Elves' Sorcery

Generating a maze illusion by stitching together perceptions requires the Mind Eye Technique, which consumes a significant amount of mental energy.

If the target closes their eyes midway, he must seize the split second they open them to cast the technique again, dragging them back into the maze.

Doing so consumes even more mental energy.

"I could try narrowing the scope, reducing the imagery to create a localized illusion, and aiming for a split-second opening to strike."

In many cases, a fight is decided in a single instant; Liu Feng was well aware of this.

Without a target to practice on, he stopped trying and turned to the Zen Eye Technique to look inward at his own internal organs.

Deep within his chest, a strange Gu insect with a deep, lustrous color and star-like spots across its body lay quietly in the depths of his flesh, as if in a deep slumber.

Furthermore, within the flesh near his heart, an egg with a fiery red shell had already half-hatched.

"I have already absorbed the medicinal power of both insect crystals; I am only waiting for the 'Fire Eater' to hatch."

As Liu Feng pondered how many days it might take for the "Fire Eater" to hatch, he suddenly tilted his head to listen—someone was calling for him outside.

"Liu Feng, today is the day you become a cripple."

"Please, come in, both of you. The passage is narrow, but I trust that will not hinder you."

"Stop. What is that stench inside? You lot, go in and drag him out."

Under the continuous drizzle, the Gu children gathered, some standing under trees, others huddled under stone eaves; over a hundred people had assembled here.

In front of the stone cave at the base of the cliff, Su Jing and her brother Su Anjie led the way, followed by two cloaked spirits.

The Black Wolf Spirit walking in front twitched its nose, refusing to enter the passage.

A Gu Servant hurried forward at this moment and said cautiously, "Brother Su, eight Gu children were ambushed; they all, all vomited! It was most likely that fellow surnamed Liu!"

Su Jing and Su Anjie exchanged a glance and raised their voices to shout.

"He truly has committed every evil act—stealing our good medicine, severing our arms, and now he even bullies the newly initiated Gu children."

"Liu Feng, do we have to go in and invite you to show yourself?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Liu Feng stepped out slowly, dressed in green. However, upon seeing him clearly, everyone who knew him revealed expressions of astonishment.

Much like Liu Xing, who had been reborn, Liu Feng's appearance had also changed significantly.

He had grown taller, and the blue-black hue on his skin caused by the toxins of the Gu he had been implanted with had completely faded.

His figure was slender, his face lean, his features refined, and his facial lines sharp; he was now a remarkably handsome and ethereal-looking youth.

"Y-you are Liu Feng? You owe my brother and me our arms!" Su Jing hesitated for a moment before shouting sharply.

Su Anjie, unable to wait any longer, pointed at Liu Feng and said, "It is him! I ask that you two eat his arms raw."

Hearing the words "eat raw," the Gu children watching from afar became instantly excited.

Among them, five figures with their faces wrapped in rags hid in the crowd, their eyes filled with venomous resentment.

"That fellow surnamed Liu really has been reborn—he has become a Gu Master!"

"Even if he has, he still has to go to the Valley Master and fight Liu Xing to the death."

"Let us first see if he can survive this hurdle." These five were none other than Ma Kun and the others who had failed their Gu implantation.

As for Liu Xing, he was not present; Ma Kun's words seemed to serve as a reminder, though it was unclear what he was plotting.

"Look, the Wolf Spirit is casting a spell..." one of the Gu children exclaimed.

All eyes converged on the scene, and everyone watching, including Li Xiang'er and Leng Qiuyue, grew tense.

In front of the stone cave at the base of the cliff, the short and sturdy Ape Spirit remained motionless.

The cloaked figure of the Black Wolf Spirit shifted, splitting into six figures that suddenly scattered and lunged at Liu Feng.

The hoods of their cloaks fell back, revealing snarling, vicious wolf heads.

Liu Feng stood frozen in place, as if he had failed to react, and all six bloody maws bit into him.

After the six bites, only the green fabric on Liu Feng's left shoulder was torn, emitting a "rip" sound.

Clearly, the one biting there was the true form of the Black Wolf Spirit.

Under a large tree in the distance, the timid Li Xiang'er covered her mouth with her hand and let out a cry, while Leng Qiuyue beside her was so frightened her face turned deathly pale.

But when they looked again, the five clones had vanished into thin air, and the Black Wolf Spirit let out a miserable howl, flying back two yards, blood streaming from its sharp-fanged mouth.

The blood in its mouth was not Liu Feng's; it was its own—its tongue had nearly been shredded into pulp.

"It was a Soldier Gu blocking the way! How did Liu Feng anticipate that?" a Gu Servant exclaimed.

Only then did the crowd see a hideous insect leg twitching on Liu Feng's left arm, where his clothes had been torn, stained with blood.

"Human brat." The Black Wolf Spirit's eyes were filled with malice.

With a howl, its cloak billowed, and seven plumes of black smoke surged from beneath the Black Wolf Spirit.

Each plume of smoke trailed half a yard long, like seven vengeful ghosts appearing in broad daylight, all whistling toward him at once.

With a violent kick to the ground, the Black Wolf Spirit's figure flickered and vanished into the seven plumes of black smoke.

In the blink of an eye, the onlookers saw Liu Feng's figure obscured by rolling black smoke.

Yet, this move that had intimidated every Gu Child vanished into thin air the very next moment. A howl, even more wretched than the last, reached everyone's ears.

Suddenly, the black smoke burst apart, and a black wolf the size of a calf bolted out from beneath the cloak.

In pursuit behind it was the youth wielding a hideous greatsword—it was Liu Feng, who had slashed the Black Wolf Spirit's waist and abdomen.

"He only just hatched his Exotic Gu; how could he possibly contend with Second Senior Brother's spirit monster..."

Su Jing and Su Anjie, the siblings, wore expressions of utter astonishment, watching the scene before them in disbelief.

In their eyes, Liu Feng had only just hatched his Exotic Gu and had never engaged in a duel before; how could he have driven the Black Wolf Spirit to such a sorry state!

"Hmph." Behind the siblings, a sudden, angry snort rang out.

The Ape Spirit standing in place tore through its cloak, its muscles bulging, every strand of hair standing on end.

Before the two could react, a great spray of dirt flew backward; the earth beneath the Ape Spirit's feet cracked, and its robust spirit-monster frame shot toward Liu Feng.

The Ape Spirit's body was powerful and sturdy; with its legs crossing, the distance to Liu Feng closed rapidly!

The moment it closed in, it completed a waist-twist, a shoulder-thrust, and a punch—a standard martial artist's striking technique.

With a "bang," a gust of wind billowed.

The punch was fierce and accurate, bypassing the sharp edge to strike the insect cavity of the Soldier Gu "Split-Tooth," sending Liu Feng and his Soldier Gu flying backward together.

The two women under a tree in the distance watched as Liu Feng was knocked back nearly ten zhang, a spray of blood scattering in mid-air.

"Wu Yue, your concealment techniques are useless against him! We must strike with our spirit-monster physical bodies."

"End this quickly; tear off his arms."

As the words fell, a cracking sound erupted from the earth beneath the Ape Spirit's feet, and its massive figure vanished from its spot once more.

On the other side, the Black Wolf Spirit was filled with hatred and rage; the concealment techniques it excelled at were actually useless against this human brat.

The fur on the wolf's neck bristled, and the calf-sized black wolf dug its four paws into the ground, sprinting like a black torrent as it flanked Liu Feng from the side, moving in tandem with the Ape Spirit.