The path ahead was no longer straight, marked by twists and turns, with lush trees on both sides obscuring the view.

Commander Xu stood at a bend, his face gloomy. If I can't see the road ahead, I won't know if Qin Feiyang went forward or hidden in the ancient fortress, he thought.

"Commander, what should we do now?" The six men in black, having recovered their composure, looked at Commander Xu with confusion.

"An arrow, once loosed, cannot be recalled! Pursue him to the bitter end!" Commander Xu said grimly, sprinting along the path.

The six men exchanged glances and followed him.

When the seven men were far away, Qin Feiyang appeared out of thin air at the bend in the path.

Why on earth does he want to kill me? He looked ahead, his gaze flickering. Then, he took out the map and began to examine it carefully.

He definitely couldn't take this path anymore. Qin Feiyang reasoned that if Commander Xu pursued for some distance without finding him, Xu would conclude he was still further back. Therefore, he had to change his route.

After a while, Qin Feiyang put away the map and looked up at the deep mountains to his right. According to the map, he could detour through there to reach the deadly desert, but the journey was extremely dangerous, teeming with countless ferocious beasts at the War King realm. More importantly, nightfall was fast approaching.

I'll rest for the night and assess the situation tomorrow morning, Qin Feiyang muttered, then entered the ancient fortress.

Fatty said, "Boss, do you think Commander Xu wants to avenge Wei Zhongyang?"

Lu Hong shook her head, "Impossible. Wei Zhongyang is no longer the Yan King; there's no need for Commander Xu to go to such lengths."

She paused, then suggested, "Why don't we contact Elder Wan and the others and ask for their help?"

"Since we've already left, let's not bother them again," Qin Feiyang said. "Besides, it's just one War King; there's no need to trouble them over this."

A cold light flashed in Qin Feiyang's eyes. He sat down in a corner of the ancient fortress and began to meditate.

Outside, Commander Xu stopped, looking at the empty path ahead, burning with rage. Damn little beast!

Qin Feiyang is just a Seven-star Martial Ancestor; his speed isn't even a tenth of mine. I've chased him for so long without catching up—he must have hidden in that ancient fortress!

"Commander, calm down."

"If that little beast is really still behind us, he'll have to pass this way eventually."

"Exactly! Let's set up an ambush here and wait for him to walk into our trap!" the six men in black proposed.

Fools, Commander Xu thought grimly. If you can think of that, wouldn't someone with his cunning also realize it?

He said gloomily, "I'm afraid he's already taken a detour to the deadly desert."

The man in black laughed, "Isn't that better? In the deep mountains, ferocious beasts roam freely. If he goes in, death is his only way out."

"Idiots!" Commander Xu cursed. He couldn't believe they hadn't considered who Qin Feiyang was. With that ancient fortress of his, Qin Feiyang could safely enter the deadly desert.

"Let's go wait for him at the entrance of the deadly desert." After a moment of contemplation, he led the six men and rushed to the deadly desert overnight.

「A night passed uneventfully.」

「The next day.」

Early in the morning, Qin Feiyang left the ancient fortress. The Wolf King had also awakened; a night of recuperation had restored him to his peak condition.

The man and wolf sprinted along the path.

The Wolf King wondered, "Xiao Qinzi, didn't you say we were taking a detour?"

Qin Feiyang said, "Let's assess the situation first. Perhaps Commander Xu anticipated our detour and has already gone to the deadly desert."

He didn't want to enter the deep mountains unless absolutely necessary.

Is he really that smart? the Wolf King scoffed.

Qin Feiyang said, "Never underestimate anyone."

They raced down the path, encountering no ambushes. Occasionally, one or two overconfident ferocious beasts would block their way, but they dealt with them swiftly.

Half a day later, the entrance to the deadly desert finally came into view. The weather was excellent, with a bright sun shining in a clear, cloudless sky.

"Wait." Qin Feiyang waved his hand, stopped, and leaped onto a large tree, looking towards the entrance. He could vaguely see many people gathered there, but they were too far away for him to make out their faces.

"What are you afraid of?" the Wolf King said nonchalantly. "Even if they're ambushing us at the entrance, we can just hide in the ancient fortress."

"Are we supposed to be helpless without the ancient fortress?" Qin Feiyang retorted. "They have time to waste; we don't. And don't forget my five-year agreement with Wang Hong. If I don't report to the state office within five years, Wang Hong will definitely act on his word."

Qin Feiyang landed on the ground, glared at the Wolf King, and continued forward.

"Look, isn't that Qin Feiyang?"

"Why has he come to the deadly desert?"

"Let's go! We can ask him for some top-grade pills!"

As they neared the entrance, several voices drifted from the nearby forest. Soon after, three middle-aged men ran out, blocking the path of Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King. They were drenched in blood, exuding a palpable evil energy.

"So, we finally meet. Brother Qin, your reputation truly precedes you."

"The Wolf King is also exceptionally magnificent."

"However, this is the deadly desert. One can lose their life at any moment. You two best be careful."

The three men stared maliciously at Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King. The people here were mostly ruthless desperados, capable of anything if provoked.

Qin Feiyang raised an eyebrow. A flash of inspiration struck him.

He smiled and said, "You three are blocking my path, undoubtedly for my top-grade pills. However, you should also be aware of my methods. It would be wise to abandon any thoughts of robbery."

