Chapter 91: Ancient Hall
"Leave him behind."
Another light shout came from behind. Behind Old Man Bei and Lin Feng, the demon beast Kunpeng swallowed clouds and mist, suddenly opening its massive mouth and inhaling violently. Instantly, a fierce gale howled, space churned, and surging currents of air madly rushed toward the Kunpeng's mouth.
At the same time, the demon beast Kunpeng's enormous wings spread wide, flapping fiercely as it lunged toward Old Man Bei and Lin Feng.
The overwhelmingly powerful devouring force caused even Old Man Bei's body to slow slightly, while Lin Feng felt as if he were about to be swallowed into the beast's mouth, his body no longer his own.
If Old Man Bei hadn't been holding him firmly, Lin Feng had no doubt he would already be food in the Kunpeng's mouth.
The Kunpeng was a Mysterious Beast, incredibly powerful, equivalent to a human expert of the Mysterious Martial Realm. Even a casual inhale was something Lin Feng, at his current level, could not resist.
"Lock."
Above the Kunpeng's massive body, Teng Wushan shouted. A pitch-black chain shot out fiercely from him, directly attacking Lin Feng.
"Get lost."
A reprimanding shout rang out. The black chain was caught in a rough palm—the palm belonged to the old woman.
"Go. I'll kill this beast."
The old woman's voice was calm, but Old Man Bei nodded heavily. Among their enemies, only two could match him in speed: the old man standing on the giant sword, flying through the air, and Teng Wushan, who rode the Kunpeng. These two had likely been prepared for him.
But the giant sword old man had been wounded by Old Man Kong. Now, as long as the Kunpeng died, no one would be able to catch up to him.
As for the old woman's words, Old Man Bei did not doubt them. If she said it, she would do it.
"I've kept our agreement. Remember to tell that little bastard Liu Canglan for me—I forgive him. As for the marriage between Wenren Yan and little girl Fei, I won't bring it up again. Lin Feng is very good."
The old woman's voice was calm. Old Man Bei smiled but did not reply.
"Hmph, arrogant talk. Let's see how you plan to kill my Kunpeng."
Teng Wushan sneered. The black chain trembled, wrapping around the old woman's body. Then, the Kunpeng's massive mouth opened again, unleashing a savage devouring force as if to swallow her whole.
A Mysterious Beast already possessed high intelligence. The old woman had dared to say she would kill it—the Kunpeng was enraged.
"A beast is just a beast."
The old woman shouted coldly. A sharp screech came from her mouth, her disheveled hair flying wildly. The phantom of a massive venomous snake emerged behind her. She herself seemed to transform into a serpent, charging directly into the Kunpeng's mouth.
That's right—the old woman did not resist. Instead, she followed the black chain and the devouring force from the Kunpeng's mouth, entering the beast's body.
Lin Feng stared in shock at the scene before him, deeply moved.
"Let's go."
Old Man Bei said indifferently, casting one last glance in that direction before his body flickered and vanished.
A tremendous explosion, accompanied by an enraged roar, came from afar. Lin Feng could already guess the outcome.
Toward the old woman who had broken her promise and saved Wenren Yan, Lin Feng no longer felt any hatred. As she had said, she saved Wenren Yan because he was her disciple. For his sake, she could set aside her own dignity.
And the Cloud Sea Sect was the sect she protected. For the sect, she could give up her own life.
That ugly old woman was worthy of respect.
No one could stop Old Man Bei anymore. His Martial Soul Wings flapped madly, turning him into a black shadow that sped away from the canyon, soon disappearing without a trace.
Old Man Bei and Lin Feng had finally escaped the Cloud Sea Sect alive. But they felt no joy of survival. They both knew clearly that their lives had been bought with the blood of the entire Cloud Sea Sect.
At the Heavenly Chasm Cliff, where the Bell and Drum Precipice stood, it was a sheer cliff face with no path.
Apart from the passage through the Heavenly Chasm Cliff, the only way in or out was through the void.
At that moment, a crane-like figure flashed down from the sky like a streak of light, landing on the Bell and Drum Precipice.
Seeing this familiar place, Lin Feng was momentarily stunned, somewhat puzzled. Old Man Bei had not taken him far from the Cloud Sea Sect but had brought him here instead.
"Let's go down."
Old Man Bei glanced at the Bell and Drum Precipice, then led Lin Feng as they slid down the cliff face, descending a thousand meters until they were both amidst rolling clouds and mist.
"Did you remember the spot where we came down?"
Old Man Bei stopped and asked Lin Feng.
Lin Feng didn't understand the meaning of the question but still nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Starting from that spot, go straight down the cliff. After descending a thousand meters, you'll reach where we are now."
Old Man Bei said this, then casually knocked three times on the rock wall. With a rumbling sound, the perfectly fitted stone wall began to move, transforming into a sliding stone door.
