Watching the White Tiger soul phantom charge straight towards him, Huang Yisong's pupils contracted slightly. Yet, there was not a trace of panic on his face. Instead, a cold sneer curled the corner of his mouth. With a surge of true essence throughout his body and a light tap of his foot, he vanished from Lin Feng's sight!!
This wasn't true 'disappearance', of course. It was because his speed was terrifyingly fast – so fast that Lin Feng couldn't track it, so fast that even the White Tiger soul phantom couldn't match it!!
The White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman was indeed immensely powerful, but among soul attack methods, it was actually considered a relatively inferior type. This was because it was 'tangible'. Truly formidable soul attack techniques were formless, shadowless, and immaterial, making them virtually impossible to defend against.
The activation speed of the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman wasn't slow; Golden Core cultivators would find it difficult to dodge. However, the speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator was simply beyond the reach of Golden Core cultivators. With prior preparation, evading the White Tiger soul's attack wasn't difficult.
Currently, even though Huang Yisong was injured and not at full strength, he still dodged the tiger's pounce. Not only did he dodge it, but when Lin Feng's spiritual sense locked onto him again, he was horrified to discover that Huang Yisong had somehow moved to a position behind him!!
Huang Yisong reappeared as if teleporting, now only a dozen meters behind Lin Feng. His eyes glinted with disdain and viciousness. True essence surged around him, and his right arm suddenly swelled to several times its normal size, glowing with an orange light. It resembled the massive claw of some ferocious beast as it ripped through the air, aiming to seize Lin Feng by the back of the neck!
"QIU!!"
Just as Huang Yisong believed Lin Feng couldn't possibly evade this strike, a sharp, furious cry pierced the air. The peculiar spirit beast perched on Lin Feng's right shoulder, as if primed and ready, whirled around. Clutched in its claw was a radiant spirit stone, which it hurled towards Huang Yisong with ferocious force!
A flicker of bewilderment crossed Huang Yisong's eyes. Before he could process it further, an unimaginably terrifying force slammed into him from the front. His expression changed drastically. Without the slightest hesitation, he abandoned his attack. His foot stamped violently on the ground as he propelled himself backward in a desperate retreat!
"BOOM!!!"
The sequence happened blindingly fast. In the exact instant Huang Yisong sensed the danger and retreated, the top-grade spirit stone thrown by Xiaoqiu reached the spot where he had just been standing. It detonated like a grenade, but the released power was magnitudes more terrifying than any Earthly explosive. A shockwave ripped outwards, and blinding spiritual light instantly engulfed Huang Yisong's figure.
"Hmph!!" A muffled grunt emerged from within the dazzling radiance. While Xiaoqiu's ambush was undeniably unexpected, instantly annihilating a Nascent Soul cultivator with it was clearly unrealistic. However, it wasn't without effect. As Huang Yisong staggered out from the explosion's epicenter, his robes were tattered further, his face paler than before, and his eyes were wide with profound shock and disbelief. He was likely struggling to comprehend how a mere spirit stone thrown by a small beast could unleash such terrifying power.
Before Huang Yisong could fully regain his bearings, a mass of crimson flame tore through the lingering white light in front of him. A giant net of fire descended upon him!
A sensation of lethal peril, no less intense than before, washed over Huang Yisong. His face contorted once more. With no time for thought, he continued his frantic retreat while simultaneously flicking his wrist. A beam of orange spiritual light shot out, slicing the incoming fire net cleanly in half. Yet, his eyes widened in alarm as he saw the two halves of the net continue their descent unabated!
Huang Yisong's pupils constricted violently. He finally registered the unusual, potent fire-attribute spiritual energy radiating from the net. "Anomalous Flame?!!" he blurted out in shock.
Seeing escape was impossible, Huang Yisong gritted his teeth fiercely. At the last possible moment, he activated his defensive spiritual light treasure. An orange spiritual light shield materialized instantly, encasing his entire body just as the fiery net wrapped around him.
On the other side, seeing the Molten Rockfire successfully envelop his enemy, a flash of triumph lit up Lin Feng's eyes. However, his elation was short-lived. A burst of dazzling orange light erupted violently from within the flames!
"KABOOM!!!"
Like a bomb detonating from within, the tightly wrapped flames were blasted apart, scattering in all directions. Amidst the flying embers, a figure shot out like lightning.
"You actually possess an Anomalous Flame too?!!" Huang Yisong roared, his face still etched with lingering terror. Having recently suffered grievously under Lu Danxin's Anomalous Flame, the discovery that Lin Feng also wielded one sent waves of shock and towering rage through him. "DIE!!"
Still airborne, he swung his right arm. The massive golden warhammer shot forth, hurtling towards Lin Feng like a meteorite.
"Screech...!" A sharp sword cry sounded above Lin Feng's head. The Crimson Soul Flying Sword shot out like a streak of light, meeting the warhammer mid-air with a thunderous "CLANG!". Simultaneously, a flash of sword light appeared behind Lin Feng – Huang Yisong's flying sword was homing in on his back!
