"Hmph!"
Seeing Lin Feng unleash his flying sword, Liang Han showed neither surprise nor fear. A cold sneer curled his lips as his right hand formed a sword finger, slashing forward in the same manner!
"Screee!!"
A blinding crimson light flared, accompanied by a long, resonant sword hum. A fiery-red sword, wreathed in flames, materialized instantly and shot forward like a streak of light!
A flying sword!!
Liang Han actually possessed a flying sword as well!!
Such were the privileges of a disciple from a major sect. Ordinary cultivators might reach the mid-Golden Core stage without necessarily obtaining a flying sword, yet Liang Han, merely at the second layer of Golden Core, already had his own.
"Clang!!"
In the blink of an eye, the two sword rays collided mid-air, unleashing a piercing screech of metal. Both swords shuddered violently simultaneously before recoiling backward.
"Fool." Seeing his opponent's flying sword falter and veer slightly out of control after the clash, Liang Han inwardly sneered. He instantly recognized Lin Feng's glaring lack of experience in sword control combat. With a subtle curl of his finger, he commanded his own sword. It gave a brief shudder before abruptly accelerating, effortlessly bypassing the Crimson Soul Sword to shoot straight towards Lin Feng!
"Tch!" Lin Feng reacted a fraction too slow. Frustration surged within him as he realized he was now on the defensive. He hastily pulled his right hand back, commanding the Crimson Soul Sword to intercept while simultaneously kicking off the ground, darting to the right.
"Clang!!"
The Crimson Soul Sword, though reacting later, closed the gap with astonishing speed. It caught up to Liang Han's sword mere meters in front of Lin Feng. Another violent collision sent both blades reeling apart once more.
"BOOM!!"
Simultaneously, a thunderous explosion erupted on Lin Feng's right flank. The spiritual light shield encasing him convulsed violently, showing clear signs of imminent collapse. The Corpse Puppet had struck. Despite Lin Feng's evasive maneuver, he hadn't been fast enough—the speed of the Corpse Puppet far outstripped his own!!
Lin Feng was only at the second layer of Foundation Establishment, while the Corpse Puppet possessed early Golden Core strength. Their speed and power were simply not comparable. Without the protective shield, that single blow would have been enough to seal Lin Feng's defeat.
"Hmm?"
Watching his own flying sword get intercepted by the Crimson Soul, Liang Han paused momentarily. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "A mid-grade spiritual artifact!!"
He had assumed Lin Feng's sword was merely a low-grade spiritual artifact like his own. After all, mid-grade flying swords were typically reserved for cultivators in the late Golden Core stage. Yet now, seeing the opponent's sword move faster than his, and sensing the distinct disadvantage his own blade suffered upon impact, the truth became undeniable—Lin Feng wielded a mid-grade spiritual artifact!
"Hahaha!! A mid-grade spiritual artifact after all! Good! Excellent!!"
Discovering this fact, Liang Han felt not fear but intense delight. Greed flashed vividly in his eyes, followed by a sharpening of his murderous intent. His right hand flicked repeatedly, commanding his flying sword to unleash a relentless barrage of attacks against Lin Feng.
Lin Feng also recognized that Liang Han's flying sword was a grade lower than his Crimson Soul. This advantage offered a slight counterbalance to his own lack of experience. However, locked in the fierce aerial duel between the two swords, he found no opening to strike back at Liang Han himself. Meanwhile, the enemy's Corpse Puppet charged forward once again!
Effectively, he was fighting one against two—a Foundation Establishment cultivator pitted against two Golden Core-level adversaries. If this continued, perhaps two or three more blows from the Corpse Puppet would shatter his spiritual light shield, sealing his fate. Even if the shield held out slightly longer, his own true essence reserves would soon deplete, leaving him just as dead.
"BOOM!!"
The Corpse Puppet's attack slammed into the spiritual light shield protecting his back. Once again, the puppet was forcefully repelled. Lin Feng felt a sliver of relief that the creature relied solely on physical attacks and not magical techniques; otherwise, his shield would likely have shattered already. Even so, the shield was teetering on the brink of collapse. Without immediate repair, it could withstand at most two more hits.
