Playing God and Ghost

Chen Fan concentrated on casting his technique the entire way, trudging forward with his head down. Only then could he barely keep himself from falling; he had no time at all to mind his surroundings. When he reached a relatively flat patch at the summit, he finally felt as though a crushing burden had been lifted. He collapsed to the ground, his legs so weak and sore that he was clearly exhausted beyond measure.

When he recovered slightly and focused his eyes, he nearly jumped out of his skin. The middle-aged man was already standing before him, looking as though he had been waiting for quite some time.

"Too slow. You've truly disgraced Swordcry Mountain," the man said irritably.

Huh? Could he also be from Swordcry Mountain? Chen Fan asked in delight, "Are you also a disciple of Swordcry Mountain, Senior? May I ask your name?" Yet he was somewhat puzzled. He had entered and left the inner court many times, but he seemed never to have seen this man before. That was not right. With such a high cultivation, this man should at least be an elder, shouldn't he?

"Yun Zhongjun. Have you heard that name before?" The middle-aged man wore an arrogant expression.

Yun Zhongjun? It sounded vaguely familiar.

"Could it be that you are especially skilled at darting through canyons, ignoring all terrain, and taking an enemy's life in an instant when they let down their guard? Yet the later the battle drags on, the more your strength declines?" Chen Fan had no idea where these bizarre thoughts had come from.

The middle-aged man froze, his brows knitting slightly. What did that mean? This brat actually knew his background, so why was he acting like this? And his cultivation technique truly did become slower and slower to improve once he reached the higher realms. But how did this brat know that? He was thoroughly baffled, yet he could not be bothered to waste more words on Chen Fan.

"Why do you talk so much? Have you rested enough?" Yun Zhongjun pointed into the distance. "It should be over there. Let's go. If a fight breaks out later, remember not to stray too far from me. Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself."

Damn! From the sound of it, high-level cultivators might actually clash. Then he was nothing but cannon fodder here, and even if he died, he would die for nothing. He had thought Senior Yun had kept him close to protect him, but this man was so overconfident? Seriously?

"Don't panic either. When facing an existence like that, staying by my side is the safest option. If I can't beat him, I can always just run." Yun Zhongjun looked disdainful, as though he were saying that if he wanted to leave, no one in the world could stop him.

Hearing this, Chen Fan relaxed somewhat and looked in the direction Yun Zhongjun had indicated. There was an opening in the mountain wall, clearly carved out by human hands. Combined with what the people from the Fierce Eagle Gang had said earlier, this was most likely where that mysterious cultivator practiced. That made things terrifying. They said victory or defeat between high-level cultivators was decided in an instant, which was why the stronger a cultivator became, the less willing they were to fight others to the death. Having cultivated to such a realm, who was not cautious in all they did? No one would throw away their life over trivial matters.

If they really started fighting, would they have any spare attention to care about me? Chen Fan thought to himself. I still need to keep something up my sleeve. If things turn bad, running first is the best plan. While calculating in his heart, he did not stop walking, following Yun Zhongjun toward the cave.

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance. Chen Fan stretched his head in to peek inside, then immediately pulled it back. What a joke. He did not dare enter first, or he would truly become cannon fodder.

Yun Zhongjun gave Chen Fan a contemptuous glance, then stepped forward and vanished directly into the cave. Chen Fan thought for a moment before following him in.

Once they entered, their vision first darkened, then gradually adjusted to the scene within. The cave was not large, and scattered bottles and jars lay across the ground. This was undoubtedly the mysterious man's cultivation site. Yet no one appeared to be there at the moment.

At the end of the cave seemed to be a narrow passage. There should be more space beyond it, so the two headed that way. While passing through the corridor, they could only walk one behind the other. The passage was not long, and they encountered no danger, but for some reason, Chen Fan felt increasingly uneasy.

After passing through the corridor, they arrived in another stone chamber. This place was even smaller, and several candles had been lit along the ground on both sides, their faint light falling upon the stone walls.

The two looked around. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared against the wall opposite them. That utterly sinister feeling made Chen Fan's entire body tremble, and he instinctively hid further behind Yun Zhongjun.

Yun Zhongjun showed no fear at all. He shouted toward that spot, "Who is there, playing god and ghost?! Show yourself at once!"

"Heh heh heh heh!" A series of eerie laughs came from beside the wall. To Chen Fan's ears, they were terrifying beyond belief. His heart trembled, and his legs began to wobble uncontrollably.

Yun Zhongjun snorted when that ghostly thing still refused to emerge. He directly condensed a powerful blast of Origin Qi and swept it toward the source of the sound.

With a bang, the force struck the wall, making the entire stone cave shake as countless chips of rock and clouds of dust rained down. Moments later, the cave calmed again. Beneath the section of wall Yun Zhongjun had struck, a human figure was revealed. Sure enough, it was another man in black with his face covered. Yet his clothing could not conceal his cultivation at all. Though he had not unleashed External Force, remaining utterly unmoved beneath Yun Zhongjun's strike of condensed Internal Qi was no feat an ordinary person could accomplish.

"I truly did not expect this. When I saw those few people at the foot of the mountain marked with pollen, I thought I might as well lure them here and catch turtles in a jar. Who would have thought I would end up waiting for such a big catch? It seems I can only fight until the fish dies and the net breaks." The black-clothed man's tone was icy, as though he had already prepared to perish together with them.

