Chapter 773 - 445: An Old Friend’s Betrayal?

Regardless, Luo Zhenzhen was an important figure of the Dragon Race in Yu Long Lake. Her breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm in the near future had been a foregone conclusion. Moreover, at least for now, the Tribulation Cultivation Forces and the Demon Race of Yu Long Lake were still close allies; it was highly unlikely that they would actively break their truce. So, who had killed Luo Zhenzhen?

Amidst his doubts, Zou Feng couldn’t help but recall the complex, resolute look Zhao Feixiong had given him before rushing into the bridal chamber. He wondered, "Could it be that Zhao Feixiong hadn’t decided to play the devoted lapdog to the very end, but rather intended to... kill his wife to validate his Dao!?"

Strictly speaking, Zhao Feixiong and Luo Zhenzhen had already completed the wedding ceremony and were only a step away from consummating their marriage. Therefore, it was perfectly accurate to say that he and Luo Zhenzhen were already official Dao Companions. The more Zou Feng thought about it, the more plausible this theory seemed. However, even if Zhao Feixiong had successfully validated his Dao, his current situation was probably dire. He had most likely been captured by the Demon Race or the Tribulation Cultivation Forces, leaving his fate uncertain. After all, if he had succeeded, he should have fled immediately and returned to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect...

As he pondered these possibilities, a sudden anomaly occurred. Hundreds of water pillars, as thick as vats, shot into the sky without warning. Before the Holy Lotus could react, they formed a massive Water Prison that trapped the ship within.

This was no ordinary Water Prison. It mobilized the power of almost the entire Yu Long Lake and required the collaboration of at least three Golden Core Realm Cultivators to construct this specific Water Prison Array. Just by sensing its formidable power, Zou Feng knew it was even stronger than the Demon-slaying Platform created by the Three Demons, including Demon Immortal Che Yuegao.

"What a massive undertaking. Is this the combined strength of the entire Demon Race in Yu Long Lake?" Zou Feng mused. Despite being suddenly trapped, he didn’t panic. Instead, he gestured for Yue Ya to quickly return to the cabin. He thought, "Interesting. To think they could trap me without my noticing. Then, the next scene will likely be a reunion with old acquaintances..."

Just as expected, a small spatial rift opened within the Water Prison. A gloomy-faced man wearing white mourning garments stepped out.

"Junior Brother Zou, it’s been a while!"

The gloomy man slowly raised his head, sporting a smile that looked worse than a crying face. This person was naturally Zhao Feixiong, whom Zou Feng had just been thinking about. At Zou Feng’s level, he wouldn’t recall an old acquaintance for no reason. Whenever someone crossed his mind, there was a high probability that the other party was also thinking about him.

"So, even if Zhao Feixiong successfully killed his wife to validate his Dao, he still couldn’t avoid joining the Tribulation Cultivator Camp?" Zou Feng wondered. He quickly and discreetly checked the List of Gods again, and a sense of certainty settled in his heart.

"Brother Zhao, you truly live up to your title as a genius of our Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. After several years apart, you have made extraordinary progress!"

At this moment, Zhao Feixiong had impressively stepped into the Golden Core Realm as well. Whether it was due to his success in killing his wife to validate his Dao or not, this guy had matched Zou Feng’s unbelievable speed, reaching the Golden Core Realm Late Stage. However, it seemed that even the Golden Core Realm Late Stage wasn’t enough to help him break free from the Tribulation Cultivator Camp.

Just as the two were about to continue catching up, two more spatial rifts appeared around them. A male and a female of the Demon Race strode out.

The male demon bore a strong resemblance to Dragon King Luo Gang; he was clearly a close relative, likely a younger brother. The female demon had a face full of murderous intent and dragon horns on her head, indicating she also belonged to the Dragon Race of Yu Long Lake.

Meanwhile, at the very bottom of the Water Prison, the surface of Yu Long Lake began to boil violently. A monster the size of a small hill could be faintly seen stirring menacingly beneath the water. These demons that emerged after Zhao Feixiong were all Golden Core Great Demons. Including Zhao Feixiong, four Golden Core Realm Cultivators, empowered by the entirety of Yu Long Lake, had perfectly laid out a death trap specifically for Zou Feng.

As for how they had managed to track his whereabouts so accurately, set up an ambush in advance, and be so certain he would walk right into it... Zou Feng shook his head helplessly and looked at Zhao Feixiong again. "Brother Zhao, even if we are serving different masters now, do you really have to hate me this much?"

Being outsmarted so easily wasn’t a mere coincidence, nor was it Zou Feng’s oversight. After all, even during his time in the Dao Foundation Realm, Zhao Feixiong had been proficient in the Face Reading Skill, Inference Skill, and the like. Now that he had broken through to the Golden Core Realm, those skills had naturally grown even stronger. Not to mention, Zou Feng immediately realized that he and Zhao Feixiong had fought side-by-side for quite some time in the past. Given their familiarity with each other, it was hardly surprising that Zhao Feixiong possessed some Secret Skill capable of pinpointing his location.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feixiong sneered repeatedly. "It’s pointless for you to try and play the friendship card now. Senior Sister Jiang and I were a match made in heaven, but your appearance turned my years of hard work into nothing!"

