Chapter 26: Han Feng's Choice
Han Feng knew that if he revealed his presence at that moment, he could lose the only advantage he had—the enemy's ignorance of his true strength.
He remained motionless in the darkness outside the cave, suppressing even the faintest fluctuation of Qi.
Inside, the conversation continued.
"If he is really the heir, we cannot wait much longer," one of the figures said. "We need to make sure he is on our side before the Shadow Sect makes its move."
The voice was firm, but beneath that confidence was a trace of urgency.
Another figure remained silent for several breaths before answering.
"I agree. But how do we approach him without making him suspicious? He has been out of the sect's sight for a long time. If he is as cautious as they say, he may have already noticed us."
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
So they know about my connection to the Black Moon Sect.
That was more troubling than he had expected.
He suppressed a cold laugh.
They underestimate my vigilance... and overestimate their discretion.
He had three choices.
He could enter the cave and confront them.
He could leave immediately and report what he had heard to Elder Zhu Han.
Or he could remain hidden and learn more.
The third option was the most dangerous.
It was also the one that could reveal the most.
Han Feng chose to wait.
Using the Art of the Celestial Veil, he gradually suppressed his presence until even the natural fluctuations of his Qi seemed to disappear into the mountain.
Minutes became hours.
The conversation inside the cave became increasingly fragmented.
Sometimes the voices fell into silence for long periods. At other times, Han Feng caught only a few words.
"Celestial Pattern..."
"...not awakened..."
"...the previous records..."
"...the heir must not be allowed to fall into their hands..."
Each fragment only raised more questions.
They knew something about the Celestial Pattern.
They knew there was an heir.
And somehow, they had connected Han Feng to both.
But Han Feng still could not determine whether they wanted to protect him, control him, or eliminate him.
That uncertainty bothered him more than an open threat would have.
As night deepened, the temperature in the mountains dropped.
Then Han Feng sensed movement.
One of the figures emerged from the cave.
The man wore a dark cloak and kept his face concealed. He looked around carefully before descending the mountain toward the distant village.
Han Feng waited.
He did not follow immediately.
Instead, he watched the man's movements until the figure disappeared behind the trees.
Only then did Han Feng move.
One left.
His gaze returned to the cave.
And at least one remains inside.
He considered retreating.
Every instinct told him that entering an enemy's hideout without knowing its defenses was reckless.
But something else bothered him.
The people inside had spoken about the Celestial Pattern as though they had been studying it for years.
If Han Feng left now, he might never get another chance to discover what they knew.
He carefully approached the entrance.
Before stepping inside, he released a thin strand of spiritual sense.
Nothing.
No obvious formation.
No killing intent.
But that did not mean the cave was safe.
Han Feng took one step forward.
Then another.
The darkness swallowed him.
The deeper he went, the stranger the atmosphere became.
The walls were covered in faint markings—some ancient, others apparently added much later.
Several symbols resembled broken hexagons.
Han Feng stopped.
His heartbeat quickened.
He had seen that shape before.
Not in the cave.
Inside his own consciousness.
The Celestial Diagram.
He immediately became more cautious.
At the end of the passage, the cave opened into a large underground chamber.
Han Feng remained near the entrance and observed the room before moving.
There were no people.
No obvious traps.
But in the center of the chamber stood an ancient stone structure.
An altar.
Its surface was covered with countless symbols, most of them worn away by time.
At the center of the altar rested a small fragment of pale material.
Han Feng's expression changed.
He recognized it immediately.
A fragment of the Celestial Diagram.
For several breaths, he did not move.
The fragment emitted an extremely faint fluctuation.
It was not exactly Qi.
It was not Gu energy either.
It was something in between.
Something that resonated with the Dual Chaos Larva within his body.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
Why is this here?
He took a cautious step forward.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu inside him reacted.
A faint warmth spread through his meridians.
At the same moment, the fragment on the altar gave off a weak pulse.
Han Feng immediately stopped.
His expression became cold.
That's impossible.
The fragment had reacted to him.
But that raised another possibility.
What if this was intentional?
He looked around the chamber.
The absence of guards suddenly seemed suspicious.
The lack of visible formations seemed suspicious.
Even the fragment itself seemed suspicious.
Someone had placed it here.
Someone who knew about the Celestial Pattern.
Someone who might have known that a person connected to it could eventually find this place.
Han Feng did not touch the fragment.
Instead, he activated the Art of the Celestial Veil and carefully examined the altar.
There.
Almost invisible beneath the dust was a thin line carved into the stone.
A formation.
It was incomplete, but not broken.
It was dormant.
Han Feng's expression darkened.
So this is a test.
He stepped backward.
If he touched the fragment, whoever had constructed this place might know.
Perhaps the people in the cave were not simply hiding information.
Perhaps they were waiting for someone to come looking for it.
And perhaps Han Feng had just walked into their trap.
Suddenly—
A faint sound came from the passage behind him.
Footsteps.
Han Feng's pupils contracted.
Someone was returning.
He immediately extinguished every trace of Qi around his body and moved behind one of the stone pillars.
The footsteps grew louder.
One person entered the chamber.
The same cloaked figure who had supposedly left the cave.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
So he never went to the village.
The man slowly approached the altar.
He stopped beside the fragment.
Then he smiled.
"We finally have our answer."
Han Feng's blood ran cold.
The man had not looked toward the altar.
He was looking directly toward the pillar where Han Feng was hiding.
"Come out, heir."
Silence filled the chamber.
Han Feng's hand slowly tightened.
For the first time since entering the Black Moon Sect, he felt that his opponent might have known about him from the beginning.
And now he had to decide whether to run...
or finally reveal a part of the power he had hidden for so long.