Chapter 1172: Intent Fades

The entire Mo family trembled with rage, not only at the audacity of taking a photo with the deceased but also at the accompanying words. To them, Ji Dade was essentially twisting the knife in their wounds.

Chu Feng, however, remained unfazed. Since the war had begun and was to the death, there was no need for civility. It was time for mutual destruction. He and Old Gu had paid a hefty price to enlist the dark forces of the underground organization to finally hunt down a Half-Step Celestial Venerable. How could they not publicize such an achievement?

"Never mind," he said, "I'll cremate you. So-called Mo family powerhouses are ultimately nothing but ashes, born in humility and dying in disgrace. Alas, alas, alas!"

Chu Feng shook his head, feeling satisfied.

Soon after, Chu Feng's bounty skyrocketed, making him one of the top ten most wanted criminals in the Underworld. The Mo family, seething with unending rage, further increased the bounty on him to an outrageous sum. Each of the top ten wanted criminals in the Underworld was extraordinary, with bounties so immense that capturing just one would yield enough wealth to establish an entire sect.

Was Chu Feng not afraid? Deep down, he was indeed worried. The Mo family had gone mad, listing him alongside notoriously powerful and terrifying figures. With such a staggering bounty, he had to retaliate.

"My heavens, Ji Dade's bounty has increased again, placing him tenth in the world!" someone exclaimed. The Mo family had escalated the reward, vowing to capture Ji Dade, and explicitly stated they wanted him alive, believing death would be too easy an escape.

Chu Feng refused to back down, ready to challenge them head-on until the very end. "Since the Mo family has gone insane, let's keep provoking them," he said coldly.

He burned the Mo family's Half-Step Celestial Venerable. Of course, given his own power, he couldn't have done it alone, so he eventually found a desolate and dangerous location. He threw the Half-Step Celestial Venerable into a place called Green Flame Cave, where green flames consumed him until his bones shattered and he was reduced to ashes. Chu Feng, with sharp words and gestures, ridiculed the Mo family, causing many members of the clan to turn purple with fury.

Soon after, Long Dayu appeared. "When will this cycle of vengeance end? Can we sit down and talk?" Long Dayu said. "Mo family, if you compensate me, I promise not to get involved in your messy affairs with Ji Dade." Long Dayu's appearance at this moment, whether seeking attention or just for provocation, was remarkably self-important.

"You winged lizard, get lost!" roared a young Mo family Divine King, truly exasperated. "Don't let us catch you, or we'll kill you horribly!" The two young men had left them overwhelmed and their reputation severely damaged; it was a major disaster.

Long Dayu's face turned ashen, and he flew into a rage. To call him a "winged lizard"—was that seeking death, or just seeking death?! He swore to fight the Mo family to the bitter end.

"Old brother, help me hunt down a Half-Step Celestial Venerable and ten Divine Kings from the Mo family! I'll fight them!" Long Dayu howled, instantly enveloped in surging black mist. Spreading his wings like a demon, he thrashed and circled furiously in the sky, utterly enraged.

Ultimately, the Mo family's Grand Elder coughed blood, his face ashen and utterly wretched. Their attempt to deduce Ji Dade's true location using a drop of the Human King Ancestor's blood had failed, leaving them helpless. They had already boasted about finding Ji Dade's coordinates and eliminating him. Now that they had failed, how could they save face? The Mo family, an ancient race and a branch of the Human Kings, now found their reputation in tatters, suffering extreme humiliation that day.

At that moment, Ji Dade spoke out again, issuing a brazen challenge. "Hey, Mo family, weren't you trying to catch me?" Ji Dade taunted. "Did you use up that drop of ancestral blood? I just hid in a perilous forbidden area to escape. If you're finished, I'm leaving."

The Mo family members were so enraged they felt like spitting blood. The outside world was in an uproar. People debated animatedly, finding Ji Dade incredibly devious for responding in such a manner. Upon reflection, forbidden areas were known for their unique terrain, naturally capable of obscuring heavenly secrets. He had hidden in such a zone, causing the Mo family to waste a precious drop of ancestral blood.

