Chapter 413: Before the Battle

Linfeng Shaojun played with the small sphere formed from the gale in his hand, his gaze fixed on the depths of the Wind and Thunder Desolate Land. He said to Tai Xu and the others, “See? The gales and thunder here pose no threat to me. If that Tianyu really is hidden here, then this place will no longer be his refuge but his death sentence.”
“Shaojun’s cultivation is profound, his divine powers are unmatched…”
Tai Xu and the others praised him in unison as he continued deeper. Along the way, he neither avoided nor hesitated in the face of the gales and thunder, instead using various methods to capture them and then discard them casually, as if passing through a field of flowers without a single leaf touching him—looking extremely relaxed and effortless.
His actions were both a way to prove his strength to Tai Xu and the others, to boost their confidence, and to establish an image of invincibility, thereby intimidating them and making them more obedient in the future.
However, though Tai Xu and the others still knew fear, they could never truly submit to him. Even without Su Che, they would not change their hearts—this was the power of soul transformation.
Soon, they arrived at a huge crater. Tai Xu said, “This deep pit is said to have been created by Su Che when he collected the Black Region Immortal Lotus. Whether it’s true or not, we don’t know.”
The bottomless crater was beyond the reach of Tai Xu and the others’ spiritual senses. Under normal circumstances, Linfeng’s spiritual sense could cover over 60,000 zhang, so he should have been able to detect the bottom. But today, in the Wind and Thunder Desolate Land, the interference fields created by various heavenly punishments still greatly affected his spiritual sense. Moreover, he could sense an extremely strange invisible force within the crater that blocked his spiritual sense.
“There’s a blocking force 20,000 zhang below, preventing my spiritual sense from probing in,” Linfeng said gravely. “What do you think? Could it mean that Tianyu is hiding down there?”
“If there’s such a mechanism to block spiritual senses, it must be man-made. Tianyu is likely hiding down there,” Tai Xu replied.
In truth, Tai Xu, Wan Gui, the Phantom Demon Sect Leader, and the others all knew clearly: Yes, the master is hidden down there. Of course, besides the master, there are also…
“Wan Gui, Jun Sha, Tian Xin, Hao Tian!”

Lin Feng called each of them by name and instructed, “The four of you stay here and watch. If Tian Yu tries to escape from here, you must stop her, even if it’s just for a short while. I’ll be able to arrive in time.”
“Yes, Young Master,” the four Wan Gui replied in unison.
Then, Tai Xu, Huan Mo, and the Blood Sacred Sect Master followed Lin Feng and leaped down into this bottomless chasm together.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
As they descended rapidly, Lin Feng didn’t even activate his own defenses, seemingly full of confidence that no force in the cultivation world could harm him.
When they reached a depth of over twenty thousand zhang, the four of them stopped suddenly, hovering in place. Dozens of zhang below them lay a semicircular barrier, like a translucent membrane, blocking the way below.
“That’s it…”
Lin Feng examined the membrane carefully and was surprised to find that this isolation barrier was different from all the barriers he had seen before. It gave off an extremely ancient and strange feeling, not like something created by a cultivator in the cultivation world.
“Is the legend of the Barren God Valley about using the power of heavenly punishment to suppress some ancient demon god?” Lin Feng suddenly asked.
“Yes,” the three Tai Xu replied in unison.
However, Huan Mo added softly, “But that’s just a legend. There are no historical records or verifications. After seeing the Young Master’s formidable strength today, I’ve begun to doubt it. If the power of heavenly punishment here can only pose a threat to cultivators in the cultivation world, how could it possibly suppress an ancient demon god who surpasses even true immortals?”
Tai Xu and the Blood Sacred Sect Master nodded silently in agreement.
Even Lin Feng nodded and said, “Exactly. Ancient demon gods are such formidable beings. Even if there’s just a trace of their remaining soul, it can’t be suppressed by the power of heavenly punishment in this place. Such rumors are indeed untrustworthy.”
At that point, he changed his tone and pointed at the membrane below, saying, “But this membrane gives me a feeling of being extremely ancient and special. It doesn’t seem like something that should exist in the cultivation world… From now on, the three of you must stay vigilant. If danger arises, you may retreat. I won’t blame you.”
“Thank you for your concern, Young Master,” the three Tai Xu said together.
Combining kindness with authority was also a method Lin Feng was good at in leading others.
Although this membrane barrier was somewhat strange, it wasn’t enough to scare Lin Feng away. Under his leadership, the three Tai Xu also penetrated the membrane and continued descending.