"But weren’t you even happier when Luo Zhenzhen showed up? Why didn’t you say that only Senior Sister Jiang was in your heart back then?" Zou Feng pretended he didn’t know about Luo Zhenzhen’s death. "Now that you’ve become a proud son-in-law, you’re just going to turn your back on old friends like this?"

"Do not mention Zhenzhen again!" Zhao Feixiong’s expression drastically changed, looking as if he was on the verge of furiously attacking. Auras of death entangled his body, and his glabella was dark, making it obvious that he had practiced an Evil Art of the Yama Underworld.

Seeing this, Zou Feng let out a long sigh and asked melancholically, "Brother Zhao, have you truly decided to make enemies out of me and the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect?"

"Enough, stop dragging things out! Zou Feng, stalling for time is useless. You can’t escape this time, so just accept your fate and be buried alongside my older brother!" The one who spoke was clearly Luo Gang’s cousin, Luo Meng. Among the Golden Core Great Demons besieging Zou Feng, Luo Meng’s realm was the weakest, being only at the Early Stage of Golden Core Realm.

"There’s no point in talking further. Do it!" the female of the Dragon Race on the other side urged.

This female dragon’s realm was significantly higher, sitting at the Golden Core Realm Late Stage. Her seniority in the Dragon Race of Yu Long Lake was even higher than Luo Gang’s. Her name was Luo Ningcui. She had originally been in secluded death meditation for a hundred years, preparing to make a full breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm. Unexpectedly, she had also come out to stir up trouble. As she spoke, her eyes were locked onto Zhao Feixiong, clearly urging him to make the first move.

Seeing this dynamic, Zou Feng immediately realized that these demons hadn’t fully placed their trust in Zhao Feixiong. This was perfectly normal, of course; even if Zhao Feixiong had practiced an Evil Art of the Yama Underworld, it didn’t mean this former genius of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect was trustworthy. Zou Feng just didn’t know how Zhao Feixiong had masterfully concealed the act of killing his wife to validate his Dao. After all, the two members of the Dragon Race present didn’t seem to associate Luo Zhenzhen’s death with Zhao Feixiong at all.

Prodded repeatedly, Zhao Feixiong suddenly erupted with murderous intent. His gaze practically shot fire as he glared at Zou Feng. "You stole Senior Sister Jiang from me, and I accepted that! But why... why did you have to kill Zhenzhen!?"

Zou Feng was utterly bewildered by the accusation. He thought, "Great, just great. So I’m the one who killed her again, right? Since when did I kill Luo Zhenzhen? Why don’t I know about it? Did I just curse her to death with my mind from thousands of miles away? Uh, although I do actually have that ability, heaven knows Luo Zhenzhen fell off my radar on the List of Gods a long time ago..."

"Zou Feng, oh Zou Feng, we were fellow disciples after all. Why couldn’t you spare my only remaining hope? Why did you have to inflict such an Exotic Poison on Zhenzhen..."

Upon hearing this, realization finally dawned on Zou Feng. Indeed, Luo Zhenzhen had briefly fought him. Therefore, it made sense that he could have taken the opportunity to plant a highly concealed Exotic Poison in her, which ultimately led to a sudden Burst without any warning, rendering her beyond salvation...

He pondered, "That actually sounds quite reasonable. Unfortunately, when I fought Luo Zhenzhen, I was only focused on running away as fast as possible. How could I have employed such methods? Not to mention, I was only in the Dao Foundation Realm at the time. I couldn’t have ambushed her so easily."

"Give me your life—!"

With a final furious shout, Zhao Feixiong ruthlessly attacked. A denser aura of death Burst from his body. In less than the blink of an eye, Zhao Feixiong phased through the Holy Lotus’s defensive barrier without any resistance and flashed right in front of Zou Feng.

The Defensive Array of the Holy Lotus wasn’t made of paper, yet Zhao Feixiong intruded with ease. This not only reflected his current formidable strength but also showcased his outstanding mastery of arrays. Simply put, Zhao Feixiong hadn’t violently destroyed the Holy Lotus’s array; instead, he had deciphered a method to directly enter it.

The next moment, Zhao Feixiong threw a punch and Zou Feng countered with a palm strike. Their attacks clashed violently.

With the two of them at the epicenter, a Frenzy of Qi Force engulfed everything, causing even the Holy Lotus to teeter precariously. This temporarily obscured everyone’s vision, preventing them from seeing the current state of the two men.

"Brother Zhao, your acting skills are rather average..." Zou Feng smiled, having already withdrawn his hand amidst the cyclone of Frenzy Qi Force.

Zhao Feixiong paused in surprise before a look of profound relief washed over his face. "Tsk, I actually thought you fell for it..."