Zou Feng didn’t reply. He simply climbed onto the bank and quickly used his True Qi to dry himself off.

He then followed in the direction Nong Yu was heading.

In fact, back in the river, Zou Feng had already noticed that Nong Yu’s current state was completely abnormal.

She clearly wasn’t acting of her own volition. Instead, she moved like a puppet, woodenly carrying out some kind of command.

They hadn’t walked for long before Nong Yu turned into a cave entrance. Inside, they found themselves in a man-made tunnel with brick walls, lit by burning torches.

Zeng Xiuyuan was an expert from the Cyan Nether Sect, a sect where many cultivation skills involved working with the dead.

The Corpse Luo Heart Scripture that Zou Feng had previously obtained most likely originated from the Cyan Nether Sect.

Thus, Zeng Xiuyuan recognized the place at a single glance.

"This is an underground tomb... On a scale like this, it probably belonged to some prince or noble from a previous dynasty..."

"And now it’s a stronghold for the remnants of the Ten Directions Sect?" Zeng Xiuyuan quickly came to a conclusion.

Zou Feng naturally agreed with him.

As he walked, he had already begun to subconsciously circulate the Corpse Luo Heart Scripture.

He determined that this place contained Corpse Poison of extremely high quality...

Ever since they entered the tomb’s passageway, the air had been filled with a faint, poisonous miasma.

Only because Zou Feng and Zeng Xiuyuan were True Qi Realm experts were they able to remain unaffected.

Any ordinary person would have been "fumigated" to death long ago.

Continuing to follow Nong Yu, it wasn’t long before the two saw an exceptionally spacious hall appear up ahead.

Many people stood around the hall, clearly members of the Ten Directions Sect.

In the center of the hall, a large cauldron was set over a fire, stewing something within.

From a distance, they could see that besides Nong Yu, two other women with the same wooden expressions were already standing at the cauldron’s edge.

One of them quickly stripped off her clothes and jumped directly into the cauldron, where she was swiftly dissolved by the liquid inside.

’So they really are brewing a Great Medicine...’

The method, however, was enough to make even Zou Feng feel sick.

At the far end of the hall stood a wooden bed surrounded by curtains, obscuring the appearance of the person within.

But based on the faint True Qi fluctuations emanating from behind the curtains, who else could it be but Yuchi Jue?

Having finally found their target, both Zou Feng and Zeng Xiuyuan hesitated, wondering if they should wait for Leng Jing and Zhong Zhe to arrive before making a move.

Zeng Xiuyuan’s Communication Jade Talisman had a locator function, so in theory, it wouldn’t be long before Leng Jing and Zhong Zhe arrived.

Unexpectedly, before they could hesitate for long, a long sigh echoed from the wooden bed.

"You two, since you’re already here, why not join me in the hall?"

Although the two had been extremely careful, moving stealthily and holding their breath the entire time, this was, after all, Yuchi Jue’s home turf, a place he had run for a long time. It wasn’t strange that he would have some special means of detecting them.

Since they had been discovered, there was no longer any need to hide.

The next moment, Zou Feng and Zeng Xiuyuan strode boldly into the hall.

Two peak Third Grade cultivators against one heavily injured Second Grade—the advantage was clearly on Zou Feng’s side.

As they entered the hall, the surrounding Ten Directions Sect members showed no particular reaction.

Those brewing the Great Medicine continued their work, and those standing guard remained at their posts.

And Yuchi Jue, his face still hidden, spoke again in a somewhat helpless tone. "Sirs, we have no grudges between us. Can’t you spare my life?"

"Whatever you want, just name your price!"

’He knows he can’t win, so he’s giving in and trying to negotiate?’

According to the information they had, Yuchi Jue, the Vice Sect Leader of the Ten Directions Sect, was not at all this type of person.

He was said to be violent by nature, paranoid and frenzied in his actions, and had committed countless atrocities.

Of course, it was normal for a Cult Leader to be a madman.

But for him to submit now... it was likely that the weakness from his severe injuries had forced him to face reality.

"Yuchi Jue, cut the crap. What right do you have to negotiate with us now?"

Zeng Xiuyuan was the first to speak, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Zou Feng also saw no reason to negotiate.

After all, once they killed Yuchi Jue, his Immortal Treasures would be theirs for the taking.

Besides, upon completing this mission and returning to Biyou Palace, he would certainly receive a reward from Su Qingyu.

At the thought of the reward, Zou Feng’s expression suddenly turned a bit strange.

The reward for completing the mission would most likely involve Su Qingyu extending her leg to him again...