They descended nearly thirty thousand feet again. The four of them felt a sudden brightness before their eyes as they arrived in an extremely vast underground cave. This cave resembled a circular space with a diameter of thousands of feet, its walls embedded with many lighting crystals unique to the cultivation world, illuminating the entire space brightly. There, a young man was sitting cross-legged on a compass, floating in mid-air, with his eyes closed in meditation. “Tianyu!” The three from Tai Xu exclaimed simultaneously, filled with joy, as if saying, “Tianyu is indeed hiding here. Now, you’re doomed!” Su Che slowly opened his eyes, stared at the three from Tai Xu, and asked in a deep voice, “How dare you all find this place? Have you forgotten how Tai Hao and Tai Wu died?” The three from Tai Xu didn’t respond, but Ling Feng smiled and said, “Are you Tianyu?” “That’s right,” Su Che replied deliberately. “Who are you?” Since Ling Feng also had the ability to adjust the fluctuations of his spiritual energy, if he pretended to be a cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage, logically, Su Che should not be able to tell his true cultivation level. Asking this question made sense. Ling Feng used his Dharma Eye technique to examine Su Che carefully. After a few breaths, he nodded and said, “Indeed, a Yuan Ying stage cultivator with an age equivalent of under thirty years old. Such achievements are extremely rare even in the Spirit Realm. I heard you transformed into a dualattribute Earth Spirit Root through the postnatal modification of the Black Region Immortal Lotus. Could you tell me what enabled you to grow at such a rapid pace?” “Why should I tell you?” Su Che retorted. “You haven’t answered my question yet. Who are you? It seems there’s no one like you in the cultivation world of Qi Yuan Star.” “Dareful!” Tai Xu shouted fiercely. “Tianyu, do you realize you’re dead? This is Lord Ling Feng, an envoy from the Spirit Realm to the mortal world. Today, he’s here to capture you…” Before Tai Xu could finish, Ling Feng laughed and waved his hand to stop him, saying, “Don’t make it sound so serious. If young brother Tianyu can return to the right path and surrender voluntarily, I’d be more than happy to welcome him.” Ling Feng had always maintained a cold and aloof attitude toward people like Tai Xu, with a serious expression. But now, facing Su Che, he showed a cheerful demeanor. This only proved that he placed extremely high importance on Su Che, considering him the top suspect and believing Su Che was very likely the one who obtained the treasure…

“Surrender to you?” Su Che asked in response, “Even if you’re an envoy from the Spirit Realm, why should I surrender to you? You lofty beings of the Spirit Realm, for your own selfish gains, are willing to stir up chaos in the cultivation world of Qi Yuan Star, causing countless people to suffer and even lose their lives. Such immoral and unprincipled people expect me to surrender—what a ridiculous joke!”
The reason Su Che acted this way and spoke such nonsense was to distract him, making him believe he was in a desperate situation with no chance of resistance. Once he fully relaxed, that would be the perfect moment for a sudden attack…
“Immoral and unprincipled?”
Lin Feng smiled silently and said, “What is righteousness? What is virtue? How much can you understand right now?”
“No matter how little I understand, I can still distinguish right from wrong,” Su Che said coldly. “You and those above you will have to bear this karma. What’s owed must be repaid sooner or later.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about the future for now. Focus on the present,” Lin Feng waved his hand. “Tian Yu, you should know that since I’ve found you, your fate is already determined. There are only three outcomes: death, capture, or voluntary surrender. Nothing else is possible.”
“I prefer the first two. You may proceed,” Su Che said calmly. “But whether you can capture me alive depends on your skills.”
Lin Feng nodded slightly and turned to the three from Tai Xu, saying, “You three, guard the passage to the upper room. Don’t let him escape up there.”
The three from Tai Xu replied in unison and soared hundreds of feet up to block the narrowest part of the upper room.
After that, Lin Feng transmitted a message to Su Che, “What I most want to know is whether your rapid growth is due to some special treasure. I hope you can give me good news.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and used the same technique he had employed earlier to capture the gale winds and thunder to try and pull Su Che over.
Whoosh!
Su Che immediately felt an extremely strange force enveloping him. This force wasn’t particularly strong, but it gave him a sense of helplessness, as if he were drunk, with no footing, and any breeze could blow him away.
“This isn’t a spell; it must be some kind of divine power.”
Su Che suddenly realized this and sneered inwardly, “You underestimate me too much. Do you think I’m like those mindless gale winds and thunder, at your mercy?”

There was no need for immense wealth to protect him, nor did he need to release Xiao Hei. Su Che simply unleashed the Power of Destruction to coat his body’s surface, creating a barrier. Sure enough, Lin Feng’s ability to capture others became ineffective as a result.
“Oh?”
Lin Feng felt slightly puzzled but understood after a moment’s thought. He said in a low voice, “Your power seems to be related to that barrier above… If I’m not mistaken, you must have received the inheritance of some ancient demon god in this Wind and Thunder Desolate Land. That’s why this place has become your sanctuary, your safest haven, right?”
“Your analytical skills are quite impressive,” Su Che nodded calmly, acknowledging it.
It could be said that Lin Feng’s guesses were correct by at least 70%. The remaining 30% he hadn’t figured out…