Chapter 164: The Setup, The Kill
Lin Feng's eyes beneath the mask were very calm, just like Ba Dao's gaze—indifferent, without the slightest ripple.
The corners of his mouth moved slightly as Lin Feng spoke: "You want to leave?"
Ba Dao's cold, blade-like brows twitched slightly. The character "Ba" (Overlord) branded on his face made him look exceptionally cold.
Ba Dao did not speak, but his silence itself was a form of expression. Of course he wanted to leave. Who would willingly remain another's slave?
"The slave brand on you was not carved by me, and I have never treated people as slaves." Lin Feng looked at the silent Ba Dao and said slowly, "If you wish to leave, you may turn around and go now. I will never force you, nor will I stop you. If you wish to follow me, then nod, and from now on, you will follow me."
Lin Feng's words made Yi Xue, standing beside him, freeze in surprise. She looked at Lin Feng with astonishment. He was actually willing to let Ba Dao go? He had spent over five thousand Mid-Grade Origin Stones to bid for him. Five thousand Mid-Grade Origin Stones was certainly a huge sum, enough to buy many powerful slave cultivators.
Ba Dao's gaze also flickered slightly. His deep, profound eyes stared at Lin Feng, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
"I will only give you one chance to choose. Either leave now, or follow me and never betray me," Lin Feng spoke again. Once. He was giving Ba Dao only one chance to choose.
Ba Dao's decision at this moment would determine his fate.
Ba Dao's gaze gradually sharpened and became domineering, like a wild, overbearing blade, staring intently at Lin Feng. Through the silver-white mask, Lin Feng's eyes remained just as indifferent—or rather, confident and arrogant.
He could throw away those five thousand Mid-Grade Origin Stones and let Ba Dao go. But if Ba Dao chose to follow him, there would be no room for regret.
In life, many times, choices determine fate. If Lin Feng had not bid for Ba Dao, Ba Dao might have remained a slave. Lin Feng gave him a choice, treating him with utmost kindness. You can leave; if you go, you have nothing to do with me. You can also stay; but if you choose to stay, you must not betray me. Lin Feng could not spend such a great price and still allow Ba Dao the freedom to change his mind back and forth. He was not a saint.
Lin Feng and Ba Dao's gazes met again in the air, colliding. Both had equally sharp, equally domineering eyes. The space around them actually gave rise to a cold, murderous aura, causing Yi Xue to feel a chill run through her body, her heart trembling violently.
So cold. Not just the cold of the body, but the cold of the marrow and the soul.
"I will follow you." After a moment of silence, the sharpness in Ba Dao's gaze dissipated. His voice was low as he nodded slightly to Lin Feng.
"Good." A hint of a smile appeared in Lin Feng's eyes. If he had simply let Ba Dao go after spending five thousand Mid-Grade Origin Stones to bid for a slave cultivator, he would have been pained. It was naturally best that Ba Dao was willing to follow him.
"Remember, I gave you a chance to choose. You could have left, but you didn't. Instead, you chose to follow me. Since that's the case, if you ever betray me in the future, I will make you suffer even more than you do now," Lin Feng said coldly, a chill spreading through the air.
Ba Dao nodded silently. He understood the meaning behind Lin Feng's choice.
Today, if it weren't for Lin Feng, he would have been bid on by someone else. Others, daring to take him, would naturally have the ability to subdue him. He would still be a slave. But Lin Feng had bid for him and was even willing to let him go. From this perspective, Lin Feng would not treat him as a slave. On a certain level, Lin Feng had shown him kindness.
Moreover, he, Ba Dao, was just a slave, with a slave brand branded on his face. If he chose to leave Lin Feng, he would still be a slave. Perhaps someone would capture him again and treat him as a slave cultivator. He could not escape his fate. Of course, it was also possible that he would gain freedom from then on, but he would not be able to show his true face.
So, Lin Feng gave him a choice: to abandon the one who had shown him kindness and take a risk, or to follow Lin Feng, a man who would not treat him as a slave.
Ba Dao chose the latter. Since he had chosen, he would not regret it, nor would he betray. This was the path he had selected himself. Lin Feng had never forced him.
"Let's go." Lin Feng lifted his foot and stepped forward. Yi Xue and Ba Dao both followed behind him.
At this moment, Ba Dao's pace unconsciously quickened a little, coming up close behind Lin Feng, and said, "Someone is following us."
