Two months dissolved like mist in the morning sun. To a cultivator, such a span of time was usually no more than a blink of an eye, a single breath in a meditation session that could last decades.
Yet, for the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, these sixty days were a crucible.
The morning of the departure for the Evil Infested Ridge arrived not with the gentle warmth of spring, but with a crisp, biting wind that whipped around the jagged peaks of the sect.
The atmosphere on the main plaza was electric—a heavy, suffocating mixture of dread and fanatical excitement.
In the center of the plaza, seven disciples stood in a rigid line.
These were the chosen ones. The "Cleansing Incense Seven." They had been handpicked by Ling Feng not merely for their latent talent, but for their mental fortitude—or, as Ling Feng had crassly put it during selection, their "ability to not wet themselves when things get real."
Among them stood Luo Fenghua. Once an arrogant genius whose nose pointed so high it threatened to pierce the heavens, he was now a changed man. His pride had been shattered by Ling Feng's casual dominance and reforged in the fires of a brutal training regimen. His aura was no longer flashy and brittle; it was condensed, sharp, and dangerous, like a sheathed blade.
Beside him was Zhang Yu, built like a fortress wall, his muscles twitching with the explosive power of the modified Violet Cloud Chant.
Despite their newfound strength, the tension was palpable. They were marching toward the Evil Infested Ridge, a notorious graveyard where the geniuses of the Grand Middle Territory went to die.
At the very front of the formation, separate from the seven, Xu Pei stood trembling.
She clutched her sword—a high-grade spirit weapon Ling Feng had tossed to her as if it were a cheap trinket—so tightly that her knuckles had turned a ghostly white. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow. She was a gentle soul, a violet blossom that had flourished in the quiet shade, now suddenly thrust into a world of monsters and ancient predators.
"I... I can't do this," she whispered to herself, the words barely audible over the whistling wind. Her heart battered against her ribs. "I'm going to hold everyone back. I'm just a servant girl... I don't belong here."
"Hey."
A warm, heavy hand landed on her shoulder, grounding her instantly.
Xu Pei jumped, a squeak escaping her throat. She looked up to see Ling Feng standing beside her. Unlike the others clad in armor or sect regalia, he wore his usual grey robes. Yet, on him, the simple fabric seemed to drape like the finest celestial silk. He looked less like a cultivator preparing for a life-and-death expedition and more like a man heading out for a casual weekend road trip.
"Y-Young Noble!" Xu Pei stammered, shrinking in on herself, terrified she had disappointed him before they even left. "I... I'm sorry! I'm trying to be brave, but—"
"Shh," Ling Feng cut her off gently, his voice devoid of mockery. "You're vibrating like a Nokia brick phone set to silent, Peipei. Chill out."
"But the Ridge... the ghosts... the other sects..." Tears welled up in her large, doe-like eyes, threatening to spill over. "What if I fail you? What if I die?"
Ling Feng sighed, a soft, genuine smile softening the sharp angles of his face. He moved his hand from her shoulder to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear with a tenderness that belied his usual chaotic nature.
"Listen to me," he said, his voice dropping to that low, resonant tone that made the air around them feel heavy with intent. "You have the Six Variants of the Kun Peng foundation now. You have a weapon that cuts through refined steel like it's wet paper. You are walking a path of the Grand Dao that most 'geniuses' can't even comprehend."
He leaned in closer, invading her personal space until her vision was filled entirely by his eyes—eyes that held the chaotic swirl of nebulae.
"...And most importantly, you have me."
Xu Pei's heart hammered, skipping a beat. "Young... Noble?"
"You're not a servant anymore. You're my girlfriend," Ling Feng stated with a possessive finality that brooked no argument. "And nothing in that ridge—be it ghost, beast, or arrogant Young Master—is allowed to touch my girl."
Before she could process the sheer weight of his declaration, Ling Feng closed the gap.
He kissed her.
It wasn't a tentative, shy peck. It was firm, claiming, and shockingly tender. He tasted of tea and the sharp, electric scent of ozone. Time seemed to freeze in the plaza. The howling wind faded into background noise.
The seven disciples behind them gaped, Luo Fenghua nearly dropping his spear in sheer shock.
Xu Pei's brain short-circuited. The fear, the paralyzing anxiety, the trembling—it all evaporated instantly, replaced by a rush of adrenaline and heat that turned her face a brilliant shade of crimson.
Ling Feng pulled back slowly, a grin spreading across his face as he saw her dazed, starry-eyed expression.
"Better?" he asked.
"I... uh... yes..." Xu Pei squeaked, her eyes swirling with dizziness. The terror was gone. In its place was a feeling that she could fight a True Dragon barehanded right now, just to earn another kiss.
"Good. That's the 'Main Character' buff. Use it," Ling Feng winked.
He turned around to see Li Shuangyan and Su Yonghuang watching him from the steps of the main hall. Li Shuangyan looked resigned, long since accustomed to his defiance of common sense.
Su Yonghuang, however, looked scandalized, her face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.
