Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 490 - 297 Borrowing Without Returning_2

Chapter 490: Chapter 297 Borrowing Without Returning_2

"Why?"

"I don’t know, no reason, it’s purely an intuition. Master, you should know my intuition is very accurate, it’s an indescribable feeling."

"That’s rare, you’re usually not this reckless. What, have you taken a fancy to that boy?"

That’s just how the elderly are.

They like to play matchmaker randomly, even Jin Yuan was helplessly massaging her temples. She realized that once people reach a certain age, the elders at home get all excited as if they’re on adrenaline, constantly thinking about marrying them off.

However, she didn’t have any special feelings for Jiang Feng, more admiration and curiosity. She also didn’t know why she had inexplicable trust in him, perhaps it was knowing he had hidden something, or maybe it was because of Liu Tangxi.

But she didn’t continue chatting with her master; instead, she raised her index and middle fingers, silently recited a spell, and her lips buzzed.

Soon, in the group of disciples confronting the Xuanyin Sect from a distance, one person raised an eyebrow. The movement from the shadows behind them made them discreetly take something and whispered a few words by their ear.

The moment their hand touched the object, they didn’t hesitate to lead their group in a counter-charge against the Xuanyin Sect!

What was placed into their hands was a pendant.

A pendant capable of leaving scars in the hands of a Nascent Soul Stage master.

Rustle––

Time had already passed into night.

The three of them maintained a distance from each other, keeping their Divine Sense at maximum range, ensuring nothing was missed.

The road was eerily quiet, perhaps because of the recent fervent battles, most cultivators preferred to rest and recover at night.

Shadows flitted swiftly through the green mountain; the actions of these three were extremely cautious, refraining from audacious Sword Flight and instead flying close to the ground to avoid startling the enemy.

The atmosphere was eerily quiet, the three had been outside the city for about two hours without hearing any noise, only the perpetual view of green mountains and flowing rivers, with an odd aura permeating the entire mountain range.

Whoosh!

Landed.

Looking at the endlessly stretching green mountain in the distance, Xuan Hu couldn’t help but furrow his brows and mutter to himself.

"What’s going on?"

"We’ve come so far and haven’t seen a single person, let alone a town. Shouldn’t this be the heartland of Country Liang? How could it be so desolate?"

"Xuan Niu and the young master’s Divine Sense are intact; it seems there are no issues on their side. They’re only ten miles away from me."

"Forget it, if we can help the young master slay Jiang Feng this time, it should be easy to ask him for some benefits in the future."

"Sigh, such misfortune, having to serve this ancestor. If only I could serve the eldest or second young master, it would be so much better compared to him. After failing twice to reach Nascent Soul, his future prospects are likely limited..."

Continuously muttering under his breath.

It’s apparent that after twice failing to reach Nascent Soul, Xuan Yinzi’s status and reputation in the sect had plummeted.

The two brothers had only recently started following him in the past six months, and although they didn’t speak up, they were somewhat discontented with Xuan Yinzi.

Hoo~

Taking a few deep breaths.

Two hours of full-speed travel had left him a bit weary. After all, they were ordinary disciples without top-tier skills to continuously restore their energy, nor any special earthly treasures to improve their constitution.

After a brief rest, just as he was about to move, an inexplicable faint ringing reached his ears again.

Jingle jingle~

The sound poured into his mind from all directions, piercing his ears almost like drills. Goosebumps appeared instantly, and that strong sense of crisis made him shout immediately.

"Who’s there!"

Shing––

The sound and the light of a blade occurred almost simultaneously.

The body’s subconscious reaction to danger made him raise his right hand. The Demon Suppressing Blade hadn’t even swung before it spun seven or eight times in the air.

In the end, with a "clang," it stabbed into the ground.

The severed arm still gripped the handle tightly, the pulsating blood vessels at the broken wound clearly visible even under the moonlight.

He let out a shrill scream, but then he saw the person hiding in the shadows.

"You, it’s you! How dare you still seek..."

Bam!

A kick landed on his Dantian, sending him flying twenty meters away. That terrifying force left him, an intermediate Core Formation master, without any power to resist.

Rolling miserably on the ground a few times, he spat out a mouthful of blood, which sobered him up quite a bit. Clenching his teeth, he immediately drew a blood-red talisman with his remaining left hand.

"You brat, since you came knocking, don’t blame me, reveal yourself!"

Instantly, a blood light descended from the sky.

The blood light enveloped his body, but it wasn’t any special means or high-level Skill. With their status and position as followers, there was no way they could possess such things.

It was merely a special type of Communication Talisman, and immediately blood light soared to the heavens, visible even from dozens of miles away.

Watching with a sinister smile, he looked at the man walking towards him slowly from afar, his expression ferocious, clutching his wound desperately. He knew that once the Blood Talisman was activated, the other two would rush over at the fastest speed, to deal with this boy...

"Wait a minute."

He was stunned.

"Why are the young master and Xuan Niu just circling in place?"

Jingle jingle~

The walking motion caused the bell hanging at his waist to continually emit crisp collisions, an ancient styled bell of simple material. Yet, judging by the aura it emitted, it was undoubtedly a treasure.

"What is that?"

"The Soul Summoning Bell? It shouldn’t be, even the Soul Summoning Bell couldn’t trap me..."

He stared fixedly at the bell on the man’s waist, only then noticing that Jiang Feng had another small, exquisitely silver-white bell on his other side. Upon seeing its color and emitted aura, he almost trembled in his voice.

"Earth Rank Magic Treasure!?"

Yes.

This was the assistance provided to Jiang Feng by the Joyful Sect, a Magic Treasure named the Joyful Ring.

Any Magic Treasure named after the sect itself needs no further introduction, being one of the symbolic treasures of the Joyful Sect. This treasure was personally gifted by the Sect Master to Ying Ling when she broke through to Core Formation at the age of eighteen.

It was both a symbol of status and a reward for a disciple, yet it ended up in Jiang Feng’s hands.

To outsiders, the area already appeared to be engulfed in blood light, but in reality, the other two saw no such scene, the outside remaining as dark as ever, no light, no cities.

Yes, after leaving Fish City about a hundred miles away, they had been mindlessly circling in this deserted wilderness like flies.

Commonly known as the ghost beating the wall.

This was the power of the Joyful Ring.

Even if Jiang Feng was unfamiliar with the Joyful Sect’s Cultivation Technique, he could still wield this item to display such fearsome power, especially not only with Ying Ling’s help but all three sisters lending him aid.

In the city, Jin Yuan, as the eldest sister, had been subtly influencing them with her Joyful Ring, while on the road, the third sister Tong Xin created illusions, and Ying Ling was direct enough, when asked, she truly entrusted her Magic Treasure to him.

"You, you this wretched brat..."

Jiang Feng’s body suddenly vanished before his eyes.

A sharp pain in the chest.

"Ah!"

A scream echoed to the skies.

Because a dark shadow suddenly appeared behind him, extending its hand through his life vein, the man who had been leisurely pacing in front of Xuan Hu was suddenly speechless.

Swoosh!

The blade was wrenched through the heart.

"Pearl of the Celestial Lake, Joyful Ring, I really owe that girl a debt of gratitude, I had planned to quit this job, and just make a run for it with these two Magic Treasures."

Saying that, he wordlessly faded into the forest, heading straight for the other two...