Chapter 281: Crazy Snatching of Blood Jade Crystals, Three Hundred Years Pass in a Flash!

Chapter 281: A Frenzied Harvest of Blood Jade Crystal, Three Hundred Years Pass in a Blink!

Within the Crimson Forbidden Ground, Qin Feng continued his solitary and purpose-driven journey.

The concept of time grew hazy and cheap in this forgotten ancient battlefield.

The ashen sky remained unchanging, with neither sunrise nor moonfall, only the mist rising from the distant blood river and the occasional dark red glow erupting from the magma rift, offering a fleeting footnote of motion to this dead world.

Like a tireless phantom, he swept across endless mountain ranges of bones and threaded through forests of giant trees long turned to charcoal.

His spiritual power, like the most intricate net, spread out inch by inch from his center, covering hundreds of kilometers around, searching for any valuable energy fluctuations.

The vastness of this forbidden ground surpassed imagination, its spatial laws as stable and its force field as viscous as anything beyond the outer cosmos.

Here, light-years were meaningless units of measurement. Even Qin Feng had to measure this land in the most primitive way—with his steps and with time.

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, a hundred years had passed in leisurely drift.

During this long century, Qin Feng’s storage ring was filled again and again.

He found “Soul Crystal Flowers” growing within the skulls of marquis-level powerhouses, which could nourish spiritual power and increase its total capacity;

He unearthed “Crimson Flame Divine Gold” buried deep in magma veins, an excellent material for forging peak black hole-level secret treasures;

Even in the ruins of a collapsed ancient temple, he discovered a few golden pages inscribed with incomplete secret arts. Though useless for his current path of “proving the Way through power,” they deepened his understanding of this world’s past.

Heavenly treasures, divine metals, secret ores—he amassed wealth enough to make any cosmic nation envious.

Yet his primary goal—the Blood Jade Crystal—remained elusive, as if it were nothing but an illusory legend.

It wasn’t until the eightieth year that a turning point appeared.

At the end of a plain torn apart by a massive sword scar, he finally found a reference point marked on the treasure map: “Soul-Breaking Cliff.”

It was a black mountain range severed at the waist, the cut as smooth as a mirror, still faintly retaining a trace of an emperor’s sword intent.

Qin Feng hovered before the Soul-Breaking Cliff, sinking his spiritual power into the treasure map and comparing it with the scene before him.

After a moment, he reached a conclusion that was neither good nor bad.

His luck was indeed poor. When he first entered the Crimson Forbidden Ground, the random teleportation had thrown him into an extremely remote corner of the entire forbidden ground’s map.

And the true extent of this Crimson Forbidden Ground, estimated by the map’s scale, was so vast that it rivaled an entire galaxy.

With his currently limited range of spiritual perception, attempting a carpet search of this galaxy-sized land was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

All he could do was follow the routes marked on the map where opportunities might exist, patiently, step by step.

“It seems staying here for a thousand years, or even longer, is inevitable.”

Qin Feng’s heart remained unruffled, instead giving rise to a sense of calm inevitability.

For him, time had long ceased to be a measure of gain or loss.

As long as he could achieve tangible improvement, a thousand years and a single day were no different in essence.

“So be it. Such a long time will be enough to push my foundation to a new height. This can only benefit the final task issued by the cosmic will.”

He adjusted his mindset, transforming this treasure hunt into a protracted retreat for cultivation.

Over these hundred years, aside from gathering resources, his greatest gain was his own cultivation progress.

Relying on a mountain of heavenly treasures and constant reflection and refinement of his martial philosophy, he finally succeeded in the ninety-ninth year in elevating the top-tier secret art [Nine Spirit Origin Diagram] from the Three-Spirit Realm to the Four-Spirit Realm.

At that moment, the [Eternal Singularity] within his inner world trembled violently. Four mysterious and ancient totem imprints slowly revolved at its core. With each rotation, they triggered an unimaginable energy transformation within the singularity, ascending to a higher level.

A terrifying sense of power, far beyond before, filled his limbs, bones, and the depths of his soul.

Fourfold amplification!

This was a mere numerical description, but for Qin Feng, the feeling was far more intuitive than numbers.

He could clearly sense that his precision in controlling energy, his instantaneous burst of power, and even the resonance between his physical body and the singularity had all stepped onto a new level.