"Cut the crap. I've never planned on going to my death with you!" As he spoke, Yun Zhongjun somehow had already drawn a treasured sword. The blade was thin and long; combined with his unfathomable movement technique, it was simply impossible to guard against. Chen Fan refused to believe that the man in black could still evade within such a cramped space. Before Chen Fan could react, Yun Zhongjun had already flashed before the man in black and thrust his sword forward.

Yet in the next instant, with a bang, Yun Zhongjun was sent flying backward. After landing, he staggered several more steps before barely steadying himself.

At that moment, it was clear that the man in black had already exchanged a blow with Yun Zhongjun. He held a saber in his hand, less than half the length of that slender sword, yet its edge was obviously incomparably sharp. The blade still trembled slightly, indicating that he had not taken that strike easily either. But before Yun Zhongjun could make another move, the black-clothed man flipped his other hand, and an identical saber appeared within it. He was now poised and ready to launch a fierce assault.

"Dual sabers? With strength like this, are you one of those people from Heaven and Earth Gate?" Yun Zhongjun's voice carried a trace of gravity. Clearly, he had not expected to encounter such an opponent. If his guess was right, this person should be one of Heaven and Earth Gate's Ten Great Protectors, someone not to be underestimated. He believed that in a one-on-one confrontation, he would not fall behind, but Chen Fan was beside him now.

Yet that was not the most crucial matter. The deadliest problem was that he had begun to feel a faint instability in his Origin Qi. This was far too unbelievable. At his realm, the Origin Qi within him was vast and naturally complete. He no longer needed to breathe and absorb excessively; his Internal Qi remained full at all times. This situation had completely exceeded his expectations. If he rashly forced himself to act, the consequences would be impossible to predict.

"Stop struggling. Fortunately, I made ample preparations. I never expected I would truly need them." As he spoke, the black-clothed man slowly walked toward Yun Zhongjun without raising his twin sabers, as though he had no fear at all of a sudden attack. "You feel it too, don't you? Hahahaha! Spirit-Drunken Incense—whether all beneath immortals are susceptible to it, today we shall find out!"

What?! Spirit-Drunken Incense again! Chen Fan cried out inwardly as waves of dizziness began flooding his mind. It was over. This time, he truly could not escape death. His consciousness gradually blurred, and just before he collapsed, he seemed to hear another clash of blades. The next moment, he completely lost consciousness.

He did not know how much time had passed before Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes.

What? Why was it so dark? Had he entered hell? His entire body was weak, numb, and aching, while a swelling pain throbbed through his head from time to time. This feeling seemed strangely familiar. He forced himself upright and examined his surroundings.

The sight before him made his body jolt, instantly waking him fully. He was not dead. Not far away lay a man with long silver-white hair—Yun Zhongjun. Several yards away, against the opposite wall, another person had collapsed to the ground. That person wore black clothes and a face covering, his upper body propped against the stone wall in a half-seated posture.

Unable to stand, Chen Fan could only crawl with difficulty to Yun Zhongjun's side. After examining him briefly, he found that the man was unconscious but still breathing. Thanks to the support of his Internal Qi cultivation, he should not die anytime soon. Moreover, the Spirit-Drunken Incense seemed to have gone out. Otherwise, in such a confined space, if the incense had continued burning any longer, the consequences would have been far worse.

He then looked toward the man in black. The man leaned against the wall with his eyes shut, both sabers fallen to the ground beside him. It was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead. It seemed that while Chen Fan had been unconscious, these two had already erupted into a great battle. In an environment saturated with Spirit-Drunken Incense, mutual destruction was the inevitable result. This man in black truly would rather die than let anyone uncover even the slightest clue regarding the missing children.

Chen Fan slowly crawled toward the man in black. His body had recovered somewhat compared to when he had first awakened. His courage grew as well. Both men had been deeply poisoned by the Spirit-Drunken Incense and should no longer be able to wield Origin Qi in battle. Even if this man was a cultivator above the Seventh Stage, what was there to fear now?

Just as Chen Fan moved toward the wall, the man in black suddenly opened his eyes. Upon seeing Chen Fan, his previously dim expression abruptly became vivid, filled with intense terror. In a voice already hoarse but now nearly shrieking, he cried, "You... who are you? Don't come any closer!"

"Me? I'm nobody at all!" Chen Fan pointed at himself and said contemptuously, "But I am the one who will take your life." Chen Fan knew that given what this man had done, it was impossible to make him confess the truth. He therefore intended to strike while he was down, take his life, and eliminate future trouble.

As Chen Fan drew closer step by step, the man in black struggled desperately to stand. Yet he could not exert even the slightest strength anywhere in his body. That he could force himself to remain conscious without fainting was already no easy feat.

"No, impossible! How can you still be awake?" The terror on the black-clothed man's face did not diminish; instead, his shock grew even greater. "You... what is your relationship with the Poison Immortal?"

Chen Fan stiffened and stopped. He was deeply puzzled. The Poison Immortal? It sounded like an incredibly formidable existence. Then he suddenly thought of his unusual physique and that Treasure Record. Could he truly be connected somehow to the Poison Immortal this man spoke of? Was that possible?