Hatred Towering to the Heavens

Lava Valley was not far from Taihe Peak. It was a forbidden area devoid of human presence year-round.

Only Martial Artists of the Tianyuan Sect who followed the path of artifact refining would occasionally enter Lava Valley to search for the iron contained within the magma.

Lava Valley in the dead of night radiated a crimson glow, the light emitted by the magma.

As its name suggested, Lava Valley was a fissure in the earth's core. It lay extremely low, several hundred meters below the ground. Nearly half of the entire Lava Valley was filled with magma, while the other half consisted of deep fissures in the earth.

No one knew how deep the fissures were, nor had anyone ever gone down. Even Martial Origin Realm experts could not fly through the air within them.

At the edge of one fissure stood a man in black with his hands behind his back. Beside him, Dong Jie was bound all over and struggling constantly.

Han Fei made his way down, gradually approaching the edge of the lava fissure. The scorching heat made his expression shift slightly. Even though he was currently learning Flame Arts, he still found this place unbearably hot.

When he reached the fissure's edge, Han Fei saw the man in black. The man's face was covered, preventing Han Fei from seeing his true appearance.

Han Fei watched Dong Jie struggle, and the fury in his heart continued to rise.

The man in black said in a hoarse voice, "Someone who obtained a fortuitous opportunity really is arrogant. You actually didn't tell Daoist Sanyuan and chose to come alone. Impressive!"

Han Fei took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed his anger. "Weren't your people watching me the whole time after I left? The moment I went to Daoist Sanyuan, you would have received the news. Why would I bother doing something so unnecessary?"

The man in black nodded. "You're quite vigilant. Since you're so smart, can you guess who I am?"

Han Fei said in a low voice, "I don't know who you are, but anyone who can freely enter and leave the Tianyuan Divine Sect without being discovered by the Dark Guards must be a disciple of this sect. So why hide your face? Show me who you really are. Let's discuss the terms. What will it take for you to let her go?"

The man in black tilted his head slightly and glanced at Dong Jie. "You care about her that much? Then this is easy. Hand over the fortuitous opportunity you obtained. You know what I mean."

Han Fei shook his head. "I did obtain a fortuitous opportunity, but it's not that I refuse to hand it over. I simply can't take out what I obtained."

The man in black frowned. "What was it? A heaven-defying cultivation technique? A martial skill? Or something else?"

Han Fei truly did not know how to explain it. Was he supposed to tell him that what he had obtained was a group chat? One filled with figures from ancient legends?

Seeing Han Fei's hesitant expression, the man in black decided that he simply did not want to hand it over. He grabbed Dong Jie with his right hand and shoved her toward the fissure's edge. With less than a foot remaining, Dong Jie was about to fall into the bottomless abyss.

Han Fei hurriedly raised his hand. "Don't, don't do anything rash. I'll hand it over..."

As he spoke, Han Fei took out his remaining Spirit Gathering Pill.

The man in black frowned. Though he did not know what kind of pill it was, he could smell an incredibly rich medicinal fragrance.

Han Fei explained, "This is a Spirit Gathering Pill. An Innate Realm cultivator can rise at least five levels after consuming it, while someone in the Spirit Gathering Realm can break through three levels. It should be enough to exchange for Dong Jie's life, right?"

The man in black snorted coldly. "Stop trying to fool me. A Spirit Gathering Pill? I've never heard of such a name. Are you trying to pass off an ordinary Spirit Gathering Pill to deceive me?"

Han Fei was speechless. "Spirit Gathering Pills are brown. Mine is milky white. Are you stupid?"

The man in black shook his head. "One pill is not enough bargaining capital. Besides, I don't even know whether it works."

Han Fei said, "This pill is the only thing I can offer. I truly can't take out anything else."

At that moment, the bound Dong Jie said, "Senior Brother Han, there's no need to compromise. Besides, my life isn't worth even one of those pills."

Han Fei revealed a faint smile. "How could that be? Even a thousand pills can't compare to the care you've shown me these past few years. Your life is very important to me."

Tears filled Dong Jie's eyes. Hearing Han Fei say that she was important to him was already enough for her.

She was merely an illegitimate daughter of the Dong Family. She and her mother had suffered endless mistreatment in the Dong Family. To help her avoid the family's conflicts, her father had swallowed his pride and begged the Han Family to buy a spot and send her into the Tianyuan Divine Sect.

