The Mid-Grade Tier 3 Wind Blade Talisman unleashed an attack comparable to the spell power of an early Golden Core cultivator. Such talismans were far too expensive for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, the Li family traded in talismans; Tier 3 talismans were plentiful for them. To deal with Lin Feng and his supposed 'Master', they had brought all their Tier 3 talismans. And now, Li Ziyao had immediately used one of their few precious Mid-Grade Tier 3 Talismans.
"Hummm…"
The wind blade surged forward. Yet, Lin Feng remained rooted in place. His gaze sharpened, and the blue jade pendant in his left hand flashed with cyan light. The air vibrated as a solid-looking, several-meters-wide cyan light barrier instantly materialized, enveloping him and Zhang Fangzhou's trio behind him. The wind blade slammed into the barrier!
BOOM!
It shattered violently, dissipating into countless cyan motes of light.
"A Supreme-Grade Treasure Artifact!!"
The power of a Mid-Grade Tier 3 Wind Blade Talisman was formidable. That Lin Feng's light barrier could block it completely made Li Ziyao's pupils constrict sharply. He instantly recognized it: this was the supreme-grade treasure artifact, a light-based defensive magic treasure Lin Feng had won at the auction!
It had been over 70% damaged during the auction, but Lin Feng had long since repaired it fully. The original remnant energy could likely have only blocked one such blow before failing.
Lin Feng himself felt a jolt of alarm. Just that one strike had drained nearly 30% of the light artifact's energy! If they unleashed two or three more Mid-Grade Tier 3 Talismans, the barrier would surely collapse.
However, Lin Feng had no intention of waiting passively. He had taken Li Ziyao's attack head-on precisely to launch his own strike elsewhere—while the wind blade crashed towards him, the flying sword Li Ziyao had dodged continued its trajectory unhindered, whistling towards Li Yanghui standing behind him!!
When Li Ziyao charged out, Li Yanghui had stayed put. He remained vigilant, his attention scanning the surroundings, guarding against the sudden appearance of Lin Feng's 'Master'.
In his mind, Li Ziyao dealing with Lin Feng should pose no problem. His role was to wait cautiously, sticking to the plan. The moment Lin Feng's 'Master' appeared, he would deliver the fatal blow...
Even seeing the sword Lin Feng had thrown hurtling towards him now, Li Yanghui's expression barely flickered. Such a straightforward, linear attack posed no real threat.
"Hmph!!"
Li Yanghui didn't move, but Li Ziqing beside him did. With a tap of his foot, Li Ziqing surged forward, a long golden spear sweeping horizontally in his hand.
"Clang!!"
A crisp metallic clang echoed as the sword was violently batted away, tumbling through the air off to one side.
Another Li family cultivator, at Foundation Establishment Layer 6, standing beside Li Ziqing, immediately dashed out—heading straight for the tumbling sword! The Li family knew of this treasure; it was a special spirit artifact! Seizing it now was paramount.
Simultaneously, a flicker of confusion arose in everyone's mind: Had the opponent foolishly just thrown away such a powerful artifact? Was he an idiot?
However, just as the charging cultivator reached out to grab the falling sword... a sudden, shocking change occurred!
"Zheng!!"
The sword, seemingly devoid of all momentum and plummeting, suddenly vibrated intensely. A clear, resonant sword cry pierced the air! The sword seemed to spring to life in an instant! A flash of sword light!!
The Foundation Establishment Layer 6 Li cultivator couldn't react at all. A blur filled his vision—the sword vanished from sight. He felt a chilling coldness at his throat... then darkness... and consciousness fled...
"What?!"
"Watch out!!"
"Agh!!"
In that split second, Li Yanghui and the others were struck with utter horror. Shouts of alarm erupted! A Foundation Establishment Layer 5 cultivator barely managed to raise his right arm defensively...
Thud! Splurch!
The result? His arm and chest were pierced simultaneously!
The flying sword, having slain two men in an instant, continued its devastating path unimpeded... straight towards Li Yanghui!
"It's a flying sword!!!"
Li Yanghui's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His scream was nearly hysterical. There was no time to summon a light defense artifact! Panic-stricken, he gritted his teeth and threw himself desperately to the right in an undignified scramble.
"Swoosh!!"
The sword flashed past, drawing a spray of blood. It wasn't a fatal blow, merely grazing Li Yanghui's left shoulder... but it gouged a wound deep enough to reveal bone.
Such a flesh wound should have been negligible. Yet, the moment he was injured, Li Yanghui's entire body convulsed violently. His features twisted grotesquely, and a scream of pure agony tore from his throat!
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!"
—The flying sword's special ability: Soul Damage!
"Swoosh!!"
Simultaneously, the flying sword, which had shot past Li Yanghui, suddenly arced sharply in mid-air! It turned as if guided by an eye, slicing back towards his head!
Li Yanghui was still writhing in the excruciating pain of his soul wound, utterly incapable of evasion.
Schtick!
The sword light passed through his neck. His scream cut off abruptly. Half his head was sheared clean off!
...
The transformation happened far too quickly. None of the Li family members could have anticipated it. In the blink of an eye, three were dead—including the Li family's strongest member, Li Yanghui!
