CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 0418 DAMN! WHO IS SO DESPICABLE AND SHAMELESS

This place feels off.

The plains are indeed ordinary and unremarkable, but those distant mountain ranges crouching like colossal dragons on the ground exude an astonishing aura of supremacy. If you were to say that they were baleful demon mountains or places where mythical beasts slumber, it’s even plausible that the accumulated dust over countless years transformed into such mountain ranges.

"Qin Yang, you better keep a low profile. This place is different from the outside world. A single mistake could cost us our lives. Honestly, is it really smart for us to adventure here?"

Lin Fan mused.

It’s not that he was a coward, but he couldn’t shake the sensation that they were ignorant fools inadvertently stumbling into some great figure’s hidden domain.

"Brother Lin has a point. A natural cave mansion of this magnitude is unlikely to be devoid of treasures. After absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, the Spiritual Energy here would undoubtedly be far richer than what’s found outside."

"Many powerful individuals who know their lives are nearing their end often search for such cave mansions to bury themselves, hoping to be resurrected in the future."

"Caution is definitely warranted."

Xiang Fei shared Lin Fan’s cautious mindset, always alert to dangers—which was the very reason he had managed to survive thus far as a solitary adventurer.

Unlike Qin Yang, who relied on the Immortal Treasures bestowed by his family to dominate the world. Whenever he encountered resistance, he’d unleash the Immortal Treasures recklessly. If the treasures failed to prevail, he’d reveal his origins and produce a Token, saying, "Whatever you do to me, I can immediately notify the Immortal Venerable Family. You’re finished!"

With such despicable tactics, few dared to cross him.

Utterly shameless.

At this moment.

Darkness slowly began to descend.

"It’s not even night yet, what the..." Qin Yang was about to complain about this eerie place, but when he raised his head, he saw a massive bird with wingspan large enough to rival the size of a mountain range flying toward them from afar. Despite the considerable distance, the ferocious aura it radiated was spine-chilling.

The bird’s claws gleamed golden, sharp and imposing, as it reached for a mountain range.

The mountain range moved.

No—rather, the mountain range was actually a colossal centipede. The centipede rose, dislodging massive boulders, and fissures cracked open the ground surrounding it, revealing an Abyss.

Whoosh!

The bird’s razor-sharp claws pierced through the centipede’s enormous body. Despite its shell being as hard as iron and even surpassing the durability of Immortal Treasures, under the bird’s claws, it was shredded as easily as paper. Purple blood splattered across the heavens and earth.

The bird spread its wings, stirring up a storm, lifting the centipede—nearly a thousand-zhang long—into the air before hurling it far away. When the centipede landed, the ground shook violently, resembling apocalyptic destruction.

Immediately after.

The ferocious centipede was torn apart by the bird into bloody pieces.

"I..." Lin Fan’s jaw dropped.

"Ah..." Xiang Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Holy crap..." Qin Yang trembled all over, his face pale, utterly devoid of color.

The trio of fortuitous but hapless adventurers was completely paralyzed with fear at the terrifying sight. Even speaking became difficult.

Xiang Fei, despite being someone who had seen his fair share of the world, trembled as he managed to stammer, "If I’m not mistaken, that flying bird should be the Heavenly Eagle, and that centipede is the Sky Swallowing Centipede."

"These are legendary creatures. The ones that exist in the Immortal Realm today are mere descendants of theirs and can’t even come close to comparing."

"Even a powerful Immortal Monarch or Immortal King encountering these beasts would likely meet their demise."

Xiang Fei froze, barely daring to breathe.

Perhaps their sheer insignificance rendered them invisible to the sharp eyes of the Heavenly Eagle, sparing their lives.

Lin Fan, aware of the looming danger, pondered for a moment and asked, "How about we retreat or continue exploring further?"

Upon entering a perilous area, the first thought was naturally to leave.

"I think retreating is the wisest choice," Xiang Fei suggested.

Qin Yang muttered, "I feel like the best decision would be to find a tavern, have some drinks to calm our nerves. We’ve got a long road ahead; no need to act recklessly here."

For once, the luck-struck trio was unanimous in wishing to leave the area.

But.

Just as they prepared to leave, commotion arose from behind them—members of the Hunyuan Great Sect had tracked them down, their powerful presence overwhelming the skies.

"There they are."

Someone with sharp eyes spotted Lin Fan and the others immediately.

Lin Fan and his group exchanged glances. With their escape route blocked, they dared not return and instead dashed deeper into the region.

"Chase them!" an elder shouted furiously, his voice thunderous, shaking the Heavenly Vault. The pursuers hadn’t yet noticed the Heavenly Eagle feasting nearby. Even if some did sense something unusual, they merely mistook it for a towering mountain.

This elder happened to be the Supreme Elder of the Hunyuan Great Sect.

He had realized this area was extraordinary, likely a legendary natural cave mansion containing countless opportunities for Immortal Fate.

"Hahaha... My path to attaining Immortal Fate begins here!"

The elder’s laughter echoed as he dismissed Lin Fan’s group as insignificant ants that were only briefly worth noting—not truly consequential. What truly mattered was to kill them while seizing treasures from this cave mansion.

The Heavenly Eagle, engrossed in enjoying its meal, seemed to favor tranquility and an undisturbed environment as it feasted.

However, the elder’s thunderous voice alarmed the Heavenly Eagle.

One disciple who had been staring at the mountain noticed something strange. It resembled a mountain, yet faintly, he felt as if its peak seemed to move.

Maybe it was just an illusion?

