Since everything had already been lost.
Since there was no way to salvage anything back.
Then let them all just perish!
[Ding! You have successfully caused the protagonist Lin Feng to embrace the dark side, his character collapsing and his Heavenly Fate Value reduced to 0!]
[Ding! Lin Feng's Heavenly Fate Value has been downgraded to Fate Value, relinquishing his protagonist status!]
[Ding! Lin Feng can now be killed!]
[Ding! You have gained 3500 points of Villain Value!]
System prompts echoed in Jiang Chen's mind, filling his heart with elation.
However.
On the surface, he needed to maintain an appearance of sorrow and disappointment.
Simultaneously.
Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi gazed at Lin Feng in disbelief.
The master and disciple knew they had misjudged Lin Feng, but they never anticipated he would become so malevolent!
At the same time.
"He's gone mad!"
"This guy is insane!"
"That's right, he talks about reaching the Inquiring Journey realm and even surpassing it?! The strongest on the Mysterious Truth Continent is only at the Heavenly Origin realm. Lin Feng is just delusional!"
"This Lin Feng has not only lost his mind but also revealed his true nature. He even berated his own master, which is utterly disrespectful!"
"Such a person must be ostracized by everyone!"
"..."
Outbursts of indignation erupted from the crowd!
Some were genuinely outraged, while others aimed to ingratiate themselves with the Jiang and Zhou Clans.
Regardless,
The jeers and taunts had entirely drowned out Lin Feng's voice.
"What a load of nonsense!"
"How dare you criticize me! You can all go to hell!"
Lin Feng was seething with anger, his eyes filled with murderous intent, as an overwhelming aura erupted from his body.
"What?!"
"This power... Half-step Mysterious Platform realm!?"
"Lin Feng seemed like an ordinary cultivator; how could he unleash such a formidable aura?"
"Quick, fall back! We can't witness this level of battle up close!"
"..."
A large crowd of onlookers were stunned and fearful, retreating in all directions.
"Half-step Mysterious Platform realm!"
"I didn't expect to have underestimated you!"
A glimmer of shock flickered in Zhou Ruiyu's eyes before he coldly stated, "However, the half-step Mysterious Platform realm is still leagues away from the true Mysterious Platform realm. You are destined to perish today!"
"Surrender now!"
Jiang Xingtai's expression darkened, and he gripped a Top-grade long sword of Spiritual Awakening rank in his hand.
"End your own life, and I shall leave your corpse whole!"
Jiang Chen's voice was frosty, akin to a frigid gust sweeping through.
"Foolish!"
Lin Feng sneered, a crazed glint in his eyes, as a crimson flame suddenly erupted from his body!
"What!"
Having previously battled Lin Feng, Jiang Xingtai was the first to notice something amiss with Lin Feng's flame!
This flame is far more potent than before! It has actually ascended to the Mysterious Platform level!
Zhou Ruiyu was equally taken aback!
Evidently, Lin Feng was merely at the Soul Refining realm earlier; how could he suddenly unleash an attack with the Mysterious Platform-level flames?
This simply defied all logic!
Only Jiang Chen was aware that Lin Feng had once been the protagonist, the prior protagonist.
Though he had lost his protagonist status, the power within his body remained intact.
As a former protagonist, possessing a powerful means to temporarily boost one's combat prowess was only logical...
It was at this instant that both Jiang Xingtai and Zhou Ruiyu were taken aback.
"Perish!"
Lin Feng bellowed, unleashing an intensely terrifying flame as he ferociously assaulted Jiang Chen!
Firstly.
The individual he loathed the most was Jiang Chen!
Secondly.
Among the trio besieging him, Jiang Chen was the weakest link, merely at the Spiritual Awakening realm.
"Jiang Chen, dodge quickly!"
"Young Master Jiang Chen!"
"Avoid a direct confrontation!"
"..."
Simultaneously, Ning Xian, Qiu Liaoxi, Jiang Xingtai, and other members of the Jiang Clan all cried out in unison, their anxiety palpable.
Jiang Xingtai also gave it his all, fiercely attacking Lin Feng's back in an attempt to force him into a defensive stance.
Zhou Ruiyu clenched his right hand, wielding a top-grade Spiritual Awakening-ranked spear artifact that he swiftly thrust towards Lin Feng!
