Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 85: A Narrow Encounter

Hearing the footsteps, Jiang Feng quickly turned off his flashlight. 

The newcomers moved swiftly, and before long, they appeared in the main tomb chamber that Jiang Feng had entered earlier. 

Soon, voices echoed out: “Damn it, we’re late.” 

“How could this be? Did someone arrive before us?” another voice chimed in. 

“The coffin lid has been opened, and the items have already been taken. Someone has definitely been here,” a cold voice scoffed. 

This voice then stated, “That’s not right. We didn’t see anyone leaving when we arrived, and our people are guarding the exit outside. Even if someone took the items, they certainly wouldn’t be able to escape. Search for them! If you find anyone else, kill them immediately!” 

Accompanied by this command, the sound of shuffling footsteps soon resonated from all directions, spreading out in every possible way. 

Jiang Feng’s expression changed slightly upon hearing the voices; he hadn’t expected others to be searching for the Spirit Suppressing Seal, and they had directly targeted it, meaning they must have known of its existence beforehand. 

“This isn’t good. This place is no longer safe; I must leave quickly.” Jiang Feng quickly oriented himself and ran. However, he hadn’t gone far when he heard something chasing after him from behind. 

Cautiously glancing over his shoulder, Jiang Feng saw that it wasn’t a person chasing him, but a bird. The bird flew at an incredible speed, almost instantly reaching above his head. 

Upon seeing the bird, Jiang Feng’s face changed immediately. This bird was the same type he had seen earlier in the backyard of his rental apartment. The moment he spotted it, he realized that the people who had spoken earlier must be from the Qihuang Sect. 

At that moment, Jiang Feng suddenly understood why the Qihuang Sect had found him so quickly after he killed Shen Bin. Indeed, the Qihuang Sect had people in Yanjing seeking revenge for Shen Bin, and it was merely coincidental that the Spirit Suppressing Seal was their true objective. 

Without any hesitation, Jiang Feng bent down and grabbed a handful of gravel from the ground, throwing it at the bird. The bird let out a few harsh squawks and fell to the ground, but soon, several more birds returned, accompanied by a few shadowy figures. 

Jiang Feng no longer hesitated; he darted down a side path. 

“One Yao Bird is dead. There are indeed people in this ancient tomb. Quickly, chase after him; don’t let him escape!” a cold voice echoed through the dark tomb passage. 

Jiang Feng’s heart sank slightly. He knew that with the Qihuang Sect having that strange bird, he certainly wouldn’t be able to escape unless he killed all of them. 

While he was thinking, footsteps sounded behind him. Without any hesitation, Jiang Feng threw a punch backward. The person was sent flying by his strike, letting out a few cries of pain. 

The screams immediately alerted the others, and soon, Jiang Feng found himself surrounded. Several flashlights turned on, shining directly on his face. 

“Hmph, so it’s an ancient martial arts practitioner. You do have some skills; no wonder you dared to enter this ancient tomb alone. But a mere half-step into the Yellow Level dares to be arrogant in front of me, Yang Wei?” a man said in a deep voice. 

This man, who called himself Yang Wei, was not very old, but both his tone and expression radiated arrogance, especially with his inverted triangle-shaped eyes, which gave off an uncomfortable feeling. 

After saying this, Yang Wei fixed his gaze on Jiang Feng without waiting for a response and waved his hand directly: “Kill him!”

Three people rushed towards Jiang Feng from three different directions. Jiang Feng kicked one of them away and coldly laughed, “Yang Wei? What a good name, truly boasting with great flair. But do you members of the Qihuang Sect really think I’m easy to bully? Well then, let me see how you plan to show off in front of me!” 

“Turns out you know we’re from the Qihuang Sect?” Yang Wei said, somewhat surprised. He quickly continued, “I was wondering why the Yao Bird would set its sights on you. It seems you’ve had dealings with our Qihuang Sect before, haven’t you? Tell me, who exactly are you? If you’re a friend, I might consider letting you off the hook. If you’re an enemy, hm!” 

Jiang Feng remained silent, using his fists to fend off the other attackers. These three were merely brutes with no skill, not even close to reaching the threshold of the Yellow level, so they were hardly a concern. 

What worried Jiang Feng slightly was Yang Wei, who emanated an extremely cold aura, one even stronger than the bald man he had killed before. As Yang Wei observed Jiang Feng’s moves, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he said, “You dare to attack me? I advise you not to struggle in vain, or it will only make your death more painful.” 

“With trash like you, you think you can kill me?” Jiang Feng replied coldly. 

“Haha, trash? Let me see just how strong you really are.” As he spoke, Yang Wei’s figure flickered and he appeared right in front of Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng barely saw how he launched his attack before a punch came crashing towards him. His heart trembled slightly; Jiang Feng quickly retreated, but Yang Wei was even faster. Almost the instant Jiang Feng stepped back, Yang Wei’s left hand shot out, blocking his escape route, while his right hand continued its assault towards Jiang Feng’s face. 

