The sudden turn of events left Feng Hao at a loss. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a high-level battle.
Golden light flowed around the middle-aged Steward Zhang as his Gang Qi transformed into a flurry of sharp blades. They shot out in graceful, wavering arcs toward West Moon Ridge. Fortunately, the attack speed of these Gang Qi blades was no match for true Sword Qi, and she easily parried them with a swing of her sword.
The elegant black cat, meanwhile, did not join the battle. It simply patrolled quietly around Xi Yueyao, protecting the girl's safety.
"Go, Auntie! Beat him to a pulp!" Xi Yueyao, ever the troublemaker and still fuming, naturally wasn't going to stay quiet.
The black cat at her side also let out a few meows as if to cheer her on.
Feng Hao chuckled in spite of himself and watched the battle outside the hall intently. With his current level of perception, he could already discern both of their cultivation paths.
'Steward Zhang from the War and Magic Alliance must be one of those legendary Mages who cultivates Gang Qi. Gang Qi itself only possesses defensive capabilities, but that changes after the evolution of one's bone and sinew roots. One gains three abilities: projecting Gang Qi, dealing Gang Qi damage, and gaining Gang Qi damage immunity.'
'In other words, Gang Qi Mages only gain combat capabilities after their bone and sinew roots undergo a 300-base evolution. Before that, they can only function as Defense Mages or support Mages.'
'Many Defense Mages switch to the Gang Qi path in the mid-to-late stages. Of course, the prerequisite is having the right aptitude for it. Otherwise, they're stuck being a Defense Mage for life.'
'As for West Moon Ridge, she should be on the Power Path. An aqua-blue longsword moved with divine skill in her hands, blossoming with ice flowers. It was clearly the same Secret Technique that Xiyue Frost had used when hunting him and Lin Luo—the chilling air was oppressive, the display brilliant and extraordinary.'
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The power gap between them wasn't large, and the fight was a back-and-forth exchange. However, Power-type Mages clearly had an advantage against Gang Qi Mages. After all, Gang Qi was ultimately just magical resistance; only by evolving Gang Qi damage immunity could one gain all-around resistance.
"As expected of a genius who has completed her Root-Seeking. You've got some skill!" Steward Zhang stared at West Moon Ridge, his eyes full of profound meaning.
"That turtle shell of yours is quite impressive too, Steward Zhang," West Moon Ridge said, her gaze playful as her lips curled into a smile. "I wonder if you'll still be able to block my attacks after I activate my racial talent?"
"Hmph! So what if it's a racial talent?" Steward Zhang snorted confidently.
West Moon Ridge smiled contemptuously as a piercingly cold aura erupted from her body. Her presence instantly rose to another level. Wherever the light of her sword passed, the world froze over inch by inch, as if space itself were being sealed in ice.
Steward Zhang's expression changed drastically. He hastily raised a three-layered golden Gang Qi shield, transformed his right hand into a golden beast's claw, and lunged forward, hoping to gain the upper hand by striking first.
But the moment he entered the range of the chilling aura, all his attacks and movements slowed, and his body was instantly coated in a layer of frost.
"Steward Zhang, how does my Ice Domain feel?" West Moon Ridge asked with a teasing smile.
"Damn it!" Steward Zhang's expression was grim as he struggled to resist the frost's control. But the bone-chilling cold had already seeped into his body, making him feel as if he were trapped in a quagmire. Even his life force showed signs of fading.
The spectators all gasped in amazement, especially the members of the Beixing Clan, whose faces turned ashen.
"West Moon Ridge's Ice Domain is even more terrifying than it was all those years ago!" the Beixing Clan's Grand Elder said, shaking his head wistfully.
"Indeed. I fear that even if all of us attacked together, we would be completely suppressed until we were killed."
Beixing Kuang's eyelids drooped, a deep sorrow in his gaze. As he recalled that stunningly talented and beautiful figure from years past, an endless bitterness welled up in his heart.
