Before setting foot at the base of Five-Thunder Divine Mountain and entering this thatched cottage, Gu Chenfeng had already received the information Yuqing had passed along.
He had learned that this old man's lifespan was rapidly dwindling, already nearing the point where his oil had run dry and his lamp was guttering out.
But the man had used some unknown, bizarre means to block Yuqing from probing any further.
With Yuqing's repeated warnings, Gu Chenfeng had maintained the utmost vigilance from the moment he stepped into this little courtyard.
When he met the old man, the man had seemed utterly unremarkable.
And after collecting the toll, he had readily opened the passage.
Far from dispelling Gu Chenfeng's suspicions, this had only made him more vigilant.
Because this was nothing like the state of a dying man. The more normal the man seemed, the more abnormal he was.
With his powerful divine sense, which rivaled a Sub-Saint's, and the astonishing perception of the Heaven-Opening Creation Art,
he had successfully seen through the illusion the man had created.
And from the old man's current state, he had judged that the man had already "turned demonic."
Whoosh...!
Almost instantaneously, Gu Chenfeng flashed away, pushing the Star Escape Secret Art to its utmost as he shot toward the entrance he had come through.
But the old man's sinister laughter came from behind him.
"Heh heh... you're not going anywhere."
The next instant, Gu Chenfeng watched helplessly as the passage was engulfed by a vast net of lightning and completely sealed.
At the same time, a figure condensed from black qi appeared before him, fixing him with blood-red, malevolent eyes.
"Boy, give this old man your life. I'll make your sacrifice more worthwhile."
At this moment, the old man's aged body still sat where it