Thus, her gratitude toward Han Fei surpassed all else. Over the past few years, even when Han Fei's cultivation had been lower than hers, she had cared for him with all her heart.

Dong Jie shook her head. "Senior Brother Han, I already owe you enough. Don't waste such a precious Spirit Gathering Pill on me. I'm not worth it."

With that, Dong Jie closed her eyes and threw herself backward into the abyss.

Han Fei cried out in alarm, "Dong Jie..."

In that instant, he wanted to use Void Walking to bring Dong Jie back up, but the power within his body had been sealed by Chiyou.

Chiyou said, "Are you insane? The airflow here is extremely chaotic and mixed with dense fire energy. You can't use Void Walking at all. If you jump down, you'll surely die."

Han Fei said, "But..."

The man in black had not expected Dong Jie to be so resolute that she would jump straight down. Amid his panic, there was also a trace of bewilderment.

Now that his bargaining chip was gone, exchanging terms with Han Fei was likely no longer possible.

Han Fei leaned his head out and stared into the bottomless lava fissure. It was said that this was an entrance leading to the earth's core, unfathomably deep. Anyone who fell in would have no chance of survival. Besides, the magma and heat alone were more than Dong Jie could endure.

At that moment, Han Fei was utterly devastated. He could sense that Dong Jie liked him. Even if he did not know whether he loved Dong Jie, her place in his heart was not insignificant. Yet she had died before his eyes, and because of him. This was a hurdle Han Fei would find difficult to overcome.

Han Fei slowly straightened up and looked at the man in black more than ten meters away, making no attempt to conceal his hatred.

He slowly drew the Gale Sword from his back. A layer of crimson light gradually emerged over its blade. The heat in the surroundings seemed to resonate with something and slowly gathered toward Han Fei.

The man in black stepped back while drawing an extremely thin longsword. From its appearance, the blade was barely thicker than paper, and after being drawn, it trembled slightly.

Han Fei frowned. He had initially thought the man in black was Wang Rui, but after seeing his weapon, he became certain that it was not Wang Rui. Wang Rui did not use a sword, and merely judging by appearance, this sword was at least a High-grade Treasure Artifact. Wang Rui could not possibly afford it.

The man in black held the flexible sword in reverse, and his hoarse laughter was clearly deliberately disguised.

"Han Fei, you're still so loyal. But that no longer matters. Since you care so much about her, I'll send you down to keep her company."

With a flick of his arm, the flexible sword immediately bent. Pale blue light transformed into Sword Qi and swept horizontally toward Han Fei.

Han Fei's Gale Sword slashed vertically downward. A crimson Sword Qi shot forth and collided with the azure Sword Qi sweeping toward him.

Buzz! Spiritual energy rippled outward, and the leaking energy caused numerous explosions along the surrounding cliff edges.

Han Fei and the man in black both retreated nearly twenty meters, leaving forty to fifty meters between them.

From that exchange, the intensity of their spiritual energy was nearly equal.

Han Fei was startled. "This man's attack strength doesn't seem like that of the Innate Realm at all. His casual strike was nearly as powerful as my full-strength attack."

The man in black sneered. "Well, well, so you really did obtain a fortuitous opportunity. Your cultivation has actually reached the Innate Realm Fifth Level Peak. It seems I truly can't let you continue growing."

As he spoke, the man in black seemed to grow serious and prepared to launch a second wave of attacks.

Just then, a cold shout came from above Lava Valley. "Who dares act so presumptuously in my Tianyuan Divine Sect..."

The voice boomed. Before the person arrived, the shout had already shaken the man in black.

Yet the man in black still charged toward Han Fei without hesitation. As the distance between them closed, he swept out with his sword and accelerated, reaching Han Fei in an instant.

Whoosh! The man in black still targeted Han Fei's throat. The flexible sword swept gracefully, its tip flashing past Han Fei's throat.

However, after the strike, Han Fei's figure gradually faded away. At that critical moment, Han Fei had used Void Walking and appeared more than ten meters away.

The man in black's strike missed, surprising him slightly. He glanced at the approaching aura above, then snorted coldly. "Consider yourself lucky today."

With that, he departed in the opposite direction.