Qiongxiao's shock, is this person a saint?

Qiong Xiao, held in Lin Feng's arms, was still trembling slightly.

It wasn't from the pain of her injuries, nor the lingering fear after surviving the ordeal.

It was a tremor originating from the deepest part of her soul, an uncontrollable shudder.

Her mind was like an ancient, scratched painting, replaying the unbelievable scene that had just unfolded.

One snap of his fingers.

The heavens and earth changed color, and a great formation materialized.

Another snap of his fingers.

Sword energy like a forest, and powerful enemies turned to dust.

The entire process was fluid and natural, reaching the pinnacle of artistry, as if it weren't a life-or-death battle, but a calligrapher wielding a brush, creating a breathtaking landscape painting.

But Qiong Xiao herself was a master of formations. She knew better than anyone that it wasn't a painting at all!

She tried to analyze what had happened in that instant with all her lifelong knowledge.

Where were the formation flags?

None.

Where were the formation discs?

None.

Not even the slightest fluctuation of magical power, not the slightest trace of drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?

Still none!

That world-ending, devastating formation, which had toyed with four Golden Immortals and annihilated them with a flick of his finger, had simply appeared out of thin air.

It was utterly unreasonable, illogical, and completely defied all her understanding of the Dao of formations.

This was no longer a formation.

It was a divine decree!

A direct, overbearing command to this world!

Qiong Xiao came from an extraordinary background. She was a disciple of a Sage of the Intercepting Sect and an Innate Being, her knowledge far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators.

In those ancient, yellowed scriptures and secret texts, she had encountered fragmented records.

Legend had it that those Sages, high above and looking down upon all beings, possessed the supreme power of Words Manifesting as Law.

A single word could determine life and death, a single thought could alter destiny.

Their will was the will of heaven and earth. Their decree was the decree of the Dao!

The man before her clearly showed no trace of magical power, appearing like an ordinary mortal, utterly incapable of even a chicken's strength.

Yet, everything he had just done was terrifyingly similar to the methods of the Sages in legends!

No, it was even more terrifying and concrete than the legends!

The only explanation was that his realm had reached a level she could not comprehend or fathom.

This height wasn't the gap between a Golden Immortal and a Grand Unity, nor even the chasm between a Grand Unity and a Quasi-Sage.

It was a crushing disparity in the very essence of their beings, the condescension of a higher-dimensional existence towards lower life forms.

Return to Simplicity!

These four words exploded in Qiong Xiao's soul and consciousness like thunder!

A preposterous, yet terrifyingly real guess, began to sprout wildly from the depths of her heart.

He...

Could he be a Sage walking the mortal world?

The moment this thought arose, an icy chill that penetrated her very bones swept through her entire body, causing her still-trembling form to stiffen abruptly.

It was the instinctual reverence and fear of life when facing the unknown, facing the supreme existence.

But immediately after, a more surging, more violent, and unusual heat rose from every corner of her limbs and bones, instantly overwhelming that icy chill.

Her beautiful, pale face, drained of blood, flushed as if it were about to bleed.

If... if he truly was a Sage.

Then her being forced to become his maidservant... it didn't seem so unacceptable.

No!

Far from being unacceptable!

This was an incredible opportunity that countless beings, even those powerful Quasi-Sages who commanded the Primordial World, would exhaust all their ancient fortune to obtain!

To be a maidservant to a Sage?

If this were to spread, how many Goddesses and Immortal Maidens throughout the three realms of the Primordial World would be driven mad with jealousy!

Realizing this, the last shred of humiliation, the slight unwillingness of being forced into servitude, instantly vanished without a trace.

Instead, there was a dizzying ecstasy and relief.

Lin Feng lowered his head, taking in all the stunning changes in the fairy's expression in his arms.

From the initial shock and confusion, to the later fear and speculation, and now to the current shyness and ecstasy...

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards slightly, forming a smile of great interest.

This feeling of personally subverting a top goddess's worldview felt... quite good.

He loosened his arm around Qiong Xiao's slender waist, letting her stand steadily on her own.

The sudden disappearance of the warm, solid embrace left Qiong Xiao feeling an inexplicable emptiness in her heart, a faint sense of loss.

She lowered her head in a flustered manner, not daring to meet Lin Feng's eyes. Her jade-like hands nervously twisted together, like a child who had done something wrong.

Just then, Lin Feng's calm voice sounded in her ear.

"The formation you used earlier to trap that black tiger had three fatal flaws."

BOOM!

Qiong Xiao's mind buzzed, and she suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

That was her protective formation, painstakingly researched for tens of thousands of years based on her own Spiritual Power. She had never used it on anyone else. How... how could he possibly know?

"First, you shouldn't have drawn upon Earth Vein Malevolent Energy as the foundation of your formation." Lin Feng's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if stating the simplest fact. "Malevolent energy, though fierce, is impure and clashes with your own Immortal Spiritual Energy. When the formation operates, at least thirty percent of its power is wasted internally. It appears grand and imposing, but it's actually hollow."

Qiong Xiao's body trembled violently, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

She broke out in a cold sweat!

She had always thought that drawing upon malevolent energy was a stroke of genius that would enhance the formation's power, never considering the internal consumption due to attribute conflict.

"Second, your Array Core was hidden too deliberately." Lin Feng extended a finger and gently pointed in the air. "You forcibly swapped the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death. It seems unexpected, but to a true master, the most unlikely place is precisely the most conspicuous. If the Gate of Death is broken with a single strike, your entire formation will collapse instantly, and you yourself will suffer a backlash."

Qiong Xiao's breathing hitched.

Her back was instantly soaked in cold sweat!

She had always considered this move her most proud trump card, only to find it a clumsy and laughable trick in his eyes.

"As for the third flaw..."

Lin Feng's tone paused, his gaze finally landing on Qiong Xiao's anxious and uneasy pretty face, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"It's also the most foolish one."

"You shouldn't have used your own Dao Foundation as a catalyst to forcibly activate the formation. A formation is an external object, a tool, yet you turned yourself into a part of that tool. Once the formation is forcibly broken by an external force, your Dao Foundation will bear the brunt of it and shatter on the spot. Even if you manage to escape, you'll have no hope of further progress."

"To trap a cultivator of the same level, you gambled your entire future path. Isn't that foolish?"

Every word Lin Feng spoke was like an invisible heavy hammer, striking Qiong Xiao's heart fiercely.

Each syllable made her break out in a drenching cold sweat, her hands and feet turning ice-cold.

The formation techniques she had always prided herself on and relied upon were, in his words, riddled with flaws and utterly idiotic.

However, she couldn't muster the slightest bit of indignant anger.

Because she knew, everything he said was absolutely correct!

Moreover, he used the simplest, most straightforward language, yet he expounded upon the most profound and fundamental principles of formations!

What is a foundation? What is an Array Core? What is the root and what are the branches?

These hurdles she had pondered for countless years without understanding were instantly clarified in Lin Feng's casual words, bringing her sudden enlightenment!

In this instant, the insights she gained were more profound and thorough than listening to a Sage lecture for three thousand years!

Qiong Xiao stared blankly at the man before her, the shock in her heart beyond words.

A few casual pointers were worth more than a Sage's sermon.

This... was this person really just a Sage?