Chapter 965: Miserable, Miserable, Miserable!

In the Gray Sea Great Region, which borders the Human Race’s Imperial Capital Great Region, the moment Feng Lintao opened his eyes inside a desolate mountain cavern, his perception immediately spread out to shroud the surroundings!

After confirming that everything in his setup within this cavern remained as usual, he finally let out a breath of relief!

His eyes narrowed, revealing a ghostly glint, and even more, a chilling coldness!

Ever since he decided to head toward the Human Race and use their protection to evade the pursuit of Lanyao and Yuedong, a plan had already formed in the depths of his heart!

He wanted to maintain a high profile among the Human Race, attract the attention of the Holy Land—especially Lanyao and Yuedong—and then, at the critical moment, complete a performance of his own death!

He would make everyone believe he had perished, thereby shedding his skin like a cicada to escape.

While purging half of his Demon Feather bloodline, he would make this Liaoxuan clone of his the new main body, thereby truly escaping and shifting from the light into the shadows!

In this, whether it was the Human Race or the Holy Land, both were within the scope of his exploitation!

"Although there were some twists in the process, and I was even counter-exploited by the Human Race, it did not deviate from my plan..."

Feng Lintao sneered!

"Even if I abandon half of my Demon Feather bloodline, causing my cultivation base to drop to only the Nascent Soul level... it doesn't matter. After some time, I will quickly cultivate it back!"

"Compared to this, freedom and staying alive are what matter most."

"But I cannot treat the other parties as fools... so whether I have truly succeeded depends on the subsequent changes in the outside world!"

Thinking of this, Feng Lintao remained vigilant and, with caution, flew out of the cavern at high speed, following a predetermined route, hiding and galloping into the distance!

It was not until a moment later that two blurred figures appeared in the firmament!

They were none other than Xu Qing and the Captain, who had relied on the Captain's Origin-Tracing Dao to locate the whereabouts of this clone!

They stood there, yet no one could see them; even a god would find it difficult to detect them!

Because what shrouded the two of them at this moment was the astonishing concealment formed by relying on the Wordless Method!

This concealment had once been able to deceive the Three Gods to a certain extent; naturally, avoiding Feng Lintao's perception now was effortless!

"This little Feng is not bad. Without us needing to push him, he turned himself into bait!"

The Captain licked his lips triumphantly, his eyes revealing anticipation!

"Little Ah Qing, back in the Outer Sea, we were used as bait by Yu Liuchen to go fishing. I envied Yu Liuchen back then. Haha, now we finally get to enjoy the thrill of fishing ourselves!"

"Let's go, let's follow him!"

Xu Qing looked up, gazing into the direction where Feng Lintao had departed, nodded slightly, and moved through the firmament with the Captain, following from afar!

Just like that, time passed, and seven days went by in a flash!

During these seven days, Xu Qing and the Captain did not employ any means of interference; they simply followed behind, because given Feng Lintao's suspicious nature, any disturbance caused by external actions would likely be detected by him instantly!

Throughout this journey, Feng Lintao was very smooth. Although he occasionally encountered some dangers—such as fierce beasts, anomalies, or malicious rogue cultivators—

he either avoided them, killed them, or relied on concealment to hide, ultimately resolving them cleverly!

And Xu Qing and the Captain were right in their judgment: Feng Lintao was indeed suspicious by nature!

This smoothness did not reduce his vigilance; on the contrary, it became even more intense!

Finally, on the seventh day, while Feng Lintao was moving along and about to leave this desolate mountain area, his

figure paused and hid within a crack in a rock wall!

Hiding there, Feng Lintao’s expression was uncertain!

"It's too smooth. I always feel like something is wrong."

"Although everything is within my plan, this stretch of the journey being smooth is also within expectations. After all, I chose this place specifically, and the war outside is ongoing..."

"However..."

Feng Lintao pondered!

"I must think carefully if there is any possibility of a slip-up!"

After some thought, Feng Lintao organized his ideas in his heart and confirmed three things he was worried about!

First, he worried that the Human Race had seen through his plan and was coming to pursue him!

Second, he worried that the Human Race was intentionally letting him go to use him as bait for fishing!

