Chapter 262 - 261: Soul Refining

’The Celestial Snake Clan? Aren’t they one of the Twelve Strong Clans of the Demon God Temple?’

Qin Feng was inwardly shocked. ’Could the Demon God Temple have already killed the Elders from All Stars Academy who were overseeing the competition?’

’That can’t be right,’ Qin Feng thought. ’Since All Stars Academy already discovered that strongmen from the Demon God Temple had infiltrated the City of Many Stars, it’s impossible that they didn’t take any precautions!’

Suppressing his thoughts, Qin Feng’s expression remained placid. Clad in a black robe, he concealed himself among the underwater plants, looking just like an ordinary piece of seaweed.

Sprawled on the ground and severely injured, the white-robed girl heard his words. She looked up at the Celestial Serpent Clansman, bit her lower lip, and sneered.

"A mere beast wants me to submit? Dream on!"

"You don’t know what’s good for you! To become my slave girl is an honor for you Two-legged Sheep, yet you dare to refuse!"

A dark, cruel glint flashed in his eyes as an incomparably cold killing intent erupted from the Celestial Serpent Clansman.

"Since you’re so ungrateful, you can become one with my Soul-Refining Flame!"

His hoarse voice let out a cold laugh. With a PUFF, a wicked, jet-black flame suddenly shot out from the Celestial Serpent Clan Strongman’s palm.

The wicked, terrifying, pitch-black flame was chilling. Countless sharp, venomous cries swirled around it, as if it contained innumerable Vengeful Spirits and Fierce Souls.

The terrifying sounds were soul-shaking.

"The Soul-Refining Flame!"

Jiang Bing’er, still on the ground, had a look of fear, despair, and unwillingness in her eyes.

’The Soul-Refining Black Flame?’ Qin Feng’s gaze flickered. He recognized this bizarre Divine Ability.

The Soul-Refining Black Flame was a vicious Martial Arts Divine Ability, a bizarre power forged by using the Soul Refining Technique to smelt the souls and essences of countless living creatures.

The more living souls that were refined, the deeper the color of the Soul-Refining Black Flame, and the more powerful it became.

This Soul-Refining Black Flame was extremely potent. Once touched, it would directly burn one’s mind and soul, a terrifying prospect.

The most vicious part was that if you died to the Soul-Refining Black Flame, your soul would be directly devoured by it. As long as the flame existed, you would be eternally incinerated.

Unable to live, and unable to die!

The power of the Soul-Refining Black Flame on this Celestial Serpent Clan Strongman’s palm was not to be underestimated. It was already an inky black, with a purplish-black core. It was clear that at least hundreds, if not thousands, of living beings had died at his hands.

"Go!"

The Celestial Serpent Clan Strongman sneered. The Soul-Refining Black Flame in his palm erupted, transforming into a black serpent that shot towards the white-robed girl to devour her.

"Kill!"

From the water, a black shadow shot out instantly, appearing behind the Celestial Serpent Clan Strongman in the next moment.

"Someone’s actually launching a sneak attack?"

The Celestial Serpent Clansman was startled, but then he gave a sinister smile. His snake body twisted, and his tail whipped towards Qin Feng with a loud WHOOSH.

The bucket-thick snake tail swept out like a massive whip. The air exploded from the strike, and a violent gale locked onto Qin Feng’s entire body.

Qin Feng chuckled, neither dodging nor evading. His body became like a sharp blade, a living sword, as he slashed through like a black thunderbolt.

Seeing the black shadow charging straight at him, the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s surprise turned into a smirk. ’He’s actually meeting it head-on? This Two-legged Sheep is courting death, daring to block my tail directly. He should know that when my Celestial Serpent Race sweeps its tail, not even a strongman of the Turtle Race would dare to meet it head-on!’

However, in the next moment, the smile on the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s face froze. An earth-shattering scream erupted from his mouth.

Like a sharp blade, Qin Feng had easily lopped off the bucket-thick snake tail.

Having cultivated the first layer of the *Eight Desolates Undying Profound Technique*, Qin Feng’s physical resilience was far beyond imagination!

With his tail severed, the Celestial Serpent Clansman shrieked at the sky as blood gushed from his lower body like a fountain.

