Chapter 71: An Unexpected Gain

Liu Run darted away like a wisp of smoke, but no one gave chase. To pursue him now would be to fall into his trap, and would imperil the crucial task at hand.

“Master Chu, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Tang Jiao immediately turned to inquire after Chu Feng.

“I’m fine. That beast was hiding in the shadows, waiting for the moment I was locked in battle with the Thunderbeast before launching a sneak attack. What he didn’t know was that I was wearing a soft body armor. The blow barely harmed me, but he was sent flying, coughing blood!” Chu Feng replied with a cold sneer.

That piece of protective soft armor had come from Xiong Gang’s storage pouch, after he was felled in the little woods on the Mu family’s lands. Since donning it, Chu Feng hadn’t expected it to be of much use. Yet, against Liu Run’s heavy blow, it had performed admirably.

The armor possessed a powerful property: it could reflect a large portion of an enemy’s attack. Unless the force was truly overwhelming, a strike would be mostly rebounded back at the attacker.

Liu Run’s palm strike had nearly seventy percent of its force bounced back onto him, sending him hurtling three yards through the air, spitting blood. The remaining force merely forced Chu Feng back several steps, causing no serious harm.

“Sister Lei, Brother Fan, how are you both?” Chu Feng called out loudly.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m thick-skinned,” Fan Qianjun replied with bravado. “Liu Run’s palm was hasty. I’m fine. But Sister Lei might be in trouble.”

In truth, he was putting on a show. Liu Run’s blow to his back had left his blood surging; he’d tasted blood in his mouth but forced it down.

“I’m alright,” Lei Jianqin shook her head. “Even if I weren’t, I’d still see this mission through. I would rather give my life than let the calamity of wind and thunder befall us.”

“Well said, Sister Lei!” Chu Feng nodded. “Now, Sister Lei and Brother Fan, keep moving the stones. Junior Sister Tang, keep your bow ready and watch for another ambush from Liu Run. Once I finish off the thunderbeasts, I’ll deal with him myself.”

Actions proceeded as Chu Feng directed.

Though still young, Lei Jianqin was a heroine among women. Despite having just been struck and coughing blood, she now labored to move boulders weighing a thousand pounds, her steps unsteady, but she uttered not a word of complaint nor asked for rest.

Moving the rocks from the Wind and Thunder Caverns had to be done in one go. If not completed in time, the surging winds and thunder would undo all their efforts.

Minute by minute, the stones in the caverns dwindled, as did the number of thunderbeasts. One by one, Chu Feng and his powerful puppet slew them all.

Boom!

Finally, the last massive boulder was set in place by Lei Jianqin, completing the task. She immediately coughed up another mouthful of blood. Swallowing a pill, she sat where she was and began to regulate her breathing.

Ssshhh!

The final thunderbeast was skewered through the chest by Chu Feng’s spear, collapsing in a pool of blood.

“Sister Lei, Brother Fan, Junior Sister Tang! The thunderbeasts are all dead. You three rest here—I’m going after Liu Run!” Chu Feng announced, spear at the ready, murderous intent in his eyes.

“No, Master Chu! This path leads to the heart of the Wind and Thunder Caverns. There, wild winds and raging thunder reign, and the paths are unknown. Entering is easy, but leaving is perilous!” Tang Jiao pleaded with genuine concern.

“If you insist on going, let me accompany you,” Fan Qianjun offered.

“No need. Sister Lei is meditating here—you must stay and watch over them. Don’t worry, I won’t venture too deep. I just want to see how far Liu Run can run. He’s too dangerous to let escape!” Chu Feng replied, then at once mounted his Giant Striding Crab and entered the narrow path between the Wind and Thunder Caverns.

As soon as he entered, Chu Feng heard the rolling thunder, the roar of relentless wind, and saw sand and stones flying everywhere—a vast, yellow haze.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a massive boulder, weighing over five hundred pounds, hurtled towards him. Chu Feng dodged aside; the stone smashed into the wall, shattering into fragments that the wind swept up into a deadly rain of stones.

This stony volley was fearsome indeed.

But even more dangerous were the unknown paths.

Chu Feng pressed on for several dozen yards, only to find the further he went, the more paths branched off. The swirling sand blinded him; he couldn’t see where any of the paths led, nor what dangers might lurk ahead.

The heart of the Wind and Thunder Caverns was like a vast honeycomb, or a semi-open-air labyrinth. A moment’s inattention could leave one lost forever. If the storms didn’t kill you, you could die from being trapped within.

“Liu Run is truly insane,” Chu Feng thought. “If he doesn’t know these paths and charges in blindly, he’s courting death.”

Even as he pondered, Chu Feng searched for tracks, hoping to discern Liu Run’s route. But the winds were so fierce that even boulders weighing hundreds of pounds were tossed about; any footprints were long since erased.

Still, Chu Feng was unwilling to turn back. Spying a wider side passage, he made a quick decision and entered, riding atop the Giant Striding Crab.

The path was about three yards wide. Visibility was blocked by sand; its length was unknown. Sheer cliffs lined both sides, the ground littered with jagged stones. If not for the crab’s abilities, progress would have been nearly impossible.

Thirty yards.

Fifty yards.

He ventured deeper and farther. The crab’s astonishing speed carried him more than thirty miles before he knew it.

Ahead, amidst the sand, a small hill appeared, barring the way.

“So Liu Run didn’t go this way after all. I should head back—if anything happens to Lei Jianqin and the others, there will be no one to help them,” Chu Feng resolved.

Just as he was about to turn back, a whistling roar split the air—a massive stone, even larger than before, came flying at him like a meteor.

Alert, Chu Feng reacted instantly. With a mighty swing, he brought his King’s Shadow-Chasing Spear down on the stone, the gold-and-steel tip striking it with a deafening clang and a shower of sparks.

To his surprise, the furious blow did not shatter the stone. It was only the size of an ordinary wine jar, much smaller than he’d expected.

A suspicion rose in Chu Feng’s mind. If this was ordinary stone, how could it be so fierce? So hard that spear and rock meeting sounded like metal upon metal?

The jar-sized stone was sent flying over ten yards. Chu Feng’s hands tingled from the impact. Urging the crab forward, he hurried to investigate.

Reaching the spot, he saw the “stone” had smashed another boulder to powder as it landed—a hardness far beyond common rock.

“What kind of stone is this?” Wondering, Chu Feng tried to lift it. At first, it wouldn’t budge. Applying more force, he finally managed to heft it.

Having reached the Ironbone realm, Chu Feng could precisely control his strength to the nearest few dozen pounds. It took nearly three thousand pounds of force to lift the “stone.”

“No wonder it’s so heavy. It isn’t stone at all—it’s metal!”

Excited, Chu Feng set it down and scraped the surface with his spear tip.

With just a few scrapes, the true nature of the “stone” was revealed. Chu Feng’s heart pounded—he could hardly believe his eyes.

The object, weighing several thousand pounds, was not stone but metal—no ordinary metal, but solid gold!

This enormous “rock” was, in fact, a single massive nugget of gold, its surface coated in thick layers of sand, making it indistinguishable from common boulders.