Chapter 111: The Sudden Appearance of the Shadow Nether Stone

"Huu!"

Zhao Feng let out a long, deep breath, his heart filled with shock. This was the highest-level cultivator he had encountered thus far. It seemed he would have to re-evaluate this secular world. Truly, the world was vast and full of wonders. Perhaps people of his own cultivation level were rare, but they were certainly not impossible to find. Perhaps even within the mysterious God of War squad of the Dragon Kingdom, there might be those who had reached the tenth layer of Qi Refining.

A sense of urgency suddenly gripped Zhao Feng; he needed to break through the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible. Only by achieving that could he have any security while walking in the mortal world. Moreover, it would bring him one step closer to fighting his way back to the Immortal Sect.

Zhao Feng withdrew his gaze, for the burly, rough-looking cultivator was already looking his way. The man ignored the ushering attendant and walked straight toward Zhao Feng.

"Sir! Sir, you cannot go over there! You cannot intrude upon someone else's safety zone!"

There was an unspoken rule in the cultivation world: one must not casually enter within ten meters of another person. For a cultivator, ten meters was the final safety perimeter. If you insisted on encroaching upon that space, there were only two possibilities: either you were close friends, or it meant you were preparing for war.

The man walked toward Zhao Feng with an air of "I am the only one who matters." His behavior showed he held no regard for Zhao Feng at all. Zhao Feng sat calmly in his chair, ignoring the man’s actions entirely. However, to the onlookers, it seemed as though Zhao Feng was terrified.

"Zheng!"

With a sharp ring of a blade, a fiery red longsword pressed against the man's throat.

"Take one more step, and you die!"

"Whoa!" The crowd erupted. "The Empress of Red Beauty has made her move!"

"Isn't the Empress of Red Beauty only at the first layer of Qi Refining?"

"Using spiritual energy to manifest a sword—that requires at least the third layer of Qi Refining!"

"Incredible!"

At the last moment, Red Field had intervened. Yet, Zhao Feng simply picked up the teacup on the table and took a gentle sip. This action caused another stir among the crowd.

"Look! He actually took off his mask!"

"What does this mean?"

"It means he has nothing to fear!"

"Exactly!"

The crowd stared at Zhao Feng’s face, all eager to see what he looked like. Red Field was alarmed and quickly looked over as well. However, Zhao Feng no longer looked like himself. He had long since used a transformation technique to change his appearance. Red Field patted her heaving chest and let out a sigh of relief. She had feared that Zhao Feng was just a reckless fool showing his true face.

*Wait, why does the face Zhao Feng transformed into look so familiar?* Red Field wondered. It was a handsome face, though the eyes looked a bit sinister.

"Xiang Tao?!" Red Field covered her red lips, surprised internally. She rolled her eyes, feeling utterly speechless. That Zhao Feng had actually chosen to look like Xiang Tao—it was truly... speechless. If Xiang Tao ever found out, he would surely hate Zhao Feng to death.

Zhao Feng stood up slowly. He looked at the burly man and asked, "Do you have business with me?"

The man sneered, "Why have you been staring at me this whole time?"

Zhao Feng chuckled, "Nothing much, just wanted to spar with you!"

"Ha!" The man was so angry he laughed. He stared coldly at Zhao Feng with his visible eyes. "I didn't expect you to be so young! You must be the apprentice of the Empress of Red Beauty, right?"

Zhao Feng shook his head and smiled, saying nothing. Seeing his reaction, the onlookers were even more convinced that he must be her apprentice.

The man scoffed, "Kid, I can forgive your insolence! Now, you only need to kneel and kowtow, and I shall let you go!"

"You're courting death!" Red Field shouted in a fit of rage, putting on a show of protecting her "apprentice." Since everyone believed Zhao Feng was her student, she had to play the part. After all, one must commit to the act.

However, Zhao Feng spoke up. He asked, "Why on earth do you think I am her apprentice?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the man replied.

Red Field felt nervous; she couldn't figure out what Zhao Feng was planning.

Zhao Feng chuckled, "Actually, I am her lover."

Red Field: "..."

The crowd: "..."

"Hahaha!" The man threw his head back and laughed. "Empress of Red Beauty, I didn't think you had such tastes, picking up a pretty boy like this!"

Red Field’s mouth twitched, and black lines appeared on her forehead. She took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Feng with a forced smile. "Y-y-yes, that's right! He is indeed my..."

Red Field had intended to say he was her lover, but the words wouldn't come out.

The man stopped laughing and snapped his gaze toward Zhao Feng. "I’m done wasting words with you. This isn't a seat for you! I'll give you three seconds to crawl away!"

Zhao Feng sneered, "You're quite arrogant, aren't you?"

"Hmph! I, the Tyrant Blade Wang Hu, naturally have reasons to be arrogant!"

"Tyrant Blade? Wang Hu?"

"That's right!"

Red Field leaned in close to Zhao Feng and whispered, "Tyrant Blade Wang Hu is just a nickname, just like my Empress of Red Beauty!"

Zhao Feng curled his lip in disdain. "What kind of lousy names are these?"

Red Field rolled her eyes.

Zhao Feng looked back at Tyrant Blade Wang Hu. "You have something on you that I need. I'm giving you one chance: hand it over."

Wang Hu frowned. "Something? What thing?"

"The Nether Yin Stone," Zhao Feng said calmly. "Hand it over."

"Ha!" Wang Hu laughed in anger. "You are the first person to ever dare demand something from me, Wang Hu! I must say, I admire your guts!"

"What?" Red Field was even more shocked. "He really has a Nether Yin Stone?" she shrieked.

Zhao Feng nodded faintly. "That's right, he does."

"Huu!" Red Field parted her red lips and let out a long breath. She was no longer composed; she was on the verge of attacking.

"Hmph!" Wang Hu sneered. "Don't say I don't have a Nether Yin Stone, even if I did, why would I give it to you?"

Zhao Feng shook his head. "You came here for the Blazing Sun Fruit, didn't you?"

Wang Hu frowned.

Zhao Feng continued on his own, "Your goal is simple. You want to use the Blazing Sun Fruit and the Nether Yin Stone to harmonize Yin and Yang, allowing you to break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Am I correct?"

Wang Hu was startled. "How do you know that!?"

"Hmph!" Zhao Feng chuckled. "To be honest with you, even if you get the Blazing Sun Fruit, you won't be able to achieve the harmony of Yin and Yang!"

"Because you have been carrying the Nether Yin Stone for so long, you are already afflicted with Nether Energy!"

"Therefore, even if you obtain the fruit, your Yin and Yang will remain unbalanced!"

Wang Hu was shocked to his core, though he didn't show it on his face. He said coldly, "What unbalanced Yin and Yang? What Nether Energy? I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about!"