Third, he worried that Lanyao and Yuedong had calculated his intentions!

"If the Human Race sees through my cicada-shedding escape afterward and pursues me, once I am found, although I will lose my freedom, my life might be safe for a short time..."

Feng Lintao narrowed his eyes!

"But if the Human Race saw through my plan long ago and let me go on purpose... then there must be another motive, nothing more than fishing!"

"Wanting to use me as bait to fish out all the secret agents?"

"If that is truly the case, then the Human Race would certainly not announce my death, but would instead spread news of my escape to lure the Holy Land's secret agents hidden in Wanggu to hunt me down..."

"Then, by observing the situation next, I can judge whether these three things I am worried about exist!"

Thinking of this, Feng Lintao took a deep breath, left the rock wall crack, and headed toward the depths of the Demon Sea Great Region. On the subsequent road, he did not only travel through the wilderness but occasionally sought out cities where cultivators of the Gray Sea Great Region gathered!

To gather information there!

Until another seven days passed...

In a bustling earthen city of cultivators, Feng Lintao sat in a simple tavern, listening to the clamorous discussions all around, lost in thought!

What he had gathered over these seven days, besides the war with the Demon Feather Holy Land, also included matters concerning himself!

The Human Race had announced his death.

"The Human Race actually announced my death; then the possibility of fishing is much smaller!"

Taking a sip of the wine in the cup before him, Feng Lintao pondered!

"But it is not entirely impossible... whether they are using me to fish still requires further confirmation!"

"Additionally, I need to confirm if the Human Race truly believes I am dead, whether they will secretly pursue me, and... whether I have successfully deceived the two women, Lanyao and Yuedong!"

"I still need to verify!"

Feng Lintao narrowed his eyes. This kind of thinking, which felt exhausting to others, was already an instinct for him!

At this moment, he downed the wine in his hand in one gulp, then crushed the wine cup, wiped away all traces, and Feng Lintao left this earthen city to continue his journey!

On the road thereafter, he mostly walked in the wilderness, yet he never encountered any pursuers he deemed to be real, whether they were from the Human Race or secret agents of the Holy Land!

None appeared!

It was as if he had truly deceived the heavens!

But Feng Lintao's suspicious nature required him to verify multiple times, so he simply manufactured some life-and-death crises himself. Several times he even appeared to be on the verge of perishing; it could be called a narrow escape from death!

Paying this price to verify if anyone was secretly following him...

After several times, a dying Feng Lintao finally managed to confirm that no one was following!

So he put on a look of relief and quickened his pace. But perhaps it was bad luck... three days later, with his injuries somewhat recovered, he was actually targeted by a fierce beast comparable to the Spirit Repository realm!

In the brutal pursuit of that beast, he was miserable beyond compare. He unleashed all his means, yet could not escape. Finally, he was suppressed by the beast, which tore at his flesh bite by bite, his wails shrill, until he was completely eaten!

Only then did the beast leave...

A few days later, as this beast roared through the mountain forest, its eyes flickered!

"It seems there really is no one following in secret..."

The beast flickered and sped away!

In the firmament, Xu Qing and the Captain watched the figure of the beast possessed by Feng Lintao as it went far away, both feeling speechless in their hearts!

"This little Feng... is he too suspicious? What did he experience

in the Holy Land... to play with himself like this?"

"I've truly learned something new."

The Captain exclaimed!

Xu Qing was lost in thought, gazing at the figure on the horizon, and suddenly spoke!

"With Feng Lintao's suspicious nature, I fear that what he has shown now is still not enough to truly put his mind at ease!"

"It's already like this, and he's still not at ease, still worried that someone is following?"

The Captain was surprised!

And the thing he was surprised about became reality five days later.

The beast possessed by Feng Lintao, while passing through a forbidden zone, was entangled by divine tentacles that suddenly reached out from within. Amidst its wails, its flesh was torn apart, and it was dragged into the forbidden zone!

An accident, a demise!

Outside the forbidden zone, Xu Qing's eyes revealed a ghostly glint. Beside him, the Captain was

somewhat weary!

"I am starting to be unable to tell if this guy's death this time was intentional..."

