"ROAR!!!"
Just as Lin Feng was inwardly rejoicing and the others were beginning to show relief, a sharp, piercing roar suddenly shattered the moment. To everyone's horror, the demon beast, whose right eye had been pierced by the flying sword, began to thrash wildly. With a violent jerk of its massive head, it actually flung the sword embedded in its eye socket clear out!
"Holy crap!! It's still alive?!"
Lin Feng's eyes widened in shock. The depth the flying sword had penetrated should have pierced its brain! How could it still be alive?!
Was its skull thicker than other beasts? Or was its brain unusually small?!
Regardless of the reason, Lin Feng's perceived killing blow had failed. While it had destroyed one of the beast's eyes, it hadn't delivered the fatal strike!
The situation felt eerily similar to the earlier fight with the Level 3 Fire-Tailed Scorpion.
Back then, though, after blinding the scorpion, the cave had collapsed, buying Lin Feng precious time. Now, they were in an open plaza. The beast, having flung the sword away, charged towards him in a maddened frenzy!!
"Get back!!"
As the beast charged, everyone paled. While Lin Feng shouted for those beside him to retreat, he himself surged forward without hesitation. He raised his left hand, the Lingguang Jade Pendant, a top-grade treasure artifact, blazing brilliantly. A cyan protective barrier instantly materialized before him.
"BOOM!!"
A heavy, muffled impact echoed as the beast, seemingly oblivious, slammed headlong into the barrier and was violently flung backwards.
Seizing the opportunity, Zheng Kai and the others behind Lin Feng scrambled back frantically, putting more distance between them and the beast. They watched Lin Feng, their sole bulwark, with intense anxiety.
"CLANG!!"
A clear, resonant sword chime rang out. Before the recoiling beast could renew its charge, Lin Feng recalled the flung flying sword. It streaked back like lightning, aiming for the beast's neck from the side.
This time, the beast finally seemed to sense true peril. Instead of recklessly tanking the blow like before, its powerful limbs pushed off the ground. It dodged the flying sword with startling ease, pivoted sharply, and lunged at Lin Feng once more.
"Tch!" Lin Feng cursed inwardly. Its speed is insane! Even if the flying sword was fast, his reaction speed couldn't keep up. Ultimately, his cultivation level was too low; tracking the beast's movements was incredibly taxing.
"THUD!!"
Even as Lin Feng grappled with this frustration, the protective barrier on his right side shuddered violently again – the beast had been flung back once more.
Gripping the Lingguang Jade Pendant, Lin Feng focused his spiritual sense and immediately grasped its condition. Just these two impacts had caused 18% damage! Each attack from this beast drained nearly 10% of the artifact's protective energy! This is terrifying! This is a top-grade treasure artifact, a peak defensive treasure! How strong is this thing?!
His expression darkened considerably, though a flicker of relief surfaced – at least the beast didn't use spiritual energy attacks, or this would be even harder. His eyes darted rapidly, trying to track the beast's blurring trajectory. As it launched its third assault, Lin Feng's right hand slashed through the air!
"SHWING!!"
A streak of silver and crimson light shot forth, finally landing true on the momentarily staggered beast!
"HISS!!... SIZZLE..."
A bizarre, sizzling sound erupted. As the beast leaped back a dozen meters, a gruesome, bone-deep gash marred its right foreleg, nearly severing it completely.
"Huh?!"
Lin Feng's initial surge of triumph at landing another blow was instantly replaced by shock. He saw the wound on the beast's leg was charred black, as if burned, tendrils of greenish smoke curling from it. Not just this wound – the gaping hole where its right eye had been was also jet black, like it had been cauterized by a red-hot brand.
"How could..." His gaze snapped to the flying sword hovering nearby. Astonishment washed over him. He hadn't noticed before – the sword blade was still glowing a deep crimson red. Had it really not cooled down since being superheated in the magma pool? That long?
No... To inflict such damage on the beast's incredibly tough hide... Simple red-hot metal couldn't achieve this. It had to be...
"A fire attribute?! Has my flying sword gained a fire property?!"
The possibility struck him, feeling utterly unbelievable – Could his flying sword have somehow acquired an innate fire-based power?!
