Chapter 144: The Old Man's Request

Ye Feng was puzzled. "Seniors, I have no intention of leaving," he said.

Hearing this, the old man shook his head and pointed at the monkey. "The King of the Luoyan Mountain Range has sent his descendants to find you. It is likely that a storm of blood and chaos is about to break out in the outside world. It would not be right for us old fellows to keep you here any longer."

Ye Feng was momentarily speechless. In truth, he had been sensing something of late. A year had passed since the battle with the Holy Land, and given the Holy Land’s "I alone am supreme" mentality, it was impossible for them to let such a humiliating defeat slide. Furthermore, during that battle a year ago, the Holy Land had only deployed one of its factions; it was far from a total loss of their strength. As far as Ye Feng knew, in the thousand years since the Holy Land was founded, its factions were as numerous as carp crossing a river, with over a dozen major powers among them.

"Young man, a great war is approaching. I am an old man already with one foot in the grave, and I should not be asking this of you. But I fear that once we are gone, the children in this village will meet with misfortune. So, I must swallow my pride and implore you for a favor." The man, whose back was as hunched as a turtle’s shell, spoke with an embarrassed expression after whispering with the others.

"Senior, please, just tell me what you need!"

Having spent over a year with the village elders, Ye Feng understood the temperament of these former heroes well. They were always straightforward; they never beat around the bush in speech or action. Seeing the look on the hunched old man’s face, Ye Feng grew solemn and spoke with sincerity.

"Then I shall stop beating around the bush. A hundred miles from here lies a dilapidated domain, founded by a dear friend of ours. A century ago, that friend died unexpectedly, leaving behind a protective treasure within the realm." The old man paused, then continued: "I would not have asked you to intervene, but we old folks have been out of the public eye for decades. If we were to emerge, I fear it would alarm other old monsters, causing them to descend and bring ruin to the world. Therefore, I must ask you to retrieve that treasure for us, so that it may protect this little village."

***

This was an endless stretch of mountain forests, home to many primitive tribes. It was a mysterious land, filled with countless unknowns.

Two days had passed since Ye Feng left the village. Following the directions given by the elders, he was accompanied by several young men from the village as they entered this crumbling domain.

Ye Feng was somewhat skeptical that this place was truly a "domain." In all the domains he had entered before, there had never been human inhabitants. However, given the character of the village elders, he suppressed his doubts and entered the realm alongside the young experts.

The barbarians here did not hold much hostility toward outsiders, but they certainly felt no goodwill. Having been isolated from the outside world for hundreds of years, they had become a self-contained society and would not permit outsiders to disrupt their way of life. In fact, Ye Feng and his companions were the first outsiders to arrive in centuries.

The "Holy Mountain," which the barbarians considered sacred and which Ye Feng and Gui Ren were heading toward, was one of the most terrifying and mysterious places in this domain. Naturally, they did not reveal their true intentions; if the barbarians knew why they were really there, the group would likely be nothing more than piles of bones by now.

After inquiring slightly about the location of the Holy Mountain, Ye Feng and his group left the tribe.

Possessing great strength, they bounded through the forest, leaping from treetop to treetop like flying figures, moving with the speed of lightning. This domain was vast, filled with countless desolate plains and primeval forests.

At that moment, they were crossing a plain as red as blood. It was boundless and barren, devoid of a single blade of grass. According to Gui Ren, the dozen or so elders from their village had once fought a peerless enemy here. That battle had stained the earth with blood and even shattered the very sky of this domain, which had only been preserved through special techniques.

"Is it really that powerful?" Ye Feng asked, surprised. "Isn't it said that once you shroud others in your domain, you have total control over their lives? How could a dozen people fight just one?"

"Who said it was one person? It was a massive clan of tens of thousands! And there were several people in that clan who had reached the level of the Carefree King. This domain couldn't suppress them; it could only limit their strength to a very small degree!" Gui Ren pouted, shaking his head, and continued, "Let's leave quickly! You must never wander here at night. A few years ago, we snuck in and encountered something terrifying. I saw this blood-red earth split open, revealing countless corpses—the scene was more horrific than you can imagine! If we hadn't run fast, we would have been dragged down and eaten."

As they spoke, they crossed the blood-red plain. Before them, a towering mountain blocked their path, shrouded in thick, hazy mist.

Ye Feng could not help but frown. Was this really just a domain, as the old man claimed? If it were merely a domain, how could it be so full of danger? The mountain ahead hid an inexplicable, terrifying peril that made Ye Feng’s scalp tingle.

Gui Ren looked at the mountain with a bitter face, mourning, "Why are we so unlucky? This Devil Mountain hasn't appeared for a hundred years—why would it show itself just as we arrive? We have to go around it. The Devil Mountain is very sinister; Grandpa Turtle says many great powers died inside, and the malevolent energy is too strong. Those great powers were unrivaled in their time, and they haven't rested in peace since their deaths. The elders say it's incredibly haunted! We absolutely cannot enter."

Ye Feng felt helpless. What kind of domain was this? It was more terrifying than ancient ruins.

They went around and about, and by the fifth day, they finally approached the "Holy Mountain" of the barbarians. Though still a hundred miles away, the "majestic" mountain was already in sight.

At that moment, Ye Feng felt like bursting into tears. The mountain before him could be called steep or tall, but "majestic" was the last word to describe it.

The entire mountain was nothing but bare rock, without a single blade of grass. Furthermore, due to years of wind and sun, it was covered in massive, jagged fissures, looking utterly decrepit.

"This is the Holy Mountain the barbarians spoke of?" Ye Feng pointed at the barren mountain, staring blankly at Gui Ren.

But when he saw the look on Gui Ren’s face—which was as grim as if he had lost his own father—an inexplicable sense of crisis surged in his heart.

"I was wondering why Grandpa wanted Ye Feng to accompany us. A few days ago, he clearly said I should go alone to retrieve the item. So, it really has changed; this place is many times more dangerous than before..."

Listening to Gui Ren’s words, Ye Feng turned to stone. Only one thought crossed his mind: *Damn it, in the end, I’ve been conned by a bunch of kindly old men.*