Yet even so, when he tried to touch and understand the legendary realm known as the “Divine Forbidden” from Prince Yuexuan’s words, he still felt an unattainable barrier.

It seemed not a boundary that could be broken by mere accumulation of power, but rather a leap in life level, an essential transformation in understanding and applying the laws of the universe.

“As I am now, against a true Domain Lord-level powerhouse, I still have no chance of victory.”

Qin Feng calmly assessed his own strength.

He knew well that the difference between fourfold amplification and threefold amplification, when facing a Domain Lord who had begun to control a “domain” of power, was merely whether he could hold out for an instant longer or be annihilated in an instant.

The outcome would not change.

Having clarified the gap, Qin Feng’s Dao heart grew even more steady. Neither arrogant nor impatient, he continued his journey.

Time flew like a white horse passing a gap, and another fifty years slipped away silently.

One day, following the treasure map’s guidance, Qin Feng flew toward a crater area marked as “possibly containing a rare object.” Along the way, his spiritual power swept the surroundings as usual.

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly, and he halted.

At the edge of his spiritual perception, a familiar yet chaotic and weakened aura was fleeing toward him at great speed.

It was Feng Zhiyu.

“So he finally made up his mind, daring to enter this Crimson Forbidden Ground alone, seeking a thread of opportunity?”

A faint, barely perceptible smile curled at the corner of Qin Feng’s mouth.

In his perception, Feng Zhiyu’s aura now was far stronger than it had been a hundred and fifty years ago in the Tianxuan Ancient Kingdom.

If back then Feng Zhiyu’s progress on the martial path could only be considered thirty percent complete, now he had at least reached seventy percent.

Such a rate of progress was terrifying.

Clearly, over these hundred and fifty years, Feng Zhiyu had also obtained his own opportunities within the Crimson Forbidden Ground.

Yet at this moment, he was in a miserable state.

Behind him, three figures exuding the same galaxy-level peak aura were in hot pursuit. Sharp attacks tore through the air, exploding around Feng Zhiyu, forcing him to dodge clumsily, his injuries mounting.

Qin Feng saw through the essence of the battle at a glance.

In terms of energy level, Feng Zhiyu and the three pursuers were evenly matched.

The reason he was being chased without being able to fight back was twofold.

First, his strength had increased too quickly, his foundation surging, but the corresponding killing techniques and combat experience had not kept pace, leaving him with power he couldn’t efficiently convert into combat capability.

Second, his opponents outnumbered him and worked in perfect coordination, while he was alone.

“Kill him!”

“A mere remnant of the Tianxuan Cosmic Kingdom dares to compete with us for treasures!”

“Kill!”

The pursuers’ roars, laced with killing intent, were clearly audible even from a distance.

Feng Zhiyu fled all the way, his aura growing more disordered, clearly at the end of his strength.

Qin Feng hesitated no longer. His form flickered, transforming into a streak of light too fast for the eye to catch. In an instant, he crossed the vast distance, standing like an eternal mountain, silently blocking the path between Feng Zhiyu and the three pursuers.

“Huh?”

Feng Zhiyu, fleeing for his life, saw only a flash of light before him. A black-robed figure, not tall but radiating infinite safety, stood in his way. He froze in shock, then his eyes blazed with disbelief and ecstasy.

And the three pursuers, startled by this sudden turn, halted abruptly, their faces taut with vigilance as they fixed their gaze upon the mysterious black-robed figure.

“Who goes there!”

One of the pursuers, a being with a single horn upon his brow, barked harshly, “We are cultivators of the Taizai Cosmic Kingdom, cleansing our enemies. It would be best for you not to meddle!”

Qin Feng did not even turn his head, still facing away from the three pursuers.

He merely let out a snort—faint, light, yet brimming with supreme authority and absolute will.

“Hmph!”

The sound was not loud, yet it seemed like the first decree at the dawn of the universe, a divine edict that spoke reality into being.

An invisible, intangible, yet irresistible force, borne upon the sound waves, swept through in an instant.

The three arrogant galaxy-level pursuers froze, their fierce expressions solidifying.

Their bodies began to disintegrate irreversibly, starting from the most minute particles.

No explosion, no roar—just a silent, inward-outward dissolution into a mist of blood, their very soul imprints crushed, erased, and reduced to nothingness by that single snort.

From beginning to end, Qin Feng had not even lifted a hand.

