Chapter 256: Once Before Death

Outside the perimeter of Mount Tiandang, a group of demonic cultivators stood hesitantly.

Peach Blossom’s expression was dark and gloomy. She stared coldly at them. “Useless trash! Why did you stop?!”

“Please calm down, Fairy Peach Blossom. They’ve already entered Mount Tiandang. Severely wounded as they are, they won’t survive inside for long.”

“That’s right,” another added quickly. “The poisonous miasma in Mount Tiandang can only be cleared when the secret realm opens and golden light disperses the haze. In their current condition, entering now is no different from suicide.”

Peach Blossom clenched her fists. Her intuition screamed that Chen Fei was too slippery—he wouldn’t die so easily.

Yet the cultivators clearly didn’t want to continue chasing. Even if she forced them, it would be pointless.

“Damn it!” She turned to look one last time at the poison-veiled mountain, took a deep breath, and spat, “Follow the plan. If anything else goes wrong, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“Yes, Fairy!” the group replied in unison before swiftly retreating.

The Whirlwind Empire’s war had broken out—a perfect scenario for demonic cultivators. After all, war meant death.

And once the balance between factions was broken, it was hard to return to peace. War distracted major forces, giving demonic cultivators ample opportunity to harvest blood and souls without much oversight.

Compared to the risk of chasing two injured fugitives into a deadly forbidden zone, absorbing blood essence on a battlefield was far more appealing.

Inside Mount Tiandang

Chen Fei’s face changed drastically the moment they entered.

This place was no ordinary forbidden zone—the pressure here was crushing.

He had read about Mount Tiandang before, but written records paled in comparison to the deadly truth of the toxic haze that permeated the area.

Even with the protection of the Void Heaven Cauldron, his spiritual energy was being drained at an alarming rate.

“Up ahead is the Falling Geese Ravine, a rather scenic area. It’s… a good place to sit and die,” Cold Moon’s voice came weakly from behind him.

Chen Fei glanced at her with a strange look. “Senior Sister… you’re hiding something.”

Cold Moon stood on shaky legs and explained, “The miasma here is unique. It directly corrodes spiritual energy, unless you have a special constitution or item.”

“Legend has it this place was once an ancient battlefield for immortals. Too many died here. Their resentment gathered into the very air, forming the deadly haze. Even Dao Realm cultivators would suffer here, let alone us.”

Her tone had returned to its usual icy calm—but she avoided meeting his eyes.

Chen Fei nodded solemnly. “This environment’s certainly dangerous… but that also means we’re safe for now. Sometimes, you have to go into hell to survive. We still have a shot.”

His optimism made Cold Moon glance at him.

That one glance shattered her internal restraint.

If we’re going to die… why not indulge just once?

Chen Fei didn’t notice the sudden heat in her gaze. He was busy admiring the view of Falling Geese Ravine.

“Senior Sister was right—the view really is beautiful,” he chuckled, then spotted a cave nestled within a mountain hollow.

“Here. This’ll do!” With a flash, he landed at the cave entrance.

But the moment he arrived, a furious roar echoed from within.

A massive beast lunged out, claws swiping through the air with terrifying force.

“Beast! You dare?” Chen Fei didn’t even flinch. After facing Peach Blossom in her Mystic Realm form, a mere Yuan Realm beast meant nothing.

Back in Yellow Mist City, even a Dao Realm beast was a big deal—but now?

He didn’t even bother drawing his sword.

He raised his finger, flicked the air—and punched a hole clean through the beast’s skull.

The creature fell.

Ugly thing.

Then again, considering the surrounding environment, it made sense.

“That’s a Resentment Beast,” Cold Moon said softly as she approached. “Its core can help resist the miasma.”

Chen Fei nodded and tossed the beast core to her. “Here, Senior Sister. Let’s recover here.”

“The secret realm of Mount Tiandang should open soon. Once it does, without her traps and setup, Peach Blossom will be no match for you!” he said with confidence.

Cold Moon opened her mouth but said nothing. She looked at him, then sighed inwardly.

He’s too optimistic.

In this environment, recovery was nearly impossible. Once their spiritual energy was drained by the haze, they’d lose control—eventually becoming wild beasts, like the one they just killed.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes. She would never allow herself to fall to that fate.

But before she could voice her thoughts, Chen Fei’s next move shocked her.

“T-That’s a spatial mansion?!” she gasped, staring in disbelief at the portal forming inside the cave.

Her cold exterior cracked slightly, her stunned face making her look adorably human.

Chen Fei chuckled. “That’s right. With this, we won’t have to worry about the miasma. And when the time comes, we’ll give Peach Blossom a nice surprise.”

If there’s a chance to live, no one truly wants to die.

With a wave of his hand, he brought Cold Moon into the Purple Cleansing Palace.

As expected, the inside was completely unaffected by the poisonous haze.

To avoid exposure, Chen Fei shrank the entire palace to palm-size and hid it deep inside the Resentment Beast’s cave. The chances of being discovered were nearly zero.

Cold Moon stared at him in disbelief. “Junior Brother… with fortune like this, those demonic cultivators are in for a nasty surprise.”

Chen Fei handed her a small pile of top-grade spirit stones. “Here, cultivation resources. I’ll activate the spiritual array so we can recover faster.”

The moment the stones dropped into the palace’s formation, rich spiritual energy flooded the room.

Cold Moon nodded, accepting his kindness without ceremony. She sat cross-legged and began meditating.

Chen Fei wasn’t injured, but the battle had taught him much—his grasp of Dao power had advanced significantly.

His techniques were enough to deal with ordinary Yuan Realm cultivators, but when facing someone like Liu Shan using secret arts, he lacked a true killing move.

It wasn’t that his techniques were weak—in fact, his Thousand Phantom Slash, if used properly, could unleash devastating power.

His real issue was a lack of combat experience.

Now, as he replayed the entire battle in his mind, Chen Fei began identifying and correcting tactical mistakes.

But just as he was deep into his simulated practice, a sudden tremor from the Void Heaven Cauldron jolted him back to focus.

Within his spiritual sense, a strange figure began forming—completely catching him off guard.

He instinctively launched an attack toward it…