Acting Against the Wind

"Let us begin."

Beneath the deep, dark waters of Sea God Lake, a newly condensed ice cavern floated in silence.

Lin Feng and Wang Dong sat cross-legged, facing each other within the ice chamber.

Lin Feng's eyes closed slightly, and the aura around him shifted abruptly, carrying an ancient and heavy pressure.

What made Wang Dong's breath hitch even more was the sight of two deep, ink-black ten-thousand-year Soul Rings rising from beneath Lin Feng's feet.

Two... ten-thousand-year Soul Rings?!

You truly possess Twin Martial Souls.

A tempest raged in Wang Dong's heart.

She should have realized it sooner; the soul ring configuration of Lin Feng's Fire Lotus Martial Soul already defied common sense. Only the existence of Twin Martial Souls could explain it.

Before she could recover from the shock, Lin Feng's second black soul ring suddenly flared with brilliant light.

Accompanied by a crisp phoenix cry, an aura that was pure, scorching, and seemingly capable of cleansing all filth erupted outward.

Golden flames rose from Lin Feng's skin. These were not ordinary red flames, but rather resembled molten liquid gold—dazzling, brilliant, and carrying a sacred, inviolable majesty.

As the flames swirled, they rapidly covered his entire body, rendering him like a golden Arhat sitting in a temple: his whole body was radiant gold, his appearance solemn, with only his eyes revealing a deep, profound black.

The temperature inside the ice cavern climbed sharply, and the frigid ice walls began to emit a faint "hissing" sound as their surface started to melt and evaporate.

"Is... is this Dean Yan's Bright Phoenix Fire?" Wang Dong subconsciously held her breath, feeling her own Martial Soul transmit an instinctive tremor and resonance. "What... what a terrifying aura."

The pressure naturally radiating from him was enough to make the soul power within her body boil, and her soul felt a subtle sensation of burning and purification.

She finally felt, with intuitive clarity, what it meant to stand at the pinnacle of the continent with a top-tier Martial Soul.

Lin Feng silently circulated his Flame Mantra. The Bright Phoenix Fire enveloping him responded to his guidance, and wisps of the origin power containing the essence of light were slowly stripped away, gathering toward his palm.

At first, it was only a tiny point of brilliant gold, but as the origin power continued to converge, it gradually took the shape of a budding golden Fire Lotus.

"Are you ready? The origin has been refined." Lin Feng opened his eyes, the golden lotus in his palm glowing even brighter.

Wang Dong took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

With a thought, the magnificent Radiant Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul unfurled behind her. One yellow and one purple soul ring pulsed up and down, making her appear like a Goddess of Light descended into the mortal realm.

Her butterfly wings fluttered gently, scattering specks of radiance that echoed the aura of the golden lotus in Lin Feng's hand.

"Come."

Lin Feng said no more, flicking his finger.

The golden Fire Lotus seemed to possess a spirit of its own as it floated up and slowly merged into the center of Wang Dong's brow.

"Hum—"

Wang Dong's delicate body trembled slightly.

There was no expected burning sensation, only a stream of cool, clear light that instantly flowed through her limbs and bones, scouring away any subtle blockages or impurities in every inch of her meridians.

She felt her soul power become unprecedentedly active and transparent, her mental strength clear as if washed, and even her Martial Soul emitted a comfortable, light hum. The radiance on her butterfly wings seemed to grow brighter and more solid.

It was a feeling of being blessed and cleansed by the supreme light—sacred and scorching, yet incredibly comfortable.

Not good!

Lin Feng's heart sank abruptly.

The golden Fire Lotus had not transformed into pure origin of light to merge into Wang Dong's body as expected.

Instead, a violent and scorching phoenix aura erupted from deep within the lotus.

It's the residual Phoenix True Fire!

Lin Feng's Flame Mantra had not yet evolved to the Earth Rank; his purification of Yan Shaozhe's pure and vast Bright Phoenix origin power had not been thorough enough.

Red-gold flames ignited beneath her skin without warning.

Lin Feng circulated his Flame Mantra with all his might, attempting to forcibly swallow and retract that strand of out-of-control Phoenix True Fire.

