Chapter 996: Tracking
Xuanyuan Potian's expression froze once again. He looked up at Hou Qinglin in the sky, his face extremely ugly.
This was the second time he had been disrespected today, and this time it was even more thorough. Hou Qinglin had openly mocked him in front of everyone.
He, Xuanyuan Potian, a descendant of an emperor, was a prodigy wherever he went. People treated him with utmost respect. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Hou Qinglin's gaze slowly shifted away, no longer looking at him. Instead, he said to Mu Chen, "Senior Brother, let's go."
"Alright." A gentle smile appeared on Mu Chen's face. Then, the three of them streaked across the void and vanished in an instant, leaving only the astonished crowd behind.
"These are the personal disciples of a Martial Emperor. When I face Xuanyuan Potian, I tread carefully, but they dare to despise him, standing above the clouds, utterly proud. If one day I become a disciple of the Stone Emperor and Yu Emperor, I too might have such an opportunity—to stand above the clouds and look down on prodigies like Xuanyuan Potian."
Many were moved, a sense of anticipation rising within them. Becoming a disciple of a Martial Emperor, one of the first batch of disciples of the Stone Emperor and Yu Emperor—once they became Martial Emperor disciples, the outstanding ones could truly meet the Emperor, receive personal guidance, and join the ranks of personal disciples. For them, this was a tremendous opportunity.
At this moment, the crowd on the Wu River all strengthened their resolve to become Martial Emperor disciples.
Xuanyuan Potian's gaze locked onto the departing figures, his expression cold. He thought to himself, "One day, I, Xuanyuan Potian, will trample you underfoot and become the Martial Emperor's most valued disciple."
First, seize the title of number one disciple in the Heavenly Martial Realm, then aim for the number one disciple in the Venerable Martial Realm, and finally, trample Mu Chen and Hou Qinglin beneath his feet—this was Xuanyuan Potian's goal.
Turning his gaze, Xuanyuan Potian's icy eyes swept over the crowd. A deep night dragon's roar, an auspicious omen manifesting, a dragon palace appearing at the bottom of the Wu River, the demon dragon's demon core within reach—yet it was stolen. He had gained nothing. Worse, a sacred artifact, the Sen Luo Wan Xiang, had been destroyed. At that moment, the demon core had been so close to him.
"Who ambushed me!" Xuanyuan Potian said coldly. Someone had used Void Power against him, weakening his control over the Sen Luo Wan Xiang at that critical moment, allowing the demon core to shatter it with its powerful demonic force and escape his grasp.
A demon dragon's demon core, a sacred artifact, and a pierced shoulder—that ambush had cost him dearly.
Those who had fought for the demon core were also frustrated. In the end, they had gained nothing. No one answered Xuanyuan Potian's question.
The shadowy figure trembled, then rushed toward the ruins on the ground. He glanced at Lin Feng and Qiongqi standing there, then lunged toward the spot where the dragon scales lay. If he couldn't get the demon core, he would take a few dragon scales instead.
"Did he discover it was me?" Lin Feng thought to himself, sensing the shadowy figure's gaze. This shadow had noticed him back in the dragon palace. He wondered if the shadow had detected the sudden burst of demonic aura when he used the Void Demon Art during the scramble for the demon core.
"Whoosh, whoosh..." The powerful figures in the void flickered away one by one, some heading toward the dragon palace ruins, others vanishing into the air.
Xuanyuan Potian's gaze slowly turned, sweeping over the ruins. He glanced at Lin Feng standing on the rubble, but his eyes held only contempt and disdain, paying Lin Feng no mind at all.
"Kid, are you done yet!" Qiongqi transmitted his voice. This guy had taken so long.
"Almost." Lin Feng said softly. That wisp of dragon soul had merged into his bloodline, making the integration of bloodline power with his body extremely smooth, transforming his bloodline. Without that dragon soul, the dragon essence blood he absorbed would have been very limited, unable to transform his bloodline so thoroughly, and it wouldn't have been this fast.
