Chapter 1448: The Holy Land

After parting ways following a night of drinking, another month had passed in the blink of an eye.

It was early summer, and the weather was gradually becoming hotter, with only a slight cool breeze at night.

This should have been the perfect season for late-night conversations and drinking, but the black-clad youth never showed up again. Yi Feng had also left the temporary residence at the Holy King's Palace and, as promised, set off to participate in the selection process, heading toward the Snow Moon Holy Land.

As expected.

He smoothly became the contemporary Holy Son, sending waves of excitement throughout the entire Southern Li Kingdom.

From the upper echelons of the sects to the common folk, everyone believed that Yi Feng was about to soar to great heights. They all schemed about how they could benefit from his protection, and the entire kingdom was immersed in the dream of one person's success bringing prosperity to all.

However.

In the distant Snow Moon Holy Land, Yi Feng encountered an unprecedented upheaval!

When he arrived at the Snow Moon Holy Land.

At the gates of the Holy Land, the deacon elder glanced at him a few times before suddenly lowering his gaze and sneering.

"So this is Yi Feng, the Holy Son offered by the Southern Li Kingdom? It seems he has already broken through to the Divine Mansion Realm. He does have some talent, barely qualifying to be a cauldron for the master's cultivation."

As soon as the words fell, the Holy Land members accompanying Yi Feng also revealed fierce expressions.

"The elder speaks wisely. This person indeed has considerable talent, a once-in-a-century genius for the Southern Li Kingdom. Even the Holy Master might find some use for him!"

"Indeed, he is much better than the trash the Southern Li Kingdom offered before."

"Elder, your discernment is impeccable. We worked hard to bring this boy here. We hope you can put in a good word for us before the Holy Master."

The group fawned over the elder at the palace gates, secretly handing over treasures with sycophantic expressions.

Hearing their words and seeing their expressions.

Yi Feng's heart sank, realizing that something was terribly wrong.

"A cauldron?!"

"So, this is the real reason your Snow Moon Holy Land recruits Holy Sons? All the geniuses recommended by various nations have been exploited by you!"

As Yi Feng angrily questioned, the Holy Land members burst into laughter.

"Hahaha..."

"Genius? You small-country cultivators dare to claim such a title?"

"You mediocrities should feel honored to even qualify as the master's cauldron. Surrender now!"

"For centuries, it has always been this way. No one has ever escaped. This is your fate!"

Seeing their mocking laughter, Yi Feng's heart turned as cold as ice.

He had never intended to rely on the Snow Moon Holy Land, nor did he care about the so-called Holy Son status. He had come only to broaden his horizons and reach higher levels.

Throughout his life, he had relied solely on his own hard work!

But Yi Feng never expected that the legendary Holy Land would use the geniuses of various nations as cauldrons. Beneath their righteous facade, they hid the evil practice of devouring others' cultivation!

Truly, a gilded exterior hiding rot within!

A Holy Land?

The title was utterly laughable!

The so-called Snow Moon Holy Land was nothing but a den of filth, a place of false reputation and corruption!

Yi Feng's anger surged, but he knew he was no match for them.

Immediately, he activated his movement technique and soared into the air. The onlookers were shocked by his boldness and determination. Some instinctively tried to stop him but were injured by his terrifying sword energy!

In just a few breaths.

Yi Feng had already fled with his sword, startling everyone around him.

The deacon elder of the Snow Moon Holy Land was furious, roaring incessantly!

"Bastard!"

"How dare this brat flee on the spot! Such audacity!"

Glancing at the sword marks left at the palace gates, the elder's eyes showed a hint of fear.

"I never expected him to have such mastery of the sword. My carelessness allowed him to escape! If he returns to the Southern Li Kingdom and spreads rumors, it will damage our Holy Land's reputation. If he grows stronger, he will become a great threat!"

"No matter what, this boy must not be allowed to live!"

As the elder roared in anger, the surrounding Holy Land disciples prepared to give chase.

Before they left.

The elder's eyes shifted, and he issued another stern order!

"Go after him immediately! This boy's sword skills are extraordinary. Do not hold back; you must go all out!"

"Later, I will use the Holy Land's name to notify all sects, claiming that Yi Feng, as our Holy Son, betrayed the sect and stole our treasures before fleeing. He is a heinous criminal!"

"This way, even if he somehow manages to return to the Southern Li Kingdom, he will have no place to hide. All sects will send people to hunt him down. He is doomed to die!"

Hearing this, the surrounding disciples bowed with reverence.

