Desperate Situation

Lu Feng looked at the hundreds upon thousands of Soul Fire Sources Yue Long had poured into the space above in one go, his expression grave to the extreme.

Soul Power condensed over his hands as he directly unleashed the Wind Splitting Hand.

He thought that should those Soul Fire Sources be provoked into going berserk when he turned back, he would throw caution to the wind and use the Wind Splitting Hand to scatter his own soul aura, like splashing water to douse a fire, toward the approaching Soul Fire Sources.

He could only pray for a repeat of the earlier scene, where they scattered at the slightest touch.

Otherwise, he truly might die here.

Yue Long watched coldly as he steadily drew in the formation. He knew the nature of these Soul Fire Sources well. Stimulated by his Yin Moon Power, they could temporarily be regarded as clusters of tangible Heavenly Dao Soul Fire. Though they would endure for only an instant and possessed the force of just one strike, in sufficient numbers, they were by no means something an ordinary person could withstand.

Bai Wujiu and the others in the distance did not flee at once. Having reached a safe area, they watched Lu Feng being engulfed by the formation with faces full of horror, every one of them deeply worried.

Especially when they saw Yue Long draw the uncontrollable Soul Fire Sources from all around and pour them wholesale into that enormous blackish-gray urn, their faces stiffened in shock.

"What are we supposed to do!?" Huang Jingyin said helplessly. "If something happens to young friend Lu because of us, how are we supposed to explain it to the Young Valley Master afterward?"

The people beside him all wore grim expressions, equally at a loss.

Mo Dahai roared, "If it comes down to it, we'll fight that man!"

Wang Bianzhu immediately panicked. "Are you kidding? We barely escaped, and now you want to go back and die?"

Seeing Mo Dahai glare furiously at him.

He hurriedly changed his tune. "I mean, that formation is so sinister and terrifying that our strength is simply insufficient to deal with it. We mustn't betray Brother Lu's life-risking kindness in saving us and let him sacrifice himself for nothing."

Everyone fell silent for a time.

Since they were now some distance away, they no longer had to fear Yue Long controlling the formation against them, and they had every chance to respond and escape this trial space.

After a brief silence, Bai Wujiu said resolutely, "I have one sword strike that may be worth trying."

The people of Phantom Sound Valley were instantly delighted.

But Mo Dahai, Su Qianji, and the others from Free Will Mountain Manor all urgently spoke in unison—"No!"

Su Qianji stopped Bai Wujiu and said sternly, "If saving him means losing you instead, what difference would that make? I will not allow it!"

Seeing Bai Wujiu about to speak, Mo Dahai cut him off. "I know what you want to say, and I know the sacrifice that sword strike demands. Even if you had a forty to fifty percent chance of cleaving open that formation, I would never allow you to gamble with your life."

Xiao Wangchuan soothed them, "Let us observe a little longer. Do not forget how Lu Feng dealt with those Soul Fire Sources before. He possesses Five Elements Profound Qi and has refined the most yin and most yang qi between heaven and earth. He is the most extraordinary existence in this world. To a certain extent, he himself is even closer to the Heavenly Dao than Heavenly Dao Soul Fire. Perhaps there may yet be a sliver of hope."

Inside the "urn."

The formation had now completely drawn together, becoming an airtight sphere.

Countless Soul Fire Sources gathered in the air within the sphere, drifting like venomous snakes swimming through water and constantly hissing, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Just as Lu Feng warily wondered what Yue Long intended to do with these uncontrollable Soul Fire Sources, one of them suddenly descended, shooting toward him like an arrow.

Pale white flames ignited around it midway, exuding an icy, sinister aura.

Lu Feng's expression turned sharp. He had long known that these Soul Fire Sources were the Source Auras left behind when powerful cultivators of that era reached the end of their lives. Because certain experts had lacked the strength to leave behind complete Heavenly Dao Soul Fire seeds, they could only remain in the form of Source Auras.

Yet every wisp of Soul Fire Source contained the portion of Heavenly Dao Soul Fire those experts had refined while alive. They absolutely could not be underestimated.

Now that Yue Long had activated them through the formation, they were no different from a life-bound soul fire attack unleashed by an expert of that era. Though they could only persist for an instant before dispersing, the might they erupted with was still something he could not withstand at his current stage. Once struck, his life soul would likely be burned away with ease.

And within this cramped, sealed space, faced with the onslaught of hundreds upon thousands of Soul Fire Sources, there was no possible way for him to escape unscathed.

For Lu Feng, this was already a desperate situation!

After narrowly evading the first wisp of pale white soul fire.

Yue Long's voice came from every direction:

"Fine footwork, fine evasion..."