’Finish him while he’s down!’

A ferocious glint flashed in his eyes. Qin Feng’s figure closed in on the Celestial Serpent Clansman like lightning. His hands, like sharp claws, grabbed the man’s shoulders, and with a surge of brute force, he tore.

RIIIP!

A spray of blood erupted.

In his terror, the Celestial Serpent Clansman was violently torn apart.

SPLASH!

The white-robed girl couldn’t dodge in time and was instantly showered in the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s blood.

Brutal!

Utterly brutal!

The white-robed girl stared blankly at the black-robed youth who had appeared as suddenly as a Demon Monarch.

An expert as powerful as the Celestial Serpent Clansman had been torn apart alive by this black-robed youth!

WHOOSH!

From between the two halves of the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s corpse, a streak of black light, tinged with blood, suddenly shot out and flew towards the Great Marsh.

’He condensed an Essence at the mere Condensing Vein Realm? Looks like I’ve netted some high-quality goods with a superior bloodline!’

Qin Feng’s eyes lit up. Just as he was about to move, a red light appeared. Like a red meteor, it chased after the black light that was the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s Essence.

In an instant, it enveloped the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s Essence.

"No!" A shrill, formless scream rang out, only to be cut off the next moment.

After devouring the Celestial Serpent Clansman’s Essence, the red light flashed and appeared in Qin Feng’s palm, transforming into a Ninth-Grade Red Lotus.

’It’s a Red Lotus, and a Ninth-Grade one at that!’

The white-robed girl was dazed, her beautiful eyes wide with shock.

’Who on earth is this youth? How could he achieve a Ninth-Grade Flowering for his Red Lotus?’

Grasping the Red Lotus Mark, Qin Feng sneered. He glanced at the carnage at his feet, then turned his gaze to the blood-soaked, white-robed girl and spoke.

"Speak. Who are you? And what’s the deal with this Celestial Snake Clan beast?"

The white-robed girl snapped back to her senses. Hearing his question, she gave the black-robed youth a surprised look and said, "Senior Brother, don’t you know about the Demon God Temple’s strongmen interfering with the competition?"

Qin Feng’s expression flickered. "The Demon God Temple’s strongmen are interfering with the competition?"

Her eyes calmed down. The white-robed girl organized her thoughts and said, "Half a month ago, a strange event occurred at Heaven-Reaching Ridge. Strongmen from the Demon God Temple suddenly appeared and ambushed us. The Heaven-Reaching Ridge of today is not the same as it was half a month ago. It has become a life-and-death battlefield between our All Stars Academy and the strongmen of the Demon God Temple!"

The white-robed girl’s expression was grim.

Ever since the people from the Demon God Temple appeared half a month ago, far too many have died.

What unsettled the All Stars Academy experts the most was their discovery that even if they crushed their White Lotus Mark, they couldn’t return to the Academy.

It was as if everyone was trapped in Heaven-Reaching Ridge, doomed to die.

Qin Feng’s eyelid twitched. This was not good news.

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Feng asked, "Hasn’t All Stars Academy reacted?"

"No reaction. We’ve all lost contact with All Stars Academy!" The white-robed girl’s face was pale, and in her heavily injured state, she looked pitiful and helpless.

"Right now, everyone is just trying to hold on, hoping to last until reinforcements from All Stars Academy arrive!"

Qin Feng was slightly taken aback. ’Judging by the pessimistic tone in her voice,’ he thought, ’the experts from All Stars Academy must be in a terrible situation.’

Qin Feng found it strange. According to his deductions, it was impossible for All Stars Academy not to have noticed the Demon God Temple’s goal in the Barbaric Realm.

Qin Feng guessed that there must have been an unexpected problem with the All Stars Academy experts’ plans.

Qin Feng’s guess was correct.

Outside Heaven-Reaching Ridge, the strongmen of All Stars Academy had indeed encountered an unexpected problem.

Ouyang Xu, Yuqing Tian, and the other Giants stared with bitter expressions at a colossal, mountain-sized ape in the distance.

This was a Giant of the Ape Race who had survived two Chaos Great Tribulations!

’The Ape Race has really gone mad this time,’ they thought, ’to deploy such a terrifying being!’

The five Giants looked utterly miserable.