In the chaotic underwater cavern, a Qimen weapon shaped like a short spear cruelly nailed Chen Fei's left arm to the wall. He was rendered immobile as blood streamed down from the wound. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain. His face was just a mask of dark, suppressed rage and killing intent. It was clear that since his debut, this was the first time he had suffered such an unexpected event—the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

"Hah..."

Chen Fei took a deep breath, suppressing the anger and murderous intent in his heart as he looked grimly toward the cavern's entrance. No matter who was behind this, he would not let them off easily.

A thick blaze of light suddenly enveloped him, crackling as it vibrated. He strained, attempting to force the Qimen weapon out of his shoulder blade. His hands were useless, and it was clear the old man had left a trick in the weapon, making it impossibly heavy.

"Damn it..."

He couldn't help but curse, his face growing even darker. His spiritual energy was too depleted to expel the weapon, leaving him pinned to the wall, completely helpless.

"Hah!"

Chen Fei forced himself to calm down, his lip twitching as he exhaled sharply. Then, with a gloomy expression, he closed his eyes and began to circulate the "Scripture of Meditation" and the "Three Yang Sword Manual" to recover.

However, after about half an hour, a hunched figure suddenly emerged from the subterranean river, climbing into the cavern.

As the hunched figure entered, his gaze swept across the area before landing abruptly on Chen Fei, who was meditating to heal his wounds. The man froze. "What happened?" he asked in a deep voice. "Eh, that short spear is..." His gaze fell on the spear-like Qimen weapon pinning Chen Fei's left shoulder, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Master?"

Upon hearing the voice, Chen Fei opened his eyes and saw that his master, Ming Daochuan, had arrived. His face instantly flushed with a mixture of shame, anger, and speechless shock.

It couldn't be helped. The Jinchan Moon Fruit was vital for his master's injuries, and now he had failed. He was overcome with an indescribable sense of frustrated shame.

"What exactly happened?" seeing this, Ming Daochuan's voice grew stern.

"It was... like this..." Hearing Ming Daochuan's stern question, Chen Fei hesitated for a moment before clenching his teeth. "There were... complications. I was about to get the spiritual medicine, the Jinchan Moon Fruit, but someone ambushed me from the shadows and stole it."

"What did you say!?" Ming Daochuan's voice turned to ice, his expression changing drastically.

"Someone ambushed you and stole that miraculous spiritual medicine?" Ming Daochuan instinctively clenched his fists, his aged eyes flashing with extreme fury and coldness. According to his disciple, that medicine was the only hope for his current condition, but now it had been stolen. Not only that, but the thief had injured Chen Fei in the process.

"Who did it? Tiger Leopard Hall?" He took a deep breath, suppressing his rage and killing intent as he walked grimly to his disciple's side.

"I don't know," Chen Fei answered through gritted teeth. Reaching up, he gripped the spear pinning his left shoulder blade and ripped it out. Blood sprayed wildly, but he acted as if he felt nothing, his expression growing even more twisted and frustrated. "However, that old bastard should have a cultivation at the Innate Middle Stage."

"Innate Middle Stage?" Ming Daochuan frowned slightly. Among the Ancient Martial Artists of Huaxia, whether in the south or the north, Innate Middle Stage experts were considered top-tier existences. In his prime, he wouldn't have given it a second thought, but now, he could barely protect himself, his strength having plummeted. Moreover, people like that usually had powerful backers.

Could it really be those people from Tiger Leopard Hall...

With this thought, Ming Daochuan's gaze locked onto the short spear Chen Fei had thrown aside. He studied it for a long time, his expression finally darkening. "This is outrageous!" he said coldly.

Hearing this, Chen Fei stared, then looked at his master in confusion. "Master, do you already know who ambushed me?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this is definitely connected to those bastards from Tiger Leopard Hall." Elder Ming Daochuan narrowed his eyes and used his True Qi to summon the short spear into his hand. "I've seen this weapon before, in the hands of an old man from Tiger Leopard Hall named Zhou Ye. His strength is mediocre, but when it comes to stealth, his ability could indeed have eluded you, and even me in my current state."

"Zhou Ye? Motherfucker, it's these scumbags again! Do they really think my master and I are easy to bully?" Chen Fei slammed his fist into a nearby rock, leaving a deep crater as he roared in anger.

