Chapter 289: Who’s the Hunter Now

Chen Fei had been closely watching the situation outside the Zi Qing Palace.

The moment he sensed the yellow wind rising, he immediately realized—this was his best chance to escape.

Bai Jing was far too powerful. Even with the Void Heaven Cauldron, Chen Fei wasn’t confident he could suppress a fully transformed demon beast like her. And with the Protector Demon Lord—the Peach Blossom Fairy’s final trump card—now deployed, it meant her side had entered their most vulnerable state.

With perfect timing, favorable terrain, and exhausted enemies, what was there to hesitate for?

The yellow sandstorm was certainly terrifying, but as long as one had sufficient spiritual energy to shield themselves, they wouldn’t be eroded by the sand. The problem was, the energy consumption was extreme—normal Yuan Realm cultivators couldn’t last long within it.

That’s one of the reasons the Dusky Sand Dunes were so dreaded.

As for the unlucky fool who was instantly consumed by the sand earlier? He reacted too slowly—his death was his own fault.

When the yellow storm rose, the Dunes became a death trap for all living beings.

Chen Fei, with Leng Yue in tow, turned and escaped in the opposite direction at full speed.

Hearing Bai Jing’s furious roar behind him, Chen Fei couldn’t help but let a smirk curl on his lips.

“That Demon Lord sure picked the right moment to cause a distraction!”

Of course, the Demon Lord wasn’t doing it for him.

There were still eight Mysterious Realm experts on the Peach Blossom side. Against Leng Yue and him—just one in the Mysterious Realm and the other barely in the Yuan Realm—they held absolute advantage.

As soon as Peach Blossom Fairy realized what Chen Fei was attempting, she didn’t hesitate and immediately gave chase.

With yellow sand sweeping across the sky, visibility dropped to near zero.

Worse still, spiritual sense was heavily suppressed in this storm. Peach Blossom Fairy’s face grew grave—it would be incredibly difficult to lock onto a fleeing target.

If Chen Fei escaped during this chaos, returning to the Sacred Gate would spell serious trouble for her.

No.

I absolutely cannot allow that to happen!

Her expression hardened as she looked down at her palm, where her final trump card remained.

If that failed too, she was prepared to risk everything.

Meanwhile, Chen Fei led Leng Yue at full speed in a chosen direction, then suddenly slowed.

“Senior Sister, that’s far enough,” he said calmly.

Leng Yue didn’t object. As a proud genius of the Heavenly Firmament Holy Land, she had her own pride. Though cold by nature, she wasn’t without temper—and being hunted all this way had long fueled her suppressed anger.

Now that the tides had turned and their pursuers were arriving one by one, Leng Yue wasn’t about to show mercy.

Fate or coincidence, the first to catch up to Chen Fei… was Eight Ghosts.

Though visibility was poor, spiritual sense still extended a short distance. This time, Eight Ghosts moved carefully.

He raised a hand and unleashed a wave of energy into the storm, forming a distinct ripple—signaling the others.

“Tsk tsk, I didn’t think you’d be such a coward.”

Chen Fei stepped leisurely out of the sandstorm, gaze filled with mockery.

Eight Ghosts’ pupils shrank as he instinctively took a step back.

Fortunately, he wasn’t alone this time.

“What, scared already?”

A mocking voice came from behind him—it was Zhu Lin, a Mysterious Realm expert.

The others chuckled too, though a bit more reserved. Unlike Zhu Lin, most of them were only Yuan Realm. Mocking Eight Ghosts might cost them dearly if they weren’t careful.

“Chen Fei, color me surprised. Instead of running, you come back to die?”

Zhu Lin sneered, glancing at Mu Feng, a Yuan Realm peak cultivator.

Mu Feng stepped forward.

“Hand over the black-red command token, the core of the Blood Fiend Formation, and I’ll spare your life.”

“Spare me? Just you?”

Chen Fei snorted, gently flicking his Edge-less Greatsword, tearing the yellow sand apart with a low hum.

Mu Feng snorted coldly.

He had lingered at the Yuan Realm peak for years. If he made a strong showing today, he might finally break through into the Mysterious Realm.

And the best way to do that? Capture Chen Fei.

Everyone knew Chen Fei wasn’t an ordinary cultivator. The fact that he had survived this long spoke volumes.

Mu Feng didn’t hesitate any longer. He stepped forward, a deep crimson glow swirling around his fists.

“Taste the might of my Killing Fists!”

With a bang, he burst forth, leaping toward Chen Fei. A blood-red armor enveloped his body mid-air, shielding him in battle form.

In this state, he could even hold his ground against someone in the Mysterious Realm!

But Chen Fei’s wrist flicked, and his voice rang out cold and crisp:

“Void Sever!”

The Edge-less Greatsword became a black shadow, slashing down toward Mu Feng’s head.

Mu Feng felt the wind of the strike, but remained confident.

“That’s it? I thought you were stronger.”

“Killing Wall!”

Mu Feng’s hands struck forward, creating overlapping afterimages, forming a solid wall of energy in front of him.

It was an impressive feat.

But he made one critical error.

Chen Fei had broken through to the Mysterious Realm.

With a slight tremor from the Void Heaven Cauldron’s Dao Seal, Chen Fei’s sword ignited in flames, heat surging forth along with a specialized energy that scorched evil Qi.

At such close range, Mu Feng’s expression instantly changed.

“This…!”

Before he could retreat, it was already too late.

Chen Fei formed a sword seal and pushed forward:

“Thunderfire Kill!”

It was a fusion attack, combining lightning and fire using the Dao Seal. Though simple in principle, the power it unleashed far exceeded Chen Fei’s expectations.

The flaming sword sliced effortlessly through Mu Feng’s wall of energy, then slammed into his blood-red armor.

A heartbeat later, lightning surged in behind, fusing with the flame.

“AAAHHH—!!”

Mu Feng let out a blood-curdling scream.

His armored defense shattered instantly.

The Edge-less Greatsword cleaved him in two.

A Yuan Realm peak cultivator, felled in a single strike.

His body, now unprotected, was swiftly devoured by the yellow wind, turning to a sand statue, then shattering and merging into the storm.

Chen Fei stood with his sword in hand, smiling cheerfully.

“So…

Who’s next?”