After his master's foreboding warning echoed in his mind, Hu Jin felt an ominous prickle dance across his scalp, the sensation crawling like a lava spider through his brain. Abruptly, the tingling gave way to a searing agony that enveloped his head. The heat surged so intensely that it seemed to bore into his skull, threatening to melt his eyes in their sockets.

He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out; his voice was stifled, smothered by the oppressive air around him. Instead of his cry, only a sinister buzzing sound filled his ears.

Was he already dead? The comforting voice of his master, who had been like a pillar, was no longer there. He felt scared...

Hu Jin felt like his face was melting. No, it was the mask he had on his face!

When Hu Jin came to his senses, he found himself in a strange white cloud with his master's panicked face looking over him.

"Hu Jin, you must wake up right now, or you will die!" His master yelled as Hu Jin slowly regained consciousness. His master's voice continued repeating the same plea, though the sound was getting fainter.

Master, what are you doing? he thought. You said that staying out for too long was dangerous in the tomb of an immortal. The arrays were going to notice your presence.

"Hu Jin! Are you willing to let your life end like this? Get up! After all the humiliation you've suffered, will you let your enemies win?" His master reminded him of all the pain he had endured to get here. The humiliation of his fiancée breaking the engagement and him finally winning his fight against her. The family members who bullied him, his enemies, those who scorned him… he hadn't repaid them all!

With a guttural roar, Hu Jin forced himself to stand and finally came to his senses. The first thing he noticed was the fleshy mask hanging on his face and that his master's presence had turned almost translucent as the sound of lightning crashed all around them.

Has my master been protecting me from the lightning all this time? Hu Jin wondered.

"Put a new mask on," his master said softly.

"Master, are you okay?" Hu Jin asked, but he hurriedly took out a porcelain mask and put it on, while his old fleshy mask melted. .

"I will have to go into a long slumber after this. Liu Feng is using a top-notch level three array. Right now, the best decision for you would be to run," his master said. "One day, we will repay this humiliation, but not today. Liu Feng might not be an incarnated immortal, but he is dangerous in his own way. We can't let him know your real identity. From now on, never use any of the techniques you've used here again—even though you finally hit a Trace with your Earth Shattering Palm."

Hu Jin nodded, knowing he could no longer afford to hesitate, "What should we do about this array?"

"I will take it down, but you need to grab the Yang Fruit and escape immediately," his master said.

"I understand, master," Hu Jin nodded.

Then, in a split second, his master's protective cover vanished, and Hu Jin felt that same tingle on his scalp. His body shuddered at the thought of the pain that was to come next. But the pain never came as his master's cloudy form crashed against the border of the array barrier behind him. Then came a pulse of Qi, and cracks spread through the blue array until it shattered like a dome of glass.

Hu Jin kept his gaze locked on Liu Feng, whose expression remained unchanged. He had the same dead look in his eyes as before.

This time, Hu Jin wasted no time. He grabbed the golden apple off the ground and sprinted.

Almost instantly, Hu Jin felt the air behind him shift. Though he hated to admit it, it was clear that Liu Feng had mastered his movement technique far better than him. It took only an instant for Liu Feng to catch up, but Hu Jin trusted his master's advice.

A green pill slipped from Hu Jin's pocket, releasing a burst of green mist. Hu Jin coughed briefly but quickly recognized it as one of the poisons his master had trained him to be immune to. The whole hallway was enveloped in the green mist, but Hu Jin knew he had to keep moving forward. He had his Echolocation Earth Grade Technique, which would give him an advantage.

"He created a basic barrier around himself before the poison even had a chance to touch him. Doing all that in an instant, his reflexes are impressive," his master remarked. "No, he is familiar with this scenario."

He sounded thoughtful, but now was not the time to overthink too much, "Anyway, turn around and break the barrier. Even if he beats you in a fistfight, you just need to clash and break his barrier to win. A basic barrier is like paper in front of the power of a Qi Gathering Cultivator."

"Hey, I'm confident in a fistfight," Hu Jin grumbled, turning around. He tucked the Yang Fruit under his neck to hold it in place. If consuming a Yang Fruit was less disruptive and didn't cause Qi to surge through his body, he would have swallowed it by now.

Hu Jin used his Echolocation Earth Grade Technique and quickly located Liu Feng. However, as he drew closer, he sensed another array spreading out. He hesitated, dreading another bolt of scorching lightning coursing through his body.

"Don't worry; the poison gas is flammable. If Liu Feng uses that lightning array again, he'll blow himself up. I will protect you in the ensuing explosion," his master said resolutely. By now, he had retreated into the coin in Hu Jin's pocket, but his voice was so faint and tired that Hu Jin could barely hear him. "The explosion will destroy his barrier and poison him."

