Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Cultivators arrived one after another, immediately discovering the numerous corpses in the valley.

Among the bodies were their relatives and friends.

"Let's go! That Ling Fei is beyond evil, killing so many people! We have to tear him to pieces!" The valley erupted with furious cries.

"Leave a few men here to brief the others as they arrive. That way, everyone can join the hunt for Ling Fei!" someone suggested.

After all, people were still constantly arriving.

But they didn't know what had happened yet.

"That's right! We have to mobilize everyone to hunt Ling Fei down. We can't let him escape!" With that, the crowd reached a consensus. Leaving a few people behind, they charged into the mountain forest ahead. Back in the valley, more people continued to arrive and learn of what had happened.

And so, as more people learned of the incident, the number of those hunting Ling Fei grew larger and larger.

Some were motivated by fame and fortune. Others were there because Ling Fei had killed their kinsmen.

In just one day, the number of people hunting Ling Fei reached three hundred.

Two days later, that number reached seven hundred, and it continued to grow by the hundreds.

Ling Fei had effectively become the primary target for most of the Practitioners in the area.

...

Deep within the mountain range, Ling Fei pressed onward, heading into the more dangerous regions.

Because his Soul Power was exceptionally strong, he could sense people nearby and managed to evade his pursuers several times.

Unfortunately, by the fourth day, he had ventured eighteen hundred li into the Ancient Ruins, and he was now approaching the Phenomenon Region.

Here, the Demon Beasts were also much more powerful.

ROAR!

This time, he encountered a Purple-eyed Demon Tiger of the Celestial Spirit Realm. To defeat this Demon Beast, Ling Fei had no choice but to use his True Dragon Roar.

With this, he stunned the Purple-eyed Demon Tiger's Heart Spirit and successfully slew it.

However, that very roar also exposed his location.

Drawn by the sound, nearly a thousand people arrived and forced him to the edge of a cliff.

At the edge of the cliff, clouds and mist swirled. A fierce wind would occasionally rise, whipping up flurries of fallen leaves.

Ling Fei was now at the cliff's edge. Thirty feet behind him was a Mountain Abyss thousands of feet deep. Within it, clouds churned and fierce winds howled, making it impossible to see what lay below.

Still, it wasn't hard to imagine the grisly fate that awaited anyone who fell.

Before Ling Fei, a full four hundred Cultivators had gathered.

He had gotten little rest during his days on the run. Although his Soul Power had recovered somewhat, it wasn't nearly enough to fight several hundred people at once.

"Ling Fei, you have nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide. Just give up quietly!"

"If you surrender now and come with us to admit your guilt before the Marquis of Eatern, your family and friends won't be dragged into this. Otherwise, they will suffer for your crimes."

"Heh..." Ling Fei let out a long sigh as he stared at the men before him, asking himself, 'Just because I come from a Humble Family, I'm a criminal even when I kill villains in self-defense? Now I'm even a target for the Three Great Academies. How pathetic. But... should I feel regret?'

He was now in a truly desperate situation. As determined as Ling Fei's will was, he still felt a sense of powerlessness.

'No. I, Ling Fei, have always acted with integrity. I never attack unless provoked. If these people hadn't been so hell-bent on killing me, would it have come to this? The only reason I'm in this hopeless situation is that I'm not strong enough. If I were truly powerful, would any of them dare to force my hand?'

'If I were powerful enough to disregard the Dukes of the Empire, who would dare say I was in the wrong?'

Suddenly, a glint appeared in Ling Fei's eyes. His heart was firm, without a trace of hesitation.

On the contrary, he had come to a profound understanding of the principle: the strong reign supreme.

If you aren't strong enough, there's no point in being right.

Because the strong will never listen to reason from the weak.

'I'm not necessarily trapped yet,' Ling Fei thought. After calming his emotions, his Heart Spirit stirred, and he sent his senses probing into the Mountain Abyss.

