"A Peak-grade Spirit Artifact!"
Lin Feng's gaze sharpened, and his expression grew even more solemn. He recalled that even Huang Yisong of the Yunhuang Sect hadn't possessed a Peak-grade Spirit Artifact. Yet this Yue Shuo, a mere second-layer Nascent Soul rogue cultivator, had one! It seemed he belonged to the wealthier class of cultivators. This erased Lin Feng's advantage in weapon grade. Given the disparity in their cultivation levels, a direct clash was absolutely unwinnable.
However, Lin Feng hadn't expected a single flying sword to achieve much. That first strike had merely been a probe. As the Crimson Soul Flying Sword was sent spinning away, Lin Feng flicked his right hand. A dark red fireball shot outwards, abruptly expanding mid-air into a colossal net of flames that descended towards Yue Shuo.
If Yue Shuo had slashed through the net with his greatsword as previous foes had, he would have fallen into the trap and been ensnared by the Molten Core Fire. But his reaction defied Lin Feng's expectations. The moment he saw the fire net, a flash of shock crossed his eyes. Without hesitation, he raised his left hand and pushed forward. Blue light rapidly coalesced, forming a cascading, waterfall-like curtain of azure radiance about twenty meters ahead. It stood like an immense shield, intercepting the fiery net.
WHUMP!! The fire net crashed against the luminous barrier, disintegrating into countless tongues of flame. Yet, instead of extinguishing, the flames seemed to ignite the very barrier itself. A central blaze flared up, causing the curtain to tremble violently as if on the verge of collapse.
"Unique Flame!!" Yue Shuo's pupils contracted sharply as he couldn't suppress a startled cry. He swiftly withdrew his left hand, causing the barrier blocking the Molten Core Fire to vanish instantly. Simultaneously, he angled backwards and retreated, denying the lingering flames any chance of pursuit.
Lin Feng inwardly sighed. His nearly infallible Unique Flame net had actually failed! Truly, a Nascent Soul cultivator's vigilance was incomparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator. Nevertheless, he didn't allow this setback to slow his offensive. While releasing the fire net, he had already retrieved the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman. He intended to activate its power immediately.
"DUO!" However, just as Lin Feng prepared to channel energy into the talisman, Yue Shuo roared sharply from the opposite side. The old man formed a strange seal with his left hand and thrust his finger pointedly towards Lin Feng!
SCHWISH! SCHWISH! SCHWISH! SCHWISH! SCHWISH!!
In that instant, a rapid series of tearing sounds erupted from below Lin Feng. He didn't need to look down; his spiritual sense already detected a dozen watery whips, each as thick as a barrel, bursting violently from the sea surface below! Like giant octopus tentacles, they lashed upwards from all directions, intent on wrapping themselves around him!
If entangled by these watery bonds, even the Spirit Light Barrier might temporarily protect him from injury, but he would undoubtedly be immobilized – a catastrophic outcome. Abandoning his attempt to activate the White Tiger Talisman, Lin Feng surged his true essence. He forced the flying sword beneath his feet to ascend sharply. Concurrently, the Crimson Soul Flying Sword shot back, slashing at the nearest colossal watery whip. Powerful sword energy erupted upon impact, shattering the watery construct and averting immediate peril.
WHOOSH!! Yet, before one threat was fully countered, the next arrived. Ascending rapidly, Lin Feng snapped his head up in alarm. A massive golden blade of light cleaved down from the heavens, aimed directly at his skull!!
A lethal blade from above, pursuing watery tendrils from below – dodging everything was impossible. Lin Feng's expression hardened to an unprecedented degree of ferocity. Gritting his teeth, he swept his right hand before him. A golden shield artifact, large as a door plank, materialized defensively in front of his body.
CRACK-BOOM!! An earth-shaking crash echoed. The overwhelmingly powerful blade of light struck Lin Feng's Spirit Light Barrier first. As expected, the barrier shattered instantly. Yet, the blade's momentum remained devastating. It slammed into the shield artifact with a deafening CLANG!
The shield was smashed backwards like a projectile, crashing squarely into Lin Feng's chest. The impact felt like being rammed by a speeding truck. He was sent hurtling backwards, a tearing agony erupting within his body. A coppery taste flooded his mouth, and he violently spat out a gush of blood – 'Pfft!' – instantly staining the front of his robes crimson.
So powerful! This is the true might of a Nascent Soul cultivator! The sheer force of that single slash almost overwhelmed him, filling Lin Feng with profound dread. Yet, it also ignited a fierce, primal ferocity within him. Showing weakness now would invite instant annihilation by a follow-up strike. Retreat was death; passivity was death. He had to end this before his true essence depleted, using his ultimate trump card!