Feng Hao and Miao Feng were also rendered speechless with shock. A large-scale, crowd-control domain talent like this was a nightmare for all melee Mages. Just getting close meant being suppressed, causing one's combat effectiveness to drop by at least thirty percent.
'This racial talent is fucking insane!' Feng Hao's heart pounded wildly.
'My own Black Pupils ability isn't bad, but in terms of practicality, it can't compare to the Ice Domain. Of course, that's without taking its grafting ability into account.'
'If I factored in the grafting ability, then no matter how badass a racial talent was, it wouldn't even be worthy of shining the shoes of my Black Pupils.'
"Hm?"
Just as the two were completely focused on the battle, they suddenly felt a light tap on their shoulders. They instinctively turned to see a shifty-looking young man crouching behind them. Despite so many people being present, no one had noticed his arrival.
"Big Bro?!" Feng Hao exclaimed softly, his eyes filled with surprise and delight.
Miao Feng's eyes widened in disbelief. He stole a glance at Beixing Kuang and the others not far away and saw that, incredibly, none of them had noticed a thing.
Lin Luo put a finger to his lips, signaling for them to stay silent. Then, he spread his arms, tucked one of them under each arm, and vanished from the spot like a phantom.
When they reappeared, they were outside the courtyard. "Little Bro, you guys stay here. I'm gonna go slaughter those two idiots!"
"Wait, Big Bro! That woman, West Moon Ridge, she's on our side," Feng Hao hastily called out.
"Isn't West Moon Ridge an envoy from the Holy Hall? When did she become one of us?" Lin Luo, dressed all in black, turned back in surprise.
Feng Hao clicked his tongue. "It's a long story. Anyway, just don't fight her, Big Bro."
"Fine. I'll let her live, then," Lin Luo readily agreed.
With that, he turned into a black shadow and slipped back into the courtyard.
It took Miao Feng a long moment to snap out of it. He stammered, "Master, that's... that's Big Bro? He's so powerful!"
Feng Hao was equally amazed. 'As expected of a professional thief. To go unnoticed right under the noses of so many experts... how advanced must his presence-concealing technique be?'
"What 'Big Bro'? Is that what you should be calling him? From now on, call him Martial Uncle!" Feng Hao teased.
"Right, right." Miao Feng smiled sheepishly, quickly catching on.
"Come on, let's go find Yao Girl." Feng Hao had no intention of missing the high-level battle inside the courtyard and was eager to get back to spectating.
Miao Feng said worriedly, "Master, it's too dangerous!"
"It's fine. Your Martial Uncle only moved us because he was worried about facing two opponents at once. Now there's only one enemy left, and he has Yao Girl's aunt helping him. It'll be perfectly safe," Feng Hao said with a grin. "Besides, Yao Girl is in there and she's perfectly fine, isn't she?"
"But..." Miao Feng was still worried.
"Geez, how did I end up with such a wimpy disciple? Enough nonsense, let's go!" Feng Hao shook his head in resignation and, ignoring Miao Feng's hesitation, dragged him back toward the courtyard.
The battle in the courtyard had reached a fever pitch. Although West Moon Ridge had the upper hand thanks to her racial talent, Steward Zhang was, after all, an expert from the War and Magic Alliance. With an endless supply of advanced Secret Techniques and his own defensive advantages, he had managed to hold on until now.
"Meeeoow~!"
The moment Feng Hao and Miao Feng entered the courtyard, they were spotted by the elegant black cat, which stared at them with a ferocious glint in its eyes.
Xi Yueyao was busy cheering at the top of her lungs. When she saw Feng Hao and Miao Feng, she was startled. "Huh? How did you two get out?"
"Yao Girl, get this cat under control!" Feng Hao said, looking exasperated as he pointed at the black cat.
"Oh." Only then did Xi Yueyao notice the cat baring its fangs at the two of them. She hurried over to soothe it, "Be good, Miaomiao. They're my friends."
"Purrrr~!" The black cat quickly calmed down and elegantly retreated to the side to resume its patrol.
