"Wuqing, you actually have something like this?!" The Li Family Head stared at the black-and-white pill in Chu Feng's hand, utterly stunned.
Forbidden pills could temporarily boost a martial cultivator's cultivation — that was common knowledge. But the potency of forbidden pills varied, and color was the key indicator of their strength.
At the Martial Lord realm, ordinary forbidden pills were practically useless. Likewise, they couldn't cause any real backlash to a Martial Lord, because their bodies had already reached a terrifying level of resilience.
However, high-grade forbidden pills possessed power potent enough to affect even Martial Lords. Such pills were extremely difficult to refine — even the method of refinement was a jealously guarded secret — and once completed, they always bore at least two colors. These high-grade forbidden pills each carried their own unique name.
The pill Chu Feng had just produced was one such high-grade forbidden pill. Its power could bring about genuine changes to a Martial Lord's cultivation, and its effects were most pronounced on First-rank Martial Lords.
But even in the Eastern Sea Region, such a pill was far from easy to come by. It was the kind of treasure that money alone couldn't buy — something you could only encounter by chance. That was why the Li Family Head was so shaken when Chu Feng produced it.
"This Black and White Rakshasa? I couldn't have refined it myself. I truly did obtain it from an ancient ruin." Chu Feng smiled and nodded. He had plundered this forbidden pill from the Ji Imperial Clan back in the day, and because he knew it would prove useful eventually, he hadn't sold it — he'd kept it close.
"Wuqing, this Black and White Rakshasa is far too valuable. I can't simply take it for nothing. Its market price should be around fifty thousand Heavenly Pearls. Let me give you sixty thousand — consider it purchased." As the Li Family Head spoke, he shot a meaningful glance toward Li Chan.
Li Chan nodded and turned to leave. When she returned, she carried a Universe Bag containing precisely sixty thousand Heavenly Pearls.
Chu Feng accepted the offer without hesitation. Though he knew the Black and White Rakshasa was no ordinary pill, he hadn't expected it to be worth quite so much. Sixty thousand Heavenly Pearls was a substantial sum — there was no reason to refuse.
"Wuqing, our Li Family truly is blessed to have your invitation accepted. With this Black and White Rakshasa, defeating Ma Yukun will pose absolutely no problem." The Li Family Head gripped the pill, feeling the violent medicinal energy thrumming within, and an arc of confidence crept across his lips.
Watching her father heap praise upon Chu Feng — and recalling his earlier performance — Li Chan felt a swell of pride. After all, she was the one who had brought him in.
But just then, Dandan's voice drifted into Chu Feng's mind with a hint of worry. "Chu Feng, do you think this Li Family Head can be trusted? Something about him feels off. Either he's the most witless fool alive, without a scheming bone in his body — or he's so deeply calculating that even you and I can't see through him."
"Relax. As long as he takes the Black and White Rakshasa, that's all that matters. Once he refines it, the hidden barrier array I've embedded in the pill will slip into his body without him ever noticing. At that point, he'll be under my control for a short window — and even if I can't fully control him, I can suppress his power to nothing."
"Besides, no matter how strong he is, he's still just a First-rank Martial Lord. So even if he keeps his cultivation intact and decides to turn on me — if I push my Azure Dragon Speed Technique to its fullest, there's no guarantee he could even catch me."
"My instincts tell me this Li Family Head isn't some master schemer. He's a fool of the highest order — the kind of single-minded idiot from legend."
Chu Feng smiled faintly. The Black and White Rakshasa carried a specially reinforced barrier array of his own making. Once the pill was refined, the array would enter the consumer's body undetected. When Chu Feng activated it, the array would seize control for a brief period — or at the very least, bind the consumer's strength.
Chu Feng intended to use the Li Family Head to eliminate the Ma Family. But after that, he had no doubt the Li Family Head would try to stop him from taking the spirit knowledge within the Wolf Fang Mountain Range. The Black and White Rakshasa was his ace in the hole.
That said, it was far from his final trump card. His true trump cards were the three secret techniques he possessed. Chu Feng knew the Martial Lords were powerful — even at his current strength, even if he was invincible within the Heaven Martial realm, he couldn't kill a Martial Lord outright.
However, his three secret techniques had already evolved. If he unleashed them at full power, even a Martial Lord would be hard-pressed to deal with him. That was the source of his unshakeable confidence.
Afterward, things unfolded exactly as Chu Feng had anticipated. The Li Family spread a cover story, announcing that Chu Feng had attempted to break the barrier on the demon beast but failed, causing the beast to go berserk — leaving them no choice but to kill it.
Once the news spread, many Li Family members who didn't know the full truth were deeply disappointed. They had all hoped Chu Feng would shatter the barrier and uncover the mastermind behind the plot against their young miss.
But the announcement put Sha Bi and his wife — along with everyone in the Ma Family — completely at ease. They truly believed the Li Family was in the dark, and so everything continued according to their original plan.
And so, several more days passed, until at last the day arrived for the Li Family and Ma Family to jointly open the treasure within Wolf Fang Mountain. The Li Family assembled every expert they had and set off in grand formation toward the mountain range.
"What luck that brat has — actually managing to save the young miss. Now he's got the young miss and the Family Head wrapped around his finger." One of the outside experts the Li Family had invited watched Chu Feng chatting and laughing with Li Chan the whole way, with even the Li Family Head occasionally joining in. Jealousy burned in his chest.
"The world of martial cultivation has always been ruled by strength. The Li Family didn't invite us here to laugh at jokes." At that moment, Elder Yue spoke up.
"Elder Yue, what do you mean?" Several experts gathered around. They all found Chu Feng insufferable and would have loved nothing more than to see him humiliated — or to teach him a lesson themselves.
"What day is it?" Elder Yue asked.
"I heard there's an ancient ruin inside Wolf Fang Mountain, and the Li Family is going to open it together with the Ma Family," someone replied.
"If it's a joint opening, there's bound to be a comparison. There are no true alliances in this world — only true interests."
"I hear the Ma Family has also invited a number of outside experts. So when we meet them, there will certainly be a clash — at the very least, a contest of presence and intimidation. That will be the moment to prove our worth. And with that Wuqing boy at only the eighth level of Heaven Martial, what can he possibly contribute?"
"When we face the Ma Family — if they don't make a fuss, fine. But if they do, I'll be the first to step forward and make them lose face. They won't accept that and will send someone else to fight, and that's when you can recommend Wuqing step in. With his cultivation, he'll be soundly defeated. His defeat will make the Li Family look foolish, and so... hmpf!" Elder Yue let out a cold snort, his face twisted with malice.
"Elder Yue is truly wise. Truly wise!" The other experts all chuckled coldly at his words, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as they looked toward Chu Feng.