Chapter 14: The Exotic Beast Ice Boa
With the exotic beast slain, the black-robed figures finally allowed themselves to relax.
The colossal serpent had placed enormous pressure on them.
Without the Array Formation to restrict its movements, this battle would have been far more grueling.
Just as they were about to collect the spoils of victory, a voice cut through the air.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Impressive! Impressive! What a spectacular fight."
Everyone froze in alarm.
Without anyone noticing when he had appeared, a masked man stood atop the colossal serpent's corpse in the center of the pool, applauding.
"And who might you be?" the leader of the black-robed figures asked.
Though his tone was calm, a storm raged within his heart.
He had not sensed the man's arrival at all — what did that mean?
It meant this person's strength far surpassed his own.
How could someone so powerful have entered the Nine Nethers Secret Realm?
"That is precisely the question I wanted to ask you," Lin Feng replied in a raspy voice. "Who are you? You have been slaughtering indiscriminately within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm — what is your purpose? Tell me, and I may leave your corpses intact."
The moment those words fell, the black-robed figures immediately went on high alert. Acting in unison despite their depleted bodies, they forced themselves to set up an Array Formation once more.
Lin Feng simply watched in silence, making no move to interrupt them.
Only after the Array Formation was complete did he speak.
"A fine Array Formation! A pity it is useless against me. Since you refuse to see reason, don't blame me for not giving you a chance."
As he spoke, Lin Feng walked steadily toward the leader of the black-robed figures.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each step seemed to land directly on the man's heartbeat.
As the distance closed, that heartbeat grew faster and faster.
By the time Lin Feng stood before the black-robed leader, the man could barely endure it. He pressed a hand to his own chest, his face twisted in agony, gasping for breath in great heaving gulps.
Only a single barrier separated the two of them now.
Staring at the masked man before him, the black-robed leader felt a profound sense of helplessness and dread.
Too powerful!
He was no match at all.
Even if he wanted to flee, his body had already lost all control.
Lin Feng stopped, raised his right hand, and slowly extended it. Before the eyes of all present, the barrier was pierced as effortlessly as a sheet of paper.
Watching that unstoppable hand draw ever closer, the black-robed leader could bear it no longer.
Death itself was not frightening.
What was frightening was this terror that gripped him in the moments before death.
Even someone who had undergone professional training could not withstand it.
Flee!
The black-robed leader bit through the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to jolt himself back to clarity and reclaim control of his body. He turned and bolted without looking back, desperate to escape this place of disaster.
But the moment he took his first step, a hand descended upon his shoulder like a mountain crushing down from above.
Immediately after, a surge of sword energy flooded into his body, ravaging his internal organs and muscles.
"Aaaargh!"
The excruciating pain was too much to bear, and the black-robed leader let out a wretched scream.
Seeing this, the other black-robed figures turned and fled at once.
Yet before Lin Feng, they had no chance of escape whatsoever.
A short while later, every last black-robed figure had become a corpse, leaving only the stunned and speechless members of Medicine King Valley behind.
Such speed!
Such power!
Having dealt with the black-robed figures with ease, Lin Feng turned and walked to the center of the pool, intending to collect the colossal serpent's corpse.
An exotic beast like the ice boa was a treasure from head to tail. Beyond its most prized inner core, its hide, blood, flesh, tendons, and bones were all worth a fortune.
"This one is Zhuge Qingyun of Medicine King Valley. Greetings to… erm… greetings, Senior!"
A voice interrupted Lin Feng.
He glanced up at the speaker.
"Something you need?"
"Senior! This ice boa is of great use to Medicine King Valley. I humbly ask that you part with it." Zhuge Qingyun spoke with utmost respect.
Despite being the young valley master of Medicine King Valley, he showed not the slightest trace of arrogance at this moment.
He had witnessed the entire battle from start to finish. The strength Lin Feng had displayed, combined with the rules governing entry into the Nine Nethers Secret Realm, left Zhuge Qingyun with no choice but to lower himself.
"You want this serpent?" Lin Feng asked.
"Yes!" Zhuge Qingyun nodded.
"And what do you intend to offer in exchange?"
"That depends entirely on what Senior requires!"
Lin Feng paused at that, not having expected such an answer.
He knew of Medicine King Valley.
