Counter-Killing Snake Consort

Outside Black Wind Valley, on the edge of the Fiendish Wind.

Snake Consort hovered in the air, her dark green scales glinting with a cold, eerie light in the dim illumination.

Her expression was blank, but her vertical pupils were fixed on the continuously churning Black Whirlwind ahead. Her icy gaze seemed capable of piercing through the very fabric of heaven and earth, to drag out that brat who repeatedly defied her expectations and tear him to shreds.

"Two hours..." she muttered to herself, a hint of barely perceptible irritation in her voice.

For a Martial Artist to force their way into the core of the Fiendish Wind, they should have been torn to shreds and annihilated long ago. Yet, for some reason, the ominous premonition in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

"My Lady, that brat is definitely reduced to bones by now," the sole surviving guard ventured cautiously. "Should we..."

Before he could finish, the Black Whirlwind, which had been surging rhythmically, suddenly contracted inward. Then, as if torn apart by an invisible giant hand, a gap appeared!

A figure entwined with dark purple lightning, like a beast breaking free from its shackles, burst forth from the core of the Fiendish Wind with an aura far more violent and dangerous than before!

It was Lin Feng!

His clothes were completely shredded, leaving only a few rags to cover his vital areas, revealing a strong, bronze-hued physique with smooth lines.

His black hair whipped wildly, his eyes were as cold as millennia-old ice. The light dancing around him was no longer pure purple lightning, but a dark purple, lightning mixed with wisps of black energy, exuding a terrifying aura that intertwined destruction and deathly stillness!

"You... you're not dead?!" The guard's face turned ashen with terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

He couldn't comprehend how a Martial Artist could survive in the core of the Fiendish Wind, and moreover, it seemed... his strength had greatly improved?

Snake Consort's vertical pupils contracted into thin slits, her inner alarm bells ringing madly!

Lin Feng's current aura made her feel a distinct sense of threat!

This was no mere recovery from injury; it was a fundamental transformation!

"It seems you gained quite a fortuitous encounter inside," Snake Consort's voice was icy, but her killing intent permeated the air like a tangible entity. "But do you think this little improvement is enough to contend with a Martial Master? How naive!"

She held nothing back any longer, her powerful aura as a nascent Martial Master erupting forth!

The dark fiendish energy around her surged skyward, coalescing behind her into the phantom image of a colossal demon serpent with pitch-black eyes!

The phantom roared towards the heavens. Though silent, a terrifying mental pressure swept through the surroundings!

"Demon Serpent Devours Heaven!"

She formed hand seals and pushed forward forcefully!

The massive demon serpent phantom behind her seemed to come alive, opening its maw as if to swallow heaven and earth, descending upon Lin Feng with a deathly aura that annihilated all!

This strike contained her full power and utilized her Martial Soul phantom, its might far exceeding that of her previous "Myriad Serpent Poisonous Prison"!

Facing this terrifying attack, which could make an ordinary Martial Master's face pale, Lin Feng's eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit instead of fear!

"Excellent!"

He let out a long roar, advancing instead of retreating!

The void beneath his feet seemed to explode with a wave of dark purple energy. His figure shot forward like lightning tearing through the night sky, charging directly into the devouring maw of the demon serpent!

He didn't use any flashy martial skills, simply raising his right fist.

Inside his body, the Wind-Thunder Foundation Building Method circulated at an unprecedented speed. The dark purple vortex in his dantian spun wildly, and the majestic Wind-Thunder True Qi surged towards his right fist like a bursting dam!

On his fist, the power of wind and thunder no longer existed separately but merged perfectly!

Purple lightning arcs and dark wind intertwined, compressed, and finally formed a dark purple orb, no larger than a walnut, yet incredibly solid, as if countless miniature storms and thunderbolts were flickering within.

This was his new ultimate move, conceived in the core of the Fiendish Wind, where he had pushed the second stage of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade to perfection and combined it with the power of wind and thunder--

"Wind-Thunder... Strike!"

