"Blue Moon Soul Shackles!!"
As Lin Feng unleashed this technique, Qin Huangtian, bathed in the blue moonlight, had yet to react. But An Xiyue, watching from the ground below, gasped in disbelief.
Her shock, and her immediate recognition of this art, stemmed from its legendary status. It was the strongest secret art of the Blue Moon Sect, a rare Heaven-rank Art, and specifically one targeting the soul! She had only heard her father speak of it in hushed tones. To witness it now, performed by Lin Feng, sent her mind reeling. She couldn't fathom how Lin Feng possessed such a technique.
How could she know that Lin Feng had absorbed the bulk of Gu Lengyue's memories? No one alive understood the Blue Moon Soul Shackles better than he did now; it felt as ingrained as if he had practiced it for millennia. Though this was his first actual casting, it was executed with surprising proficiency.
Only Lin Feng himself knew the truth: the power he manifested was less than a tenth of the art's true potential...
Yet, even that fraction proved potent against Qin Huangtian, a "mere" Nascent Soul cultivator. The instant the blue moonlight touched him, his movements froze mid-action. An expression of utter horror began to crawl across his face – agonizingly slow, as if time itself had stretched out by a factor of dozens.
As the name Blue Moon Soul Shackles implied, this art was designed to imprison the soul. Though Lin Feng's weakened version couldn't achieve true imprisonment, it succeeded in slowing Qin Huangtian's soul reaction speed by several dozen times. Caught off guard, Qin Huangtian found breaking free far from instantaneous.
Seizing the fleeting advantage, Lin Feng didn't pause for even a heartbeat. Seeing his opponent ensnared, fierce elation surged through him. Disregarding the massive drain on his true essence, he acted instantly. "Shiiing!" The Crimson Soul Flying Sword shot from above his head like a streak of light. Simultaneously, fire erupted from his hand. A ball of flame flew outwards and exploded violently mid-air, coalescing into a deep crimson net of fire, dozens of meters wide. This fiery net followed the flying sword, sweeping down to engulf the immobilized Qin Huangtian.
The scene eerily mirrored Qin Huangtian's earlier attack against him.
Qin Huangtian knew the deadly potential of both the Crimson Soul Flying Sword and the Strange Fire Net. Seeing them bear down upon him, stark terror flashed in his eyes. With a guttural, animalistic roar, he channeled every shred of his true essence in a violent eruption. He forced himself to break the shackles of the blue moonlight! CLANG! Just as the Crimson Soul Flying Sword reached him, he kicked the flying sword beneath his feet. It shot forward, trembling violently, and collided with Lin Feng's sword in a shower of sparks. Qin Huangtian himself began retreating frantically. Realizing escape from the rapidly descending fire net was impossible, he summoned another desperate surge of true essence. With a sweeping gesture, he sent the Vajra Pestle hovering above him crashing into the net. CRACKLE! BOOM! The pestle, blazing with blinding golden light like a colossal drill bit, slammed into the Strange Fire Net. Against all odds, it ripped a ragged hole through the fiery barrier! Qin Huangtian dove through the gap, shielded by the pestle, emerging on the other side – scorched and visibly shaken.
"Pfft!!"
The moment he was clear, blood spurted uncontrollably from Qin Huangtian's mouth. Shock and fury warred in his eyes. He hadn't imagined that he, the seasoned ninth-level Nascent Soul expert, would be the first wounded in this clash, and so swiftly.
"Blue Moon Soul Shackles!!" He spat the words through bloodied teeth, shoving two healing pills into his mouth. His knowledge of the Blue Moon Sect was evidently deep; he recognized the art. And that recognition only amplified his terror. How? How could Lin Feng possibly wield this lost secret?
"Wait!" A sudden, chilling thought struck him. "That phantom technique he used earlier... could it be...?" He recalled the legends surrounding one of the leaders of the assault on the Blue Moon Sect – the Void Refinement master known as 'Phantom Wind True Person'. His signature technique was called...
