Chapter 109: A Thousand Lifetimes in Captivity

Raising his head to look around, Ye Feng found no one in sight. Entering this place was much like stepping into that chaotic realm—both scattered people randomly, dispersing everyone far apart.

Ye Feng took a long breath, inhaling the pure scent of nature, his entire body instantly refreshed.

“This feeling… it’s so familiar, so comforting.” Verdant greenery stretched all around him. The air was filled with the fragrance of blooming flowers, while unknown birds sang freely, their melodies weaving into the tranquil atmosphere. Ye Feng was nearly lost within it.

Treading softly on the carpet of fallen leaves, he began to stroll through the primeval forest, opening his heart to embrace the natural world.

Walking aimlessly like this, Ye Feng soon forgot all about the outside world. His mind and body entered a state of serene clarity, wandering as his heart desired…

Suddenly—

A shadow darted swiftly toward him.

Ye Feng remained indifferent, continuing his calm walk without a hint of alarm.

Whoosh—

Half a meter from Ye Feng, an invisible barrier repelled the shadow, sending it rebounding back. The figure then slunk away in defeat.

“All you need to do here is survive by any means in the forest. No food, no water. I will offer you no help. Only when you die will I cremate your body,” Ye Feng recalled the training scenes from his previous life in a similar woodland.

And that master of his, whom he had nicknamed “Old Man.”

“This place?” Ye Feng frowned as he stood before a tangled mass of vines.

“All those memories are vivid, as if they happened yesterday,” he murmured with a faint smile, tears shimmering in his eyes.

“Heh! These red flowers…”

Arriving at a patch covered in scarlet blooms, Ye Feng gazed at them for a long moment. “That time, I almost lost my life to the thorns of these ‘Fire Roses’! It was only thanks to my master’s cheating that he removed the poison!”

At that moment, a boy around fifteen or sixteen approached the flower sea. He stared at Ye Feng, who stood lost in thought.

The next instant, the boy stepped forward, his spiritual energy surging.

Ah—

Just as he was about to strike, a sudden scream pierced the air. Five or six rose thorns pierced him, and he collapsed, unable to rise.

“Fool!” Ye Feng smiled faintly, quietly uttering the words and paying no further attention to the boy, whose body was now flushed red with pain, before continuing deeper into the forest.

“This tree…”

When he reached a massive tree with a girth of several spans, Ye Feng looked up at the main trunk beside which a natural “bed” formed by intertwining branches lay.

Leaping up, Ye Feng settled himself in the center of this arboreal cradle.

“Master! Look what I’ve found! You’d never expect this…” It was already his fourth year of training when he first discovered this natural bed. Back then, he and his master, who looked as if he was near death, were as close as father and son.

Excited, Ye Feng had dragged his master over to this spot.

At night, they would sit here together, gazing at the vast starry sky.

“Feng’er! The stars above hold great mysteries. See the Big Dipper? Tianxuan Star governs killing… Tianqu Star…” Ye Feng recalled how his master once pointed to the stars, explaining their secrets, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Resting his head on his hands, Ye Feng lay back on the tree bed, sunlight filtering through thick leaves, dappling his body with scattered light.

In this peaceful setting, he gradually drifted into sleep…

“Feng’er… Have you forgotten the technique I taught you?”

In his dream, Ye Feng found himself in a chaotic realm shrouded in mist, everything hazy and indistinct. His master’s hoarse voice echoed around him.

“Have you forgotten the ‘Dragon Slash’ I taught you?”

In an instant, countless images of his master appeared amidst the fog.

Each figure moved with profound steps, performing the ‘Dragon Slash’ in perfect unison.

“Feng’er, watch closely.” The myriad figures merged into one—an old man with white hair and beard, wielding a long blade.

His movements were grand and sweeping, sometimes fierce and ruthless, sometimes soft and flowing like Tai Chi.

After seven slashes, the old man’s aura reached its peak. Suddenly, he roared, “Eighth Slash—Northern Dawn Breaker!”

With a single stroke, chaos dissipated, and the world was bathed in radiant light.

“Master…” Ye Feng suddenly awoke, looking around.

“Master, is it really you?” he called toward the heavens.

After a long silence with no reply, Ye Feng wiped the cold sweat from his brow, recalling every scene from the dream.

“Dragon Slash? Could it be that in my previous life, my master actually taught me this?”

He then drew the Dragon Blade from his spatial ring. From the moment he held it, Ye Feng could clearly feel the blade’s excitement.

Caressing the blade as if greeting an old friend, he whispered, “Buddy, I haven’t let you out for a while. Must’ve been suffocating in there!”

The Dragon Blade hummed continuously, radiating waves of dark crimson blade light…

Feeling the sword’s exhilaration, Ye Feng poured his spiritual energy into it wildly. Following the steps etched in memory, he unleashed the Dragon Slash in a furious dance.

From the first strike, ‘Fury Slash of Immortal Gods,’ to the second, ‘Wisdom’s Continuous Slash,’ and the third, ‘Gentle Yin Flow,’ Ye Feng gradually settled into the rhythm.

Blade qi surged violently, energy spilling forth in waves, instantly reducing nearby trees to rubble.

Sometimes, a slash filled with murderous energy roared past, causing trees to explode into dust.

Other times, seemingly gentle strikes silently dissolved the trees and undergrowth within their reach.

Step after step, Ye Feng performed mysterious footwork. His aura shifted between fierce savagery and soft gentleness, both extremes perfectly expressed in his movements.

“This footwork?” Suddenly halting mid-slash, Ye Feng stared at his feet in surprise.

“How can this footwork resemble the ‘Dragon Swimming’ technique so closely? It even… matches perfectly!”

“Old man, just how much have you been hiding from me?” Ye Feng was puzzled. The ‘Dragon Swimming’ technique was learned from the Dragon Jiao Demon King, so surely that old demon knew something.

“Ah… I never expected the Purple-Gold Heavenly King to be so persistent, truly following you through countless lifetimes, until the seed finally sprouted!”

In the Demon King’s domain, the Dragon Jiao Demon King sighed wryly.

“Actually, my achievements are not solely due to my own efforts. That fifth-rank little demon beast, overnight becoming a peak ninth-rank demon king, was because of the Overseer’s intervention!”

“Even the ‘Heavenly King Art’ you learned was sealed within me by the Overseer, unbeknownst to me.”

“Wait… you mean the old man was also one of the ancient guardians? Or the Purple-Gold Heavenly King you mentioned?” Ye Feng was stunned.

For some reason, upon learning that his master was a mighty being, he felt no joy. Instead, a wave of disgust welled up within him.

If the Dragon Jiao Demon King spoke the truth, then every step, every action of his past and present lives had been arranged by others.

Ye Feng, who always prided himself on freedom and carefree living, had actually been manipulated for thousands of lifetimes?

Every deed in those countless lives guided by someone else, his every step dictated?

Was he, perhaps, nothing more than a prisoner, controlled across millennia?