“Don’t go, come back quick!”
As the Secret Cave Saints started to flee, Chu Feng suddenly roared.
“Brother Shura, why aren’t you running? Don’t you want to live?”
The Secret Cave Saints didn’t heed Chu Feng’s call. Instead, they ran deeper into the corridor, shouting back to persuade him.
“Come back quick! That aura is fake! If you don’t return now, you’ll miss your chance and might not get into the main hall!” Chu Feng shouted.
“Real or fake?”
Hearing this, the Secret Cave Saints froze in place. They stopped fleeing but didn’t immediately head back to the hall, hesitating visibly.
It wasn’t their fault—the aura emanating from the coffins was terrifying.
Whatever was inside, it was something they couldn’t hope to defeat.
Staying would be gambling with their lives.
“You guys…” Chu Feng sighed helplessly. Without wasting words, he raised his arm.
**Whoosh—**
With his movement, a surge of martial power shot upward, splitting into two blades that flew toward the coffins.
“Brother Shura, are you insane?!”
The Secret Cave Saints were nearly scared witless.
Something terrifying was hidden in those coffins, and Chu Feng was attacking them.
This was suicide!
But when the martial blades entered the coffins, nothing happened.
The coffins still emitted eerie wails and an overwhelming aura capable of destroying everything.
Yet, because everything remained unchanged, Chu Feng’s attack had no effect.
**Swish, swish, swish—**
Seeing this, the Secret Cave Saints hurriedly turned back, returning to the hall.
They realized Chu Feng might have been right. The terrifying pressure and eerie scene were likely just a test.
A test of their courage, to see if they were worthy of recognition.
Otherwise, how could Chu Feng’s attack provoke no response?
**Buzz—**
Almost the moment they returned to the hall, the corridor began to collapse. A destructive force ravaged it, obliterating the corridor entirely.
That force was so terrifying that not only could the corridor not withstand it, but no one could have survived it.
Seeing this, the Secret Cave Saints gasped.
Looking at Chu Feng again, their eyes were filled with gratitude.
If not for his warning and daring to attack the coffins, revealing the aura as a bluff, they might have fled.
And that would’ve meant not just missing the Demon-Slaying Emperor’s recognition but dying in the corridor.
The scene in the corridor proved it all.
Chu Feng had saved their lives.
“Brother Shura, thank you so much!”
The Secret Cave Saints clasped their fists in gratitude, so emotional they nearly knelt before him.
“Alright, alright, it’s not a big deal. You’re making a fuss.”
“If you really want to thank me, how about giving me a few of those treasures you’re hiding?” Chu Feng teased.
“Uh…”
“Well…”
“I think Brother Shura’s right. No need for grand thanks since we’re all on the same boat. Let’s not be so formal,” the leader of the Secret Cave Saints said.
“Yeah, the boss is right.”
“In that case, Brother Shura, we won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
The others stood up, no longer expressing gratitude.
“Damn, what kind of people are you?” Chu Feng shot them a disdainful look.
These guys perfectly embodied greed.
Moments ago, they were practically in tears with gratitude.
But the moment Chu Feng mentioned treasures, they changed their tune.
**Buzz—**
Suddenly, the terrifying aura that had shaken the heavens began to weaken and soon vanished completely.
The hall seemed to return to normal.
“Damn, it really was a scare tactic.”
“This Demon-Slaying Emperor is too much!”
“First, he lured us into the ancient creatures’ lair, now he bluffs us into that death-trap corridor, nearly killing us again.”
“Good thing we have Brother Shura, or we’d have been played to death.”
“Brother Shura, how did you figure out it was all a bluff?”
After cursing, the Secret Cave Saints asked Chu Feng.
As powerful spiritists, they hadn’t noticed the coffins’ aura was fake.
They were curious how Chu Feng had known.
“I wasn’t sure. I just took a gamble.”
“Got lucky and bet right,” Chu Feng said.
“What? A gamble? Damn, you were betting with our lives!”
The Secret Cave Saints were stunned, their faces likely twisted in shock, though Chu Feng couldn’t see.
In truth, Chu Feng had some basis for his actions.
His experience from exploring relics told him the terrifying aura was likely a bluff.
Of course, he hadn’t anticipated the destructive force in the corridor.
Thinking back, even Chu Feng felt a chill.
He’d briefly considered fleeing with the others, which would’ve led to their deaths in the corridor.
Thankfully, he’d bet right.
**Ugh—**
Suddenly, a burning pain surged through Chu Feng’s body.
The pain was unbearable, forcing him to his knees, his consciousness blurring.
“Brother Shura, what’s wrong?”
Seeing this, the Secret Cave Saints were alarmed and rushed to his side.
But as they approached, they collapsed, screaming in agony.
Compared to them, Chu Feng was holding up better.
The Secret Cave Saints were writhing on the ground, their screams like pigs being slaughtered, utterly lacking the composure of seasoned cultivators. They seemed more like children with no endurance.
In contrast, Chu Feng was remarkably resilient.
But that wasn’t the point. The point was—Chu Feng saw fiery red marks glowing within the Secret Cave Saints’ bodies.
The marks shone through their robes, despite the robes’ shielding properties.
Chu Feng recognized them as the talismans they’d obtained from breaking the hall’s formation.
Checking his own body, he found the same talismans glowing within, their light piercing through his clothes, visible to all.
The excruciating, burning pain came from these talismans.
“Damn, these talismans aren’t recognition—they’re curses?!”
Chu Feng’s face darkened, realizing something was terribly wrong.