But soon, the disciple was dumbfounded. What had he just seen?

The mountain moved—it was a giant bird’s head, its piercing eyes staring directly at him. Locking gazes with the Heavenly Eagle’s eyes, an icy chill surged through his body, freezing him in place, as though he were trapped in an ice cellar and unable to move.

Gulp.

His throat twitched.

"Elder, Elder..." His voice trembled as he tugged at the elder’s robe, unable to form sentences properly.

The elder, still thrilled about the recent discovery, responded in annoyance as he heard the disciple’s quivering voice, "What is it..."

"Th-that..." The disciple’s voice rose nervously, his trembling finger pointed toward the distance as he stammered in fear, "Monster...!"

The elder, visibly displeased, turned his gaze toward the direction pointed out—and just one glance rendered him incapable of looking away ever again.

"Heavenly Eagle..."

"How is this possible?"

The Heavenly Eagle spread its wings and soared into the skies, letting out a piercing cry before transforming into a streak of light. Its speed was incomparably swift, transcending time and breaking through the Void, appearing in front of the group in the blink of an eye. Its massive bulk was as heavy as a mountain, and the storm it whipped up sent disciples flying into the distance.

The elder panicked and swiftly unleashed his unparalleled Divine Skills upon the Heavenly Eagle.

The Heavenly Eagle bit ferociously, shattering the Divine Skills and clamping down on the elder. With a gruesome sound, blood splattered, and his body was torn apart.

Despite being the Supreme Elder of the Hunyuan Great Sect, possessing impressive cultivation, he was viciously slain by this fearsome mythical beast in mere moments.

The rest of the disciples scattered in terror, desperate to escape.

Having witnessed the Supreme Elder’s grisly death, how could they have any ability to contend with such a monster?

If Lin Fan had seen this scene, he’d undoubtedly feel pity—such a powerful figure killed so wastefully. Honestly, didn’t it spark any sense of regret?

"We’re screwed, Brother Lin! What do we do now? The Heavenly Eagle is blocking our rear path. If it discovers us, we’ll all just be food!" Qin Yang shivered uncontrollably.

Despite being a member of the Immortal Venerable Family, he was utterly flustered when faced with this situation.

Xiang Fei remarked gravely, "Great crises bring great Immortal Fate, but this place is far too perilous. A cave mansion that has existed for untold millennia likely harbors beasts that have lived for just as long. Each of them possesses immense strength. Even an Immortal Emperor entering here would probably refrain from claiming they could roam freely without fear."

Lin Fan sighed, "Since we’re already here, we might as well venture further. Be cautious—it might not necessarily be dangerous."

"Especially you, Qin Yang. Don’t act out here. If you provoke something terrifying, you’re done for, and we likely won’t be able to save you."

Qin Yang shrunk his neck and raised his hand, swearing to the heavens, "Don’t worry—I’m already so scared I wouldn’t dare say anything careless, much less provoke anything."

The trio continued moving forward.

Soon, they stumbled upon a cave mansion.

’Xiangyun Cave.’

The name was etched onto the entrance of the mansion with extraordinarily powerful finger force. Despite the years that had passed, the inscription still emitted a faint trace of energy, though it lacked the soul-shaking impact one might expect.

"It seems someone once occupied this place, transforming it into a cave mansion. Let’s check it out," Lin Fan suggested.

Cave mansions like these typically had Big Arrays to guard them.

However, judging by the fragmented ruins nearby, time appeared to have eroded the defenses somewhat.

Clearly, others had been here before.

They had broken through the defenses and invaded the mansion.

Perhaps there was nothing left inside.

Xiang Fei sighed, "I wonder who started the rumor that these cave mansions offered the chance for resurrection, driving countless powerful individuals to spend their entire lives seeking them—only to leave them as mere places for future explorers."

"Brother Xiang, this rumor isn’t baseless. I’ve read in ancient texts that tens of thousands of years ago, a mighty figure did manage to resurrect. Though no one knows why, they eventually disappeared," Qin Yang remarked.

Inside the cave mansion, Lin Fan examined the surroundings. Along the way, they discovered many weathered corpses. While these individuals had likely been formidable during their lifetimes, their remains could not escape the ravages of time.

"Seems like this cave mansion was thoroughly looted long ago."

"Huh? There’s a pattern on this wall."

"Holy crap!"

"Who’s so despicably shameless and sinister to deliberately scratch out the latter portion? They clearly didn’t want future generations to have even crumbs left behind."

Lin Fan immediately recognized the pattern as a kind of fist technique. It was likely of Immortal or Dao grade, but to his dismay, this treasure had been ruined.

Qin Yang grumbled, "People can be incredibly petty. When they obtain something, they don’t want anyone else to have it. If it were us, we’d surely pass the fist technique down so future generations could share this Immortal Fate."

Lin Fan and Xiang Fei gave Qin Yang a strange look.

They were highly skeptical of his claims.

Not long after.

They reached the deepest part of the cave mansion and saw shattered pots scattered around. What a pity—it was clear that a gang of robbers had already stormed in and taken everything of value.

Lin Fan noticed a skeleton discarded in the corner. This was a complete skeleton, now dim and lifeless. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that intricate tadpole-like runes were imprinted on its surface.

Undoubtedly, this strong individual had used some kind of Divine Skills, genuinely attempting resurrection.

Only to have their resurrection interrupted by looters before it could succeed.

The remains were tossed carelessly into the corner.

In life, they must have shone brilliantly; in death, they were treated with such indignity.

A truly sorrowful fate indeed.