"Want my life? Then let's see if you have what it takes!"
Before his voice had even faded, Lin Feng struck first!
His thoughts raced as he connected with the Slaughter System in his mind.
Consume 1,000 Slaughter Points to raise "Mountain-Splitting Palm" to perfection!
The "Mountain-Splitting Palm" manual has been detected. Its Dao resonance is compatible. "Mountain-Splitting Palm" is transforming into "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm"!
A surge of inner power, far purer and more majestic than before, instantly gushed from his dantian and surged through every limb and bone, forcibly breaking through the bottleneck!
Lin Feng's cultivation broke through from the early seventh rank to the mid-seventh rank!
At the same time, a vast amount of profound palm-art knowledge poured into his mind.
That crude "Mountain-Splitting Palm" had now transformed into the high-grade Profound Rank palm art "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm," containing a trace of the true intent of overturning seas and splitting mountains.
It had directly reached the perfected level!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
The four Black Fiend Guards had already formed a battle formation. Their blades flashed like a net, and their fierce gusts of force sealed off every path of retreat for Lin Feng.
"Die!"
A fierce glint flashed through Lin Feng's eyes. He neither dodged nor evaded. The newly born, surging inner power within him roared into motion as he slammed his right palm forward!
The palm strike looked plain and unadorned, yet its force concealed the deep rumble of surging tides. Its power stacked layer upon layer, shaking the soul!
The first move of "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm"—Waves Stacked Thousandfold!
The palm force came like raging waves, each one higher than the last!
The two Black Fiend Guards at the forefront paled drastically. They felt the opposing palm force bearing down like mountains and overturning seas, far beyond their expectations!
They hurriedly raised their blades to block.
"Clang! Crack!"
The fine-steel sabers were actually shattered by the overwhelming palm force!
The surging palm force slammed into their chests without holding anything back!
"Pfft—"
Both men's breastbones shattered. Blood sprayed wildly as they flew backward like kites with severed strings, crashed into the stone wall behind them, and died instantly with their bones and tendons broken!
Slaughtered Black Fiend Guard, obtained 250 Slaughter Points! Slaughtered Black Fiend Guard, obtained 250 Slaughter Points!
The other two Black Fiend Guards and the surrounding guards turned deathly pale. Their combined formation collapsed in an instant.
Lin Feng moved with his palm, cutting into their midst like a ghost.
Palm shadows fluttered everywhere—sometimes striking, sometimes pressing, sometimes cleaving!
Every palm contained tremendous, tearing force, and the air let out muffled explosions!
"Bang! Bang!"
Two more muffled impacts rang out. The remaining two Black Fiend Guards barely received one palm strike each, their arms going numb and their inner power scattering. Then the unbroken succession of palm forces struck their crowns and hearts. Blood poured from their seven apertures, and they died on the spot!
Slaughtered Black Fiend Guard, obtained 250 Slaughter Points! Slaughtered Black Fiend Guard, obtained 250 Slaughter Points! Black Fiend Guard annihilation mission completed. Obtained 1,000 Slaughter Points! Current total Slaughter Points: 1,750
In the blink of an eye, all four sixth-rank experts had been put to death!
The few surviving ordinary guards were scared out of their wits and turned to run.
Lin Feng did not pursue them. With his hands behind his back, he stood amid the corpses, his azure robe fluttering slightly. His aura was a cut above what it had been before.
His mid-seventh-rank realm had stabilized, and the perfected "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm" had sent his battle strength soaring.
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Clear applause came from deep within the stone fort.
A middle-aged man in a black brocade robe slowly walked out. His face was sinister, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
He was not particularly tall, yet he carried a heavy, imposing pressure, steady as an abyss and a mountain. He was none other than the chieftain of Black Wind Stronghold, "Black Heart Tiger," Cao Meng!
"What a palm art! What skill!"
Cao Meng's gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over the corpses of the Black Fiend Guards on the ground before finally landing on Lin Feng's face, carrying a hint of understanding.
"The newly appointed constable of the Northern Garrison Command, Lord Lin Feng—your reputation is indeed well deserved."
Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly. The other party truly knew his background.
Cao Meng's tone carried a hint of amusement.
"Lord Lin, your days in Black Rock City haven't been easy, have they?
"The Wang Family is powerful and suppresses you at every turn. Your position as constable is all title and no substance, leaving you unable to take a single step.
"Within the Northern Garrison Command, I'm afraid there aren't many who take you seriously either."
He paused, his voice carrying temptation.
"Why throw your life away for that rotten dynasty? Why not join my Black Wind Stronghold?
"With your strength and skill, the position of deputy chieftain is waiting for you! When the time comes, you and I can join forces, storm Black Rock City, and slaughter the entire Wang Family. Wouldn't that be exhilarating?"
Recruitment—blatant recruitment!
If Lin Feng had truly been driven into a dead end, he might have been tempted.
But Lin Feng merely gave a cold laugh and answered decisively, "Not interested."
Cao Meng's expression darkened. "You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit?"
Lin Feng's tone was calm, yet filled with unquestionable confidence. "Once I kill you, Black Wind Stronghold will naturally be mine."
Cao Meng looked as if he had heard the greatest joke beneath the heavens and burst into wild laughter, his voice brimming with mockery.
"Hahaha! You? Relying on your mid-seventh-rank cultivation? You think killing a few trash means you can shake this chieftain? You truly don't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth!"
