Chapter 62: Mutation
"Bold!" That loud shout shook heaven and earth, and the violent rage made everyone feel incredibly oppressed. They were all guessing who it could be, possessing such a powerful aura.
The crane transformed into a streak of light, flashing over, blotting out the sky and covering the sun. Seeing Lin Feng being thrown toward the demon beasts, the crane's figure fell like a meteor, charging straight at those beasts.
As if sensing the terrifying might of the approaching figure, the demon beasts all began to howl madly. However, the Illusion Demon Beast in the center extended its tentacles, directly pulling Lin Feng, who had been sent before it, into the black mist. Then it rolled away, preparing to flee.
Spirit Beasts could not only absorb the natural energy of heaven and earth but also had opened their spiritual apertures, possessing very high intelligence. Sensing the power of the crane's arrival, it immediately prepared to escape.
The crane's feathers transformed into extremely sharp silver light, flashing past those demon beasts in an instant. Blood sprayed wildly from the beasts as they fell to the ground, dead.
Such terrifying and powerful demon beasts were not even a match for a single move from the newcomer. Just how powerful was this crane martial soul wielder?
However, at the same time the beasts were destroyed, the black mist formed by the Illusion Demon Beast scattered, turning into many gray mists that drifted away with the wind. Lin Feng's figure had already vanished.
"Illusion Demon Beast, its illusion technique is truly monstrous."
The crowd thought to themselves as they watched this scene. The Illusion Demon Beast could transform into countless forms, not even having a true body. Even if you were much stronger than it, catching it was extremely difficult.
The crane's feathers trembled violently, and a domineering hurricane blew, causing the crowd to stagger. Then they saw the crane's figure disappear, chasing after the Black Wind Ridge. Wherever it passed, only the corpses of demon beasts remained.
Strong, strong enough to take one's breath away!
That Dapeng Gongzi who had come to the sect to provoke them a few days ago, although he possessed the Great Roc martial soul, was nothing compared to the crane figure just now—absolutely no match.
Most people were seeing such a powerful person take action for the first time. Their eyes burned with excitement as they secretly guessed who this person was, so strong that no demon beast dared to oppose him.
"Our Cloud Sea Sect truly is a millennium-old great sect, flourishing in its time. The hidden experts are too formidable."
Flames leaped in the eyes of the crowd, hoping that one day they too could become this powerful.
At this moment, two more figures walked through the air, arriving with great ease. They were none other than the Sect Leader, Nan Gongling, and Mo Canglan.
"What's going on?" Nan Gongling landed on the ground, arriving before Mo Xie, his tone displeased.
"Elder Mo Xie trapped our sect disciple and sent him into the mouths of demon beasts," Liu Fei spoke up before Mo Xie could reply, her gaze filled with hatred.
Liu Fei hated Lin Feng, but she wanted to rely on her own strength to reclaim her lost dignity and defeat Lin Feng. She didn't want Lin Feng to die so unjustly. Lin Feng's talent was far greater than hers—a pillar of the sect, killed by the sect's own elder. How tragic.
"Reporting to the Sect Leader, there was an outer sect disciple who didn't deal with demon beasts, poached the beast cores of other disciples' kills, and fled the battlefield. This child deserved to die," Mo Xie naturally wouldn't admit the truth. Since Lin Feng was dead, he could just deny everything. Who could do anything to him?
"Fine words, 'this child deserved to die.' Today, I'll make you die!"
A wild and icy voice rang out. A hurricane swept in, and the crowd staggered backward, unable to steady themselves.
Mo Xie's face changed dramatically. He released his aura with all his might, but only saw a streak of light flash by. An incomparably surging force directly slammed into his body.
"Boom, rumble!"
Mo Xie's body smashed into the mountain rocks, shattering them. Blood sprayed wildly from Mo Xie's mouth, showing just how violent this strike was.
Inner Sect Elder Mo Xie was sent flying by someone, spitting blood, and this was done right in front of Mo Xie's father, Enforcement Elder Mo Canglan.
The crowd felt this scene was like a play, hard to believe.
Looking at the newcomer, it was an old man, one everyone recognized.
"It's him, the old man guarding the Star Pavilion."
The crowd's hearts trembled. As sect disciples, if there was one place everyone had definitely been to, it was the Star Pavilion. So no one didn't recognize Old Man Bei.