Their pupils constricted.

Qin Feiyang continued, "We can make a trade."

"A trade?" The three were taken aback. "What kind of trade?"

Qin Feiyang replied, "It's simple. Accompany me to the entrance, and once I enter the deadly desert, I'll give each of you ten top-grade healing pills."

"Is it really that simple?" They looked at him suspiciously. Earning ten top-grade pills just for accompanying him to the entrance? Wasn't this like a pie falling from the sky?

Qin Feiyang nodded.

"Alright, alright! We'll accompany you right now!" they agreed repeatedly, overjoyed.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Feiyang sent the Wolf King into the ancient fortress. Then, he consumed a Shape-shifting Pill, transformed into the guise of a middle-aged man, and borrowed a set of ragged clothes from the three to change into.

The three men were baffled. One of them frowned and asked, "Brother Qin, you're not being pursued, are you?"

Another shook his head. "If that's true, accompanying you to the entrance would be too risky. It's not worth it for us."

Qin Feiyang glanced at them and chuckled. "You just want more pills, don't you? Fine. After this is done, I'll give each of you twenty."

"Brother Qin is indeed a straightforward man!"

"Let's go!"

The three laughed heartily and started walking towards the entrance. Qin Feiyang shook his head and followed them with large strides.

He wouldn't bat an eye even if they asked for tens of thousands of healing pills. To the current him, such an amount was merely a drop in the ocean. Besides, he had his reasons for doing this. His reasoning was that if Commander Xu and his men were truly ambushing at the entrance, they might still suspect him even in disguise, simply because he would be alone. But now, with these three accompanying him, it was different. No matter how clever Commander Xu was, he wouldn't suspect him.

A few dozen breaths later, Qin Feiyang arrived at the entrance with the three, chatting and laughing along the way. Hundreds of people were gathered at the entrance, most of them recuperating from injuries. Noticing their approach, everyone looked towards Qin Feiyang and his three companions. But after a cursory glance, they returned their attention to healing.

Qin Feiyang scanned them, trying to spot Commander Xu and his six men. However, a sweep of the entire area revealed no sign of them.

However, at the back of the crowd to his left, he noticed a black-robed old man staring at him intently, as if examining him.

Just then, the three middle-aged men glanced at each other and simultaneously took a step back, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qin Feiyang. One of them whispered, "Brother Qin, if you don't want your identity exposed, you'll have to increase your offer."

Qin Feiyang raised his eyebrows imperceptibly. These three are truly greedy, he thought.

"Don't blame us for being unscrupulous."

"If there's anyone to blame, blame yourself for being such a rich catch."

"When we encounter a big fish like you, we usually bleed them dry," the three chuckled quietly.

Suppressing his anger, Qin Feiyang murmured, "Fine, fifty each."

"Are you trying to fob us off like beggars?"

"One price: ten thousand top-grade healing pills and ten thousand top-grade Bone-renewing Pills each for us."

"If you don't agree, we'll announce to everyone right now that you are Qin Feiyang."

The three grinned sinisterly, their threats undisguised.

"Ten thousand?" A murderous glint flashed in Qin Feiyang's eyes as he whispered, "It's not good to be too greedy."

One of them laughed. "We can't help it. We desperados just love the word 'greed'."

Qin Feiyang said, "Alright, I agree. After all, these pills mean little to me."

"Straightforward!" The three beamed, leading Qin Feiyang deeper into the deadly desert.

Qin Feiyang glanced again at the black-clothed old man. He found the man was still scrutinizing him.

Qin Feiyang frowned. Has this old man discovered something? Or could he be... Commander Xu in disguise? This thought sent a chill down his spine. I thought of changing my appearance to slip through; Commander Xu could just as easily have thought of disguising himself to lie in wait here.

Regardless, he had successfully entered the deadly desert. As far as the eye could see, there was only yellow sand. Thousands of adventurers were scattered in various places. However, this was merely the periphery; those searching here were mostly martial masters. Stronger individuals would venture deeper into the desert to seek treasure.

After they had ventured about five hundred meters deeper, the three men stopped by a sand dune and said with a laugh, "Brother Qin, we'll leave you here."

"Thank you." Qin Feiyang cupped his fists, turned, and continued deeper into the desert.

Their expressions darkened, and they immediately blocked his path. "Did you forget something?"

"Oh, oh, right." Qin Feiyang slapped his forehead and chuckled. "My apologies, it slipped my mind. Wait a moment, I'll get your pills."

With that, he took out his Qiankun Bag.

However, as soon as he took out the Qiankun Bag, the three suddenly attacked. One lunged for the Qiankun Bag, while the other two rushed Qin Feiyang.

At that exact moment, the corners of Qin Feiyang's mouth lifted into a slight smile, as if he had anticipated this all along.

CLANG!

Blue Snow materialized in his hand. With a casual slash, he severed the arms of all three men. Blood spurted several meters.

AAARGH!!!

The three screamed in agony.

"I told you not to be too greedy," Qin Feiyang said, flashing a grin that revealed his white teeth. He let out a cold laugh. "You see? You didn't earn any pills, and now you've lost your lives. Was it really worth it?"

Then, he swiftly slit their throats.

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