Chapter 141: Lying in Wait

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Having fully mastered demonic arts, Ye Chenxing had embarked on a path of no return. To him, the only way forward was to absorb Su Ran’s phoenix bloodline and ultimately subdue the demonic artifact.
Even though he was confident that he could now kill Chen Fei with ease, he refrained from taking action. He did not want to expose his overwhelming strength and risk scaring Su Ran away.
However, he was not giving up either. Instead, he chose to lie in wait. As long as Su Ran appeared, he would be able to strike immediately and take her down.
Ye Chenxing was certain that Su Ran would not miss out on the opportunities hidden within the fourth layer, especially if she sought to awaken her bloodline.
Chen Fei sensed Ye Chenxing’s presence and knew that the latter had likely detected him as well. After all, as a Thousand-Step Spirit Master, Ye Chenxing’s perception should surpass that of even peak Ninth-Grade True Spirit Masters.
“He hasn’t given up?”
“Is he planning to wait here and ambush both Su Ran and me?”
“He hasn’t made a move because Su Ran hasn’t arrived yet?”
Chen Fei quickly deduced Ye Chenxing’s thoughts. What puzzled him, however, was the man’s confidence. The last time they fought, Ye Chenxing had been forced to retreat when he and Su Ran joined forces. Why was he so certain he could ambush them successfully now?
“Bloodbreaking Demon Art?”
“Could he be following in Ye Chenyi’s footsteps, sacrificing himself to the demonic artifact just to deal with us?”
The thought made Chen Fei’s heart tighten. If Ye Chenxing had indeed done so, then as a Thousand-Step Spirit Master in tandem with the demonic artifact’s power, how strong would he become?
For the first time in a long while, Chen Fei felt uncertainty creeping in. He wasn’t sure whether his current strength—a Half-Step Dao Realm cultivator wielding an Axe Dao Spirit Weapon—would be enough to defeat a demonized Ye Chenxing.
With this possibility in mind, Chen Fei, who had been relatively at ease, suddenly felt a heavy weight settle on his heart.
“Weeds must be uprooted completely!”
A surge of killing intent filled Chen Fei’s mind. Ye Chenxing had to be eliminated—there could be no loose ends.
However, since he did not yet know Ye Chenxing’s full strength, and since his opponent had refrained from attacking, Chen Fei decided not to rush. Su Ran had yet to appear, so there was no urgency.
Time was on his side.
What Chen Fei didn’t know was that Su Ran was currently trapped within an independent space created by the Life-and-Death Tribulation.
He was also unaware that his survival in that tribulation, his opportunity to meet Qin Meng and be chosen as her twelfth inheritor, and the fact that the inheritance of this secret realm had been entrusted to him—all of it was because of Su Ran!
When Su Ran entered the independent space, she encountered the remnant consciousness of Qin Meng, the creator of the secret realm. The two reached an agreement—Qin Meng would help Su Ran awaken her phoenix bloodline, while Su Ran would ensure the continuation of Qin Meng’s legacy. Chen Fei’s inheritance from this realm was merely a byproduct of their arrangement.
To Su Ran, in this world and within this realm, Chen Fei was the best candidate to inherit its secrets.
At this moment, Su Ran remained within the independent space, calmly accepting the opportunity Qin Meng had provided as she worked on awakening her bloodline.
Meanwhile, the fourth layer of the secret realm was different from the second. There were no floating bridges here. Instead, an endless wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see, with a peculiar scent lingering in the air.
Qin Heng and Han Lingshuang were unaware that a Thousand-Step Spirit Master lurked in the distance, watching them. Upon arriving at the fourth layer, they had a clear goal in mind and immediately flew in a set direction.
“Chen Fei?”
Seeing that Chen Fei had stopped and was not following, Qin Heng and Han Lingshuang looked at him in confusion.
“Sorry.”
Chen Fei feigned surprise before quickly catching up.
“What were you looking at just now?” Han Lingshuang asked curiously. She had clearly noticed that something was off about him—he had been staring at a particular spot, lost in thought.
Indeed, Chen Fei had deliberately glanced in Ye Chenxing’s direction. His intention was to let Ye Chenxing know that he had already been discovered.
The purpose of this was simple: to force Ye Chenxing into realizing that Chen Fei’s strength had grown significantly, hopefully making him abandon his plans to hunt them down.
If Ye Chenxing was still unwilling to give up, then he wouldn’t simply wait in place. He would likely try to eliminate Chen Fei first.
“It was nothing. I was just admiring the scenery.”
Chen Fei smiled faintly, keeping Ye Chenxing’s presence to himself.
“Chen Fei, your talent is extraordinary. There are many opportunities in the fourth layer of this space. You might even have a chance to reach the peak of the Eighth-Grade True Spirit Master Realm.”
Qin Heng encouraged him.
The jump from Seventh to Eighth Grade seemed small, but for most geniuses, crossing that threshold in a short time was no easy feat. Without an abundance of rare resources, such progress was nearly impossible.
The three continued flying without hesitation, showing no fear of encountering any phantom beasts in the area.
Meanwhile, Ye Chenxing’s mind was in turmoil.
“He noticed me? His strength has already surpassed peak Ninth-Grade True Spirit Masters?”
“Has he already reached the Thousand-Step Spirit Master Realm?”
“Since he has discovered me, I can’t just wait here any longer. I need to deal with this mysterious man first!”
“Otherwise, who knows if the opportunities within the fourth layer will push him into the Dao Realm!”
Ye Chenxing’s eyes flickered with killing intent.
He had always believed that Chen Fei was a powerful spirit master who had reincarnated into this body. Thus, he wasn’t particularly surprised by the idea that Chen Fei had reached the Thousand-Step Spirit Master Realm.
Following behind them stealthily, Ye Chenxing did not rush to make a move. He was wary of Qin Heng and Han Lingshuang—both peak Ninth-Grade True Spirit Masters. If they assisted Chen Fei, his assassination attempt could once again end in failure.
He needed to wait for an opportunity—either for Chen Fei to separate from the others or for them to be preoccupied battling powerful phantom beasts.
Chen Fei was also aware that Ye Chenxing was tailing them, which only strengthened his conviction that the man had something to rely on—most likely, the Bloodbreaking Demon Art and the sacrificial link to the demonic artifact.
Qin Heng and Han Lingshuang remained oblivious to this danger, believing they were merely guiding a junior through the secret realm.
After traveling for dozens of miles, they finally saw a towering palace in the distance.
The palace stood majestically, its presence overwhelming. It had a total of six floors.
This was one of their primary objectives.
According to Qin Heng, there were five palaces in the fourth layer, each with varying levels of difficulty. The higher one climbed, the harder the challenges became. However, those who were strong enough could even obtain Dao Realm treasures.
Since the secret realm only allowed Grand Spirit Masters and True Spirit Masters to enter, obtaining such treasures was no easy feat.
And in the final palace, a Dao Realm treasure was fated to emerge without any trials.
That was the true prize everyone was after.
Su Ran had come for it.
Ye Chenxing had come for it.
And the many peak Ninth-Grade True Spirit Masters from Qin Ridge had also come for it.