"Boom!!!"
At the very moment before the black smoke could engulf him, Lin Feng's body erupted in a violent flash of fire. Blazing flames unfurled from his core, colliding with the descending smoke in the blink of an eye.
Opposite him, the violet-robed cultivator curled his lips into a sneer of disdain. He believed Lin Feng's resistance was futile—a final, desperate struggle. In his mind, Lin Feng was already dead.
Yet, that sneer froze abruptly after just one second. His eyes widened like saucers, brimming with disbelief. Instead of corroding the flames, the black smoke recoiled as if meeting its natural nemesis. An ear-piercing "Sizzle—" tore through the air as the smoke dissolved like melting snow!
"Va...Variant Flame! It's a variant flame!!" After a stunned pause, he finally grasped the truth. Terror, raw and unprecedented, seized him. Shrieking, he frantically chanted incantations to recall the dark fog.
But Lin Feng gave him no quarter. Seeing the Molten Fire's devastating effect, he amplified its power without hesitation. His right hand clawed through the air, and the inferno coalesced into a giant, flaming palm that plunged into the black mist, lunging straight for the golden gourd at its core.
"Sizzle… Sizzle… Sizzle…"
The closer the fire-hand got to the center, the louder the scorching sound grew. In an instant, it seized the gourd before it could escape. Lin Feng clenched his fist—
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound echoed from within the flames.
"No!! My Primordial Chaos Golden Gourd!!" The violet-robed cultivator's face blanched. A terrified scream tore from his throat, followed by a choked grunt as blood trickled from his lips. The destruction of the treasure had wounded his soul.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, his lips curling in contempt. Such a fragile artifact dared bear such an imposing name? Pathetic.
Little did he know: Without Lin Feng's Molten Fire—now upgraded to superior-grade—the gourd would have been formidable. Even early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators might struggle against it. Moreover, this so-called "Primordial Chaos Golden Gourd" was merely a crude counterfeit...
"Molten Fire!! That's Molten Fire!!" On the other side, the yellow-robed cultivator—still wounded by the Water Dragon Strangulation Technique—suddenly gasped in horrified recognition. "Superior-grade Molten Fire!! And that crimson-silver supreme-grade spirit sword! You… you're that Lin—"
"Whoosh!!"
Before he could finish, killing intent flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. His clenched right fist snapped open and swept sideways. The Molten Fire morphed into a vast net of flames, hurling toward the man!
"Aaah!!" The yellow-robed cultivator scrambled backward in panic, activating his spirit-light barrier. "Brother, save me!!"
But the others were too far. The fire-net engulfed him. Lin Feng's fist clenched again—
Crunch.
The barrier shattered. A final, despairing shriek echoed, then silenced.
"Third Brother!!"
The violet-robed and gray-robed cultivators cried out in unison, faces etched with horror. The former whirled toward Lin Feng, eyes bloodshot. "I'll tear you limb from limb!!"
Ignoring his injuries, he unleashed his full power. Golden light gathered before him, condensing into massive blades that shot toward Lin Feng like arrows.
The gray-robed cultivator attacked too, his silver greataxe cleaving through the air.
"Out of artifacts already?" Lin Feng mused, seeing only spells from his foe. He retaliated with golden blades of his own—Golden Blade Technique. His version rivaled the enemy's in power.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Meanwhile, the Crimson Soul Flying Sword intercepted the greataxe mid-air, parrying it with ease.
"Impossible… Impossible!! Die! Just DIE!!" The violet-robed cultivator descended into madness. He couldn't accept a Golden Core Perfection cultivator matching him—no, surpassing him. He fought desperately, yet his foe seemed…untroubled.
"KABOOOM—!!"
Deafening thunder roared from the nearby island, then stillness followed. The violet-robed cultivator jolted back to his senses, dread flooding him as he glanced toward the shore. The tribulation clouds had vanished. The lightning calamity had ended. And now—
A surge of immense spiritual energy pulsed from the island.
The island's cultivator had succeeded.
"Damn it!!" The violet-robed man howled with venomous frustration. Abruptly halting his assault, he bellowed at his companion, "Retreat!!"
The gray-robed cultivator paled further and turned to flee.
"Leaving?" Lin Feng's voice cut through the chaos. A wall of fire materialized before them, blocking their escape. Having revealed his signature techniques—Molten Fire and Crimson Soul—he couldn't let them live.
"Swoosh—!!"
A razor-sharp gust tore from the island. A purple figure shot toward them like lightning, accompanied by a booming, exhilarated roar:
"HAHAHA!! Since you're here—LEAVE YOUR LIVES BEHIND!!"
