Chapter 118: Taking Advantage of a Weakness (Second Update)

In truth, although Xiao Chong and the others had only reached the advanced stage of Spirit King cultivation, if they truly fought with all their might, even a Spirit Emperor at the early stage in its prime would not stand a chance against them.

After swiftly and decisively slaying one opponent, Xiao Chong, Lie Kuang, Ao Yun, and He Tao wasted no time and turned to join the nearest battle group.

On the other side of the skirmish, a pursuer engaged with the members of the Heavenly King Alliance suddenly let out a miserable howl.

Turning to look, they saw Kong Kong standing casually with a bloodied battle axe in hand, his face twisted in disdain as he mouthed toward Ye Feng’s direction, "Told you to forget me..."

Yet, unlike the smooth progress within the battle group, Ye Feng found himself embroiled in a fierce struggle.

From the very beginning of the battle, he had taken on the heavy burden alone, facing three opponents, each possessing power at the mid-stage of Spirit Emperor.

Fortunately, after a day of rapid pursuit, the strength of these three adversaries had been reduced to less than half their usual capacity; otherwise, Ye Feng would have been forced to retreat long ago.

Holding a broken blade, Ye Feng fought desperately against the attacks of the three trapped enemies, bitterly smiling as he cursed, “Damn it, never thought I’d have such a humiliating day!”

Boom—

A battle axe descended from the sky, cleaving one opponent apart. Ye Feng turned his gaze to see Kong Kong’s displeased expression, instantly feeling a pang of regret: How could I have forgotten about that kid...

With one foe taken off his hands by Kong Kong, Ye Feng’s pressure lessened considerably, though he showed no intention of launching a full assault. The situation was now highly favorable—the more than ten sanctum experts pursuing them had been whittled down to fewer than ten, each surrounded by nearly ten attackers; their deaths were only a matter of time.

With such skilled fighters as free sparring partners, Ye Feng saw no need to risk injury by personally killing two of them; instead, he intended to leave those two mid-stage Spirit Emperor experts for Jialuo and Xiao Ye to practice on.

After all, opportunities like this were rare.

In battles among masters, victory and defeat often hinged on a single move or two, and one misstep could mean severe injury. Jialuo and the others usually held back at least half their strength during their sparring sessions, fearful of accidentally harming one another.

But now, with no concern for life or death, they could fight freely and learn from their shortcomings.

In less than half an hour, all the sanctum experts pursuing them—except for the two still engaged with Ye Feng—were slain.

During that time, the two tried multiple times to flee but were repeatedly blocked by Ye Feng alone.

“Jialuo, Xiao Ye, these two are yours now!” Ye Feng said as he sheathed his blade and withdrew, no longer paying attention to them but heading straight toward the crowd.

Looking upon the members of the Heavenly King Alliance before him, each radiating murderous intent, Ye Feng felt as if something was lodged deep within his chest, leaving him at a loss for words for a long while.

Though they fought with superior numbers and rested while others toiled, the difference in cultivation levels had forced the Heavenly King Alliance to pay a heavy price.

In this battle, one member died in a final desperate attack by the enemy, and nearly every person present bore some form of injury.

Quickly retrieving spirit fruits from his ring, Ye Feng distributed them among the group, nodding repeatedly and gritting his teeth as he said, “Well done, all of you are remarkable. I, Ye Feng, am proud to have brothers like you! Swallow these spirit fruits and those injured, recover quickly. Assign ten to guard Jialuo and the others’ battle group until the fight ends!”

Having done all this, Ye Feng forced himself to settle down and meditate to heal. Wisps of pale steam rose from his clothes, and when his garments dried, a faint golden light radiated from his body.

The heavy rain had ceased, and before long, as everyone cultivated to mend their wounds, a misty glow filled the air, refracted into streaks of multicolored light that resembled a rainbow after rain.

It was nearly midnight when Ye Feng finally ended his meditation and stood up, letting out a long sigh. His internal injuries were mostly healed, but the coming battles would be even more grueling. He refused to believe that the sanctum, having just suffered a heavy loss, would foolishly allow himself to be outmaneuvered again.

By dawn, the members of the Heavenly King Alliance had all recovered and stood up.

After the fierce battle the previous day, Ye Feng sensed a striking change within them. It was an indescribable transformation—like a maiden who, after a single night, had blossomed into a woman.

His eyes slowly swept over their faces—no longer green and naive, no longer timid or fearful. Most still bore an intense aura of killing intent, as if they had yet to recover from the night’s bloody conflict.

If these people survived until they left the ancient ruins, Ye Feng would bet his life that every one of them could become a master guarding their own territory.

No one spoke; dozens quietly tidied their gear in the silent forest.

Because of the heavy rain the night before, the distant landscape was shrouded in a white haze, and anything beyond ten yards was hard to discern with the naked eye. A thick fog had settled over the forest.

Seeing this, Ye Feng felt both surprised and delighted. After being washed by last night’s rain, all traces of their pursuit had vanished, and the sanctum would not come searching here anytime soon.

But if the sanctum did not come, could the Heavenly King Alliance afford to remain passive?

With dozens missing for a day and night, the sanctum was undoubtedly thrown into chaos and would surely dispatch many experts to hunt them down. In that case, how many would be left guarding the entrance to the ruins?

After washing up, some went into the woods to hunt wild game, while others used their inner energy to dry branches and began roasting the meat.

As they ate, Ye Feng shared his plan with everyone.

Just as Ye Feng had predicted, nearly a third of the group had disappeared for a day and night, and the sanctum was already in uproar. Although everyone suspected such a possibility, none dared to fully believe it.

At midnight, five experts at the mid-stage of Spirit Emperor, leading forty-five others, set out to track those missing.

With these gone, fewer than ten sanctum experts remained guarding the ruins’ entrance. Yet even the weakest among them was at the peak of the early Spirit Emperor stage. Among them was the young man whose combat power had once surpassed Ye Feng’s by a narrow margin.

Amid the thick fog, forty-eight Heavenly King Alliance experts mobilized.

All reined in their breath and silently followed Ye Feng like shadows in the night, ready to harvest the heads of the sanctum’s warriors.

When Ye Feng proposed this plan, no one hesitated; nearly everyone immediately agreed with enthusiasm. After yesterday’s battle, each person’s heart had been ignited with the reckless courage to take down the sanctum, no matter the cost.

Perhaps in the past, the sanctum had seemed mysterious and formidable to these young men, but after firsthand experience, they realized it was just the same—two shoulders bearing a single head, one slash leaving a wound—no more terrifying than the legends claimed.