Chapter 411 Stay Steady

“How about this—come over and apologize now, and I’ll take you through safely!” Ji Wugou lifted her chin proudly, giving Chen Fei a sidelong glance.

Chen Fei chuckled. “Miss Ji is truly warmhearted! Beautiful and kind—an inspiration to us all! Far beyond those common powdered faces.”

A flicker of delight passed across Ji Wugou’s face.

Being praised to her face—it felt good, even for her.

Although Chen Fei’s attitude usually annoyed her, at least his words were pleasant to hear!

“Hmph, fine,” she said, waving her hand generously. “Since you’re so good with words, I’ll forgive you!”

But Chen Fei only smiled and replied,

“I appreciate Miss Ji’s kind intentions—but I’ll have to pass.”

“What?” Ji Wugou’s pleased expression froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Chen Fei shrugged. “Please, go ahead, Miss Ji.”

“You’re making fun of me!” she snapped, fury blazing in her eyes. Her hand reached for her treasure pouch, fingers trembling in rage.

Chen Fei raised a brow. “Weren’t you the one playing games first?”

“Who was joking with a bastard like you!” she hissed through clenched teeth.

He tilted his head and mocked,

“Miss Ji has such a poor memory? If you really had a treasure that guaranteed safe passage through the Nine-Turn Channel… I’d guess it has some serious drawbacks, right?”

Her face darkened—she hadn’t expected him to see through her so accurately.

The Nine-Turn Channel looked like the easiest path to inheritances in the Ghost King Hall—but to the Ji family, it was actually the most troublesome.

The channel was too unpredictable.

After generations of effort, the Ji clan had only found one treasure that could help Ji Wugou cross it safely.

But it came at a cost.

Once activated, Ji Wugou herself would be immobilized, forced to rely on someone else’s help to make it across.

That helper, while protected from the channel’s dangers, would also lose the opportunity to be refined by the Golden Flame Water.

A bitter trade-off.

And since the Ghost King Hall only appeared once every thousand years, those lucky enough to enter were all peerless geniuses.

Who would willingly give up such a rare refining opportunity?

Now that Chen Fei had exposed it, Ji Wugou dropped the pretense.

With a flick of her palm, a set of binding talismans shot out from her treasure pouch, locking onto Chen Fei and Dao Tong.

“So now you’re angry enough to attack?” Chen Fei said, clearly unimpressed.

Ji Wugou was trembling with fury.

She had expected at least a few flattering words—but instead, he just kept mocking her.

Fine. I’ll make him regret it later!

Chen Fei cracked his neck. “If you’re set on fighting—fine by me.”

But before he could act, a formation suddenly lit up beneath his feet.

Startled, he looked at Dao Tong.

The baby-faced Dao Tong gave a helpless smile.

“Chen Fei, don’t worry about things here. Go ahead.”

As the formation activated, Chen Fei was instantly teleported to the edge of the Nine-Turn Channel.

He turned to return, but Dao Tong sighed and said,

“Miss Ji, I’ll go with you. I’ve already read the signs before coming—if I don’t follow you, the odds of dying are too high.”

Chen Fei froze and turned toward Ji Wugou with a sharp, chilling glare.

Ji Wugou flinched.

Why is his gaze so terrifying?

“W-what are you looking at me like that for? Didn’t you hear? He volunteered!” she said, voice shrinking with each word.

Chen Fei frowned. “Was that really necessary?”

Dao Tong smiled calmly. “Everyone has their own fate.”

Hearing that, Chen Fei no longer tried to persuade him.

He turned and stepped into the Nine-Turn Channel.

As his figure disappeared in golden light, the oppressive atmosphere finally lifted a little.

“That junior brother of yours has no manners!” Ji Wugou muttered as she recalled her talismans.

Then she pulled out a small red protective dome, holding it in her palm—it was delicate and intricately made.

With a gentle toss, it rose into the air and enveloped her entire body.

“Just stand here,” she told Dao Tong.

“No matter what happens, don’t panic. Just feed spiritual energy into the Fire Shield.”

Dao Tong nodded. He looked at Ji Wugou for a moment, as if about to say something—then sighed and entered the shield with her.

The Fire Shield moved slowly across the channel. Though it was much slower than walking, once inside the Nine-Turn Channel, it wasn’t affected by spatial turbulence.

From afar, the red shield looked like a floating bubble gliding along the Golden Flame Water.

Though it blocked the water’s energy, faint golden flames still danced around Ji Wugou’s body—proof of the treasure’s effectiveness.

Dao Tong’s expression remained calm. He didn’t regret missing the chance for refinement.

What he sought was a single word: stability.

As long as he could safely leave the Ghost King Hall, that was enough.

As for Chen Fei…

A flicker of lazy amusement passed through Dao Tong’s eyes.

Someone always has to be left behind in this world. Why not him?

Struggling to be strong? If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t have ended up here.

In his heart, he had always chosen to go with the flow.

And even if he fell behind, it would never be by too much.

Chen Fei had no idea what Dao Tong was thinking.

But since he had made up his mind, there was nothing more to say.

The more people involved in a decision, the more muddled it became.

Chen Fei wasn’t foolish enough to get dragged into that mess.

At first, stepping into the Nine-Turn Channel didn’t feel like much.

But as the Golden Flame Water seeped into his body, he began to feel something was… off.

A golden light flashed before his eyes—and in the blink of an eye, he found himself in a strange new space.

Golden light shimmered around him.

And before him stood a group of naked women, enchanting and seductive, their every movement oozing allure.

“Oh, what a strong man! I love you already!”

“Come on, darling. Come play with us~”

One seductive voice after another rang in his ears.

Chen Fei’s expression tensed, his heart guarded—not daring to let down his defenses even for a moment.