The Battle's Aftermath

Under the moonlight, the aftershocks of battle spread for hundreds of miles. A mountaintop had been sheared off, the earth lay cracked, and devastation stretched as far as the eye could see.

The power of the Ninth Restriction still far surpassed that of the Eighth Restriction. If they had fought within the Feather Transformation Sect, at least half of it would have been destroyed.

Fortunately, Wen Yuan had been overconfident. At the start, he had not taken Lin Jiufeng seriously and had willingly followed him into this Wilderness Zone.

Once the battle ended, Lin Jiufeng withdrew the Chronicle of Ages and reined in the Vision. This patch of heaven and earth turned back into daylight.

The next moment, Bai Yunfei flew over with his three disciples and Bai Ling.

After landing, every one of them stared at Lin Jiufeng in shock.

The Eighth Restriction had slain the Ninth Restriction against all odds.

He had truly done it.

And he had killed him with ease. At least in Bai Yunfei's eyes, Lin Jiufeng had remained composed and calm throughout.

"Senior Brother, you're incredible." Bai Yunfei looked at Lin Jiufeng in astonishment and sighed.

As someone also at the Eighth Restriction, he felt it more deeply than anyone else.

If he had fought Wen Yuan, he would have lost without a doubt. He would not have had the slightest chance of victory.

Even if he used the Feather Ascension Scripture and pushed it to its limit, he would still have had no chance.

The gap between the Eighth Restriction and the Ninth Restriction was like the difference between a brook and a river.

That was why Wen Yuan had looked down on Lin Jiufeng so much before.

But who could have known that while Lin Jiufeng looked like a brook on the surface, within him lay a Deep Pool, far surpassing any river.

Lin Jiufeng said to Bai Yunfei, "Wen Yuan is dead. You can take his magical treasure, the Dragon Hide Drum, and refine it. It's a fine magical treasure. Perhaps it can help you break through to the Ninth Restriction."

Bai Yunfei nodded, looking delightedly at the Dragon Hide Drum lying off to the side, now completely devoid of its former might.

He had personally witnessed the Dragon Hide Drum's power just now. It was undoubtedly a top-tier magical treasure.

Bai Yunfei murmured, "With the might of a peerless magical treasure, once it is refined and linked to one's lifeblood, one can enter the Ninth Restriction relatively easily. Our Feather Transformation Sect once had some peerless magical treasures too, but we declined over the years, and all those treasures were lost."

"Senior Brother, you should keep it instead. That way, you can break through to the Ninth Restriction sooner." Bai Yunfei immediately looked at Lin Jiufeng. He still hoped Lin Jiufeng could enter the Ninth Restriction as soon as possible. Then he would never have to worry again.

Lin Jiufeng was already so terrifying at the Eighth Restriction. Who could stand against him once he reached the Ninth Restriction?

"I don't need it. Using a magical treasure to break through is indeed a shortcut, but I would rather advance steadily, one step at a time." Lin Jiufeng refused outright. With Heaven-Defying Comprehension, why would he need to rely on a magical treasure?

Seeing this, Bai Yunfei said nothing more and went over to put away the Dragon Hide Drum.

"Martial Uncle, thank you." Wen Xinyun, who had been standing nearby, walked over and threw her arms around Lin Jiufeng, burying her head against his chest as tears streamed down her face.

Lin Jiufeng looked at Wen Xinyun's trembling body and gently patted her in silent comfort. He knew how much pressure Wen Yuan's arrival had brought her.

Because of her childhood experiences, she cherished everything in the Feather Transformation Sect all the more. These years of peaceful life had allowed her to seal away the dark days from before she was ten.

She had thought she could finally bid farewell to the past, but Wen Yuan's appearance today had utterly shattered Wen Xinyun's beautiful dream and dragged her back into those old days. Immense pressure crashed down upon her, leaving her trembling with nowhere to escape.

Fortunately, Lin Jiufeng was there.

No one had expected Lin Jiufeng to be able to kill a Ninth Restriction expert against all odds. Wen Yuan's death made Wen Xinyun realize that the dawn of her farewell to the past lay with her Martial Uncle.

That was why Wen Xinyun lost control of her emotions and burst into tears.

The others watched Wen Xinyun weep bitterly with pity in their eyes, but none of them spoke to disturb this moment.

Before long, Wen Xinyun stopped crying. She stepped out of Lin Jiufeng's embrace, looked at Wen Yuan's corpse, and said worriedly, "Martial Uncle, now that you've killed Wen Yuan, the Wen Family will certainly retaliate."