Nonetheless.
Lin Feng's sudden acceleration was incredibly swift, and he rapidly closed in on Jiang Chen.
The horrifying flame, capable of incinerating all in its path, was on the verge of engulfing Jiang Chen!
"Curse it!"
"Violent Tiger Power, Explosive Persona Force, Clear Sky Flash!"
A look of terror crossed Jiang Chen's face as he unleashed a threefold combo, barely evading Lin Feng's scorching flames by a hair's breadth!
"Hmph!"
"You may dodge the first attack, but you won't evade the second!"
Lin Feng coldly snorted, opting not to pursue the attack. Instead, he swiftly moved away from the spot where Jiang Chen had dodged.
Despite being able to harness power at the Mysterious Platform level, Lin Feng dared not confront two Mysterious Platform realm cultivators, unless he further tapped into the Burning World Red Lotus.
However.
The Burning World Red Lotus was already significantly weakened.
Each time Lin Feng drew from it, the Burning World Red Lotus would deteriorate, akin to an avalanche!
When the moment arrived for him to rescue the Burning World Red Lotus, he couldn't predict the number of spiritual plants he would have to expend.
It was wiser to temporarily retreat, seek out the treasures concealed within the river, achieve a higher realm after consuming them, and then return for a decisive confrontation!
"Chase him!"
"We mustn't allow him to escape!"
Zhou Ruiyu rapidly pursued Lin Feng with incredible speed.
Not only him, but even the Spiritual Awakening realm cultivators who arrived later joined the chase.
Since Lin Feng's cultivation realm was also within the Spiritual Awakening realm, their assistance might just tip the scales in their favor.
"Jiang Chen!"
Jiang Xingtai swiftly approached Jiang Chen's side.
Jiang Chen had already strategized with him that if they ever managed to corner Lin Feng one day, they should allow others to exhaust him first before engaging.
Thus, he didn't hasten to give chase, but instead came to examine Jiang Chen.
This seemed reasonable to onlookers as well.
"Jiang Chen!"
"Are you alright?"
Ning Xian also hurried over, her gaze filled with concern as she looked at Jiang Chen.
"I, I'm fine!"
Jiang Chen feigned weakness and popped a medicinal pill into his mouth, then glanced at Jiang Xingtai. "Uncle, let's pursue him!"
"Alright!"
Jiang Xingtai hoisted Jiang Chen up and dashed out without delay.
The remaining Jiang Clan cultivators were poised to follow, but they received a message from Elder Ge, instructing them to remain behind and escort Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi to the Jiang Clan's residence at once!
This was to prevent the crowd from inadvertently 'strengthening' Lin Feng and to safeguard Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi, since the danger of the Illusory Slaying Tower had not yet been fully neutralized.
"Will Jiang Chen be alright?"
Ning Xian gazed at Jiang Chen's retreating figure, recalling his pale visage, and couldn't help but feel apprehensive in her heart.
"Don't worry!"
Qiu Liaoxi clasped Ning Xian's hand, "You have to trust Jiang Chen."
Meanwhile,
Lin Feng dashed wildly, almost transforming into a blazing dragon!
"Halt right there! You scum!"
Zhou Ruiyu pursued him furiously from behind!
The two of them, one leading and the other trailing, rapidly soared out of the city.
After five or six breaths,
Jiang Chen and Jiang Xingtai's silhouettes materialized outside the city.
"Uncle, you continue chasing him!"
"I'll alter my course and attempt to see if we can encircle and eliminate him!"
Jiang Chen turned to Jiang Xingtai and spoke, the previous frailty on his face having long since vanished.
"Okay!"
"Be careful!"
Jiang Xingtai nodded solemnly.
'Lin Feng, are you headed to that place?'
Deep in thought, Jiang Chen shifted his feet slightly and instantly altered his course.
His destination was the forested area where Lin Feng had previously concealed himself!
Initially,
He had deployed two subordinates armed with Aura Finder Smoke to track Lin Feng's movements.
Subsequently,
They feigned hunting and herb-gathering activities while vigilantly monitoring Lin Feng's whereabouts.
