in gleaming scales. Two rows of fangs, jagged like saw blades, radiated a ferocious menace.

"A sawtooth crocodile!" Qin Feiyang's face changed as he dragged Ling Yunfei toward the forest behind them.

The sawtooth crocodile landed heavily, shaking the ground. It bounded after them with thunderous steps, matching their speed.

Wherever it passed, stones and trees were sent flying, its strength overwhelming.

"Why are we so unlucky, running into such a monster? You're the jinx—everything you warn about happens!" Ling Yunfei cursed.

Qin Feiyang could only smile bitterly.

Sawtooth crocodiles, like black-scaled crocodiles, lived in packs, but were far more terrifying. Their scales were nearly impenetrable, and their fangs could crush steel. More importantly, they were amphibious.

Judging by its speed, this crocodile was at least at the level of an eight-star martial master.

Only by using the Smoke Step technique could Qin Feiyang match its pace.

As they ran past a large tree, dead leaves suddenly rustled ahead. Another sawtooth crocodile lunged out, its ferocity palpable.

"Heart-Locking Death Fist!" Qin Feiyang's eyes chilled as he struck out.

The crocodile was sent flying, its heart shattered instantly.

"You know Heart-Locking Death Fist?" Ling Yunfei was stunned.

But he quickly realized the foolishness of his question. He had learned the technique from Qin Feiyang, its creator.

"Save the talk—watch for more crocodiles lurking nearby!" Qin Feiyang barked.

They continued fleeing.

Behind them, the first crocodile howled mournfully at the sight of its fallen comrade.

The sound stirred the hive.

From the lake, sawtooth crocodiles leapt from the water. From beneath dead leaves, in the grass, among the bushes, more crocodiles of varying size surged forth.

In the blink of an eye, fifty sawtooth crocodiles surrounded Qin Feiyang and Ling Yunfei. More packs pressed in from afar, crushing everything in their path. The thunderous roar was deafening.

Even Qin Feiyang, with his steady temperament, felt his heart pound in dread.

"It seems we've stumbled into the crocodiles' nest. If only we hadn't taken this detour," Qin Feiyang lamented.

Ling Yunfei scanned the area. "Fewer crocodiles on the right. Let's break through there!"

"Agreed," Qin Feiyang nodded.

With their lives on the line, they ignored their injuries and fought with all their strength, nearly breaking free.

But then, a low hill ahead collapsed, and a ten-meter-long sawtooth crocodile burst forth, its massive body crushing all obstacles, its roar shaking the heavens. Trees that would take three men to encircle were snapped like twigs in its jaws.

Qin Feiyang and Ling Yunfei immediately turned and fled for their lives. The larger the crocodile, the stronger its power. This beast, ten meters long, surely possessed the strength of a martial lord.

Yet, before they could escape, another ten-meter crocodile appeared ahead. Simultaneously, one emerged on each side, all towering and menacing.

Four kingly sawtooth crocodiles confronted them, leaving the two stunned. Alongside these four, hundreds of martial master-level crocodiles surrounded them—how could they possibly escape?

Two crocodiles, seven or eight meters long, lunged at them.

"Heart-Locking Death Fist!"

Both shouted, striking with all their might, killing the beasts. Ling Yunfei cried, "What now?"

"What else but fight our way out?" Qin Feiyang's gaze darkened as he drew the Cangxue blade and charged toward the left.

To escape, they had to avoid the four king crocodiles.

Cangxue cut through their armored scales with ease, and with the aid of perfect martial skills, the two carved a bloody path, unstoppable.

But the king crocodiles on the left and ahead roared, their giant tails raised high, smashing toward Qin Feiyang and Ling Yunfei.

"It's no use—we can't break through!" Qin Feiyang's face fell. Without hesitation, he grabbed Ling Yunfei and entered the ancient fortress.

Two giant tails struck, shattering the earth.

Seeing the two humans vanish, the four king crocodiles roared in fury, their tails smashing the ground in madness. Soon, the area was devastated, dust blotting out the sun.

Meanwhile, several hundred meters away in the ravine, more than twenty people stood atop a hill, watching the lake with suspicion.

At the forefront were two elders, white-haired and bearded, but with ruddy faces and keen spirits—the grand elders of the Mu and Jiang families.

The rest were martial lords from both clans.

The Jiang grand elder withdrew his gaze, turning to a burly middle-aged man beside him. "Jiang Sen, go see what's happening over there. If it's Jiang Haotian and Ling Yunfei, don't startle them."

Jiang Sen nodded, leaping from the hill and vanishing into the dense forest.