"Be careful now. It won't be just one attack very soon."

His voice brimmed with mockery and smug satisfaction, the very picture of a hunter toying with prey caught in a trap.

As his words fell, the thick dark clouds overhead opened slightly, spilling out radiant beams of light.

The Soul Fire Sources were like ferocious beasts suddenly released from their cages, crazily rushing at Lu Feng—seven of them in all.

Like before, these Soul Fire Sources ignited in flames of all kinds midway through their flight, each carrying an entirely different oppressive force as they blasted toward Lu Feng.

Fortunately, once the formation activated them, Yue Long could no longer control them further. They attacked entirely on instinct. Two of them even tangled together and exploded against each other before they could approach Lu Feng.

That greatly reduced Lu Feng's pressure, allowing him to evade them in succession with Exquisite Steps.

But he knew this was merely Yue Long's appetizer as he toyed with him.

Yue Long gave a cold, contemptuous snort. Much of the amusement vanished from his face, replaced by chilling killing intent.

The next moment.

As he further activated the formation, the densely packed Soul Fire Sources were released all at once. There were no fewer than a hundred of them, descending like fireballs from the heavens, smashing one after another toward Lu Feng.

The dense barrage covered nearly more than half the space, leaving Lu Feng with no room to evade.

Lu Feng's Soul Power surged accordingly. With the Wind Splitting Hand, his pure Soul Power seemed to turn into sand, continually rushing toward the incoming soul fire.

Yet.

The effect was meager. He barely managed to scatter some of the flames, utterly failing to make the soul fire dissipate into nothingness as he had expected.

Instead, the immense expenditure of Soul Power left his consciousness briefly dazed, as though deprived of air.

Sensing this scene from outside, Yue Long's eyes brimmed with mocking delight. Lu Feng's desperate struggle for survival gave him indescribable satisfaction.

"It is time to end this!"

"If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for opposing me!"

"Cang Lan's sacrifice in exchange for your life was worth it!"

Killing intent burst forth from Yue Long's eyes as he completely released the remaining several hundred Soul Fire Sources. Driving them all into activation through the formation, he sent forth a magnificent, multicolored sea of fire that swept down and blanketed the area around Lu Feng.

In almost an instant, it obscured and engulfed the entire space.

Under such a dead-angle-less bombardment, no matter how heaven-piercing one's movement technique was, there was no possibility of escaping alive.

Watching Lu Feng become surrounded and swallowed by countless soul fires, Yue Long could not stop himself from laughing wildly.

His gaze swept toward the people of Phantom Sound Valley and the others still lingering uneasily in the distance, and killing intent abruptly rose in his heart.

He thought he might as well take advantage of the Eclipse Moon Devouring Heaven Array, which had with great difficulty reached such power through Cang Lan's sacrifice, to seize these people in one decisive push. They would make excellent nourishment for cultivating the Nine Revolutions Evil Prison Sutra.

Just as he was about to act, several bustling groups in the distance heard the commotion and approached.

Though none were from major powers, they were scattered among the people of Phantom Sound Valley, each wearing wary expressions and poised to flee at any moment.

Yue Long had no choice but to abandon the thought of acting. He was not confident he could kill everyone present.

If even one person escaped and spread the news, the Saint Sect's reputation would undoubtedly suffer because of him.

Once he calmed down.

An idea immediately came to Yue Long.

Not only could he not attack these people before him, he had to make good use of them instead!

At once, Yue Long gathered part of his Soul Power and shouted, "Everyone, I am a guard under Wuyi Mingzhi, the Young Master of the Saint Sect. I am currently slaying Benevolent Heart Asura, ranked thirty-sixth on the Heaven List. I hope you will bear witness, so that I may later seek the bounties from the various sects and factions."

The newcomers were all startled upon hearing this.

But the wariness on their faces dissipated when Yue Long announced the Saint Sect's name.

Quite a few of the bolder ones even called out in succession, "We are a team from the Iron Sword Sect of Five Sheep Mountain. We are willing to serve as witnesses for the Young Master of the Saint Sect. If you have need of us later, simply send someone to notify Five Sheep Mountain."

Their words were full of fawning flattery, reeking of bootlicking.

Yue Long smiled in satisfaction.

He had already achieved the effect he wanted.

Compared to killing Mo Dahai and the others to increase his own strength by a trifling amount, securing the countless bounties on Lu Feng's head for the Young Master was clearly far more valuable.

He imagined that this would surely please the Young Master even more than killing Lu Feng. Perhaps even the Old Sect Leader would look upon him with new eyes and put him to Important Use.

Yue Long's heart brimmed with expectation, as if he could already see the wonderful days awaiting him.

