"Passing by? What a laughable excuse! Do you think we'd believe that?" Hearing Lin Feng's words, the burly man in yellow robes on the left sneered after a momentary pause. "What? You just helped him chase off a peak Level Three demon beast, and now you don't even have the guts to face us? Well… fearing death is understandable…"
Lin Feng shrugged noncommittally. "It seems you have some personal grudge with the one undergoing tribulation over there. Tell you what, I won't interfere. Do as you please. How's that?"
To say he feared these three men was naturally impossible. The strongest among them was the purple-robed cultivator in the middle, merely at the first layer of the Nascent Soul realm. The other two were at Golden Core Perfection and late-stage Golden Core respectively. They posed little threat to him. But as he stated, he truly was just 'passing by'. Casually chasing off a demon beast earlier was one thing; now getting involved in a fight against three cultivators was simply troublesome. There was no reason to do such thankless work without cause.
Unfortunately, while Lin Feng wanted no part in this dispute, the trio had no intention of letting him simply leave. Their earlier conversation made it clear they weren't the 'reasonable' type. Even if they believed Lin Feng's story, it wouldn't stop them from wanting to 'silence the witness'.
Lin Feng's confident attitude, however, took them by surprise. The purple-robed cultivator scrutinized him carefully. Since Lin Feng hadn't yet fully retracted his aura after dealing with the demon beast, the man easily discerned Lin Feng's Golden Core Perfection cultivation. He frowned slightly for a second, then addressed his companions. "Golden Core Perfection cultivation. He might have some skill. You two deal with him! I'll go stop that tribulator!"
He could easily crush Lin Feng himself, but the one on the island posed a greater threat and required his personal attention. If that man succeeded in his tribulation, things would become complicated.
"Golden Core Perfection?" The yellow-robed man blinked, studying Lin Feng more intently, his expression growing slightly more serious. As a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, he was surprised to find this young man's cultivation actually surpassed his own.
"Heh! Doesn't look very old, yet already at Golden Core Perfection. Quite the 'genius', I suppose. No wonder he's so arrogant." The gray-robed man on the right grinned, radiating disdain. He was also at Golden Core Perfection and had been stuck at that stage for ten years, so he didn't take Lin Feng seriously. "Don't worry, Boss. Leave this punk to us!"
The purple-robed leader gave a curt nod. Without further ado, he urged his flying sword forward, intending to bypass Lin Feng and stop the island's tribulator. He assumed Lin Feng would be too busy worrying about his two junior brothers to dare interfere.
He was sorely mistaken.
Just as he was about to pass Lin Feng on the right, a sharp 'zheng!' rang out. A flying sword shimmering with crimson and silver light blocked his path.
The purple-robed cultivator's gaze hardened. He turned, glaring venomously at Lin Feng. "Brat! Are you courting death?!"
Lin Feng curled his lip slightly. "I've suddenly changed my mind," he stated calmly. "Since you rejected my proposal to go our separate ways, I might as well step in as you wished. If you want to interfere with that tribulator on the island… you'll have to get through me first."
Lin Feng's reasoning was simple: since these three intended to silence him, they were enemies. By that logic, the man on the island was now on his side. He might as well lend another hand. If he could buy enough time for the tribulator to succeed, he could leave these three for him to handle, saving himself the effort.
The purple-robed man flew into a rage. "Ignorant fool!! I'll send you to the Yellow Springs first!!" he snarled, a vicious grin twisting his features.
His entire body erupted with surging true essence. His right hand flashed, and a gleaming golden longsword appeared in his grip. A ten-zhang-long blade radiance erupted as he launched a ferocious slash aimed straight at Lin Feng's head!
"Just a high-grade magic treasure?" Lin Feng's gaze swept over the opponent's sword. His lip curled inwardly in disdain. With a thought, his Chihun Flying Sword shot forward to meet the attack without hesitation. Clang! A crisp metallic clang echoed. The flying sword was knocked back, but the enemy's longsword was also deflected. Lin Feng tapped his foot lightly, his figure gliding back ten meters, effortlessly evading the residual blade energy.