Jiang Feng gritted his teeth and countered with a punch. 

With a loud “bang,” their fists collided, producing a dull thud in the air. Jiang Feng’s figure swayed as he took two steps back. Yang Wei looked at Jiang Feng, then at his own fist, his eyes glinting with a shadowy light. “Not bad, but if that’s all you’ve got, you’re still far from enough. Hand over what you’ve taken, and maybe I can consider leaving your corpse intact.” 

With a movement of his foot, he was once again in front of Jiang Feng, his fist whipping up a cold wind as it aimed for Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng inwardly groaned; Yang Wei’s punch was incredibly fierce. That last hit had already caused his blood to surge, leaving him slightly injured. If he wasn’t mistaken, Yang Wei was at least at the late stage of the Yellow level. 

Such strength was far beyond what Jiang Feng could contend with at the moment. He decided not to resist any longer and quickly darted into a side path, accelerating his escape. 

“Trying to run? Let’s see how far you can get.” Yang Wei coldly snorted and chased after him. 

At the same time, the strange sound of little birds flapping their wings echoed around Jiang Feng. He had no choice but to keep changing his route, but no matter which direction he took, those little birds relentlessly pursued him. 

“This won’t do; at this rate, I’m definitely going to die here tonight.” Jiang Feng’s mind raced, but he couldn’t find a good way out. Just then, Yang Wei appeared behind him, ominously saying, “Why aren’t you running anymore?” 

“I see you’re looking for death.” Jiang Feng growled lowly and took the initiative to attack Yang Wei. 

“Come at me!” Yang Wei shouted, and without hesitation, he threw a punch. As their fists met mid-air, Yang Wei let out a cry of pain, staggering back several steps, and gritted his teeth, “Damn it, what exactly are you holding?” 

Jiang Feng twirled the silver needle in his hand, remaining silent. As soon as Yang Wei retreated, he charged forward again, slapping towards Yang Wei’s chest. 

Uncertain about what weapon Jiang Feng was using, Yang Wei didn’t dare to take it head-on and abruptly retreated. As he fell back, Jiang Feng pressed on relentlessly.

Among the people from the Qihuang Sect, aside from Yang Wei, the rest were not worth worrying about. If he wanted to leave this place alive, he had to kill Yang Wei first. Jiang Feng understood that in a fair fight, he would never be Yang Wei’s opponent, but the dark tomb passage provided him with an opportunity. He had never been a paragon of virtue; as long as he could kill his enemy, he didn’t care if the means were dishonorable, so he launched an increasingly fierce attack.

“Ba$tard!” Yang Wei was clearly enraged. After being pushed back by Jiang Feng several times, he became wild and initiated another attack. Two punches, accompanied by a chilling wind, whistled through the air as they struck towards Jiang Feng from left and right. 

Jiang Feng’s gaze turned colder, knowing he hadn’t misjudged; this man was indeed at the late stage of the Yellow level, having reached the realm of external Qi manifestation. He clearly understood how tyrannical these two punches were, but he still allowed them to come at him. Just as the punches drew near, he flicked his right hand, and a silver needle shot out from his grasp.

Bang… Bang… 

The two punches hit Jiang Feng directly, sending him flying back and crashing heavily against the stone wall. However, Yang Wei wasn’t faring any better; Jiang Feng’s silver needle had pierced directly into his heart. 

“I will kill you! I must kill you!” Yang Wei looked down at his chest, where a silver needle trembled violently. He yanked it out with a grimace, exhaling heavily, and stepped forward, throwing dozens of punches in a frenzy. Jiang Feng hadn’t expected him to be this formidable; caught off guard, he was once again sent flying, crashing to the ground, and coughed up a mouthful of congealed blood.

“D@mn it!” Jiang Feng forced a bitter smile, not expecting that this nameless ancient tomb would become his burial place. Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a series of muffled sounds behind him, followed by the ground shaking violently, with dirt raining down from above. 

In just a moment, a large mass of earth fell from overhead, separating Jiang Feng and Yang Wei. But the tremors did not cease; the entire ancient tomb echoed with booming sounds, as if the whole mountain was about to collapse. 

“Is it an earthquake?” Jiang Feng barely managed to prop himself up, using the last of his strength to quickly retreat backward. 

In the distance, he could still hear Yang Wei’s frantic voice, but soon, that sound vanished. The passage ahead kept collapsing, and he didn’t know how long it lasted until the shaking gradually subsided. 

Jiang Feng looked ahead and then back; both paths were completely blocked off. He couldn’t help but feel speechless; he hadn’t been killed by Yang Wei, but instead had been buried alive.