Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Lord of the Western Wilderness

Near the entrance to the underground cavern.

Teng Feng’s wretched figure appeared. A long, diagonal gash was starkly visible on his chest.

If he hadn’t dodged in time, that claw wouldn’t have just left a wound—it would have torn him in two.

Gasping for breath, Teng Feng took some Medicinal Powder from his Storage Bag and poured it onto the wound to stop the bleeding and help it heal.

’Something’s wrong. What’s going on? Why are there so many Demon Beasts here?!’ Teng Feng thought back on his journey, a lingering fear still gripping his heart.

Not long ago, he hadn’t gotten far from the underground cavern before a rat demon spotted him. He had barely managed to shake it off when he ran into a Jade Patterned Spider...

Everything had been fine before he entered the cavern. But now that he was out, how had this place turned into a savage wasteland teeming with Demon Beasts?

Moreover, as Teng Feng recalled his recent encounters, the feeling that something was wrong grew stronger. It was as if the Demon Beasts were intentionally blocking his path back to the Immortal City, forbidding him from leaving.

If he tried to turn back, he wouldn’t encounter any Demon Beasts. But the moment he dared to press forward, they would appear one after another.

The long, diagonal gash on his chest was the result of a moment of carelessness against the Jade Patterned Spider’s sharp claws.

WHOOSH... Teng Feng panted, his mind racing.

Scenes from the moment he entered the cave to when he left flashed through his mind. Everything had been normal, except...

Once his breathing finally steadied, Teng Feng suddenly whispered to himself, "I don’t know what’s happened in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. Since I can’t leave, I’ll just cultivate here for a while. For someone to have set up a protective Array here, there must be a Spirit Vein."

He muttered, "Anyway, if they find out I’m missing, my big brother will definitely come looking for me! He’s a Core Formation Cultivator; these Demon Beasts won’t be able to stop him."

With that, he actually struggled to his feet, about to search for the Spirit Vein. It seemed he was already preparing for a long period of seclusion.

The moment he got up, a sinister, cold voice echoed directly in his mind. "Hehehe... Kid, I’d advise you not to choose this place for your seclusion."

"Who? Who’s there?" The sudden voice gave Teng Feng a huge fright. He frantically looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"No need to look, kid. I’m inside your body right now."

The voice spoke again, but its words this time were even more terrifying, making the hair on Teng Feng’s arms stand on end as he cursed his luck internally.

Forcing himself to calm down, Teng Feng asked cautiously, "Who are you, Elder? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Hehehe, kid... Didn’t we just meet not long ago? You even buried my bones." The sinister voice made no attempt to hide the truth, and its words finally confirmed Teng Feng’s suspicions.

Before Teng Feng could react, the sinister voice continued, "Relax, kid. I died long ago. Most of my soul has already dissipated, so I can’t even become a Ghost Cultivator. All that’s left is a remnant soul. I’m no threat to you."

Teng Feng replied warily, "Then, Elder...?"

"Hehehe... Kid, if I were you, I wouldn’t be asking so many questions. Dawdle any longer, and you’ll lose your life," the sinister voice said, seeming to relish the chaos. "I sense a Tier Three Demon Beast flying this way. I wonder if that Core Formation big brother of yours can get here in time to save you?"

Hearing this, Teng Feng couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath. "A Tier Three Demon Beast?"

"Your only way out now is to leave through that Teleportation Array," the sinister voice said flatly. "If you wait for that Tier Three Demon Beast to arrive, it’ll be too late to escape."

Teng Feng took a deep breath before asking tentatively, "Elder, do you know what’s on the other side of the Teleportation Array?"

"It’s here," the sinister voice said, now sounding a little anxious itself. "Why do you talk so much, kid? If you don’t go now, I’ll be dragged down with you! I can only tell you that the other side of the Teleportation Array is safe."

As the sinister voice warned him, Teng Feng also heard the immense roar in the distant sky, like a meteor falling to earth. He felt an involuntary shudder in the face of a high-tier life form.

He knew he had no other choice.

His big brother was only in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment. Even if he really were at Core Formation, he wouldn’t make it in time to save him now.

’Go!’ Teng Feng made a quick decision. ’I’ll trust this old ghost one time.’

His thinking was clear. The old ghost’s words were half-truths, but he had indeed lost the ability to perform Possession. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time talking!

’If I’m killed by the Tier Three Demon Beast, he’ll die with me.’

’The other side of the Teleportation Array is most likely safe.’

SWOOSH!

He shot into the underground cavern, rushing toward the Teleportation Array.

Not long after he entered the cavern, a Flame Divine Bird with a wingspan of nearly forty zhang landed at the entrance.

"Humans... they stole my child!" Hatred flashed in the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle’s eyes. Without hesitation, it squeezed into the cavern. The hard rock was as fragile as tofu before its golden, cast-iron claws.

Crashing through everything in its path, the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle soon flew deep into the underground cave.

There, it saw a hazy pillar of light shoot skyward, protected by a multicolored barrier. The human aura it had been tracking was now slowly fading away.

"RAAAW~"

The Fierce Arrowhead Eagle opened its beak wide, and a terrifying, high-temperature Flame erupted from its mouth, instantly incinerating the protective Array, the grand palace, and the Teleportation Array within, reducing them all to nothingness!

Only a pile of ashes remained.

...

「In a distant region, upon a similarly designed, ancient Octagonal Teleportation Array.」

Teng Feng’s figure gradually materialized, finally solidifying. Ignoring the discomfort from the teleportation, he quickly scanned his surroundings, only to find himself in a pitch-black cave.

Sensing no immediate danger, Teng Feng spoke, "Elder, can you tell me where this is now? And who you are?"

The sinister voice chuckled slyly. "Hehehe... Even if you hadn’t asked, I was going to tell you. After all, I’ll need your help with a few things."

"My identity is far more distinguished than you can imagine. Even the entire Western Wilderness was granted to me as my fiefdom. In theory, I am the master of the Western Wilderness. But that’s all in the past. In this ghostly state... you can just call me Nether Bone. As for this place... this is the Great Zhou."

’Master of the Western Wilderness... the Great Zhou...’ Teng Feng was utterly shocked.

Nether Bone’s voice continued to echo in his mind, "Back then, for certain reasons, I was forced to swear an oath to go to that desolate land, the Western Wilderness, and never return to the Great Zhou. Heh... I made such a vicious vow, yet they still wouldn’t let me be. They secretly poisoned me, reducing me to this state!"

"To be safe, I ordered my subordinate Cultivators to cross the Vast Sea to reach the Western Wilderness, while I traveled alone via the Teleportation Array. However, the methods I used to control those subordinates were too vicious. In my current state, I don’t dare show my face before them, leaving me with no one to command."

"Kid, I’ll grant you a great opportunity. As long as you listen to me obediently, forget Foundation Establishment—you’ll even have a chance at Core Formation and Nascent Soul Formation."

...

’Nascent Soul Formation!’ Teng Feng drew a sharp breath. However, he didn’t immediately buy the empty promises Nether Bone was making.

At that moment, something else occurred to him. ’Those Demon Beasts... that old ghost must have lured them here, forcing me to escape through the Teleportation Array. Now that the array on the other end has been destroyed, I can’t go back.’

"Elder Ming Gu, what should I do now?" Teng Feng asked with a bitter smile.

"Hehe... First, learn the language of the Great Zhou. Then find a place to cultivate. Your Cultivation is simply too low."

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