"A supreme-grade magic treasure!!" The purple-robed man's pupils contracted sharply. He wasn't just surprised by the grade of the Chihun Sword, but also by the power Lin Feng was able to unleash while wielding it. Despite the disparity in their magic treasures, the gap between Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivation was vast! He had expected this slash to overwhelm his opponent, forcing him into a desperate defense. Yet Lin Feng had blocked it with such apparent ease.
"Is he really only Golden Core Perfection?" The purple-robed man's gaze towards Lin Feng now held a trace of wariness. But no matter how he looked, Lin Feng's cultivation aura firmly registered as Golden Core Perfection. He snorted coldly again. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled his longsword into the air. Simultaneously, his hands formed a complex seal. True essence surged violently within him as a beam of golden light shot towards the suspended sword. Zheng!!! A clear, resonant sword cry pierced the air. The released sword suddenly blazed with ten times its previous radiance. Innumerable strands of metallic spiritual energy converged from the surrounding void towards the sword. Centered on it, they coalesced into a faint, indistinct draconic head phantom! Its maw gaped wide, lunging to devour Lin Feng whole!
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. He recognized this technique would be difficult to block head-on. He didn't use the Chihun Sword again, nor did he dodge. Instead, he raised his right hand and pointed a finger towards the phantom.
Swish! Violet light flashed, too fast for the eye to follow its trajectory. A thin beam of purple light shot from Lin Feng's index finger. It pierced through the golden draconic head in an instant. Tink… A faint sound of shattering metal echoed in the air. The next moment, the golden radiance disintegrated. Scattered amidst the dissipating light were countless fragments of the longsword! And from within the collapsing radiance, a pinpoint of violet light shot out from the other side, its momentum unabated, streaking towards the purple-robed cultivator!
"What?!" The purple-robed man's face paled in terror. Caught off guard, he had no time to activate a protective light barrier. He could only frantically condense a layer of true essence armor over his body while twisting violently to the left. Thwip! A soft, wet sound. His body stiffened abruptly. A bloody hole appeared in his shoulder.
"Aaargh!!" The purple-robed cultivator's face instantly turned deathly white. His eyes bulged almost out of their sockets. He remained frozen for half a second before an agonized scream tore from his throat. He stumbled back in utter horror, shrieking, "Light-ray attack magic treasure!! A supreme-grade light-ray attack magic treasure!!"
BOOM!!! At the same time, an earth-shattering thunderclap, louder than any before, roared over the nearby island. A powerful surge of true essence aura faintly emanated from its center.
"Hmm? Almost done?" Lin Feng glanced sideways. He saw the black tribulation clouds in the sky beginning to contract – a sign the thunder tribulation was nearing its end. Judging by the shift in the true essence fluctuations emanating from the island, the tribulator had likely sensed the commotion here. His aura had flickered briefly with disturbance, but it hadn't caused major disruption. It seemed he would complete his tribulation soon.
"Big Brother!!" The yellow-robed and gray-robed men cried out in alarm, rushing to their wounded leader's side. Everything had happened too quickly and defied all their expectations. They had assumed Lin Feng was done for the moment their boss attacked. Instead, in the blink of an eye, it was their leader who had been grievously wounded and forced back.
"Damn it all!!" The purple-robed cultivator seethed with shock and fury. Being injured by a mere Golden Core cultivator was an immense humiliation. He inwardly cursed his misfortune – not only did this opponent possess such formidable magic treasures, but his own favored supreme-grade magic treasure had been destroyed by an enemy not long ago! Had he still possessed it, the power of his 'Golden Dragon Devours' technique wouldn't have been so diminished. The thought of the one who destroyed his treasure made him instinctively glance towards the island. Just then, he saw the tribulation clouds contracting. His face immediately contorted.