"We need to leave. The ruins have demon patterns, and the space we entered will be easily discovered. Then we'll be targeted again." Qiongqi continued transmitting. Lin Feng nodded inwardly, knowing this well.
"With you around, I'm not too worried. You can protect my life anyway." Lin Feng murmured.
"Are you really that trusting?" Qiongqi turned back, his demonic, handsome eyes fixed on Lin Feng.
"..." Lin Feng's expression stiffened, and he stared at Qiongqi speechlessly.
"With my cultivation level, who can protect your life? If I didn't say that, would you dare take the risk?" Qiongqi chuckled lightly, leaving Lin Feng at a loss for words. This bastard... which of his words were true?
"Done!" Lin Feng glared fiercely at Qiongqi, then let out a long breath. He stepped forward and said to Qiongqi, "Let's go!"
With that, both of them rose into the air, quietly slipping away toward a less crowded area, not wanting to attract anyone's attention.
Two low-level Heavenly Martial cultivators—indeed, no one cared about them. The powerful figures continued searching the dragon palace ruins, hoping to find more opportunities.
But on the Wu River, one figure had been watching Lin Feng all along. When Lin Feng flickered away, that person, along with several companions, followed in pursuit.
Above the Wu River, countless powerful figures still lingered, reluctant to leave. The moon set, crows cried, countless died, and the deep night dragon's roar—could the only treasure be the demon core taken by Hou Qinglin?
"Boom!" Just then, a thunderous explosion came from the ruins. Xuanyuan Potian stood amidst the rubble, his long hair wildly dancing, his face icy cold. The spot where he stood was where the collapsed palace had been, now buried under debris. Before him lay an underground space, the very place where the demon dragon's claws had tightly gripped earlier.
Besides this space, there were crisscrossing demon patterns everywhere beneath the ruins.
Sensing Xuanyuan Potian's cold fury, the crowd turned to look. The rubble around Xuanyuan Potian had been cleared away, revealing the demon patterns and the underground space to everyone's eyes, causing their expressions to stiffen. Could something have been in this underground space?
Those who had entered the main hall during the fight for the demon core and survived, when they saw this scene beside Xuanyuan Potian, their faces turned extremely ugly. They all understood that while they were desperately fighting for the demon core, someone had been quietly taking treasures.
They also recalled the series of dragon roars that had come from here. How regrettable that, caught up in the battle for the demon core, they had ignored it. Now, only one word remained: regret!
Someone had secretly taken some treasure from here, unknown to anyone, and even the aura had been erased.
"It's him!"
"Those two low-level Heavenly Martial ants!"
Suddenly, two figures flashed through the crowd's minds. Only those two had stayed behind in the dragon palace, two forgotten ants, insignificant existences.
Xuanyuan Potian's gaze locked onto Lin Feng's departing figure. Then, his body shot into the air, transforming into a brilliant streak of light as he gave chase, hoping he could still catch up.
"Whoosh!" The shadowy figure transformed by the Lightning Roc spread its massive wings, flickering through the night. He, too, hadn't expected the final victors to be the two weakest ones, though he had noticed their extraordinary qualities.
But Lin Feng wasn't about to give them a chance to catch up. He flickered continuously, heading toward the desolate mountains, moving very fast. The world was vast; even if those people discovered something unusual in the ruins, finding him would be difficult.
Lin Feng had indeed noticed someone tracking him right after he left. But when he saw who it was, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. He didn't even bother shaking them off quickly.
Landing on a desolate mountain range, Lin Feng stopped and slowly turned around, looking at the several figures flying toward him, a faint smile on his face.
When the others reached Lin Feng, they also stopped. The leader was a handsome young man, quite extraordinary, his eyes fixed on Lin Feng with a cold killing intent.
"Truly, you can search far and wide but find nothing, yet you deliver yourself to your death in the Eight Wastelands Realm." The young man said coldly to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng smiled slightly, then said softly, "Tianlin Gongzi, long time no see!"
PS: Fourth chapter delivered. Asking for all kinds of support. Continuing to write. These past few days, my butt and arms are sore. It's miserable!