Chapter 486: Devour

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

If it weren’t for the flag still floating there at this moment, Qin Haishan and the other three would have thought the flag had disappeared. The disappearance of this aura seemed a bit too complete.

Everyone present was in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and with just one glance, they could see that there was no formation around the flag. Clearly, Chen Fei had used a secret technique to eliminate the strong aura of the flag.

Tong Zhongqiu glanced at the flag and then at Chen Fei, and suddenly, there was a realization in his eyes. Tong Zhongqiu finally understood how Chen Fei had concealed his cultivation level back in Immortal Cloud City.

With such a secret technique at his disposal, he could directly eliminate the aura of the flag. Concealing his cultivation level as he did back then was simply effortless.

Even they, in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, couldn’t see any flaws in this secret technique. Naturally, others wouldn’t be able to discern Chen Fei’s true cultivation level hidden beneath it.

Tong Zhongqiu’s gaze became somewhat complicated. This method of eliminating one’s aura was something none of the four present had cultivated, and it was obviously not easy to obtain. Yet, it had fallen into the hands of Chen Fei, who had only been in the Aperture Tempering realm at the time.

It could only be said that fate played a role here, and Immortal Cloud Sword Sect truly had no connection with Chen Fei, narrowly missing encounters with him time and time again.

“Brother Chen, this technique of yours is outstanding!”

Zhao Tianxuan walked up to the flag, nearly face-to-face, and still couldn’t sense the slightest aura from the flag. They were so close, yet they couldn’t even discern the precise location of the flag from the five opponents facing them.

“Excellent, concealing the flag’s aura gives us an advantage.”

Qin Haishan’s face revealed a slight smile. Just with this step, they had taken the lead over their opponents.

Not to mention other aspects, just being able to carry the flag with them at will, even if they met face-to-face with the other side, the opponent couldn’t determine who had the flag.

This added many chips to their strategy for capturing the flag.

Yu Shoucheng’s face was also filled with smiles. He and Tong Zhongqiu had advocated for bringing Chen Fei into the alliance, initially valuing Chen Fei’s potential rather than expecting him to be of great help in this competition.

But now, thanks to Chen Fei’s secret technique, the balance of power in the flag capture competition had tilted in their favor.

The stakes in this competition were too high, and Yu Shoucheng naturally hoped for a successful victory. Chen Fei’s significant contribution was indeed a cause for celebration.

“How long can the flag maintain in this state?” Zhao Tianxuan turned to Chen Fei and asked.

No one inquired about the details of Chen Fei’s secret technique. Asking about someone’s martial arts techniques without permission was a major taboo among martial practitioners, even if they were in an alliance.

“I can maintain it for about half an hour without using it in battle,” Chen Fei replied, his right hand touching the flag and sensing it for a moment.

“Good!”

Qin Haishan glanced at everyone and continued, “How about I take care of this flag for now?”

Qin Haishan considered himself the strongest present, so it would naturally be safer to have him in possession of the flag. They exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

To some extent, the person holding the flag was also the most at risk.

Qin Haishan approached and just as he stowed the flag in his sleeve, the entire Haiyue Cave trembled slightly, and a message appeared in the minds of the five.

In just a moment, Chen Fei opened his eyes.

With the flag stored away, the flag capture competition officially began, and some of the rules for this flag capture were also announced.

Taking the opponent’s flag and bringing it back into this cave constituted victory. Besides that, various resources were starting to appear outside the cave at this moment.

Those resources weren’t meant for the five people present but for the flag to consume. As the flag devoured these resources to a certain extent, its own power would continuously increase.

At that point, the flag would no longer be a burden but would transform into a genuine source of assistance, potentially granting the flag the power of a top-tier magical treasure. With anyone holding such a treasure, they could easily sweep through the opposition without any surprises.

Of course, reaching the level of a top-tier magical treasure would require a significant amount of resources, not something that could be accomplished quickly.

However, this was just one of the rules, and the five individuals were entirely free to ignore it and charge directly to engage the opposing team in battle.

Of course, this is just one of the rules. The five of you can completely disregard this rule and charge directly to engage the opposing team in battle.

Collecting resources for the flag’s consumption merely provided one of the possible directions they could take.

“Can you also eliminate our auras?” Tong Zhongqiu looked up and asked.

If the auras of the five were also erased, it would make it much more challenging for the opposing team to locate them within the vast Haiyue Cave.

“If you all remain still, your auras can be eliminated, but as soon as you move, your auras will become apparent,” Chen Fei replied.

This Slaughter Spirit Technique, while remarkable, had its own limitations. The movements of those in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm constantly interacted with the surrounding natural Qi.

Staying still allowed the Slaughter Spirit Technique to suppress their auras somewhat, but as soon as they moved, the technique became powerless.

In other words, when Chen Fei used the Slaughter Spirit Technique on himself, he could barely conceal his aura. However, as soon as they engaged in combat, their auras would still emanate.

“Let’s start by collecting resources. With the flag’s aura concealed, we already have an advantage,” Chen Fei suggested.

Hearing Chen Fei’s words, Qin Haishan and the others felt a bit disappointed, but it seemed more reasonable this way. Otherwise, the power of this technique would be too overwhelming.

