Clearly, Chen Fei had never expected his opponent to have such a trick up their sleeve. They had blown up the entire base, just like in the movies, turning it into a pile of rubble and burying everything inside. Had it not been for his quick reaction, he would have likely been in serious trouble.

An explosion powerful enough to collapse an entire building, with such terrifying lethality, would have been difficult to withstand even with his current cultivation realm. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and fled. Otherwise, this could have easily ended in tragedy.

It seems everyone inside is dead, except for that guy... Chen Fei frowned at the wreckage, realizing that no one could have escaped, except for the one who planned this. After all, the man had triggered this explosion himself. It meant that even if he couldn't escape completely unscathed, he certainly wasn't dead. He had probably used the chaos to slip away long ago. Searching for him now would be a waste of time.

With this in mind, he took out his newly acquired satellite phone and dialed a number. "Chief Luo," he said in a low voice, "that guy is dead. But I need you to send some people over to clean up this mess."

The building housing the Tiger Leopard Hall's underground lab was in a remote and desolate area. But the ten-meter-tall structure had just collapsed with a deafening roar that must have traveled for miles. There was no way to keep this quiet. It was necessary for the Flying Leopard to step in and handle the aftermath; otherwise, it would be front-page news by morning.

"Dead? Really? Good. I'll send people over immediately. That's all for now—" Chief Luo's voice, full of disbelief, came through the phone before he promptly hung up, leaving only a dial tone. BEEP... BEEP...

Chen Fei shook his head slightly, gave the ruins one last look, and sighed. Then, he turned and left without another expression. Such a massive disturbance would undoubtedly attract the local police, and he didn't want to be discovered and deal with the trouble.

***

Meanwhile, in a deep cave more than ten miles from the destroyed building, a pale-faced Black Wolf stepped out of an elevator that rose from the ground.

His once-expensive suit was now in tatters. Both of his arms were covered in gruesome wounds, with flesh split open to reveal the bone beneath. The mere sight was enough to make one gasp and shudder. Yet, on Black Wolf's face, beneath the pain, was an expression of immense relief—the relief of surviving a disaster.

First, the escape route he had so arrogantly and cleverly prepared had actually worked, saving his life. Second, he had managed to copy all the research data before blowing up the base and had successfully brought it with him. This was his greatest relief, as it meant that all their work was still intact. He just needed to take this data back, back to his lord.

If he succeeded, their experiment, which deserved to be called a "pioneering feat," could continue. It would only require a bit more time.

And there was something else...

And that damned brat who dared to strike at our Tiger Leopard Hall... you just wait. I'll make you pay. As long as I get this data back and tell the lord what happened, you are as good as dead. There will be no more unexpected miracles like today! he cursed through gritted teeth, his bloodshot eyes filled with a frigid, murderous intent.

By now, he fully understood just how terrifying Chen Fei's strength was. Even Mr. Bai, who was at the Half-Step Innate Peak, had been no match for him. Alone, he didn't stand a one-in-ten-thousand chance of getting revenge.

But his lord was different. He was one of the two chief disciples of the Tiger Leopard Hall's Revered Lord. His strength and resources were both unfathomably deep. To others, a fearsome enemy like Chen Fei might inspire despair and hopelessness, making revenge seem impossible. For his lord, however, it was a different story.

After all, his lord's most stunning achievement was the assassination of a true Innate Expert of the Ancient Martial Arts! Even though that person was only a newly ascended Innate Ancient Martial Artist, and even though his lord had to exhaust all his resources and sacrifice countless men to succeed, the fact remained. That grand, undeniable achievement was the only source of confidence and hope left in his heart.

"Thinking of going back?"

Just then, a voice as cold as a ghost suddenly echoed beside his ear. His furious, savage expression froze. His body began to tremble uncontrollably, a deathly chill seizing him.

"Who—Who's there? Get out here!" he roared, his face deathly pale. He never expected anyone else to be in this cave. This escape route was a top secret within a top secret; it was impossible for any outsider to know of its existence. Everyone who had helped build it was dead, killed by his own hand and buried in these desolate mountains.

But... but why?

There's a voice... there's someone else in this cave?