His aura suddenly erupted. A pressure far beyond the sixth rank bore down on Lin Feng like a mountain!
It was unmistakably the formidable aura of a sixth-rank martial artist!
"This chieftain entered the sixth rank many years ago. I've killed more geniuses than you've ever seen! I gave you a way to live, but you refused it and insisted on seeking death!"
Just as the atmosphere became taut and Cao Meng's killing intent was fully exposed—
The system's notification rang coldly in Lin Feng's mind once more.
Slaughter Black Wind Stronghold chieftain Cao Meng to obtain 1,500 Slaughter Points!
1,500 points!
Battle intent blazed in Lin Feng's eyes like a raging fire!
Cao Meng had to die!
"Cut the nonsense!" Lin Feng shouted and struck first! He knew all too well how wide the gap between their realms was. He had to seize the initiative!
He drove "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm" to its limits. Palm winds howled with the faint sound of ocean tides as they shot straight toward Cao Meng's center line!
"Firefly light dares contend with the bright moon?" Cao Meng sneered. He neither dodged nor evaded, instead blasting out with a punch!
The punch was fierce and explosive, carrying the roar of a tiger. It was none other than his renowned ultimate art—Black Tiger Fist!
Fist and palm collided!
"Boom!"
A terrifying wave of force, far beyond anything before, exploded outward!
Lin Feng felt an irresistible force surge toward him, leaving his palm numb.
The bones throughout his arm creaked as if they could not bear the burden. His blood and qi churned violently, and he staggered backward, retreating seven or eight steps before barely steadying himself. His throat turned sweet, and a thread of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
What terrifying strength!
The depth of a sixth-rank martial artist's inner power was worlds apart from that of the seventh rank!
Cao Meng merely swayed slightly before lunging forward again, his fists descending like a tempest!
"Black Tiger Rips Out the Heart!"
"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain!"
Every punch was heavy and powerful enough to split stone and shatter monuments!
Lin Feng unleashed "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm" to its utmost. Palm shadows overlapped like surging waves as he struggled desperately to defend.
Waves Stacked Thousandfold! Stone-Splitting Wave-Severing! Ocean-Overturning Strike!
Yet the absolute difference in realms was difficult to bridge.
Whenever his palm force collided with Cao Meng's fists, the latter's even fiercer inner power scattered most of it.
He could only retreat continuously, relying on the subtle force-dispersing techniques of his perfected palm art to evade. He was forced onto the back foot, beset by danger.
"Bang!"
With a muffled impact, Lin Feng's shoulder was grazed by the force of a punch. Pain shot through him, and his shoulder blade felt as though it were about to shatter. His body was sent flying backward once more.
"That's all you've got? And you still dared to boast?" Cao Meng attacked even more fiercely, taunting without end. Murderous intent glinted coldly in his eyes. "Kneel and beg this chieftain for mercy. Perhaps I'll leave your corpse intact!"
Lin Feng clenched his teeth, his gaze cold as iron. While struggling to defend, he circulated his inner power madly and searched for a flaw in his opponent.
He could not lose. Losing meant death!
Those 1,500 Slaughter Points were his, no matter what!
Cao Meng's fist art was peerlessly fierce and seemed to have no flaws.
But Lin Feng keenly noticed that whenever his opponent threw a full-power punch, the area three inches beneath his left ribs seemed to experience an extremely faint stagnation of energy.
Furthermore, he would intentionally or unintentionally turn his body slightly, protecting that position.
An old injury? Or a flaw in his cultivation method?
A sharp light flashed through Lin Feng's eyes. He would gamble on it!
He deliberately exposed a flaw, leaving his chest wide open.
Cao Meng fell for it exactly as expected. He grinned viciously. "Seeking death!"
His right fist gathered all the inner power in his body. The strongest move of Black Tiger Fist—Black Tiger Splits Heart—drove straight toward Lin Feng's vitals!
With this punch, he would end the battle completely!
Just as the fist was about to reach him, Lin Feng's footwork suddenly changed. His body twisted at an extremely bizarre angle, narrowly avoiding the vital point of his heart.
At the same time, he gathered all his remaining inner power, disregarded his own defenses, and joined the index and middle fingers of his right hand into a sword-like point.
He concentrated the penetrating force of "Ocean Overturning Mountain Splitting Palm" into a single point and thrust it at lightning speed toward the suspected weak point beneath Cao Meng's left ribs!
"Pfft!"
A faint, unusual sound rang out, different from the collisions before!
Cao Meng's lunging body suddenly stiffened. The vicious grin of triumph froze on his face, transforming into utter shock and pain!
"You... how did you..." He looked down in disbelief at the smear of red seeping from beneath his ribs.
That old hidden injury was his greatest secret, something he had never revealed to anyone!
Now that it had been struck precisely, his inner power instantly collapsed, and excruciating pain drilled into his heart!
An opening!
How could Lin Feng miss this perfect chance to counterattack from the brink of death?
He forcefully drew upon his last bit of inner power and raised his left palm high.
His inner power compressed within his palm, faintly forming the phantom of surging waves. Carrying the resolute intent of overturning seas and splitting mountains, it crashed down viciously toward Cao Meng's crown!
If this palm landed, victory and defeat would be decided, and life and death would be settled in an instant!
In Cao Meng's pupils, the fatal palm rapidly expanded. The shadow of death instantly enveloped him!
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