“Do you want me to scout the situation on the opposite side?” Yu Shoucheng asked in a low voice.

Knowing the enemy is crucial in battle. If they focused solely on gathering resources without knowing what the opposing team was doing, unexpected situations could easily arise.

“Good, but don’t get too close. Prioritize your safety!” Qin Haishan pondered for a moment and nodded.

The five of them rushing over to confront the opposition directly was the most straightforward approach. However, their strengths were not at a level where they could easily overpower the other side.

At most, they had some advantages on paper, but these advantages didn’t guarantee victory. In combat, things could change in an instant, and without actually engaging in a battle, they would never know the true strength of the opposing team.

Now that the flag’s aura had disappeared, they had even more of an advantage, so their approach was to play it safe and steady.

“Good!”

Yu Shoucheng nodded and then blurred, disappearing from his original position.

The aura of the opposing team’s flag soared into the sky, making it easy for Yu Shoucheng to locate their position. Yu Shoucheng had no intention of taking on five opponents at once; he would simply watch from a distance and immediately retreat if any trouble arose.

Seeing Yu Shoucheng leave, Chen Fei’s gaze flickered slightly. In fact, with his Star Gazing Art, Chen Fei was better suited for reconnaissance. However, there was one problem – Chen Fei’s agility was relatively ordinary.

If there were any issues, Chen Fei could easily be intercepted. Qin Haishan and the others were not comfortable with letting Chen Fei act alone; it would be too risky.

As Yu Shoucheng departed, Qin Haishan and the others also left the cave. At a glance, they noticed several shimmering lights in the distance, clearly marked by the Haiyue Cave as resources for the flag to consume.

Qin Haishan and the others swiftly arrived at the source of the light, finding it to be a deposit of minerals.

Zhao Tianxuan stepped forward and swung his blade at one of the mineral rocks.

In the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, even a casual strike possessed astonishing power. Under the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, one could effortlessly cut through anything, and even peak-level practitioners in the Aperture Tempering realm would not be an exception.

However, when Zhao Tianxuan’s blade came down, apart from a muffled sound and a notch in the mineral rock, the rest of the mineral remained unscathed.

Instead, Zhao Tianxuan was hit by a rebounding force, involuntarily taking a step back.

Zhao Tianxuan’s eyes widened slightly. If this strike had been outside, it could have split mountains and opened the sea, yet it was unable to affect this small mineral rock, and he had even been pushed back a step.

Chen Fei’s expression twitched slightly; this mineral rock was unusually hard. While Zhao Tianxuan’s strike may have seemed casual, it shouldn’t have resulted in this outcome.

Qin Haishan and Tong Zhongqiu also furrowed their brows. They had expected resource collection to be straightforward, but it seemed that the Haiyue Cave had put a considerable amount of effort into this particular aspect.

“I won’t believe it!” Zhao Tianxuan couldn’t accept this situation and his blade suddenly emitted an astonishing heat. Clearly, Zhao Tianxuan was now taking it seriously.

Qin Haishan and the others didn’t intervene; they wanted to see just how hard these resources were in this flag capture battle. If one person couldn’t handle it, then they would have to act together.

Zhao Tianxuan’s figure remained still, and his blade transformed into afterimages, surrounded by flames but eerily silent. In the next moment, the blade struck the mineral rock.

“Buzz!”

The entire ground trembled slightly. Zhao Tianxuan sheathed his blade and looked ahead, finding the mineral rock shattered into pieces, with its surface blackened from the intense heat.

“Great swordsmanship, Brother Zhao!” Tong Zhongqiu chuckled softly.

“Shameful, almost got stopped by a piece of rock,” Zhao Tianxuan quickly waved his hand. If the mineral rock had proven impervious, he would have felt quite embarrassed.

After all, it had been many years, not to mention his current Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivation. When he had just started martial arts and entered the Bone Tempering realm, he had never been obstructed by a piece of stone.

Qin Haishan made a subtle gesture with his right hand, causing the mineral rocks on the ground to float towards him. Holding the flag, Qin Haishan swept it over the rocks, causing them to vanish, and a faint light flickered on the flag’s surface before quickly dimming.

“There are plenty of resource points. Should we split up? Otherwise, the efficiency will be too slow,” Zhao Tianxuan suggested as he glanced around. The resource points emitting a shimmering light had multiplied.

While staying together provided safety, it would undoubtedly affect the flag’s growth.

Sometimes, you had to choose between the fish and the bear’s paw.

“Alright, but let’s not stray too far from each other. If there’s any movement, we’ll regroup immediately,” Qin Haishan agreed and cast a glance at Chen Fei.

Among them, Qin Haishan was most concerned about Chen Fei, not out of disdain, but simply because Chen Fei had reached the Combined Aperture Tempering realm in such a short time.

Talent may be high, but it still needs time to mature.

The five opponents on the other side wouldn’t assess your talent; they’d only look at your strength. If Qin Haishan were to make a move against the opposing team, he would undoubtedly choose to eliminate the two individuals who had recently broken through first.

Seeing Qin Haishan’s gaze, Chen Fei smiled faintly and nodded..