So, Vile Dragon Xueran didn't argue with
"That… fine then." After a moment's hesitation, Vile Dragon Tingyu reluctantly agreed.
And so, with Vile Dragon Xueran leading the way, Chu Feng and the others took the leftmost path and entered that side hall.
The side hall was resplendent with gold and jade, magnificently ornate. The walls in particular looked extraordinary at first glance — as though precious treasures were hidden within them. The sight was incredibly tempting.
This was no simple side hall. It was practically a treasure vault.
But Chu Feng had already figured out that those seemingly treasure-laden walls were nothing more than bait. They had to be mechanisms — anyone who touched them would be in for a world of trouble.
Chu Feng guessed that once the mechanism was triggered, venomous insects would appear. So after entering, he simply stood at the entrance, watching with a faint smile as Vile Dragon Xueran and the others ventured deeper. He said nothing.
Seeing how lavishly decorated the hall was, yet finding no statue of the Dragon King, Vile Dragon Tingyu seemed to sense that something was wrong. She and the pacifist Martial Emperor both stayed near Chu Feng by the entrance, refusing to go any further.
"Vile Dragon Xueran, there's no statue of the Dragon King here at all. I think your father must have been mistaken. Let's go," Vile Dragon Tingyu said, her tone carrying a note of anger. She knew she had been deceived.
"Perhaps I was mistaken. But these walls really are beautiful." With those words, a vicious glint flickered in Vile Dragon Xueran's eyes. Then, without warning, he unleashed a thunderous palm strike. Martial power surged forth, transforming into a massive golden fist that slammed into the wall with a deafening boom.
BOOM—
When the fist struck, the wall didn't just collapse in an instant — something resembling molten lava erupted from the walls on all sides, instantly engulfing Chu Feng and the others.
"Vile Dragon Xueran, what are you doing?!" Vile Dragon Tingyu panicked. She had already realized that the red substance was no ordinary lava — it was composed of countless swarms of tiny red insects.
The insects were small, like ants, but entirely crimson in color and brimming with terrifying power.
"Ha ha ha — what am I doing? I'm taking your lives!" Vile Dragon Xueran threw his head back and laughed. At this point, there was no need to hide his intentions any longer. His murderous nature was fully exposed.
"What? You want to kill us? You did this on purpose — you lured us here to kill us!" Vile Dragon Tingyu's face was filled with shock, and the pacifist Martial Emperor beside her wore the same expression.
They both knew Vile Dragon Xueran had a dubious character, but they had never imagined he would try to eliminate them. Kin slaughtering kin — that was the greatest taboo of the Vile Dragon royal bloodline.
"That's right, you figured it out. I am trying to kill you. But now that you know, what can you do about it? You're about to be burned to ash by these Hellfire Insects — you'll die so thoroughly that not even dust will remain. Ha ha ha ha ha!" Vile Dragon Xueran's face twisted into a hideous grin as he laughed maniacally.
"Are you sure you're not joking? These bugs could kill us? They don't seem threatening at all." As he spoke, Chu Feng actually reached out and grabbed a massive handful of Hellfire Insects. Not only did he toy with them in his palm, he even squeezed them hard.
Some of the insects were crushed in his grip, turning into a stream of red, fiery liquid that flowed across his hand — yet not a single one could so much as scratch him.
"Impossible?!" Vile Dragon Xueran's jaw dropped at the sight.
These legendary, utterly ferocious Hellfire Insects — not only did they refuse to attack Chu Feng, they actually allowed him to crush them at will? What on earth was going on?
Were the Hellfire Insects' fearsome reputations all just fabrications?
"How is this possible? Are these Hellfire Insects fake?" The first-grade Martial Emperor from the militant faction, unable to understand what was happening, followed Chu Feng's example and grabbed a huge handful of the blazing insects, squeezing them hard.
BOOM—
The moment he squeezed, the Hellfire Insects in his palm exploded one after another. In an instant, the detonated insects transformed into scalding streams of fire that sprayed outward, engulfing him in the blink of an eye.
"AAAAH!!!"