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"Successful, my ass!" Yao Lao pointed at Wei Yang and asked Han Feng, "Let me ask you—what do you think of his talent?"
"Uh…" Han Feng frowned, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Not bad, I guess. About the same as mine."
Wei Yang's eyes bulged.
This useless bastard dares to compare himself to me?
Even Xiao Yan was speechless.
Damn, this guy's confidence is off the charts.
Yao Lao took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "Fine, let's say you're equals. Brat Wei, you've read the incomplete version of Flame Mantra, haven't you? Let me ask you—do you dare cultivate it?"
Wei Yang shook his head without hesitation. "Nope."
Han Feng sneered, "Coward. Don't even understand the principle of risking danger for great reward. Wasted talent. With that kind of weak resolve, your future achievements will be limited."
"Heh." Wei Yang chuckled indifferently. "Right, right. You're absolutely right."
Yao Lao was so angry he laughed. He turned and pointed at Xiao Yan. "Do you know how many times he nearly died when he attempted to devour Fallen Heart Flame, his second Heavenly Flame? That entire process—if he had lacked even a bit of persistence, or made even the slightest mistake, or lacked a sliver of luck—he'd have been burned to ashes by the flame!"
"That kind of success cannot be replicated! Even if he tried again, ask him—does he have any confidence he'd survive it a second time?"
Xiao Yan immediately shook his head. Just thinking about those two years trapped in the depths of molten lava made him shudder in lingering fear.
If given the chance to go through it again, he was absolutely certain he wouldn't survive.
"But he still made it through, didn't he?" Han Feng narrowed his eyes, staring at Xiao Yan with intense jealousy.
Xiao Yan returned his gaze coldly and without fear.
The two—once senior and junior brothers—locked eyes, the killing intent between them thick and undisguised.
In Han Feng's eyes, Wei Yang was still tolerable, but Xiao Yan—he was the one Han Feng resented most.
Because Xiao Yan had easily gained everything that once belonged to him.
And Xiao Yan naturally had no goodwill toward Han Feng, this traitorous dog who cultivated a fragment of Flame Mantra and tried to kill his master.
"Despicable disciple. Arrogant, blind, and self-absorbed. I've nothing more to say to you," Yao Lao said coldly as he flung his sleeves and turned away, not even sparing Han Feng another glance.
He was completely, thoroughly disappointed in him.
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan shook their heads in silence.
As expected—a leopard never changes its spots.
People like Han Feng would never admit they were in the wrong.
Night descended. Darkness blanketed the land.
Silvery moonlight trickled from the sky, laying a faint shimmer of silver across the earth.
At the cliff's edge, the atmosphere was heavy and tense.
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan drank tea in silence. Yao Lao, too, said nothing.
Han Feng, however, began to grow uneasy.
His eyes swept slowly across the four people present.
Yao Lao stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the rising moon in the distance. His expression carried disappointment and despair.
Wei Yang looked down at his cup. Xiao Yan mimicked him, calm and unbothered.
And the other soul body—Ah Da—stood off to the side, wearing a cold smile as he looked at Han Feng. His gaze was chilling—like he was staring at a corpse. Or worse… prey.
Han Feng flinched at the look in his eyes.
A cold chill crept up his spine, and he shuddered involuntarily.
He was starting to panic.
Han Feng swallowed hard and averted his gaze from Ah Da. He didn't dare look at Wei Yang or Xiao Yan either.
In the end, he looked toward Yao Lao.
"Um, old… I mean, Elder Yao," Han Feng forced a smile, carefully choosing his words. "Since you don't want to acknowledge me as your disciple anymore, then… I'll just be on my way?"
"Do as you please," Yao Lao said coldly without even turning around.
"Okay, okay…" Han Feng nodded rapidly, relieved. He turned and crept toward the edge of the cliff, carefully glancing at Wei Yang and Xiao Yan. Seeing that they didn't react, his heart surged with hope.
He tiptoed to the very edge, then turned back to check one last time.
Yao Lao was still staring at the moon, unmoved. But now… Wei Yang and Xiao Yan were both looking at him.
