"Whoom…"
The deep thrum of displaced air reached Lin Feng's ears. The Vajra Pestle shot towards him with deadly intent, leaving a trail of distorted, transparent ripples in its wake. Its aura screamed of relentless, murderous purpose.
Lin Feng's face was deathly pale, blood frothing at his lips. His initial instinct was to dodge with everything he had. But a swift glance at Qin Huangtian's condition across the sky instantly changed his mind. Gritting his teeth, a fierce light flashed in his eyes. He halted his retreat abruptly. His right hand swept to his waist. Simultaneously, he twisted his body forcefully mid-air, gathering momentum. With a savage jerk of his wrist, he hurled something forward!
"Shhhk!!"
A streak of sinister crimson light erupted from Lin Feng's hand. A scarlet dagger sliced through the air!
The Blood Fiend Dagger!!
When Lin Feng had been startled from his cultivation earlier by Qin Huangtian's arrival, he'd found the Blood Fiend Dagger lying beside him. This contradicted his memory of it being embedded in Feng Liefeng's body. But there had been no time to ponder that mystery then; he had simply snatched it up and concealed it at his waist. Though he loathed the thought of using it, a cold logic prevailed: to eliminate a powerful enemy like Qin Huangtian, this cursed blade might be his only true hope.
Now wasn't the ideal moment he'd envisioned, but it was an opportunity to strike. If he didn't gamble now, another chance might never come. His trump cards were nearly exhausted, he was injured, and in a prolonged fight, Qin Huangtian's superior cultivation and deeper reserves of true essence would inevitably crush him.
...
Faster than thought, the Blood Fiend Dagger, trailing a wave of overwhelming blood-light, shot forth. In the blink of an eye, it met the oncoming Vajra Pestle mid-air. Yet, whether by design or miscalculation, the two artifacts didn't collide head-on. Instead, they scraped past each other with a hair's breadth separation. SCREEEECH! An ear-splitting shriek of metal-on-metal tore through the air. The brief, violent contact knocked both weapons slightly off course before they continued towards their targets.
"What is that?!"
On the other side, Qin Huangtian was stunned. Lin Feng had abandoned evasion, launching what seemed like a suicidal, mutually destructive attack! Moreover, the eerie, terrifying aura radiating from that scarlet dagger sent shivers through his very soul. He recalled vague rumors about Lin Feng mentioning such a weapon – tales claiming it had once 'scared off' a Nascent Soul expert from the Corpse Yin Sect! At the time, he'd scoffed internally, dismissing it as wild exaggeration. Now, witnessing it firsthand, he knew the rumors held truth. An uncontrollable urge to flee surged within him.
He felt he wasn't facing just a dagger, but an ocean of blood and mountains of corpses. The sheer, indescribable aura of slaughter it emitted chilled him to the bone, despite his own bloody past.
"HAAAH!!!" Qin Huangtian roared in panic, trying desperately to dodge. But his condition was dire. Forcibly breaking the Blue Moon Soul Shackles had already severely wounded his soul. Then, recklessly unleashing a Heaven-rank Art had worsened his injuries. Finally, expending nearly all his remaining true essence to control the Vajra Pestle for the killing blow had left him utterly drained. This was his moment of greatest weakness. His reactions and movements were sluggish beyond measure – slowed by countless times compared to his peak. This was precisely the vulnerability Lin Feng had spotted, prompting him to play his ultimate, dreaded card.
The Blood Fiend Dagger's trajectory had originally been aimed straight at Qin Huangtian's heart. The glancing blow with the Vajra Pestle had deflected it downwards towards his abdomen – no longer a guaranteed kill. And though Qin Huangtian was weakened, his desperate lunge managed to twist his body further, shifting the target from his abdomen to his right leg.
A leg wound… That was survivable. Manageable even…
This thought flashed through Qin Huangtian's mind, especially as he saw Lin Feng's reaction was even slower than his own. He watched triumphantly as his Vajra Pestle slammed squarely into Lin Feng's abdomen! He knew the destructive power of his artifact intimately. He was certain: even if it didn't pierce clean through, the damage would be catastrophic. Compared to his own leg injury, Lin Feng's wound would be devastatingly worse. Loss of combat capability was almost guaranteed. Finishing him off afterwards would be simple.
In the next instant, Qin Huangtian saw Lin Feng struck by the Pestle, blood erupting from his mouth as he was sent flying backwards. A smile of victory began to form in Qin Huangtian's eyes. It was then he felt a sharp sting pierce his right thigh…
This was expected. But when he tried to reach down, pull the dagger from his leg, and circulate his energy to heal… he discovered reality was horrifyingly different from his expectations.
