Lighting Lanterns in the Mountains and Seas

Chapter 964 - 819: Even More Flavorful

The opportunity is fleeting and won't come again, an urgent sword strike.

The sword cut through with the sound of rolling thunder, tearing open space fractures, dark and ghastly.

The target Dharma King failed to dodge the terrifying fractures, long like roots, ultimately being torn apart by two twisted fissures. One at the waist, another at the knee.

The Dharma King, unafraid of death, exploded again, disappearing into the void, but exposing his true form inside.

Feng Yin's chosen target was correct; Yan Zhili was hiding within. The extremely mana-consuming strike with the Sky Splitting Sword struck Yan Zhili accurately.

The three Dharma Kings lost their mana support and almost simultaneously dissipated into thin air.

Yan Zhili, now showing his true form, flew off with his legs, his waist splitting into two parts, organs spurting out, blood erupting, the scene unbearable to witness.

Fortunately, the Blood Soul Blade had only suddenly burst into influence, and while the actual blood-sucking range expanded significantly, it hadn't spread here yet.

Yan Zhili looked down incredulously, knowing the moment the blood misted from his amputated arm that things were going wrong, yet his face was still full of unwillingness and despair.

For he knew how strong his hidden strength was; once the 'Four Elements Unification' was fully unleashed, even with Feng Yin's Phoenix Divine Light suppressing his skill, it couldn't stop his full-force strike.

Here in the Demon Realm, though Luo Que's 'Fan Sleeve Heaven' and Dongguo Shou's 'Inch and Mile' could pose some threat, only Su Jikuan's practiced 'Star-shattering Finger' could directly confront and suppress him.

But reality was harsh; Feng Yin just happened to wield the Sky Splitting Sword, making him dare not deliver the 'Four Elements Unification' strike.

Yet... Feng Yin hit him precisely with just one sword.

The acute pain transmitted clearly, mana and vitality frantically spilled out, the half-conscious wreckage uncontrollably spun away, seeing the frightened faces over at East Victory, one after another like they've seen a ghost.

He knew who exposed his true form, wanting to see where they were. He knew that person wouldn't last long either; he wished to see them meet the same fate, but the distance was too great, too many people in between, he couldn't see.

Wants that aren't his while unwanted things assault him, consciousness gradually blurring, vision fading.

The clearest scene like a reflection of his life was the private meeting with Su Yuan Sect Sect Master and several elders, solemn and reverent.

The Sect Master's words remained memorable.

The Sect Master said, the tree that stands out will be destroyed by the wind; he must endure loneliness, overcome vanity.

The Sect Master said, in such a grand Sect, some must dominate the four quarters, others be glamorous, some be adaptable, while others maintain a low profile to be useful at critical moments, which is the true foundation of a Great Sect.

He never expected that after keeping a low profile for so long, his first display of high profile would be the finale, not yet blooming, already wilting.

"Is life like this..."

After years of arduous cultivation without enjoyment, Yan Zhili uttered his final murmuring.

"Ah!"

A series of screams followed, those space-tearing fissures tore not only Yan Zhili but also East Victory troops, and West Ox troops, indiscriminately tearing through a vast area of broken limbs, the destructive power truly horrifying.

But everyone was concerned with only one person.

"Yan Zhili!"

"He..."

On the East Victory side, those witnessing the scene exclaimed repeatedly.

"Haha..." Feng Yin laughed wildly up at the sky.

Despite feeling dizzy from the violent extraction of mana, he could hardly suppress his burst of ecstasy.

Among the top experts of the Five Great Teams, besides him, the rest either died, fell, or were suppressed by him; none were threatening anymore, the situation suddenly shifted, the victory secured prematurely, how could he not be delighted?

Of course, jubilant as he was, he was clear-headed enough.

He wasn't interested in Yan Zhili's corpse; Yan Zhili was past tense. He now aimed to solidify the victory to avoid any surprises, so the thousands of Tokens in the Extreme Abyss must be acquired.

Where was Shi Chun? His eyes scanned around in search.

Speaking of which, quick as it was to eliminate Yan Zhili, he owed thanks to Shi Chun, which he understood well.

Having helped him rid of Yan Zhili, Su Jikuan, and also killed Luo Que, and now about to help him obtain the thousands of Tokens, he found Shi Chun seemed to be his lucky star.

A quick mana perception sweep soon locked onto Shi Chun's position; he drove the spinning 'Feather Flame Saber' to open the way there directly, unblocked.

Though the large-scale war's suppressive power greatly reduced the 'Feather Flame Saber' power, its attack couldn't reach far, but with Earth Immortal Great Success realm cultivation there, in close combat, East Victory troops were hard-pressed to stop him, and West Ox troops wouldn't stop him.

Quickly, he fought his way to Shi Chun's vicinity.

Seeing Shi Chun staggering, struggling, bleeding, Feng Yin smiled lightly; wasn't this waiting for him to reap the benefits?

To avoid procrastination, without hesitation, he charged directly over, shouting, "Get out of the way!"

The same words again, East Victory troops couldn't stop, didn't dare, West Ox troops wouldn't block him; rapidly giving way to him.

The seemingly stubborn Shi Chun wasn't blind, inwardly cursing Feng Yin's ancestors. The armies of East Victory and West Ox were already heated in battle, and more and more Heavenly Court forces were rushing here, their killing aura boiling fervently. He was on the brink of advancing in cultivation, so Feng Yin showing up now was definitely troublesome.

He was well aware that with such a character appearing, he couldn't keep up the act anymore. Couldn't just keep acting and get caught, right?