However, unlike what his master had anticipated—this was a new array. As Hu Jin sensed dozens of new presences within his sensory field, he realized something was wrong.

"Jade Soldier Array," a voice called out through the mist.

Suddenly, a dozen humanoid figures charged at Hu Jin. Though he could sense and even feel their movements, he hadn't mastered the Echolocation Technique to accurately predict his attackers' actions. In this case, the poison mist worked against him!

The jade soldiers weren't as strong as their creator, but their hits still hurt. Worse, they weren't easily destroyed and could quickly recuperate. They also had infinite stamina, while Hu Jin felt more fatigued as the fight continued. The blows to his sides, arms, neck, back, and legs were slowly overwhelming him.

When it came to situations like this, it was better to go for the head of the snake!

“Ahhh!” Hu Jin ballooned his Qi and released the Lion Roar Shockwave Technique, pushing the poison gas away so he could see better. The shockwave would have been more effective against living enemies but still caused the jade soldiers to stagger a bit.

That was the opening Hu Jin needed to charge at Liu Feng. However, as he drew closer, he was greeted by a strange sight.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Liu Feng was wearing oversized armor made of translucent jade, which was far too large for him. Though Hu Jin wasn’t too experienced with such things, he could tell what was happening: his opponent had somehow formed protective armor around the basic barrier he used to keep the poison from touching him.

“Turn back!” his master yelled. “The only way we can win now is by letting the air run out inside his basic barrier so he’ll have no choice but to give up. You must stay out of his range—he will attack now!”

As his master warned, Liu Feng charged at him, the jade armor making him look even more intimidating. But this wasn’t enough to restrict Hu Jin, who had fought against Demonic Cultivators before joining the Blazing Sun Sect.

He jumped back as Liu Feng used a movement technique with enigmatic footwork, resembling a trotting horse. It was challenging to predict where Liu Feng would strike next.

As the tension in the battle peaked, Hu Jin prepared for anything. Suddenly, the poisonous smoke was blown away, and a heavy feeling settled in his chest. Every instinct screamed at him to get away!

But it was too late. Even as his master shouted, “Get away! He’s about to hit a Trace!”

Before Hu Jin could move a muscle, Liu Feng was before him. A translucent, horse-like figure the size of two men appeared behind Liu Feng. Though it was just the mirage of a Trace, the thing felt like it was alive. It snorted, pushing the green poison mist to the edge of the barrier. Liu Feng swung his foot in a kick that didn’t quite reach Hu Jin, but the horse charged forward with a loud neigh.

Once again, the mist seeped from Hu Jin’s pocket, and his master emerged to protect him. But this time, his master appeared more like a ghost about to dissipate, not the formidable cloud-like form he once had.

Before, his master easily crushed Liu Feng’s attacks with a wave of his hand, but now he wore a concentrated look as he created a translucent white barrier. The barrier reverberated with a crash as the horse struck it head-first with a violent neigh. Hu Jin was pushed back, his feet dragging on the ground.

By the end of it all, Hu Jin’s back smashed against the edge of the array barrier, and his master’s barrier shook as it was caught between two powerful forces. The translucent stallion smashed and kicked against the barrier until the mirage slowly faded. But Hu Jin couldn’t even feel relieved, as his master’s form also began to shimmer away. His master opened and closed his mouth as if trying to say something, but no sound came out.

In the end, his master frowned, realizing that Hu Jin couldn’t hear him. With the last of his Qi, his master created a thin serpentine line of energy that crashed against the array’s barrier, shattering it into a thousand pieces. With the last flicker of his form, his master waved Hu Jin away, urging him to run.

"How often can your old teacher deus ex machina this fight?" Liu Feng stated coldly. It was his first time speaking, and his words sounded strange, devoid of emotion. "Though if I were to guess by the look on your face, not anymore."

He still wore his jade armor and hadn't dropped his guard. Without his master around, Hu Jin had no idea how to deal with this. He saw no way to defeat Liu Feng, and waiting for him to make a mistake didn't seem like a viable plan.

In the end, there wasn't much else Hu Jin could do. With the apple in hand, he turned and ran opposite from where they had come. His only hope was that the tunnel didn't end in a dead end.

Of course, Liu Feng gave chase. Despite the late start and still wearing his jade armor, he was faster than before!

In only a handful of seconds, he caught up again! He had become faster—how?

