Dong Zhen explained from the side, "This is the Dong Family's inherited secret art. According to our family's legacy, this technique is considered heaven-defying. But please remember, benefactor, the writing of this technique can only remain for a quarter-hour. After that, it will disappear."
"If you need to open the scroll again afterward, you will need the blood of a Dong Family member, along with spiritual energy from the Spirit Gathering Realm."
Han Fei asked doubtfully, "Over all these years, has your Dong Family never invited an expert from the Spirit Gathering Realm? You're sitting on such a powerful, heaven-defying technique without using it. What a waste."
Dong Zhen sighed. "That is what leaves me most helpless. Of course I wanted to invite an expert above the Spirit Gathering Realm, but would I dare? If I didn't know their character, inviting them here would be no different from inviting a god of slaughter into the Dong Family."
Han Fei understood. Dong Zhen's concern was reasonable. If the invited person saw a heaven-defying technique like Innate Qi, would they wipe out the entire Dong Family? After all, the Dong Family did not even have someone at the Innate Realm Third Level. An expert of the Spirit Gathering Realm would not even need a hundred breaths to kill them all.
Han Fei sighed. "Then aren't you afraid that I'll kill you and seize the treasure?"
Dong Zhen smiled bitterly. "This treasure was meant to be given to you, benefactor. Why would you need to kill my daughter and me? Besides, if it had not been for you today, my daughter and I would not have planned to keep living. The Dong Family has declined to such a state in my generation. I have no face to meet our ancestors below."
Han Fei's heart ached. This was the helplessness of those at the bottom.
Suddenly, Han Fei froze, as though he had remembered something. He abruptly rose and rushed outside, leaving the Dong Family utterly bewildered.
The Dong Family's eldest daughter said resentfully, "Did we... say something wrong? Benefactor, he..."
Dong Zhen shook his head and looked at the scroll in his hand, sighing softly. "I don't know either. But I don't think we said anything excessive, and we were sincere enough. This should not have been the outcome."
Dong Xin said, "Since the benefactor did not take the scroll, why don't we copy down the technique inside first? When he returns, we can give the technique to him. That way, the Dong Family obtains the technique and repays his kindness as well. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
Dong Zhen rejected the suggestion. "No. Since we have decided to give the technique to someone else, how can we make a copy? Besides, the Dong Family can no longer cultivate to the Spirit Gathering Realm. In your generation, there is only a daughter. Keeping the technique would be even more useless."
With that, Dong Zhen left the main hall as well. When the servants at the entrance saw that Dong Zhen's expression was grim, they were all so frightened that they did not dare breathe.
Dong Xin chased after him, hoping to persuade her father.
Meanwhile, Han Fei, who had hurriedly left the Dong Family, was racing toward the inn.
Fuxi said in the chat group, "You've been inspired?"
Han Fei nodded. "Since this scroll can contain spiritual energy, then the scroll that recorded the map should be able to contain spiritual energy too. No wonder I couldn't figure it out no matter how hard I thought. The key to solving the mystery was the most obvious thing of all: spiritual energy."
After returning to the inn, Han Fei took out the scroll, pressed his palm against it, and poured his spiritual energy inside.
Buzz. As expected, the scroll immediately lit up and emitted a series of hums, as though it were unlocking some Formation Array.
Han Fei looked at the changes in the scroll in surprise as two vertical lines of writing slowly appeared.
However, Han Fei did not recognize the characters. They seemed to be some kind of special runes, or perhaps the writing of another civilization. In any case, they were not ordinary characters.
Left with no other choice, Han Fei asked the big shots in the Primordial Group.
But none of them belonged to this world, so naturally, they did not know what these words recorded.
Only Fuxi, who was proficient in Formation Arrays, seemed to notice something.
"This thing is indeed a type of Formation Array, but another element has been added to it, which is why I failed to detect it. All I can say is that the characters appearing here are alive. They should have been left behind by the creator of this scroll, who used a special method to seal his own spiritual energy within them."
Chiyou said, "Hey, Fuxi, if you can't see through it, then just admit you can't see through it. Don't go saying some other element concealed it. Aren't you supposed to be the ancestor of Formation Arrays? You're embarrassing our Primordial Group."
Yellow Emperor said, "You guy missing a horn, if I had the Xuanyuan Sword in hand, I'd stab you to death with one strike. Why are you so good at picking arguments?"
Chiyou ignored Yellow Emperor and continued, "Fuxi, do you know how to use this thing or not? If you don't, stop making trouble here."