He unleashed his punch, and the dark purple orb silently merged into the maw of the demon serpent phantom.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The next second--

"RUMBLE-!!!!! "

An indescribable, terrifying explosion erupted from within the demon serpent phantom!

The destructive power of wind and thunder, like billions of tiny wind blades and thunder knives, instantly tore, shredded, and annihilated the solidified demon serpent phantom from the inside!

The shockwave of the explosion transformed into a destructive torrent mixed with purple lightning and black wind, its momentum unabated, fiercely impacting Snake Consort's true form behind it!

"Pfft--!"

Snake Consort felt as if she had been struck by a heavy blow. Her delicate body trembled violently, her face instantly lost all color, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood, which even contained fragments of internal organs!

The protective fiendish energy around her shattered like paper. Countless fine cracks appeared on her dark green scales, and she was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, her aura instantly weakening to its extreme!

Her eyes were filled with extreme shock, fear, and disbelief!

Her Martial Soul phantom had been forcefully shattered!

She had suffered unprecedented, grievous injuries!

How was this possible?

He was clearly just a Martial Artist!

"No... impossible..." she struggled to steady herself, but felt her meridians were broken and her True Qi scattered.

After unleashing a punch, Lin Feng merely took a shallow breath before transforming into a bolt of purplish-black lightning once more, instantly catching up to the flying Snake Consort!

He looked down at the Shadow Kill Pavilion Martial Master, who had previously been so arrogant and treated him like an ant, his gaze cold and unwavering.

"Martial Master? Nothing more than that."

He raised his foot, purplish-black Wind-Thunder True Qi gathering at the sole, like the foot of a war god crushing stars. He stomped down fiercely towards Snake Consort's dantian and sea of qi!

"No—!!!" Snake Consort let out a desperate and unwilling shriek.

"Crack!"

A clear sound, like shattering glass, rang out.

The Martial Master aura Snake Consort had gathered around her dispersed and vanished instantly, like a pricked balloon!

The light in her eyes rapidly dimmed, turning utterly ashen. Her entire body seemed to lose all support, and she slumped softly to the ground, her cultivation completely shattered, leaving her a mere mortal!

The sole remaining guard was already terrified out of his wits and turned to flee.

Lin Feng didn't even look. With a backhand, he unleashed an "Electric Light Finger" infused with Fiendish Energy.

"Chii!"

The finger wind struck from behind, piercing the guard's heart instantly.

The guard's forward momentum abruptly halted. He fell to the ground, his life extinguished.

Lin Feng slowly landed, walking up to the dying Snake Consort.

Snake Consort struggled to lift her head. Her ashen eyes were filled with endless malice and a hint of confusion. She stared intently at Lin Feng, "You... what kind of monster are you... Pavilion Master... will not let you go..."

Lin Feng looked down at her, his gaze still cold. "Shadow Kill Pavilion, I will visit personally. As for you..."

He paused, his voice like ice from the deepest abyss:

"Next life, keep your eyes open."

With that, a wisp of purplish-black lightning flickered from his fingertip, landing on Snake Consort's brow.

Snake Consort's body trembled violently, and then she completely lost all life. Those once alluring yet cold vertical pupils finally froze in endless fear and regret.

Lin Feng stood in place, taking a deep breath of the air filled with blood and fiendish energy.

The consecutive fierce battles, especially the forced activation of "Wind-Thunder Strike" at the end, had taken a huge toll on him.

But he could feel the Wind-Thunder True Qi within him rapidly recovering, and his physical body emitted a low hum, craving battle.

His gaze swept over the ravaged battlefield and the Black Whirlwind still churning in the depths of the valley.

Snake Consort was dead, but the crisis was not over. The Shadow Kill Pavilion's pursuit would not cease, and the Zhang family likely wouldn't let this go either.

Moreover, the provincial examination was still ongoing.

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power.

"The hunt has only just begun."