In the end, Hu Jin played the only card he had left. Things might have been different if he had managed to learn the Sky Grade Technique he found in the ruby temple. But mastering a Sky Grade Technique was no easy feat.

So, he could only use his last resort.

Turning around at the last second, he was met with Liu Feng's cold face. There was no joy in his expression, no arrogance, nothing that suggested he took pleasure in the fight. Defeating Hu Jin seemed to mean nothing to him.

Hu Jin took out a stone token from his storage ring. It looked like an ordinary flat stone, the size of a fist, but it had intricately carved spirals. He pointed the spirals at the incoming Liu Feng.

As if knowing what would happen, Liu Feng crossed his arms to protect himself. A loud blast of wind shot out from the token, slamming into him and sending him flying like a stone skipping across water. This would have killed anyone else—Hu Jin knew that slamming into stone with that kind of force was deadly. But he could already see strings forming around his opponent, creating a protective cocoon.

That guy is like a cockroach! Hu Jin grumbled in his mind before continuing to run. Whether Liu Feng had managed to defend himself or not didn't matter. Even with his better mastery of his movement technique, it would take a while for him to catch up.

After running for a bit, the tunnel grew tighter until it could barely fit him. But Hu Jin's heart sank when he saw something at the end of the tunnel… another wall.

A dead end…

All emotion drained from Hu Jin as he stopped using his movement technique and walked briskly toward the end of the tunnel.

However, as he got closer, he noticed something unusual on the wall—a strange pattern, barely visible in the pitch darkness.

Well, it was not like he could stick around and wait for that psycho.

Hu Jin extended his hand and touched the pattern on the wall. Instantly, the surroundings shifted, and he heard birds chirping and trees fluttering. He rubbed his eyes to check if he was under the effect of an illusion. It looked like the teleportation thing led to the outskirts of a jungle.

"Huh? I'm outside?" A smile stretched across his lips, and he let out a throaty laugh. "It seems like today isn't the day I die!"

As Hu Jin looked around for anyone else, he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw a young man behind him, silently staring. The guy appeared small and rather weak, even with shaved brows. But something was unsettling in his stare.

Hu Jin felt a buzzing sound in his ear as his master's weakened, whisper-like voice came through.

"Careful... this one... two souls mashed together," his master warned, his voice barely coming through.

Just like Liu Feng? Hu Jin thought, smiling slightly. Though his master had warned him about Liu Feng, it turned out Liu Feng was not immortal. His master's tone seemed calmer now as if the encounter with Liu Feng had made him less paranoid. Not everything had to be the worst-case scenario.

"What gave a slave like you and his pet ghost the arrogance to look at me with impunity?" the browless man asked, his voice soft, like a snake's hiss.

Hu Jin smiled politely and hid the Yang Fruit behind his back. "Hey, how are you doing—"

But whatever he was about to say next didn't matter because Hu Jin suddenly felt an emptiness in his chest. Not an emotional emptiness but an actual void.

He looked down and saw a gaping hole, the size of a fist, where his heart should have been.

"Oh…" he muttered, falling to his knees and collapsing.

"A heaven's slave randomly popping up in front of me? Very unlikely. I didn't interfere with the ritual in the tomb, so why did he intervene in my affairs? Now the heavens have seen me again," the browless man whispered under his breath.

The assailant didn't even bother taking the Yang Fruit; he simply walked off without another word. Hu Jin felt coldness spreading through the rest of his body as darkness crept into the corners of his vision.

Is this how I'm going to die? he wondered.

Due to eating a Yang Fruit in the past, Hu Jin's physique was resilient. Even with a hole in his chest, he could survive for a few fleeting minutes. But those minutes felt like an eternity as his life flashed before his eyes.

Master… Where are you? Master… I need your help…

But no matter how much he begged or prayed, Hu Jin knew it was useless. After appearing in the immortal's tomb so often, his master had gone into slumber. He could only hope his master would find another worthy disciple when he recuperated.

Not long after, there was the sound of footsteps approaching.

Hu Jin opened his mouth and mumbled a barely audible plea, "Help…"

The figure drew closer and turned him over. The sun was blindingly bright, and despite the looming death, Hu Jin squinted to get a better look at his potential savior.

She was a woman who might have once possessed great beauty, but her face and neck were marred by numerous scars. She wore a white eyepatch.

Hu Jin's heart sank as he recognized her. The woman's cold expression turned into a wide smile that nearly split her face when she saw his face.

"I thought I had gone mad when I sensed the familiar presence of a Yang Fruit near you. Fate truly works in mysterious ways," Ye An chuckled as a sharp knife appeared in her hand. "Don't go dying on me too fast now."