The chasm between the Martial Arts Fourth Layer and the Martial Arts Three Heavens was a difficult bottleneck. Once a cultivator broke through it, there would be no more bottlenecks before the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven.
A few days ago, he'd received news that Yu Yao—the talented young lady of the Yu Family and another of Mountain and River City's top geniuses—had already developed Qi Sensing and broken through to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. This filled him with a sudden sense of urgency.
He'd heard that Qin Feng's father, Qin Zhan, had only possessed average aptitude. But then, he had supposedly stumbled into some ancient ruins, where he obtained precious elixirs left behind from a bygone era. Afterward, his power had skyrocketed, allowing him to break straight through to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven. Before his death, Qin Zhan was said to have hidden a batch of these elixirs, seemingly set aside specifically for his son, Qin Feng.
Ever since Qin Zhan's death, he had been watching Qin Feng's every move, searching for any clue that might lead him to Qin Zhan's hidden treasures.
'Clearly, Qin Feng came out this time to find that batch of elixirs!'
He had also recently heard that in a few months, the main family from Mountain and River City would be sending representatives to select outstanding disciples for cultivation with the Main Lineage of the Qin Family. The minimum requirement, however, was the Martial Arts Fourth Layer.
The Qin Family of Mountain and River City was one of the city's ruling families, controlling over a hundred branch families and a vast amount of precious resources. Branches like the Qin Family in Shanghe Town had to pay tribute to the main family every year. The main family was a gathering place for elite disciples from all branches, offering profound Cultivation Methods. Joining the main family was the dream of every disciple from a branch family.
If he could be specially groomed by the main family, he might even have a chance to break through to the Condensing Vein Realm.
In short, to enter the main family in Mountain and River Town, Qin Fang would pay any price. 'Anyone who stands in my way must die!'
Qin Fang lifted his head, a sharp glint in his eyes as he stared directly at the large, green-robed man. "Steward Ning San, you must be joking. You injured a disciple of my Qin Family on our territory without any rhyme or reason, and now you twist the facts. Do you take my Qin Family for a pushover? If you can't give us a proper explanation today, Steward, I'm afraid the eight hundred disciples of the Qin Family won't let this matter rest so easily!"
The surrounding forest rustled. In the distance, men in practical warrior attire emerged from the woods one after another. Although most had not yet embarked on the Martial Dao, there were quite a few Martial Arts Practitioners among them. A few middle-aged Martial Artists carrying single-edged sabers even stepped forward; from their cultivation, they were all experts at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer.
The large, green-robed man's brow furrowed, his expression turning grim. Although he was confident he could defeat these Qin Family experts, there was a saying: a mighty dragon is no match for a snake in its own den. If he truly provoked the full might of the Qin Family, it likely wouldn't end well for him.
This was Qin Family territory, far from his Ning Family in Sanhe Town.
Yet, he couldn't bear to just give up on this opportunity. 'But the Qin Family has the advantage here. Even if I'm unwilling, what can I do? The priority is to call for the family's elites and see if we can get a piece of the pie from them.' After weighing his options for a moment, he flicked his wide sleeve and snorted coldly. "What a Seventh Young Master Qin. What an 'eight hundred disciples.' I, Ning San, will remember you! We're leaving!"
The large, green-robed man was decisive, leading his men away from the old temple without a moment's delay.
Qin Fang watched impassively as the group departed, making no move to stop them. Seeing this, Qin Muyun was deeply dissatisfied. "Seventh Brother," he said resentfully, "we're just letting them go?"
Qin Fang gave a cold smirk and snapped, "Sixth Brother, you're too naive. Do you really think these men are enough to stop Ning San, an expert of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven? If an expert at his level goes berserk, even if we managed to kill him, how many of us would be left standing? A true expert must learn to assess the situation and avoid unnecessary risks! If you want to get yourself killed, fine, but don't drag the rest of us down with you!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the still-resentful Qin Muyun before he continued.
"However, you don't need to worry about him leaking the news. I've already sent word for a few Elders to handle it. I trust he won't make it out of the Barbaric Mountain Range alive."
Hearing this, the Qin brothers each felt a jolt. Qin Fang's methods were truly meticulous, leaving nothing to chance.
Qin Muyun was inwardly shaken. He was furious and resentful about Qin Fang's reprimand, but he suppressed his anger and asked coldly, "So what do we do now? Just wait here?"
He stared grimly at the entrance beneath the six Great Tripods. Qin Feng had just gone inside through there, but the mechanism was now sealed. They were locked out, forced to wait outside like fools.
At the same time, the other young masters of the Qin Family were also furious, but their anger was mixed with jealousy, resentment, and indignation. 'There could really be elixirs and Cultivation Techniques left by Qin Zhan down there! Qin Feng is inside right now, enjoying all the benefits, isn't he?'
They were out here fighting for their lives, while Qin Feng was down there reaping all the rewards. It was enough to make their blood boil! The frustration was unbearable.
'Qin Feng is just a disciple from a side branch! What has he done to deserve such an opportunity, such a Creation! And that Qin Zhan, hoarding treasure for himself... he deserved to die a thousand deaths!' The eyes of the several Direct Lineage young masters turned red with envy, and they wished they could charge straight through the sealed entrance.
Qin Fang took in all their reactions, then shot Qin Muyun a cold, arrogant smile.
"Next, of course, is to decide how to execute the traitor, Qin Feng," he said haughtily. "I saw long ago that he was born with a rebellious streak and harbors sinister intentions. He's no good. A person like that is a ticking time bomb and should have been eliminated long ago. If it weren't for the debt we owed his father, he would have died without a proper burial! Why else would we have let him live, allowing him to just languish on the mountain waiting for death? But now, he dares to hoard such important treasures for himself, completely disregarding the family's interests. For that, he truly deserves to die a thousand deaths!"
A fierce glint appeared in his eyes as a terrifying pressure emanated from him, sweeping over the crowd. Many of the Qin Family disciples couldn't help but take a step back, lowering their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
Beside him, Qin Muhai's eyes darted about before he chimed in, "That's right! The family nurtured Qin Feng, yet he shows no consideration for its interests. He's been blinded by greed! His crime is unforgivable. We absolutely cannot let him get away with this!"
"But he's hiding underground, protected by that mechanism. He probably won't be coming out any time soon."
Qin Fang smiled confidently. "Qin Feng may be cunning, and his scheming is first-rate, but his every move is still within the palm of my hand. That mechanism can protect him for a while, but not forever. He has to come out eventually. We'll have our men watch this place day and night. Right now, he's a turtle in a trap!"
Just then, Qin Shu spoke up calmly. "Seventh Brother, don't be so overconfident. What if the mechanism has another exit? He might have already escaped."
A sharp glint flashed in Qin Fang's eyes. He glanced at Qin Shu and chuckled. "First Brother, you worry too much. My plans always account for every possibility. How could I not have a contingency? Even if he manages to escape the Celestial Net of Heaven and Earth we've laid here, he'll still come crawling back obediently!"
"Oh? And why is that?" Qin Shu asked in surprise.
"Because I've already sent men back to capture his personal maid," Qin Fang said with a sinister tone.
"How can a mere maid compare to elixirs and a Cultivation Technique?" Qin Shu said, shaking his head.
Qin Fang smiled faintly. "First Brother, you're mistaken. From what I know, he has always been extremely close to that ugly maid. For the past few years, she has been the one to look after his every need, from food to lodging. A person like Qin Feng places great importance on that little maid. I'm betting he won't be able to just abandon the poor girl and run."
"As long as we have that ugly maid, he'll have no choice but to surrender!"