"Swoosh…"
A streak of crimson light shot back. Lin Feng raised his hand and caught it. He looked down at the Blood Demon Blade in his grasp, its glow seeming more vibrant and alive than before, his expression complex. He sighed inwardly before flipping his hand, storing the blade away.
Last time, the Blood Demon Blade had absorbed the soul-blood of two Nascent Soul Ninth Layer cultivators consecutively: Wu Pang and his corpse puppet. This time, when used, its power had surpassed any previous instance, definitively exceeding the scope of a mere spirit artifact. Possessing such a formidable treasure did bring Lin Feng a measure of satisfaction, yet simultaneously, that lingering sense of unease intensified. He always felt the Blood Demon Blade harbored secrets unknown to him, secrets that might pose a threat. Though this premonition lacked concrete basis, it persistently troubled him.
Perhaps once my cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul stage, I can refine this blade further and uncover its mysteries. Or maybe after my Repair Technique upgrades again, I'll gain more insights. Until then… it's best to avoid using it whenever possible…
Lin Feng's thoughts drifted over the Blood Demon Blade as he beckoned. The Molten Rock Fire returned to him, its flames now enveloping several artifacts left behind after the enemies' bodies were utterly annihilated.
Once everything was secured, Lin Feng didn't linger. He urged the flying sword beneath his feet, transforming into a streak of light that shot towards the distance.
...
"They were actually from the Great Wave Alliance of Black Loong City?"
Lin Feng flew towards the direction of land while inspecting the spoils from the recent battle. Within the elder's storage ring, he found many valuable items, including a pale blue token embossed with the image of a great wave and the characters 'Great Wave Alliance' in the center. Back during his quest for the Seven-Colored Immortal Lotus, Lin Feng had also killed a Core Formation cultivator from the Great Wave Alliance and found a similar token in his storage ring, though that one was far less ornate. Presumably, that man held only an ordinary membership token, while this elder possessed a council token.
A special restriction was set within this token. Activating it with the correct method should trigger a specific reaction, while an incorrect method would cause it to self-destruct. Therefore, even if an outsider obtained such a token, they couldn't impersonate a member of the Great Wave Alliance.
Lin Feng also had a rough understanding of Black Loong City. Unlike Zhenhai City, where the Zhenhai Alliance dominated alone, Black Loong City had two major coexisting powers: the Great Wave Alliance and the Hai Sheng Alliance. These two factions jointly managed the city. He'd heard that not long ago, the Great Wave Alliance underwent a massive upheaval—their original leader was assassinated. After a major internal reshuffle, the new leader, Qin Huangtian, became the current city lord.
Rumors painted Black Loong City as a lawless city, its cultivators largely ruthless and vicious. Furthermore, during the previous Five Cities Grand Competition, Lin Feng had incurred the enmity of the city lord's son, Qin Yulong. Therefore, Lin Feng held little goodwill towards this power. Now, unexpectedly, he'd killed two more of their members. Since he was heading to Black Loong City next, he needed to be careful not to expose these men's belongings, or it would invite significant trouble.
Within the elder's storage ring, Lin Feng also discovered a much more detailed sea chart jade slip, as well as another map jade slip that seemed to depict an undersea location. He didn't recognize the specific area and, after a brief glance, stored it away without much thought.
Above the vast expanse of the sea, the flying sword beneath Lin Feng's feet traced a cyan trajectory, streaking like a meteor before swiftly vanishing into the distance...
...
With the sea chart in hand, Lin Feng's journey became significantly smoother. Sea areas considered perilous by other Core Formation cultivators posed little threat to him. Even encountering Level 4 demon beasts along the way was manageable; if he couldn't kill them outright, escaping unscathed was never an issue. As for Level 3 demon beasts, no matter how many came, they merely provided demon cores and various refining materials.
Several days later, the demon beasts encountered grew progressively weaker, indicating he was nearing land. Lin Feng also spotted other cultivators, but they only glimpsed each other from afar before passing by. Initially, he considered approaching them to exchange greetings or inquire about the situation, but they proved extremely wary, unwilling to engage. He didn't want to force them. On one occasion, cultivators did approach him, but their intentions were clearly hostile, targeting him precisely because he was alone. They attacked without a word. Lin Feng naturally showed no mercy, swiftly and permanently eliminating those three reckless Core Formation cultivators.
After that, Lin Feng simply ignored anyone else he encountered along the way, deciding to reach land first. He reasoned that gathering information shouldn't be difficult once he reached a city.
