Black Wind City, Wind Fiend Sect headquarters.
This was a fortress built from black boulders, gloomy and oppressive.
Inside the main hall deep within the headquarters, an old man draped in a cloak of black feathers, his face withered and his eye sockets deeply sunken, sat cross-legged atop an altar piled high with countless white bones.
He was the Wind Fiend Sect's sect master, the Old Demon of Black Wind.
At that moment, his eyes were shut, gray-black "Baleful Intent" swirling around him. His aura was cold and powerful; he had clearly already touched upon the threshold of the Dan Yuan Realm.
Before him, Chu Mengxi and several other captured Demon Slayer Envoys from the Demon Suppression Division were bound in specially made black iron chains and suspended in midair.
Their true qi was continuously siphoned away by an eerie force, transforming into streams of pure energy that slowly flowed into the Old Demon of Black Wind's body.
"Heh heh heh..."
The Old Demon of Black Wind let out a laugh as grating as a night owl's cry, a blissful expression spreading across his face.
"As expected of the Demon Suppression Division's elites. The quality of this true qi is far superior to that of those worthless scraps! Especially you..."
His murky, greedy eyes settled on Chu Mengxi.
"Your true qi is supremely yin and pure, an exquisite tonic tailor-made for this old man! Once I drain you dry, I can use this power to break through the bottleneck in one stroke and condense a Dan Yuan! When that time comes, even the Demon Suppression Division of Nan Yan Commandery will be nothing more than a plaything in this old man's palm!"
The other Demon Slayer Envoys had already turned pale as gold paper, their auras feeble. Clearly, a great deal of their vital essence had been drained, and death was not far away.
Only Chu Mengxi was still struggling to hold on.
Her peerlessly beautiful face was deathly pale, but her eyes remained cold and unyielding.
An ancient ice-blue pendant at her chest glowed with a faint, gentle light.
Like an impregnable barrier, it desperately protected her heart meridians and slowed the loss of her vital essence.
This was the protective treasure passed down through her Lineage, the Ice Heart Soul.
It was also because of this treasure that she had not been instantly drained dry like the others.
But she knew that this was merely drinking poison to quench thirst.
The treasure's power would eventually run out.
When that happened, she too would be unable to escape death.
"Old Demon of Black Wind! You wicked heretic of the Outer Dao, committing every atrocity and walking against the natural order—you will sooner or later suffer heaven's punishment! The Demon Suppression Division's army will soon level your Black Wind City!"
Chu Mengxi's voice was weak, yet every word struck the ground like a nail.
"An army? Heh heh heh..."
The Old Demon of Black Wind seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. "Those three headless flies outside? They're probably still racking their brains over how to get into the city! Once this old man breaks through to the Dan Yuan Realm, they'll be the first ones under my knife!"
He was clearly absolutely confident in his arrangements.
However, at that moment—
"Boom—!"
An earth-shaking blast suddenly came from the direction of the headquarters' main gate without any warning!
The enormous gate forged from black iron and weighing ten thousand jin was blasted apart from the outside by an indescribable force, shattering into pieces as splinters flew everywhere!
"Who?!"
The Old Demon of Black Wind's eyes snapped open, a flash of fury crossing them.
Who dared to run wild on his turf?!
Within the dust and smoke at the entrance, a tall figure stood against the light, holding an ordinary-looking steel blade as he slowly walked inside.
His steps were unhurried, yet they carried an unmatched momentum capable of treading through mountains and rivers and crushing all in his path.
"Sorry for interrupting your afternoon tea."
Lin Feng looked over the scene in the hall, then glanced at Chu Mengxi hanging in midair. A cold curve touched his lips.
"But I'm in a hurry. So, could I trouble you... to die?"
"A... seventh level True Qi Realm cultivator?"
After his initial shock, the Old Demon of Black Wind sensed Lin Feng's aura and immediately burst into disdainful laughter.
"Hahaha! Heaven is truly helping me! This old man was just worried that I didn't have enough tonics, and you delivered yourself right to my door! Boy, your courage is far greater than your strength!"
