"Ah!!"
A final, agonized scream reverberated through the vast cavern. The last Yunhuang Sect Golden Core cultivator, desperately dodging the sweeping arc of the Chihun Flying Sword, left his flank exposed. Multiple golden blades, materializing from the killing formation, tore into him from behind, shredding his body instantly.
Zhao Qian, who had been wholly focused on controlling the Metal-Predominant Killing Formation, finally let out a long, deep breath. His eyes shone with disbelief and exhilaration. He truly hadn't expected victory—a complete annihilation of five opposing Golden Core cultivators—to come so swiftly and seemingly… effortlessly. It had taken barely five minutes!!
"AAARGH!! ALL OF YOU DIE!!"
Just as the group was savoring their overwhelming victory, a roar of near-maddened fury erupted nearby. Huang Yisong had been desperately trying to disengage and intervene in the Golden Core battle, but Lu Danxin had doggedly harried him, denying him any opening. He had been forced to watch, helpless and consumed by rage, as the cultivators he brought were systematically eliminated by Lin Feng and the others. Blocking another strike from Lu Danxin's sword, Huang Yisong whirled around to face Lin Feng's group. His right hand shot out, palm facing them, and slammed downwards through the air!
An aura of terrifying power erupted from Huang Yisong, so potent it made Lin Feng's very soul tremble. Simultaneously, the ground beneath their feet heaved violently. A thunderous "BOOM!!" echoed from above, the sound of shifting earth and rock. Lin Feng snapped his head up in horror. The cavern ceiling above them seemed to come alive! The stone writhed and bulged, coalescing into a colossal, earthen giant's hand easily ten meters across. It plunged downwards with crushing, unstoppable force, aimed squarely at Lin Feng and his companions!
There was no doubt—this was a direct spell attack from Huang Yisong. It was his first spell usage since the fierce battle began, and significantly, his target wasn't Lu Danxin, but the juniors! A Nascent Soul third-layer cultivator's full-powered strike unleashed in fury! Its speed and destructive force were beyond anything Lin Feng could have imagined. Huang Yisong's roar still echoed in his ears, he had barely registered the downward sweep of the man's hand, and already the massive stone fist was descending upon them. There was simply no time to evade!
"Look out!!"
Lu Danxin and the others nearby also paled drastically. Instinctively, they activated their spiritual light defensive treasures, simultaneously trying to scramble away. Zhao Qian reacted swiftly, his hands flashing through a series of formation seals. Several golden sword blades coalesced above the group, slashing upwards at the falling fist. But after a series of sharp "SCHLICK! SCHLICK! SCHLICK!" sounds, the blades merely carved shallow gouges into the earthen mass before dissipating, utterly ineffective.
The fact that blades capable of killing Golden Core cultivators couldn't harm this earthen fist spoke volumes about its terrifying resilience. Seeing this, the group's expressions turned even grimmer. Lin Feng hastily pulled out the upper-grade spiritual artifact Light Jade Talisman he had acquired from Long Tengyu. Pouring his full Yuan Power into it, a shimmering golden light shield instantly snapped into existence above his head.
"WHOOSH!!"
Yet, just as the colossal stone fist was about to crush down upon their defensive shields, a streak of deep emerald light shot in from the side! It slammed into the earthen hand with incredible speed, instantly engulfing it in a cocoon of searing green flame!
Lin Feng felt an indescribable wave of scorching heat wash over him. Staring at the green radiance above, his pupils constricted sharply. A strange fire!! The deep green energy that had engulfed the giant hand wasn't spiritual light at all—it was fire! A peculiar, deep emerald flame!
And the moment this flame touched it, the plunging earthen fist began to dissolve like snow under a blowtorch. Within the blink of an eye, the entire massive structure crumbled into fine ash, consumed by the emerald inferno!
The entire sequence happened in a heartbeat. By the time the green fire, having devoured the stone fist, flew back to hover before Lu Danxin, Lin Feng and the others were still frozen in their defensive postures, the energy shields flickering above them.
Seeing the crisis averted, Lu Su's eyes flashed with relief. He breathed out in awe, "The Lingyue Sect's inherited Strange Fire! The top-grade Woodcang Fire!"
"Woodcang Fire?!" Lin Feng's eyebrows shot up. He had recognized it as a strange fire, but not specifically as Woodcang Fire. Ranked sixty-eighth on the Hundred Strange Fires list, it was significantly higher than Magma Fire, though they shared some similarities. While Magma Fire was excellent for artifact forging, Woodcang Fire, imbued with wood attributes, was supreme for alchemy, offering unique synergistic effects. According to Lu Su, this Woodcang Fire was not only the Lingyue Sect's inherited treasure but had also been refined to its peak, top-grade quality. No wonder its power was so immense, capable of effortlessly neutralizing Huang Yisong's full-powered killing move.