"And... its power seems stronger too!"
Lin Feng then noticed something else. During these last two maneuvers, the flying sword seemed faster and sharper than ever before!
He had personally witnessed Lei Ze's low-grade spirit artifact fail to pierce this beast's hide unless it hit an existing crack. Yet moments ago, his flying sword hadn't specifically targeted a wound; it had simply slashed across the beast's intact skin and still carved out that massive gash.
In terms of inherent sharpness, discounting its flight capability, his flying sword should be comparable to Lei Ze's metal-attribute spirit sword, perhaps even slightly inferior. Yet now, its offensive power was demonstrably greater. Meaning... the sword itself had become stronger!
How is this possible?!
His mind raced back to the underground magma lake beneath Redstone Mountain, and the Molten Rock Fire within it. Could immersing the sword in that pool, bathed in the fire's essence, have actually elevated it... to a mid-grade spirit artifact?!
"ROAR!!"
There was no time for contemplation. Another furious roar shattered his thoughts. The beast, seemingly impervious to pain, a mindless engine of slaughter, threw itself at him once more in a berserk rage!!
"Hmph!" Emboldened by his sword's newfound power, Lin Feng's gaze hardened. As the beast charged, he raised his right hand and pointed decisively. The flying sword beside him shot out like a thunderbolt.
"SHWING! SHWING! SHWING!..."
Shielded by the protective barrier, Lin Feng stood his ground confidently, pouring his full concentration into controlling the sword. Before him, the silver-and-crimson streak wove back and forth like a dazzling butterfly, weaving a dense net of blade light. The beast lunged left and right, but was utterly blocked from reaching Lin Feng. Its injured right foreleg hampered its speed significantly, while the flying sword seemed to move faster with each pass. Again and again, it sliced across the beast's body, leaving behind charred, smoking wounds, adding fresh ruin to its already battered form. The difference was stark: its earlier wounds were self-inflicted bursts; these were the deliberate work of the flying sword.
Lin Feng engaged the beast fiercely with his flying sword, the battle locked in a stalemate. The onlookers, however, were stunned into stillness. Lei Ze, Changgong Linglan, and the others watched, mouths agape, disbelief etched on their faces at the unfolding scene.
They were quick-witted cultivators and soon snapped out of their daze. Yet, they found no opening to intervene. Besides Lei Ze, the other three were grievously injured. They could only wait, biding their time, searching for the perfect moment to strike the decisive blow.
For nearly a minute, the deadlock held. The flying sword had inflicted over a dozen wounds on the beast, though none were mortal. The beast itself showed no sign of fear or pain, its ferocious assaults undiminished by its accumulating injuries.
...
"CRACK... CRACKLE..."
Amidst its frenzied charges, faint, disturbing sounds of grinding bone emanated from the beast's body. It visibly swelled another size larger, and its aura, impossibly, surged to yet another terrifying peak!
It radiated an aura now as if it were about to explode from within...
"ROAR!!!"
Suddenly, as it landed from a leap, the beast kicked off the ground with explosive force. Its speed doubled instantly, blurring past the flying sword's defensive web and hurtling straight towards Lin Feng!
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
A deafening blast shook the air. The protective barrier before Lin Feng vibrated violently... then shattered into fragments!!
"What?!"
Lin Feng's pupils contracted violently, pure terror gripping him. The power behind this blow dwarfed all previous attacks. Caught completely off-guard, he barely managed to stumble half a step back before the claw that had shattered the barrier, its momentum barely checked, slammed into his chest!
"THUMP!!"
Lin Feng was sent flying backwards without a shred of resistance. Though his protective robe and inner armor absorbed most of the impact, he felt as if his ribs had cracked. The breath was knocked from his lungs, and darkness threatened to engulf him.
"Lin Feng!!"
The sudden, violent turn of events horrified everyone watching from the periphery. Lei Ze's eyes narrowed sharply, his body tensing to rush to Lin Feng's aid.
"WHOOSH..."
Yet, at that very moment, they saw Lin Feng, even as he tumbled through the air, flick his right wrist. An egg-sized orb of flame, resembling molten lava, materialized instantly and shot forward, striking the beast squarely on the head as it prepared to pursue its fallen prey...