"Heh... hehehe!"
Looking at Xu Kun, who had drawn his sword as though his pride had been wounded, Ling Feng let out a low laugh.
"Food thrown to a beggar? What laughable pride. As a human, shouldn't you be thinking of becoming stronger and serving humanity? Instead, you want to give up an SSS-tier novice trial rating that is practically within your grasp just to prove a point?"
"You should know that an SS-tier novice trial completion rate is enough to make you a seed candidate for humanity's key cultivation, especially when you've made it this far in such a short time!"
"Don't think that dealing with the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor and two stone statues means you have the strength to challenge me. You have no idea about the gap between us. Killing you would be as easy as crushing an ant!"
"An SS-tier rating is the greatest authority the Haotian Pagoda has granted me!"
"As the weak, you should know when to quit while you're ahead instead of reaching beyond your grasp!"
"If you want an SSS-tier rating, there is only one way: kill me!"
"Do you think you can do it?"
"I'll give you one more chance. For the sake of bringing A Qing back to my side, leave once the trial is over!"
"Otherwise, you die!"
Rather than getting angry upon hearing Ling Feng's words, Xu Kun laughed.
"Senior keeps telling me to quit while I'm ahead and consider humanity!"
"Then this junior has a question!"
"As the only SSS-tier rating in the Mist Island trial, why didn't you go serve humanity? Why did you instead become part of the Haotian Pagoda and guard the final stage of Mist Island?"
"Don't tell me it was because of the Haotian Pagoda's rules. Forgive this junior's ignorance, but I've never heard of a trial-taker who achieved SSS-tier novice trial completion being imprisoned by the Haotian Pagoda!"
"Compared with a weakling like me, shouldn't someone like you be far more important to humanity?"
Xu Kun's voice echoed through the empty hall.
After hearing him out, Ling Feng remained silent for a long time.
He glanced at the skeleton in his arms, a trace of regret surfacing in his eyes. Yet his voice remained icy. "What do you know!"
"I truly don't understand. I don't understand why someone would give up the chance to leave the Haotian Pagoda and become a pillar of humanity, only to hide away on a map on the first floor of the Haotian Pagoda as the ultimate boss!"
"I understand even less how someone could wait here for five hundred and twenty years over a set of bones!"
Whoosh!
Ling Feng's gaze was like winter frost. With a single look, Xu Kun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
Xu Kun gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand straight. "If I'm not mistaken, the remains I brought back for you must belong to someone extremely important to you, Senior!"
Ling Feng's breathing grew uneven. Only after a long while did he say, "It has nothing to do with you!"
"Then let this junior make a bold guess. Senior and the owner of these remains should have been novice trial-takers who entered the Mist Island trial in the same generation!"
Ling Feng said nothing, merely gently stroking the bones with his hand.
"With your extraordinary talent, Senior, you conquered the entire monster population of Mist Island, reached this final stage, slew the Fire Dragon with your sword, and achieved an unprecedented SSS-tier rating!"
"Since you know everything I experienced along the way, then after clearing the trial, you must also have known the situation of every trial-taker on Mist Island!"
"You simply watched the owner of these bones—more precisely, your lover—die beneath the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor's venom!"
Ling Feng's breathing became ragged as he shouted, "Shut up!"
Xu Kun paid him no heed. "Though you could observe everything on Mist Island, you were bound by the rules and unable to change anything. You could only watch her fade away and die!"
"I told you to shut up!"
The moment Ling Feng roared, violent winds swept through the hall, scraping across Xu Kun's body like sharp blades.
Xu Kun gritted his teeth and continued, "After losing the one you loved, Senior's heart turned to ashes. You would rather give up the SSS-tier rating you had already earned and remain here at the final stage, waiting for someone fated to bring her back to your side..."
"This junior does not know how a trial-clearer can become the ultimate boss, but clearly, Senior must have traded your freedom for this outcome!"
"Unfortunately, after waiting bitterly for five hundred years, Senior watched generation after generation of human trial-takers enter Mist Island. Yet either they never encountered the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor, or they were likewise unable to kill it. It was only after Senior saw me personally kill the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor that your wish was finally fulfilled!"
"This junior brought her to you. In return, Senior gave me the greatest help within your ability and allowed this junior to receive an SS-tier rating!"
The wind died down. Ling Feng's trembling hand stroked the skeleton's cheekbone as though caressing his lover's face.
"Yes, you're very clever. Since you've guessed it all, why are you still here?"