The blade arrived before its master. A violet arc split the sky—a thunderbolt given form—slashing toward the gray-robed cultivator.
"Aaah—!" The man tried to dodge, but the arc accelerated, vanishing then reappearing at his throat. It sheared through his barrier—
—and bisected him.
The gray-robed cultivator froze mid-scream. A crimson line split his forehead. His body slid apart in two halves.
"Second Brother!!" The violet-robed cultivator recoiled in terror, not daring to retrieve the corpse. He urged his flying sword upward, fleeing skyward.
A purple figure blurred past Lin Feng, intercepting the escapee in a flash. A towering man, bathed in violet light, raised a serrated purple longblade. Behind him, the phantom of a thunder-tiger roared. The blade descended—
—carrying the fury of a mountain-storming beast.
"Aaah!!" Cornered, the violet-robed cultivator's eyes flared with madness and despair. He raised his arms. A golden, oval shield materialized above him.
CLANG!!
Sparks exploded. Then—
Crack.
The shield shattered. The purple blade never slowed. It split the cultivator's spirit barrier, shearing downward—
—from crown to groin.
...
From the islander's arrival to two deaths, barely ten breaths had passed. One strike, one kill. Utterly domineering. Soul-shaking.
Lin Feng watched, stunned yet wary. He'd already recalled his Molten Fire and Crimson Soul Sword, masking his aura. He stood ready as the towering figure hovered mid-air, sheathing his blade.
The man retrieved spatial rings from both corpses, ignoring the bisected remains. In a flash, he stood before Lin Feng.
Clad in a tattered short-sleeved martial suit—likely shredded by the tribulation—his muscular frame radiated wild, rugged intensity. Short-cropped hair. A face of hardened angles. He studied Lin Feng, curiosity flickering in his eyes, then grinned and clasped his fists.
"Without you holding these bastards off, Tiger here would've died. You saved my life! No flowery words—from now on, if you need anything, anything, Tiger Sha will march through fire and flood!"
Lin Feng blinked, his guard lowering slightly. "You honor me undeservedly. It was but a small effort. Though…I never thought to see you here again."
"Oh?!" The man's thick brows shot up. "We've met?"
"Half a year ago, outside Black Dragon City. You slew two cultivators of your rank and left. To see you again now—successfully condensed your Nascent Soul—truly merits celebration."
Indeed, this titan was the very cultivator Lin Feng witnessed dominating a duel upon first arriving in Black Dragon City. The world felt small.
"Half a year ago…?" Tiger Sha boomed with laughter. "So it was you! Ha! Fate binds us! I am Tiger Sha! And you, brother?"
Lin Feng returned the gesture. "Mu Feng. An honor."
"Good! From now on, Mu Feng is Tiger Sha's sworn brother! We share fortune! And I'll shoulder your calamities!"
Lin Feng nearly choked. Yet the man's sincerity was undeniable—a blunt, heroic soul. Perhaps saving him wasn't a mistake.
Before Lin Feng could respond, Tiger Sha thrust two spatial rings into his hand. "These are theirs. Take them. A brother's thanks."
Lin Feng shook his head. "You killed them. They're yours—"
"Without you, I'd be dead! Take them!" Tiger Sha insisted, pressing the rings into Lin Feng's palm. "But heed this: They were disciples of the Black Shark Fiend. Don't show their belongings around Black Dragon City. Don't speak of today. Danger follows."
Lin Feng didn't know the "Black Shark Fiend," but the name reeked of peril. "Understood. Thank you for the warning."
Tiger Sha scowled. "'Thank you'? Call me Brother! Or do you scorn this rough man as unworthy?"
Lin Feng sighed, amused. "No offense meant, Brother Tiger Sha."
"Ha! That's better!" Tiger Sha clapped Lin Feng's shoulder, then scanned the surroundings. "This place reeks of death. Let's talk elsewhere."
Lin Feng had intended to leave, but Tiger Sha clearly wouldn't allow it. "Agreed. Brother Tiger Sha should stabilize his new Nascent Soul first. A secure location is wise."
"Exactly my thought! Let's move!"
...
Soaring on their swords, Tiger Sha studied Lin Feng with open curiosity. After a few guarded answers, he sensed Lin Feng's reluctance to share details and tactfully changed subjects.
His very next words, however, struck Lin Feng like a thunderbolt:
"Say, Brother Mu Feng…you're in the Dragon Current Seas…for the Blue Moon Sect ruins too, aren't you?"