Grievously Wounded
Night fell, pitch-black!
A luminous crescent moon hung alone overhead, while the bitterly cold night wind howled across the land!
The sky had been clear and bright just moments ago, but before long, a thick layer of dark clouds drifted across it and obscured the moonlight. At once, the whole world grew impossibly dim.
At the eastern gate of Chiyan City, Luo Feng stood quietly, gazing at the battered, weathered city wall, countless thoughts running through his mind. He had come here three years ago, and after three years of challenges, he had grown.
Three years ago, he had only just grasped Wielding Something Light as Though It Were Heavy; now, he had grasped "force." The hardship in between went without saying. Countless people saw only his outward glory, not the price he had paid for it. Fortunately, he had Silver Dragon as his magical beast companion during those three years. Countless times, when Luo Feng was covered in wounds, Silver Dragon had used Light Magic to heal him.
Challenge, grievous injury, another challenge, another grievous injury, yet another challenge, yet another grievous injury. Three years of tempering had brought about a fundamental transformation in Luo Feng. Now that he was leaving, he could not help feeling a little reflective. What scene might await him the next time he came? Luo Feng seemed to gain a little insight.
At this moment, in a desolate stretch of hills, Silver Dragon let his wings droop aimlessly, looking rather listless, while Luo Feng could not be bothered with him. Eyes closed, Luo Feng cultivated his Battle-qi alone. On the path of cultivation, diligence was all that mattered.
Just then, a thunderous boom suddenly came from the overcast sky!
The violent rumble echoed across the land. Luo Feng looked up to see lightning flickering like serpents in the sky as fierce winds rose, and peals of thunder rang in his ears from time to time.
Before long, a figure appeared high in the sky, standing proudly in the air with an air of contempt for all living things, hovering directly above Luo Feng.
"Brat, you offended a disciple of my War God Sect and think you can leave so easily? You really don't take the people of my War God Sect seriously, do you?" Kenyon said with a wild laugh.
"Old ghost, say what you have to say. I'm not interested in making small talk with you." Luo Feng frowned deeply, seeming very displeased with Kenyon's attitude.
"Nothing much. I'm just teaching you a lesson on behalf of your elders, so you'll learn how to conduct yourself humbly," Kenyon said in the tone of an elder.
"Enough. There's no point in talking. Let's settle this like men." Luo Feng did not need to think about it; they both knew perfectly well what was going on. Since Kenyon had clearly come looking for trouble, they might as well fight it out in the open. Luo Feng had never been one for lengthy explanations. In this world, there was no right or wrong; strength decided right and wrong. That was the way of men.
"You... Haha, lately I've kept hearing rumors throughout our O'Brien Empire about what a genius you are, Luo Feng. Now that I've met you, I see you're straightforward and imposing. My opinion of you has improved a little," Kenyon said, taken aback at first before breaking into a laugh.
With that, he flew straight down in front of Luo Feng. "Fighting you in the air would make any victory less than fair. I'll wait for you below."
"Silver Dragon, escape first. I'll go play with him. Although I can't beat Kenyon, I won't lose in a short time either. He's only just entered the Saint Domain, and many things haven't stabilized yet. He's a very suitable opponent." After sending the message to Silver Dragon, Luo Feng jumped down, ready to face Kenyon in battle.
Creak. The powerful force shook an entire section of the ground into a depression. Luo Feng's whole body became a gentle breeze, drifting slowly down through the air. Just before landing, he stamped down hard.
Kenyon shook his head and said softly, "Why bother? Alas, since you insist on courting death, there's nothing I can do." A vast, mighty force surged from his body, and he raised a palm and struck at Luo Feng.
The immense palm force, enough to overturn mountains and seas, swept through the entire space like a boundless ocean, surging with the violence of an erupting volcano. This was "force." Sure enough, a powerhouse who had entered the Saint Domain had an understanding of "force" far beyond Luo Feng's own.
But Luo Feng showed no fear. With a great shout, he met the attack with all his strength, brilliant cyan light bursting from both hands. Fist shadows filled the sky, sealing off the enormous palm completely and preventing even the slightest trace of its force from escaping.
Boom! A tremendous, thunderous roar rang out as violent energy surged everywhere, rampaging through the surrounding space. In the end, Luo Feng had withstood the exchange.
"Huh?" Kenyon had clearly underestimated Luo Feng's strength. His whole body swayed, and he could not help letting out a cry of surprise.