At this moment, Li Ziyao had just thrown his second talisman—a Mid-Grade Tier 3 Purple Lightning Talisman. He heard the screams behind him and spun around... just in time to witness Li Yanghui's decapitation!
"Father!! NO!!!"
A flash of utter confusion crossed Li Ziyao's eyes, followed by a catastrophic shift in his expression. His eyes bulged, veins standing out on his temples, as he let out a piercing shriek.
"BOOM!!"
The next instant, the lightning bolt summoned by the Tier 3 Purple Lightning Talisman struck Lin Feng's position. With a deafening roar, the cyan light barrier protecting Lin Feng and his group shuddered violently, its glow dimming significantly.
"Hmph!!"
Inside the barrier, Lin Feng's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He snorted coldly, raised his hand, and tossed two Recovery Pills into his mouth. The true essence within his body churned violently. Then, his right hand formed a sword finger and thrust forward!
"Zheng!!" Responding to his command, the flying sword that had slain Li Yanghui let out another clear cry. Its light shifted direction, shooting like lightning towards another cultivator nearby!
"It's a flying sword!! Run!!"
"AAHHH!!"
By now, the remaining two Li cultivators were nearly scared out of their wits. They had no mental capacity left to ponder why Lin Feng's thrown artifact was a flying sword. Overwhelming terror robbed them of any courage to resist. They scrambled backwards desperately, tripping over themselves.
But how could cultivators paralyzed by fear, mere Foundation Establishment level, possibly evade the speed of a flying sword? In a flash, it caught up to one of them.
Squelch!
A scream cut short. The man was pierced through the heart, collapsing face-first onto the ground, lifeless.
Having slain another, Lin Feng didn't pause. His gaze snapped towards the remaining cultivator closest to the flying sword. With a mere thought, he willed the sword to attack that target.
"DIE!!"
Just then, a roar of absolute fury erupted from ahead! Li Ziyao, eyes bloodshot and face contorted with madness, charged like a frenzied beast! His right hand slashed through the air, hurling a deep purple talisman!
Instantly, Lin Feng sensed a flash of purple light above him. He looked up to see a bolt of purple lightning, thicker than a water bucket, materialize out of thin air and crash down upon them!!
Supreme-Grade Tier 3 Purple Lightning Talisman!!
"DODGE!!"
Lin Feng's pupils contracted instantly. He recognized it immediately! He had used one himself to instantly obliterate Li Sha! He knew its power intimately. Relying solely on the light barrier now was unthinkable! His low shout echoed as he tapped his foot and shot sideways like an arrow.
Zhang Fangzhou and the others reacted swiftly behind him, scrambling desperately to follow Lin Feng away from the impact zone.
"KRA-KA-BOOOOOM!!!"
Though they moved fast, the purple lightning descended with terrifying speed. It struck the very edge of the cyan light barrier surrounding Lin Feng.
BOOM!!!
The barrier shuddered violently under the colossal impact, flickering wildly before finally shattering completely!
The ground beneath their feet trembled violently. Dust and debris exploded outwards, sharp fragments stinging their skin. A charred, gaping crater, easily ten meters across, appeared right beside Lin Feng and his companions. Zhang Fangzhou and the other two stared at the smoking pit, faces deathly pale, hearts pounding with shock.
"Hmph!!"
Though his expression was grave, Lin Feng showed no panic. The killing intent in his eyes remained undimmed. With a flick of his right hand, another scream tore through the air ahead—another Li family cultivator fell dead beneath the flying sword.
Thus, of the seven Li family members who had come, five were dead—including Li Yanghui. Only Li Ziyao and his brother Li Ziqing remained.
Lin Feng didn't stop. With a thought, the flying sword shot without hesitation towards Li Ziqing!
At that very moment, Li Ziqing had already reached Li Yanghui's corpse. He was frantically reaching down, snatching something from the body. Seeing the flying sword hurtling towards him, his face drained of color. In a panic, he thrust his right hand out defensively.
"CLANG!!!"
The flying sword struck the center of Li Ziqing's raised palm—and emitted a surprisingly crisp metallic clang! Then... it was repelled, bouncing away!!
In Li Ziqing's hand, he clutched a piece—or perhaps half a piece—of dark, metallic fragment... unmistakably, it was the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman Fragment!
"DIIIIEEEEE!!!"
Seeing he had deflected the flying sword, a flicker of savage triumph flashed in Li Ziqing's eyes, instantly replaced by overwhelming, crazed killing intent! He roared like a demon, his left hand forming a bizarre, intricate hand seal. Simultaneously, the true essence within his body surged violently, pouring madly into the spirit artifact in his right hand!
"HUMMMMMM…"
In that instant, the pitch-black artifact fragment suddenly flickered like an electrified lightbulb, erupting with a blindingly intense white light! Immediately afterward, an unimaginable, terrifying aura materialized out of nowhere, sweeping outwards in all directions!
"ROOOOOOOOAR!!!"
An earth-shattering tiger's roar exploded through the forest! A beam of white light shot out from before Li Ziqing! The light burst apart mid-air, coalescing into the form of a colossal white tiger, easily ten meters tall! Radiating an indescribable aura of primal ferocity and overwhelming power, it launched itself through the air... straight at Lin Feng!!