Ever since he started his journey, it seemed he was inextricably linked with this damned Tiger Leopard Hall. It began with those scumbags inexplicably sending assassins after him. Then came their audacious troublemaking and human experimentation on his territory. After that was the incident with the Shadow Immortal Dance, and now this. All of it combined to cast a frosty, murderous pall over his face.

Motherfucker, do they really think being at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer is so incredible? Think I'm easy to bully?

At this moment, the violent streak in Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, had been triggered and could no longer be suppressed. With his true nature, there was no way he would let this go. He would make those guys, those bastards, pay an astronomical price!

"...Let's go back first and talk about it there." Hearing Chen Fei's outburst, Elder Ming Daochuan fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, his face an expressionless mask.

"Master..." Chen Fei's expression changed, but his master cut him off.

"Enough. I know what you want to say. But..." Elder Ming Daochuan slowly clenched his hand, then let it fall open, limp and powerless. He shook his head with a look of sorrow. "If I were in my prime, I would have demanded an explanation from Luo Zun himself, even if it meant mutual destruction. But now... my strength is not what it used to be. I might even be weaker than you are. I don't care about my own old life, I can throw it away. But what about you? Are you going to die with me?"

"Master!" Chen Fei's voice cracked, the pain in his heart intensifying. He knew his master was an incredibly proud man, yet now he was willing to swallow his pride for his sake. It was a bitter pill, and Chen Fei couldn't suppress the rage boiling within him.

As this thought crossed his mind, his gaze fell upon the massive creature lying in a pool of its own blood.

WHOOSH!

He rushed toward the colossal body of the Snake Viper. A blazing Yanf Sword materialized in his palm, and he hacked down into the creature's flesh. Foul-smelling blood sprayed out, drenching him and leaving him a wretched mess, but he gritted his teeth and continued, digging as if searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Seeing this, Elder Ming Daochuan's face darkened, and he frowned.

"The snake's gallbladder. I'm looking for its gallbladder," Chen Fei explained as he worked. "This thing was almost sentient, so its gallbladder should be able to neutralize the snake's venom. Wait, hold on, this is..." Just then, his expression shifted, his eyes widening with intense, disbelieving joy.

"It... it actually has a Demon Core inside?" Staring at the murky, fist-sized sphere of flesh amidst the carnage, Chen Fei murmured in disbelief.

"Demon Core? What's a Demon Core?" Hearing the term, Elder Ming Daochuan frowned slightly.

"In some powerful Demon Beasts that have gained spiritual awareness, a source of power will form within them over time. Qi Practitioners call this a Demon Core. Generally, a beast must be at least a Second Level Beast to form one, but this one..."

"Demon Beast? You mean mutated creatures that have surpassed their own kind? Then what's a Second Level Beast?" Ming Daochuan asked again.

"Exactly," Chen Fei nodded. "A First-Level Demon Beast is, well... Demon Beasts are ranked from low to high: first, second, third, fourth, and so on. This giant snake would be considered a First-Level Demon Beast. A Second Level Beast, however, would be comparable to an Innate Grandmaster."

"Comparable to an Innate Grandmaster!?" Ming Daochuan almost leaped out of his skin, his face a mask of terror.

What even was an Innate Grandmaster? Even in his prime, he had never come close to reaching such a height. It was hard to find many of them within the circle of Ancient Martial Arts. They were legendary figures, at the very summit of power. But now his disciple was saying that a mere Second Level Beast could be compared to one... this...

"Yes. That's why Demon Cores are exceptionally precious. I never expected this creature to have formed one already. Perhaps it was because of the Jinchan Moon Fruit... In any case, it's a blessing in disguise. With this, the poison in your body will be easily resolved. It won't be a threat to you anymore."

Chen Fei extracted the Demon Core and held it out to Ming Daochuan. "Master," he said excitedly, "eat this."

"Eat it?" Ming Daochuan looked at the bloody Demon Core in Chen Fei's hand with a strange expression.

Although at his age he was long past being easily shocked, he still hesitated. After a moment, however, Ming Daochuan shook his head, took the Demon Core from Chen Fei, and began to eat it without another word. His eyes immediately widened as he felt a powerful surge of energy flood his body.

His entire body felt as if it were on fire.

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