Chapter 604: Anti-Poaching

Darkness enveloped the area. Except for the distant dead city, which shone a thousand miles away, all other regions remained eternally dark and incredibly desolate.

Chu Feng searched meticulously, hoping to find Qin Luoyin.

He knew she was thinking the same thing – trying to hunt him down. Rather than risking an ambush, he decided it was better to take the initiative and deal with this successor of the Great Dream Pure Land first.

Chu Feng dared not be careless in the slightest. Even though he was well-prepared and believed he could subdue her, he remained extremely cautious, as she was a whole major realm above him.

Although his domain abilities were strong, if any mistake allowed her to escape, it would be extremely difficult to hunt her down again.

In the darkness, Chu Feng moved like a phantom through the desolate land. Inadvertently, he looked up and saw various meteorites suspended in mid-air.

He frowned. Could Qin Luoyin be in the air?

He also pondered how strange it was that while this space suppressed evolvers, preventing normal flight, these asteroids and meteorites could remain suspended.

Chu Feng became even more focused, moving silently. He found clues not only on the ground but also on the meteorites in mid-air: traces of violet crystal heavenly lightning.

"This daydreaming girl is truly ruthless!" Chu Feng's coldness intensified. He realized that once they met, he would have to go for a kill; he couldn't just assume he could capture her alive. She was a formidable opponent.

After all, she was a top prodigy, ranked among the best of the young generation in the universe.

"When we fought outside Kunlun Mountain, I plundered her. How could she still have such a powerful weapon as violet crystal heavenly lightning? Where did she hide it?" Chu Feng looked surprised.

He felt he had made a mistake. He should have used his Fiery Golden Eyes to thoroughly examine her inside and out back then; this woman clearly had other spatial secret treasures that went undiscovered.

Chu Feng moved like a ghost, his feet barely touching the ground, swiftly drifting through the area. Yet, he still couldn't find any trace of Qin Luoyin, which made his expression grow even graver.

She definitely wasn't dead; she was simply too well hidden for him to find.

He leaped, his powerful spring easily propelling him hundreds of meters into the air, landing on a floating boulder. Then he leaped again, continuously ascending towards the sky.

He thought Qin Luoyin might be up there. If she were waiting for rescue, it might be in the high heavens where the void had previously fractured.

He possessed black talismans that allowed him to fly in this space, but they glowed, making him too conspicuous at night and an easy target for Qin Luoyin.

Finally, after climbing for some distance, he found new clues: very subtle traces left by her.

"Let's see where you go!" Chu Feng felt he had grasped her intentions. They were likely to encounter each other soon, and she might indeed be hiding among the meteorites in the sky.

He figured that since he hadn't shown himself for over a month, she must have become quite complacent, perhaps even believing he was dead.

"If I still can't find you this time, I'll reveal myself to lure you out." He didn't want to make a disturbance easily and attract her, as being hidden was an inherent advantage.

Of course, if he chose to reveal himself, he would first set a trap for her, but that would only be one chance. If it failed and he couldn't capture her, there would be no second attempt.

Therefore, he didn't want to use himself as bait to make her appear just yet.

Suddenly, Chu Feng felt a chill run down his spine, his hairs standing on end. As he leaped upward, he detected something amiss on a floating meteorite. Anyone else would have overlooked it, but Chu Feng, a domain researcher, was exceptionally sensitive to the earth's energy, and his hairs immediately bristled.

Finally, he discovered it: something was in the crevice of the meteorite. Opening his Fiery Golden Eyes, he saw through the illusion, piercing the surface to reveal a small bow.

It was buried, completely invisible to ordinary people.

Chu Feng's Fiery Golden Eyes glowed, piercing through to its essence, filling him with dread.

The small bow was only palm-sized, made of dark wood. A small arrow, entirely crimson as if drenched in blood, was notched on its string.

Chu Feng had already landed on that meteorite. Upon detecting something was wrong, he leaped off and immediately ran.

The void subtly trembled—the movement of energy breaking through space. Chu Feng was particularly sensitive to such fluctuations. He knew things were terribly wrong as the small arrow shot out.

At this moment, he was like an ancient ape deity, leaping from one suspended meteorite to another in the sky, rapidly descending towards the ground.

A faint crimson light rapidly pursued him, changing direction as he did, following him no matter which way he moved.

"What is this thing?!" Chu Feng was astonished. The Great Dream Pure Land had far too many treasures. He hadn't even seen Qin Luoyin herself, yet a terrifying secret artifact she had placed could hunt down enemies. It was unsettling.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Chu Feng moved like a streak of light among the meteorites in mid-air, constantly changing direction, eventually successfully landing on the desolate ground.

However, the crimson arrow behind him pursued relentlessly, now close enough to strike him.

Surprised, Chu Feng took out the Vajra Circle and threw it backward, while his other hand held the stone box, ready to smash it out at any moment.

Unexpectedly, the Vajra Circle emitted a dazzling white light, immensely powerful. It instantly shattered the crimson arrow, which disintegrated into scattered specks of bright red light before dissipating.

"Its power isn't all that great, is it?" Chu Feng wondered suspiciously, feeling the arrow was all bark and no bite.

