Chapter 388: Shock
Lin Feng felt a strange sensation upon hearing the other party's invitation.
A residence? This somewhat eerie middle-aged man lived deep within the mountain range? And he was perfectly fine?
Moreover, he said he would show Lin Feng the scenery of the mountain range, as if it were nothing, completely unconcerned about what kind of place this was.
A human, casually traversing a beast mountain range?
"May I ask where your residence is?" Lin Feng asked politely, but inwardly he remained vigilant. This matter was strange; it gave him a constant feeling that something was off.
"It's nearby. Come sit with me, chat, play some chess." The eerie middle-aged man's smile remained gentle. He nodded slightly at Lin Feng, then turned and walked in a certain direction.
Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, then followed. The commotion he and Qiongqi had caused earlier made staying here unsafe; many demonic beasts would likely come soon.
The eerie man lived in a vast stone forest. Everywhere were huge boulders, clustered together and piled into mountains. In the open space, there were stone tables and stone chairs, even wine cups and a chessboard.
But what Lin Feng found very strange was that the stone tables and chairs were neither square nor straight, giving an awkward, mismatched impression.
Walking to the stone table, Lin Feng glanced at the wine cups and chessboard. The cups weren't made of stone, but all were cracked and broken. As for the chessboard, it couldn't even be called a proper set.
"How about it? These wine cups and the chessboard—I went through a lot of trouble to get them."
The eerie man walked up to Lin Feng and said with a faint smile, a hint of pride in his voice. Behind him, the ferocious beast Qiongqi followed quietly, no longer bearing any murderous aura, as if it were a pet.
Lin Feng's strange feeling grew stronger. Too bizarre. Why was everything so mismatched? This eerie man was far too careless.
Equally astonishing was that the ferocious beast Qiongqi had been tamed so docilely. The beast had become gentle, without any temper.
"Honored guest, come into my residence and take a look."
The eerie middle-aged man was very attentive and polite, leading Lin Feng toward a cave dwelling carved from stone.
Lin Feng approached the cave. Inside, it was vast and boundless, very grand, like a palace.
The eerie man took a step, and his body vanished. The next moment, he appeared directly on the throne at the front of the palace, his hands resting on the armrests, looking down with authority, exuding a faint majesty.
"Honored guest, isn't my cave dwelling grand?"
The eerie man spread his arms, imposing and extraordinary, causing Lin Feng's eyes to flicker with sharp light. At this moment, the eerie man had tremendous presence, as if he were born a king.
"It is quite grand." Lin Feng nodded. The front of the hall had the throne, with steps leading down, and then the spacious main hall.
Inside the hall were many giant stone pillars. On both sides were pools of lava, blazing with fiery heat.
Seeing Lin Feng nod, the eerie man's face showed a smile, as if he enjoyed Lin Feng's approval.
Standing up, the eerie man took a step and appeared directly beside Lin Feng, causing Lin Feng's pupils to contract sharply.
So fast!
He hadn't seen it clearly earlier, but now, facing the eerie man directly and watching him approach, he still couldn't see clearly—it was like an illusion.
Qiongqi's speed was already terrifying, but this eerie man seemed even faster.
"Indeed very strong." Lin Feng was secretly alarmed, wondering who this person really was.
"Have you always lived in this mountain range?" Lin Feng looked at the eerie man and couldn't help asking.
"Yes, always in the mountain range, for many years. How many years, I can't even remember myself." The eerie man nodded frankly.
"Why not leave?" Lin Feng asked curiously.
"Leave?" The eerie man smiled, a very strange smile. "I want to leave too. Soon, I will leave. That day is not far off."
Beside him, Qiongqi saw the smile on the eerie man's face and shrank its neck slightly. The ferocious beast seemed somewhat afraid, curling up on the ground without a sound.
A Mysterious Beast could understand human speech. Qiongqi heard every word between the man and Lin Feng clearly.