"You have absolutely no decorum," Su Yonghuang hissed, though her golden eyes lingered on him. "Kissing a disciple in front of the formation? You are the Prime Disciple! You should be setting an example of stoicism and dignity!"
"Stoicism causes constipation," Ling Feng countered effortlessly, strolling over to the two peerless beauties. "Besides, look at her." He thumbed back at Xu Pei, who was now gripping her sword with a fierce, dreamy determination, her aura flaring with renewed vigor. "Morale is up 1000%. I'm a tactical genius."
He stopped in front of the Sect Master, looking her up and down. Su Yonghuang was dressed in battle-ready robes that hugged her exquisite figure, radiating the majesty of a queen and the scorching heat of the Sun.
"And you," Ling Feng murmured, stepping into her personal space with that signature lack of boundaries. "You look tense, Yonghuang. Do you need the 'buff' too? I've got plenty to go around. Infinite supply, really."
Su Yonghuang retreated a step, her heart racing traitorously against her ribs. "I... I do not! Stay back, you scoundrel!"
"Playing hard to get. Classic tsundere move," Ling Feng chuckled, enjoying the flush on her neck. He turned his gaze to Li Shuangyan, the icy goddess. "What about you, Shuangyan? Need a recharge before we go delete some bad guys? You don't have to be shy now, my girlfriend gets special privileges always. Premium access."
Li Shuangyan crossed her arms, trying to look unimpressed, but the faint pink dusting her ears betrayed her composure. "I am fully charged, thank you. And if you keep teasing the Sect Master, she might actually incinerate you just to prove a point."
"She can try. I like it hot," Ling Feng laughed.
He turned back to the group and clapped his hands. The sound echoed like a thunderclap across the plaza, silencing the murmurs.
"Alright, squad! Listen up!"
The seven disciples snapped to attention, their spines rigid.
"We're going to the Evil Infested Ridge," Ling Feng addressed them, his expression shifting from playful to predatorily sharp. "Everyone else in this world thinks this is a trial by fire. They think it's a place of horror where you pray to the Heavens for survival."
He raised his right hand. Above his palm, space distorted violently as green chaos energy manifested. It spun slowly, emitting a hum that vibrated in their teeth.
[Mastery: Space Control]
"But for us? It's a shopping spree. We walk in. We take the good stuff. We slap anyone who tries to stop us. And we walk out rich."
He pointed a finger to the sky.
"Mount up. We're flying first class."
Usually, a sect would summon a massive flying treasure or a tamed beast to travel such a distance. Instead, Ling Feng channeled his will into the Emerald.
"Chaos Control."
With a wave of his hand, he didn't just open a gate; he ripped the fabric of the Nine Worlds apart. A jagged, vertical tear of emerald light sliced through the air, revealing a swirling vortex of chaotic energy that connected directly to the coordinates of the Ridge. It was a stable wormhole, bypassing the need for Dao Platforms or formation stones.
"Get in," Ling Feng commanded, gesturing to the tear in reality. "Walking is for background extras."
...
The entrance to the Evil Infested Ridge was a chaotic sea of humanity and power.
Tens of thousands of experts from all across the Grand Middle Territory had gathered. The sky was dark with immense flying ships that blocked out the sun. Ancient chariots drawn by flood dragons rumbled through the clouds, their wheels crushing the air with thunderous roars.
The banners of the great powers—the Jiang Zuo Clan, the Southern Heavenly Kingdom, and the heavyweights of the region—snapped in the wind, staking their claims.
The atmosphere was taut, like a bowstring pulled to its limit. Usually, these gatherings were festivals of arrogance, where great powers bullied smaller sects.
But today, the vibe was weirdly subdued, especially around the massive encampment of the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom.
The Royal Nobles of the Kingdom were clustered together, looking nervous. They kept glancing at the horizon, flinching at sudden movements.
Rumors travel faster than light in the cultivation world. They knew War Noble Lie had been vaporized. They knew the Violet Mountain Noble had been kicked into the stratosphere. The Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect had awakened a monster.
And right at that moment, the space above the barren earth near the entrance didn't just ripple; it tore open like cheap fabric.
ZREEEOW!
Unlike the grandiose arrivals of the great powers—accompanied by fanfare, golden lotuses, and celestial music—the arrival of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect was sudden, violent, and deeply unsettling. A jagged vertical slit of emerald light sliced through the air, spitting out a group of people before snapping shut with a sound like a thunderclap.
Ling Feng stepped out onto the barren earth, dusting off his grey robes as if he had just commuted via a slightly dirty subway.
Behind him, the Cleansing Incense Seven, Xu Pei, Li Shuangyan, and Sect Master Su Yonghuang emerged. They looked slightly disoriented from the instantaneous spatial jump—which bypassed the nausea of traditional teleportation—but quickly regained their composure, their auras flaring to ward off the pressure of the surrounding thousands.
The sudden appearance caused a ripple of commotion among the cultivators gathered in the valley.
"Spatial teleportation? Without a formation platform?" An elder from a minor sect gasped, clutching his white beard, his eyes bulging. "Who is that?"
"That's... that's the declining Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect," someone sneered, though their voice wavered with uncertainty. "But... since when do they have methods like that? Even the Ancient Kingdoms need time to set up a gate!"