"Damn it!!" Lin Feng cursed inwardly. He churned the true essence within him, pushing his spiritual light shield to its absolute limit. A deafening "CLANG!" reverberated behind him, sending a chilling sensation down his spine to the nape of his neck.
The enemy's strength far exceeded Lin Feng's expectations. He had planned to use the flying sword and White Tiger Talisman to distract Huang Yisong, followed by the surprise attacks from Xiaoqiu and the Molten Rockfire – tactics Huang Yisong wouldn't anticipate – to gain a significant advantage, or even victory. Unfortunately, even a wounded Nascent Soul cultivator was vastly more formidable than any Golden Core opponent he had faced before. Trapped by the Molten Rockfire, Huang Yisong had broken free instantly and still seemed to possess considerable fighting power.
"No choice... I have to use that!!"
The situation left no room for careful strategizing. If Huang Yisong launched a counterattack, disaster would surely follow. A flicker of resignation crossed Lin Feng's eyes. He clenched his teeth hard and flicked his right wrist. A streak of bloody light shot forth!
It was the Blood Devouring Blade!!
"What now?!" Across from him, Huang Yisong saw Lin Feng unleash yet another unknown technique. His heart clenched with renewed alarm, dispelling any remaining shred of underestimation. With a thought, the warhammer that had been knocked back by the Crimson Soul sword moments before roared back to life, intercepting the incoming bloody streak.
"For me... EXPLODE!!"
At the precise moment the bloody light met the warhammer, a fierce glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. He roared the command. True essence surged violently within him as he clenched his right hand into a fist directed at the Blood Devouring Blade!
"HUM..." Instantly, an eerie, blood-red radiance exploded in the air. The expanding crimson glow swallowed the massive warhammer whole. A sharp "CRACK!" echoed clearly, followed by golden fragments spraying outwards. A blood-red dagger, now freed, shot forth like lightning, continuing its deadly trajectory straight towards Huang Yisong!
"AHH!!" Huang Yisong's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with utter horror and disbelief. He let out a piercing shriek, thrusting both hands forward desperately. A tangible curtain of orange light solidified in the air before him.
"SHHWWW... THUD!!"
The Blood Devouring Blade, imbued with unstoppable force, struck the orange light curtain in an instant, piercing clean through it. It slipped through the gap between Huang Yisong's outstretched hands and embedded itself deep into his left shoulder!
"How cou— AARRGGHH!!" A flash of utter confusion crossed Huang Yisong's eyes. The words 'how could this be' died on his lips as a scream of even greater terror tore from his throat. His right hand instinctively shot up to wrench the dagger from his shoulder.
But as his right hand rose, Huang Yisong felt an unspeakable horror seize him. The very life force within his body was being violently siphoned away! His entire body stiffened instantly, becoming unresponsive. His vision blurred momentarily. When it cleared, he stared in abject terror at his own raised right hand. It was withered and desiccated, like ancient, gnarled wood, seemingly nothing more than skin stretched taut over bone...
"NOOOOO!!!" A spark of utter despair ignited in Huang Yisong's eyes. He unleashed another maddened, guttural roar. With a final, desperate surge, he detonated the remaining true essence within his ruined body!
"WHOOSH!!"
In the next heartbeat, a flash of white light burst from the crown of Huang Yisong's head. A tiny, three-inch-tall luminous figure emerged. Its minuscule face was contorted in panic and utter confusion. It cast one fleeting, bewildered, and profoundly resentful glance at the desiccated husk that had been its body – now little more than a mummy – then whirled around and shot towards the distant horizon like a fleeing comet.
It was Huang Yisong's Infant Soul!!
He had decisively abandoned his physical form, attempting to flee using only his Infant Soul!
"Trying to run?!" Lin Feng, momentarily stunned by the Blood Devouring Blade's devastating power himself, snapped back to focus as he saw the Infant Soul emerge and flee. His gaze sharpened. He raised a finger, pointing decisively. A crimson-silver flash streaked beside him as the Crimson Soul Flying Sword shot after the fleeing soul, swift as a meteor.
Huang Yisong's Infant Soul was already critically weakened. Its flight speed was sluggish. In the blink of an eye, the Crimson Soul Flying Sword caught up to it. Strangely, the Infant Soul made no attempt to dodge. In fact, a flicker of something resembling... relief... seemed to pass through its eyes...
However, when the Crimson Soul Flying Sword pierced through it, the expression on the Infant Soul's tiny face froze instantly. The fleeting glimpse of relief vanished, replaced by boundless terror and utter despair. "Impossible!! This is a soul atta—"
"SHWICK!!"
Before the soul could finish its shriek, the Crimson Soul Flying Sword instantly pivoted mid-air. With a clean sweep, it cleaved the Infant Soul cleanly in half! The luminous fragments shattered into dissipating specks of light.