"I know." Lin Feng did not turn his head, replying indifferently, causing a strange look to flash in Ba Dao's eyes.
Yi Xue, on the other hand, tightened her heart and couldn't help but look back.
Behind them, about a hundred meters away, there was indeed a figure following them closely, blatantly, without any attempt to hide. The other party simply didn't care.
"It's him." Yi Xue's beautiful eyes narrowed. The person following them was none other than the gray-robed man beside Meng Cong.
"Ignore him," Lin Feng said indifferently. Yi Xue turned around but could not maintain Lin Feng's calm demeanor. The other party dared to follow, so they must have something to rely on.
"His strength is at the Seventh Layer of Spirit Martial Realm. His aura is long and steady, his bloodline is vigorous, and he carries a baleful aura. He is someone who often kills. He is difficult to deal with. I can only barely handle him, and I will lose in a prolonged battle," Ba Dao said in a low voice, describing the opponent's strength and characteristics so clearly that Lin Feng's gaze froze, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Then can you tell what my strength is?" Lin Feng asked.
"Fifth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm. Not only is your aura long and your bloodline extremely vigorous, but your essence, energy, and spirit are also fused. If I am not mistaken, you have also fully comprehended the momentum of the sword. An ordinary Sixth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm cultivator would not be your match. Even I am not absolutely certain I can defeat you," Ba Dao said calmly, causing Lin Feng's pupils to contract slightly. It seemed Ba Dao's knowledge of the gray-robed man's strength was not accidental; he could truly deduce a person's strength, and quite accurately at that.
Yi Xue glanced at Lin Feng with surprise. He was only at the Fifth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm? Yet he dared to take in Ba Dao, who was at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm, and always carried an air of confidence and arrogance.
"Follow my arrangements," Lin Feng said no more, simply stating it briefly before quickening his pace and stepping forward.
Behind Lin Feng and the other two, the gray-robed man's gaze froze, then he smiled coldly, muttering to himself, "Since you've been spotted, do you think you can still escape?"
A slave cultivator at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm like Ba Dao, and Lin Feng, who possessed over ten thousand Mid-Grade Origin Stones—the allure was considerable.
Tapping the ground lightly with his toes, the gray-robed man's figure became exceptionally agile, like a gentle breeze floating along the main road, constantly closing the distance with Lin Feng and the others.
But at that moment, Lin Feng and his group turned and stepped into a nearby tavern.
The gray-robed man's brows rose, then he strode forward. He glanced inside the tavern, then stepped in. There was no sign of Lin Feng or the others.
"Second floor!"
The gray-robed man raised his head, looking toward the stairs. A young man with a handsome, refined face was slowly descending the stairs, a gentle smile on his face.
"Get lost." The gray-robed man took a step, rushing toward the stairs, brushing past the handsome young man.
Just as the gray-robed man was about to ascend the stairs, a figure stood at the entrance of the second-floor staircase, blocking the way. This person held a long blade, his entire body exuding an unparalleled, domineering aura. A hint of blade intent bloomed in the air, causing everyone's pupils to contract.
"Such intense blade intent. No, it's blade momentum!" The gray-robed man looked at Ba Dao and said coldly, "Ba Dao, follow Young Master Meng. Young Master Meng will surely treat you well. Why seek death?"
Ba Dao did not heed the gray-robed man's words. He slowly raised his long blade. A surging wave of blade momentum erupted wildly, causing space to tremble.
"Slash!" Ba Dao leaped down from the air. The long blade traced a brilliant white light. Space seemed to be torn apart, leaving a blade scar in its wake.
A rumbling sound echoed as the staircase collapsed and shattered under the intense blade intent. The gray-robed man's face turned cold, and he shouted, "Seeking death!"
As he spoke, the gray-robed man's palms trembled violently. Palm force spewed out wildly to meet the dazzling blade strike. Under the backlash of the blade momentum and his own palm force, his body rapidly descended from the air.
The gray-robed man's palms shook, preparing to launch an attack from mid-air. But at that moment, an overwhelming sense of crisis struck him. It came from behind him!
His heart suddenly jolted. The gray-robed man suddenly realized that he had overlooked something fatal.
Turning his eyes to look at the ground, he then saw the handsome young man he had just ignored. But at this moment, the young man's pupils were ruthless and icy, filled with endless killing intent!
His heart convulsed violently once more!