Forget healing! The moment the Blood Fiend Dagger struck, Qin Huangtian lost all chance to move. An icy, bone-deep power instantly flooded his entire body. All the blood within him surged wildly out of his control, rushing with terrifying speed towards his wounded thigh.
"AAAIIEEE!!!"
An agonized howl, filled with utter terror, ripped from Qin Huangtian's throat. A fraction of a second later, comprehension dawned. Realizing his physical body was beyond saving, he desperately tried to shed his Nascent Soul – his spiritual core – and flee. But he was too slow. He lacked Feng Liefeng's brutal reflexes. His Nascent Soul didn't even have a moment to struggle before it was wrenched free, sucked inexorably into the malevolent maw of the Blood Fiend Dagger…
...
The entire sequence, though complex, unfolded within mere breaths. To An Xiyue watching from the ground, it appeared as if both combatants in the sky had hurled an artifact. Each weapon struck its target. Then, both figures plummeted earthward.
The difference was stark. Lin Feng fell while coughing up torrents of blood. Qin Huangtian, however, fell after that single, horrific scream… and then there was only silence. His descent looked unnatural too – unnervingly light, almost fluttering down like a dry leaf.
An Xiyue's heart hammered against her ribs, suspended in a moment of paralyzing indecision. Which fallen figure demanded her attention first? Little Qi, however, held no such hesitation. Unconcerned with Qin Huangtian's fate, it let out a sharp cry of alarm and bolted towards where Lin Feng had crashed.
"..." An Xiyue hesitated only for a heartbeat. Then, clenching her jaw, she turned and sprinted towards the spot where Qin Huangtian had landed. It wasn't that she wasn't worried about Lin Feng; a chilling fear gripped her: if this was the critical moment to ensure the enemy was truly dead, and she missed it… allowing him to recover even slightly would spell doom for both her and Lin Feng.
Weaving through the ruins at speed, she reached Qin Huangtian's body after just a few leaps. Her spiritual sense swept over him first… and detected no aura of life. Her mind reeled. Stumbling closer, the sight that met her eyes froze her in place, rooted to the spot in stunned disbelief.
"Dead…? He's dead?!" The words escaped in a shocked whisper. She could barely reconcile the desiccated husk lying before her with the formidable Qin Huangtian.
"Qiu!!!"
A sharp, urgent cry from Little Qi echoed from behind her, snapping An Xiyue from her stupor. Her expression shifted, urgency overriding her shock at Qin Huangtian's demise. She cast one last, disbelieving glance at the withered corpse before turning and darting towards Lin Feng's location.
...
"Lin Feng! Are you alright?!"
The sight that greeted her sent a fresh wave of terror through An Xiyue. Lin Feng leaned against a large chunk of rubble, soaked in blood. In her panic, she forgot his alias entirely. She rushed to his side, grabbing his right hand without thinking, channeling her own true essence into him in a desperate attempt to stabilize him.
Little Qi hopped anxiously nearby, wanting to help but utterly powerless, scratching its head in frantic helplessness.
"Ungh…" After a moment, a low groan escaped Lin Feng's lips. He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood. His eyelids fluttered weakly, then opened, consciousness slowly returning.
"You're awake!!" Relief washed over An Xiyue. She quickly helped him sit up more comfortably against the rock.
Lin Feng's gaze was clear, his mind evidently lucid despite his injuries. He gave An Xiyue a faint nod. With considerable effort, he shifted into a cross-legged position. His voice was thin, strained. "Miss An, don't worry. I won't die. Let me focus on healing. Please… guard me."
"Mhm…" An Xiyue exhaled a long breath of relief. She obeyed, stepping back a few paces. "Concentrate on your recovery. I'll stand watch."
"Qiu!!" Without needing instruction, Little Qi bounded onto a large rock nearby. It raised a small paw towards Lin Feng and An Xiyue, signaling it would guard that flank.
Lin Feng managed a weak smile for the little creature. Then, closing his eyes, he turned his focus inward, summoning all his will to mend his battered body. Gradually, a soft, multicolored glow began to emanate from him, growing denser and more vibrant with each passing breath, eventually enveloping him completely in a shimmering cocoon of light…
...
"Vmmm…"
At that very moment, deep within the subterranean expanse, near the edge of the vast formation barrier sealing the space, the air rippled like disturbed water. A crack was forcibly torn open in the shimmering energy field. Two figures darted through the breach, vanishing into the ancient ruins.
This scene was not isolated. In other, distant parts of the enormous cavern, similar disturbances occurred. Ripples appeared in the ancient wards, tears forced open by powerful means. Figures, one after another, slipped through the breaches they created.
The Blue Moon Island, silent and undisturbed for three thousand years beneath the earth, had finally been breached. It was no longer alone. It had visitors.