Chapter 95: Kill Without Mercy

Jiang Feng emerged into the open air, realizing that he was now on the other side of the mountain. As his gaze swept across the landscape, a strange sense of disconnect struck him. The mountain he now faced was far smaller than the grand, towering behemoth he had witnessed in the dreamscape.

"Why is it so much smaller now?" he muttered under his breath. His eyes lingered on the exit for a moment before he began his descent.

Two grueling days passed as Jiang Feng traversed the rugged terrain, finally leaving the area behind. Curiously, he encountered no more Stonejaw Ravagers during his journey, leading him to conclude that the beasts must have made their lair near the entrance to the Titan Cave.

Just as he prepared to head in another direction, a sudden cry pierced the quiet air.

"Help!!"

Jiang Feng froze, the desperate voice ringing in his ears. His eyes narrowed as recognition dawned. 'Why does that voice sound so familiar?' Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the source of the scream.

He soon arrived at a small hill covered in massive, square-shaped stones stacked haphazardly, likely remnants of materials once used to construct the mountain. Scaling the hill, Jiang Feng crouched at the summit and peered down.

Below, he spotted five young men encircling a tall, graceful woman. Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back, her delicate features radiating a charm that belied her obvious distress. Jiang Feng's expression darkened. He knew this woman well. It was Ji Moran.

On closer inspection, it was clear she was injured. Deep claw marks marred her shoulder, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. Her face was pale, her breath shallow—undeniable signs that she had encountered some kind of demonic beast and somehow managed to survive.

The five men, a mix of individuals from Thunderclap City and Mist Ridge City, jeered and laughed cruelly as they closed in on her.

"Such a beauty" sneered Han Xiang, a thin and wiry man from Thunderclap City with a scar running across his left cheek. "It'd be a shame to let that charm go to waste."

"She's been playing hard to get," added Luo Yan, another Thunderclap cultivator, his hulking frame casting a long shadow over Ji Moran. "Let's see how long her pride lasts once we're done with her."

One of the Mist Ridge men, Li Tao, leaned casually against a stone, a sinister grin on his face. "I'd say she's worth savoring. Thunderclap boys, don't be too rough. Leave some of her for us."

"You're all disgusting!" Ji Moran spat, her voice trembling with rage and fear. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, though her energy was clearly drained from fighting earlier.

"Disgusting?" said Cheng Wu, a Mist Ridge cultivator with sharp eyes and a mocking tone. "You'll be calling for us soon enough. Why don't you stop pretending you're above this?"

The last of the group, Xu Biao, a stocky man from Mist Ridge, chuckled darkly. "You should've stayed in your city, little bird. Now you're here, all alone, surrounded. Who's going to save you now?"

Ji Moran's knuckles whitened as she gripped her sword, her breaths shallow and uneven. She fought to maintain her composure, but the odds against her were clear—outnumbered, outmatched, and dangerously close to breaking. Only three days ago, she had achieved a breakthrough, stepping into the 8th stage of cultivation after discovering a tree bearing peculiar yellow-brown fruits.

Their essence had coursed through her, invigorating her spirit and body. Yet that newfound strength was tested almost immediately when she crossed paths with a bear-like creature whose ferocity nearly ended her life.

Summoning every ounce of strength and skill she possessed, she managed to slay the beast, but not without a heavy cost. Bloodied, depleted, and weary to her core, she stumbled upon this hill, intending to recover. That was when they appeared—five men with predatory eyes and cruel intentions.

The heart of man is truly vicious and unforgiving!

From the crest of the hill, Jiang Feng's expression was as cold and still as frost on steel. But beneath his static exterior, fury roiled like a tempest. The words he overheard struck a nerve too deep to ignore "How could people act so lowly, so shameless, like beasts?".

His movements were soundlessly deliberate, as he stepped forward, his figure melting out of the shadows.

Han Xiang's instincts flared, and his body stiffened. Whipping around, he barked, "Who's there?"

Jiang Feng emerged into the pale light, his presence as commanding as a storm rolling across an open plain. His gaze swept over the group, each man shrinking slightly under the weight of it. His voice, low and calm, cut through the tension like the edge of a blade.

"Leave."

For a moment, silence reigned, broken only by the soft rustle of wind in the grass. Then Luo Yan let out a bark of laughter, his broad chest heaving with mirth. They realized that it was only Jiang Feng who had come out and not someone in the top three, thus he wondered if the young man before had a death wish or is it that he couldn't read the room.