However, the moment his power touched Wang Dong's body—

"Hum!"

A vibration resonated from the center of Wang Dong's brow.

A point of brilliant gold-blue light suddenly burst forth, rapidly condensing into a tiny yet incredibly clear Trident mark.

Though small, the mark radiated endless majesty and divinity, as if it carried the weight of an infinite ocean, or contained the laws that judged the heavens and earth.

The power Lin Feng used to swallow the fire collided with this mark, and he was nearly severely injured by the backlash.

Sea God Trident Mark...

It is you, Old Dog Tang!

Lin Feng's pupils constricted, his movements freezing instantly as a nameless rage surged into his heart.

Fine, very fine!

So that is how it is. No wonder this girl is so gifted, possessing a top-tier Martial Soul like the Radiant Goddess Butterfly and having such intricate ties to the Clear Sky Sect.

She must have an incredibly close relationship with that old dog Tang San to have been bestowed such a Protective Divine Seal.

Since you have the Sea God protecting you, you can solve this mess yourself.

Watching the Phoenix True Fire still spreading across Wang Dong's body, threatening to incinerate all her clothing, Lin Feng's eyes turned cold, and he simply withdrew his hand.

The crimson-gold flames quickly completed their task, turning all coverings into nothing but flying ash.

The hazy light within the ice cavern illuminated a scene of unreserved beauty.

Short, azure hair, flowing like the vast deep sea, draped over shoulders and a back as smooth as jade, framing a face that resembled a goddess; the combination of her features was so perfect it felt unreal, as if she were the concentrated essence of heaven and earth, every stroke a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship.

Beneath a swan-like, snow-white neck lay graceful, undulating curves, a waist so slender it could be spanned by a single hand, and skin so crystalline and translucent it felt warmer and more delicate than the finest white jade.

She sat quietly cross-legged amidst the dissipating Phoenix True Fire, resembling the Goddess of Light descended upon the world, radiating a holiness and nobility that brooked no desecration, making the very heavens and earth pale in comparison.

She truly is worthy of being the incarnation of the Goddess of Light...

Even though Lin Feng's lingering anger had not yet subsided, his breath hitched involuntarily as he gazed at the stunning sight before him.

Just as Lin Feng was feasting his eyes.

A cold, majestic consciousness, vast as if originating from the nine heavens, pierced directly into the depths of his mind without warning, carrying an unquestionable sense of judgment:

"Brat, you have already invited the path of death!"

This consciousness was not a sound, yet it possessed more impact than any roar, shaking his very soul.

Almost simultaneously, the Trident Mark on Wang Dong's forehead erupted with blinding divine light, and a golden-blue beam, condensed to the extreme and containing supreme power, shot straight toward the center of Lin Feng's brow.

Wherever it passed, even space itself warped slightly, and the temperature in the ice cavern plummeted, as if they had been instantly dragged into the depths of an abyssal sea—heavy, suffocating, and inescapable.

This strike was something no mortal could withstand; it contained a sliver of the true punishing power of a god.

Life and death in an instant!

However, at the very moment that golden-blue beam was about to pierce Lin Feng's brow.

"You dare! Tang San!"

Deep within Lin Feng's mind, another cold, majestic consciousness rang out, jolting his spirit.

A force of destruction, as if originating from the most primal era of the world's creation, surged forth!

It was the manifestation of a supreme rule that transcended all concepts, instantly forming a black film of light before Lin Feng.

The golden-blue Sea God's Punishing Beam collided with the light film; there was no earth-shattering explosion, only a rapid dissolution and disintegration, eventually turning into specks of light that vanished into nothingness.

That was a divine punishment capable of easily obliterating a Limit Douluo...

The Trident Mark on Wang Dong's forehead flickered violently a few times, its radiance visibly dimming as if it had exhausted its accumulated power, before finally fading away and disappearing.

Within the ice cavern, the terrifying pressure and the deep-sea-like suffocation receded like a tide.

Only the sound of Lin Feng's slightly rapid breathing remained, along with the beautiful, bewildered figure of Wang Dong opposite him, who still had no idea what had just transpired.