Slaying the Heaven's Pride

The instant the system notification sounded, Lin Feng moved.

His figure shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bow, making straight for the nearest prodigy wielding a sword.

He was incredibly fast, kicking up a fierce gust of wind.

However, two fists could hardly stand against four hands.

These four inner disciples of the Mysterious Cloud Sect were by no means mediocre. They cultivated together every day and possessed perfect coordination.

Seeing Lin Feng charge at them, the four exchanged glances and instantly formed a battle formation.

The swordsman flicked his wrist, sending sword flowers blooming one after another and sealing off Lin Feng's front.

The burly man on the left threw both fists like hammers, howling winds surging as they drove straight toward Lin Feng's ribs.

The person on the right used a treacherous palm technique, slicing toward Lin Feng's neck.

The last person moved with remarkable agility, circling around to the side and rear. The cold gleam of his short blade flashed as he thrust straight toward Lin Feng's heart.

Their attacks surged like a tide from all directions, nearly sealing off every avenue of escape.

Lin Feng struggled on all sides, pushing his movement technique to its limit as he dodged and weaved within the cramped space.

Most of his focus still had to remain on protecting his sister behind him. Afraid that even the slightest aftershock might hurt her, he was even more constrained, unable to bring out seventy percent of his strength.

"Shhk!"

A fierce palm wind skimmed past his shoulder. His clothes split, leaving a searing red mark across Lin Feng's skin.

Though he was not seriously wounded, the true essence contained within it sent his blood and qi tumbling. He staggered and had no choice but to retreat half a step, shielding his sister tightly behind him.

"Is that all you've got? And you dared offend Senior Brother Wang Teng?" The swordsman sneered, the tip of his sword trembling lightly with mockery.

"A country bumpkin will always be a country bumpkin, ignorant of how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is!" The burly man on the left cut in, his face filled with contempt and disdain. "You think landing a job at the Northern Garrison Command makes you impressive? A frog in a well—how could you know the methods of the Mysterious Cloud Sect?"

"Big brother..."

Behind him, Lin Wan clutched the hem of Lin Feng's clothes tightly, her voice thick with uncontrollable sobs and fear.

She was merely an ordinary mortal who could not cultivate. When had she ever witnessed such a display of flashing blades and swords? The danger before her and the pressure her brother was enduring had left her little face deathly pale and her whole body trembling.

That fearful call was like the sharpest thorn, stabbing viciously into Lin Feng's heart.

Wang Teng's arrogant face, his venomous curses, the peril of his sister nearly being buried beneath the ruins just moments ago, and the wanton mockery of these people before him...

All his anger, humiliation, worry, and hatred erupted at this moment, intertwining into a blazing inferno that seemed to scorch the heavens!

The crisis and humiliation reached their peak, and his mind instantly sank into that wondrous system interface.

Upgrade "Heavenly Gang Blood Burning Saber"—raise it directly to perfection! he roared inwardly.

Consuming 1,000 Slaughter Points, "Heavenly Gang Blood Burning Saber" has been upgraded to perfection! The host's cultivation has advanced to the late Seventh-Rank!

The system's icy notification rang out in his mind like the tolling of a great bell.

In the next moment, a scorching, violent, unprecedented force seemed to be born from nothingness, instantly surging through Lin Feng's limbs and bones!

Inside his dantian, the true essence that had originally been sluggish and nearly depleted suddenly became like a flood breaking through a dam, rushing and roaring through his meridians!

The bottleneck of the mid-Seventh-Rank realm that had troubled him for so long shattered beneath the impact of this mighty, irresistible force, like paper pasted together.

At the same time, countless insights into the Heavenly Gang Blood Burning Saber flooded into his mind, like divine nectar poured over his crown.

Methods of circulating force, techniques for condensing saber force, countless wondrous variations, and even fragments of memories from waving a saber through countless days and nights of painstaking cultivation were all deeply branded into his soul.

It was as if he had immersed himself in this Earth-grade martial art for several decades, reaching the pinnacle of perfection!

"Boom!"

The aura around Lin Feng suddenly surged. A blazing, domineering, and razor-sharp force burst uncontrollably from his body.

An invisible wave of air formed around him, forcing away the dust and broken stones on the ground!

"What?!"

The four prodigies' expressions changed drastically. Forced back half a step by this sudden, overwhelming aura, they looked utterly uncertain.

They could clearly feel that Lin Feng before them seemed to have been reborn, as different from the floundering man moments ago as clouds were from mud.

"A breakthrough in the middle of battle? Hmph, nothing but a dying struggle!" The burly man forcibly steadied himself, suppressing the shock in his heart. Putting on a brave face, he shouted, "So what if you were lucky enough to break through to the late Seventh-Rank? Your foundation is unstable—you're nothing but a castle in the air! The four of us working together can kill you as easily as turning over our hands!"

He tried to stabilize the others with his words, as if he were also trying to convince himself.

"Form the Four Symbols Battle Formation! Finish this quickly and cripple him!" another person shouted sharply, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.

