Chapter 271: Blind Box Unsealed

Using the transformation power of the Evil Dao Seal, Chen Fei successfully infiltrated the demonic cultivators’ ranks.

The Peach Blossom Demoness had gone to great lengths—she even sacrificed an entire city, Lin Nan City. Clearly, what she was after was no small matter.

Only one thing could justify such extreme actions: the Blood Fiend Formation, the forbidden array Mu Yunsu had instructed Chen Fei to retrieve and bring back to the Heavenly Apex Sacred Ground—a treasure worth 100,000 contribution points.

Though he’d managed to sneak in, this area was vast—finding the Peach Blossom Demoness would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

But Chen Fei wasn’t in a rush. If the Demoness truly wanted to activate her grand scheme, it would create a disturbance large enough to be noticed.

Instead of wandering aimlessly, it was better to wait and observe.

Meanwhile, the very same Peach Blossom Demoness sat cross-legged in solemn silence, her expression serious and focused, muttering chants under her breath.

“The Blood Fiend Formation is a top-tier evil construct. Especially now, after absorbing so many powerful auras in this mystic realm, it may have evolved into something truly terrifying.”

Anticipation gleamed in her eyes.

Once activated, the Blood Fiend Formation would become akin to a Heavenly Dao weapon. If established at her sect’s headquarters, even the combined assault of the righteous sects might not be able to breach it.

“Strange…”

Just as she was imagining the fruits of her labor, a sudden chill surged through her heart. A crisis was near.

Frowning, she turned her gaze to an ancient, broken statue before her—its upper body shattered, only the lower half remained.

At first glance, it looked ordinary. But the moment she sat in meditation before it, she could faintly hear low chanting, whispering in her ears.

As unease crept into her heart—

—some hundred li away, a man dressed in rags walked unsteadily. His eyes alternated between clarity and madness, and just a glance at him was enough to shake one’s soul.

If Chen Fei were here, he would immediately recognize him: a Wandering Cultivator.

These broken minds were common in the Tianzhang Mountain Mystic Realm.

In fact, hunting down wandering cultivators was one of the main objectives—despite their madness, they sometimes carried space artifacts from before they lost their minds.

Opening one of those artifacts was like opening a blind box—you never knew what you’d get.

“Looks like my luck’s pretty good. Another one!”

A man with a wicked grin stepped in front of the wandering cultivator, looking him up and down like he was inspecting a treasure.

Judging by the man’s ancient clothing, the demonic cultivator could tell a lot—sect affiliation, time period… all crucial in deciding whether it was worth the risk to attack.

The more he examined the wandering cultivator, the more excited he grew.

“Heh… an ancient-era wandering cultivator! This one’s a rare gem!”

The runes at the hem of the robes confirmed it—this was a cultivator from ancient times.

Licking his lips greedily, the demonic cultivator could no longer hold back.

“Wandering around aimlessly won’t solve anything. Out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll give you release today.”

He said it with a straight face—then chuckled darkly.

“No need to thank me. I just love helping people!”

With that, he launched forward like a shadow. Yet as he reached the wandering cultivator, he paused.

The charge had been a feint—a test.

But to his surprise, the wandering cultivator didn’t even react. His vacant eyes stared forward as he kept walking, completely ignoring the threat.

“Weird…”

The demonic cultivator frowned and backed off, scrutinizing the ancient cultivator more carefully.

Normally, even the most deranged wandering cultivator would lash out at such provocation.

But this one? No reaction at all.

“Could it be… that he’s been in this state for so long, he’s forgotten how to attack?”

It seemed a reasonable guess.

Encouraged by the lack of resistance, the demonic cultivator made his move again—this time reaching for the sword at the wanderer’s waist.

His fingers wrapped around the icy sheath. The cold sensation sent a thrill up his spine.

“Jackpot!”

He tugged, preparing to steal the sword—but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge. It was like it was part of the cultivator’s body.

Then the wanderer looked up.

His vacant eyes shifted—and a trace of mockery emerged.

Alarmed, the demonic cultivator tried to flee.

But it was already too late.

The sheath in his hand sucked his palm down like a magnet, refusing to let go.

“You… deserve death.”

The wanderer’s voice was vague and distorted—but the killing intent was clear as day.

The demonic cultivator’s eyes widened in horror.

Wandering cultivators weren’t supposed to be able to speak clearly—their minds were broken!

But this one had just spoken. Lucidly.

Terror surged through him. He grit his teeth and summoned a blood orb the size of a fist, hoping to break free.

“How nostalgic,” the wanderer muttered.

He casually swatted the orb away like dust. His eyes suddenly flared with sharpness.

His pale hand pierced straight through the demonic cultivator’s energy shield and grabbed him by the throat with inhuman speed.

Crack!

The sharp sound of a neck breaking echoed through the woods.

The demonic cultivator who had been dreaming of getting rich… died with pure disbelief on his face.

The wanderer sniffed once, then threw the corpse aside in disgust.

His eyes returned to emptiness. Without a word, he resumed walking forward.

—

Chen Fei, meanwhile, had good fortune of his own.

While wandering, he stumbled across an ancient temple.

Like the Spirit-Linked Tower, this temple seemed to exist within its own pocket realm.

He stepped forward and slowly pushed open the creaky door.

Instead of the deadly traps and foreboding atmosphere he’d expected, the broken-down temple was quiet and bare—no statues, no relics, just a conspicuous meditation mat in the center of the altar.

Chen Fei raised an eyebrow.

He stared at the mat for a moment, then walked toward it.

It was obvious—the weirdness of this place centered around that mat.