Fuxi pondered for a moment before saying, "It cannot be a coincidence that these runes and the map are on the same scroll. My guess is that you need to use spiritual energy to activate the scroll at the location marked on the map."
Han Fei nodded, indicating that he understood.
Now that he had obtained the method, Han Fei took a deep breath and calmed himself. Having learned the answer, he was no longer in a hurry to activate it. He needed to make thorough preparations first.
Early the next morning, Han Fei arrived at the Dong Family's entrance.
However, Han Fei did not force his way in. Instead, he stood outside the main gate with his hands behind his back and had the guards announce his arrival first.
Dong Zhen and his daughter hurried out and invited Han Fei into the reception hall.
"Benefactor, you left in such a hurry yesterday before even finishing your wine. I thought I had said something to offend you."
Han Fei smiled and shook his head. "Sorry. Yesterday, your words inspired me, and I figured something out, so I left in a hurry. Last night, I refined some Spirit Gathering Pills. They should be enough to raise you and your daughter to the Spirit Gathering Realm."
As he spoke, he took out a hexagonal box. Four Spirit Gathering Pills lay quietly inside. Han Fei had refined six pills in total; the other two were intended for his father and second uncle.
"Please help me pass this box to my father, Han Qishan. Let him and my second uncle have one pill each."
Dong Zhen accepted the two hexagonal boxes with a shocked expression. "Benefactor, this... You saved the lives of everyone in the Dong Family. How can we accept such precious gifts from you?"
Han Fei laughed heartily. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't know how much longer I would have been troubled by that problem. Besides, they aren't worth much. You and your daughter should just accept them."
As he spoke, he pushed the Spirit Gathering Pills toward Dong Zhen and turned to leave.
Dong Xin called after Han Fei, "Benefactor, take this." She handed him a booklet. "This is a copy of the Innate Qi technique that I made yesterday. Please take it."
Han Fei nodded and put away the technique. In truth, the first reason he had come to the Dong Family was to explain why he had left yesterday. The other reason was precisely because he wanted this Innate Qi technique, though he had been too embarrassed to ask at first.
"Since that is the case, Han Fei thanks you. I swear upon my martial heart that I will never pass on Innate Qi. Should I violate this oath, may I die a miserable death."
After leaving the Dong Family, Han Fei did not stop. He headed straight for the clearing at the center of the three peaks marked on the map.
At the same time, the selection for Luo'an City's City Lord began.
At the city gate, the Black Veil Woman finally arrived in Luo'an City.
Inside a rented estate, Fu Jiahao said respectfully, "Miss, I have investigated it. Han Fei is indeed in this city. But when I went to the inn where he was staying this morning, the innkeeper said Han Fei had left early. Our informants reported that Han Fei left through the west gate shortly after dawn."
The Black Veil Woman frowned. "The west gate? Did our informants not follow him?"
Fu Jiahao shook his head. "Han Fei was too fast. Not long after he left the city, we lost his trail. However, I have sent our best trackers to search for the traces he left behind. There should be news soon."
"The west gate is relatively remote and only leads into the mountains. The area is surrounded by mountain ranges. Without someone skilled at tracking, it will be difficult to find where Han Fei went. We can only wait."
The Black Veil Woman took a deep breath. Han Fei had clearly become the object of her deepest hatred. She hated trouble the most, yet Han Fei had put her in such a passive position that she wanted nothing more than to kill him.
"Take me to the west gate."
The Black Veil Woman led a large group of experts to the west gate. Meanwhile, Han Fei followed the location shown on the map and arrived at the clearing in the center of the three mountains.
Han Fei said, "I've been here many times and still failed to solve the mystery. Today, I want to see just what this answer really is."
As he spoke, Han Fei spread the scroll on the ground, placed his palm on it, and poured spiritual energy inside.
In an instant, the two rows of glowing characters appeared.
Then the humming became incessant, as though the three mountains around him had all been stirred.
Next, the ground began to shake, and cracks even appeared in the surrounding earth.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The two rows of golden characters suddenly flew out of the scroll, shooting in different directions and forming a circle thirty meters in diameter around Han Fei.
A golden barrier appeared and completely enveloped Han Fei. Outside the barrier, the earthquake became even more violent.
Rumble! The clearing beneath Han Fei's feet slowly began to rise. The originally flat ground bulged upward and actually formed a square altar.
At the same time, the Black Veil Woman and her group, who had just entered the mountain range, also sensed the tremors ahead. Her expression shifted. Without waiting for her subordinates, she darted toward the source of the disturbance first.
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