In the heart of the Spiritual Spring, Zhao Mingchengās chest was bare, his corded muscles as hard as iron. As his eyes opened and closed, they shot out thin, brilliant beams of gleaming Divine Light.
The Spiritual Spring glowed as Zhao Mingcheng recklessly absorbed wisps of pure Cold Ice Spiritual Energy. Droplets of Cold Soul True Water melted into his frail body like snow.
āDamn. What a powerful Ice Attribute Technique. He can even directly absorb Cold Soul True Water!ā Qin Feng, hidden in the shadows, sucked in a sharp breath as he watched.
Qin Feng fought the impulse to strike Zhao Mingcheng, suppressing his killing intent. āWait. Just a little longer,ā he thought. āThis guy is extremely vigilant. Even though heās absorbing Cold Soul True Water for his Cultivation, he hasnāt let his guard down for a moment. If I rush out now, I definitely wonāt be able to kill him!ā
āI either donāt strike at all, or it must be a killing blow!ā
Zhao Mingcheng kept his eyes open, slowly adjusting the speed at which he absorbed the Cold Ice Spiritual Energy. He was extremely vigilant. Although he didnāt sense any danger, he was cautious by instinct.
But as his Innate True Qi circulated faster and faster, Zhao Mingchengās taut nerves gradually began to relax.
An hour later, as his Cultivation hit its stride, Zhao Mingcheng closed his eyes and began to focus completely.
āHereās my chance!ā
Qin Fengās eyes lit up, and he struck in that instant. His figure flashed, appearing above Zhao Mingchengās head the very next moment. A peerless slash of sword light descended, enveloping Zhao Mingchengās skull.
āNot good!ā Zhao Mingchengās Spiritual Sense was incredibly sharp. He snapped his eyes open the instant Qin Feng charged, his pupils filled with the image of the vicious sword glint.
An unprecedented sense of crisis welled up within him. Suppressing his rage and terror, Zhao Mingcheng threw his arms up to shield himself, coating them with all the Innate True Qi he could muster to protect his vitals.
SQUELCH!
The vicious sword light drove straight through. In an instant, Qin Fengās longsword penetrated Zhao Mingchengās True Qi and plunged deep into his chest.
"AHH!" Zhao Mingcheng shrieked. Enduring the agonizing pain, a vicious light flashed in his eyes. Instead of retreating, he counter-attacked, gathering all the power he had into a ferocious palm strike as he lunged forward.
He thrust out his palm, and an intensely cold power erupted like a bursting dam, unleashing an unstoppable, monstrous flood.
A chill ran through Qin Feng as the pressure of death settled over him. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he executed the Clear Wind Refining God Step. His body blurred into a phantom, reappearing ten paces away.
RUMBLE! Water shot into the air. A Blood Shadow rushed from the heart of the Spiritual Spring, clutching its chest, and landed on the other side of the ice cave.
"Qin Feng, it was you!" Zhao Mingcheng clutched his bleeding chest, his face twisted in pain. Only then did he get a chance to look up and see his attacker.
Qin Feng landed lightly. Dressed in a Black Robe, he turned and regarded Zhao Mingcheng with a calm indifference as he spoke.
"Zhao Mingcheng, youāre a tough one to kill. To think even that wasnāt enough." Qin Feng was inwardly disappointed.
Qin Feng glanced at the wound on Zhao Mingchengās chest. āZhao Mingchengās vigilance is just too high. Although my sword struck him, he managed to avoid a fatal blow at the last second. Itās only a serious injury.ā
"You little ant!" Zhao Mingcheng snarled, grinding his teeth. A chill went through his heart; if not for his naturally cautious disposition, Qin Feng would have already killed him.
A red light surged in Zhao Mingchengās eyes. A layer of the same crimson glow enveloped the wound on his chest, which began to writhe and heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
āHeās actually burning his own Divine Soul to heal his injuries? What a waste!ā Qin Feng watched in surprise. He knew that the red light was none other than the Divine Soul of a Half-step Divine Sealing expert.
Divine Soul Power was exceptionally precious. Before one achieved Divine Sealing, any amount used was gone for good. Qin Feng also possessed a Divine Soul, but he could never bring himself to use it.
Zhao Mingcheng was far more ruthless with himself, spending his Divine Soul like water. Qin Feng couldnāt help but shake his head, sighing internally at how wasteful the "rich" could be.
"You little ant, youāre courting death!" Zhao Mingcheng was so enraged by Qin Fengās casual tone that his Three Corpses raged, and the pain of his loss left him breathless.
Although Zhao Mingcheng was a veteran Half-step Divine Sealing expert with a powerful Divine Soul, even he could not withstand consuming it so recklessly. He had already spent a third of it to seize this body, and now he had just used another third to repair his injuries. His Divine Soul was now less than one-third of its peak strength.
