Chapter 340 The Demon Emperor

Following the directions provided by Qu’a, Saint Ancestor, Chen Fei entered the western tunnel.

But he hadn’t walked far when he suddenly stopped—

He could hear footsteps inside the cavern.

“Damn, why is this place so cold?! They told us to use our Qi to resist the chill, but seriously, couldn’t they give us some compensation too?”

“Enough with the whining! This mission is important to the Holy Sect. There’ll be rewards when we get back!”

“You really believe that?”

Chen Fei instantly suppressed his presence and crept quietly to the side.

Just around the corner, two low-tier demonic cultivators, both only at the Yuan Realm, were rubbing their hands and stomping their feet—clearly suffering in the icy environment.

“I wonder how things are going outside. Those female cultivators from the Mother Cult… tsk tsk, they’re really something else…”

“Shut it! Don’t underestimate them. They’ve held control over the entire Dongting Nation for years and even forced Heavenly Apex Holy Land into retreat. You want your thing sliced off?”

“Relax, women always come to me, not the other way around!”

The two chuckled obscenely.

Chen Fei frowned but didn’t act yet.

From their idle chatter, he had already learned several critical things:

The Mother Cult is extremely powerful. Even Earth Dao cultivators have been mobilized, and they have the resources to oppose top sects like Heavenly Apex Holy Land.

The Mother Cult might be a distraction. The real objective of the demonic cultivators lies within the forbidden underground ruin.

Qu’a was lying again.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Fei’s eyes.

Yet, this situation could work in his favor—

The two cultivators were clearly not part of the Mother Cult, offering him a useful opening.

“So what’s actually in here that’s making three major sects act together?”

“You think they’d tell us that? I did hear a rumor, though—that there’s a powerful demonic beast sealed in these caves.”

“A demon beast? What’s that got to do with us?”

“You idiot. If it hates the Holy Lands and causes chaos, it helps us. The enemy of my enemy is my friend!”

Chen Fei’s heart skipped a beat.

The demonic sects were clearly well-prepared—actively trying to destabilize the Holy Lands by releasing something dangerous.

If they truly unleashed a powerful beast, it could plunge the entire Xuanhuang Continent into chaos.

Chen Fei was suddenly glad he hadn’t acted rashly.

This scattered gossip had provided a wealth of insight.

Just as he was planning to eavesdrop longer, footsteps approached from further down the cave.

A sinister-looking man with a pale, androgynous face walked up.

“What are you two doing?! Stay alert! If anyone gets in, you’ll both pay dearly!”

“Yes, sir!”

The two demonic cultivators immediately stood straight, their earlier lewd expressions vanishing.

“Hmph.”

The man sneered and walked off.

As soon as he left, the two men spat in disdain.

“Acting like a big shot! So the Holy Sect’s elites are human, and we’re not?!”

“Enough. We can’t afford to cross him.”

Clearly, they had been intimidated.

Seeing there was nothing more to learn, Chen Fei quietly withdrew.

Once in a safe area, he appeared before Qu’a, wearing a cold smile.

Qu’a had been sitting cross-legged, scheming how to escape, when he looked up to see Chen Fei’s icy expression.

A bad feeling instantly rose in his heart.

And sure enough, before he could speak, flames erupted, engulfing him.

“Ahhh! What are you doing?!”

Qu’a screamed in agony.

Chen Fei sneered.

“Still playing dumb? I’ve warned you more than once. If you’re so eager to die, I’ll help you along.”

“I told you everything I know!”

Qu’a roared furiously.

“Everything?”

Chen Fei raised a brow.

“Then why didn’t you mention the demonic cultivators gathering beneath the caves?”

“Demonic cultivators?”

Brute, who had been resting, opened his eyes in shock.

Qu’a also stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded.

Chen Fei’s voice was laced with sarcasm.

“You didn’t mention they’re trying to release a sealed demonic beast from the cavern. That’s their real goal, right?”

“What?!”

Brute gasped.

Qu’a was stunned as well.

He had kept that detail hidden. His plan was simple—

If Chen Fei stumbled into an ambush, he might be able to escape in the chaos.

But now Chen Fei had uncovered the secret without alerting anyone?

That was beyond his understanding.

He was truly shaken.

Brute’s face darkened.

“This is bad!”

“What’s wrong?” Chen Fei asked.

Brute looked serious.

“We must contact the sect immediately. I think I know who they’re trying to release.”

“Who?” Chen Fei asked sharply.

“The Demon Emperor—Tian Zheng!”

Chen Fei’s pupils shrank.

So he had accidentally stumbled onto the demonic sect’s true scheme—and it was worse than he imagined.

But now a new problem had arisen:

How to get this information out?

Brute’s expression was grim.

The sect had sent them partly to retaliate for a fallen comrade, but also to probe the strength of the demonic factions.

But from what they had seen, the first goal had already failed, and if Tian Zheng was released…

If the Holy Land suffered further losses, the Xuanhuang Continent might be plunged into full-scale chaos.

Chen Fei’s face was lined with worry.

The current situation was severely disadvantageous.

He had to get this intel out, or the consequences would be disastrous.

“Looks like we’ll have to fight our way out,” Chen Fei said, taking a deep breath.

“It’s dangerous!” Brute warned.

Chen Fei sighed.

He knew it was dangerous.

But what other choice did he have?

His gaze hardened—he had already made up his mind.

“This is your last chance,” he said to Qu’a coldly.

“If you hide anything else, I’ll scatter your soul. Now—how do we leave the cave system quickly?”

“I—”

Qu’a hesitated, and flames instantly roared around him.

“Wait! I have it! This is a map of the caves, drawn by the Mother Cult during years of exploration!”

He quickly produced a map.

“Follow the marked paths, and you can exit the cavern safely—without entering the ruin’s core.”

Chen Fei took the map and glanced at it.

Though the underground system was vast and winding, the map was very detailed.

Recalling his previous path, Chen Fei quickly pinpointed his current location.

Luckily, his position wasn’t too far from the outer edges.

But one problem remained—the journey would be crawling with demonic cultivators.