Kenyon had always been disdainful whenever he heard how gifted Luo Feng was. He believed that no matter how strong a Warrior of the Ninth Rank might be, he was no more than an ant before a Saint Domain powerhouse. He even considered Luo Feng's challenges childish games, too immature to be worth watching. Only upon reaching the Saint Domain did battles fought with a mere gesture become worth his attention.
"Not bad, brat. I believe you deserve your reputation as a genius now. But I only used eighty percent of my strength just now. From here on, we're going to get serious." Kenyon narrowed his eyes and stared at Luo Feng, speaking sentence by sentence.
"Come on, then. Don't disappoint me." Luo Feng did not retreat a single step, staring intently at Kenyon.
As a powerhouse who had already entered the Saint Domain, Kenyon naturally possessed an imposing presence that could not be taken lightly. Having previously held it back because he had underestimated Luo Feng, he now unleashed it at full force.
An invisible contest erupted between the two in an instant. Powerful waves of energy surged and churned wildly through the surrounding space, forming terrifying storms between them. Peals of thunder sounded in the sky.
The terrifying energies, carrying an unstoppable momentum, crashed fiercely against each other between the two men.
An earthshaking boom rang out. Winds filled the air, and the great tree between them shattered into countless fragments that flew in every direction. The terrifying energy blasted a crater several meters deep into the ground between them.
"Kenyon, die!" Luo Feng exerted every ounce of strength, circulating his Battle-qi to its limit. He leaped high, covering dozens of meters, and shouted in midair. His right hand blazed with brilliant cyan light as he chopped fiercely downward. Countless dazzling rays of cyan divine light, each several feet long and accompanied by an earthshaking roar, tore through the sky and rained straight down on Kenyon. At once, countless cyan fist shadows surged through the battlefield, fierce winds rose, and sand and stones blotted out the sky.
As a Saint Domain powerhouse, Kenyon naturally could not sit and wait for death. He snorted softly. "Courting death." Standing in midair, he circulated the Battle-qi within him. His expression unchanged before the fist shadows filling the sky, he turned his palm into a blade, and vast Battle-qi poured forth. Luo Feng's attack gradually weakened, the deep-cyan Battle-qi fist shadows fading until they vanished without a trace.
Terrifying energy filled the entire dense forest as Luo Feng and Kenyon once again fought madly.
The punch Luo Feng threw with all his strength was truly terrifying. Cyan fist-force filled the sky, sealing off every path of retreat for Kenyon without leaving the slightest opening.
Since he could not dodge, Kenyon had no choice but to meet it head-on.
Boom! Their fists met, as though two great mountains had suddenly collided. In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled, brilliant light flared, and the fierce fist winds seemed ready to tear everything around them apart.
In that instant, Kenyon let out a shrill roar of rage. One of his arms had been forcibly broken by Luo Feng. For Kenyon, who had always regarded himself as a man of noble standing, the pain was undoubtedly immense. Unable to hold it in, he let out a roar of rage.
Although Kenyon had lost the use of an arm, it was only a minor injury that an eighth-rank Light Magic spell could heal. Luo Feng was different. His injuries were far worse. His entire body was drenched in blood, which continued to flow from all over him. His horribly twisted face showed just how much pain he was in, yet he still did his utmost to keep from crying out.
Kenyon erupted in boundless fury. Raising his left hand, he used the last of his Battle-qi to attack Luo Feng. His eyes were filled with killing intent. Luo Feng had such talent at so young an age, and his methods were ruthless enough to leave Kenyon with a broken arm. If a genius like that remained in the world, Kenyon feared he would never eat or sleep in peace. He could not be allowed to live.
As a terrifying attack bore down on Luo Feng, a silvery-white phantom flashed before Kenyon's eyes and appeared in front of Luo Feng in the blink of an eye. Roar! An earthshaking dragon's cry resounded through the wooded hills. Silver Dragon's back was covered in blood, but his speed did not diminish in the slightest. He seized Luo Feng in his jaws, tossed him onto his back, and beat his wings fiercely, becoming a streak of silver light that vanished from the wooded hills. Silver Dragon appeared in the sky and stared at Kenyon with hatred. After hearing Luo Feng's transmitted message, he gradually disappeared into the horizon, leaving only Luo Feng's words in the sky: "For today's humiliation, I will surely repay you a hundredfold another day."