After several more days of travel, land finally appeared on the horizon. Shortly after, the silhouette of a massive city came into view—undoubtedly Black Loong City.
The closer he got to the city, the more cultivators he encountered. Most were at the Core Formation stage. Some walked on the ground, while others, like Lin Feng, soared on flying swords. Lin Feng clearly sensed the hostile glares directed his way as people noticed him. Still about ten li from the city gates, to avoid drawing excessive attention, he retracted his flying sword and landed, proceeding on foot. He wore a loose, gray robe over his clothes, had altered his appearance, and suppressed his aura, making him indistinguishable from any ordinary Core Formation cultivator. It was highly unlikely anyone here could recognize him.
"BOOM!!"
Just as he neared the city gates, a sudden explosion from ahead startled Lin Feng slightly. Judging by the fluctuations of true essence, it sounded like three Core Formation cultivators were fighting. He was inwardly surprised—people actually fought openly in a place like this?
After cresting a small rise, Lin Feng finally saw the scene ahead. By the edge of a small grove of trees, three male cultivators were locked in a fierce battle. One, a burly cultivator, fought two opponents simultaneously, both seemingly equal to him in cultivation. Remarkably, he wasn't at a disadvantage. Lin Feng quickly realized why: the violet broad-backed longsword in the man's hand was exceptionally powerful, clearly a tier above his opponents' artifacts—a top-grade spirit artifact of considerable might. The burly man's moves were wide-sweeping, ferocious, and uncompromising. No matter what attack his opponents launched, he met it head-on with a single, devastating slash, exuding the ferocity of an enraged tiger.
The reason for their conflict was unclear, but their struggle was undeniably a fight to the death. Lin Feng scanned the surroundings; no fewer than ten people lurked in various spots, observing the battle, yet none intervened. Looking towards the gates of Black Loong City not far off, guards were visible atop the walls. They must have seen the fight, yet they showed no reaction whatsoever.
"AH!!!"
While Lin Feng was observing the onlookers, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly pierced the air. Startled, he whipped his head back towards the fight just in time to witness the burly cultivator cleaving one opponent cleanly in two. His heart jolted with shock. Just moments ago, he'd thought the battle might drag on without a clear victor, yet in an instant, one was dead. He wasn't alone in his surprise; the expressions of the surrounding onlookers, and even the dead man's remaining companion, registered sheer terror.
The burly cultivator lifted his head towards the surviving opponent, revealing a fierce grin. He tapped his foot lightly, and his figure vanished from its spot.
"So fast!!" Lin Feng's heart clenched. He finally understood how the man had killed so swiftly. Previously, he had been holding back, making everyone believe he was purely a brute-force fighter. Who could have imagined he possessed such blinding speed? With that sudden burst, he had instantly eliminated one foe.
The surviving cultivator, dressed in blue, saw his enemy disappear and his face paled. He desperately activated his spiritual light barrier while frantically retreating. He had only taken three steps back when his pupils suddenly contracted. With a furious roar, the flying sword hovering above his head whistled through the air, shooting towards his right front.
Almost simultaneously, the burly cultivator's figure materialized precisely where the sword was aimed. A flicker of hope appeared in the blue-robed cultivator's eyes—until he saw his opponent make no attempt to dodge. Instead, the burly man raised his longsword high and brought it crashing down!
"ROAR!!!"
A tiger's roar erupted. From a distance, Lin Feng saw the longsword in the burly cultivator's hand erupt with brilliant violet light, faintly coalescing into the phantom image of a lightning tiger around him. Immediately after, a sharp 'Clang!' rang out. The blue-robed cultivator's flying sword proved utterly incapable of resistance. It let out a mournful whine as it was sent spinning away. The longsword's momentum, however, remained utterly undiminished. A colossal violet blade projection, over ten meters long, slashed out!
"AHH!!" The blue-robed cultivator was paralyzed with terror. He tried to evade, but it was far too late. A deafening 'BOOM!' echoed as the violet blade projection struck the spiritual light barrier before him. The barrier shattered violently upon impact, and his figure was swallowed by the dazzling violet radiance.
...
A few breaths later, when the light dissipated, only the blue-robed cultivator's body remained on the ground. It was mangled beyond recognition, clearly lifeless.
"What a terrifying strike…"
Lin Feng stared, utterly dumbfounded. The burly cultivator's strength far exceeded his initial estimation. He hadn't expected to encounter such a monstrously powerful fighter. It seemed the cultivation world truly teemed with countless formidable individuals. He wasn't the only one capable of effortlessly annihilating opponents of the same cultivation level.