They understood as well that they had to seize the moment while Lin Feng had just broken through and his realm was still unstable, taking him down with thunderous force. Otherwise, the consequences would be impossible to predict!

The four no longer held anything back. Their true essence surged madly as attacks even more fierce than before unfolded once again.

Fist shadows, palm winds, sword light, and saber qi intertwined into a net of death. With hissing sounds as they tore through the air, they enveloped Lin Feng, attempting to swallow him and Lin Wan behind him together.

However, Lin Feng suddenly raised his head.

Brilliant light shot from his eyes like cold lightning splitting the night sky. His earlier embarrassment and anxiety had vanished, replaced by absolute icy calm and the confidence of one who controlled everything.

"Courting death!"

He spat out two icy words. Without using any weapon, he merely joined his fingers together like a blade!

A crimson force instantly erupted from his pressed-together fingertips, condensing into solid form. Its searing heat caused the surrounding air to twist faintly, emanating a tragic intent that seemed capable of burning the eight wastelands to ash.

This was precisely the perfected Earth-grade martial art—the Heavenly Gang Blood Burning Saber!

Using his own blood and true essence as kindling, he burned his blood to transform it into saber force, rendering it indestructible!

The saber force appeared in an instant, like a blood moon suspended across the sky!

Its speed exceeded the limits of what the naked eye could capture!

The swordsman was the first to bear the brunt.

He saw only a flash of crimson before him, and before he could make any attempt to block or evade—

"Clang!"

With a light ringing sound, the hundred-forged steel sword in his hand snapped like snow beneath the blazing sun!

The crimson saber force then swept unobstructed across his chest.

"Pfft—!"

A dazzling spray of blood exploded from his chest, while his protective true essence was torn apart like paper.

He let out a shrill scream. His entire body flew backward as though struck by a giant tree, smashing heavily into a broken wall. Whether he lived or died was unknown.

"Impossible!"

The other three's pupils shrank sharply as they cried out in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

The combined battle formation they had relied on for fame was actually so utterly helpless before that strange crimson saber force?

Their offensive instantly fell into chaos.

Lin Feng moved like a ghost, his movements as swift as thunder.

After landing one strike, he did not pause. Crimson force crisscrossed through the air.

The second saber force shot straight toward the burly man.

The man roared and gathered all his true essence into both fists, crossing them before his chest.

However, the crimson light flashed, shattering the fist force. A charred, curled gash instantly appeared across his chest, deep enough to show bone.

The searing force even made him smell his own flesh burning. He screamed and collapsed to his knees.

Almost at the same time, the third and fourth crimson saber forces flashed out as if endowed with life, precisely sweeping toward the other two prodigies who were attempting to attack from the flanks.

"Crack!"

"Ah!"

The sounds of breaking bones and shrill screams rang out together.

The arms of the two men wielding short blades were severed cleanly at the shoulder blades. The wounds were charred black, with hardly any blood spraying out—the high-temperature force had already cauterized them shut.

The two clutched their severed arms and rolled about on the ground in agony, wailing without end.

In the blink of an eye, the four arrogant and overbearing prodigies of the Mysterious Cloud Sect were all grievously wounded and sprawled on the ground, stripped of all combat power. Only pained groans and terror filling their eyes remained.

"You... you dare injure us?!"

The burly man endured the agony in his chest, which felt as though it were about to be roasted through. Covering his wound, he raised his head and glared fixedly at Lin Feng. Not a trace of his earlier contempt remained—only terror mingled with deep, bone-searing venom.

"We're disciples of the Mysterious Cloud Sect! If you kill us, the Mysterious Cloud Sect will never let you go!

"Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, they'll tear you limb from limb! Your sister, and everyone connected to you, will all be buried with you!"

Lin Feng stepped forward, his gait steady and his eyes cold as an eternal abyss. The boiling killing intent within him had not diminished in the slightest.

"The Mysterious Cloud Sect? You're nothing but Wang Teng's lackeys. Killing you is killing you."

He raised his hand. On his fingertip, that frightening crimson saber force condensed once again, flickering restlessly and radiating an aura of death.

His sister's terrified figure, cowering and trembling behind him; Wang Teng's arrogant, venomous laughter as he mocked them before the council hall; and the death threats these wretches had issued under the protection of their sect...

All of it needed to be washed away with the most thorough and brutal bloodshed!

Only death could calm the towering fury in his heart!

The crimson saber force aimed at the head of the nearest burly man, about to descend with merciless force!

At that critical moment, when he was about to end the lives of all four once and for all—

"Stop!"

A cold shout exploded out of nowhere like thunder splitting the level ground!

The voice carried an awe-inspiring authority far beyond that of anyone present.

Immediately afterward, a sharp, peerless aura approached from afar at lightning speed, instantly enveloping the entire ruined courtyard!

That aura was like an invisible shackle, carrying an indisputable will that forcibly halted Lin Feng's hand-blade, already poised to descend with its lethal saber force!