"Want to leave?" Lin Feng frowned slightly. From the eerie man's words, it seemed he very much wanted to leave but couldn't, as if something bound him. This made Lin Feng feel even stranger.
"Of course I want to leave. Do you know how boring it is here? Only little Qiong has been keeping me company." The eerie man crouched down, pulling Qiongqi into his arms, a hint of tenderness in his eerie eyes.
The ferocious beast Qiongqi was docile beyond measure, letting the eerie man hold it, its fierce pupils even closing slightly.
This scene left Lin Feng speechless. Was this still the massive, ferocious Qiongqi from before? Now its body had shrunk, and it was as gentle as a pet.
"But it's okay. Since you, honored guest, have come here, you can keep me company from now on, until the day I leave." The eerie man looked up and smiled at Lin Feng, making Lin Feng's gaze freeze.
"Keep him company?" Lin Feng had no time to stay in this mountain range with him. He had countless things to do himself.
"If you want to leave, why don't we go together? Right now?" Lin Feng said. The eerie man looked at him, revealing a half-smile, and shook his head slightly.
"Then I might have to leave first," Lin Feng said again. How could he stay with him until he left? If it were just a day or two, fine, but what if this eerie man didn't leave for a year, or ten years?
"No, you must stay."
The eerie man shook his head and said to Lin Feng, making Lin Feng frown.
"Are you threatening me?" Lin Feng's eyes showed displeasure. This eerie man was giving him an increasingly wrong feeling.
"Honored guest, I'm not threatening you. But you must stay. Do you know how long I've waited for someone to chat with me?"
The eerie man's words were contradictory. He said he wasn't threatening Lin Feng, yet he insisted Lin Feng had to stay.
"But I have matters that require me to leave. If there's a chance, I'll come see you again." Lin Feng tried to stay calm and not get angry. The other party's strength was terrifying. If things became too tense, it wouldn't benefit him.
The eerie man ignored Lin Feng. He walked past him, his voice hoarse.
"Leave? No, absolutely not." The eerie man shook his head. "Do you know how long I've stayed in this beast mountain range? A hundred years? A thousand years? I can't remember myself. I only know it's been very, very long."
"A hundred years? A thousand years?" Lin Feng frowned. A hundred years was possible, but how could it be a thousand years? A Mysterious Martial Realm expert only had a lifespan of two hundred years. Even a Heavenly Martial Realm powerhouse only had five hundred years.
A thousand years—Lin Feng didn't know what cultivation level that required. At least, it would be a Venerable.
"In the beast mountain range, it's nothing but killing. You eat me, I eat you. How boring."
The eerie man didn't care what Lin Feng thought. He just spoke to himself.
"Unlike you people outside, with wine, chess, and beautiful women, carefree and at ease. I'm tired of life in the beast mountain range. I want to leave..."
"Leave..."
Lin Feng's eardrums trembled violently, and his steps wavered slightly. At this moment, the eerie man released his grip, letting Qiongqi fall to the ground. His hand reached into the air, and he roared at the top of the cave, as if releasing his pent-up frustration.
The entire cave dwelling rumbled and shook, but soon calmed down, just like the eerie man's voice, returning to peace.
"Soon. I'll be out soon. In just a few years. Now that someone has finally come here, how can you leave? How can I let you leave? Keep me company, chat, play chess. How wonderful."
The eerie man's voice turned hoarse again, eerie, exceptionally eerie.
Turning around, his gaze fell on Lin Feng. Lin Feng looked back at him, and his mind exploded with a bang.
At this moment, the eerie man's pupils were crimson, eerie, burning with demonic flames. On his face, lines emerged, ferocious and terrifying. These were not human eyes, nor a human face.
Heavens! A demon! This was a demon!
Lin Feng couldn't describe his shock. This eerie middle-aged man was not human—he was a demonic beast!
PS: Flowers have exceeded 150, owing 20 chapters now. The weather is nice today. Making a wish: hoping for flowers to exceed 200.