With a mere gesture—no, without even raising a hand—he could annihilate his peers with a word.

Such was the chasm between him now and ordinary galaxy-level cultivators, a gap like a heavenly moat.

“Benefactor... benefactor!”

Feng Zhiyu stared blankly at the three rapidly dissipating blood mists, his mind a void. After several breaths, he snapped back to reality, his voice trembling with extreme agitation.

Qin Feng slowly turned, his calm gaze falling upon Feng Zhiyu. “What is this Taizai Cosmic Kingdom all about?”

Feng Zhiyu suppressed the tempest within him, daring not to conceal anything. He spoke urgently, “Benefactor! Not long ago, the twenty-fourth prince of the Tianxuan Ancient Kingdom and I discovered a treasure land where Blood Jade Crystals were born! But the Taizai Cosmic Kingdom found it too. They outnumber us, and among them is an immensely powerful black-hole-level being. The twenty-fourth prince, to cover my escape, was severely wounded and captured. I... I could only flee desperately to seek aid!”

As he spoke, Feng Zhiyu’s eyes were bloodshot and frantic. He pointed in the direction from which they had come, his words tumbling out rapidly. “Qin Feng! Go quickly! Those are Blood Jade Crystals! Legendary treasures that can directly elevate one’s physical and spiritual aptitudes! Like the difference between a mortal body and the fabled golden human physique—once refined, one’s foundation undergoes a fundamental transformation, and future combat power becomes worlds apart!”

“Good!”

A gleam of sharp light flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he unleashed his spiritual power, enveloping Feng Zhiyu, and said in a low voice, “Show me the direction!”

At the same time, a vast, pure, and profound golden-red spiritual energy surged forth, forming an indestructible barrier that completely encased Feng Zhiyu.

The next moment, Qin Feng moved.

He did not summon any flying shuttle artifact; instead, he relied solely on his pure physical strength, unleashing his current ultimate speed.

Forty-five times the speed of light!

Boom—!

In Feng Zhiyu’s perception, the world “vanished.”

An instant ago, he stood upon a scorched earth; the next, he plunged into a chaotic vortex of bizarre colors and twisted lines.

The concepts of time and space shattered utterly. He could not even think; his very soul felt as if it were being torn apart and dissolved by this extreme velocity.

The only thing that kept him intact was the warm, sturdy golden-red barrier around him.

He could sense that all the terrifying pressure outside, enough to annihilate him in an instant, was effortlessly blocked by this barrier.

His heart shook with unparalleled awe.

Was this... Qin Feng’s true speed?

Back at the Cangyan Pavilion, to accommodate him, Qin Feng had used a black-hole-level flying shuttle artifact. Though fast, it was like mud compared to now.

And now, Qin Feng could not only achieve such inconceivable speed with his physical body but also multitask, using his spiritual power to precisely protect him, a “burden.”

Such strength, such control, was utterly beyond Feng Zhiyu’s comprehension.

This bizarre sensation did not last long.

Almost as quickly as a thought flashed through Feng Zhiyu’s mind, all the distorted lights and shadows vanished abruptly, and the world became clear again.

He found himself at the destination.

Ahead lay a massive pit, its bottom exuding a thick, unyielding aura of blood and resentment.

At the center of the pit, three crystals, each about the size of a fist, floated silently, radiating an eerie blood-red glow.

The crystals were entirely crimson, as if condensed from the blood of countless beings.

Upon them were countless strange blood-red veins and deeper, more ominous black runes.

Feng Zhiyu only glanced at them and felt his soul being drawn in, his ears ringing with the roars and wails of countless vengeful spirits, and before his eyes appeared terrifying visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, of all beings sinking into despair.

Without a doubt, those were the Blood Jade Crystals!

Beside the pit, several black-hole-level beings in the attire of the Taizai Cosmic Kingdom surrounded a blazing flame.

Within the flame, a figure of the Feather Clan writhed in agony. Upon his soul was branded a mark of torment and curse, his face twisted in extreme pain, emitting silent screams.

It was the twenty-fourth prince of the Tianxuan Ancient Kingdom.

Among them, the most powerful being, already at the peak of ordinary black-hole level, held a Blood Jade Crystal in his hand, slowly drawing strands of blood-red energy into his body, his face a mask of pleasure and intoxication.