An explosive surge of true essence erupted from Lin Feng's core. Even before his tumbling body had fully stabilized, blinding white light ignited fiercely in his grasp!
—Ignoring his internal injuries entirely, Lin Feng had instantly activated the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman!
"Not dead?!" Opposite him, Yue Shuo, who had expected a single stroke to end Lin Feng, was momentarily stunned. He had poured his full power into that blow! The fact it hadn't killed a mere fourth-layer Golden Core cultivator enraged and shocked him. As he prepared to strike again, he saw his opponent seemingly activating some artifact. Then, an aura of terrifying, soul-shaking pressure slammed into him…
"ROOOARRR!!" The White Tiger Spirit coalesced instantaneously in the void before Lin Feng. Its heaven-shaking roar reverberated across the sea. It gathered itself mid-air and pounced towards Yue Shuo!
"Soul Attack Artifact!" Just like Huang Yisong before him, Yue Shuo instantly recognized the White Tiger Spirit's extraordinary nature. Genuine horror flickered across his face for the first time. He immediately abandoned any thought of attacking Lin Feng. Tapping his toes lightly, he shot backwards in rapid retreat. At the same time, he sheathed his greatsword, bringing both hands up before his chest to weave a complex series of seals at incredible speed.
The potent true essence of the second-layer Nascent Soul stage surged forth unrestrained. A slight glow emanated from Yue Shuo's crown. A luminous figure, merely three inches tall, emerged. Mirroring Yue Shuo, its tiny hands also formed intricate seals before forcefully thrusting them outward.
"Hmmmmmm…"
An almost imperceptible vibration hummed through the void, as if an invisible force had been unleashed. The White Tiger Spirit, which had already pounced to within a dozen meters of Yue Shuo, was abruptly halted by… an unseen wall!!
Huang Yisong had countered the White Tiger Spirit by directly colliding his Nascent Soul with it. Yue Shuo, however, seemed to be using his Nascent Soul to execute some profound technique, similar to Long Tengyu of the Absolute Sword Sect using a Soul Protection Talisman. He had erected a unique defensive barrier before him, successfully blocking the White Tiger Spirit's ethereal form.
Yet, the cost of this defense was evident. After executing this move, Yue Shuo's Nascent Soul visibly dimmed and shrank. With a faint flicker, it retreated back into his crown. As the Nascent Soul reintegrated, Yue Shuo's face paled significantly. He intended to seize this chance to retreat further, aiming to completely escape the White Tiger Spirit's range.
As this thought flashed through his mind, Yue Shuo instinctively glanced towards Lin Feng, wary that the young man might pursue him with the flying sword or the Unique Flame. To his surprise, Lin Feng wasn't launching the expected follow-up. Instead, the youth had raised his right hand, extending his index finger in what appeared to be a deliberate… pointing gesture, almost like a challenge…
Just as a flicker of confusion arose in Yue Shuo's mind, he saw a violet spark ignite on the tip of Lin Feng's outstretched finger. In the next instant, a slender beam of violet light shot forth from that fingertip! It traversed the distance with unimaginable speed, streaking straight towards Yue Shuo's face!
"NO!!" Yue Shuo's pupils dilated violently. A chilling premonition of death seized him. Instinct screamed for him to summon a defensive artifact, even as his body reflexively arched backwards in evasion.
Alas, his focus on defending against the White Tiger Spirit had blinded him to Lin Feng's subtle movement. He had lost the initiative. No matter how fast his reaction now, it couldn't match the speed of the Demon Light Ring's Spirit Beam Attack. The finger-thin violet beam shot from Lin Feng's index finger, crossing the dozens of meters in a fraction of a heartbeat. It pierced directly through the horrified Yue Shuo's… left eye.
THWOCK!
The violet beam exited explosively from the back of Yue Shuo's skull, cleanly boring a hole through his head. In the next instant, the violet light flared intensely before vanishing. Simultaneously, Yue Shuo's head… shattered like an overripe watermelon!
A wispy phantom emerged from the gushing stump of the neck – Yue Shuo's Nascent Soul. Its tiny face was etched with utter disbelief. It cast one terrified glance at Lin Feng, then shot like an arrow towards the rear, desperate to flee.
"SCREEEEEEE!!!"
A clear, resonant sword cry pierced the air. The Crimson Soul Flying Sword, swift and lethal as a diving dragon, sliced through the sky. In the blink of an eye, it overtook the fleeing Nascent Soul. The crimson blade swept down in a merciless arc!!