A Useless Person's Rise to Power

Chapter 21: Hidden Secrets in the Poisonous Domain, One Step, One Asura

Deep in the shadows of the dense forest, the wind rustled the withered leaves. An old figure was half-hidden behind the gnarled branches of a towering ancient tree, his aura perfectly concealed. It was Zhao Canghai, who had been secretly following him all along.

Every movement in the woods ahead, every disheveled posture of Qin Zhan as he fled in panic, fell into his eyes without any concealment, leaving nothing out.

Zhao Canghai narrowed his cloudy old eyes, which concealed a sinister and calculating glint, and stared intently at Qin Zhan, who was running wildly ahead. Qin Zhan's clothes were torn, his body was covered in bloodstains, his steps were unsteady and he staggered. He would occasionally clutch his chest and cough violently, dark red blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth. His expression was unfocused and dazed, clearly showing that he was severely injured and suffering from the effects of poison.

Watching this scene, Zhao Canghai's lips slowly curled into a cold and cruel arc, his eyes surging with long-suppressed pleasure and resentment.

"Qin Zhan, Qin Zhan, you've finally fallen to this state." He sneered inwardly, secretly calculating everything. "You're covered in wounds, your flesh is torn open, the poison in your body has taken effect and is corroding your meridians, even your consciousness is out of control. You're already at your last gasp, with no power left to turn the tide."

He wasn't in a hurry to reveal himself and kill you. Instead, he patiently remained hidden in the shadows, plotting a brilliant scheme: "Why should I act now? I'll just let you flee in such a sorry state, and when you desperately stumble into the deepest core of the secret realm, I'll reappear and personally send you on your final journey, settling all scores!"

Zhao Canghai was filled with self-satisfaction, secretly marveling at the success of his elaborate scheme.

He was acutely aware of the current situation. With Zhou Hu pursuing Qin Zhan, and given Qin Zhan's deliberately displayed weakness, he would inevitably flee in panic. In his haste, he would inevitably stumble into the most dangerous core area of ​​the Spirit Ruins Secret Realm. That place was shrouded in a poisonous mist that blotted out the sun, endlessly dangerous, yet it also held immense opportunities and was the perfect place to kill, bury the body, and erase all traces.

Eliminating Qin Zhan here would be done without anyone noticing, and no one would be able to trace it back to him.

With his mind made up, Zhao Canghai moved swiftly, his steps as light as a ghost, leaving no trace of wind or scent, silently following Qin Zhan a hundred feet behind, like an old owl lying in wait, locking onto its prey and waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

Ahead in the forest, Qin Zhan appeared to be running desperately with all his might, but in reality, his mind remained highly focused, and his divine sense quietly spread out, allowing him to clearly sense the relentless aura of Zhao Canghai, Zhou Hu, and the others following closely behind.

The enemy's presence lingered relentlessly behind him, but Qin Zhan felt no panic whatsoever. Instead, he burst into a hearty laugh, a chilling glint of mockery flashing deep in his eyes.

Hooked.

The big fish, hiding in the shadows and each with their own ulterior motives, eventually all fell into the trap he had carefully laid.

The hideous wounds on his body were deliberately faked by him using his internal energy cultivation technique; the blood spilling from his mouth was just a deception to mislead others; the so-called poison gas invading his body and his mental confusion were all a performance put on for Zhao Canghai and Zhou Hu to see.

Others only saw him as prey driven to the brink of destruction, running for his life and at the mercy of others.

But only Qin Zhan himself knew that from beginning to end, he was the hunter who set up the game and waited for his prey to fall into the trap.

A chill crept into Qin Zhan's heart, but he didn't stop, heading straight for the depths of the core area of ​​the secret realm.

He had already made up his mind that once he stepped into the core of that poisonous fog-shrouded wasteland, it would be the time for Zhao Canghai and Zhou Hu to perish!

After speeding along, Qin Zhan soon ventured deep into the poisonous fog, entering the true forbidden core of the Spirit Ruins Secret Realm.