“Such speed... In the span of a single breath, you’ve covered the distance I fled for months...”

Feng Zhiyu stood beside Qin Feng, his mind still reeling, muttering to himself.

His appearance immediately drew the attention of the Taizai Cosmic Kingdom cultivators.

The black-hole-level being who had been refining the Blood Jade Crystal slowly opened his eyes, casting a contemptuous glance at Feng Zhiyu, then let out a sneer.

“Oh? Who do we have here? The stray dog that barely escaped. What? Found a patron from your Tianxuan Cosmic Kingdom so soon, and come back for revenge?”

He swept his gaze over Qin Feng’s black robe, which bore no trace of aura, and his disdain deepened.

“Pity, though. Those old fellows at the limit black-hole level in your Tianxuan Cosmic Kingdom are probably busy with more important matters and can’t spare the time. Anyone below that level—no matter how many come, I’ll kill them all!”

The black-hole-level being rose slowly, raising the Blood Jade Crystal high. A domineering aura erupted, and he laughed loudly, “Remember my name, Gu Yun! Beneath the limit, I am the foremost!”

Qin Feng’s gaze did not linger on Gu Yun for even a second.

His eyes fell upon the Blood Jade Crystal in Gu Yun’s hand, and his tone carried a hint of impatience, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

“Don’t touch that Blood Jade Crystal anymore.”

The moment the words fell, he formed a sword gesture with his fingers. At the tip, a faint yet dazzling golden-red light flickered and vanished.

A mere glimmer.

The arrogant smile on Gu Yun’s face froze instantly.

His pupils did not even have time to reflect that golden-red light.

An indescribable, irresistible, ineffable sharpness pierced through his brow, destroyed his soul core, and annihilated all his life force.

His body, like a weathered sand sculpture, shattered from within, inch by inch, finally turning into a dense mist of blood that dissipated into the air.

Qin Feng reached out to claim the spatial ring left by Gu Yun and the fallen Blood Jade Crystal.

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

In the space where Gu Yun's body had exploded, the surrounding void suddenly twisted violently.

Countless blood-colored mysterious patterns emerged out of thin air, like living vines, frantically converging toward the central point.

The residual flesh-and-blood energy, soul fragments, and even the part of the Blood Jade Crystal's origin that Gu Yun had refined into his body were forcibly extracted, pulled, and reorganized by these blood-colored patterns!

Hum—!

A low hum emanated from the space.

Under Qin Feng's astonished gaze, those blood-colored patterns intertwined with black runes, and in the end, they actually recondensed into three Blood Jade Crystals, identical to the ones before!

"After a cultivator dies, the Blood Jade Crystal they refined will reappear?"

A storm of shock surged in Qin Feng's heart.

The significance of this discovery even surpassed obtaining the Blood Jade Crystal itself!

What did this mean?

It meant that he no longer needed to search for traces of Blood Jade Crystals like a headless fly across this vast forbidden land.

He only needed to do one thing—hunt those beings who had already refined Blood Jade Crystals!

This was undoubtedly the most efficient and fastest path.

Admittedly, beings who had refined Blood Jade Crystals would have their talents enhanced and their combat power strengthened.

But no matter how strong they became, could they be stronger than him?

Now, after reaching the Four Spirits realm with the Nine Spirits Origin Chart, Qin Feng could casually kill even limit-level Black Hole experts.

Even if he encountered a half-step Divine Forbidden prodigy who had touched the threshold of the "Divine Forbidden," he was confident he could fight them to a standstill, a fifty-fifty split.

In this Blood Forbidden Land, aside from the unfathomable Stone Buddha—ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List and said to have set foot in the legendary "Divine Forbidden" domain—Qin Feng feared no one.

Moreover, even if he truly faced the Stone Buddha, Qin Feng was not without the power to fight.

He still had many unused trump cards, such as the King-level secret treasure obtained from the Twin Rivers; once its ultimate power was unleashed, even a true Domain Lord-level expert would have to avoid its edge!

With this thought, all hesitation vanished from Qin Feng's mind.

He waved his hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force surged out, drawing into his grasp the three Blood Jade Crystals in the pit, the three that had just condensed from Gu Yun's death, and the one that had fallen—all of them.

A total of seven Blood Jade Crystals all fell into his spatial ring.

Qin Feng collected all six Blood Jade Crystals in one fluid motion, so fast that even Feng Zhiyu and the rescued Tianxuan Kingdom prince beside him could not fully react.