Before, they always saw Old Man Bei listless and lazy-eyed, but his strength was truly shocking.
Now, Old Man Bei's eyes were filled with killing intent as he slowly walked toward Mo Xie, his tone icy: "As a sect elder, knowing the law yet breaking it, daring to lay hands on a junior disciple of the sect. If I don't kill you, how can the Cloud Sea Sect endure?"
Mo Xie's face turned deathly pale. He had never imagined that someone would actually dare to kill him for the sake of an outer sect disciple.
A figure descended before Mo Xie, his gaze vigilant. It was Mo Canglan.
"Old Man Bei, aren't you going a bit too far?"
"Too far? Mo Canglan, you've raised a fine son." Old Man Bei's demeanor was icy, showing no respect for Mo Canglan. He shouted, "Get out of the way!"
"Old Man Bei, why such great anger?" Nan Gongling came before Old Man Bei, trying to mediate.
Nan Gongling naturally knew Mo Xie's character, but for the Cloud Sea Sect, Mo Xie still had value. As for Mo Canglan, his strength was among the top in the sect, and he oversaw enforcement. Mo Xie couldn't be touched, or it would inevitably cause conflict among the sect's higher-ups.
"Sect Leader, step aside. Today, I will cleanse the sect of this rot!" Old Man Bei was beyond listening to advice at this point. Lin Feng, whom he saw as the one to revive the sect, had been thrown into the mouths of demon beasts by Elder Mo Xie.
"Old Man Bei!" Nan Gongling shouted loudly, trying to sober him up a bit.
"Mo Xie cannot be touched. I hope Old Man Bei will put the sect first," Nan Gongling transmitted to Old Man Bei.
"Put the sect first?" A strange smile appeared on Old Man Bei's face. It was precisely because he put the sect first that he wanted to kill Mo Xie.
"Nan Gong, do you know who that young man is?"
Old Man Bei no longer called him "Sect Leader," but addressed him directly as "Nan Gong," though still through voice transmission.
Nan Gongling was stunned, clearly not having considered this.
"If Old Man Kong were here today, Mo Xie would be dead without a doubt," Old Man Bei suddenly said a meaningful sentence, a bitter look flashing in his eyes. "Putting the sect first, Nan Gong, after you became Sect Leader, you've lost the edge you once had."
With that, a hurricane blew, and the crane feathers behind Old Man Bei fluttered. He vanished in an instant.
"Old Man Kong." Nan Gongling thought of the old man who lived in the darkness, and his whole body trembled violently. He suddenly remembered that the last time the Shadow martial soul appeared was when the young man named Lin Feng was in danger. And at that time, the bell chime from the Bell and Drum Cliff had just rung, its lingering notes still echoing.
"Boom!" Nan Gongling's head shook violently, and a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes. But it was only a fleeting moment.
"Mo Xie!"
Mo Canglan's body trembled. Killing intent—he had actually sensed killing intent from the Sect Leader. What had Old Man Bei said to the Sect Leader?
Mo Canglan coldly swept his gaze over Mo Xie. This bastard son of his was indeed becoming more and more outrageous, reckless and doing whatever he pleased.
………………
Lin Feng's body was wrapped in black mist, and then he felt as if he were riding the clouds, not knowing where he was.
An icy, suffocating aura began to corrode his body, devouring his flesh and blood. He wanted to struggle but didn't know how.
He realized that his strength was truly so weak.
Facing a life-and-death crisis, Lin Feng held nothing back. He released both of his martial souls simultaneously. His pupils became incredibly deep, but all he saw was still endless darkness.
"Heavenly Radiance."
Lin Feng shouted softly. Dazzling and brilliant light flickered in his eyes. Suddenly, he saw a pair of pupils—cold, merciless demon beast pupils. These pupils stared at him unblinkingly, like a hunter watching its prey.
"Is this... the beast's true body?" Lin Feng saw a pair of merciless pupils, a dark face, hideous and terrifying.
Countless tentacles reached out toward him, as if to devour the essence of his entire body. At the same time, some tentacles touched his martial souls—the Heavenly Radiance martial soul and that unknown snake shadow martial soul. They even tried to devour his martial souls.
Lin Feng felt powerless. He could even feel his life essence being devoured bit by bit.
But just then, an unexpected mutation occurred.
The martial soul that had never shown any movement—the snake shadow—suddenly began to move!