Chapter 382: Face-to-Face with Hatred!

"We're almost there! This way... no, this way!"

Yun Yiyi led Ling Feng and Lin Xian'er deeper into the dense forest, but the thick mist made it hard to navigate, causing Yun Yiyi to lose her way. Having rushed back in a panic to deliver the message, she had forgotten the correct path on the way back.

"Which way do we go, Senior Sister Yun?" Lin Xian'er grabbed Yun Yiyi's arm gently, trying to calm her down. "Don't rush. Try to remember."

"We might not have time to figure it out slowly," Ling Feng said. He was familiar with Gu Tengfeng's fighting style. Normally, Gu Tengfeng would have already finished off any opponent he could defeat. The fact that he hadn't returned yet indicated that he was in a tough battle.

Taking a deep breath, Ling Feng activated the second divine inscription of the Heavenly Dao and opened his Boundless Vision, searching for any trace of Gu Tengfeng.

Soon, Ling Feng sensed Gu Tengfeng's presence and locked onto his location, finding him engaged in a fierce battle with a man wearing a demon mask.

"This is bad. The captain is injured!"

Worry flashed across Ling Feng's eyes. Through his Boundless Vision, he saw that Gu Tengfeng was severely wounded. His aura was unstable and fading, indicating that he was on the brink of collapse. It seemed the information from Tianwei Academy had made them underestimate their enemy. The strength of this Demon-Masked Man was likely approaching the level of the Spiritual Element Realm.

"Junior Brother Ling, what are you saying?" Yun Yiyi asked curiously. "How do you know that the captain is hurt?"

"I have a feeling," Ling Feng replied, rubbing his nose. "Come on, follow me. I can sense where the captain is!"

Without waiting for a response, Ling Feng used his movement art to move swiftly towards the location where Gu Tengfeng and the Demon-Masked Man were battling.

"

Huh?

"

Suddenly, Ling Feng's Boundless Vision caught sight of several familiar faces.

"It's them!"

A cold gleam flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. He spotted members of the Zhenlong Academy hiding nearby, observing the battle between Gu Tengfeng and the Demon-Masked Man. Their intentions were clear—they wanted to take advantage of the situation and swoop in for the spoils once both sides were exhausted.

They couldn't be allowed to succeed so easily!

"Senior Sister Yun, Xian'er, wait here for a moment and don't show yourselves just yet," Ling Feng said, coming to a halt. He turned to Lin Xian'er and Yun Yiyi and spoke seriously, "I've spotted those people from Zhenlong Academy. They're hiding nearby, waiting to benefit from the fight. Now that we know their plan, we can't let them get away with it!"

"What?" Yun Yiyi and Lin Xian'er were both startled. "Zhenlong Academy’s students are here too? Where?"

Yun Yiyi, with her forty-plus meridian gates, should have had a stronger true qi and better sensory abilities than Ling Feng.

She was surprised that she hadn't noticed anything while Ling Feng had!

"I've trained in a scouting technique that lets me sense faint auras," Ling Feng lied casually. "Anyway, here's the plan..."

Ling Feng leaned in and whispered his plan to the two women. Their eyes lit up, and they both nodded in agreement.

"You're really something, Ling Feng!" Lin Xian'er couldn't help but laugh and give him a thumbs up.

"If the people from Zhenlong Academy want to play dirty, we don't need to be righteous," Ling Feng said with a huff.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

According to the plan, he led the two women to the edge of the battle area, where the powerful energy fluctuations from the ongoing fight could be felt even without seeing it directly.

"I'll make the first move. You two sneak around and block the Demon-Masked Man's escape route from behind. Got it?"

"Got it!" They both replied in unison.

"Good. Now it's my turn to step in!"

With a determined look, Ling Feng snorted softly. He could have called on the despicable donkey to easily handle the Demon-Masked Man, but he didn't want to give that greedy donkey the opportunity to extort more benefits from him.

If he let it take action, who knew how much benefit it would ask for!

Whoosh!

Ling Feng's Boundless Sword Steps propelled him directly into the battle zone. As he leaped into the air, he shouted, "Captain, I'm here to help!"

For a moment, everyone—Gu Tengfeng, the Demon-Masked Lord, and the hiding students from Zhenlong Academy—were startled by Ling Feng's sudden appearance.

"You're finally here!

Ugh—!

"

Gu Tengfeng coughed up blood, his hands trembling. He was at his limit and could no longer sustain the power of the secret art,

Nine Revolutions of the Unknown Sky

.

"Damn it, this brat ruined everything!"

Ye Fan and his group were frustrated. They had been waiting for Gu Tengfeng to fall, only for Ling Feng to arrive and upset their plans.

The Demon-Masked Lord, seeing Ling Feng, seemed to shudder violently. His eyes flared with intense rage as dark energy surged around him.

"Li—ng Fe—ng!"

His voice was chilling and sent shivers down everyone’s spine. It was as if he had emerged from the depths of the underworld.

Gu Tengfeng, closest to the Demon-Masked Lord, was taken aback. Despite their prolonged struggle, he had never felt such murderous intent from the Demon-Masked Lord before. This killing intent was almost palpable and was directed entirely at Ling Feng!

"What?" Ling Feng's expression changed. He hadn't expected the Demon-Masked Lord to recognize him, let alone harbor such intense hatred.

Who could hate him this much?

Ling Feng couldn't recall anyone fitting that description. The Demon-Masked Lord and Lin Canglang, the former sect leader, seemed to have no connection.

Lin Canglang had once been a respected sect leader, not a slaughterer of innocents. Moreover, he practiced water-based martial arts. His attacks were like surging waves which was very different from the dark, demonic qi of the Demon-Masked Lord.

Most importantly, in Ling Feng's memory, Lin Canglang was only at the early stages of the Transformation Realm. How could he possibly fight on equal footing with someone like Gu Tengfeng, or even overpower him?

While Ling Feng couldn't recognize Lin Canglang under the demon mask, Lin Canglang, now the Demon-Masked Lord, could never forget Ling Feng's face.

To him, Ling Feng was the one who had ruined his life.

He

was the cause of his disgrace and loss of everything he once had!

Previously, Lin Canglang was able to push his hatred aside while he focused on mastering his demonic arts. But now, seeing Ling Feng again, all his rage resurfaced and burned brightly.

"When old enemies meet, their hatred knows no bounds!

"Die, Ling Feng!"

The Demon-Masked Lord sprang into the air, transforming into a shadowy figure. He abandoned the weakened Gu Tengfeng and unleashed a torrent of demonic qi right at Ling Feng, trying to overwhelm him!