Only when the eerie blood-colored light completely disappeared between Qin Feng's fingers did they slowly snap out of their extreme shock.

Qin Feng paid no attention to their daze; he took out one of them and handed it to Feng Zhiyu.

This Blood Jade Crystal floated quietly, its strange blood-colored patterns and ominous black runes slowly swirling, as if imprisoning countless wailing souls, exuding a primal allure that made one's heart tremble.

"Take it."

Qin Feng's tone was flat, devoid of any emotion. "This object can change your foundational aptitude and greatly benefit your future martial path."

Feng Zhiyu's breath caught sharply. He stared at this supreme treasure that could drive countless Black Hole experts to mad slaughter, a flash of fervor in his eyes—but that fervor was quickly replaced by a more complex emotion: a mix of gratitude, fear, and clear self-awareness.

He instinctively took half a step back, shook his head vigorously, and said with a voice tinged with bitterness and resolve: "Benefactor, this object is too precious. I, Feng… am unworthy of it."

Qin Feng's gaze remained calm; he did not withdraw his hand, only looked at Feng Zhiyu quietly. Feng Zhiyu took a deep breath, as if afraid Qin Feng might misunderstand, and quickly explained: "Benefactor, you have saved me from dire straits multiple times—that is already an immense kindness. If I were to take such a divine object, how would I be any different from a shameless scoundrel?

Moreover, my current meager strength is all thanks to the opportunities in this Blood Forbidden Land; my foundation is unstable, and my mind unsettled.

This Blood Jade Crystal is, for me, a supreme opportunity, but also a deadly poison.

I do not have the qualifications to stand against all the prodigies of the world, nor the strength to protect it."

His words were utterly sincere.

This was not hypocritical refusal, but the clearest self-awareness after recognizing the insurmountable gap between himself and Qin Feng.

He understood that Qin Feng could treat the Blood Jade Crystal as an ordinary object because Qin Feng stood on the mountain peak overlooking all beings; while he himself was still an ant struggling to climb at the foot of the mountain.

Accepting this Blood Jade Crystal would not help him ascend to heaven, but would instead make him the most conspicuous and plump prey in the eyes of all hunters in the dark forest.

Qin Feng listened quietly, sensing the sincerity in Feng Zhiyu's words.

He was not one to force others, and since Feng Zhiyu had his own considerations and convictions, he said no more.

"Very well."

Qin Feng nodded, turned his wrist, and the Blood Jade Crystal vanished, returning to his storage ring.

To him, this was merely a trivial matter.

Then, his gaze shifted to the Tianxuan Kingdom prince he had just rescued from the blazing flames.

Qin Feng waved his hand, and a gentle yet vibrant golden-red spiritual energy surged out, instantly dispelling the vicious curse branded on the prince's soul and repairing the damage to his origin caused by torture.

The prince's previously withered aura visibly recovered, and his pale, twisted face gradually regained color.

He struggled to stand, and without needing Feng Zhiyu's introduction, he immediately recognized Qin Feng. Or rather, upon sensing that domineering and pure golden-red spiritual energy, identical to the legends, he confirmed the identity of the newcomer.

"Qin… Senior Qin!"

The Twenty-Fourth Prince's voice trembled with excitement. Not bothering to tidy his appearance, he bowed deeply to Qin Feng, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and heartfelt reverence. "I am Yue Yi of the Tianxuan Ancient Kingdom!

I have heard of you from my Thirteenth Brother, but I never thought that today I would be saved by you personally… You, you are truly the benefactor of the Tianxuan Ancient Kingdom's royal family!"

His words were earnest, without any of the pretentiousness typical of royalty.

In this Blood Forbidden Land, where human life was as cheap as grass, one act of salvation was enough to be remembered for a lifetime.

"It's nothing, a mere gesture."

Qin Feng's tone remained indifferent. He glanced at the surroundings and said, "This should still be the outer area of the Blood Forbidden Land. If you two continue to seek opportunities, remember: unless you have absolute strength, it's best not to touch the Blood Jade Crystals anymore."

At the words "Blood Jade Crystal," Yue Yi and Feng Zhiyu's expressions turned serious. They knew that what Qin Feng was about to say next would be crucial.

