Playing Along with Him

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the task. You have received one bottle of 'Blood Burning.'"

A mechanical voice rang out in Yao Feng's mind, and a jade bottle appeared in the system storage.

Blood Burning was concocted in the original novel by Yao Lao using twenty-three different fire-attributed herbs and the blood of three second-tier fire-attributed magical beasts. It could be considered a fourth-tier medicinal pill and had remarkable effects on those cultivating fire-attributed Dou Qi. Applying it to the body could rapidly deplete the Dou Qi within while also accelerating its regeneration, thereby increasing the circulation speed of Dou Qi in the body.

Yao Feng nodded slightly, fairly satisfied with this reward.

"Let's go. To the south of the city!"

With matters here settled, Yao Feng and the others headed straight for the southern part of the city. Relying on Zhou Tong's Soul Perception as a Dou Huang, Yao Feng quickly arrived before a cave.

Several people stood guard at the cave entrance, and among them were a few familiar faces.

"Looks like I didn't hit them hard enough. They actually managed to crawl back here."

Among the guards at the entrance were several injured young men, all from the group Yao Feng had encountered at the city gate, along with several middle-aged men. One of the youths whispered something into the ear of the middle-aged man at the front. The man's expression changed as he looked warily at Yao Feng and the others.

"Move aside," Yao Feng said softly.

A hesitant look appeared on the middle-aged man's face.

"Hmph."

Zhou Tong snorted. The middle-aged man seemed to suffer a sudden heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, Yao Feng stepped into the cave. Zhou Tong stayed close by his side, while Wang Dahu and his two brothers warily glanced at the others before following Yao Feng inside.

After only a few steps, they faintly heard the sounds of fighting ahead. Yao Feng hurriedly quickened his pace. As a seasoned bookworm, he had dreamed of cave treasure-hunting scenarios more than once. Now that it had finally become reality, he could not help feeling a little excited.

"School Master, this Corpse Puppet is impervious to blades and weapons! Our attacks can't hurt it at all!"

"That's right, School Master! If this continues, all our men will be lost here!"

A crowd was packed into the narrow cave. Ahead of them, a black Corpse Puppet stood with red light flickering in its eyes. Its sharp claws swung through the air, bringing up sprays of blood with every strike.

Those young men were no match for the Corpse Puppet; charging forward would only mean death. Quite a few had already begun to think of retreating. After all, no one wanted to throw away their life for nothing.

Two burly men stood at the rear, speaking to a middle-aged man standing between them.

Beside them, a young man was barely able to stand with the support of two others. It was Li He.

The middle-aged man was Li Jiang, the master of Tianwu Martial Arts School, a Nine Star Dou Ling. His long face, paired with his distinctive hooked nose, made him look particularly sinister.

At that moment, he stared grimly at the Corpse Puppet, which remained as unscathed as ever after fighting for so long. He felt helpless as well. He had intended to exhaust the Corpse Puppet's energy through sheer numbers, but it seemed he had underestimated it.

"Who's there? Come out!"

Li Jiang's expression suddenly changed as he shouted sharply toward the rear.

"Hehe, School Master Li is quite alert."

Yao Feng chuckled as he stepped out of the shadows, with Zhou Tong following behind him.

"Who are you? How do you know me, and how did you get here?"

"Oh? Didn't Li He tell you who broke his legs?"

Yao Feng glanced at Li He beside them and smiled.

"So it was you. I hadn't even gone looking for trouble with you, yet you came to my door yourselves. Fine, then I'll deal with you first."

Li Jiang gave a sinister laugh. Though he could sense that the old man beside the youth was somewhat extraordinary, in Black Tiger City, aside from the City Lord, a one-star Dou Wang, there was no one he feared. Even against the City Lord, he could put up a fight with his special methods.

"Elder Zhou, have some fun with him."

Looking at the confident Li Jiang and the Corpse Puppet that was still relentlessly attacking, Yao Feng's eyes shifted. He quietly said something mysterious to Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong immediately understood. He strode forward, and his aura suddenly erupted, revealing only the presence of a peak Dou Ling.

Li Jiang snorted coldly, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.

Eagle Strike!

Li Jiang curled his fingers into claws as a green glow flickered over them. A phantom eagle claw appeared around his hand. Though it was the same Eagle Strike, Li Jiang's was far more powerful than Li Xie's had been.

Li Jiang sneered, then suddenly charged at Zhou Tong. His claw shot straight for Zhou Tong's neck. If that strike landed solidly, even Zhou Tong would suffer no light injury.

Mountain-Splitting!

As Li Jiang's attack rapidly approached, Zhou Tong narrowed his eyes. His palm slowly turned to stone as he gradually raised it.

Palm!

As his voice fell, Li Jiang's eagle claw struck Zhou Tong's palm head-on. It was as though he had grabbed solid rock; it did not move in the slightest. Li Jiang's expression changed, and explosive force suddenly surged from Zhou Tong's palm. Li Jiang hastily used a strange movement technique, instantly widening the distance between them.

Looking at the expressionless old man, Li Jiang began to feel uncertain. The other party had broken his Eagle Strike so easily and had even had enough strength left to counterattack. Had he not retreated quickly, he would likely have been injured by that blow.

Little did he know that an almost imperceptible smile had appeared at the corner of Zhou Tong's mouth.

Suppressing my strength is actually pretty fun. The young master really knows how to play.

Glancing at the people who were continuously being forced back and injured under the Corpse Puppet's attacks, Li Jiang's gaze turned cold. He clenched his fists, and black feathers emerged one after another across his body. His aura continued to rise, becoming infinitely close to that of a Dou Wang.

"What is this? Even magical beast clans don't seem to have a form like this. What exactly is the relationship between the Li Family of Tianwu Martial Arts School and the Heavenly Eagle Clan?"

"Since you forced me to use my trump card, prepare to die!"

Li Jiang roared, his voice faintly mixed with the cry of an eagle.

Storm Feathers!

Strands of Dou Qi condensed into countless eagle feathers around Li Jiang's body. He slowly spread his arms, then suddenly swung them forward. Tens of thousands of eagle feathers shot out, densely covering the spot where Zhou Tong stood.

But it was not over yet. A cold smile appeared on Li Jiang's lips, and his claws became incomparably sharp, glimmering with a faint green light.

Suddenly, he swung his arm. His body actually floated lightly into the air before darting toward Zhou Tong like a ghost.

Ghost Eagle Killing Blow!

A chilling voice rang out as flashes of cold light appeared. Zhou Tong was startled, secretly thinking that Li Jiang had some skill.

He had used the sky-full of eagle feathers to obscure his opponent's vision, hiding the true killing move behind them. An ordinary person would likely find it difficult to escape this attack. After all, Storm Feathers itself carried tremendous power. Who would have thought it was merely a diversion?

Unfortunately, Li Jiang had encountered Zhou Tong, a Dou Huang. No matter how many tricks he had, he was not Zhou Tong's match.

Stone Hegemony Body!

Zhou Tong let out a low roar, and his body instantly became like rock. Eagle feathers struck him one after another, throwing up showers of sparks, yet they failed to harm him in the slightest.

Li Jiang appeared beside Zhou Tong, his sharp claws lightly sweeping across Zhou Tong's neck. Sparks flew, leaving only a few white marks behind. He could not even break through Zhou Tong's defenses.