By utilizing the location identified by the Aura Finder Smoke, the direction of Zhou Yihe's demise, and the area where Lin Feng had remained hidden for an extended period,
As well as the time Lin Feng took to traverse from his hiding spot to Zhou Yihe's death site, Lin Feng's speed during his journey, and the distance between the location pinpointed by the Aura Finder Smoke and the place where Zhou Yihe met his end,
And following a few straightforward calculations,
The approximate location of Lin Feng's hideout at that time could be deduced!
At that time, all the storage artifacts belonging to Zhou Yihe and the others had been confiscated.
However, nothing was discovered on Lin Feng's person.
No traces of the medicinal scent that Zhou Yihe and his companions carried could be detected from Lin Feng's mouth and nose.
Thus,
Jiang Chen inferred that Lin Feng had likely concealed those storage artifacts near his hiding spot.
Naturally,
It was also plausible that they had been discarded somewhere en route.
Over the past few days,
Jiang Chen had organized several search parties to locate them, but they remained elusive.
Today,
Lin Feng had activated the 'SEED mode'; he must have been consuming something!
Lin Feng's unique ability enabled him to grow stronger by ingesting spiritual plants, so he might have returned to retrieve them to sustain his consumption and potentially turn the tide.
As for why Lin Feng didn't steal spiritual plants in the city?
The reason was that he lost his protagonist status and, without his former good fortune, he left the city without encountering a single medicine shop.
Even if he had come across a medicine shop, it would have made no difference.
Ever since the trade fair, the Jiang Clan had bought up anything that could benefit Lin Feng on a daily basis.
At this moment,
Jiang Chen was betting that Lin Feng would seek out those hidden spoils!
Even if his gamble proved incorrect, it wouldn't matter.
Having lost his protagonist status, Lin Feng was now just an insignificant ant, and there would be plenty of opportunities to toy with him until his demise.
It was also at the time when Jiang Chen changed direction.
"No way!"
"If this continues, the Burning World Red Lotus won't last much longer!"
"We have to go around and search for that storage ring concealed in the river!"
Lin Feng's face contorted with worry. "Once I obtain those spiritual plants, I will be able to survive this calamity!"
Since everything had already been lost.
Since there was no way to salvage anything back.
Then let them all just perish!
[Ding! You have successfully caused the protagonist Lin Feng to embrace the dark side, his character collapsing and his Heavenly Fate Value reduced to 0!]
[Ding! Lin Feng's Heavenly Fate Value has been downgraded to Fate Value, relinquishing his protagonist status!]
[Ding! Lin Feng can now be killed!]
[Ding! You have gained 3500 points of Villain Value!]
System prompts echoed in Jiang Chen's mind, filling his heart with elation.
However.
On the surface, he needed to maintain an appearance of sorrow and disappointment.
Simultaneously.
Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi gazed at Lin Feng in disbelief.
The master and disciple knew they had misjudged Lin Feng, but they never anticipated he would become so malevolent!
At the same time.
"He's gone mad!"
"This guy is insane!"
"That's right, he talks about reaching the Inquiring Journey realm and even surpassing it?! The strongest on the Mysterious Truth Continent is only at the Heavenly Origin realm. Lin Feng is just delusional!"
"This Lin Feng has not only lost his mind but also revealed his true nature. He even berated his own master, which is utterly disrespectful!"
"Such a person must be ostracized by everyone!"
"..."
Outbursts of indignation erupted from the crowd!
Some were genuinely outraged, while others aimed to ingratiate themselves with the Jiang and Zhou Clans.
Regardless,
The jeers and taunts had entirely drowned out Lin Feng's voice.
"What a load of nonsense!"
"How dare you criticize me! You can all go to hell!"
Lin Feng was seething with anger, his eyes filled with murderous intent, as an overwhelming aura erupted from his body.
"What?!"
"This power... Half-step Mysterious Platform realm!?"
"Lin Feng seemed like an ordinary cultivator; how could he unleash such a formidable aura?"
"Quick, fall back! We can't witness this level of battle up close!"
"..."
A large crowd of onlookers were stunned and fearful, retreating in all directions.
"Half-step Mysterious Platform realm!"
"I didn't expect to have underestimated you!"
