Chapter 717 - 667: Ni Duan! (3)
On Central Ring Street, Qin Fan strolled leisurely with his hands tucked in his pockets. Beside him, Lai Shenxiang walked with a worried expression, and behind them was a group of Masters, each one more bewildered than the last. With such a lineup, countless strange looks on the street focused on them. It was mainly because, aside from Qin Fan, the attire of these Masters was, well, somewhat eccentric.
"Lai Shenxiang, stop frowning! If you have something to ask, just ask. I know you’re uncomfortable holding it in!" Sensing Lai Shenxiang’s somewhat unbalanced aura, Qin Fan chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
"Master Qin, are we really going to do nothing?" Lai Shenxiang asked.
This "doing nothing" didn’t refer to abandoning the Demon Dragon Qi entirely, but rather to ignoring the rampage it might unleash upon Xiangjiang.
"If it really is the Demon Dragon Qi, then that rabble is definitely headed for their deaths! Since they’re acting all high and mighty, just let them march to their doom! The Demon Dragon Qi must be dealt with, but only after those idiots are all dead! Dammit, even someone as kind as me can’t stand their wicked faces; they must be incredibly hateful!" Qin Fan said with a playful smirk, as if he wasn’t taking any of this to heart.
Yet his words almost made the Masters spit up blood in anger.
Someone as kind as you? If you, Qin Fan, counted as kind, then there wouldn’t be a single ruthless person left in the world, absolutely!
But they could only grumble these thoughts to themselves, never daring to voice them aloud.
However, before they could respond, Qin Fan’s tone abruptly shifted, and he spoke with stern gravity.
"There’s something else I’m not sure if you’re aware of. The breach of the Demon Dragon Qi’s Sealing isn’t as simple as it seems! If my analysis is correct, someone is manipulating events from behind the scenes! Therefore, the release of the Demon Dragon Qi was deliberate, and the first group of Masters you sent out died unjustly!"
"What?"
Hearing Qin Fan’s words, the Masters all exclaimed in disbelief. Was the Demon Dragon Qi’s leak man-made? Was someone manipulating events from behind the scenes? Had the Masters who previously perished in Xiangjiang all died wrongfully?
These shocking implications made all the Masters stop in their tracks, their faces suddenly pale and trembling. If what Qin Fan said was true, it was utterly terrifying! But how could a person of Qin Fan’s status and standing make baseless claims? He must have discovered something.
"Master Qin, what clues have you noticed?" one of the Masters asked urgently, his voice quavering with alarm.
"I can’t be completely certain right now, but I’m probably close to the truth! Let’s do this: find a vantage point where we can see the Demon Dragon Qi. We’ll soon know if there’s anything amiss!"
Qin Fan shook his head gently. On his way to meet Lai Shenxiang and the others, he had already spread his Divine Sense across the entire Xiangjiang Island. He had naturally sensed an extremely unusual and powerful aura, one that showed faint signs of being controlled. As for whether it was the Demon Dragon Qi, Qin Fan wouldn’t jump to conclusions without seeing it for himself.
"Master Qin, the Four Seasons Hotel where we were staying offers a view of Gufeng Ridge!" Lai Shenxiang chimed in as soon as Qin Fan finished speaking. "But it’s quite far, so it’s hard to see much without binoculars. Will that be useful?"
"It’s enough! Let’s go. Arrange a room for me on the top floor overlooking the source of the Demon Dragon Qi!" Qin Fan’s voice turned cold.
"Alright, the hotel is just ahead. No need for a cab, let’s hurry!" Lai Shenxiang declared. He quickened his pace, and the rest of the group swiftly followed, rushing toward The Four Seasons Hotel in silence.
「The Four Seasons Hotel.」
Inside the luxurious suite on the sixty-sixth floor, over a dozen people streamed in.
Lai Shenxiang took the lead, walking to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pulling open the curtains. He turned back to Qin Fan and said, "Master Qin, looking out from here, you can see Gufeng Ridge directly! The source of the Demon Dragon Qi is on that ridge!"
Qin Fan gave a faint nod and walked to the window. He narrowed his eyes, concentrated his energy, and looked out with a focused mind.
"Master Qin, do you need me to find you a pair of binoculars?" Lai Shenxiang reminded him.
"No need. Step back and don’t disturb my concentration!" Qin Fan said coolly as he entered his focused state.
As Lai Shenxiang complied and retreated, the True Qi within Qin Fan’s body surged to his eyes. Instantly, a strange golden light shone from them, penetrating the thick glass of the window and looking directly toward Gufeng Ridge.
After enveloping Gufeng Ridge with his Eyes of Golden Flame combined with his Divine Sense, he saw streams of purple-black gas circulating continuously within a specific area on the peak. It didn’t spread; it was as if it were locked in place, moving only within that particular zone. In that area, all vegetation had turned to ash, and even the stones had become a deep black, looking terrifyingly exposed under the sunlight.
His Eyes of Golden Flame lingered on the area of purple-black gas for a moment before his True Qi surged once more. His eyes trembled as he immediately directed his gaze beneath the purple-black gas. Piercing through layers of rock, something resembling an air-raid shelter came into his view. It was clearly not large, only a few square meters in area.
Yet within this cramped space lay a Jade Bed of a deep, tranquil green. On the Jade Bed, an old man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and a blank expression, his entire being in a state of deep Meditation. Below the Jade Bed, the purple-black gas surged upward unceasingly, seeping through the layers of rock to the outside. However, the old man, who was enveloped by the swirling gas, appeared completely unharmed, his meditative posture unchanging.
But in the next second...
WHOOSH!
The old man suddenly snapped open his eyes, his profound gaze filled with vigilance. After a sweeping, cautious glance confirmed his surroundings were undisturbed, he lightly shook his head and closed his eyes again.
If Zhou Shaofeng or the masters of Abnormal Skill from Xiangjiang were to witness this scene, they would surely be horrified to their very core. The person sitting on the Jade Bed was none other than Zhou Donglin, the Heavenly Master whose reputation had always been exceedingly good. His supposed seclusion was taking place right at the source of the Demon Dragon Qi.
Even more horrifying was the realization that the Demon Dragon Qi hadn’t broken its Sealing on its own—this had all been orchestrated by Zhou Donglin!
Well, well. Your Cultivation seems to be quite high, huh? You even noticed something was amiss?
Qin Fan sneered inwardly as he observed Zhou Donglin’s vigilant scan. At the same time, he retracted his Divine Sense and dispelled the Eyes of Golden Flame.
"How did the previous group of Masters die?" Qin Fan asked, turning his gaze back to Lai Shenxiang.