"Brother Zeng!!"
Only then did the two Foundation Establishment cultivators beside him snap out of their shock. Their faces drained of color, horror-stricken, utterly unable to process the scene before them.
"Zheng!"
A sharp sword hum pierced the air, approaching fast!
One reacted quicker, screaming: "LOOK OUT!!"
"AHH—!!"
The warning came too late. The other had barely begun to turn his head when a streak of crimson-silver light flashed across his neck. A head tumbled to the ground, its expression frozen in shock and confusion.
The sole surviving Foundation Establishment cultivator felt his soul flee in terror. He saw the Soulrend Flying Sword circle once mid-air before hurtling straight towards him!
He shrieked, desperately activating his Spirit Light artifact while scrambling backward to flee.
Unlike Loong Tian'ao—favored with a sect elder's help to refine a flying sword even at Foundation Establishment—this disciple possessed only a top-grade Spirit Light defensive treasure.
"Shiiiick!"
The Soulrend Sword pierced the golden barrier like paper, punching clean through his chest.
Instant death.
"..."
Within his cocoon of raging flames, Loong Tian'ao watched, utterly paralyzed. The annihilation of his three companions in mere seconds had shattered his spirit.
Distraction proved fatal. His control over the Spirit Light barrier faltered.
It flickered violently—a fatal gap. Tendrils of molten fire seeped through, licking at his robes, then his skin.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!"
Loong Tian'ao's eyes bulged with agony, releasing a swine-like shriek. Despair and terror choked his voice:
"You CAN'T kill me! I'm the Young Master of Absolute Sword Sect!! YOU CAN'T—! Please... MERCY—!!"
His plea for mercy choked off mid-sentence.
Silence.
The figure, fully engulfed in searing crimson, stood rigid for two heartbeats... then collapsed forward, motionless.
Seeing the threat extinguished, Lin Feng gestured with his right hand. The roaring flames detached from the corpse, swirling back into the form of Molten Core Flame, which he absorbed into his body.
Less than one minute.
Four Absolute Sword Sect members—dead.
Even having witnessed the terrifying might of Lin Feng's Strange Fire and White Tiger Soulrend Talisman before, Chang Gong Xiaojing stood stunned into silence. She stared at the four corpses, her mind reeling, unable to speak.
Lin Feng didn't wait for her to recover. He strode to Loong Tian'ao's charred remains. A flick of his wrist sent a fireball reducing it to ash. He retrieved a storage ring from the cinders—Loong Tian'ao's Golden Core, however, had shattered upon death and was lost.
He repeated the process with Zeng Chengwu and the other two bodies.
Zeng's intact Golden Core gleamed among the ashes.
Three storage rings, two flying swords, and other valuables—Lin Feng collected them all.
Finished, he returned to Xiaojing. She was still gaping at him, wide-eyed. Amused, he waved a hand before her face.
"Xiaojing? What's on your mind?"
"Ah!" She jolted back to reality, shuddering involuntarily. Her chest heaved visibly.
"Lin... Lin Feng... you... you killed them all?"
Lin Feng nodded, his expression serious. "You saw the situation. Peaceful resolution was impossible. Eliminating them was the only way to prevent future trouble." He searched her face. "Do you... think me cruel?"
"N-no! Not that!" Xiaojing shook her head vehemently. "It's just... Lin Feng, you are... incredibly powerful."
"Credit lies with the Strange Fire and the White Tiger Soulrend Talisman," Lin Feng deflected, scanning the surrounding woods with a frown. "We can't stay. Others might come."
Xiaojing regained her composure, nodding quickly. "Yes, you're right. Hurry! If anyone finds Absolute Sword Sect disciples dead here, and traces it to you..."
They swiftly departed the scene, vanishing into the dense forest below the hill.
...