Wasn't this guy fighting desperately with Yan Zhili? How did he end up here?

Shi Chun vaguely sensed that something might have happened to Yan Zhili.

Feng Yin didn't bother to waste time with him, retracting his brilliant fire cocoon. He had no choice; with hundreds of thousands now fighting, the might reduced the power of skill attacks significantly.

He emitted a glow, intending to suppress and guard against any possible skill methods from Shi Chun with the Phoenix Divine Light, then directly lunged to rely on cultivation to forcibly capture him.

The Sky Splitting Sword couldn't breach that wretch's armor defense, and forceful attacks were useless. Even Su Jikuan couldn't break it, so exerting effort was pointless. Only overwhelming strength could subdue ten skills, pinning him down, and then stripping off his shell once controlled.

He was also interested in Shi Chun's set of armor.

His actions left Shi Chun a bit stunned, not expecting this birdman to be so fierce.

He also knew it was his act of pretending to be near-death that attracted trouble, just like Brother Que before.

What could he do, though? He didn't know if the Demon Dispel Hand could handle Phoenix Divine Light, but the opponent had already come close, handing him an opportunity. He definitely had to try a palm strike.

He immediately swung his sword to parry, casting a spell to summon the more potent Evil Spirit within the blade for support. However, the blade just flashed red, and the Evil Spirit only poked its head out before being dazzled back by the Phoenix Divine Light, thoroughly restrained.

Facing this useless thing, Shi Chun could only dodge away while firing off a Demon Dispel Hand strike.

Bang, when Feng Yin deflected the Blood Soul Blade with his sword, he vaguely sensed something amiss. There was an explosive force in the blade that rebounded, offsetting a portion of his attack strength.

He didn't know if this was the power after suppression by the Phoenix Divine Light; if after suppression it still held such power, the opponent shouldn't seem so shaky.

As this realization flashed, he swung his sleeve, aiming to deflect Shi Chun's palm power attack.

In the instant the sleeve swept by, his complexion suddenly changed, seeing the palm power penetrate like waves into his body.

As the palm power entered his body, the sensation felt distinctly familiar, somewhat like Wu Jinliang's palm power, but Wu Jinliang's palm power was milder; this one had a salty, intense flavor to it.

Wu Jinliang's palm power had already tormented him enough, nearly ending with a counterattack. How could there be one even more intense?

He clearly remembered Wu Jinliang struck him directly, whereas Shi Chun actually struck from a distance, the Phoenix Divine Light unable to suppress it, and the attack power was even greater?

Realizing the danger, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

This time he truly understood something was amiss, realizing Shi Chun wasn't wavering at all, realizing Shi Chun was simply pretending.

With palm power containing such sinister destructiveness, which among the earlier attackers could withstand it? How could none be toppled?

Could he be saving his strength just for him?

Instantly, he recalled Shi Chun's infamously sly reputation.

Immediately, he realized why Brother Que had died.

Instantly, he comprehended that Shi Chun had set a big trap for them, waiting for him to leap into it.

No wonder he wasn't dead after being besieged for so long; this scoundrel was pretending, fishing, too cunning!

With this understanding, he was nearly scared out of his wits; he didn't want to be the next Brother Que.

His attack shifted slightly, the flipped Sky Splitting Sword originally aiming to strike Shi Chun's arm, initially intending to magically latch onto the opponent's arm and then strike with the sleeve to take control. Knowing it was a trap, he dared not continue jumping into it, truly not wanting to end up like Brother Que.

The sword slash suddenly transformed into a chopping motion with strengthened force.

With a boom, the sword suppressed Shi Chun's figure as he swiftly sped overhead, the terrifying destructive force within him rapidly proliferating. Sluggishly fleeing, worried about meeting Brother Que's fate.

The key lay in having expended much mana using the Sky Splitting Sword; unless he quickly found a safe spot to recover, he feared he'd lack the mana to suppress the peculiar force inside him. The force was noticeably more brutal than Wu Jinliang's palm power and carried a unique, enduring resonance, ancient in feel, capable of contending with the Phoenix True Spirit within him.

Simultaneously, as if summoned by his thoughts, Wu Jinliang's shout suddenly rang out, "Feng Yin, birdman, Grandpa Wu is here!"

Suddenly, two figures and a mount charged from the chaotic battlefields: the saber-wielding Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan, brandishing a brilliant white True Fire.

Their appearance also concerned Feng Yin; he had abruptly left them and they, after escaping, couldn't contact Shi Chun but encountered other Heavenly Court Team members, learning of Shi Chun's plight, close to collapsing and in dire straits.

After confirming with the Command Center through communication links, Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan immediately led the Heavenly Court Team forces here, both sharing a ride, maneuvering with Qilin A San's agility, one wildly slashing with blades in the front, the other with True Fire scattering foes on contact, tightly coordinated.

Leading a force of nearly thirty thousand Heavenly Court troops, they carved a path here, with only over ten thousand managing to push through unstopped.

Arriving here, seeing Feng Yin suppressing Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang couldn't bear it; he had to shout with rage to aid. This was his specialty, as demonstrated when he previously saved Li Hongjiu from Dongguo Shou's grip.

Moreover, having dueled with Feng Yin for so long before, he had the confidence and wasn't afraid of Feng Yin at all.

In the eyes of others, it appeared Feng Yin let Shi Chun go to attack Wu Jinliang instead.

Those in the know understood Feng Yin and Wu Jinliang had fought long before without a decisive victory.