A glimmer of shock flickered in Zhou Ruiyu's eyes before he coldly stated, "However, the half-step Mysterious Platform realm is still leagues away from the true Mysterious Platform realm. You are destined to perish today!"
"Surrender now!"
Jiang Xingtai's expression darkened, and he gripped a Top-grade long sword of Spiritual Awakening rank in his hand.
"End your own life, and I shall leave your corpse whole!"
Jiang Chen's voice was frosty, akin to a frigid gust sweeping through.
"Foolish!"
Lin Feng sneered, a crazed glint in his eyes, as a crimson flame suddenly erupted from his body!
"What!"
Having previously battled Lin Feng, Jiang Xingtai was the first to notice something amiss with Lin Feng's flame!
This flame is far more potent than before! It has actually ascended to the Mysterious Platform level!
Zhou Ruiyu was equally taken aback!
Evidently, Lin Feng was merely at the Soul Refining realm earlier; how could he suddenly unleash an attack with the Mysterious Platform-level flames?
This simply defied all logic!
Only Jiang Chen was aware that Lin Feng had once been the protagonist, the prior protagonist.
Though he had lost his protagonist status, the power within his body remained intact.
As a former protagonist, possessing a powerful means to temporarily boost one's combat prowess was only logical...
It was at this instant that both Jiang Xingtai and Zhou Ruiyu were taken aback.
"Perish!"
Lin Feng bellowed, unleashing an intensely terrifying flame as he ferociously assaulted Jiang Chen!
Firstly.
The individual he loathed the most was Jiang Chen!
Secondly.
Among the trio besieging him, Jiang Chen was the weakest link, merely at the Spiritual Awakening realm.
"Jiang Chen, dodge quickly!"
"Young Master Jiang Chen!"
"Avoid a direct confrontation!"
"..."
Simultaneously, Ning Xian, Qiu Liaoxi, Jiang Xingtai, and other members of the Jiang Clan all cried out in unison, their anxiety palpable.
Jiang Xingtai also gave it his all, fiercely attacking Lin Feng's back in an attempt to force him into a defensive stance.
Zhou Ruiyu clenched his right hand, wielding a top-grade Spiritual Awakening-ranked spear artifact that he swiftly thrust towards Lin Feng!
Nonetheless.
Lin Feng's sudden acceleration was incredibly swift, and he rapidly closed in on Jiang Chen.
The horrifying flame, capable of incinerating all in its path, was on the verge of engulfing Jiang Chen!
"Curse it!"
"Violent Tiger Power, Explosive Persona Force, Clear Sky Flash!"
A look of terror crossed Jiang Chen's face as he unleashed a threefold combo, barely evading Lin Feng's scorching flames by a hair's breadth!
"Hmph!"
"You may dodge the first attack, but you won't evade the second!"
Lin Feng coldly snorted, opting not to pursue the attack. Instead, he swiftly moved away from the spot where Jiang Chen had dodged.
Despite being able to harness power at the Mysterious Platform level, Lin Feng dared not confront two Mysterious Platform realm cultivators, unless he further tapped into the Burning World Red Lotus.
However.
The Burning World Red Lotus was already significantly weakened.
Each time Lin Feng drew from it, the Burning World Red Lotus would deteriorate, akin to an avalanche!
When the moment arrived for him to rescue the Burning World Red Lotus, he couldn't predict the number of spiritual plants he would have to expend.
It was wiser to temporarily retreat, seek out the treasures concealed within the river, achieve a higher realm after consuming them, and then return for a decisive confrontation!
"Chase him!"
"We mustn't allow him to escape!"
Zhou Ruiyu rapidly pursued Lin Feng with incredible speed.
Not only him, but even the Spiritual Awakening realm cultivators who arrived later joined the chase.
Since Lin Feng's cultivation realm was also within the Spiritual Awakening realm, their assistance might just tip the scales in their favor.
"Jiang Chen!"
Jiang Xingtai swiftly approached Jiang Chen's side.
Jiang Chen had already strategized with him that if they ever managed to corner Lin Feng one day, they should allow others to exhaust him first before engaging.
Thus, he didn't hasten to give chase, but instead came to examine Jiang Chen.
This seemed reasonable to onlookers as well.
"Jiang Chen!"
"Are you alright?"
