Watching the four enter the hall, the other two groups dared not intervene. Though resentment burned within them, they were powerless. Against Mu Qingfeng, resistance was futile. Provoking him further risked a lethal backlash—death would be their only reward.
As the two groups exchanged uneasy glances, a figure burst from the nearby forest. The four cultivators on the left instantly brightened.
"Senior Brother Zhou!!"
The newcomer, a square-jawed youth clad in deep purple robes, possessed a cultivation base at the Golden Core second layer. Seeing his injured junior, his face darkened.
"What happened?"
His sharp eyes swept over the imposing hall, then flicked towards the other group, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
The injured Golden Core first layer cultivator hurriedly explained, "Senior Brother Zhou! We discovered this mysterious hall! But Mu Qingfeng from Verdant Wind Valley attacked both me and Fellow Daoist Zhang from Falling Mists Sect! He forced us to wait ten minutes after he entered!"
"Mu Qingfeng?" Zhou Lihu's gaze sharpened, locking onto the hall. A cold snort escaped him.
"How arrogant! How utterly overbearing of Verdant Wind Valley! Does Mu Qingfeng truly think that just because he recently broke through to Golden Core third layer, he can trample over everyone?! Hmph! Let's see if he dares slaughter us all! Move!"
He strode decisively towards the hall. His four sect brothers followed immediately. The five Falling Mists Sect cultivators, seizing the opportunity, rushed after them. Within moments, all vanished into the swirling, mist-shrouded entrance of the black hall.
...
From afar, Lin Feng and Chang Gong Xiaojing had witnessed the entire confrontation. Distance shielded them; even the Golden Core cultivators' powerful spiritual senses hadn't detected them. Though they hadn't grasped every detail, Lin Feng had distinctly caught the words "Verdant Wind Valley."
"Verdant Wind Valley people..." Lin Feng's brow furrowed. He held zero goodwill towards that sect. He'd recognized Mu Qingfeng, the cultivator who'd defeated two Golden Core first layers, as Golden Core third layer—likely among the strongest participants in the Black Mist Herb Valley trial. Impressive, yes, but insufficient to intimidate him.
Seeing everyone disappear inside, Lin Feng felt his curiosity ignite. He couldn't resist the allure. After a moment's thought, he turned to Xiaojing.
"Xiaojing, I need to go in there. Perhaps... you should wait outside?"
Xiaojing shook her head firmly.
"No. I'm going with you."
Lin Feng worried about protecting her if a large-scale fight erupted inside. Yet, Xiaojing trusted his strength implicitly. Besides, leaving her alone outside presented its own dangers—hostile cultivators or powerful demon beasts could appear. He nodded.
"Alright. Stay close behind me. Protect yourself."
Decision made, they emerged from hiding and swiftly entered the imposing black hall.
...
"Mu Qingfeng!! Are you truly trying to hoard all these spirit stones for yourself?! Now that we're here, you've lost that chance! You already took countless spirit herbs! If you agree to divide these stones fairly, we'll let it pass! But if you force a bloody fight… I'll stand against you to the end!"
The moment Lin Feng stepped inside, a cold, furious voice echoed down the corridor. Exchanging a look with Xiaojing, they moved forward cautiously.
"Such intense spiritual energy… Is there a Tier 4 Spirit Gathering Array here? No… probably even stronger… Could it be Tier 5?!"
Walking deeper, Lin Feng's mind reeled. The atmosphere inside was utterly alien compared to outside. The ambient spiritual energy felt thick, almost viscous—unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
They entered a vast, unnaturally empty hall, larger even than Ling Yue Sect's grand meeting hall. Towering black pillars, meters thick, stretched upwards into obscurity on either side. Strangely, such an immense space held no furnishings, lending it an eerie desolation.
To the right, a wide corridor beckoned—the source of the voices. Moving towards it, Lin Feng saw several widely spaced doorways. Peering into the first room revealed simple furniture, resembling a meditation chamber. The second room looked like a bedroom, but was thoroughly ransacked—clearly searched by the Verdant Wind Valley group. At the third doorway, Lin Feng and Xiaojing halted, stunned by the sight within.
A miniature world unfolded inside the room. Mu Qingfeng and the others were all gathered there, locked in the same tense standoff. The ground around them was churned and scarred with numerous freshly dug pits.
Lin Feng's initial shock gave way to instant understanding: this was a medicine garden. The sky overhead had to be an illusion formation. The space spanned roughly two hundred square meters. The rich aroma of herbs still lingered thickly in the air. Lin Feng was certain this garden must have held valuable herbs—now harvested by the Verdant Wind Valley group first on the scene. Scattered Tier 2 spirit herbs dotted the periphery like weeds.
At the center of the conflict lay a large, excavated pit. Within the exposed earth, several fist-sized objects pulsed with a soft white light. Seeing them, Lin Feng's heart leaped again—spirit stones! But the sheer density of spiritual energy radiating from them dwarfed even mid-grade stones. These…
"Upper-grade spirit stones!!"
Beneath this medicine garden lay a Spirit Gathering Array, fueled by nothing less than upper-grade spirit stones—an unimaginable extravagance! What caliber of herbs had been cultivated here? Tier 4? Tier 5? Or even… legendary Tier 6? Those scattered Tier 2 herbs were indeed mere weeds by comparison!
Few patches of earth had been disturbed. Lin Feng deduced this garden had likely been long abandoned. Only about a dozen spots showed signs of recent digging—probably remnants of surviving herbs. Even those remnants, however, were likely Tier 3 or Tier 4 treasures, snatched by Verdant Wind Valley. The later arrivals had stumbled upon the group just as they uncovered the spirit stones, triggering the standoff.
...
Mu Qingfeng's eyes narrowed dangerously at Zhou Lihu and his allies. Killing intent simmered, but he held back. Facing two Golden Core first layers alone was manageable; adding a Golden Core second layer like Zhou Lihu complicated things significantly. While not afraid, he had no desire for a mutually destructive clash.
Monopolizing this hall's treasures is impossible now, Mu Qingfeng thought bitterly. With icy disdain, he flicked his hand.
"Schiiing!"
A razor-sharp blade of wind shot forth, carving a deep, precise line across the earth between the groups.
"This line marks the boundary!" Mu Qingfeng's voice cut through the tension. "Dig your stones on your side! Cross this line by half a step… and I will execute you on sight!!"
Zhou Lihu frowned. Dividing the pit this way favored Mu Qingfeng—fewer people meant more stones per individual. Yet, he too sought to avoid an immediate, bloody confrontation. Much of the hall remained unexplored; fighting now was strategically foolish. After several tense seconds, he gave a curt nod. He turned to the Golden Core cultivator from Falling Mists Sect.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, let's jointly extract the stones on our side first. We'll divide them fairly after leaving. Agreed?"
"Agreed!" Zhang responded readily. He understood his group was the weakest. Their continued presence, and thus a share of the spoils, relied solely on their alliance with Golden Feather Sect against Mu Qingfeng. Without it, they'd have been expelled long ago. Content with securing some benefit, he accepted the plan.
Mu Qingfeng gestured for his four companions to start digging. Then, his cold gaze snapped towards the doorway, locking onto Lin Feng. Undiluted killing intent radiated from him.
"Begone! Unless you wish to die!"