Han Feng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
However, to Han Feng's relief, Wei Yang and Xiao Yan only stared at him coldly, showing no intention of stopping his departure.
So, Han Feng cautiously activated his soul force, condensing a pair of wings behind his spirit body.
Whoosh whoosh—
As the wings flapped lightly, Han Feng's soul form gradually lifted off the edge of the cliff and began diving rapidly toward the dense forest below.
During his descent, Han Feng couldn't help but glance back at the cliff repeatedly.
When he confirmed that no one was pursuing him, a wild, ecstatic grin spread across his face.
They actually let me go? Are they stupid?!
"Hehehe… a bunch of idiots really let me leave just like that?"
Han Feng was laughing hysterically inside.
"Just wait. Once I report this to Hall of Souls, none of you will have a good end!"
"Yao Lao's soul body alone is enough for Hall of Souls to value immensely. Oh, and there's that other Dou Zong-level soul body too."
"Wei Yang, Xiao Yan? Hmph. When the time comes, I'll make sure to torment your souls thoroughly… that'll be my payback. Hehehe…"
Back atop the cliff.
Wei Yang stared at Han Feng's disappearing figure as he sank into the darkness of the forest below, then looked over at Yao Lao.
"Master?" Xiao Yan's face was filled with tension as he anxiously watched Yao Lao.
He was afraid that Yao Lao might soften his heart and actually let Han Feng go.
That—Xiao Yan could not accept.
It wasn't just about the future danger Han Feng might bring. The fact that Han Feng knew about the Flame Mantra's incomplete scroll alone was already unacceptable.
Yao Lao stood silent, his gaze locked on the rising full moon on the distant horizon.
Just as Xiao Yan was growing increasingly nervous—
"Sigh…"
Yao Lao suddenly let out a deep sigh. His back hunched even more, as if in an instant, he had aged several decades.
He turned around and looked at Wei Yang and Xiao Yan. The three of them exchanged a brief glance.
A moment later, Yao Lao's soul body slowly rose, then turned into a stream of light and entered the ancient ring on Xiao Yan's finger.
A calm, somewhat tired voice echoed in both of their ears:
"I'm tired. I'll be sleeping for a while. Unless it's urgent, don't disturb me."
"Master, but…" Xiao Yan tried to speak up, but before he could finish, Wei Yang stopped him with a look.
Then, Wei Yang turned to Ah Da and muttered as if speaking to himself:
"Now that Han Feng has no relation to Elder Yao anymore, he's just a stranger… and a stranger, a weak soul body wandering alone in the dark wild mountains like this, well… that's quite dangerous."
Ah Da smiled, stood up, and bowed slightly. "Indeed."
Wei Yang nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.
In that same moment, Ah Da's figure flickered and vanished from where he stood.
Only a faint black shadow could be seen flashing into the darkness, silently pursuing the direction Han Feng had fled.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he quickly sent a message with spiritual voice transmission:
"Mister Ah Da, I want Han Feng to disappear completely. Please… Xiao Yan will repay this favor generously in the future."
Shua!
The faint shadow disappeared completely into the forest below.
But a soft whisper trailed back into Xiao Yan's ears—
"Hehehe… don't worry, Brat Xiao. I can promise you this—with certainty: from this day on, there will be no such person as Han Feng in this world ever again. There's a phrase for it—turned to dust and vanished without a trace."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan finally relaxed. He picked up his teacup and lifted it toward Wei Yang, smiling softly:
"Brother Wei… thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? I didn't do anything," Wei Yang replied innocently.
"Heh, I'm thanking you for the tea," Xiao Yan grinned. "The tea is good—and so is the one who brewed it."
"Oh, the tea?" Wei Yang nodded. "Yeah, it's good tea. The only pity is, once it's drunk… it gets digested completely. Not a single trace is left."
"Hmm… that is a bit of a pity," Xiao Yan nodded seriously.
Inside the storage ring, Yao Lao's soul body had seemingly fallen into a deep sleep.
Only a faint, near-silent sigh seemed to echo out from somewhere deep within.
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