"You want *me* to get out?" the chilling, spectral voice spoke again as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

The man was around 1.8 meters tall and exceptionally gaunt, like a phantom stepping out of the shadows he so perfectly embodied. He wore a black turtleneck sweater and slim black trousers. His entire being was shrouded in black, yet his exposed skin was unnaturally pale, as if he were anemic, making for an incredibly eerie sight.

"It... it's you? Lord Qizuo!"

Black Wolf never imagined it would be him, one of their own—the seventh leader of the Tiger Leopard Hall. Panic washed over him, and he broke out in a cold sweat. What had he just said? He had dared to tell the revered Lord Qizuo to "get out." This man was on equal footing with his own master; both were disciples of the Revered Lord of the Tiger Leopard Hall, and both were figures of immense reverence and fear.

His own lord had killed an Innate Expert, but Lord Qizuo was no less formidable. His most famous achievement was taking the head of an S-Level Superpowered individual!

"Lord... Lord Qizuo, what are you doing here?" As this thought flashed through his mind, Black Wolf felt his thoughts jumble, and he stammered out the question.

"You ask me? I came here specifically to wait for you," the phantom-like man called Lord Qizuo stated flatly.

"Wait for me? For what..." Black Wolf froze, and then the color drained completely from his face as a horrifying realization dawned on him. He remembered that Lord Qizuo had been the most vocal opponent of his master's experiment, and now...

"Hand over the data. Then, finish yourself off," the ghostly voice commanded, plunging Black Wolf into absolute despair. His heart turned to ash.

To think he had escaped that monster of a youth only to be met with this inescapable, hopeless end.

"Yes, Lord Qizuo... Hngh..." Like a deflated balloon, a despairing Black Wolf produced a data storage device. Then, gritting his teeth, he severed his own heart meridian with a muffled grunt and collapsed to the ground. As a mid-to-high-ranking member of the Tiger Leopard Hall, he knew that defying this order would lead to a fate worse than death. That was a true terror he would rather die than experience.

Seeing this, the man known as Lord Qizuo showed no surprise, his expression remaining as cold as ever.

"So this is it?" He picked up the data device from the ground. CRACK... CRACK... A sudden frost enveloped the device, and layers of ice crystals instantly froze it solid. He then casually tossed the frozen block against the cave wall, where it shattered into fine powder.

If you were truly human, you wouldn't research something like this, would you? he muttered to himself, his face devoid of emotion.

With another wave of his hand, he released more cold air, freezing Black Wolf's corpse. He then lifted his foot and stomped down, obliterating it completely.

After finishing, he let out a light breath as if relieved. He turned and walked out of the cave. Gazing toward the distant ruins, his eyes flickered.

I never expected Northern Mountain to be so interesting, he murmured with a sudden laugh. Not only does that old geezer have something here that makes him wary of us getting too close, but now... an Innate Ancient Martial Artist in his twenties. Heh, is his name Chen Fei?

WHOOSH!

Still laughing, he vanished into the dense, dark forest, leaving only the pitch-black night behind.

***

「The next day, at the Holy Fire Sect's Scarlet Flame Bee branch in the Lingnan Mountains, outside a secluded cultivation site.」

"What? They've all vanished? They fell into an ambush?" A balding, middle-aged man in traditional attire went rigid with shock after taking a phone call.

This man was none other than Junn Kangding, the current Sect Leader of the Holy Fire Sect and the father of the Young Lord, Junn Yuanyi.

He had just received a call from Uncle Master Ma Dong. He was informed that Elder Zhong and the others, who had set out for Northern Mountain two days prior to capture and kill the youth who dared to cripple his son's arm and challenge the Holy Fire Sect's authority, had vanished. It appeared they had been ambushed.

The news nearly scrambled his brain, leaving him in a daze of disbelief. Among them were Elder Xue Hongxin and Elder Zhou Duanyi, both renowned First-Class Ancient Warriors in the martial world, famous for their power. To ensure success, they had even enlisted the Elder of Law Enforcement, Elder Zhong, a genuine Strongest Peak of First-Class Ancient Warrior. He was a pillar of the Holy Fire Sect, their third-strongest expert after Junn Kangding's own father and Uncle Master Ma, a man of immense power and authority.

And now, all three of them were missing, suspected to have fallen into an enemy trap. How could he not be alarmed? If something had truly happened to those three, it would be a major crisis.

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