Qin Feng paused, then revealed the critical information that could overturn everyone's understanding of this treasure hunt: "Because, if you kill a cultivator who has refined a Blood Jade Crystal, the Blood Jade Crystal they refined will reappear."

"What?!"

These words were no less than a thunderclap exploding in their minds.

Yue Yi and Feng Zhiyu's pupils simultaneously contracted to the extreme!

They instantly understood the chilling, bloody law behind those words!

This meant that the struggle for Blood Jade Crystals would no longer be a simple treasure hunt, but an endless, unrelenting "raising of gu"!

Every cultivator who had refined a Blood Jade Crystal would instantly transform from a treasure seeker into a mobile, breathing, and potentially ever-appreciating "treasury"!

This would make the slaughter in the Blood Forbidden Land a hundred, a thousand times more bloody and brutal than before!

Watching their shocked expressions, Qin Feng continued his strategic analysis in a tone so calm it was almost cold: "I don't yet know if there is a specific method to track cultivators who have refined Blood Jade Crystals.

But by common sense, with so many top-tier clan prodigies entering this place, they must possess intelligence and secret arts that we do not know.

Perhaps, after refining a Blood Jade Crystal, a cultivator will bear some unique mark; or perhaps, those who have refined them will sense each other within a certain range."

He looked at the two and gave his final advice: "So, remember this. If you encounter Blood Jade Crystals again, either pretend you didn't see them and don't touch a single one, safely seeking other opportunities;

or, prepare thoroughly, find an absolutely safe location, refine all the Blood Jade Crystals you can find to the limit your body can bear, and then, without looking back, leave this Blood Forbidden Land as fast as possible. Never have any wishful thinking, and never think you can continue wandering here after refining just one or two."

These words, every one a gem, were like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing the greed that had just begun to rise in Yue Yi and Feng Zhiyu's hearts.

They exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes they saw both lingering fear and relief.

"Thank you, benefactor, for your guidance! This junior… will never forget!"

Yue Yi bowed deeply once more, this time in gratitude for saving his life, and even more for showing the way.

"Thank you, Qin Feng." Feng Zhiyu also cupped his hands solemnly.

Qin Feng nodded slightly. For him, he had said all there was to say, and their connection ended here.

He turned, without uttering another superfluous word, and his form dissolved into a faint shadow, merging into this dead world of gray, white, and red, vanishing without a trace.

In his place, only Yue Yi and Feng Zhiyu remained, gazing long at the direction Qin Feng had gone, their hearts surging, unable to calm.

…

Time was the cheapest grain of sand on this ancient battlefield.

After Qin Feng and Feng Zhiyu parted ways, another stretch of years—long enough for stars to shift and civilizations to rise and fall in the outer cosmos—silently slipped by.

A hundred years.

For mortals, that was a lifetime, a cycle of birth and death.

But for cultivators like Qin Feng, whose lifespan was already endless, a hundred years was merely a slightly longer period of seclusion and travel on the long road of martial arts.

In these hundred years, Qin Feng's footsteps had traversed countless corners of the outer regions of the Blood Forbidden Land.

…

The twenty-third year after their parting.

A marshland shrouded in blood-colored mist.

At the center of the marsh, in a temporary camp built from the bones of giant beasts, three cultivators clad in resplendent golden armor sat spiritedly around a campfire.

On their armor was emblazoned a totem of a giant axe cleaving the heavens—the royal insignia of the "Heaven-Opening Cosmic Kingdom," renowned in the surrounding star domains for its tyranny and warlike nature.

"Hahaha! The Third Prince is truly wise! We deliberately leaked news of finding three Blood Jade Crystals, and sure enough, it lured those fools from the 'Silver Feather Cosmic Kingdom'!"

A burly cultivator, wiping his battle-axe as he spoke, burst into loud laughter.

"Those feathered birds really thought they could play the mantis stalking the cicada, not knowing we are the true hunters!"

Another, leaner cultivator, a cruel smile curling at his lips, added, "Three Blood Jade Crystals, plus the two we took from them—five in total! Once we refine them, our strength will soar!"

The one they called "Third Prince" was a handsome youth, his brow steeped in arrogance.

He toyed with a Blood Jade Crystal in his hand, his eyes filled with obsession and ambition: "Five is not enough. This Blood Forbidden Land is the ladder to heaven prepared for us by our father!

