Outside the gates of the Profound Ice Palace, dozens of cultivators clad in Purple Flames Sect attire gathered. At their forefront stood a grey-haired old man in deep purple robes, radiating the formidable aura of the early Divine Transformation stage. His right hand was slowly retracting. On the open ground between him and the sect's imposing entrance, a scorched pit dozens of meters wide still smoldered, belching black smoke.
He had just summoned a bolt of thunderous magic, creating that massive disturbance. Naturally, it had roused almost the entire Profound Ice Palace. Streaks of light swiftly descended from the palace complex above. Within moments, seven or eight cultivators materialized before the towering gates. These were the senior elders who had been in the main hall earlier. Behind them, a flood of Profound Ice Palace disciples poured out, taking up defensive positions.
The Profound Ice Palace members had initially braced for a full-scale assault by the Purple Flames Sect. However, the number of adversaries visible was far fewer than expected. Seeing the purple-robed elder leading them, the brows of the Profound Ice Palace elders furrowed in suspicion. Zhang Yue, the Grand Elder of the Profound Ice Palace (the long-bearded elder who had sat in the first seat on the left during the council), stepped forward, his eyes flashing coldly.
"Sun Lutu! What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded with a sharp snort.
The purple-robed elder, Sun Lutu, showed not the slightest hint of retreat despite the large force arrayed before him. Facing Zhang Yue, whose cultivation surpassed his own, he merely curled his lip slightly, his tone icy.
"No need for such a grand display. Rest assured, I haven't come to wage war... I've come seeking someone."
Zhang Yue frowned, but before he could question further, Sun Lutu spoke again, his voice cold and cutting.
"The one who injured Elder Chi of my sect... he's inside your Profound Ice Palace, isn't he? I am here for him!"
With a wave of his hand, several disciples from behind him helped forward a pale-faced middle-aged man. It was indeed the man Lin Feng had injured earlier.
Zhang Yue glanced at the injured cultivator, a flicker of understanding passing through his eyes, though his expression remained impassive. He sneered coldly.
"I have no idea whom you're referring to. Your man suffered a defeat due to his own lack of skill, and now you come to the gates of my Profound Ice Palace to... lodge a complaint? How utterly laughable!"
Sun Lutu snorted derisively. "Don't play dumb! Our people saw him enter your palace with their own eyes!! I know he isn't one of yours. I advise you to hand him over. Otherwise... don't blame us if we have to go in and take him by force!"
In truth, the Purple Flames Sect members hadn't actually witnessed Lin Feng entering with their own eyes, but the conclusion was obvious. They were merely seizing an opportunity to create trouble, and their bluster needed to be convincing.
"Such arrogance!" Zhang Yue mocked. "You dare boast about forcing your way into my Profound Ice Palace? With just you? Don't overestimate yourself! At least wait until Cheng Beikong arrives before spouting such nonsense!"
Sun Lutu retorted, unwilling to back down. "Oh? So you admit he is within your walls? That man injured a member of my Purple Flames Sect. This is a grievance between him and us. If your Profound Ice Palace dares to shield him, then don't blame my sect for—"
"I was the one who injured him. What do you intend to do about it?"
A calm, detached voice abruptly cut Sun Lutu off mid-sentence. Everyone present started, turning towards the source. Two figures shot towards them from deep within the Profound Ice Palace complex. Before the echo of the words faded, they had already landed beside Zhang Yue.
"Sect Master!!"
The Profound Ice Palace members bowed respectfully upon recognizing Bai Honglin. Their eyes then shifted to Lin Feng beside him, filled with shock and doubt.
Seeing Bai Honglin, a flicker of fear passed through Sun Lutu's eyes, though his expression remained stoic. As his gaze settled on Lin Feng, a voice spoke up from behind him.
"Elder Sun, that's the one!"
"Hmm?" Sun Lutu couldn't help but be momentarily taken aback. This deviated from his expectations. He had assumed Lin Feng would be cowering inside the palace, too afraid to show his face. Not only had he emerged, but his opening words had been brazenly arrogant. Sun Lutu fixed Lin Feng with a glare and sneered, "Good! Since you admit it, surrender yourself quietly and come with me! Otherwise... don't blame me for being unpleasant!"
