After obliterating his two enemies with lightning speed, the burly cultivator gave a flick of his wrist. With a grasping motion, he swept the corpses on the ground into his storage ring. His gaze then lifted, sweeping an icy glare over the surroundings. Nearly everyone hidden in the distance, observing the fight, was included in this chilling survey – Lin Feng was no exception. Though the look passed over him in an instant, Lin Feng couldn't help a slight tremor within. The man's eyes were cold and arrogant, like those of a solitary, prideful tiger, issuing a silent warning to all potential foes: approach at your peril, and be torn to shreds.
After this cold survey of the onlookers, the burly cultivator turned expressionlessly and vanished into the nearby grove of trees. Soon, even his aura faded into the distance and disappeared.
However, the man's warning gaze before departure didn't intimidate everyone. Lin Feng noticed at least three cultivators slipping away quietly in pursuit.
Such occurrences were evidently commonplace within the domain of Black Loong City. Once the fight concluded, the surrounding onlookers resumed their activities as if nothing significant had just transpired.
Lin Feng cast one last, deep glance in the direction where the burly cultivator had vanished, but he didn't follow. He wasn't inclined to meddle. Instead, he continued his path towards the gates of Black Loong City.
After completing a brief entry procedure at the city gates, Lin Feng stepped inside. Black Loong City felt slightly dimmer and less bustling compared to Zhenhai City, lacking its vibrant, clamorous energy. Overall, the city's atmosphere hung heavy with suppression, as if the very air crackled with an undercurrent of lethal intent. People on the streets generally appeared unfriendly, and the cultivators here seemed, as a whole, slightly more powerful than those in Zhenhai City. This wasn't surprising – in a place like this, those lacking sufficient strength likely wouldn't survive long.
After walking down roughly two streets, Lin Feng's keen senses alerted him to two small figures trailing him. He frowned inwardly. It seems Black Loong City is even more chaotic than I imagined. My unfamiliar face must be an easy target for trouble.
Lin Feng had no desire to waste time with such minor players. Shaking off a few Core Formation cultivators was effortless for someone of his strength. He quickened his pace, turning a corner. Once out of sight, he subtly altered his appearance once more. This time, he deliberately released his previously suppressed cultivation aura. In this environment, displaying formidable power often made things easier.
When the ill-intentioned trackers rounded the corner, Lin Feng had vanished. Some stubbornly expanded their spiritual sense, searching frantically, only to find that even Lin Feng's unique aura had completely disappeared.
...
Having shed his pursuers, Lin Feng walked deeper towards the city center for a while longer. Eventually, he chose a lively, popular restaurant and entered.
Finding an empty table in a corner of the first-floor hall, Lin Feng ordered a table of spirit cuisine. While waiting for the food and then eating, he maintained an air of casual indifference while carefully tuning his ears to the conversations around him.
However, Lin Feng was somewhat disappointed. Even after finishing most of the meal, he hadn't gleaned much of the information he sought. After all, the Wu Pine Island incident had occurred some time ago. People weren't discussing it constantly anymore.
Since eavesdropping yielded little, direct inquiry was necessary. But the other diners mostly wore expressions of "strangers keep away." Lin Feng decided against approaching them. Instead, he signaled the young waiter who had served him earlier. The young man approached immediately, a practiced smile on his face.
"Esteemed Senior, how may I assist you further?" The waiter, only at the late Qi Refining stage, naturally regarded Lin Feng – who was currently projecting the aura of a Ninth Layer Core Formation cultivator – with deep reverence. He spoke while bowing slightly, adopting a posture of attentive service.
Lin Feng casually placed three mid-grade spirit stones on the edge of the table. "I have some questions for you," he stated calmly. "Answer them to my satisfaction, and these three mid-grade stones are yours."
The waiter's eyes instantly lit up, a flicker of excitement crossing his face. Cultivators at his level typically dealt only in low-grade spirit stones. Three mid-grade stones represented a significant windfall. His demeanor became even more respectful. "Senior, please ask whatever you wish! This junior will speak everything he knows, holding nothing back!"
