Chapter Ninety-Three: I Came Here to Take Your Life—Why Would I Need Anyone to Save Me?

As the inner force of the Nine Suns Divine Art crashed into the gate of the golden pagoda, Ke Bei’s heart clenched hard as well. Whether it would succeed depended on this single strike.

Boom!

The force of the Nine Suns Divine Art slammed fiercely against the pagoda gate, and a peal of thunder seemed to burst directly in the deepest part of Ke Bei’s mind.

The gate of the golden pagoda trembled violently.

Open, open, damn it, open!

The inner force within his dantian surged forth madly, while Ke Bei’s will remained fixed on the faintly shaking gate of the golden pagoda.

Damn it. So close. Just a little more!

Ke Bei’s eyes burned red with excitement. He clenched his teeth so hard he nearly ground them to pieces.

The Nine Suns Divine Art in his dantian had already poured out completely, yet the gate of the golden pagoda had only swayed slightly. Ke Bei could feel that if his inner force were just a fraction stronger, he would have succeeded in breaking the gate open. But that tiny gap stood before him like an impassable chasm. Before the Nine Suns Divine Art advanced once more, he would never be able to take that final step.

He could only stare helplessly as the gate of the golden pagoda trembled a few times before settling back into stillness.

Unwilling. Ke Bei was terribly unwilling.

Just a hair’s breadth. It was only a hair’s breadth away.

If Ke Bei could continue cultivating and increase his inner force, he would have been confident of forcing the gate open within ten days at most. But the regrettable truth was that he could not cultivate. That meant he would have to wait until the final stage of the Nine Suns Divine Art chain quest was completed before he could break into the golden pagoda.

Yet the third stage had not even issued a notification yet. No one knew when it would be finished.

Ke Bei glared with bloodshot eyes, breathing heavily through flared nostrils, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The resentment churning in his chest was beyond words. After a long silence, that unwilling fury finally eased a little, and his mood gradually calmed.

What belongs to me will ultimately be mine. Netherworld Purple Flame, just wait for me.

Ke Bei let out a low, fierce growl. He slowly stood up, went to the bathroom, and drenched himself with icy water before his mind finally returned to complete calm.

Though he still could not make use of the Netherworld Purple Flame for the moment, his strength was no longer weak. The Netherworld Purple Flame was inside the golden pagoda at the center of his brow; it could not run away. So long as Ke Bei’s inner force was sufficient, he would master it sooner or later.

After the cold shower, Ke Bei changed into the standard combat uniform of the Nine Rivers Base. In his silver battle attire, with his short hair, he looked sharp and full of vitality.

Although his emotions had temporarily settled, just thinking of the violet flame within the golden pagoda still left him irritated and oddly stifled.

That night, Ke Bei rarel y did not continue cultivating his Essence-Nourishing Art. He slowly opened the door and stepped out into the hazy night.

The genius training camp of the Nine Rivers Base on Mistgold Mountain covered an enormous area. Ke Bei had already been here for a month, yet he had spent the entire time shut away in cultivation. Aside from the Azure Dragon Lake in front of the villa, he had not once gone out.

Treading along the gravel path and breathing in the cool night air, Ke Bei felt his mood ease slightly. He walked aimlessly along the path, and before he knew it, he had left the residential district and reached the bamboo grove at the northwest corner of Azure Dragon Lake.

Walking among the emerald bamboo, a breeze rustled the leaves, sending out crisp whispering sounds.

Under the moonlight, Ke Bei walked alone through the grove, listening to the wind stirring the bamboo leaves, quietly savoring the solitude.

With faint threads of moonlight trailing at his feet, Ke Bei gradually made his way toward the center of the bamboo grove. Then he suddenly stopped. A fierce killing intent burst from his eyes, and his icy gaze cut through the bamboo and landed on a clearing within the forest.

There, standing in the open, was a figure Ke Bei knew all too well.

That figure had once tried to kill him twice. Because of that very person, Han Lingyue was to be sealed beneath the depths of Azure Dragon Lake for a full ten years.

Hei Qin!

Ke Bei ground his teeth, his fists snapping shut, and an icy voice squeezed out from between them.

The figure seated cross-legged in the clearing was indeed Hei Qin.

Hei Qin’s innate ability was the Steel Gold Body, and his golden force was exceedingly sharp. When cultivating in the dormitory, he never dared to unleash it at full strength. Now that his master had died, Hei Qin had effectively lost his backing.

An unprecedented pressure had lingered in his heart. Ever since he had tried to kill Ke Bei last time, he had already offended Luo Han. Luo Han had long wanted to kill him, and during this period he had not dared to step a single pace outside his room. Every night, when the world was deep and silent, he would secretly come alone to the lonely bamboo grove to cultivate in secrecy.

Hei Qin was by nature unruly and arrogant to the extreme. How could he endure being forced to keep his head down in his room all these days?

Thus, he had kept his teeth clenched and his heart full of suppressed fury, cultivating madly. If the day ever came when his strength was sufficient, the first person he would kill would be Ke Bei, and the second would be Luo Han.

Ke Bei, Luo Han, just you wait.

A chilling light shot from Hei Qin’s eyes. With a low roar, strands of golden force swept outward. Centered on him, the bamboo within a radius of twenty meters was shredded to pieces by the blade-like golden qi.

Rustle, rustle...

A faint sound of footsteps suddenly drifted over. Hei Qin’s expression shifted slightly, and he turned sharply, looking toward the source of the sound.

Who goes there?

He asked in a cold voice, staring fixedly in that direction. The night was thick. Though a silver moon hung overhead, the dense bamboo grove still obstructed his vision. He could hear the footsteps and make out a vague silhouette, but he could not tell exactly who it was.

Thump, thump, thump.

In the empty bamboo grove, no one answered Hei Qin, but the footsteps drew steadily clearer.

A trace of vigilance flashed through Hei Qin’s cold eyes. No one should be coming to the bamboo grove at this hour. Could it be Luo Han?

At the thought, his expression changed abruptly.

Just as Hei Qin was preparing to flee, a figure slowly emerged from the dense bamboo.

Hahaha, so it’s you! Truly, heaven has a road and you refuse to take it; hell has no gate and you insist on barging in!

Only then did Hei Qin clearly see the newcomer. When he realized that the figure who had stepped out of the darkness was Ke Bei, he burst into wild laughter at once. His brazen laughter shook the bamboo leaves all around him into a furious rustling.

Today, let me see who can still come save you!

A bloodthirsty smile appeared on Hei Qin’s stern face. He licked his slightly parched lips and looked at Ke Bei in his silver battle attire before slowly walking forward. As he moved, dense golden force surged out of his body. With every step he took, that razor-sharp golden qi blasted one deep pit after another into the ground beneath his feet.

I came here to take your life. Why would I need anyone’s rescue?

Ke Bei looked at Hei Qin with complete calm, his voice low and indifferent as it drifted out.