This place is completely different from the outside world. The extremely dense, god-corroding mist surges and swirls, the grayish-white fog as thick as viscous paste, enveloping the entire world. Visibility is compressed to within a ten-foot radius, and all that can be seen is a hazy white mist. Even a powerful elder of a sect would have their divine sense severely suppressed by the rules of heaven and earth upon entering this place, losing most of it. Beyond five steps, they would be unable to distinguish whether their surroundings were mountains, rocks, vegetation, or lurking deadly dangers.

A pungent, sweet-smelling stench filled the air, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was violently chaotic, colliding and raging in all directions, showing no sign of peace. If an ordinary cultivator were to rashly enter, they would not last even a moment before their meridians were shattered by the violent spiritual energy, and their body would explode and they would die.

This place is the Spirit Ruins Secret Realm, a place that everyone fears and is known as a poisonous fog hell from which there is no escape.

Qin Zhan stood amidst the thick fog, a warm, luminous white aura emanating from his body. The aura enveloped a three-foot radius around him, causing the domineering, soul-corroding poisonous fog to automatically retreat to either side upon touching the light, unable to get close even a fraction, thus keeping him safe and sound in this infernal wasteland.

He slowly stopped running, calmly wiping away the feigned blood from the corner of his mouth. The shocking wounds on his body were rapidly scabbing over and healing at a visible speed, driven by the heaven-defying self-healing power of the Chaos Battle Soul within him, and would be completely healed in no time.

His disheveled and critically injured appearance just now was, from beginning to end, a carefully planned scheme to suffer a self-inflicted injury.

Qin Zhan stood in the thick fog, his eyes cold, a faint hint of mockery passing through his heart.

Zhao Canghai, Zhou Hu, you two just follow along and test the waters slowly.

I'll play along with you for now, and when the time is right, I'll close the net and take your lives.

Just then, a slight thud of something hard collided beneath his feet, interrupting Qin Zhan's thoughts.

He lowered his head slightly and noticed that his feet seemed to be stepping on something hard and ancient. Through the thin layer of soil, a faint spiritual light slowly flowed, penetrating the soil and emitting a faint aura.

A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Zhan's eyes. He then raised his hand, and spiritual energy surged forth. The Heaven-Burning Spiritual Qi transformed into a sharp gust of wind, sweeping out and blowing away the thick layer of soil on the ground.

After the soil has settled, a simple, unadorned black scroll lies quietly on the ground. Its material is neither gold nor wood, but exudes the vicissitudes and weight of time.

On the surface of the scroll are engraved four ancient and vigorous characters, with strokes like dragons and snakes coiling around them—"Shadow Concealment Assassination Technique".

Qin Zhan's heart stirred. He bent down and gently picked up the black scroll, closed his eyes, and slowly probed the scroll with a wisp of his divine sense.

In an instant, a profound and obscure cultivation technique, full of the true essence of assassination, flooded into his mind like a tide and was engraved deep into his soul.

After a moment of digestion, Qin Zhan had already grasped the essence of this unique skill.

This "Shadow Assassination Technique" is actually an unparalleled inheritance passed down from the ancient assassination lineage. The technique is divided into three realms, which are interconnected and extremely domineering.

The first level is Shadow Concealment. It can completely conceal all aura, spiritual energy fluctuations, and divine senses around the body, perfectly blending into the surrounding environment to achieve an invisibility effect that is almost as seamless as the Dao itself. Even top experts in the King Realm who concentrate their efforts to investigate will find it extremely difficult to detect their presence.

The second level is Shadow Strike. Launching a surprise attack while in stealth mode, one's combat power and killing power increase threefold, focusing on weaknesses and delivering a fatal blow with no countermeasure.

The third level is Shadow Escape. After a successful assassination, one can use shadows and mist to instantly break through the air and escape without a trace. Even if surrounded, one can easily get away.