Attempting repairs amidst this onslaught was impossible—it would merely delay the inevitable by a few moments. Lin Feng's expression was grave, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Liang Han ahead. His eyes flickered with intense concentration, clearly weighing desperate options.
"Clang!!"
Immediately after, high in the air between them, the two flying swords collided again. This time, Liang Han's sword seemed to emit a mournful hum, recoiling far more violently than before.
Now!!
In that split second, a fierce light ignited in Lin Feng's eyes. He thrust his right palm forward, fingers splayed. A flash of fire erupted on his palm as a lump of dark-red stone materialized out of thin air and shot forth.
No, it wasn't a 'stone', but a strangely shaped mass of flame—Molten Rock Flame!!
"Profound Flame!!"
The instant the Molten Rock Flame appeared, Liang Han's pupils contracted sharply across the battlefield. Yet, not a trace of fear showed in his eyes; instead, a flicker of excitement surfaced.
"So this is your final trump card? How utterly presumptuous!!"
Liang Han inwardly sneered with contempt. His left hand rose swiftly. A golden bracelet on his wrist suddenly blazed with intense light, intricate and arcane symbols flaring to life across its surface. Golden radiance spread outward, forming a protective dome around his entire body in the blink of an eye.
"THUMP!!"
The next instant, the Molten Rock Flame—which had swelled from the size of an egg to that of a washbasin as it hurtled through the air—slammed into the golden shield before Liang Han. The flame exploded violently, splattering like molten lava across half the dome. The shield convulsed wildly under the assault. A faint, ominous sizzling sound seemed to emanate from it, as if the very energy composing the shield was being scorched away.
"Spiritual Artifact!!" On the opposite side, Lin Feng's face paled dramatically upon seeing the Molten Rock Flame being blocked. The protective radiance Liang Han had summoned was clearly on a different level than the one he used—undoubtedly at least a low-grade spiritual artifact!
Although the Molten Rock Flame was indeed ferocious and potent, Lin Feng had only recently acquired it. Moreover, with his Foundation Establishment level true essence, he could only unleash a fraction of its true power. Faced with a spiritual artifact-grade shield, it couldn't breach it instantly.
"BOOM!!"
Simultaneously, another deafening explosion rocked Lin Feng's right flank. His spiritual light shield twisted violently, distorting almost to the breaking point. The Corpse Puppet's blow was on the verge of shattering it!
"Truly worthy of a Profound Flame... and the Molten Rock Flame at that, ranked eighty-ninth on the Hundred Profound Flame List. Good, very good..."
Meanwhile, Liang Han was also inwardly shocked by the devastating power of the Molten Rock Flame. Yet, this shock was accompanied by intense excitement. Soon, this formidable flame would be his! Once he possessed it, his strength would soar, more than compensating for all his previous losses.
"About time now, isn't it? He should die any moment..."
Liang Han was reveling in these triumphant thoughts, confident his Corpse Puppet would finish Lin Feng imminently. But just as this conviction solidified...
"ROOOOOAARRRR!!!!"
An earth-shattering tiger's roar suddenly pierced his ears. Liang Han's face contorted in an instant. His entire body, down to his very soul, shuddered uncontrollably!
An overwhelming, terrifying pressure—a spiritual might beyond imagination—slammed into him, crushing down like a mountain, making it nearly impossible to breathe!
"What in..."
Liang Han froze, paralyzed by shock and terror. The front of his vision was entirely obscured by the molten flame still clinging to his shield. Unable to see ahead, he instinctively jerked his head upwards towards a sudden, blinding flash of white light above him. What he saw nearly stopped his heart.
A colossal white tiger, easily over ten meters tall, materialized in the air! It stood poised on the void itself, its massive form radiating an aura of ancient, primal fury. Then, with terrifying speed, it launched itself downwards, pouncing directly at him!