"This Ling Fei is being stubborn. Why don't we attack together and capture him? I doubt he actually has the guts to jump off the cliff."

"This cliff is thousands of feet high. The winds are so savage that even a Cultivator at the Perfect Innate Realm couldn't stay balanced. Anyone who fell would be caught by the winds and smashed to pieces."

Seeing that Ling Fei remained silent, one of the men in the lead said.

Besides, they were worried that any delay would create new problems.

If Ling Fei jumped, they wouldn't be able to claim any credit.

"Alright, move! You lot, flank him from the left and right. Get behind him to make sure he can't jump off the cliff. We'll take him down in one fell swoop!"

"Right." In that moment, the nineteen men in the lead reached an agreement.

Their gazes hardened as they gathered their strength, preparing to take down Ling Fei with lightning speed and overwhelming force.

'Even now, you still want to trade me for fame and fortune?' Seeing their movements, Ling Fei's gaze turned icy.

He had killed many people on his journey here.

But he never expected that there would still be so many who didn't fear death.

'In that case, let's have one final, mad frenzy!' His eyes focused, and he began to gather his strength.

"Now!" At that exact moment, the nineteen men attacked.

WHOOSH!

Eleven of them attacked from the front, their Long Swords slashing toward Ling Fei.

The other eight flanked him from the left and right, slashing at the space behind him to prevent his retreat.

ROAR!

As they made their move, Ling Fei gathered the last of his Soul Power and unleashed the True Dragon Roar.

The dragon's cry rang out, and the eleven men at the front froze for an instant.

"Die!" With a roar, Ling Fei attacked, unleashing his Celestial River Nine Swords.

SWISH! SWISH!

The Nine Swords shot forth, crushing the Sword Qi of the eleven men.

Most of these men were only at the Late Innate Stage. Their strength was not particularly great.

It was only because Ling Fei was now low on True Qi; otherwise, cultivators of the Late Stage of Innate would be no match for him at all.

BANG!

One by one, they were engulfed by the Sword River, which left gashes so deep on their bodies that white bone was visible.

Four of them were killed instantly.

The other seven were sent flying backward, gravely wounded.

'A pity.' Ling Fei sighed softly. He then struck again, launching a fierce offensive against the men on his left and right.

BANG! BANG!

These men were also stunned by the sonic wave, their minds ringing. While the effect wasn't severe, it left them dazed for a crucial instant.

In that fleeting moment of hesitation, Ling Fei's Long Sword flashed out, crushing their Sword Qi. Then the Sword River swept over them, sending them all flying.

THUD! THUD!

One by one, the men were sent flying, their bodies covered in scars. Cold Qi invaded their wounds, damaging their meridians.

'A pity. My Soul Power is too depleted, I can't use the True Dragon Roar anymore.' After that thunderous assault, fatigue was evident in Ling Fei's eyes.

With a sigh, he flashed to the edge of the cliff.

The very edge of the cliff.

The mountain wind whipped around Ling Fei, enveloping him and making him feel as if he were merging with heaven and earth.

But now, all Ling Fei felt was a grim resolve.

'If I don't die today, I swear I will cultivate with all my might! I will become an unrivaled expert and master my own destiny! Then, no Crown Prince, no Prince, no Empress will have power over my life! I will make these people grovel at my feet! I will force those who once looked down on me to look up to me in awe! I will let them know that a son from a Humble Family can still soar above the heavens! I, Ling Fei, will dominate this land and reign supreme in the Martial Arts World!' Ling Fei's gaze sharpened, his expression firm. The heart of a true expert within him beat stronger and more resolutely than ever.

Before, he had cultivated for the sake of his adoptive father.

But now, he understood with profound clarity that in this Martial Arts World, if he wasn't strong enough to control his own destiny, then everything was meaningless.

If he died, how could he possibly protect his loved ones?

WHOOSH!

Then, with a final movement, Ling Fei leaped forward into the Mountain Abyss.