32: Chapter 32 Crimson Flame Valley Entrance: Trading Life for a Pass

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the Loose Cultivator who had been arguing just moments ago flew backward like a kite with a broken string. He slammed heavily onto the scorching mountain rocks, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his chest visibly caved in.

A crimson jade pendant slid from his robes, rolling twice on the ground and becoming covered in dust.

A large foot clad in black iron war boots stomped down hard on the hand reaching for the pendant, grinding it with force.

"You want this? Reincarnate better in your next life before trying to take it."

Zhao Wu grinned maliciously as he bent down to pick up the pendant. He weighed it in his hand before casually tossing it into the copper chest behind him, not even bothering to spare the Loose Cultivator another glance.

The surrounding Loose Cultivators were furious but dared not speak out. They could only clench their fists tightly, their eyes filled with humiliation and fear.

This was no toll collection; it was blatant robbery.

Ye Feng stood at the back of the crowd, watching everything coldly through the slit of his visor.

This Zhao Wu was a mad dog belonging to the Third Prince, Zhao Tianji. He was used to bullying others by relying on his master's influence, but since when did Red Flame Valley become the private property of the Imperial Family?

He didn't have time to play the hero, but he would never allow himself to be slaughtered like these Loose Cultivators.

Ye Feng lowered the brim of his helmet. The murderous aura radiating from his Black Cavalry Guard armor caused the crowd to instinctively part and make a path for him.

He walked with long strides, heading straight to the front of the checkpoint.

The person responsible for the registration was a thin, rat-faced middle-aged man named Ge Lao'er.

His triangular eyes were greedily fixed on the Spiritual Artifacts in the copper chest, and he was nearly drooling.

Sensing someone approaching, Ge Lao'er didn't even look up. He pushed the ledger—which at that moment seemed like a ledger from the underworld—forward and impatiently tapped the table. "Don't you know the rules? Either hand over a Spiritual Artifact or get lost. Don't block those behind..."

A slender and powerful hand pressed down on the table.

There was no Spiritual Artifact, only a palm-sized, dark gold token.

On the front of the token, a five-clawed golden dragon seemed ready to take flight, its crimson eyes exuding a heart-palpitating majesty.

Ge Lao'er's insult was instantly stuck in his throat.

As an old hand who had spent many years in Red Flame Valley, although he had never seen a real dragon, he was well aware of the golden dragon token that represented the core power of the Imperial Family.

Seeing the token was like seeing the prince in person.

He jerked his head up, meeting a pair of eyes as deep as an ancient well.

There was no emotion in those eyes, only an indifference that viewed all living beings as nothing more than blades of grass.

"This... this is..." Fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on Ge Lao'er's forehead. He instinctively reached out to take the token to verify its authenticity.

The moment his fingertips touched the edge of the token, Ye Feng’s finger hidden in his sleeve gave a slight flick.

The Earth Fire Poisonous Miasma that accumulated year-round at the entrance of Red Flame Valley was a deadly poison that others avoided at all costs, but to Ye Feng, who possessed the Chaos Devouring Sword Body, it was as easy to control as his own limbs.

A trace of extremely pure fire poison followed the patterns on the token and instantly bored into Ge Lao'er's palm like a venomous snake.

"Hiss—"

Ge Lao'er trembled all over. He felt a domineering, scorching current surge wildly up the Meridians of his arm. Instantly, half of his body lost sensation, and the stinging pain—as if his Soul were being scorched by raging flames—nearly made him scream out loud.

This was a warning.

Only an Imperial death soldier who had truly fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood could possess such a terrifying Evil Qi pressure!

The slight trace of suspicion in Ge Lao'er's heart vanished instantly, replaced by deep terror.

He hurriedly withdrew his hand and retreated two steps, his face covered in a fawning and distorted smile. "So it is an esteemed lord! This lowly one was blind, truly blind!"

Ye Feng took back the token. His voice was hoarse and low, sounding like metal grinding against metal. "Heaven No. 1 Pool. I want it."