Unseen by Lin Feng, high within the leafy canopy of an ancient tree on the hillside, a pair of eyes had witnessed everything. Worse—clutched in the observer's hand was a fist-sized, milky-white crystal sphere, pointed directly at the confrontation. A recording crystal!
The watcher seemed as stunned as the victims. Only when Lin Feng disappeared into the trees below did he snap back to awareness, his face a mask of sheer disbelief and terror.
"Dead... Zeng Chengwu of Absolute Sword Sect... Loong Tian'ao... DEAD!"
"He has a flying sword! Strange Fire! And that artifact that killed Zeng... was it the legendary White Tiger Soulrend Talisman?! How does he possess so many divine treasures?!"
He muttered in shock for several moments. Gradually, the terror in his eyes receded, replaced by a venomous gleam of excitement. A cold smirk twisted his lips.
"Carrying such treasures, yet joining my Lingyue Sect? Definitely up to no good! Hah! Killing Absolute Sword Sect's Zeng Chengwu and Loong Tian'ao... perfect, just perfect. Lin Feng... let's see how you survive being a Sect Heir candidate now!"
He dropped silently from the tree canopy, landing lightly. Moving swiftly in the opposite direction of Lin Feng, a shaft of light illuminated his features as he passed through a gap in the leaves.
Di Xuan!
Lin Feng's 'fellow disciple'. The Head Senior Brother of Lingyue Sect's Southern Courtyard—Di Xuan! He was here all along!
Di Xuan's journey through the Black Mist Herb Valley had been perilous. Initially unlucky, he'd been teleported to a remote area, far from any rendezvous point. During his trek, he'd encountered a small group from a sect allied with Lingyue. Leveraging his status as an Alchemist, he'd joined them, receiving protection and a share of spirit herbs. The group's leader was a Golden Core Layer 1 cultivator, shielding them from major threats.
For several days, Di Xuan traveled with them, aiming for an inner rendezvous point to find Zhu Jie and other Lingyue disciples. Disaster struck two days prior. A mid-stage Tier 3 demon beast ambushed them. The Golden Core leader died horribly. Di Xuan, caring nothing for the others, fled for his life.
Blind panic led him deep into an uncharted forest. He wandered for two terrifying days, constantly fearing demon beasts... until the commotion of the Six-Legged Frog's death drew him here.
He'd arrived moments after the Absolute Sword Sect group. Seeing Loong Tian'ao and his companions ascending the hill, Di Xuan had hidden immediately.
Then he'd spotted Lin Feng atop the hill. Witnessing the conflict between Lin Feng and the Absolute Sword Sect disciples, not a shred of loyalty stirred within him—only malicious joy. He prayed fervently for Lin Feng's death. And with vicious cunning, he'd activated his recording crystal—hoping to preserve Lin Feng's demise as a 'souvenir'.
The outcome shattered his expectations. Lin Feng hadn't died. Instead, he slaughtered all four Absolute Sword Sect members. Revealing terrifying powers Di Xuan never knew he possessed!
Lin Feng and Di Xuan shared no profound enmity. But for some, no tangible 'reason' is needed. Sometimes, envy alone was reason enough for murder.
Initially, Di Xuan had dismissed Lin Feng as insignificant. That changed after the Lingyue Sect back mountain incident—seedling of hatred took root. Rumors of Lin Feng's closeness with Jie Feiyuan fueled bitter jealousy. Then came the Sect Competition—Lin Feng's stunning victory, his meteoric rise... hatred crystallized into pure venom. Di Xuan could not—would not—accept Lin Feng becoming a Sect Heir candidate. If he gains power, he'll surely destroy me, Di Xuan projected his own malice. He'd yearned for Lin Feng to perish within the Black Mist Herb Valley.
Moments ago, he'd believed the Absolute Sword Sect would deliver that death. He'd relished the show. Now, faced with Lin Feng's terrifying strength, a new, more poisonous scheme blossomed in Di Xuan's mind. A way to ensure Lin Feng's utter and permanent ruin...