"I'm not afraid to tell you that even among SS-tier Talented Individuals, my talent was among the best. So long as the Lords of the Era did not emerge, no one of the same level could fight me!"
"And there is one more thing. Both you and I are restricted by the rules of the Haotian Pagoda's first floor, and the experience pool cannot exceed the scope of Level 10. But unlike you, when I earned my SSS-tier rating, I successfully changed class into an SS-tier class—the Gale Sword Soul. Our levels may be the same, but we are not the same. With my current attributes and skills, you are no match for me!"
"Whether you see it as charity or as repayment from me, an SS-tier rating is enough to grant you considerable rewards!"
"Leave this place. Do not disturb me... and A Qing again!"
With that, Ling Feng tightly embraced the bones in his arms and shed tears in silence.
"Senior's devotion runs deep. Waiting faithfully for your lover for five hundred years truly earns this junior's admiration!"
"But this junior has one more thing to say. I wonder whether I should say it!"
Ling Feng gave no response. Xu Kun did not mind and continued, "Everything Senior has done may seem deeply affectionate, but unfortunately, when all is said and done, this is nothing more than a foolish act of self-indulgence!"
"As far as Senior A Qing is concerned, she would never have wanted to see you give up everything and wait here for her for five hundred years. Even if you waited another thousand years, she would not come back to life!"
"Furthermore, for humanity as a whole, you are a dignified SS-tier Talented Individual with dual attribute bonuses, yet you willingly allowed yourself to be imprisoned forever on the first floor of the Haotian Pagoda for so-called love. You have betrayed humanity's cultivation, and you have betrayed the parents who gave birth to and raised you!"
"So in the end, you are merely a selfish fool who moves himself with his own actions and loves to obsess over dead ends. To A Qing, you are a coward. To humanity, you are even more the shame of humanity!"
After Xu Kun finished speaking, he saw Ling Feng freeze.
The air in the hall gradually became stifling.
Ling Feng gently set down the skeleton, rose to his feet, and looked down at Xu Kun.
"A coward? The shame of humanity?"
"That's right. If Senior A Qing were still alive and saw the neither-human-nor-ghost state you're in now, she would surely think the same as this junior!"
"What... do you know!"
Ling Feng could no longer suppress his rage. After Xu Kun's repeated provocations, he no longer cared that Xu Kun had brought those remains back. With a gesture of his hand, an invisible sword landed in his grasp.
"Since you insist on courting death, don't blame me for not warning you!"
"No one is allowed to profane the love between A Qing and me!"
After saying that, he vanished from before the throne.
"So... fast!"
Xu Kun could not see his movements at all. A faint breeze seemed to brush past his ear, and as Ling Feng finished his last word, a notification rang out beside Xu Kun's ear as well.
Ding. You have suffered a fatal attack. Blazing Dragon Blink has activated, negating one instance of fatal damage!
"Hm?"
A mutter came from behind him. Without even thinking, Xu Kun swung his sword backward.
Ding. You have triggered Wrath of the Fire Dragon!
The roaring Fire Dragon had long since been unable to hold itself back. It leaped from the Flame Spirit Sword, and endless dragonfire sought to devour everything!
However, Wrath of the Fire Dragon, which had allowed Xu Kun to dominate from Level 0 to Level 10, failed to take effect this time!
The instant Xu Kun turned around, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Ling Feng's figure vanishing once more. The Fire Dragon breathed fiercely at the spot where Ling Feng had just been standing.
Ten seconds passed. Xu Kun only received a notification that Wrath of the Fire Dragon had entered cooldown, yet Ling Feng had not taken any damage.
"Hehe, is this what you rely on?"
"That stupid dragon's slippery skill that dodged one of my sword strikes, and its prideful dragon breath that can swallow everything!"
Ling Feng appeared three meters in front of Xu Kun!
"Charge!"
The instant Ling Feng appeared, Xu Kun immediately activated Charge!
It could lock onto an enemy within twenty meters and stun them. No matter how strong Ling Feng's attributes were, as long as he was controlled, Xu Kun could kill him instantly!
However, the idea was wonderful, but reality was cruel!
A movement speed of 365 meters per second was enough for Ling Feng to make a judgment in an instant. Only a shadow of wind flashed past, and when Ling Feng appeared again, he was already twenty meters to Xu Kun's right!
"Damn it!"
"What, giving up already?" Ling Feng sneered. "You self-righteous fool. With only these little tricks, you still want to make an enemy of me?"