"The elder is wise!"

"With this, Yi Feng has no chance of escape, and our Holy Land's reputation will remain untarnished. This move kills two birds with one stone—truly brilliant!"

The group continued to flatter, and the elder was quite pleased. However, thinking of Yi Feng's decisiveness and courage, he dared not be overconfident.

In an instant, he coldly waved his hand and issued the order.

"Go now! Do not let this boy live!"

Dozens of Holy Land disciples bowed and took off into the air.

Before dawn.

Yi Feng was already being hunted, and the title of traitor spread throughout the major sects.

After fleeing thousands of miles overnight, he barely made it back to the Southern Li Kingdom. The Holy Land's pursuers were still hot on his trail. Even if Yi Feng was not afraid of them, he knew he could not afford to engage in prolonged battles. He could only continue fleeing south.

That night, all major sects received the Snow Moon Holy Land's message, and the news shook the entire Southern Li Kingdom. Yi Feng, who had been the subject of great anticipation just a short while ago, had now become a traitor to the Holy Land. The drastic turn of events left countless people in shock.

Although many knew Yi Feng's character and believed that his humble and low-key nature made it unlikely for him to be a treasure-stealing traitor, some even questioned their sects on his behalf. However, the higher-ups of the major sects were all shrewd and calculating. They had already weighed the pros and cons in their minds.

Who was more important, Yi Feng or the Holy Land?

The answer was obvious.

Regardless of the truth, as long as the Holy Land issued the order, they would act accordingly. Even if it meant wrongfully killing Yi Feng, they could not afford to offend the Snow Moon Holy Land!

As long as they captured Yi Feng and earned the Holy Land's favor, even if all the resources they had previously invested were wasted, it would not matter.

In this world, there was no absolute morality—only eternal interests!

This was the cold reality.

Almost simultaneously, the major sects sent their elite disciples to hunt down Yi Feng. Before the sky had fully brightened, the entire Southern Li Kingdom was plunged into a storm of bloodshed!

As dawn approached, sects from all directions converged, and the hunting party grew larger and larger. It seemed as though they were not chasing just one man, Yi Feng, but a thousand evil demons!

At daybreak.

Yi Feng had been driven to the edge of the Soul-Severing Cliff. Behind him were nearly ten thousand cultivators, and before him was a bottomless abyss. Even the opposite cliff was crowded with familiar faces from various sects.

Alone with his sword, even with his unparalleled cultivation in the Southern Li Kingdom, he had reached his limit. His body was drenched in blood, and he was gasping for breath.

Throughout his escape, Yi Feng had killed countless people who had come for his life—former sparring partners from sects, fellow sword cultivators he had met only once.

He could not understand why these people, who had no grudge against him, were willing to risk their lives to kill him.

In this desperate situation.

Fighting for survival, he had no time to think. Whether they were acquaintances or strangers, they all fell to his sword. He had long since lost himself in the bloodshed.

The thousand-mile journey south was littered with blood and corpses!

Even now, with most of his cultivation depleted and no trace of his former grace, the blood-stained sword in his hand still radiated a chilling killing intent.

In that moment, even with nearly ten thousand cultivators present, not a single one dared to step forward!

Everyone watched the blood-stained figure on the cliff with caution.

Only when they saw sweat dripping from Yi Feng's forehead did someone finally gather the courage to speak up.

"Fellow cultivators! Yi Feng is at his limit. No matter how strong he is, if we attack together, we can surely take this villain's life!"

As soon as these words were spoken, others quickly chimed in.

"Right! No matter how strong he is, he can't possibly defeat so many of us!"

"Two fists can't fight four hands. He has no way to escape now!"

"No matter how glorious he was in the past, he is now the enemy of all. Fellow cultivators, there's no need to fear!"

"Today is the day we slay this traitor!"

"Today is the day we slay this traitor!"

...

The crowd grew more and more agitated, shouting righteous slogans.

Although Yi Feng did not understand why he had incurred such wrath, a few voices among the crowd sounded eerily familiar.

Turning his head slightly, he saw the person shouting, who quickly averted his gaze in panic.

Recognizing the person, Yi Feng was stunned.

"Junior Brother? You?!"

He never expected.

That in this life-and-death situation, the one shouting for his death with the most fervor would be his former junior brother from the same sect. It had been days since he last visited the sect, and now they were mortal enemies.

What a cruel irony.

In his bitterness and rage, Yi Feng glared at the crowd and gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"Why?!"

"Why are you all hunting me down?!"