44: Chapter 44 Hiding a Beauty in a Demon's Den, I Don't Want the Reward!

The pile of bright yellow imperial decree ashes blew in the wind, smearing all over Iron Madman's face.

This was the "reward" given to him by the Great Xia Imperial Family, but it was also a death warrant.

Iron Madman was a crude man, but he wasn't stupid.

Before him was a Demon King seeking his life, and behind him was an Emperor pulling the rug out from under him.

In the eyes of Your Majesty sitting high on the Dragon throne, he and the people of this city were nothing more than bait used to feed the Yao Beasts and trap that "Anomaly."

"Clang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The refined iron commander's seal, symbolizing his rank as the Great Xia's third-rank General of Mighty Valor, was slammed into the pile of rubble beneath his feet, instantly deforming.

As if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Iron Madman's knees buckled, and he knelt heavily toward the back of the figure holding the Demon King's head.

"Great Xia no longer has an Iron Madman."

This kneel was not to imperial power, but to a way to survive.

The surviving three thousand remnant border troops behind him, after a deathly silence, simultaneously threw down their military flags emblazoned with the character "Xia."

The sound of weapons hitting the ground merged into a torrent of steel.

"We are willing to follow Mr. Ye to our deaths!"

Ye Feng didn't even turn his head; he simply tossed the Demon King's still-bleeding head backward, precisely hooking it onto a broken flagpole.

"Cut the bullshit and lead the way."

Half an hour later, deep within the Thunderwing Mountain Range.

The usual bustle was long gone, replaced only by a heavy scent of blood and damp rot.

The deeper they went, the thinner the lightning elements in the air became, replaced by a nauseating, sinister chill.

Ye Feng came to a halt.

Ahead was a massive natural limestone cave, with countless stalactites hanging from the ceiling like fangs waiting for prey.

In the shadows at the very center of the cave, a Formation emitting a You You red light was slowly rotating.

That wasn't a defensive Formation; it was for extracting blood.

"That is..."

Behind him, Iron Madman's pupils suddenly constricted.

On a stone pillar in the center of the Formation, a person was chained.

It was a woman; her plain white clothes were soaked through with blood, and two thick profound iron chains cruelly pierced through her Pipa Bones, suspending her in mid-air in a spread-eagle position.

With every flicker of the Formation, the chains would tighten slightly, extracting a trace of pure Blood Qi from her body and channeling it deep underground.

Ye Feng narrowed his eyes; he recognized that face, which was as pale as paper.

Xiao Yue.

The female Loose Cultivator who had once given him healing medicine before the Sect competition and was supposed to be traveling the world.

Now, she was like a lamb to the slaughter, serving as the "Formation Core" in this monster's den to sustain some evil nourishment.

No wonder these beasts could evolve so quickly; they were being forcibly enhanced using the Blood Qi of living Cultivators.

A surge of violent killing intent churned in Ye Feng's chest.

Just then, a sinister laugh abruptly echoed through the cavernous cave.

"Hehehe, Young Master Ye is truly a heroic youth; even that stupid creature was slain by you."

In the shadows of the cave, space distorted slightly.

An old man wearing a dark purple Python Robe, with a pale, beardless face, emerged out of thin air like a ghost.

He held a delicate golden cup filled with a shimmering purple liquid that emitted a strange, fragrant aroma.

Eunuch Zhao.

That old dog by the Xia Emperor's side.

"This humble servant has come by Your Majesty's oral decree to congratulate Young Master Ye on slaying the demons."

Eunuch Zhao took two steps forward with a fake smile, his narrow eyes filled with calculation.

"Your Majesty knows that the Young Master has just reached a Breakthrough into the Golden Core and that your Foundation is not yet stable, so he has specially bestowed this cup of 'Purple Marrow Liquid.' This is a treasure from the imperial secret vault; a single drop is worth ten years of bitter cultivation."

As he spoke, he held out the golden cup respectfully, yet he blocked all of Ye Feng's paths of retreat.

Iron Madman wanted to speak up and warn him, but a casual glare from Eunuch Zhao left him stiff all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Nascent Soul Stage pressure!

Ye Feng looked at the liquid swirling with purple light, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Purple Marrow Liquid?

Beneath that sweet, cloying fragrance was the unique pungency of "Power-Dissolving Powder."

You just tried to set me up with an imperial decree, and now you're giving me medicine?

Who does this old eunuch think he's fooling?

"Your Majesty is truly too kind."

Ye Feng didn't take it; he simply raised his right hand and gave a light flick of his finger.

"Since it's such a good thing, then please, Eunuch, have a taste for Your Majesty first."

A gray finger-wind shot out like a sword from its scabbard, instantly striking the golden cup.

There was no sound of clashing metal as one might expect.

The wine cup made of pure gold exploded like it was made of tofu the moment it came into contact with the finger-wind.

The "Purple Marrow Liquid" inside, no longer contained, splashed all over Eunuch Zhao's face.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream instantly tore through the silence of the cave.

The so-called "divine medicine" emitted a "sizzling" corrosion sound as soon as it touched skin.

Eunuch Zhao's well-maintained old face immediately began to smoke, his flesh dissolving at a visible rate to reveal the stark white cheekbones beneath.

"My face! My face!"

Eunuch Zhao clutched his face and retreated frantically, black blood flowing from between his fingers.

This was no Spirit Medicine for strengthening the Foundation; it was clearly a lethal poison capable of even corroding a Nascent Soul Stage Protective Aura!

Ye Feng didn't even bother to spare another glance at that mad dog.

His figure blurred, and he instantly appeared at the center of the Formation.

He pressed one hand onto the pulsating core Foundation stone of the Spirit-Suppressing Formation.

Primordial Forbidden Physique, fully unleashed.

"Devour for me!"

Ye Feng's palm erupted with a terrifying suction force.

It wasn't destruction; it was plunder.

The massive Blood Qi accumulated by this Spirit-Suppressing Formation over several years, along with the two profound iron chains piercing Xiao Yue's Pipa Bones, all became Ye Feng's nourishment at this moment.

Crack!

The chains snapped, and Xiao Yue's weak body slumped down, only to be caught by Ye Feng.

The violent Blood Qi, which was enough to burst an ordinary Cultivator, surged frantically into Ye Feng's Qi Sea through his arm.

His Golden Core Early Stage cultivation, which had only recently reached a Breakthrough, skyrocketed like a rocket under the infusion of this massive energy.

Early Stage stabilized... Mid Early Stage... Early Stage Peak!

Ye Feng casually tossed the unconscious Xiao Yue to Iron Madman behind him and turned to look at the still-screaming Eunuch Zhao.

The Sword Qi within him was already overflowing, and he was looking for a place to vent it.

Eunuch Zhao finally stopped his wailing and lowered his blood-stained hands; in his one remaining eye, the look of malice was so thick it almost dripped.

"You bastard... you dare destroy my face..."

His left hand retracted into his wide sleeve, his withered fingers slowly gripping nine Bone Nails that were currently emitting a cold, eerie light.