However, he immediately stumbled, nearly falling headlong to the ground. Dizziness overwhelmed him; the situation was dire.

Then, where the arrow had exploded, as the vibrant red, blood-rain-like specks of light dispersed, hazy images appeared—faint visions of ancient people performing sacrifices.

"Damn it!" Chu Feng cried out, sensing impending disaster. He then ran wildly towards the dead city.

He knew what was happening and wanted to leave immediately, seeking refuge where Qin Luoyin couldn't follow.

This was ancient curse magic!

The palm-sized bow and the red arrow it fired were ancient cursed artifacts. Ever since the advent of optical computers, which could connect to the interstellar network, he had researched much information on such topics.

Furthermore, he had previously heard the Yellow Ox mention some unavoidable external techniques, fearing that he might unknowingly fall victim to ruthless individuals in the future.

Among them, curses were the most terrifying; their chilling effects were inescapable.

Such small bows and arrows were weapons refined by ancient people using witchcraft, or rather, curse magic. Once fired, they were almost like curses themselves, capable of killing opponents.

Now, Chu Feng's spirit was unstable. Although the small arrow hadn't hit him, the curse magic had taken effect, penetrating his flesh.

Legend had it that if an expert wielded such an artifact, even a saint could be cursed to death.

In truth, its physical attack was also terrifying, capable of piercing metal and stone, and penetrating an evolver's body. However, the Vajra Circle, having undergone transformation, was incredibly powerful and shattered it, allowing only a portion of the curse's full might to manifest.

"Qin Luoyin actually has something like this!" Chu Feng gnashed his teeth, thinking it was a truly extravagant use to employ it against him.

With proper preparation, such an ancient weapon imbued with curse magic could pin down even a Golden Arhat, yet it was used to ambush him.

After running for a long time, his head spun. The ancient curse magic was impossible to guard against and differed greatly from current cultivation systems, causing him to almost faint.

He knew it was damaging his spirit.

At the same time, when Chu Feng opened his Fiery Golden Eyes, he vaguely saw a graceful figure pursuing him from a hundred miles away.

She might not have been able to see him, but after the arrow was fired, she sensed something and pursued him.

Chu Feng took out the black talisman paper, no longer looking back, and transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the dead city.

Undoubtedly, his speed was now incredibly fast, allowing him to shake off his pursuer in an instant.

Shortly after, he entered the hundreds of miles radius around the dead city, where he was safe, as Qin Luoyin could not approach this area.

Chu Feng collapsed onto the ground outside the dead city, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat, and suffering from a splitting headache. He knew he had to hold on, or he would die there.

He recalled carefully that wielding such an ancient cursed weapon wasn't easy. First, she would need to possess some of his fresh blood essence, then refine it for many days so that a killing intent would be triggered upon his approach.

Clearly, during their last encounter when they bit each other's lips, she must have preserved some of his fresh blood, smeared it on the small arrow, and then performed the ritual against him.

There was no particularly good way to counteract this ancient curse magic; he could only endure it. If he survived, he would be immune next time.

However, enduring it was easier said than done. These weapons were capable of killing Golden Arhats, and if wielded by a saint, could even curse other saints to death.

This weapon was undoubtedly Qin Luoyin's most precious secret artifact, yet she used it on him, a mere cultivator at the initial stage of contemplation, just to kill him.

His only fortune was that the extraordinary Vajra Circle shattered the small arrow. Otherwise, had it truly pierced his body and unleashed its curse within his flesh, he would have surely died.

"Logically, I only got a little of it, and it was cast by Qin Luoyin, not some old monster's ritual, so I should be able to endure it."

Hundreds of miles outside the dead city, a beautiful figure shimmered with faint light, her flawless body appearing like a perfect masterpiece from the heavens, breathtakingly ethereal. Her purple hair danced as she removed her five-colored mask, gazing towards the dead city. Her face was crystal-white, exquisitely beautiful, possessing a charm that could captivate all beings.

"I sense he fled in this direction. Could he have escaped into that dead city?"

Qin Luoyin didn't believe it. She then began searching around the illuminated area.

Chu Feng lay on the cold ground, experiencing alternating chills and fever, eventually falling into a semi-conscious state, nearly dying. For three days and three nights, he couldn't move, his spirit almost disintegrating.

This was despite his recent significant increase in strength from practicing martial arts, comprehending breathing techniques, and mastering secret arts outside the dead city. If he had just fallen into this space, without having cultivated here or journeyed on the path of reincarnation, he might have died instantly.

On the fourth day, Chu Feng sat up from the ground like a resurrected corpse, his face grim. He had actually almost died! He had intended to hunt Qin Luoyin, to capture or kill her, but it had come to this!

He looked down at the golden thread on his wrist, then at the Vajra Circle, the stone box, and other items. None of them had actively defended against the curse magic. It seemed he knew too little about this field and would need to study it thoroughly in the future.

"Qin Luoyin!"

Chu Feng's expression turned cold. He circulated his breathing technique and meditated for another half-day before finally standing up and striding into the distance.

He took a deep breath, his mind resolute. If he failed to suppress or capture this woman now, it would be truly shameful to have been counter-hunted and nearly killed by her.