Once I push my physical and spiritual aptitudes to their limits, the Hidden Dragon List, the Stone Buddha—all will be mere stepping stones beneath my feet!"

Just as they reveled in their glorious future, a detached voice sounded in their ears without warning, like a judgment from the abyss.

"Are your dreams over?"

The three's expressions shifted violently. They sprang to their feet, and a powerful spiritual force swept outward instantly!

"Who!"

the Third Prince barked.

Not far off, within the blood mist, a figure cloaked in black robes stood silently, as if it had been there all along, only they had never noticed.

"A skulking wretch—courting death!"

The burly cultivator, the most hot-tempered, roared and raised his axe, which churned with towering blood light, ready to cleave down upon Qin Feng.

But his motion froze forever at the moment he lifted the axe.

Qin Feng did not even spare him a glance. Instead, he pointed a finger from afar at the arrogant Third Prince.

A faint, almost invisible golden-red light—ignoring the distance, ignoring the several protective treasures that flared instantly on the Third Prince, ignoring his fully activated defensive energy—

Pfft.

A soft sound, as faint as a bubble bursting.

The shock and disbelief on the face of the Heaven-Opening Cosmic Kingdom's Third Prince were frozen eternally.

A tiny red dot appeared on his brow, and then his entire body, along with his soul, his very existence, began from that dot to rapidly, silently annihilate, dissolving into fundamental particles that scattered into the blood mist.

"Pr… Prince?"

The remaining two guards' expressions shifted from fury to utter terror in an instant. They watched helplessly as their master, a powerful Black Hole-level prodigy, was casually "pointed" out of existence before their eyes by a beam of light.

They could not even comprehend what kind of attack this was.

Fear, like icy tides, drowned their reason.

Without a word, they turned and fled at the fastest speeds of their lives, in opposite directions.

Qin Feng remained standing, unmoving.

He merely raised his hand again, casually pointing two fingers in two directions.

Two more golden-red beams, launched after but arriving before.

After two equally faint sounds, the marshland fell back into dead silence.

Qin Feng walked slowly to the campfire.

At the spot where the Third Prince had been, space twisted slightly, and five Blood Jade Crystals floated quietly.

He waved his hand, pocketing the five crystals, then turned and left. The entire process took no more than three breaths.

The sixty-first year after their parting.

An underground cavern, where stalactites glowed with eerie phosphorescence.

Deep in the cavern, five cultivators in dark green robes, their auras cold and sinister, surrounded a corpse that had just lost its life.

The corpse belonged to a human cultivator, his face twisted in pain, his body blackened—clearly poisoned.

"Hehehe… This human brat had some skill, actually finding a spiritual cave that birthed two Blood Jade Crystals."

A cultivator with a voice as raspy as a night owl cackled.

"Too bad he ran into our 'Azure Nether Yellow Spring Sect.' Before our sect's 'Soul-Eating Strange Poison,' even the strongest genius is just a cold corpse."

Another cultivator licked his lips, greed gleaming in his eyes.

The leader, an old man with a face covered in venomous patterns, held the two Blood Jade Crystals taken from the corpse, feeling their vast energy, and nodded with satisfaction: "Good. Adding the one we got from hunting that horned beast earlier, we now have three. Pass the order: everyone refine them on the spot and boost our strength as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

Just as they prepared to divide the spoils, an icy voice came from the shadows of the stalactites above them.

"Refining what doesn't belong to you comes at a price."

The five looked up sharply to see a black-robed figure, hanging upside down from a massive stalactite above them, its calm eyes looking down upon them like a god examining ants.

"Who goes there!"

The senior brother reacted swiftly, shouting as a cloud of dark green poison mist burst from his body, surging toward Qin Feng.

This mist was the sect's ultimate treasure—formless, intangible, targeting the very foundation of the soul, utterly insidious.

Yet the mist, enough to terrify cultivators of the same rank, upon approaching within three feet of Qin Feng, seemed to hit an invisible barrier, like snow meeting blazing sun, rapidly dissolving and purifying, unable to advance even a hair's breadth.

"A trivial skill."

Qin Feng uttered four words lightly.

He didn't even change his posture, still hanging upside down, merely flicking a finger toward the center of the five below.

A golden-red inch-long beam, like a drop of water falling into a calm lake, shot out silently.

The senior brother's pupils contracted sharply—he sensed an unprecedented crisis of death!