This sheer cliff face actually concealed a hidden world.
"Let's go in." Old Man Bei led Lin Feng through the entrance. The stone wall slid shut with a bang.
This was a great hall, as if from an ancient era, filled with an aura of antiquity.
Inside the hall, dragons and phoenixes were carved, and numerous towering pillars supported the entire structure. Countless beast carvings adorned them—beasts Lin Feng had never seen before.
"The Cloud Sea Sect established its sect here not because of the terrain, but because our ancestors discovered this hall in this place."
Old Man Bei's voice rang out as he explained to Lin Feng: "This should be a cultivation site left behind by ancient experts, or perhaps a sect. The Star Pavilion you saw—many of its powerful techniques and martial skills were obtained by our ancestors from here. It's said that in the past, the Star Pavilion's techniques were far more powerful than now, but because news leaked out over the past thousand years, many powerful techniques were stolen. Now, the Cloud Sea Sect treats this place as an absolute secret. Only the sect's guardians know of its existence—not even the sect leader is aware."
A cultivation site left by ancient experts? Even the sect leader didn't know?
Lin Feng was moved. So only the sect's guardians could enter this place.
He surveyed the great hall. It was extremely wide and majestic, exuding an ancient and powerful aura. Though the items inside were covered in dust, they were all old and exquisite.
"Lin Feng, follow me."
Old Man Bei lifted his steps and led Lin Feng deeper into the hall. After a while, they entered an ancient room. Inside was a bookshelf carved from brown Dragon's Sandalwood, leaning against the wall. On the shelf were scattered a few books, covered in a layer of dust, but neatly arranged—clearly someone had organized them before.
"The techniques and martial skills we took to the Star Pavilion were all hand-copied versions. The originals are all here. The lowest grade is Profound rank, and the highest is Earth rank lower grade. There are quite a few, but they're very hard to cultivate. Even we guardians could only cultivate these Earth rank lower grade techniques to minor mastery. You can choose suitable techniques and martial skills to cultivate here."
If this had been before, Lin Feng would have been overjoyed to come here. But the heaviness in his heart now made it impossible for him to feel happy. Those gazes kept appearing in his mind, impossible to shake off.
"Let's go look at another room."
Old Man Bei didn't let Lin Feng stay here. He led him to another ancient room.
"Weapons."
As soon as they entered the room, waves of domineering (ba dao) and sharp aura rushed toward them, making Lin Feng's heart tremble slightly.
A weapon has a spirit.
A weapon with a spirit is a spirit weapon.
"They can be called weapons, but more precisely, they are spirit weapons."
Old Man Bei's gaze was solemn. "Weapons mostly refer to ordinary arms. But the weapons here are spiritual, incredibly powerful."
As he spoke, Old Man Bei walked over to an ancient sword hanging on the wall, took it down, and said to Lin Feng: "Hand me the sword on your back."
Lin Feng nodded slightly and handed the long sword he carried to Old Man Bei.
But Old Man Bei swung the ancient sword, using no technique or martial skill, and simply struck it against Lin Feng's sword.
"Crack."
An extremely crisp sound rang out. Lin Feng's sword snapped in two. The break was smooth, clearly not caused by force but by true sharpness.
"All the weapons here are spirit weapons. But 'an innocent man may be blamed for possessing jade.' We never let these spirit weapons see the light of day. But from now on, they all belong to you."
"Belong to me?" Lin Feng was stunned. Old Man Bei was still alive, yet he was giving everything here to him?
"Yes, everything here belongs to you." Old Man Bei nodded solemnly, took an item from his bosom—it was an ancient stone ring, extremely ordinary.
"This is an ancient storage ring. It contains its own space, also obtained from this hall. Drop blood on it, and you can open the space inside. Try it."
Old Man Bei handed the stone ring to Lin Feng and said.
Lin Feng followed the instructions, using the sword to cut his finger. A drop of blood fell onto the stone ring. The blood flowed slowly, and then a strange scene occurred.
The stone ring emitted a faint, dazzling luster. The drop of blood turned a deep red, slowly seeping into the ring.
At that moment, a wonderful (qi miao) feeling arose. Lin Feng felt as if he had some inexplicable connection with the ring.
With a thought, Lin Feng sensed his consciousness entering the ring. Inside, there was indeed a vast space, and it also stored many items.
A familiar aura drifted away with the wind, making Lin Feng's heart jolt violently.
"This is…?"
Lin Feng's pupils contracted as he stared at Old Man Bei.
"Your feeling is correct. That is Nan Gong's aura. Before he died, this ring belonged to him. Now, you are the master of this ring." Old Man Bei's expression was solemn, his gaze fixed firmly on Lin Feng. "Lin Feng, from now on, you are the new sect leader of the Cloud Sea Sect."