Xu Kun did not answer. He turned and threw Wildfire Scorches the Plains, Blood Poison Myriad Miles, and Poison Swamp in three different directions in quick succession!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Although Xu Kun's three area attacks sealed off three directions of the hall, Ling Feng's speed still made dodging them easy!
"The sorrow of the weak. Is this the ability you take pride in?"
Ling Feng stomped out the last spark, his face filled with mockery.
At those words, Xu Kun's lips curved up slightly as he slowly raised his left hand. "Blue Silver Entanglement!"
While Xu Kun had been throwing out his area attacks, he had also scattered a large number of Blue Silver Parasites throughout the hall!
At that moment, more than a hundred Blue Silver Grass plants began growing wildly throughout the hall. Where Ling Feng stood, five Blue Silver Grass plants creeping along the ground instantly wrapped around his ankles, rapidly growing and spreading toward the rest of his body!
Ling Feng frowned, not because he feared the Blue Silver Grass's power, but because he did not understand why Xu Kun, a human, could control Blue Silver Grass!
When the five Blue Silver Grass plants wrapped around Ling Feng's waist, he moved. With his abilities, breaking free from the Blue Silver Grass would be effortless!
At that moment, Xu Kun's Blue Silver Entanglement skill also entered its ten-second cooldown!
However, aside from the five Blue Silver Grass plants Xu Kun controlled, the rest of the spreading Blue Silver Grass also noticed Ling Feng's presence. Faced with Blood Feast like this, those barely conscious Blue Silver Grass plants naturally would not be polite!
All the Blue Silver Grass converged on Ling Feng, surrounding him completely in an instant!
"Do you think such low-level methods can truly restrain me?"
"Blade Storm!"
With Ling Feng's low shout, blades of wind rose around the encircling Blue Silver Grass. The invisible sword pierced through the grass, and in the blink of an eye, sword shadows danced as every single Blue Silver Grass plant was reduced to dust!
Even without relying on his supersonic speed, Ling Feng could easily deal with the Blue Silver Grass!
"Have you run out of tricks?"
"Is this the confidence you spoke of?"
Xu Kun showed no disappointment at all. He simply shook his head.
Ling Feng frowned, unable to understand Xu Kun's intentions.
"How could such petty tricks possibly deal with you, Senior!"
"However, I merely wanted to tell you that I have absolute confidence that I can kill you!"
Ling Feng raised a brow. "Oh? That confident?"
"Of course!"
With that, Xu Kun spread out his hand. "Senior, do you recognize this?"
Ling Feng narrowed his eyes at the object in Xu Kun's palm, then unexpectedly shook his head.
"This is called a Viper Snake Gland!"
"It does not matter if Senior does not recognize it. Let this junior explain its function. It is the source of venom for the E-tier race known as vipers. Every poison gland contains one hundred drops of viper venom, and every drop deals fifty points of damage per second. This junior does not have much—only more than one hundred and seventy poison glands. Enough to cover this entire hall!"
As Xu Kun spoke, his palm began to sweat slightly. There was only one lie in his words: the Viper Snake Gland could only harm creatures below E-tier talent!
But he was betting that Ling Feng, who had only cleared the novice trial, would not recognize it. After all, he was an ancient monster from five hundred and twenty years ago. Back then, even the Kite God had not yet emerged, and human civilization was still in a period of severe devastation!
Unlike Xu Kun's generation, which could stand among the myriad races and gather comprehensive information of all kinds!
Sure enough, Ling Feng's expression changed upon hearing that. "This is the thing you used earlier to poison the Blue Silver Grass to death?"
Xu Kun nodded.
Ling Feng smiled. "Not a bad trick. Fifty points of damage per second, and enough to cover the entire hall—it really can threaten me!"
"But haven't you mistaken something? Before you can cover the entire hall, I can kill you. And even if I give you the chance to cover it all, you will die before I do. At most, I would be buried with you. I do not mind that bargain, but it seems you would gain nothing from it!"
What Ling Feng meant was that Xu Kun's attempt to make him hesitate with this little thing was unrealistic!
Xu Kun grinned. "I'm afraid Senior has misunderstood!"
"Hm?"
"How could this junior possibly think of using such petty tricks to hold Senior hostage?"
As he spoke, Xu Kun put away the Viper Snake Glands again.
"Then what exactly do you mean?"
"First you rejected my goodwill, then you provoked me into attacking, and now you have shown me all sorts of methods. What are you trying to do?"
Ling Feng asked curiously.
"I merely wanted to tell you that although, with the attributes and skills you gained after changing class, killing me would be as easy as crushing a bug, killing you would be just as easy for me!"