"And who are you to tell us what to do?" he mocked, his hammer resting on his shoulder.

Jiang Feng didn't answer. His icy stare spoke volumes, each moment of silence thickening the air between them.

Li Tao's smirk faltered under that gaze, something stirred in the back of his mind—a warning, unspoken yet unmistakable. But he shoved it aside, his pride bristling. "You think you can take all of us by yourself, we've kill at least five people already, you'll be the sixth haha!"

Without a word, Jiang Feng's hand moved to his side. His fingers wrapped around the Celestial Dagger, its surface etched with ancient runic lines that glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. The air grew heavier, vibrating with the restrained power emanating from the weapon.

Ji Moran's eyes widened in recognition, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. Relief flickered in her gaze, pushing back the fear that had gripped her moments before. It was Jiang Feng. She had read about him during her research after the first time they met—a rising genius whose cultivation, though modest, belied his extraordinary talent.

Rumors spoke of him being backed by a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, a connection that undoubtedly explained his reputation. For someone like him, skill and confidence were not baseless traits. She even acquainted with him as well through several translations.

"You should listen to him. We all came here to experience what this place has to offer. Though you all tried to kill me, I'll forget it all happened" she said, her voice gaining steadiness as hope reignited in her chest.

The five men exchanged glances, their bravado outweighing their caution. Xu Biao sneered, cracking his knuckles. "The combined force of Mist Ridge and Thunderclap isn't something a lone fool can challenge. You'll regret crossing us."

Jiang Feng's voice remained unyielding, sharper than any blade. "This is your final warning."

But they didn't listen. With a roar, Luo Yan surged forward, his hammer raised high. The sheer weight of it split the air with a brutal hum as it descended.

Jiang Feng sighed softly. In the next instant, his figure blurred as his body was pulled through the void, into the darkness by the celestial dagger. To the onlookers, he became a phantom—silent, swift, and merciless. The fight ended before it began.

Han Xiang barely had time to react before a sickening sound cut through the air. Blood sprayed in a gruesome arc as Luo Yan's headless body crumpled to the ground, his hammer thudding beside him. Ruthless, decisive.

Ji Moran's breath caught in her throat. Her lips parted, but no words came. Her wide eyes were fixed on Jiang Feng, who stood unmoving, the Celestial Dagger in his hand gleaming ominously in the fading light.

"He didn't even flinch," she thought, her awe mingled with fear.

Jiang Feng turned his gaze toward the remaining men, his expression as unreadable as the dagger's ancient runes. For them, the truth was clear: the sentence had been passed, and death was the inevitable executioner.

"So the experience gained in that dreamscape actually carried over into reality," Jiang Feng murmured, his brows furrowing as he recalled the dreadful war he had fought in that realm. The enemies of the Titan Race had been unrelenting, and in the dreamscape, he had been a general—a ruthless warrior who fought to the last breath, slaying foes until his body could no longer move. Yet, he hadn't expected those experiences to manifest in his current self.

"If someone else had been there instead of me," he thought, "would they have been the ones to benefit?"

Jiang Feng exhaled slowly, his mind circling back to the intricate chain of events that had led him to this point. If it wasn't just the Celestial Dagger, which had been capable of cutting apart the door sealing the Titan Ascendance Art, Primordial Flesh Pill and the Colossus Marrow Pill, he doubted that anyone could gained entry.

There were so many variables—his father bringing him to the tribulation site, the Codex pointing him toward the hidden cave, and his fortunate encounter with the original formation lines inside. Without all these factors aligning perfectly, there was no way he could have comprehended the enlightenment required to enter the dreamscape.

The experiences he had gained as a Titan were harsh and merciless, forged in the crucible of bloodshed. Yet, they had also been guided by an unyielding purpose: to protect the lives of the Titan Race.

His cold, unfeeling gaze now landed on Han Xiang, whose pale face betrayed his mounting terror. Jiang Feng's attention then shifted to Li Tao, who looked as if he might collapse under the weight of his fear.

"Wh... who are you?" Li Tao stammered, his voice trembling.

The scene of Luo Yan's death replayed vividly in his mind, amplifying his dread. Luo Yan hadn't been weak—he was in the late stages of the 8th Essence Condensation stage, just a step away from the 9th. With a stroke of fortune, he could have even begun forming his Golden Core. Yet, despite his strength, he had been killed so swiftly and decisively that he hadn't even realized how he died.

Li Tao's legs trembled as Jiang Feng's cold stare bore into him, an unspoken promise of the same fate.