"THUD! THUD!!"
Lin Feng and An Xiyue slammed into the ground, kicking up plumes of dust. Their Golden Core cultivation spared them the fatal injuries an ordinary person would have suffered. Yet even so, Lin Feng—still bound by the mysterious force—crashed face-first, his vision swimming with stars as disorientation washed over him.
"Chirp…"
A weak sound came from beneath him. Xiaoqiu! Panic jolted him awake. The little creature had been tucked in his robe when he fell. Scrambling with agonizing effort, he managed to flip onto his back, relief flooding him as he realized his limbs were free again, though every movement sent fire through his muscles.
Peering down, he saw Xiaoqiu's head peeking out, gasping but unharmed. Gritting his teeth, Lin Feng propped himself against a nearby pillar and scanned the ruins. Dread coiled in his gut—What just happened?
"Hehehe… So it's just two Golden Core ants…"
A voice like grinding gravel echoed from the right. A chilling wind swept through the roofless hall as the speaker's aura—the same force that had dragged them down—pressed against Lin Feng's senses. "Gu Lengyue, it seems your hope is dashed. HAHAHA!!"
Lin Feng's gaze snapped toward the shadows. A hunched figure lurked there, skeletal and frail, draped in tangled hair that half-covered his face. But his eyes—two pinpricks of ghostly green light—burned with malevolent intensity.
The aura radiating from him was terrifying. Not as overwhelming as Yin Wuyá's Mahayana-stage presence, but far stronger than Sui Lu's Divine Transformation power.
Void Tempering? Or… Body Unity?!
Lin Feng's heart plummeted. Stay calm! he commanded himself, though fear clawed at his resolve.
"Hmph! Phantom Wind old thief, drop the act!"
A voice from the left cut through his panic. Lin Feng whipped his head around, hope flaring. Another ancient figure lay there—face gaunt, hair white as frost—far more battered than the first. He half-crawled on his right arm, a pool of blood staining the ground before him. Though he looked moments from death, his aura matched the green-eyed man's in potency.
"Child… Are you descendants of my Blue Moon Sect?"
The left elder's voice softened briefly, warmth flickering in his eyes before hardening into icy venom. "The man opposite is Phantom Wind, the vermin who destroyed our sect! He's spent! Kill him! NOW!"
Lin Feng's face remained impassive, but his mind raced. Gu Lengyue—An Xiyue had named him as the lost sect leader. Phantom Wind—Feng Liefeng, the "Phantom Wind True Person" who led the sect's annihilation. Both were Void Tempering cultivators!
They're alive?! After three thousand years in these ruins?!
The situation crystallized: Two legends lingered at death's door, weaker than even him. Gu Lengyue seemed an ally; Feng Liefeng, the enemy.
At their peak, a breath could erase me. If they recover even slightly… I have to strike first.
Lin Feng's eyes darted, a plan forming. He spotted An Xiyue unconscious nearby—no help there. Then he turned to Feng Liefeng…
And froze.
The green-eyed elder was staring back, murder blazing in his gaze.
"Hehehe… You think ants like you can kill me?! DIE!!"
With a snarl, Feng Liefeng snapped upright. All frailty vanished. His aura exploded, eyes blazing like twin suns as his right hand lashed out—a streak of green light screamed toward Lin Feng's heart!
So much for 'spent'! Lin Feng cursed Gu Lengyue's miscalculation. Teeth clenched, raw desperation ignited in his own eyes. He flung his right hand forward—
A blade drenched in bloodlight tore through the air.
Against a Void Tempering strike, half-measures meant death. Neither his flames nor flying sword would suffice. Only one weapon answered:
The Blood Demon Blade.
Crimson radiance flooded the hall, illuminating both elders' shocked faces. As Lin Feng drew it, a feral red glint flashed in his own pupils.
"SHIIINK!!"
The blade met the green light mid-air. Space itself rippled like water. The Blood Demon Blade slowed, sheathed in emerald energy—then punched through like a shark breaching waves. Stripped of its bloody glow but still lethal, it shot toward Feng Liefeng's chest!
"WHAT?!"
Feng Liefeng's eyes bulged, disbelief freezing him for a fatal heartbeat. As he tried to dodge, an invisible force clamped down—
"YOU—!!"
He spat the word at Gu Lengyue, betrayal and rage twisting his features. Before he could utter more, a soft thud echoed.
The blade struck true.
"AAARGH!!!"
Feng Liefeng's scream curdled the air. Terror deeper than death seized him—then extinguished. His body withered like rotten fruit, skin collapsing into parchment, until only a desiccated corpse remained.
...
Slumped against the pillar, Lin Feng gasped, face bloodless, sweat drenching his robes. A shaky smile touched his lips. Alive…
"BEHIND YOU!!"
Gu Lengyue's warning ripped through his relief.
Lin Feng's head jerked up—
A blur of gray lunged from Feng Liefeng's corpse, streaking toward his throat!