Return to Reality

"The Ninth Layer of the Acquired Realm. Looks like it still can't outrun a bullet."

Chen Feng looked at Wu Xiong lying in a pool of blood, his expression calm.

This was not the first time he had shot and killed someone in the painted scroll world.

The rule of this world was that the strong reigned supreme.

There were no laws or morals to speak of.

Killing happened anytime and anywhere, no matter the place.

He had struck first because he feared Wu Xiong might suddenly attack.

Wu Xiong was at the Ninth Layer of the Acquired Realm and possessed the strength of two bears. If he got close, a single punch would be enough to kill Chen Feng.

Wang Hu, who stood behind him, might not have been able to stop Wu Xiong.

Chen Feng firmly believed that whoever struck first gained the upper hand, while whoever struck later would suffer.

Wu Xiong had made it clear he had no intention of settling things through negotiation.

Nor could Chen Feng hand over any so-called immortal artifact-refining method.

"Sect Master Chen, spare us!"

"We meant no offense to an Innate expert. Please forgive us, Sect Master Chen!"

Several mountain bandits dropped to their knees and begged Chen Feng for mercy.

After all, what Chen Feng had just done was no different from what an Innate expert could do: projecting Gang Qi to kill an enemy.

That was a sign unique to Innate experts.

The chief of Black Wind Stronghold was an Innate expert, so they knew full well how terrifying one could be.

They had no thought of resisting whatsoever.

"Go back and tell your chief that the Xingfeng Sect only deals in minerals. We won't interfere with him, and he'd better not interfere with me. Otherwise, he can't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Chen Feng waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

The bandits had thought that by killing Wu Xiong, Chen Feng was ready to go to war with Black Wind Stronghold.

They had feared they would be hard-pressed to escape death.

But to their surprise, Chen Feng had let them go so easily.

The bandits immediately thanked him a thousand times over, then scurried away.

Chen Feng had spared them partly because the chief of Black Wind Stronghold was an Innate expert.

He had yet to test whether his handgun could kill an Innate expert.

If he couldn't kill him, he would be in serious trouble.

Letting these men go back and deliver a message would buy him some time. He could return to the modern world, make preparations, and come back. That was the safest approach.

Besides, he was running low on bullets and didn't want to waste them on these men.

"Sect Master, are you really an Innate expert?"

Wang Hu asked from the side, trembling with fear.

He had been with the Xingfeng Sect for several months, but he had never seen Chen Feng fight, nor had he sensed any fluctuations of Qi and Blood from him.

This had led him to believe all along that Chen Feng was an ordinary man who did not practice martial arts.

If Chen Feng was an Innate expert, that would explain it.

At the Innate Realm, one could already conceal one's presence, so outsiders naturally could not detect it.

"Ahem. My Lineage sent me out to gain experience, so I concealed my cultivation. Don't ask any more about the rest."

Chen Feng made up an excuse: the standard story of an Aristocratic Clan disciple going out to gain experience.

Wang Hu saw the light at once and dared not ask any more questions.

He scarcely doubted Chen Feng's words.

"The chief of Black Wind Stronghold probably won't let this go, Sect Master. You should make preparations early."

Wang Hu spoke up to remind him.

"There's no need to worry about that. If he dares come, the elders of my Lineage will see to it that he never returns."

Chen Feng was not saying this solely for Wang Hu's benefit.

He was also saying it to the Xingfeng Sect martial artists in the hall.

There had to be spies from Black Wind Stronghold among the martial artists he had recruited.

When the time came, his words would reach the chief's ears without a single word missing.

"How did your inquiries go?" Chen Feng asked, changing the subject.

Wang Hu shook his head. "The last time an immortal appeared in the Yue Kingdom was two hundred years ago, and only members of the Yue Kingdom's imperial family had contact with them."

Chen Feng nodded helplessly.

Ever since learning about immortals, Chen Feng had longed to obtain the cultivation methods of those immortal cultivators.

Only immortal cultivation was the great Dao.

As for martial cultivation, he might as well buy a few more guns.

"I need to return to my Lineage for a while. It'll probably be a few days before I'm back. Go home and spend some time with your mother while I'm away. Consider it a holiday."

Chen Feng patted Wang Hu on the shoulder.

Chen Feng had returned to the painted scroll world this time to shut down the conveyor belt and make a few arrangements while he was at it.

Something was bound to go wrong in the modern world very soon. He had to deal with the trouble before he could start mining again.

"Sect Master, don't you need me to come with you?" Wang Hu was somewhat worried about Chen Feng's safety.

Although he now knew Chen Feng was an Innate expert, he had sworn an oath back then to protect Chen Feng for the rest of his life.

"No need. Set off for home now. Leave things here to Steward Sun."

In truth, Chen Feng feared that if Wang Hu stayed here, the people from Black Wind Stronghold would settle accounts with him when they came.

If Steward Sun died, so be it, but Chen Feng didn't want Wang Hu to die.

Besides, the Xingfeng Sect had hardly anything of value. It was nothing more than an empty shell.

Once Chen Feng closed the passage, even if the chief of Black Wind Stronghold dug through the Xingfeng Sect from top to bottom, he wouldn't find anything.

Wang Hu hesitated, wanting to speak. He wanted to warn Chen Feng that Steward Sun was unreliable, but he felt that doing so might make him look as though he were sowing discord.

"I'll follow all your arrangements, Sect Master!"

Wang Hu cupped his fists at Chen Feng, then picked up his saber and left.

Chen Feng then found Steward Sun and told him he would be leaving for a while, instructing him to manage the sect well.

Steward Sun immediately assured him there would be no problem, while inwardly he was overjoyed.

With Chen Feng gone, he would have even more room for his little schemes.

When Steward Sun had heard that the second chief of Black Wind Stronghold had come calling, he had already been preparing to pack his things and run.

But to his surprise, Chen Feng had turned out to be an Innate expert, and Wu Xiong hadn't lasted even a single move against him.

Most importantly, Chen Feng was also a scion of a great Lineage, which made Steward Sun even happier.

He had found not only a sucker, but also a powerful backer.

After giving his instructions, Chen Feng returned to the secret chamber, opened the passage, and went back to the modern world.

Hengduan Mountain, Black Wind Stronghold's headquarters.

Black Wind Stronghold had several thousand mountain bandits.

The Yue Kingdom had a great many mountain ranges. As long as these bandits did not massacre people in towns and cities, the Yue Kingdom's imperial family would not interfere.

After all, these bandits could also help the Yue Kingdom withstand pressure from other nations.

Inside the largest stronghold, the chief, He Sandao, was cultivating.

In front of him lay the corpses of more than a dozen young girls.

Their throats had all been slit, and they had been drained of blood.

He Sandao practiced the Blood Demon Saber Art, a cultivation method that required him to absorb human blood to advance.

The younger the girl, the greater the improvement.

With this cultivation method, he had reached the Innate Realm. He no longer knew how many people had died at his hands.

Just then, a knock, knock, knock sounded at the door.

He Sandao stopped the circulation of Qi in his body and opened his clouded eyes.

"Enter!"

A mountain bandit hurried into the room. He dropped to his knees before He Sandao and said in a trembling voice,

"C-Chief, the second chief is dead!"

He Sandao narrowed his eyes at the news.

"Dead? How did he die?!"

He Sandao's first reaction was not grief over his sworn brother's death, but wariness.

Wu Xiong was at the Ninth Layer of the Acquired Realm, the strongest man in Black Wind Stronghold apart from He Sandao himself.

To kill him would have taken several Ninth Layer Acquired Realm experts attacking together, or an Innate expert making a move.