Xuanwu War Sovereign

Qin Feng and the others didn’t have to wait long. After the moon reached its zenith, the group descended the Qi Yang Mountain Range. Qin Shou informed Qin Feng that the manor on Qi Yang Mountain actually contained several secret passages leading to the Qin Family’s estate in Shanghe Town. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The Qin Family had operated in Shanghe Town for several hundred years and could be considered the true local power. The ground beneath Shanghe Town, and even the Qi Yang Mountain Range behind it, had been mostly hollowed out. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it an underground city.

However, the locations of these tunnels were extremely secret, and the Qin Family was very good at concealing its affairs. If Qin Shou hadn’t brought it up himself, even Qin Feng would have been unaware that such a dense network of tunnels existed beneath Shanghe Town.

The underground passage was dark and damp. Water pooled in crevices overhead, falling with a constant DRIP... DRIP... DRIP. The group walked onward, with Qin Shou taking the lead, holding a torch he had retrieved from a side alcove.

Yu Yao followed closely behind him. Her eyes flickered, her expression dark. She clearly hadn’t imagined the people of the Qin Family were so cunning as to have hollowed out the ground beneath them, digging so many labyrinthine secret passages that spread out in every direction.

As they walked deeper into the unknown darkness, Yu Yao asked, "Qin Feng, did you know all along that there were so many secret passages under Shanghe Town? Otherwise, why were you so certain before, saying the Qin Family couldn’t be wiped out?"

Qin Feng, who was walking at the rear of the group, chuckled softly upon hearing her question. He said with self-deprecation, "Yu Yao, you ’overestimate’ me. In the Qin Family, I am nothing but ’trash.’ My status is the lowest of the low, pushed to the fringes of power. How could I possibly know of such secrets?"

"As for how I knew, the reason is obvious. A sly rabbit has three burrows, as they say. The Qin Family has operated in Shanghe Town for hundreds of years, weathering countless storms without falling. How could they not have some hidden resources?"

"Besides, Qin Qingshan is cunning to the core. He’s hardly the type to become a martyr. Even if these tunnels didn’t exist, do you really think you could have annihilated them?"

Yu Yao gave a cold sneer, her eyes flickering. She didn’t believe a word he said. Seeing this, Qin Feng just chuckled and continued speaking.

"If I were the Qin Family Patriarch, Qin Qingshan, and I knew the disparity in strength was so great, my first choice would be to cut my losses and flee. The allied forces outside Shanghe Town are only after the so-called Crystal Jade Ore. Since that’s what they want, just give it to them! Would they really abandon the Crystal Jade Ore just to hunt down the retreating elites of the Qin Family?"

At his words, Yu Yao’s steps faltered, and a dark look flashed in her eyes. Qin Feng was absolutely right. The allied forces outside the town were just a disorderly mob; in reality, no one submitted to anyone else, and there was no clear leader. With her knowledge of the various powers, she knew that the moment the Qin Family retreated, the alliance would dissolve into a heap of loose sand, immediately plunging into a frenzy to seize the Crystal Jade Ore. Who would bother hunting down the fleeing members of the Qin Family?

’This Qin Feng... not only is his talent unparalleled, but his mind and cunning are also first-rate and infuriatingly complex. This judgment alone proves he is no simple man. Escaping his control will be next to impossible!’ Yu Yao lamented inwardly. Thinking of the secret concerning her backside, even someone as ruthless as she couldn’t help but burn with shame and fury.

Yu Yao fell silent. In a foul mood, her face darkened, and she put on a cold, beautiful facade that practically screamed, "Stay away."

Qin Feng glanced at Yu Yao and sneered inwardly. ’As if I don’t know what’s going through that little mind of hers.’

’It’s a pity I’m still so far from the Condensing Vein Realm,’ Qin Feng mused. ’I can’t condense True Power or cultivate Divine Abilities. Otherwise, I’d have countless Dharma Gates to control you, ensuring you’d never be able to defy me for all eternity!’

After just an hour, Qin Feng’s group arrived in the area beneath Shanghe Town. Qin Shou had already gone out to gather information. As an elite of the Qin Family’s Law Enforcement Hall, his identity was perfect for scouting and for retrieving his family, helping them avoid the coming storm.

Qin Feng and Yu Yao waited in the underground passage. With nothing else to do, Qin Feng ignored the sullen-faced Yu Yao, sat down cross-legged, and began to cultivate the Innate Primordial Qi. Ever since his constitution had changed, his cultivation speed had become incredibly fast.

To break through from the Martial Arts Fourth Layer to the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven, one had to condense thirty-six strands of Inner Breath within the body to form a Great Cycle of Heaven.

One strand of Inner Breath was equivalent to ten wisps. Through his daily meditation and cultivation, Qin Feng could condense roughly five wisps of Inner Breath a day, meaning he could form a full strand every two days. At this rate, he could break through to the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven in about two months.

This speed was astonishingly fast. An ordinary Martial Artist could, at most, condense one or two wisps of Inner Breath per day. Even top-tier geniuses could only manage three wisps at best.

Of course, this was without consuming a Quenching Essence Pill. If he took one, his speed would increase even more. Qin Feng estimated that with a Quenching Essence Pill, he could condense about ten wisps of Inner Breath a day.

The effects of a single Quenching Essence Pill lasted for three days!

This meant that Qin Feng could break through to the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven in a month at most!

As for the Quenching Essence Pills themselves, Qin Feng had accumulated a full five or six bottles from his exploits of killing and looting, more than enough to reach the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven Realm.

Qin Feng took out a Top-grade Quenching Essence Pill and swallowed it. Gradually, the elixir’s medicinal properties blossomed, transforming into gentle clouds of energy. Fine threads of qi flowed through his meridians, passing through channel after channel, slowly and steadily growing stronger. The speed was almost imperceptible, but the progress was considerable.

After breaking through to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer, Qin Feng had started with one strand of Inner Breath. With his cultivation over the past two days, he had already formed a second. Now, his third strand of Inner Breath was nearing Perfection; he was just a tiny bit short of the full ten wisps.

With every new strand of Inner Breath he formed, Qin Feng felt himself grow stronger.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Feng felt a warmth spread through his meridians. The ten wisps of qi intertwined, coalescing into a single, hair-thin strand of Inner Breath that coursed warmly through his channels, increasing his strength.

Gently exhaling a breath of turbid air, Qin Feng opened his eyes, which shone faintly in the darkness. He felt a slight tinge of regret, thinking to himself, ’This speed is still too slow. If I had the Crystal Diamond, I could absorb the purest Spiritual Qi from it, and my cultivation speed would at least triple!’

In truth, Qin Feng was reluctant to rely on elixirs for his cultivation. This was because even the highest-quality elixirs contained trace impurities. While seemingly harmless at first, these impurities would build up in the body and ultimately hinder his future cultivation progress. The Spiritual Qi within a Crystal Diamond, however, was incomparably pure and posed no such risk.

For now, however, this risk could be ignored. As long as he could find some treasures capable of Washing Marrow and Peeling Fur in the future, the problem would be solved. The Crystal Diamonds nurtured within this very Crystal Jade Ore, for instance, were one such treasure!

Just then, Yu Yao also awoke from her meditative cultivation. She opened her eyes and met Qin Feng’s gaze. For a moment, she felt as if his dark pupils were swirling vortexes, and she found herself momentarily lost in them. She quickly came to her senses, let out a soft snort, and turned away with a stony expression.

At that same moment, Qin Feng’s sharp eyebrows twitched. His ears moved slightly as he heard a sound coming from overhead.