The sun hung overhead, harsh and white against the cloudless sky.
Two figures dashed out from the edge of the burning forest.
Lin Feng was in a sorry state, breathing raggedly and tightly clutching his bloodied arm. Not far behind him, the enraged roar of the Three Eyed Shadow Tiger echoed through the mountain slopes.
The demonic beast was massive and ferocious, tearing through boulders like paper as it chased them.
"Damn it! That beast is still chasing us!" Lin Feng cursed, his expression dark. "Who the hell said it was just a late stage Rank One beast?!"
Jiang Chen did not utter a word. His gaze was calm as water, sweeping the terrain ahead.
Things had taken an unexpected turn.
Their task had been a simple one: harvest the Rank One mid grade Shy Shadow Flowers from Blue Star Valley, which was supposedly guarded by a late stage Rank One Three Eyed Shadow Tiger.
But when they had reached the spot, what awaited them was not some common beast.
It was a Three Eyed Shadow Tiger King!
Neither Lin Feng nor Jiang Chen possessed a cultivation base or skills capable of contending with a Rank One king tier demonic beast.
With their puny strength, facing a king tier beast was akin to an ant trying to trip an elephant. At best, they could combine their efforts to kill a late stage Rank One demonic beast, which was the absolute ceiling of their current strength.
Till now, only two things kept death from catching up to them. First, the Three Eyed Shadow Tiger was not a demonic beast known for its speed. Second, the Swift Wind talismans stamped on their feet allowed them to run like the wind.
But that did not mean they were out of danger.
Far from it. Once the talismans supporting them were fully exhausted, both of them would become nothing more than meat before the Three Eyed Shadow Tiger.
"Someone in the mission hall is going to pay for this," Lin Feng spat between difficult breaths. "How is this fair? That is a beast king! It almost crushed me in one swipe!"
"You were too loud," Jiang Chen said suddenly.
"What?!"
"You carelessly stepped on a spirit vine. That is what woke it up."
Lin Feng gaped at him. "You... so you noticed it was a beast king back then and did not say anything?!"
Jiang Chen offered no retort.
Lin Feng's face flushed purple with rage. "You, you greedy bastard! Are you dumb or just insane?! You could have at least warned me. If I die here, I will haunt you for nine lifetimes!"
"Save your breath," Jiang Chen cut him off. "It is here."
As if on cue, the trees exploded behind them. A massive black and gray beast leapt into view, its three eyes glowing crimson with killing intent. Its breath stank of rot and blood.
The ground trembled beneath its landing, and dust flew.
The tiger let out a soul piercing shriek and charged again.
Lin Feng gritted his teeth. "We cannot outrun it forev—"
"There!" Jiang Chen pointed at a dense cluster of thorns up ahead. Just behind it, a narrow shadow cut into the rock face.
A crevice.
He grabbed Lin Feng by the collar and dragged him forward without hesitation.
They dove into the gap. Thorns tore at their sleeves, scratching skin and drawing blood, but neither slowed. The crevice was tight and vertical, barely enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.
Jiang Chen slipped in first. Lin Feng followed, panting and cursing. Moments later, the two vanished into the darkness of the stone.
Outside, the Three Eyed Shadow Tiger King skidded to a halt, its third eye glowing with beastly rage.
BOOM!!
It slammed its paw against the cliffside with bone cracking force, sending cracks running through the stone. It bared its fangs and clawed furiously at the rock, trying to force the crevice open, but the gap was too narrow.
The Three Eyed Shadow Tiger King lowered its enormous body, pressing its forehead to the rock face as its glowing third eye peered into the crevice.
In that instant—
Zzt!
A razor thin beam of dark gold light shot forth from the darkness within.
Pchk!
It pierced straight into the beast's third eye.
"Try opening that eye again, you ugly cat!" Lin Feng's angry voice rang out from within the crevice.
ROAR!!!
The Tiger King reeled back with a deafening cry, thrashing in pain as fresh blood oozed from the punctured eye. Snarling and roaring, it repeatedly slammed its massive paw against the cliff, shaking the mountain, then paced in wild circles like a maddened demon.
As it reared up to strike again, the beast suddenly froze.
It sensed another powerful beastly presence approaching.
The Tiger King's ears twitched. With a low growl, it reluctantly backed away and disappeared into the forest.
Inside, Lin Feng slumped against the wall and exhaled heavily. "Heavens... we almost became beast food! Brother Jiang, your eyes are truly blessed by the Immortals to find such a lifesaving hole."
Jiang Chen gave a thin smile. "Let us wait until sunset, then head back to the sect."
Lin Feng gave a weak nod and began treating his injuries. While Jiang Chen pulled out a spirit stone and began replenishing his spiritual essence, while his eyes scanned every corner of the cave.