Xu Kun said confidently.
"Interesting. And then?"
"I have several questions, but given Senior's previous lofty attitude, I feared you would have no interest in answering them. So I wanted to earn Senior's respect, so that you might clear up this junior's doubts!"
"What questions? Let's hear them!"
Xu Kun nodded. "First question: to achieve an SSS-tier rating in the Mist Island trial, must I kill Senior?"
"That's right. Kill me, and you will receive a completion rate of one hundred percent!"
Ling Feng did not hide it.
"Second question: after achieving an SSS-tier rating, did Senior remain in the tower because of the Haotian Pagoda's restrictions, or was it voluntary?"
After a brief silence, Ling Feng answered, "After achieving an SSS-tier rating, I only needed to wait for the others to complete the trial before I could leave the tower. Once that Fire Dragon was killed, the Haotian Pagoda would establish another ultimate boss in the next generation. But I stayed behind, so I took the place of the next boss!"
So it had been voluntary...
Xu Kun let out a sigh of relief, and the heavy stone hanging over his heart finally fell away. That was good. He had feared that after killing Ling Feng, he would become the ultimate boss of this Desolate Shrine just like Ling Feng!
"One last question. Can Senior tell me why you stayed behind? And... what was the relationship between you and Senior A Qing?"
Ling Feng narrowed his eyes. "You're quite the gossip!"
Xu Kun smiled sheepishly.
"You want to know?"
Xu Kun nodded.
"Then kill me!" Ling Feng smiled. "Use the method you believe can kill me. Kill me, and you will learn everything. You will also complete this final SSS-tier rating!"
Xu Kun frowned. "But after killing Senior, who will tell me?"
"Hahaha, interesting, truly interesting. From the sound of it, it's not that you can't kill me—you're afraid that after killing me, there will be no one left to tell you everything?"
Xu Kun nodded seriously. "To be honest, I'm quite curious!"
"Go ahead and attack without worry. Even if you can kill me, I will not disappear too quickly. After all, those who voluntarily remain in the Haotian Pagoda receive different treatment from races forced to remain here!"
"Of course, that is assuming you can truly kill me!"
Xu Kun opened his mouth in surprise. It seemed Ling Feng really did know much more!
"However, since you chose to reject my goodwill and fight me, you must bear the corresponding consequences. From this point onward, I will show no regard for any identity. As the boss guarding this stage, my duty is to execute you!"
Xu Kun hesitated for a moment.
"What? Scared?"
Xu Kun hurriedly shook his head. "Before we decide life and death, this junior has one request!"
Ling Feng's brows tightened. "Speak!"
Xu Kun grinned hurriedly. "I want to witness Senior's SSS-tier skill!"
Ling Feng froze.
"The Forbidden Winds!"
Ling Feng's pupils contracted. He understood that Xu Kun had long since seen through all of his skills!
"Are you sure?"
Xu Kun nodded fiercely.
"Kid, think it through. Once Surge of Wind is unleashed, even I can't control its power!"
"That would be perfect!" Rather than being afraid, Xu Kun looked excited. "Out of respect for Senior, I'll use my strongest SSS-tier skill as well!"
At Xu Kun's words, all traces of contempt vanished from Ling Feng's face!
He had an SSS-tier skill too?
Which one was it?
Though Ling Feng was within the Desolate Shrine, he knew everything that had happened on Mist Island. Xu Kun's performance along the way had astonished him. Even when Ling Feng had first challenged the island, he had not performed so spectacularly!
Xu Kun had reached the Desolate Shrine in just half a day, far faster than Ling Feng himself had. Back then, although Ling Feng had possessed an SS-tier talent, his attributes had been pitifully low. Only his movement speed had been worth mentioning, which meant that when he fought monsters, it was like scratching an itch!
If he remembered correctly, it had taken him nearly thirty-two hours!
This brat was several times faster than he had been back then!
Precisely because Ling Feng had weathered that storm himself, he understood the difference between after completing the class advancement and the novice trial stage!
Xu Kun's various performances had left Ling Feng unable to see through him, yet none of it seemed too surprising. His rapid progress through the trials had largely relied on the equipment transformed from that Fire Dragon!
In truth, Ling Feng had noticed Xu Kun the moment he stepped onto Mist Island and used Wrath of the Fire Dragon. After watching all his performances, Ling Feng had reached only one conclusion: he was a lucky little fellow!
Even so, Ling Feng had never taken Xu Kun seriously. An SS-tier rating truly was the highest limit Ling Feng believed Xu Kun could reach!
