The instant Wu Luosen unleashed that wraith, Lin Feng's expression turned grave. When it abruptly absorbed hundreds of weaker wraiths, its power exploding, he understood immediately. That sinister cultivator on Maze Island had used this same technique—the Soul Gathering Art. It forcibly combined the power of numerous wraiths temporarily, unleashing tenfold or even a hundredfold might. Wu Luosen's Master Soul was originally mid-stage Nascent Soul (fifth layer). After absorbing hundreds of Golden Core wraiths, it skyrocketed to the eighth layer of Nascent Soul!
An eighth-layer Nascent Soul cultivator? Against a normal practitioner of that strength, Lin Feng might have hesitated. But against a wraith? He dared to fight. In fact, he had anticipated this scenario. Seeing the wraith charge, he felt no panic. He immediately swung his right hand. A fist-sized, dark-red fireball shot out, instantly exploding into a colossal net of flames that swept towards the wraith!
"Hmph!" The moment Lin Feng conjured the fire net, Wu Luosen, standing atop the peak, curled his lips into a cold sneer. Recognizing the alien flame, he wouldn't let his wraith fall victim. His hands formed a peculiar seal, his internal true yuan churning violently before he thrust a finger towards the wraith!
Suddenly, the wraith's speed exploded! Its form seemed utterly unaffected by inertia, changing direction without warning. It shot diagonally to the right, vanishing from its original path and reappearing a hundred meters away—completely evading the descending fire net. Then, impossibly, it twisted again, lunging towards Lin Feng from the flank faster than before!
His strike missing its mark, Lin Feng's expression darkened slightly, but his movements remained fluid. Channeling true yuan, a brilliant white light flared in his right palm!
"ROAR!!" A heaven-shaking tiger's roar erupted! The White Tiger Soul materialized instantly, launching itself like a starved beast pouncing on prey straight at the wraith!
"A mere strand of tiger soul dares oppose my wraith?! Trying to stop a chariot with your bare arm!!" Seeing Lin Feng deploy yet another artifact designed to counter wraiths, just as he suspected, Wu Luosen's sneer deepened. This time, he didn't order the wraith to dodge. He commanded it to charge headlong at the White Tiger Soul!
"THUD!!" A dull, heavy impact resounded. Though the White Tiger Soul was massive, the wraith was equally enormous. The collision of two intangible spirits generated visible ripples in the air, a translucent shockwave radiating outwards. The sheer force of the sound sent a tremor through Lin Feng's very soul.
Then, Lin Feng witnessed something unprecedented—the White Tiger Soul was being grabbed by the wraith!!
Since acquiring the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman, Lin Feng had faced countless battles. Initially, against Golden Core foes, the Tiger Soul was unstoppable. But as his enemies grew stronger, encountering Nascent Soul cultivators who could physically resist it, those opponents had still struggled. Now, against an eighth-layer Nascent Soul wraith, the Tiger Soul was being completely overpowered in a direct confrontation!
What horrified Lin Feng even more happened next. After the collision, the two spirits froze for barely a heartbeat. Then, the wraith's form suddenly swelled to twice its size! Its ghastly claws locked onto the Tiger Soul's head as an aura of terrifying power erupted. With a piercing shriek, it exerted monstrous force and ripped!!
"Crack…" Lin Feng heard the faint, distinct sound of fissuring coming from the talisman in his hand. His face instantly drained of color. Simultaneously, he saw the spectral White Tiger in the air torn asunder by the wraith, dissolving into countless motes of white light that vanished into the void!
This outcome shattered Lin Feng's expectations. He hadn't anticipated the wraith's ferocity. Frantically, he glanced at the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman. Several fine cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. Though profoundly relieved it wasn't shattered completely, he knew it couldn't be used again until repaired—another attempt would likely destroy this hard-won treasure.
He flicked his wrist, stowing the damaged talisman into his spatial ring. Simultaneously, a wave of extreme peril washed over him. Lin Feng snapped his head up. The wraith was already less than ten meters away! A spectral claw swept towards him horizontally!
"SHIIING!!"
At the critical moment, a sharp gleam flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. Without any visible movement, the Scarlet Soul flying sword hovering beside him emitted a clear, resonant hum. Like a viper striking after a long ambush, it shot forward with lightning speed!
Opposite him, a triumphant smirk had begun to play on Wu Luosen's lips. In his view, Lin Feng, relying solely on an alien flame and a tiger soul artifact to challenge him, was delusional and suicidal. The flying sword Lin Feng deployed in his 'death throes' barely registered—ordinary artifacts couldn't possibly impede his wraith.
Unfortunately for Wu Luosen, the Scarlet Soul flying sword was far from 'ordinary'...
"SHHRRK!" A peculiar slicing sound reached Wu Luosen's ears. Simultaneously, a searing pain lanced through his mind, as if his very soul had been cleaved! His face instantly paled. He stared in horror: the arm his wraith had extended to grab Lin Feng had been severed clean off!
"SHWISH!!" While Wu Luosen reeled in shock, Lin Feng's actions never faltered. He directed the Scarlet Soul sword in a second sweeping arc. It sliced through the wraith's waist, cutting it cleanly in half!
"PFFT!!" Wu Luosen's eyes bulged wide. Uncontrollably, he spat a mouthful of blood, disbelief flooding his gaze. He finally realized—that flying sword was also a special artifact designed to counter spirits!! His opponent had been holding back a trump card all along!
Indeed, Lin Feng had deliberately withheld the Scarlet Soul sword during the grand formation battle, preserving this ace. Its sudden deployment yielded spectacular results. While it couldn't outright destroy Wu Luosen's wraith, it inflicted critical damage. Crucially, the intense mental connection meant Wu Luosen, concentrating fully on controlling the wraith, suffered a backlash injury!
Seizing this fleeting, golden opportunity, Lin Feng didn't press the attack on the wounded wraith with his flame. Instead, he spun around, facing Wu Luosen dozens of meters away. He raised his right hand, index finger extended!
Wu Luosen's face contorted as he struggled to suppress his shock. Expecting Lin Feng to blast his wraith with magma fire, he prepared to withdraw it. Instead, Lin Feng pointed directly at him. A flicker of dread ignited in Wu Luosen just as a violet light ignited on Lin Feng's fingertip. A hair-thin violet beam shot towards his face at unimaginable speed!
"Soul Attack Artifact!!" Wu Luosen's pupils contracted violently. Recognition dawned instantly, followed by overwhelming terror. He scrambled to summon a defensive artifact, but it was too late. Yet, as a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert, his instincts were extraordinary. By sheer reflex, he twisted his body at the last possible instant. The violet beam meant for his heart instead struck his left shoulder!
"Thup!" A soft sound accompanied the violet light punching clean through Wu Luosen's shoulder, exiting through his back and leaving a gaping hole!
"AAARGH!!" Wu Luosen staggered, an involuntary scream tearing from his throat. This wound was far more than a simple puncture. The attack from the Demonic Light Ring carried potent thunderforce power. It felt like thousands of electric serpents were burrowing through his veins. Even his Nascent Soul constitution couldn't withstand such agony!
"Tch!" Though he had wounded his enemy again, Lin Feng clicked his tongue in disappointment. He'd hoped that strike might finish the fight. It seemed more effort was required.
"THOOM!!" "UGH!"
Just as Lin Feng prepared to press his advantage, a heavy impact and a pained grunt erupted behind him. His expression froze. Instinctively, he glanced back. Nearly a kilometer away in the sky, Yu Ping had been struck by Wu Pang's Corpse Puppet! His figure plummeted downward, cratering into the quicksand pit below!