There had long been a saying in the cultivation world of Li Continent:
No matter what injury you have suffered or what illness you carry, a visit to Medicine King Valley will set things right. If Medicine King Valley cannot cure it, then no one in all of Li Continent can.
"No matter what I ask for, you are willing to offer it in exchange?" Lin Feng pressed.
"Absolutely!" Zhuge Qingyun answered without hesitation.
The exotic beast ice boa was certainly useful to Medicine King Valley, but not so indispensable that they could not live without it. His real motive was that he saw great promise in Lin Feng and wished to build a relationship — that had always been Medicine King Valley's way.
In the outside world, Zhuge Qingyun would not have placed such importance on Lin Feng.
But this was the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.
Only those with a bone age below one hundred years could enter.
Taken together, it meant Lin Feng's talent was terrifyingly exceptional — enough to rank among the very best in all of Li Continent.
Medicine King Valley had always loved to befriend and invest in geniuses of this caliber.
It was how they had survived and thrived all this time.
"Then… I want a Bianhua Flower. Does Medicine King Valley have one?" Lin Feng hesitated a moment before finally naming what he needed.
In truth, he held little hope. But the Bianhua Flower was the only thing he currently needed — no other treasure held any appeal for him.
A Bianhua Flower?
Zhuge Qingyun's expression grew troubled.
That was far, far more precious than an ice boa.
He wasn't sure whether Medicine King Valley's reserves even contained one, and even if they did, it was not something he as young valley master could simply use — it would require approval from the Valley's senior leadership.
"Senior! The Bianhua Flower belongs to the category of extremely rare treasures. Even Medicine King Valley may not have one. However, the Nine Nethers Secret Realm is the most suitable environment for Bianhua Flowers to grow, and they have appeared here on multiple occasions in the past. If I find one, I will certainly trade it with Senior."
"Then we'll talk when you find one."
Lin Feng said no more to him. He stored the ice boa's massive body into his Qiankun Pouch, then walked straight toward the base of the waterfall.
There should be something the exotic beast had been guarding there.
Passing through the waterfall, he found the space within to be quite large — over ten meters high and forty to fifty meters deep.
At the very back of the cave, Lin Feng discovered several serpent eggs that had not yet hatched. He sensed them carefully; the life force within was vigorous, indicating they would hatch before long.
Beyond that, a palm-sized plant with dark green leaves and stems grew inverted from the ceiling of the cave, its roots embedded in the cracks of the rock.
After studying it carefully, he could not identify what treasure it was. But since it was something an exotic beast had been guarding, it was surely no ordinary thing.
To avoid damaging the treasure, Lin Feng drew his sword and carved away a large chunk of the surrounding rock, then stored it in his Qiankun Pouch.
Fortunately, his Qiankun Pouch had been a gift from Su Mubai and had ample space — otherwise, it would never have held so much.
With that done, Lin Feng swept through the cave once more to make sure he had missed nothing, then stepped back outside.
The people of Medicine King Valley were still gathered by the pool and had not left. Seeing Lin Feng emerge, Zhuge Qingyun spoke up again.
"Senior! Might I ask what treasures you found inside?"
"There are treasures, certainly. But if Medicine King Valley wants them, bring a Bianhua Flower to trade."
With that, Lin Feng leapt into the air and vanished into the dense forest.
He had no particular fondness for Medicine King Valley as a faction — they made no distinction between good and evil — and so he had no desire to say more to them.
Unless they could produce a Bianhua Flower, there was nothing more to discuss.
"Uncle Qiu, can you determine this person's identity?" Zhuge Qingyun asked aloud.
A middle-aged man beside him shook his head.
"Young Valley Master, when this person struck down the black-robed figures just now, he relied entirely on overwhelming force and did not employ any recognizable sect technique or style. For now, his identity cannot be determined."
"Could he be a genius secretly cultivated by Shenxiao Sword Sect?" Zhuge Qingyun asked again.
Su Mubai, one of the Seven Swords of Shenxiao, had been poisoned by Soul-Devouring Powder and required a Bianhua Flower as the key medicinal ingredient for his cure. This man had specifically asked for a Bianhua Flower — it was hard not to draw a connection between the two.
"It's possible. But other factions cannot be ruled out either."