"Quick, tell me how you got out!" Xi Yueyao asked, her face full of curiosity as she blinked her big eyes.
Feng Hao kept his eyes fixed on the battle and answered vaguely, "Someone rescued us, of course."
"How come I didn't notice anything?" Xi Yueyao asked, confused.
"So many experts didn't notice. It'd be weirder if you did," Feng Hao retorted with a pout.
"That's true!" Xi Yueyao nodded thoughtfully and began to chew on her finger, lost in thought.
At this moment, the sudden reappearance of Feng Hao and Miao Feng finally caught everyone's attention. The experts from the Beixing Clan stared as if they had seen a ghost, looking from Feng Hao back to the empty space where they'd been standing. They were all completely baffled.
The two combatants were also deeply shocked. With their power and experience, they instantly realized that someone else was lurking in the courtyard—and this person's strength was by no means inferior to their own.
West Moon Ridge wasn't too concerned; from her perspective, the newcomer likely bore no ill will.
It was a different story for Steward Zhang, however. He didn't need to be a genius to know that the mysterious Alchemist was behind this. The memory of the experts from the other major powers being slaughtered flashed through his mind, and the shadow of death and fear instantly fell over him.
"Damn it, how did this happen?!" Steward Zhang's face turned livid. He wished he could rush over and capture Feng Hao and the other man that very instant.
Unfortunately, he was completely tied down by West Moon Ridge and couldn't spare a moment.
"Hee hee hee... It looks like today is the day you fall, Steward Zhang!" West Moon Ridge's laughter was ethereal, and shrouded by the boundless, hazy mist of cold, she looked particularly captivating.
Steward Zhang gritted his teeth. "I am an Elder of the War and Magic Alliance! You wouldn't actually dare to kill me, would you?"
"Since we both belong to the Five Great Factions, I naturally wouldn't dare kill you so casually. However, that expert hiding in the shadows is probably quite interested in taking your life," West Moon Ridge said, a playful glint in her eyes.
Steward Zhang's expression wavered. In this life-or-death moment, he had no choice but to swallow his pride. "Xiyue Envoy, our factions have no quarrel with each other. How about you let me leave today?"
"Begging for mercy, are we?" West Moon Ridge naturally knew what he was thinking. 'His only chance of survival is a swift escape.' "But I haven't had my fill of fighting yet!"
"You..." Steward Zhang's face darkened, and he was so furious he felt like his lungs would explode. He wanted to flee, but he was relentlessly entangled by West Moon Ridge. "Bitch! The War and Magic Alliance will never forgive this!"
"Heh. You should worry about making it back alive before you say that," West Moon Ridge sneered, her attacks growing even more ferocious.
"AHHH—!"
Steward Zhang roared and began to fight back with frantic desperation. Countless blasts of golden Gang Qi erupted outwards, and the terrifying shockwaves nearly destroyed the entire courtyard.
The experts from the Beixing Clan hastily joined forces to defend against the shockwaves. Meanwhile, Feng Hao and Xi Yueyao had the black cat standing guard in front of them, so the waves of energy washed past without causing any harm.
"Damn, this cat is pretty amazing!" Feng Hao marveled from behind its back.
Xi Yueyao said smugly, "Of course! My Miaomiao is incredible!"
"Meow~!" The cat seemed to understand their conversation and let out a meow in response.
Meanwhile, Steward Zhang, pushed to the brink, unleashed terrifying combat power, and West Moon Ridge began to struggle to keep him contained.
PFFT!
Just as West Moon Ridge was beginning to struggle, Steward Zhang's wildly attacking figure suddenly froze. A dagger had silently sliced across his throat. As blood sprayed from the wound, his body went limp and collapsed to the ground.
As Steward Zhang fell, Lin Luo appeared in his black robes, exuding a cold, murderous aura.
The entire area fell silent.
There was only the sound of blood slowly dripping from the dagger, each drop echoing in the hearts of all who watched...