Opposite him, before anyone else could react or speak, Lin Feng suddenly tapped his foot against the ground. He shot forward without warning, his voice cold as death as he spoke simultaneously.
"Capture me? With just YOU?!"
As the words left his lips, an intense, murderous aura exploded from his body. The full pressure of his Nascent Soul stage, third layer cultivation erupted. His right hand swept outwards. With a sharp shing!, the Crimson Soul Flying Sword shrieked through the air, aiming directly for Sun Lutu's heart!
This sudden, violent attack caught everyone present completely off guard. A split second of stunned silence gripped the onlookers. Sun Lutu, as the target, was the first to react. The sheer audacity of a mere Nascent Soul cultivator daring to disregard a Divine Transformation expert like this ignited both shock and fury within him. Killing intent blazed in his eyes.
"Seeking death!!" he roared with a savage grin.
Boom!
Purple light flared around Sun Lutu as an aura vastly more powerful than Lin Feng's erupted. Without any visible movement, purple light coalesced before him, materializing into a violet flying sword. It shot forward to meet the incoming Crimson Soul sword without a hint of hesitation.
Clang!!!
A crisp metallic clang rang out, sparks flying as the two flying swords collided violently mid-air between the combatants. Both weapons rebounded away from the point of impact.
However, though the swords were of comparable grade, the cultivators wielding them were worlds apart in power. While the Crimson Soul sword was still tumbling away from the recoil, the violet sword had already dissipated the opposing force. Its light flickered, and it shot back like purple lightning, streaking towards Lin Feng, who had followed his own sword's trajectory. It pierced through his chest in an instant!
"Ah!!" A collective gasp of shock escaped many bystanders. They hadn't expected Lin Feng to be dispatched so easily. However, Bai Honglin and a few other keen observers frowned sharply, their expressions shifting to surprise.
In the next heartbeat, those who hadn't grasped the truth saw it: the figure pierced by the violet sword showed no spurt of blood. Instead, it distorted slightly... then dissolved into a wisp of greenish light, vanishing completely!
Only then did they realize—the figure skewered had been nothing but an illusion!
Where was the real body?!
As this question flashed through many minds, Sun Lutu was already looking upwards, a sneer curling his lips.
"Parlor tricks!" he scoffed contemptuously.
Even as he spoke, he tapped his foot and shot upwards like a rocket. His right hand formed a claw, purple lightning erupting violently along his arm. In an instant, a massive Purple Thunder Dragon Claw, larger than Sun Lutu himself, materialized! It lunged forward, aiming to shred the figure now hovering in the air above—Lin Feng!
To the onlookers, Lin Feng, appearing suddenly in the sky, seemed to have no chance to evade. Sun Lutu's Thunder Dragon Claw closed around him... and tore him apart!
Yet, the moment his claw seemed to connect, Sun Lutu's expression twisted violently. Horror flashed in his eyes. He realized... what he had just torn apart... was another illusion!
Hmmmmm…
In that instant of Sun Lutu's stunned realization, the air around him vibrated violently with a deep hum. A cascade of sapphire blue light poured down upon him from above.
His head snapped up in terror. Directly above him, a ten-meter-wide crescent moon, blazing with cold blue energy, had materialized out of nothingness! He was now bathed in its relentless, cascading moonlight!
"NO!!" Sun Lutu's pupils contracted violently. Instinct screamed danger. He desperately tried to retreat!
But the thought had barely formed when a crushing weight slammed into his mind, like a giant hammer blow. His consciousness blurred instantly!
Swish!!!
In that split second of Sun Lutu's mental disorientation and physical freeze, a streak of crimson-silver sword light erupted from the ground below at a sharp angle! It reached him in the blink of an eye!
Shhhk!!!
The sound of tearing cloth ripped through the air!
The sword light flashed past.
A spray of crimson blood erupted into the sky!