Everything Xu Kun had displayed had been somewhat unexpected, yet reasonable!
Except...
Was it the move that had instantly killed the Minotaur Chieftain and the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor?
Ling Feng had personally witnessed Xu Kun instantly kill both bosses. The circumstances had been identical each time, but he had never connected it to an SSS-tier skill. He had only assumed it was one of Xu Kun's high-burst skills!
At that thought, Ling Feng's lips slowly curled upward. "Good. Then we'll both use SSS-tier skills and see who survives!"
After saying that, Ling Feng spread his hands, tilted his face slightly upward, and murmured, "God of Wind, heed my call. Let the raging winds annihilate all things!"
As soon as Ling Feng finished speaking, violent winds swept through the great hall.
Ling Feng lowered his head, controlling the increasingly frenzied wind elements. He looked solemnly at Xu Kun. "My Surge of Wind is a Forbidden Technique. Every use consumes 100 points of Wind Attribute, in exchange for large-scale damage over an area equal to level times 100. It lasts ten seconds and deals damage equal to my current Wind Attribute every second!"
A large-scale area attack!
Ling Feng was currently Rank One, Level 0, equivalent to Level 10. That meant his attack covered an area of 1,000 by 1,000, and even after deducting 100 points of Wind Attribute, he still had 2,180 Wind Attribute!
The single-target damage was not particularly high. The terrifying part was the range...
Wrath of the Fire Dragon's 500 by 500 range was already terrifying, but compared with Ling Feng's Forbidden Winds, it was truly insignificant. At merely Level 10, the coverage area was already four times greater!
"Ten seconds means 21,800 total damage. Not bad. I can take it!" Xu Kun grinned.
"Are you ready?"
Clearly, the two of them were quite sporting. This was nothing like a trial-taker facing the final boss, where neither side exchanged a word before trying to kill the other!
Xu Kun nodded, and tiny sparks appeared in his palm.
"Senior, this junior's SSS-tier skill is called Unyielding Starfire. It deals Fire Attribute damage equal to my magic attack plus fire attack, multiplied by the number of marks collected from slain monsters. This junior currently has the maximum one hundred marks! And my current total magic attack plus Fire Attribute attack is 370!"
Ling Feng suddenly recalled the scene of Xu Kun killing the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor. At the time, he had wondered why this man was so foolish. Since he had the ability to instantly kill the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor, why had he gone through the trouble of waiting for it to lay eggs?
His guess then had been that Xu Kun's skill damage only took effect after the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor entered its weakened state. But now that he thought about it, that was not the case. Xu Kun had already planned to save this skill for him!
Xu Kun had waited for the Corrosive Poison Termite Emperor to lay eggs because the hundred Corrosive Poison Termites it produced were exactly what he needed to stack marks for this SSS-tier skill!
After mentally calculating the damage of Unyielding Starfire based on Xu Kun's explanation, Ling Feng realized that no matter what, he could not withstand this SSS-tier skill!
In other words, Xu Kun truly possessed the ability to kill him, and it should even be faster than his Forbidden Winds!
Rather than becoming afraid, Ling Feng grew excited!
"Then let me see what you'll use to withstand ten seconds of Surge of Wind!"
Ling Feng thought to himself. Then he lowered his charged hands, and the suppressed gale instantly erupted. The entire shrine was immediately ravaged by wild winds!
The thing Xu Kun had worried about for so long also happened. Under Ling Feng's Forbidden Winds, this shrine, which had stood for who knew how many years, began to crack continuously. At last, it could bear no more; its walls split apart and its dome shattered!
The entire shrine began to collapse. From ruined, it was about to become mere ruins!
Yet the falling rubble was instantly ground into dust by the omnipresent raging winds!
Xu Kun did not hesitate either. He flung the sparks in his palm forward. The strength of an SSS-tier skill lay in the fact that it required no aiming at all!
As long as the target was within sight, there was no escape. No matter how monstrous Ling Feng's attributes were, unless he could withstand Unyielding Starfire's damage, there was only one outcome—death!
The sparks clung to Ling Feng's body. At Xu Kun's low shout, pain appeared on Ling Feng's face before endless flames engulfed him!
Xu Kun had no time to care whether Ling Feng was truly as he claimed, that even after death he would not disappear immediately.
Because the unavoidable raging winds were already surging toward him. Even without the control of their sacrificer, these frenzied wind elements would still fulfill their mission!
With damage of 2,180 per second for ten seconds, what could Xu Kun use to endure it?
Before you continue