Chapter 120: The Rabble

Yang Tianchen let out a low growl. Like a fierce tiger, he was the first to charge into the crowd, his fists and kicks whistling through the air with every strike landing with lethal precision.

Zhang Hu was not to be outdone. He swung his broadsword with such force that it cut through the air like a gale, his movements wide and powerful, forcing the black-clad figures to retreat time and again.

"Hmph, amateur tricks!"

The leader of the men in black let out a cold snort. His figure flickered like a ghost, appearing behind Yang Tianchen in an instant, his dagger aimed straight for a vital point.

Yang Tianchen had been prepared. He sidestepped the attack and countered with a punch aimed at the assailant's chest.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed as the man in black was sent staggering back several steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"You’ve got some skill, no wonder you dare to defy our Black Snake organization!" The man wiped the blood from his mouth, a glint of cruelty flashing in his eyes.

"Do you really think a pack of mongrels like you is worthy of opposing me?" Yang Tianchen sneered and charged once more.

Qin Feng did not join the fray; his gaze remained fixed on the ancient temple. While it didn't look large from the outside, Qin Feng sensed an unusual aura—this was no ordinary shrine.

"This temple... there's something wrong with it!"

Qin Feng circled the building, his gaze finally settling on a dry well in the back courtyard. The well had long since run dry, its opening sealed by a massive slab of bluestone etched with strange, cryptic runes.

"Could it be..."

Qin Feng felt a stir in his heart. He stepped forward and pressed his hand against the bluestone slab.

The moment he touched it, a surge of overwhelming power erupted from beneath the stone like a tidal wave, tossing him to the ground. He groaned, feeling as if his bones were being shaken apart and his internal organs were churning.

"Brother Feng!"

"Ah Feng!"

Yang Tianchen and Zhang Hu were startled and rushed over to his side.

"I'm fine..." Qin Feng waved them off, struggling to his feet, his eyes locked onto the dry well.

The once-still mouth of the well was now bubbling like boiling water, continuously spewing forth white mist. Accompanied by a series of low, rumbling roars, the entire ground began to tremble violently, as if some colossal entity were about to break through the earth.

"What in the hell is this?" Zhang Hu widened his eyes, unable to stop a curse from slipping out.

Before he could finish, the dry well began to sink slowly, leaving behind a pitch-black opening where the mouth had once been. The hole was bottomless, like a gateway to hell, and an icy, chilling aura poured out from within, making one’s blood run cold.

"Get out of here!" Qin Feng commanded decisively.

However, before they could react, the men in black who had been fighting Yang Tianchen and Zhang Hu retreated like a receding tide, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it, they sure run fast!" Yang Tianchen spat in the direction they had disappeared, grumbling, "Don't let me run into you again, or I'll beat you every time I see you!"

Qin Feng ignored Yang Tianchen's bluster. His brow was furrowed, his gaze deep and fixed on the bottomless pit, his mind filled with doubt and unease. This group of men was clearly prepared, and their target was whatever lay within this temple. But why would they retreat so suddenly at this moment? Were they afraid of what lay beneath?

"Brother Feng, what are these bastards up to? Why did they just run off in the middle of the fight?" Zhang Hu scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

"Things aren't that simple," Qin Feng mused for a moment before saying slowly, "Beneath this temple, there may be an even greater secret."

He looked up at the sky; the eastern horizon was turning a pale, pearly white. Dawn was approaching.

"After daybreak, we go down and look," Qin Feng said firmly.

"What? Down... down there?" Zhang Hu’s face turned deathly pale. He stammered, "Brother Feng, it’s pitch black down there. Who knows what kind of ghosts or monsters are lurking? Can't we avoid the risk?"

"What are you afraid of? With Ah Feng here, any demons or monsters will have to step aside!" Yang Tianchen was eager, his face flushed with excitement. "I’ve been wanting to go down there anyway! Maybe there’s some treasure hidden underneath!"

Qin Feng ignored their bickering. He sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing to recover his strength. He knew tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.

As the sky gradually brightened, the haze that had shrouded the temple dissipated, replaced by a scene of quiet tranquility. Qin Feng stood up, stretched his limbs, and said to Yang Tianchen and Zhang Hu behind him, "Let’s go. We’re going down."

"Brother Feng, are you really going down?" Zhang Hu said with a mournful face. "How about I go down, and you wait up here?"

"Enough nonsense, hurry up!" Qin Feng glared at him, then stepped to the edge of the pit and leapt down.

Yang Tianchen followed immediately after.

Only Zhang Hu remained at the edge, staring into the dark abyss, his face pale and his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Damn it, screw it!" Zhang Hu gritted his teeth and jumped.

The hole was deep. The three of them plummeted for quite some time before finally hitting the ground.

"Ouch, my backside..." Zhang Hu rubbed his rear, grimacing as he scrambled to his feet.

He looked up, and his jaw dropped at the sight before him. They were standing in a massive underground space. It was incredibly vast, with no end in sight, and a ceiling so high it was lost in the shadows. The surrounding walls were carved with strange, bizarre patterns that emitted a ghostly green light.

The floor was not the damp, muddy mess he had expected, but was instead remarkably dry. By the dim light, Zhang Hu finally saw his surroundings, and he was so shocked his chin nearly hit the floor.

"Holy crap, what... what is this place?!"

What appeared before them was a space of unimaginable scale. The ceiling was at least a dozen meters high, obscured in the gloom. What made one's hair stand on end was that every few meters, the walls were inlaid with stones emitting a ghostly green glow, illuminating the space like flickering will-o'-the-wisps.

"Stop making such a fuss," Qin Feng scolded in a low voice, his sharp gaze scanning the area.

He discovered that in the center of this underground space stood a massive altar! The altar was octagonal, constructed entirely from an unknown black rock, its surface carved with intricate and eerie patterns that looked like some form of ancient script.

Or perhaps they were mysterious symbols, all radiating a chilling, uncanny aura. Surrounding the altar were dozens of stone statues in various poses. These statues varied in size, but without exception, they were so lifelike that it seemed as if they might come to life at any moment.