A bone-deep, venomous hatred filled Zhao Mingchengās eyes. Gritting his teeth, he made a ruthless decision: he would burn the final third of his Divine Soul. Today, he would risk exhausting all his reserves to slaughter the detestable Qin Feng.
A red Flame ignited on his body. A scorching crimson light erupted, and a terrifying aura surged forth, powerful enough to pierce the Firmament.
Zhao Mingchengās aura skyrocketed: Late-stage Martial Arts Nine Layers, Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak, Half-Step Pulse Condensation Realm... In moments, he broke through the First Secret Realm of Meridian Condensation.
Of the five great Secret Realms of the Condensing Vein Realm, the First Secret Realm was blasted open, then the Second Secret Realm, followed immediately by the Third Secret Realm.
The Condensing Vein Realm has five great Secret Realms, and with each one broken, oneās power grows. Zhao Mingcheng blasted open three Secret Realms in succession. A violent power erupted from his body, shaking the very heavens and earth.
āHeās really gone and done it now!ā A hint of shock appeared in Qin Fengās eyes. He felt the immense aura sweep over him, locking onto him. He was like a reef in a tsunami; no matter where he ran, he would face a world-shattering strike.
āSo you want to play for keeps? Hmph, you think Iām scared?ā A tangible aura of death washed over him. Qin Feng gritted his teeth and sneered, his gaze turning to the Cold Soul Spirit Spring within the ice cave.
"Abyssal Demon Map, get out here!"
With a furious roar, his hair whipping about, Qin Feng blasted every last bit of his Innate True Qi into the depths of his soul. A ray of Divine Light shot from his body. His face turned pale; forcibly summoning the Abyssal Demon Map had nearly cost him his life.
The jet-black Demon Map flew to a spot above the Cold Soul Spirit Spring, erupting with a monstrous Demon Power. The Divine Object protected its master; the Abyssal Demon Map sent down a cluster of Divine Light to shield Qin Feng, blocking the impact of Zhao Mingchengās explosive aura.
At the same time, the greedy Abyssal Demon Map extended its demonic claws toward the Cold Soul Spirit Spring.
It instantly transformed into a massive, pitch-black vortex. Without any prompting from Qin Feng, the greedy Abyssal Demon Map began to frantically devour the heart of the Cold Soul Spirit Spring.
"What is that thing?" Zhao Mingcheng stared in shock at the strange, black Demon Map. It exuded a majesty like that of a God-Demon, sending a terrifying chill even through him.
When he saw the black Demon Map transform into a huge vortex and begin devouring the Cold Soul Spirit Spring, he could no longer remain idle.
The Cold Soul Spirit Spring was his and his alone!
"You ant! You dare try to take my Cold Soul Spirit Spring?! DIE!"
In a fury, Zhao Mingcheng let out a roar that seemed to shatter Space-Time itself, appearing right beside Qin Fengās ear. He charged like a ferocious tiger and threw a punch. Like a crazed Demon God, he erupted with a crimson radiance, blasting his attack toward the Abyssal Demon Map.
RUMBLE!
The black vortex formed by the Abyssal Demon Map was rocked by a series of explosions. The ferocious True Power seemed about to tear Space itself apart, the punch aimed at killing Qin Feng on the spot from behind the Demon Map.
The Abyssal Demon Mapās power was fully unleashed. Its Divine Light surged as the conjured black hole expanded severalfold, trying desperately to trap Zhao Mingcheng.
"Cold Ice Divine Sword TechniqueāSword Rends the World!"
Zhao Mingcheng roared furiously as a vicious, peerless sword light erupted from his body, slashing toward the space conjured by the black hole.
The sword light, powerful enough to shatter the Firmament, burst forth, illuminating the entire black hole. The vortex pulsed, expanding and contracting while emitting violent, unstable rumbles, as if it would collapse at any moment.
Qin Fengās heart pounded in his chest as he watched. If the Abyssal Demon Map was shattered, he knew he would be finished.
Qin Feng focused his mind, pushing the massive black vortex conjured by the Abyssal Demon Map to devour the Cold Soul Spirit Spring with all its might. Bit by bit, it was about to consume the spring completely.
āFaster, damn it!ā Qin Feng fumed inwardly, watching the Abyssal Demon Mapās devouring speed.
With every bit of the Cold Soul Spirit Spring it devoured, the Abyssal Demon Map grew stronger. Qin Feng could already feel that he was just a hairās breadth away from opening the Endless Abyss.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, the black hole let out a sky-shaking roar, and a cold light burst forth!
RUMBLE! A sword light capable of tearing the Firmament apart blasted through the black hole! The entire vortex shattered like a sieve. The intensely cold sword light slashed toward Qin Fengāa violent, unstoppable blow that pierced the very Firmament.
"Little ant, GO TO HELL!" The words were so full of hatred they could have frozen heaven and earth.
PFFT! The Abyssal Demon Map was torn apart. Qin Feng suffered the backlash, spraying a mist of blood toward the sky!