Xu Qing glanced at the Captain!

"Senior Brother, continue to unfold your Origin-Tracing. In my divine sense, this Feng Lintao's life fluctuation has completely extinguished here!"

"If he still has clones, it means he died here on purpose! He must have been unable to distinguish if anyone was following, so he simply died once more to ensure he was safe!"

The Captain sighed!

"Little Ah Qing, I suddenly understand how Yu Liuchen felt back then..."

As he spoke, he unfolded his Great Five-Oxen Origin-Tracing Ruthless Dao. A moment later, the Captain suddenly looked up and gritted his teeth!

"This brat really does have other clones. Clearly, they weren't activated or enabled before and were in a dead state like corpses, so they avoided my detection. Only now, after being activated, were they locked onto by me."

"The distance from here... is quite far..."

At the same time, in another direction of the Gray Sea Great Region, in a swamp, a physical body was soaking within, covered by countless poisonous insects!

But the next instant, as a force of vitality radiated from within this body, a red line flashed at the center of its brow, and its eyes suddenly opened!

Amidst a roar, the aura of the Return to Void erupted from this body. After suppressing the surroundings, this body rushed out and directly broke through.

Opening the swamp, he reached mid-air!

"With this, it is safe for now."

"Regardless of whether Lanyao and Yuedong have seen through my plan, and regardless of whether the human race has noticed, or is secretly following, capturing, or fishing..."

"Whether they are or are not, it is all useless now."

Thinking of this, Feng Lintao’s eyes revealed a cold glint, and his body flickered as he headed straight for the horizon!

This time, he was truly moving at full speed!

"Leave the Eastern Boundary of Wanggu and head to the Northern Boundary."

"By cultivating under one hundred thousand feet of ice in the freezing lands of the Northern Boundary, I can meet the requirements of the Great Emperor Liaoxuan’s inheritance, and when I emerge from seclusion..."

Feng Lintao narrowed his eyes, his expression grim, and his speed increased even further!

At the same time, outside the human race’s Imperial Capital domain, in the former territory of the Liaoxuan clan, there also existed a hidden cave!

This place was not far from where the Golden Rat was located!

Inside the cave, two people were sitting cross-legged!

One of them had a withered body, devoid of any vitality, looking no different from a corpse!

Only on the center of his brow was there a Liaoxuan red line, within which a faint red light flickered, but it was growing dimmer and dimmer, as if it could extinguish at any moment!

He was likewise a clone that Feng Lintao had secretly arranged and hidden for his escape plan.

How many such clones he had arranged, only he himself knew!

But this method also had its drawbacks, which was that time was limited; if not activated for a long time, once the red light on the brow disappeared completely, the clone would also lose the possibility of being used!

Just like now, the red light on this clone’s brow was already nearing the moment of vanishing!

And opposite this corpse, the other person meditating was a middle-aged man, who stared fixedly at the corpse, his eyes revealing endless hatred!

"Feng Lintao, you are devoid of conscience, refining Miss Yuedong’s younger sister to achieve your own half-blood demon feathers, but the net of heaven is vast; under the orders of Lady Lanyao, all Liaoxuan criminals in the holy lands were blood-sacrificed, and with their blood, your Liaoxuan clone’s location was guided... finally finding this clone of yours."

"Now, as long as you activate this clone, you will be unable to escape even with wings."

This man gritted his teeth, as if he hated that he could not bite the corpse in front of him to pieces and swallow it alive!

And this kind of emotion was clearly abnormal!

Just like Lanyao back then!

Their thoughts had been altered, their emotions influenced, their karma disordered, becoming conscious emotional puppets.

If Xu Qing were here, relying on his authority to erase and coordinating with the power of the scissors, he would certainly be able to see it too... the karma lines of this middle-aged cultivator were a tangled mess!

Those threads were woven together, actually outlining the silhouette of a human face!

It was precisely the face of Yuedong!

And this was Yuedong’s fishing.

Xu Qing and Erniu were using Feng Lintao as bait to get rid of Lanyao!

As for Yuedong, she was using this clone of Feng Lintao as bait to fish for Feng Lintao’s original soul.