Lin Jiufeng said calmly, "Soldiers come, generals block; water comes, earth dams it. Don't worry."

Now that he knew his own strength, he was certain he could fight a Ninth Restriction expert. Wen Yuan had clearly only recently broken through to the Ninth Restriction and was merely at the initial stage. Lin Jiufeng estimated that his current combat strength was likely at the middle stage of the Ninth Restriction.

"Martial Uncle, more than half of the Wen Family's people are hidden within their own Mystic Realm. There is no shortage of Ninth Restriction experts among them, and their hidden strength is even more terrifying than the Supreme Dao Sect's. We must still be careful," Wen Xinyun said gravely.

Lin Jiufeng turned serious as well. Looking at Bai Yunfei, he asked, "What happened to the Eighth Restriction experts from the Wen Family who came earlier?"

Bai Yunfei said, "They left long ago. The aftershocks from your battle with Wen Yuan were enormous, so they definitely sensed them. Now that they know you killed Wen Yuan, they will surely report it to the Wen Family."

Lin Jiufeng smiled bitterly. "The Supreme Dao Sect in front, the Wen Family behind—one is the foremost Daoist sect, the other a great hidden Mystic Realm clan. The road to reviving our Feather Transformation Sect is long and fraught with obstacles."

"Yes. Even though Junior Brother now possesses the combat strength of the Ninth Restriction, there are too many enemies. Two fists cannot defeat four hands. We are still in great danger." Bai Yunfei frowned.

"It seems I need to break through to the Ninth Restriction soon. Otherwise, if the Wen Family and the Supreme Dao Sect come together, we can only abandon the Feather Transformation Sect and retreat three steps at their approach." Lin Jiufeng gazed into the distance and murmured.

"Senior Brother, are you confident about breaking through to the Ninth Restriction?" Bai Yunfei's eyes lit up as he pressed.

"Success depends on human effort. Before breaking through, any words are empty talk. Deal with Wen Yuan's corpse. I'll head back first." Lin Jiufeng waved his hand, turned, and left for the Scripture Pavilion.

When Bai Ling saw Lin Jiufeng leave, she immediately followed him back to the Scripture Pavilion.

Bai Yunfei, his disciples, and the others remained behind to deal with Wen Yuan's corpse.

Feather Transformation Sect, Scripture Pavilion.

Lin Jiufeng returned with Bai Ling and entered his study, beginning Secluded Cultivation.

Although Bai Ling had only recently joined the Feather Transformation Sect, she could tell that it was facing a grave threat. Everything rested on Lin Jiufeng's shoulders, and the pressure was immense. So she stood guard outside the door, silently cultivating to prevent anyone from disturbing Lin Jiufeng.

Inside the study, Lin Jiufeng lit some incense.

The faint fragrance of camellia tea refreshed his mind, and the pressure from the Wen Family and the Supreme Dao Sect dissipated with it.

"The Wen Family is an ancient clan. They must possess much hidden strength. For them to send four Eighth Restriction experts and one Ninth Restriction expert to take Wen Xinyun back, there must be some major reason. So even if I hadn't killed Wen Yuan this time, as long as I wanted to keep Wen Xinyun, I would inevitably have to face the Wen Family, this great enemy," Lin Jiufeng thought silently.

He had raised Wen Xinyun since she was ten. Though he was only her Martial Uncle, he had taught all these youngsters everything they knew. She was practically half a daughter to him. How could he possibly hand Wen Xinyun over?

Moreover, judging by Wen Yuan's attitude, taking Wen Xinyun back could not possibly mean anything good. Lin Jiufeng naturally would not push Wen Xinyun into a pit of fire.

Therefore, the Wen Family was an enemy he had to face.

"The Wen Family's people have already gone back to spread the news. They are not like the Supreme Dao Sect, whose Ninth Restriction Supreme Elder is in Secluded Cultivation. What comes next will surely be a thunderous blow."

"Fortunately, my battle with Wen Yuan this time gave me profound insight. Ninth Restriction experts truly are far stronger than those at the Eighth Restriction, and their comprehension of the Dao is much richer." Lin Jiufeng cast aside every stray thought, sat cross-legged, and carefully recalled the battle from moments ago.

He meticulously recalled every detail.

Gradually, a line of words appeared before his eyes.

You battled the Ninth Restriction, triggering Heaven-Defying Comprehension and comprehending a Dao Rain.