"If that’s the case, then I will not just sit here and wait to die!"

"If you want my life, you’ll have to see if you have what it takes!" With that, Yuchi Jue slowly lifted the bed curtains, preparing to emerge.

Zeng Xiuyuan immediately shot Zou Feng a look, signaling that he would take the frontal assault while Zou Feng looked for an opportunity to strike.

The arrangement surprised Zou Feng a bit. After all, Zeng Xiuyuan had been slacking off quite a bit during the search for Yuchi Jue.

As Zeng Xiuyuan began cultivating, his hands turned pitch black and started emitting a terrifyingly cold aura.

’Cold Poison?’

Zou Feng could tell at a glance that the Cultivation Skill Zeng Xiuyuan practiced was clearly related to Cold Poison.

But before he could get a better look, Yuchi Jue shot out from behind the curtains.

Zou Feng was just about to start circling for an opening, so he only gave Yuchi Jue a casual glance.

But that single glance froze him in place.

The Yuchi Jue who rushed from the wooden bed... his face was identical to Zou Feng’s own!

Even if the Formless Divine Skill could create a Disguise identical to the original person, it wasn’t an Immortal Technique. It couldn’t possibly be done in an instant.

So Yuchi Jue must have disguised himself as Zou Feng ahead of time...

’Could it be? Did Yuchi Jue already know I was investigating him? Did he even know I would come here tonight!?’

Realizing this, Zou Feng knew at once that things had gone horribly wrong...

THWACK—

A dull thud, followed by a sharp, sudden pain in his back, confirmed Zou Feng’s suspicion.

The palm strike Zeng Xiuyuan should have aimed at Yuchi Jue had instead landed squarely on Zou Feng’s back.

Caught completely off guard, Zou Feng took the full force of the blow. "PUFF!" He spat out a large mouthful of blood.

At the same time, frost rapidly spread across his body, and even his meridians showed signs of freezing over.

A meticulously planned sneak attack from a Third Grade Evil Cultivator was incredibly potent. Even with his Tribulation-Indestructible Body at the Peak of Perfection, Zou Feng couldn’t avoid taking a major hit.

Furthermore, Yuchi Jue’s use of the Formless Divine Skill to take on Zou Feng’s appearance wasn’t just a shock tactic; it also contained a formless Spiritual Attack.

"Zeng Xiuyuan... you!?" Zou Feng turned to stare at him in disbelief.

"Heheheh..." Zeng Xiuyuan cackled, his face alight with the pleasure of a successful scheme.

Over on the other side, Yuchi Jue couldn’t help but laugh smugly. "What’s so surprising? A wise man submits to the times. Younger Brother Zeng simply made the choice that best serves his own interests."

It was obvious. Yuchi Jue and Zeng Xiuyuan had colluded long ago. They had joined forces to set a trap for him.

Zeng Xiuyuan had never notified Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing at all.

"Zou Feng, if you have to blame someone, blame that Poison Body of yours. It’s simply too tempting."

"Once I’m done making good use of your corpse, it might just help me break through to the Second Grade..." Zeng Xiuyuan licked his lips, his eyes filled with avarice.

’But this, on the contrary, felt right to Zou Feng.’

’Yes, this is what an Evil Cultivator is supposed to be like.’

’Interacting with these Evil Cultivators before... while they all had their strange quirks, they still seemed far too "normal."’

’Yuchi Jue offered a better deal, and with Zeng Xiuyuan already coveting his body, of course they’d hit it off instantly.’

"Heheheh..."

After the two had finished speaking, it was Zou Feng’s turn to cackle.

His earlier shock vanished, replaced by a mocking expression as he stared at Zeng Xiuyuan. "You didn’t really think I hadn’t noticed there was something wrong with you, did you?"

"I’ve been coveting that Cold Poison of yours for a long time myself..."

Zeng Xiuyuan wanted to achieve Refinement using Zou Feng’s Poison Body, and Zou Feng, in turn, had long coveted the man’s Cold Poison.

Before Zeng Xiuyuan could even process what Zou Feng meant, footsteps suddenly rang out.

Zhong Zhe and Leng Jing, who should have been nowhere near this place, strode into the hall.

"Younger Brother Zeng, you’re really in the wrong here. I couldn’t believe you’d be so foolish..." As he spoke, Leng Jing ripped open his shirt, revealing a torso covered in hideous scars.

Zhong Zhe added in a grim tone, "Zeng Xiuyuan, even the Cyan Nether Sect won’t tolerate such a flagrant breach of the rules!"