"Bad news!! He's about to finish the tribulation!!" he exclaimed, his voice sharp with panic. His gaze snapped back to Lin Feng, filled with venomous hatred. "Attack!! Kill him! Now!!"
Swish! Swoosh! Before his words fully faded, his two companions had already struck. A massive silver battle-axe and a black claw-shaped magic treasure shot towards Lin Feng simultaneously.
Lin Feng remained calm and unruffled. He urged his flying sword beneath him to shift position while simultaneously controlling the Chihun Flying Sword to intercept the incoming attacks. Clang! Clang! Clang! A rapid series of metallic clashes rang out. The Chihun Sword darted like lightning, holding off both opposing magic treasures single-handedly in mid-air. It even seemed to possess some reserve power, moving with relative ease.
"Too weak…" Lin Feng thought dismissively. He had to admit, after numerous clashes with Nascent Soul cultivators, facing Golden Core opponents held little challenge. The speed at which these two controlled their magic treasures seemed painfully slow to him.
The three magic treasures collided over a dozen times in mere seconds. Seeing the purple-robed leader regaining his breath and preparing to attack again, Lin Feng's eyes flashed. His left hand shot out, fingers curling as if grasping empty air.
Hum… Blue light shimmered around him. Illusory waves of water materialized in the void. Beneath the three men, the sea surface churned violently. Five towering water pillars erupted skyward like aquatic dragons ascending, hurtling towards the trio!
This was the most potent water-element spell Lin Feng had mastered: Water Dragon Strangulation Technique!
"Watch out!!" the purple-robed leader yelled in alarm. The three men scattered in panic. The yellow-robed cultivator, with the lowest cultivation, reacted a fraction slower. One of the water dragons struck him squarely. He grunted in pain and was sent flying backward.
"Impossible… Impossible!! Just who are you?!" The purple-robed leader's heart churned with disbelief and terror. He simply couldn't accept that a Golden Core cultivator could simultaneously control a flying sword to fight two opponents and unleash such a powerful spell. This was far beyond the capabilities of any ordinary Golden Core cultivator!
BOOM!! Another thunderclap resounded from the island ahead. The tribulation was on the verge of completion. Desperation surged within the purple-robed man. He gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand and released a magic treasure he had originally prepared to deal with the island's tribulator.
"Fall back!!" he roared, warning his companions as the treasure shot forth. A sphere of golden light, the size of a football, streaked out. It smashed through the remaining two water dragons effortlessly and reached Lin Feng in the blink of an eye. Clang! It struck the hovering Chihun Flying Sword, sending it spinning away. The golden light halted mid-air, revealing its true form—a small, intricately carved golden gourd.
The instant it manifested, the gourd gave a slight tremble. From its narrow spout, a jet of thick, inky black smoke suddenly erupted! It spread with terrifying speed, instantly engulfing a large swathe of the surrounding void.
"What is this?!" Lin Feng's gaze sharpened. The black smoke radiated an intensely unpleasant, corrosive aura. Seeing it rapidly billow towards him, he retreated while simultaneously sending the recalled Chihun Sword streaking forward, aiming to strike the golden gourd, the source of the smoke.
Zheng… To Lin Feng's utter shock, the moment the Chihun Sword touched the edge of the black smoke, it emitted a mournful hum! Although the fire spiritual energy imbued within the sword immediately dispersed some of the smoke around it, Lin Feng distinctly felt the sword's spiritual essence rapidly diminishing, as if being corroded! Horrified, he urgently summoned the sword back to his side.
"DIE!!" Simultaneously, the purple-robed cultivator's eyes blazed with murderous triumph. He rapidly formed another hand seal. The black smoke, now covering an area of twenty to thirty meters, suddenly churned violently. It writhed as if alive, transforming into a vast, net-like formation! In an instant, it flew directly above Lin Feng and descended like a shroud, threatening to engulf him completely!