Ning Xian also hurried over, her gaze filled with concern as she looked at Jiang Chen.
"I, I'm fine!"
Jiang Chen feigned weakness and popped a medicinal pill into his mouth, then glanced at Jiang Xingtai. "Uncle, let's pursue him!"
"Alright!"
Jiang Xingtai hoisted Jiang Chen up and dashed out without delay.
The remaining Jiang Clan cultivators were poised to follow, but they received a message from Elder Ge, instructing them to remain behind and escort Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi to the Jiang Clan's residence at once!
This was to prevent the crowd from inadvertently 'strengthening' Lin Feng and to safeguard Ning Xian and Qiu Liaoxi, since the danger of the Illusory Slaying Tower had not yet been fully neutralized.
"Will Jiang Chen be alright?"
Ning Xian gazed at Jiang Chen's retreating figure, recalling his pale visage, and couldn't help but feel apprehensive in her heart.
"Don't worry!"
Qiu Liaoxi clasped Ning Xian's hand, "You have to trust Jiang Chen."
Meanwhile,
Lin Feng dashed wildly, almost transforming into a blazing dragon!
"Halt right there! You scum!"
Zhou Ruiyu pursued him furiously from behind!
The two of them, one leading and the other trailing, rapidly soared out of the city.
After five or six breaths,
Jiang Chen and Jiang Xingtai's silhouettes materialized outside the city.
"Uncle, you continue chasing him!"
"I'll alter my course and attempt to see if we can encircle and eliminate him!"
Jiang Chen turned to Jiang Xingtai and spoke, the previous frailty on his face having long since vanished.
"Okay!"
"Be careful!"
Jiang Xingtai nodded solemnly.
'Lin Feng, are you headed to that place?'
Deep in thought, Jiang Chen shifted his feet slightly and instantly altered his course.
His destination was the forested area where Lin Feng had previously concealed himself!
Initially,
He had deployed two subordinates armed with Aura Finder Smoke to track Lin Feng's movements.
Subsequently,
They feigned hunting and herb-gathering activities while vigilantly monitoring Lin Feng's whereabouts.
By utilizing the location identified by the Aura Finder Smoke, the direction of Zhou Yihe's demise, and the area where Lin Feng had remained hidden for an extended period,
As well as the time Lin Feng took to traverse from his hiding spot to Zhou Yihe's death site, Lin Feng's speed during his journey, and the distance between the location pinpointed by the Aura Finder Smoke and the place where Zhou Yihe met his end,
And following a few straightforward calculations,
The approximate location of Lin Feng's hideout at that time could be deduced!
At that time, all the storage artifacts belonging to Zhou Yihe and the others had been confiscated.
However, nothing was discovered on Lin Feng's person.
No traces of the medicinal scent that Zhou Yihe and his companions carried could be detected from Lin Feng's mouth and nose.
Thus,
Jiang Chen inferred that Lin Feng had likely concealed those storage artifacts near his hiding spot.
Naturally,
It was also plausible that they had been discarded somewhere en route.
Over the past few days,
Jiang Chen had organized several search parties to locate them, but they remained elusive.
Today,
Lin Feng had activated the 'SEED mode'; he must have been consuming something!
Lin Feng's unique ability enabled him to grow stronger by ingesting spiritual plants, so he might have returned to retrieve them to sustain his consumption and potentially turn the tide.
As for why Lin Feng didn't steal spiritual plants in the city?
The reason was that he lost his protagonist status and, without his former good fortune, he left the city without encountering a single medicine shop.
Even if he had come across a medicine shop, it would have made no difference.
Ever since the trade fair, the Jiang Clan had bought up anything that could benefit Lin Feng on a daily basis.
At this moment,
Jiang Chen was betting that Lin Feng would seek out those hidden spoils!
Even if his gamble proved incorrect, it wouldn't matter.
Having lost his protagonist status, Lin Feng was now just an insignificant ant, and there would be plenty of opportunities to toy with him until his demise.
It was also at the time when Jiang Chen changed direction.
"No way!"
"If this continues, the Burning World Red Lotus won't last much longer!"
"We have to go around and search for that storage ring concealed in the river!"
Lin Feng's face contorted with worry. "Once I obtain those spiritual plants, I will be able to survive this calamity!"