Ling Feng ignored the peanut gallery. He stretched his arms above his head, cracking his neck with a satisfying pop.
"Fresh air," he muttered, sniffing the wind. "Well, as fresh as it gets with this many sweaty cultivators around. Smells like fear and cheap incense."
His gaze swept across the encampments with the casual indifference of a tourist.
To the east sat the Azure Mysterious Ancient Kingdom, radiating an aura of ancient, crushing majesty.
To the west, the Heavenly God Sect occupied a prime spot, their disciples looking down on everyone with noses so high they risked drowning if it rained. And dominance over the center belonged to the behemoth of the Grand Middle Territory—the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom.
In the original timeline, the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom would have been looking at the Cleansing Incense Sect with disdain, ready to crush them like ants. But today, as Ling Feng's gaze landed on them, a group of armored experts stiffened visibly.
"Hold," a low voice commanded from the Heavenly Jewel camp. It was an old man with eyes like polished jade—a Royal Noble of the Kingdom. "Do not provoke him unless necessary. The Mortal King has given orders to observe. That man... is an anomaly."
Ling Feng didn't even bother to hold their gaze. His attention was already laser-focused on a commotion near the Heavenly God Sect's camp.
There, standing like a blooming lotus amidst a swamp of mud, was a woman of breathtaking beauty.
She wore a tight apricot-yellow dress that accentuated curves capable of toppling cities and ruining kingdoms. Her skin was like snow, her eyes like autumn pools, and her expression was a mixture of icy pride and suppressed fury.
Chen Baojiao. One of the supreme beauties of the Grand Middle Territory. A woman whose allure was a calamity, stemming from her hidden Immortal Physique.
Surrounding her were several young men. The one leading the pack was dressed in golden robes, radiating an arrogance that practically screamed "Young Master waiting to be face-slapped."
This was the Heavenly God Dao Child.
"Lady Chen," the Dao Child said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, his voice dripping with condescension. "My proposal is not something you should dismiss so lightly. The Heavenly God Sect and your Chen Clan have deep ties. If you marry me, you won't be just a disciple of the Bao Pillar School anymore. You'll be the future mistress of the Heavenly God Sect. It is a mercy."
"I have told you," Chen Baojiao said, her voice crisp and cold, cutting like a winter wind. "I am not interested."
"Lady Chen, please," another voice chimed in. This one came from a young man with a terrifying, shadowy aura. Si Tu. A genius Enlightened Being and an Imperial Advisor of the Heavenly Jewel Kingdom. He looked at her with a faint, calculating smile. "We all want to foster good relations, right? The Bao Pillar School is in a difficult position. Your clan wants this union. Resisting is... unwise."
Chen Baojiao's hands clenched into fists at her sides. She was trapped. Her own clan wanted to sell her off for political gain, and these wolves were circling, seeing her only as a trophy to be mounted, a vase to be displayed.
"Yo, is this a cringe compilation or a marriage meeting?"
The voice cut through the tension like a chainsaw through custard.
The crowd parted as Ling Feng strolled up, hands buried deep in his pockets, looking utterly unimpressed. Li Shuangyan followed a step behind him, her expression hidden behind a veil, but her cold aura freezing the moisture in the air.
Behind them, Su Yonghuang led Xu Pei and the seven disciples, their collective pressure radiating a poise that made the surrounding cultivators instinctively step back.
The Heavenly God Dao Child frowned, turning to glare at the intruder. His eyes flashed with cold light. "Who are you? Scram! This is a conversation between nobles. A beggar has no place here."
Ling Feng didn't look at him. He walked straight past the Dao Child, stepping comfortably into Chen Baojiao's personal space. He looked her up and down, not with the lecherous, stripping gaze of the others, but with the appreciative nod of an artist admiring a masterpiece in a gallery.
"I really must say," Ling Feng said, a faint, charming smile playing on his lips. "Out of all things I can say about you prideful bunch in this world, your beauty standards are actually legit. You really are stunning. Getting catfished here seems near impossible."
Chen Baojiao blinked, taken aback by the strange dialect and the sheer audacity of this man. He wasn't cowed by her beauty, nor was he drooling over it. He was just... casually acknowledging it. "You..."
"I'm Ling Feng," he introduced himself with a grin, extending a hand—a gesture of equality rare in this world. "Prime Disciple of Cleansing Incense. And currently, the guy wondering why a queen like you is listening to these incels bark."
"In... cels?" Chen Baojiao didn't know the word. It sounded foreign, alien. But the tone—dripping with mockery toward the men surrounding her—told her everything she needed to know. A flicker of amusement danced in her beautiful eyes, breaking her mask of anger.
"You have a sharp tongue," Chen Baojiao replied, her voice softening slightly.
"And you have bad taste in company," Ling Feng retorted, finally turning to look at the Heavenly God Dao Child. His smile didn't fade, but his eyes turned cold—the cold of the void between stars. "So, you're the Heavenly God Dao Child? You look more like a background extra in a budget drama. Scram before I decide you're polluting my air."