"How many drops of ancestral blood do you even have? You can't expect me to keep running back and forth into forbidden areas, can you?" Ji Dade called out, his provocation turning the Mo family's eyes bloodshot.

"This is too much!" Even a Celestial Venerable couldn't bear it, itching to shatter the heavens with a single palm strike, find Ji Dade, and beat him to death on the spot. Some members of the Mo family genuinely considered taking out another drop of Human King blood to re-deduce his location, refusing to believe that scoundrel ant could continuously hide in forbidden areas.

"We must find him, we must drag him out!" an elder growled, "If he isn't killed, my heart will tear itself apart!"

However, after a period of calm, no one in the Mo family dared to use another drop of ancestral blood. The cost was too great, and acting on impulse was foolish. If it failed again, the price would be astronomical! Chu Feng's audacity in provoking and taunting them stemmed from the stone jar and Samsara soil he possessed, which could obscure heavenly secrets. He had no fear of their so-called deductions performed with ancestral blood as a sacrifice.

Holly contacted Chu Feng to inform him of a situation. Someone had gone to the borderlands, intending to vent their anger by slaughtering the Ji family tribe.

"An organization immediately stopped them."

"What?!" Chu Feng's heart sank. It was fortunate that he had let Old Gu use his token; otherwise, that tribe would have been truly imperiled.

"It wasn't the Mo family," Holly clarified, "but rather the prehistoric Shi family."

Hearing this, Chu Feng immediately thought of Shi Huang and was enraged. His feud with the Mo family at the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Waterfall had originated because of that very person. The Mo family hadn't even attacked the borderland tribe yet, but the Shi family had already rushed there, seeking to assert their presence by massacring the tribe.

"Sister Holly, kill them all!" Chu Feng gasped, his breathing ragged.

"Don't worry," Holly replied, "not a single person from the Shi family escaped. Our Young Lady was furious; that's her earthly dojo, part of her secret realm's heavenly kingdom, and she would never allow others to cause harm there." Holly confirmed that all the Shi family members who went there had died.

Chu Feng was speechless. It seemed the Temple Fairy was not to be trifled with; her character was far from gentle, devoid of any so-called "womanly kindness."

Old Gu, hearing this nearby, gasped in astonishment. After understanding the situation, he was greatly shocked.

"A so-called secret realm heavenly kingdom," Old Gu explained, "is a dojo cultivated by a true great figure, manifested from their physical body. After such a person dies, their secret realm heavenly kingdom merges with the lands of the Underworld. If they successfully achieve heaven-defying reincarnation, they can reclaim and re-forge that heavenly kingdom, which represents the fruit of their previous life's cultivation."

Hearing Old Gu's words, Chu Feng was astonished. The Temple Fairy was indeed formidable, far more powerful than he had imagined. It was important to remember that for Old Gu to call someone a "great figure" meant they were truly heaven-defying.

After ending the call, Chu Feng remained in a daze. After a long pause, he finally spoke to Old Gu. "Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel rather disheartened. Seriously confronting the Mo family now seems pointless. Once my strength is sufficient, I'll simply charge directly into their ranks!" At present, he relied too heavily on external objects and outside forces; he himself was too weak.

"I'm leaving," he declared, "I need to cultivate. Next time, I want to rise by my own power and sweep away all my enemies!" He felt it was time to put his words into action.

What kind of enemies did the Temple Fairy face? Samsara Hunters! Compared to the Temple Fairy and the Mo family's Human Kings, he was far too lacking. The waters of this world ran deep. The Martial Lunatic, a prehistoric overlord, was still alive and had long been invincible. And what about Li? Had he truly perished? His death in prehistoric times was too peculiar. He was once a tyrannical figure who ruled the lands of the Underworld, yet he suddenly passed away one morning. There were also the Great Evil Spirit, the branches of evolution, and the Celestial Venerable Predators from beyond this world—one terrifying, unfathomably powerful entity after another.

"Indeed, I must also depart," Old Gu said, "This old man wishes to evolve on his own." He wanted to journey alone.

"Through the cosmic brain, I've learned there's a Chaotic Forest in the Underworld inhabited by strange, desolate tigers," Dong Dahu suddenly added. "I want to go see it!"