"Strange Fire!! Damn you!!" On the other side, seeing his killing blow extinguished without claiming a single enemy life, Huang Yisong's shock twisted into even fiercer rage. He realized that unless he dealt with Lu Danxin first, he stood no chance against the others. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. His left hand flicked, hurling a deep violet spell talisman straight at Lu Danxin.
"CRACKLE!!" Purple lightning exploded violently. A crackling, serpentine dragon composed entirely of violet thunderbolts surged towards Lu Danxin! This was one of Huang Yisong's trump cards—an upper-grade fourth-grade Thunder Dragon Talisman!
However, if Huang Yisong possessed upper-grade fourth-grade talismans, how could Lu Danxin, the Sect Leader of Lingyue Sect, be without them? With a sharp glance, Lu Danxin's right hand snapped out. A crimson spell talisman shot forth. In a burst of fiery radiance, it coalesced into a roaring dragon of pure flame that charged to meet the thunder dragon.
"BOOM!!" Crimson and violet light collided violently in the air between the two combatants. An overwhelming force detonated, shaking the cavern walls once more as if mountains were crumbling.
"DIE!!" Before the shockwaves from the talismans' clash had even dissipated, Huang Yisong launched his next assault. His hands flew through a complex series of seals. His right foot stamped down onto the ground with tremendous force!
As his foot landed, spiderweb cracks exploded outwards from the point of impact. The earth trembled violently. All around Lu Danxin, the ground bulged ominously. Then came a rapid series of "THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!" sounds. Thick stone spikes, pulsing with an orange glow, erupted from the earth! Dozens of them shot upwards with deadly speed, aiming to impale Lu Danxin from every angle!
"Hmph!" Lu Danxin snorted, his composure unshaken. His right hand swept out, drawing the Woodcang Fire hovering near him into his grasp. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of deep emerald flame cascading downwards. The stone spikes, capable of piercing metal and shattering rock, met the green fire and simply… disintegrated. They crumbled into fine ash before they could even reach him.
Witnessing this, Huang Yisong felt a cold dread seep into his heart. He realized now he had underestimated his opponent. Even though Lu Danxin's cultivation was two layers below his own, the power of this top-grade Woodcang Fire effectively bridged that gap. Without other factors, the outcome of their duel was far from certain.
"SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!!" At that precise moment, golden light flickered around Huang Yisong. Several golden blades materialized and shot towards him—Zhao Qian, seizing the opportunity, had directed the Metal-Predominant Killing Formation to strike again!
Huang Yisong's mind moved. His flying sword whistled out, intercepting and shattering the incoming blades. Simultaneously, his right hand lifted. An orange light flashed before him as he summoned a small, orange hammer. The artifact flew out and, like an inflating balloon, rapidly expanded to several meters in size. It hurtled through the air with crushing force, aimed directly at Lu Danxin!
Lu Danxin's expression turned stern. His left hand beckoned. The massive golden cauldron instantly appeared before him. A deafening "CLAAAAANG!!" shook the cavern as the hammer struck the cauldron. The cauldron trembled violently but held its ground without budging an inch. The giant hammer, however, was violently rebounded, sent spinning away.
Another failure! Huang Yisong's fury and frustration mounted, now tinged with a growing sense of urgency. His Yuan Power surged violently within him as he prepared his next attack. But suddenly, a sharp prickle of danger stabbed at him from his right side!
In the next instant, his spiritual sense detected a flying sword hurtling towards him with astonishing force—the Chihun Flying Sword!
Though he knew the attacker was merely a puny Golden Core first-layer cultivator, Huang Yisong also knew the sword itself was a top-grade spiritual artifact. He couldn't afford to ignore it. A cruel sneer touched his lips as his own flying sword shot out to intercept it. A crisp "CLANG!" rang out, and the crimson sword was violently batted aside. From the direction of Lin Feng, a faint grunt of pain was heard—clearly the backlash from the clash had affected him. The gulf in their cultivation was simply too vast; even the superior grade of his weapon couldn't make up for it. Attempting a sneak attack on Huang Yisong had indeed been overreaching.
As Huang Yisong blocked Lin Feng's 'sneak attack', his expression tightened. That split-second distraction was all Lu Danxin needed. Before Huang Yisong could fully recover, both a flying sword and a swirling mass of Strange Fire were already upon him!
"CLANG!! WHOOSH!!"
Two impacts sounded almost simultaneously. Lu Danxin's sword and the Woodcang Fire didn't strike Huang Yisong directly; they crashed against a massive golden shield he had summoned in the nick of time. The sword was deflected, but the emerald fire clung tenaciously to the shield's surface. Almost immediately, the metal where the fire touched began to bubble and warp, showing signs of melting...
Feeling his Golden Shield treasure being rapidly destroyed, Huang Yisong panicked. He focused his will, trying to blast the fire away and recall the damaged artifact. But right at that critical moment...
"ROOOOAR!!"
A deafening, earth-shaking tiger's roar suddenly exploded from the left side of the cavern!!