But the most overpowered and domineering aspect of this technique doesn't stop there—

In an environment shrouded in poisonous fog, dense shadows, and complete darkness, the power of the technique doubles directly, and the invisibility effect approaches the perfect realm of the Heavenly Dao, making it impossible for anyone to detect its whereabouts!

Feeling the supreme assassination techniques flowing through his mind, and gazing at the ever-surging, soul-corroding fog around him, Qin Zhan felt an overwhelming surge of joy, almost unable to resist laughing out loud.

Being in a toxic fog hell, to obtain this supreme stealth assassination technique is truly a godsend!

He slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his dantian, reviewing the "Shadow Concealment Assassination Technique" he had just learned over and over again.

In just half an hour, he had mastered the entire technique and perfected the first level of Concealing Form in the Mist.

This method is extremely profound. It uses the mist and gloom of heaven and earth, and the shadowy places, to draw upon one's own aura, concealing the fluctuations of spiritual power, blood, and soul, perfectly blending into the surrounding environment. Especially now, this infernal purgatory of poisonous fog is simply a perfect battlefield tailor-made for the "Shadow Concealment Assassination Technique".

"As expected of an ancient assassination technique."

Qin Zhan slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and he sighed inwardly.

Ordinary stealth techniques either conceal one's form but cannot hide the fluctuations of spiritual energy, or shield one's aura but cannot escape the detection of divine sense. However, this "Shadow Concealment Assassination Technique" is completely different. Once the first level is mastered, one can become one with the surrounding mist and resonate with it. Even a powerful expert with a cultivation level higher than oneself will not be able to detect it easily.

High-level hunters always enter the game quietly, as if they were the prey.

At this moment, Qin Zhan already had this confidence.

He deliberately concealed his sharpness, suppressing his aura to an ordinary level, looking like an ordinary cultivator who had accidentally entered a poisonous domain, trembling with fear, barely surviving with the help of a spiritual energy shield, showing no trace of the demeanor of a powerful figure.

Just as he was secretly familiarizing himself with the intricacies of the cultivation technique and preparing to continue exploring the depths of the secret realm, a series of chaotic footsteps mixed with rough shouts faintly drifted over from the poisonous fog.

"Hurry up, everyone! That kid has definitely escaped into this poisonous fog hell!"

"Brother Zhou Hu, don't worry. This poisonous area may seem dangerous, but it's actually limited in size. He's come in all alone. Even if he doesn't die from the poison, we'll corner him sooner or later! Today, we'll tear him to pieces and throw him into the poisonous fog to feed the monsters!"

The cacophony grew closer, carrying a savage and domineering aura that sounded particularly jarring in the deathly silence and gloom of the poisonous domain.

Qin Zhan's lips curled slightly, and a playful smile flashed in his eyes.

As if on cue, he appeared. He had just mastered the Shadow Concealment Assassination Technique and was looking for a place to test his skills when his nemesis, Zhou Hu, actually brought his henchmen to his doorstep.

It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early; isn't this a ready-made test target?

Taking advantage of this pervasive poisonous fog, let's test the true power of the "Shadow Assassination Technique".

With a thought, Qin Zhan quietly activated the first level of the Shadow Concealment technique. In an instant, the spiritual energy flowing around him instantly receded, all his aura and blood fluctuations dissolved, and with a slight sway, he silently disappeared into the churning gray-green poisonous mist around him, just like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

The place was empty, as if no one had ever stayed there.

If one doesn't carefully search every inch of this place with their divine sense, it would be impossible to discover that there is a living person hiding here.

Having just concealed themselves, Zhou Hu and his men exuded a fierce aura, wielding sharp blades, their eyes gleaming with malice as they looked around, their faces radiating arrogance and domineering swagger.

Zhou Hu stopped, frowning as he scanned the thick poisonous fog around him. His expression was impatient. "Strange," he said, "I clearly sensed that kid's presence nearby. How did he suddenly disappear?"