Lin Feng was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected his reputation to reach White Whirlpool City. He nodded. "Hah, that's me."
Dong Tianyang studied Lin Feng with renewed awe, his expression clearing. He clasped his fists once more. "I've long admired your name, Fellow Daoist Lin! To meet you here—truly an honor."
Lin Feng smiled faintly. "You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Dong. A pleasure."
Now fully composed, Dong Tianyang and Xu Yurong exchanged a glance—hers questioning, his subtly reassuring. Dong Tianyang turned back to Lin Feng, sincerity etched on his face. "Fellow Daoist Lin, we owe you our lives. Please accept these two tokens as a humble token of our gratitude."
He extended two Grand Competition tokens.
"Well..." Lin Feng hesitated only a moment before accepting them. "Then I gratefully receive them."
He needed tokens, and refusing freely offered ones would be foolish. Truthfully, he had initially hesitated to intervene. It was Dong Tianyang's self-sacrificing loyalty that moved him to act. Saving them meant he couldn't bring himself to seize their tokens afterward. But since they offered... refusal was pointless.
With two more tokens secured, Lin Feng saw no reason to linger. "I won't delay your recovery," he said to Dong Tianyang. "Farewell. We'll meet at the finish line."
Dong Tianyang nodded. "Agreed. Travel safely, Fellow Daoist Lin! We'll see you at the end. If fate allows, I shall visit Zhenhai City to express my thanks properly."
Lin Feng turned to leave. As he moved toward a specific path, Xu Yurong's expression flickered. She tugged Dong Tianyang's sleeve, whispering urgently, "Senior Brother, that direction... it's where..."
Dong Tianyang, still savoring their fortunate encounter, froze. Memory struck him. He called out to Lin Feng's retreating back. "Fellow Daoist Lin! Wait, please!"
Lin Feng halted and turned, puzzled. "Is there something else, Fellow Daoist Dong?"
Dong Tianyang's expression grew serious. "Fellow Daoist Lin, the direction you're heading... I encountered several cultivators from Black Loong City there not long ago. Please, be cautious."
"Oh?" Lin Feng's eyebrow arched. Not fear, but a spark of anticipation lit his eyes. "How many? What strength? Are you certain it was this way?"
"Uh..." Dong Tianyang instantly grasped Lin Feng's intent, momentarily stunned. Then he remembered—this was the man who casually slew a Grade 4 beast. Evasion wasn't his style. After a brief pause, Dong Tianyang continued, "I saw them half a day ago. Three in total. One was the son of Black Loong City's City Lord, Qin Yulong, at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core. The other two were also at Golden Core 9th Layer... They were battling a demon beast when we spotted them. We avoided contact for safety's sake. If you meet them, Fellow Daoist Lin, please exercise extreme caution."
Lin Feng smiled, nodding. "Thanks for the warning. I will. Farewell." He turned and strode confidently into the depths of the forest.
"This..." Xu Yurong stared after him, bewildered. "Senior Brother... is he planning to seek out those Black Loong City cultivators?"
Her intent had been to warn Lin Feng away from danger. The opposite seemed to have occurred. His reaction baffled her.
Dong Tianyang gave a rueful chuckle. "It appears so. Those Black Loong City brutes... we flee them. But to Lin Feng? They're likely insignificant. He's probably going after their tokens."
A flicker of grim satisfaction crossed his eyes. "Hah. Seems those Black Loong City thugs are about to taste their own medicine... Serves them right."
...
Meanwhile, Lin Feng sped through the forest, scanning for signs of passage. Soon, he reached an area of recent devastation—overturned earth, splintered trees, and deep gouges. Clearly, a fierce battle against a large demon beast had raged here. The Black Loong City group's fight, Lin Feng surmised.
The tracks indicated the beast had fallen. The direction the attackers departed was equally clear. Satisfied with his assessment, Lin Feng followed their trail.
After traversing dozens of li, the signs faded. Undeterred, Lin Feng pressed on. The path led directly toward the destination mountain. Barring diversions, the Black Loong City trio wouldn't deviate.
As twilight painted the sky, Lin Feng entered a small valley. The moment he stepped inside, his eyebrow twitched. Simultaneously, Xiao Qiu, perched on his shoulder, stiffened, ears pricked, ready to warn. Lin Feng stroked its head, signaling awareness.
Maintaining his composure, Lin Feng advanced another hundred meters.
Hummm!!
A resonant vibration filled the air. Countless orange specks of light materialized around him. In a blink, they coalesced into a fifty-meter-wide, hemispherical orange barrier, sealing him within.
"HAHAHAHA!! Thought we might catch someone worthwhile! Turns out it's just a fool stumbling blindly into a trap! Traveling alone with such recklessness? You've got a death wish!!"
The arrogant shout echoed from the hillside to his right. The air shimmered, revealing three figures. The speaker, a lanky youth in yellow robes, stood to the left. Before him stood a young man draped in black robes, his demeanor radiating cold arrogance. To the right, another youth in golden robes looked down at Lin Feng with mocking amusement.
Lin Feng calmly surveyed them. "You are from Black Loong City?"
"Huh?"
His unnerving composure gave the trio pause. The yellow-robed youth sneered. "Heh! Still playing it cool? Or truly unafraid to die?"
The golden-robed youth addressed the black-robed leader. "Young Master Qin, how shall we handle him?"
So this is Qin Yulong, the Black Loong City heir, Lin Feng noted. Qin Yulong regarded him with detached disappointment, as if lamenting the poor quality of their catch. He flicked a glance at his subordinate.
"Must you ask such trivialities?" His voice was ice. "Deal with him swiftly. Reset the array. Perhaps a worthier prey will come."