Facing an Ancient God for a Year

He was already familiar with this route he’d taken twice before, and he was even clear about the locations where monsters would ambush him.

He encountered almost no obstacles along the way, and he soon reached the blood pool at the center.

From a distance, he could already see Feng Yunhong shaping something in the recess.

Moving his facial muscles, Fu Qian quickly stepped forward, and the next moment, his pupils suddenly dilated.

“Feng… Director Yunhong?”

It took a full ten seconds before the wax-like Feng Yunhong finally showed some movement.

Drawing a long breath, as if he had just woken from a dream, Feng Yunhong slowly opened his eyes and looked at Fu Qian.

“Who are you? This place is very dangerous.”

“You’re Director Feng, right?”

Fu Qian did not answer his question, but continued with a look of surprise.

“I knew you were alright! I’ve finally found you!”

“You know me?”

Feng Yunhong furrowed his brows.

“Of course!”

Fu Qian nodded vigorously.

“I’ve seen your picture at the Academy, you haven’t changed a bit over the years, I recognized you right away.”

“The Academy…”

As if he had heard of something long past, Feng Yunhong paused before he reacted and shook his head.

“That was many years ago.”

“Yes, the teachers at the Academy often mention the mysterious disappearance of the Fourth Director. It has been at least several decades by now.

It is said that Director Li later was always looking for your whereabouts.”

“Director Li, Li He? He’s become a director too, huh.”

Feng Yunhong sighed deeply, his face a mixture of aging and a trace of relief.

Not bad acting, Fu Qian praised internally.

“Yes, but Director Li has retired for many years now, traveling everywhere, and he has always valued your strength highly.”

Feng Yunhong waved his hand and looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, the very picture of one who has seen through the vicissitudes of life.

“All this fleeting fame, like passing clouds and smoke.”

“Speaking of which, you also are a hero among the young.”

He looked at Fu Qian appreciatively.

“So young and already at Sixth Phase, in our time, you’d definitely be hailed as a young prodigy.”

“You flatter me too much, Director Feng. I am but standing on the shoulders of giants; without the many years of exploration by the predecessors, how could the path to cultivation be so smooth?”

While being modest, Fu Qian frowned looking at the miserable state of Feng Yunhong’s lower body.

“What happened to you… Who did this?”

“It would be difficult to explain in a short time, it’s all because I was too careless back then. This place is extremely ominous, you must be very careful.”

Feng Yunhong cautioned Fu Qian with the posture of an elder.

“I understand!”

Fu Qian nodded earnestly, continuing to look at Feng Yunhong’s lower body with grief and indignation.

“I will call the others right away, and we will definitely find a way to rescue you.”

Are there other people?

Hearing what Fu Qian said, Feng Yunhong’s eyes lit up, then he chuckled resignedly, shaking his head.

“It’s the thought that counts. At my age, I have long been indifferent to life or death, and living up to now has been nothing but a struggle to hang on.”

“The dangers in here are countless; you don’t need to risk your lives for me.”

“Please don’t say that.”

Fu Qian shook his head vigorously.

“I’ll go call them now. Deputy Director Li Weixuan, who is with us, is at the peak of Fourth Phase and has the Sword Heart Clarity that specially overcomes evil and filth. He will surely find a way to get you out, just wait…”

While comforting Feng Yunhong, Fu Qian pretended to leave; the next moment, however, he stopped suddenly, his brows deeply furrowed.

“What’s wrong?”

Feng Yunhong’s eyes narrowed slightly as he sized up Fu Qian.

“Do you ever…”

Fu Qian looked around incessantly, as if searching for something.

“Hear someone talking?”

“Someone talking? How could that be; there are no other people here besides us two!”

Feng Yunhong’s face was filled with confusion.

“Did you hear it wrong?”

“But there really is!”

Fu Qian looked puzzled.

“It’s a woman’s voice, incessantly saying to let her out, her name seems to be Shui Jing… Wait, there’s another man’s voice… Chi Hesheng, how can this be?”

Fu Qian casually named two individuals, noticing the sudden change in Feng Yunhong’s expression.

“The Blood Pool area is rife with curses that sometimes cause hallucinations; you might be affected by them.”

“You’d better leave quickly to avoid further harm.”

Feng Yunhong hurried Fu Qian along swiftly.

“Understood, I’ll leave right now!”

Fu Qian nodded his head and bowed to Feng Yunhong.

“Take care, I’ll be back soon.”

“No need to rush, this old man has been here for so many years, there’s no hurry for a moment.”

Feng Yunhong laughed heartily, watching Fu Qian leave until he completely vanished into the thin mist.

After traveling some distance, Fu Qian turned and initially used a stone tower to block the view; then he quietly doubled back.

Of course, he wouldn’t really go and bring Li Weixuan and the others over.

The reason he had said that before was to let Feng Yunhong know that more prey would be coming, so he wouldn’t blow himself up just yet.

Secondly, it was to put enough pressure on the old gentleman.

He had emphasized that Li Weixuan was at the pinnacle of the Fourth Phase with exceptionally sharp senses, and then told him that he had heard cries for help.

If even he could hear anomalies, Feng Yunhong would certainly worry about being exposed in front of Li Weixuan. If Feng truly had a way to suppress the swallowed Transcendents, he would definitely take action.

Moving swiftly back to the side of the Blood Pool, Fu Qian found that Feng Yunhong had disappeared.

And in his original spot, there was now an opening that continued downwards.

This place… Fu Qian recalled the arched dome that had been revealed when Li Weixuan and Feng Yunhong had fought.

There really was something below!

Fu Qian jumped over the Blood Pool once again to the edge of the opening, discovering that below was a series of interlacing stone beams.

Without the slightest hesitation, Fu Qian jumped down.

Speed is of the essence in war, and Feng Yunhong’s actions wouldn’t be too slow.

Landing lightly on a massive arched stone beam, Fu Qian carefully observed the interior of the structure.

The space was not very large, but the height was significant, and he was now standing on its beams.

It was hard to imagine how such a structure could have sunk into the ground.

By its overall appearance, this place should have originally been a church or something similar, but now it was barely recognizable.

The entire interior of the building presented an extremely bizarre scene, most parts were empty.

Tables, chairs, roof tiles, lamp fixtures, colored glaze—all the interior decorations had accumulated in the very center of the building.

Not only that, these items seemed to be drawn by some force, distortedly forming into a huge four-pronged spiral shape.

The symbol on Blood Face’s head.

A thought struck Fu Qian, confirming that he had found the right place.

In the center of the counterclockwise spiral was a rough stone chair.

At this moment, the vanished Feng Yunhong was sitting on it, his body emitting waves of wailing.

He’s so fast!

Come to think of it, has this guy just been standing up there the whole time, swallowing people and then running down here to digest them?

That’s really steady!