Lin Feng gave a slight nod. "I've been away for several months and have just returned. I wish to know if any major events have occurred recently in the Starry Sea. Tell me everything in detail."
"Major events?" The waiter paused momentarily, having braced for a question involving secrets. Relieved it was just this, he answered almost without thinking, "A major event? Indeed, there was one massive occurrence not long ago! It practically shook the entire Starry Sea!"
Seeing Lin Feng's look urging him to continue, the waiter knew he was on the right track and spoke with increasing enthusiasm: "Just half a month ago, within the Fourth Level Waters of the Starry Sea, a place called 'Wu Pine Island', which falls under Zhenhai City's sphere of influence, became the site of an earth-shattering battle! Both combatants were mighty experts of the Great Ascension Stage, figures rarely seen in the world! One was our Starry Sea's own 'Guardian Deity', Senior Du Tianyan! The other... well, it's said he was a Grand Elder of the Yin Corpse Sect, named Yin Wuyan!"
"What?!"
Lin Feng's pupils contracted violently. He almost shot to his feet. He had always wondered how Qiu had managed to escape with him right under the nose of such a terrifyingly powerful cultivator. Logically, it should have been impossible. Now it made sense – another expert of equal strength had intervened and stopped his pursuer! But what shocked him even more was the identity of the Yin Corpse Sect expert who had nearly killed him: it was none other than the man he considered his greatest potential enemy – Yin Wuyan!
Lin Feng's strong reaction didn't seem to arouse the waiter's suspicion. Hearing such news for the first time, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would likely react similarly, let alone a Core Formation cultivator. Lin Feng quickly suppressed his inner turmoil and asked urgently, "What was the outcome?"
The waiter continued: "That battle was truly cataclysmic! Even from land, strange phenomena were visible. The horizon in the direction of the event seemed to be on fire... As for the specifics of the fight, accounts vary. However, the earliest reports are probably the most reliable. They say both combatants suffered severe injuries, but the Yin Corpse Sect's Yin Wuyan was wounded more gravely. He was the first to flee."
"..." Lin Feng's eyes flickered as he processed this information. After a moment of silent thought, he pressed further, "What caused this great battle?" He asked this deliberately, hoping to steer the conversation towards the events on Wu Pine Island.
As expected, the waiter elaborated: "It's said the root cause was a conspiracy between a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Yin Corpse Sect and an elder from the Zhenhai Alliance. They laid a trap on Molten Demon Island, attempting to assassinate a group of cultivators. But their plot was ultimately thwarted by Zhenhai City's Elder Yu Ping and a talented cultivator named Lin Feng." He lowered his voice slightly. "Later, during the Five Cities Grand Competition held on Wu Pine Island, members of the Yin Corpse Sect came seeking revenge. No one knows why, but they brought a Great Ascension Stage mighty expert with them! At that time... later on..."
Lin Feng listened quietly, finally piecing together the events that transpired after his own desperate escape. A silent wave of relief washed over him: the cultivators from the five cities who had been on Wu Pine Island that day had apparently survived unharmed. After he used the Teleportation Talisman to flee, Yin Wuyan had pursued him. Meanwhile, under Wang Yunkun's leadership, Yu Ping and the others had engaged in combat against the Transformation Spirit Stage expert from the Yin Corpse Sect. However, that fight was soon forcibly interrupted by the sheer, overwhelming impact of the battle raging between the two Great Ascension mighty experts nearby. The scope of such a conflict wasn't confined to a mere hundred li; it engulfed hundreds of li around! Dozens of islands within the epicenter were utterly annihilated.
Only when Du Tianyan, having driven off Yin Wuyan, arrived on Wu Pine Island, did Wang Yunkun and the others learn what had truly transpired. By then, however, Sui Lu and Yu Youtian had already escaped. The Five Cities Grand Competition concluded hastily. It wasn't until the participants returned to their respective cities that the full story spread, quickly sweeping through the entire Starry Sea and even rippling across the broader cultivation world of Eastern Loong Continent.
Lin Feng also learned one more crucial piece of information: as far as the outside world was concerned... he, Lin Feng, was dead.