"When did you reach the Heaven Realm, Boss?" Fatty gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.
Lin Feng didn't answer. His gaze was locked on the legend-grade expert charging toward him, aura roaring like a storm. "Tie him up," he said calmly.
"Right." Fatty moved to secure the Ouyang young master while Lin Feng adjusted his stance. Weight shifted to his kua, hips coiled, energy circulating smoothly through his dantian. He had not only broken through in rank, but his sword energy now resonated with the Heaven Realm's deeper currents, every meridian harmonized for maximum precision and power.
The Ouyang legend-grade expert vanished from sight, a blur of qi and momentum. Arms rotated with precise torque, channeling explosive internal energy into the saber.
"Lin Feng, die!" he roared, swinging in a wide, lethal arc.
Lin Feng's feet pivoted on the balls of his toes, sinking into the qi as he rotated his hips. His sword flicked like lightning, tracing a precise linear strike aimed at the expert's centerline. Internal energy spiraled along the blade, condensing into a concentrated spike capable of piercing through reinforced chi channels.
"Sky-Piercing Sword Art—Sixth Stance!" the expert bellowed, every strike flowing from full-body mechanics, designed to crush bone and sever energy pathways.
Lin Feng did not parry in the conventional sense. Instead, he used a short-step inside-line entry, closing the distance to reduce the leverage of the arc. Sword intent condensed at the tip, a focused spike of radiant energy.
"Azure Sword Art—Kill Any Under Heaven!" His blade blazed, aura like a vertical torrent.
The collision reverberated like splitting stone. The expert's saber shattered, and the energy of his own attack rebounded into his arms, leaving him unbalanced and exposed. Space seemed to warp around the strike as Lin Feng's blade severed qi flow, and the legend-grade expert's head rolled a full meter away.
Fatty blinked, still holding the young master, unable to process how a Heaven Realm swordsman had dispatched a legend-grade expert with a single, surgical strike.
The other legend-grade expert's face twisted in shock, mouth open mid-yell. Lin Feng's eyes flicked toward him.
"Take this," he said, tossing a spatial ring. "Don't let a word of this leave."
"Understood," the expert whispered, trembling.
"Fatty, let's go," Lin Feng said, moving with fluid efficiency. Every step minimized exposure while maintaining total control over his internal energy.
"Ok, Boss," Fatty replied.
---
At the Ouyang family mansion, chaos erupted.
"You said Lin Feng captured my son?" the Third Elder bellowed.
"Yes," a messenger confirmed. "He demands ransom and has retreated into Sword Sovereign Sect territory."
"Gather the elders! We go to the Sword Sovereign Sect!" the Third Elder roared.
At the sect, the outer court buzzed with tension.
"Where is Lin Feng?" demanded the Third Elder.
"He is not in the sect," an attendant replied nervously.
A shadow shifted. Lin Feng stepped forward, calm, each movement radiating controlled internal energy. "What's happening here, Seventh Elder?"
"Lin Feng, where is my son?" the Third Elder's voice cracked with fury.
"Oh? I see—he's right here," Lin Feng said. With a subtle motion, Fatty revealed the bound Chen Xiao. The Third Elder's eyes widened, disbelief and rage warring across his face.
"How dare you!" he bellowed, releasing a half-step Saint aura, intent like a mountain pressing down, designed to crush Lin Feng's internal energy.
Lin Feng's body adjusted instantly, meridians harmonized, internal channels flowing like water around a rock. The Saint aura struck, dissipated, and left no mark. The Third Elder's jaw dropped.
"Stop this immediately!" the Seventh Elder shouted, stepping forward. With a sweeping palm, he cleared the suppressive aura surrounding Lin Feng. Every movement was precise, a perfect application of qi redirection and energy harmonics, revealing Lin Feng calm and collected.
A ripple of astonishment spread through the gathered elders. The Third Elder's attempt at dominance had failed his half-step Saint pressure could not penetrate Lin Feng's Heaven Realm sword mastery and internal energy control.
"You have guts," the Third Elder snarled. "If you refuse to hand over my son, the Ouyang family will declare war against the Sword Sovereign Sect."
A hush fell. Whispers of war spread like wildfire. Lin Feng's eyes flicked across the assembly. Calm, precise, sword at his hip, air around him faintly shimmering with condensed sword intent.
"I want my ransom," Lin Feng said. "I did the work. Bring it, or I leave—and you risk war."
The sect patriarch spoke sharply. "You must return him, now! This is a war between great sects!"
Lin Feng's lips curved in a lazy smile. "Bring the ransom, or your war will begin without my leaving."
The disciplinary hall leader bristled, but Lin Feng's master, the First Elder, appeared. Lin Feng bowed instinctively. The First Elder radiated authority, tempering the tension and preventing disaster.
Even in stillness, Lin Feng's posture, waist rotation, and controlled chi revealed a master ready for combat at any moment. Strategy, precision, and martial skill emanated in every subtle gesture—a living weapon poised for the next strike.