Just as he was privately swelling with pride.

He suddenly detected a subtle disturbance from within the formation.

An inexplicable unease flashed through Yue Long's heart. As he sensed within, he saw cracks already appearing in Lu Feng's desperately maintained soul defense. His Soul Power was nearly exhausted, and soul fires were continually piercing through his defenses and falling slowly upon him, as if they were about to burn him to ashes.

Yue Long could not help secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Faced with such a scene, he could think of no way Lu Feng could possibly survive!

Yet.

It was under precisely such thoughts.

That Lu Feng suddenly erupted with a powerful aura, as though he had instantly recovered more than half of his depleted Soul Power. He actually scattered all the countless soul fires closing in around him in one go, blasting out a brief hollow safe zone for himself.

Yue Long froze. He had not expected that, with death at hand, Lu Feng still possessed a secret art capable of greatly restoring Soul Power.

But in his eyes, this scene was no more than Lu Feng putting up a stubborn final resistance in the throes of death.

The soul fire offensive would not completely dissipate just because of that blast. Countless soul fires still surged toward him in waves.

As a wisp of ice-blue soul fire silently approached from behind.

A cold smile rose at the corners of Yue Long's mouth, as if he could already see what awaited Lu Feng.

Yet.

At the critical moment.

A Dark Gold Sword Light suddenly flashed across, striking the ice-blue soul fire rushing in from behind with perfect precision.

In an instant, it blasted that soul fire into scattered fragments, its remaining force directly sweeping away more than ten approaching soul fires behind it.

Yue Long's mouth fell open in shock. He had never imagined that at such a juncture, Lu Feng still had such a strange trump card to use.

Even as he sensed that Dark Gold Sword Light, his heart trembled with fear. He had no idea what it was.

In truth.

Lu Feng himself was somewhat bewildered. Just now, forced into a dead end, he had used the Twelve Lotus Soul Art to greatly restore his depleted Soul Power.

And just as Yue Long had thought, Lu Feng had believed this was merely his final struggle before death. No matter how much he recovered, it would inevitably be worn away bit by bit. In his current life-soul state, many of his methods were difficult to use, and with space muddled and distorted by the formation, he had even less chance of escaping.

He had only sensed the danger of the ice-blue soul fire coming from behind at the very last moment. With Intent Leads Spirit, he had nearly instinctively unleashed that Sword Light.

When he turned and looked, he saw that the surface of the Sword Light was covered in a Dark Gold halo. He, too, was greatly startled and could not understand why.

And when he saw that his casually unleashed sword strike had split that ice-blue soul fire apart in a scattering explosion, he was even more astonished.

Lu Feng knew that this was absolutely not power his Sword Light could possess under normal circumstances. Given his current state and the enhanced might of the soul fires around him after being activated by the formation, a Sword Light condensed from his Soul Power could never achieve such an effect.

If it had nothing to do with him, then there was only one explanation—it had to be related to that Dark Gold halo.

Almost instantly, as he sensed the aura lingering when the Sword Light dissipated, a bold suspicion surfaced in Lu Feng's mind.

His gaze instinctively fell to his arm.

Sure enough, the hair-thin golden thread that had appeared there for no reason earlier was flickering between light and dark at a frighteningly rapid frequency.

And amid those shifts in brightness, Lu Feng sensed an extraordinarily dense aura of Gilded Beacon Fire.

That Dark Gold halo bestowed upon the Sword Light—if he was not mistaken—was likely related to this golden thread!

During his brief lapse of focus.

The soul fires around him had already surged close once more.

Lu Feng had no time to think deeply. Treating a dead horse as though it were alive, he continually slashed out Sword Lights in all directions.

At the instant each strike left his hand, he secretly used his Soul Power to stimulate the golden thread on his arm, drawing upon the Gilded Beacon Fire aura within it that he had sensed.

Boom—

As streak after streak of Dark Gold Sword Light swept out, they scattered the soul fires attacking from all around in an instant.

Looking at the gilded-looking halos coating the surface of every Sword Light, Lu Feng stood rooted to the spot in stunned disbelief, feeling as though he were in an unreal dream.

Yue Long, who sensed all of this, was equally dumbfounded.

"Th-this is impossible!"

For a time, Yue Long thought something had gone wrong with his formation. Only after a long while did he recover his senses, though his face remained filled with shock.

"H-he can control Heavenly Dao Soul Fire!?"

"And Gilded Beacon Fire at the level of Dao Evolution Tribulation Fire!?"

"Even I may not be able to perfectly control such an existence. How can a piece of trash who has not even reached the Heaven Soul Realm accomplish all this?"

The scenes before him left Yue Long utterly unable to make sense of it.