"Kill him!"
At his command, dozens of the Wind Fiend Sect's most elite Black Wind Guards stationed along both sides of the hall drew their weapons and charged at Lin Feng with strange cries.
These Black Wind Guards were all True Qi Realm martial artists, battle-hardened and brimming with murderous intent.
Yet before Lin Feng, they were no different from the patrols he had faced earlier.
"Nine Tribulations Thunder Slash, Sixth Form—Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens!"
Lin Feng did not even move his feet. He merely swung his blade forward casually.
[95x Critical Hit triggered!]
"Rumble!"
A terrifying blade radiance as thick as a water bucket, entwined with countless arcs of blood-red lightning, instantly erupted from the tip of his blade!
Where the blade radiance passed, the air let out a wail of unbearable strain, while the ground was plowed into a bottomless ravine!
The dozens of fearless Black Wind Guards, the instant they came into contact with that blade radiance, were like watermelons struck by a giant hammer. Before they could even scream, they exploded on the spot into clouds of bloody mist!
One slash!
Just one slash!
Dozens of True Qi Realm experts vanished into ash and smoke!
[Ding! Killed X57 heinous evildoers] [Critical Hit multiplier increased to 105x! Obtained 127000 Crit Points!]
"Th-This is impossible!"
The Old Demon of Black Wind's wild grin froze instantly, replaced by endless horror and disbelief!
Could this really be an attack unleashed by someone at the seventh level of the True Qi Realm?!
Even he, a Half-step Dan Yuan Realm expert, might not be able to take such power easily!
In Chu Mengxi's phoenix eyes, which had already begun to dim, an indescribable brilliance instantly burst forth.
Lin Feng!
Before she could cry out, Lin Feng had already transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged straight at the Old Demon of Black Wind!
"Courting death!"
The Old Demon of Black Wind was shocked and enraged. Forcibly suppressing the tremor in his heart, he unleashed his Half-step Dan Yuan Realm strength without reservation!
He rubbed his hands together, and a highly condensed gray-black sphere of Baleful Intent instantly formed in his palms before he viciously hurled it at Lin Feng!
This attack was enough to corrode even a small mountain into flying ash!
Yet Lin Feng neither dodged nor evaded. The blade in his hand lit up once more!
"Nine Tribulations Thunder Slash, Seventh Form—Heavenly Tribulation Descends!"
Another blood-red lightning blade radiance, even more condensed and violent than before, tore across the sky!
The blade radiance and the sphere of Baleful Intent collided fiercely in midair!
There was no earth-shaking explosion. The indestructible sphere of Baleful Intent was actually like papier-mâché, split in two from the center by the blade radiance.
It grazed past both sides of Lin Feng's body and flew onward, leaving two enormous holes in the wall behind him.
But the blade radiance did not slow in the slightest, striking straight for the Old Demon of Black Wind's face!
"Not good!"
The Old Demon of Black Wind's soul nearly fled his body. He had never imagined that his full-force attack would be broken so easily by his opponent!
He wanted to dodge, only to discover that the tyrannical blade intent had already locked onto him, leaving him completely unable to move!
At that critical moment, when a thousand jun hung by a single thread—
The Hundred Refined Steel Blade that had followed Lin Feng since Qingyang County finally could no longer bear that terrifying power.
It exploded in midair with a roar, turning into fragments that filled the sky!
"Hahaha! Heaven is helping me!"
The Old Demon of Black Wind was overjoyed at the sight. Seizing that fleeting opportunity, he retreated explosively while forming hand seals with both hands and shouting sharply, "Baleful Intent Takes Form, Demonic Shadows Devour Souls!"
The Baleful Intent around him instantly transformed into over a hundred ferocious ghosts, which swarmed toward Lin Feng from all directions to tear into him!
However, just as he thought victory was already in his grasp—
A cold, resolute feminine shout rang out from behind him.
"Lin Feng, catch!"
Before you continue