The cave extended deep into the earth. Its walls were damp and streaked with iron. The air was stale and cold.
A faint mark unexpectedly caught his eye.
Carved into the rock, so fine it could be easily missed. He focused his gaze but did not move closer. Lin Feng, however, was already walking forward.
"Eh? What is this drawing?" he asked.
"Do not touch it!" Jiang Chen warned.
Too late.
Curiosity moved faster than caution as Lin Feng's palm pressed squarely on the mark. Instantly, a surge of cold qi erupted from the ground, flooding the cave.
RUMBLE.
The earth split beneath their feet. Before either could react, the rock crumbled and swallowed them whole.
They fell.
....
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Chen stirred to the faint glow of jade veins embedded in stone.
The cramped cave had turned into a vast stone hall. The architecture seemed extremely ancient. Ceilings arched like dragon spines, rusted chains hung loose from above, and ornaments made of bone littered the walls. At the far end of the hall stood an altar. Upon it rested a black scroll, coiled in red mist.
Lin Feng's eyes lit up. "This... this must be an inheritance ground!"
Jiang Chen did not respond, but his grip on his sword grew tighter.
"My ancestors must be smiling today!" Lin Feng turned to him. "Brother Jiang, this is simply fortune in disguise! Let us check it out together. If it is a treasure, we will divide it evenly. What do you say?"
Jiang Chen gave a slight nod.
As they approached, the ground lit up with glowing lanterns, their faint light spreading across the dark path like scattered stars. The black scroll slowly unfurled on its own, revealing lines of ancient characters that flickered with a blood red light, as though the words themselves had been written with living blood.
Flesh Devouring God Scripture!
Lin Feng's breath caught. "What a fierce name! We have struck riches!"
He continued, "Once I get this… I will definitely become an inner disciple, get myself three concubines, and beat up everyone who laughed at my accent. Huhuhu.."
In Lin Feng's mind, he saw the inner court robes fluttering at his side, heads bowing as he passed.
The path of the weak ended here.
From now on, those who once slighted him would clench their jaws and call him Senior Brother. Elders would offer approving nods, and junior sisters would quarrel just for a chance to catch his eye. His chest burned like fire and his blood roared like thunder. A chance of a lifetime had come. It was time to stop crawling in the mud and start looking toward the infinite sky.
'Yes! This is it! This is the moment everything changes! The heavens have finally opened their eyes! Haha...!' Lin Feng could not wait any longer. Hands trembling, he stepped forward. The red mist curled eagerly around his arm like a welcoming lover.
Lin Feng gritted his teeth. "It is binding to me! Hah! Brother Jiang, you try too—"
Before his sentence finished, a cold glint sliced through the air.
The edge of Jiang Chen's sleeve fluttered as a silver blade traced a perfect arc across Lin Feng's throat.
A gurgle of blood was heard.
Lin Feng's eyes bulged. Hands flying to his throat, but they could not stop the torrent of red. He staggered, looking at Jiang Chen with utter confusion. His mouth opened, trying to speak, but darkness came swiftly.
He collapsed to the ground, dead.
'Huh, they always make the same expression.' Jiang Chen gazed at the corpse with passing interest.
To Jiang Chen, this Lin Feng amounted to no more than a familiar face. One of many useful partners to go on missions with. A relationship that was built on mutual benefit. When the benefit disappeared, so did the relationship.
But poor Lin Feng trusted too easily.
A few joint missions and near death escapes were enough for him to call Jiang Chen his friend, his brother!
From the start, Lin Feng saw no reason to doubt him.
Lin Feng thought that as long as he did not take everything for himself, there would be no reason for conflict, never considering that the other party might still make a move.
And in the end, he never saw the blade coming.
When one measures another's motives by their own sense of morality, they invite disaster without even knowing it.
In the dog eat dog world of cultivators, there is no room for such wishful thinking. Sooner or later, the blade will find you. Just as it found Lin Feng.
The scroll, now freed from Lin Feng's grasp, hovered silently, then smoothly drifted into Jiang Chen's hand.
He received it with a smirk.
The red mist sank into his skin as the words of the Scripture branded themselves into his mind. Moments later, the black scroll burst into flames and crumbled into ash.
Jiang Chen once again stared at Lin Feng's corpse and expressed lightly, "Brother Lin, the path to immortality was never wide enough for the two of us. Since someone had to stay behind, it might as well be you. Perhaps in your next life, you will remember to be a bit more selfish."
He shook his head, then knelt beside the body and looted the valuables.
Just then the formation circle beneath the altar flared to life. The entire inheritance hall began to tremble, cracks splitting across its floor.
Without panic, Jiang Chen swiftly destroyed the corpse with his sword and turned to step into the formation.
He never looked back.