As this horrifying possibility formed in Qin Huangtian's mind, his pupils contracted violently. His gaze snapped forward. Dozens of figures had appeared out of nowhere, forming a semi-circle and charging towards him! Each one was an identical, flawless copy of Lin Feng!
"Phantom Wind Thousand Shadows Art!!" The name tore from Qin Huangtian's lips. His inner turmoil was now sheer, unadulterated dread. He was almost certain now. Lin Feng had used the legendary signature technique of the Phantom Wind True Person! Not only the Blue Moon Sect's forbidden art but also the Phantom Wind True Person's ultimate skill?! What in the heavens was happening?!
Adding another layer to his shock was the sheer number: Lin Feng's phantom clones this time were clearly twice as many as before! What did that signify? Was he unfamiliar with it the first time, and now more proficient? Could it be... he had just learned it?!
The implications sent waves of panic crashing through Qin Huangtian, eroding his composure. His eyes flickered with dark calculation, then hardened into a pitiless resolve. A monumental decision seemed to crystallize within him.
"Hmmmm..." A deep, resonant hum vibrated from Qin Huangtian's body as his expression changed. Intense golden light burst from his pores. The fluctuations of true essence within him became chaotic, unprecedented in their violence.
"Insolent whelp! So what if you've learned Heaven-rank Arts?! DIE!!"
Qin Huangtian's face contorted into a mask of fury as his hands flew through a complex, esoteric seal. The golden light radiating from him reached its zenith. With a final, forceful thrust, he unleashed the seal!
For an instant, Qin Huangtian transformed into a miniature golden sun. Blinding radiance filled the air. Within the glare, the faint outline of a solemn Buddha figure seemed to materialize, mirroring Qin Huangtian's sealing gesture. The phantom vanished as quickly as it appeared, but the effect of its palm strike lingered. A visible ripple distorted the very fabric of space! WHOOSH! All the surrounding golden light contracted violently, converging onto a single point before Qin Huangtian. It solidified into a colossal golden seal – a radiant, ten-zhang-wide swastika!
The seal hung suspended before him, pulsating with power. It didn't move, but beams of light lanced out from it, each one seeming to possess a will of its own. They targeted the charging clones with unerring precision.
The effect was immediate and devastating. Fizz... Hiss... Like snowflakes under a scorching desert sun, the dozen-plus clones began to dissolve the instant the golden Buddha light touched them. They evaporated into wisps of smoke and scattered light. Within a single, horrifying blink, only one figure remained – Lin Feng's true self!
"AAAGH!!!"
A scream of agony ripped from Lin Feng's throat. It felt like his entire body was ablaze, searing pain threatening to incinerate him on the spot. The terrifying sensation of imminent dissolution washed over him. He poured every ounce of his true essence into resisting the corrosive Buddha light, scrambling backwards in a frantic retreat.
The momentary advantage gained by the Blue Moon Soul Shackles had swelled Lin Feng's confidence, spurring him to press the attack. Now, he was reeling from a devastating counterblow.
"Heaven-rank Art!!" The realization screamed in Lin Feng's mind even as he fled. He was certain! Qin Huangtian had countered with a Heaven-rank Art of his own! Foolish! He'd been overconfident, thinking his own Heaven-rank art guaranteed victory, forgetting his enemy might possess an equally terrifying trump card!
Yet, Lin Feng noted grimly, the power Qin Huangtian manifested also seemed diminished, falling short of a Heaven-rank Art's full potential. Had it been unleashed at full strength, Lin Feng would have been utterly obliterated like his clones, with no chance for retreat. This observation offered a sliver of hope: Qin Huangtian likely hadn't mastered this art either. A small mercy amidst disaster.
"DIE!!"
Seeing Lin Feng bloodied and fleeing, Qin Huangtian's lips curled into a vicious sneer. He thrust a finger forward. Golden light flashed at his side as the Vajra Pestle shot forth like a golden javelin. It pierced straight through the now-diminished swastika(卐) seal, streaking towards Lin Feng's retreating back!