The geothermal fire pools of Red Flame Valley were divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. The Heaven grade was closest to the earth's core, where the fire evil was heaviest but also the purest.

"This..." Ge Lao'er looked troubled and instinctively glanced at Zhao Wu nearby.

"How dare you!"

A thunderous shout exploded.

Zhao Wu, who had been playing with the stolen jade pendant, suddenly turned around and strode over. His bulging muscles stretched his black armor to its limit, and the flesh on his face quivered. "The Heaven No. 1 Pool is reserved by the Third Highness for a distinguished guest. What kind of thing do you think you are to dare..."

"Clang!"

Before Zhao Wu could finish, the long saber at his waist was already unsheathed by half an inch, its cold light glinting.

He was used to being a tyrant at this valley entrance and didn't take this "colleague" who had arrived alone seriously at all.

Among the Imperial guards, might was the only right.

Ye Feng stood his ground, unmoving.

He only moved when the wind generated by the long saber was about to touch his visor.

He didn't draw his sword, nor did he mobilize even a shred of Spiritual Qi.

He simply took half a step forward, his figure cutting into Zhao Wu's center like a ghost. Then, his right arm swung out like an iron whip, his elbow producing a sonic boom as it tore through the air, striking Zhao Wu's Adam's apple with incomparable precision.

That was pure Physical Body strength.

After being tempered by earth fire and devouring the sword marrow, his Physical Body was already comparable to gold and iron.

"Crack!"

A bone-chilling sound of snapping echoed.

Zhao Wu's eyes bulged. His massive frame of over two hundred pounds was hit as if by a battering ram. His feet left the ground, and he was knocked back several meters, slamming hard against the rock wall behind him.

"Cough... cough cough..."

Zhao Wu clutched his throat and knelt on the ground, his face turning the color of pig liver. He gagged violently as the long saber in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

Although this strike didn't kill him, it instantly shattered all his strength. The agonizing suffocation made it impossible for him to even utter a single threat.

The entire area fell into a dead silence.

Everyone watched the scene in stunned silence.

One move.

With just a physical collision, he had crippled Zhao Wu, who was at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining?

Ye Feng slowly withdrew his elbow, took out the golden dragon token from his robes, and waved it in front of Zhao Wu's eyes.

"Now, am I qualified?"

Zhao Wu's pupils constricted violently.

The golden dragon token!

That was an Imperial secret order that granted the privilege of executing first and reporting later!

Could this man be a top-tier assassin secretly trained by His Highness?

Fear instantly overwhelmed his anger. Zhao Wu nodded frantically, as if trying to shake his head off.

"Open the door."

Ye Feng turned to look at the terrified Ge Lao'er.

"Yes, yes! Right away, my lord! Please, after you!"

Ge Lao'er snapped out of it and scrambled to the side of the rock wall, laboriously turning a heavy winch.

Rumble—

As the mechanism groaned, a three-foot-thick Dragon-Severing Stone slowly rose. A visible wave of heat instantly erupted from the gap, distorting the surrounding air.

Without any hesitation, Ye Feng strode inside.

The moment he entered, he slapped the stone door's mechanism with his palm.

The Dragon-Severing Stone fell heavily, completely cutting off all gazes, noise, and the sweltering world outside.

Inside the stone chamber, the temperature was terrifyingly high.

The surrounding rock walls were as red as blood. In the center, a massive fire pool was bubbling, and the thick magma emitted a suffocating smell of sulfur.

But for Ye Feng, this was the most delicious Taotie feast.

"Hum—"

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the previously dormant Broken Blade seemed to catch the scent of blood like a shark. It vibrated violently, letting out a Soul-piercing cry of hunger that only Ye Feng could hear.

It was craving.

It craved the terrifying power beneath this fire pool that was enough to incinerate all things.

Ye Feng removed his visor, revealing a face slightly flushed from the heat. A mad curve formed at the corners of his mouth.

He walked to the edge of the pool and looked down at the crimson magma that could instantly melt steel into liquid. There was no trace of fear in his eyes; instead, they shone with the fervor of a desperate gambler.