He and his four junior brothers shared a telepathic bond, instantly forming a Five Elements Poison Array. Five streams of cold, venomous energy wove together into a massive, dark green shield before them.

Yet all was in vain.

The golden-red inch-long beam, without stirring any energy ripples, effortlessly pierced through the dark green poison shield, as if the shield did not exist.

The light entered through the senior brother's brow, exited from the chest of a cultivator behind him, then the third, the fourth, the fifth...

It was like an invisible thread, instantly stringing the five together in a straight line.

Their faces still held the ferocity and vigilance of forming the array, but their eyes had utterly lost their luster—the flame of life extinguished.

After a few breaths, their bodies began to disintegrate, turning to ash. And where they had stood, three Blood Jade Crystals quietly materialized.

Qin Feng's figure drifted down from above, collected the spoils, and without a backward glance, walked into the deeper darkness of the cavern.

...

Year ninety-eight.

Atop an active volcano, magma like blood, heat waves towering.

On the central platform of the crater, four giants, each over a hundred zhang tall, surrounded a strange plant.

The plant was entirely composed of blood-colored crystal, and at its top, four fruits were about to ripen—naturally formed Blood Jade Crystals!

These four giants were prodigies of the "Lava Titan" clan.

Their bodies were made of the hardest volcanic rock, and within them flowed not blood, but molten lava.

They were born with divine strength, and their physical defenses were nearly unmatched among their peers.

"Hahaha, after guarding for thirty years, this 'Blood Jade Crystal' is finally about to emerge!"

One Lava Titan rumbled, his voice like thunder.

"With the four of us brothers working together, even a Limit Black Hole level powerhouse couldn't shake us!"

"Once we swallow these four Blood Jade Crystals, our physical strength will surely reach a new level! Then we'll hunt those weak races and seize more Blood Jade Crystals!"

They had absolute confidence in their formidable defenses.

Just as the last Blood Jade Crystal fully ripened, radiating dazzling light, a black-robed figure appeared at the edge of the platform as if by teleportation.

"This item is fated to be mine," Qin Feng said calmly.

"A human?"

One Lava Titan turned, his massive rock face showing contempt. "Get lost, or I'll crush you into mud and throw you into the magma!"

Qin Feng shook his head, as if not even interested in arguing with them.

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion toward the four towering Lava Titans.

No earth-shattering sound, no dazzling light.

But in the perception of those four Lava Titans, their world was "paused" in that instant by an incomprehensible force.

Then, four golden-red inch-long beams simultaneously appeared from within their indestructible rock bodies, precisely striking the life furnaces at their cores.

Their rock bodies, capable of withstanding a full-force blow from a Limit Black Hole level powerhouse, became more fragile than paper in that moment.

Utter destruction from within occurred instantly.

Boom—!

The four colossal Lava Titans, without even a single scream, collapsed in an explosion, turning into countless flaming rubble that plunged into the magma sea below, stirring up monstrous waves.

Magma churned, heat waves blasted.

Qin Feng walked slowly to the center of the platform and plucked the four naturally ripened Blood Jade Crystals one by one.

After doing this, he glanced at the turbulent magma sea below—no new Blood Jade Crystals appeared after the four Lava Titans died.

"It seems only refined Blood Jade Crystals follow that rule," he understood in his heart.

He turned, stepped into the void, and vanished into the rolling black smoke and heat waves.

...

Secret treasures, divine metals, exotic flowers, rare fruits...

A century of accumulation—Qin Feng's harvest had reached a terrifying degree beyond measure. His storage ring was already stuffed to the brim with all kinds of top-tier resources.

And among these, the most important gain was, naturally, the coveted Blood Jade Crystals.

In the hundred years since leaving Feng Zhiyu, he had successively seized twelve more Blood Jade Crystals from various enemies through different means.

Adding the seven he had before, the total number of Blood Jade Crystals in his possession had reached an astonishing nineteen!

Each Blood Jade Crystal represented at least one, or even several, top prodigies' lives.

Yet, even with such treasures in hand, Qin Feng remained absolutely calm and restrained.

He had not hurried to refine a single one.

He was waiting.

Waiting for a more opportune moment, waiting to understand the rules of this Blood Forbidden Land more thoroughly, and waiting until he had accumulated enough quantity to undergo a single, complete transformation.

(End of this chapter)