Chapter 89: From Momentum to Subtlety, the Sword of Desolate Stillness
"If he weren't shameless, why would he be here?"
Liu Fei stood up at this moment, behind Lin Feng, staring coldly at Duan Han, her gaze filled with intense hatred.
The father and son, Duan Tianlang and Duan Han, had destroyed the Cloud Sea Sect, and would also make his father feel guilty for the rest of his life. These two men were utterly despicable.
Hearing Liu Fei's scolding, Duan Han's expression turned even uglier. In his eyes, Liu Fei was the woman he had claimed for himself, yet she was helping another man insult him.
"Shameless? A waste who can't even block a single sword strike dares to call me shameless?" Duan Han stared coldly at Lin Feng. "Feifei, I'll prove to you right now just how great the gap between him and me is."
"My cultivation is at the Second Layer of the Spirit Martial Realm, and yours is at the Fourth Layer. For me to take one of your strikes, using my weakness against your strength, is an act of courage. Yet you take pride in it, treating it as a source of arrogance. 'Shameless' isn't even enough to describe you."
Lin Feng showed no fear of Duan Han. He stepped forward, his stride steady and firm.
"If you have the courage, stand there and take one of my sword strikes as well."
"Hmph, what's so hard about taking one of your strikes? I'll show you that even if I don't move, you can't do a thing to me." Duan Han was provoked by Lin Feng's words. He stood rooted to the spot, waiting for Lin Feng's attack.
A cold, merciless sneer flickered in his gray pupils.
Lin Feng's eyes suddenly closed, and the world became utterly silent.
No noise could disturb Lin Feng. In the gray world sensed by his mind, there was only endless cold and death.
The sword energy seemed to vanish in that instant, leaving no trace. The Life and Death Platform fell into an eerie stillness.
But then, on Lin Feng's sword, a dead, gray aura coiled around it, drifting along the blade. This gray aura exuded a sense of annihilation.
Death was withering, decay.
When Lin Feng's eyes opened, his pupils were still a merciless gray, devoid of any temporal emotion.
The long sword, wreathed in gray energy, suddenly moved, following Lin Feng's body.
A single thrust of the sword, and all things withered, life decayed, stillness reigned.
The third sword of the Annihilation Sword Art: the Sword of Desolate Stillness.
The power of this sword strike was very weak; one could barely sense any strong sword momentum. There was no howling of sword energy.
But this sword strike contained the intent of withering and annihilation, representing obliteration. It was the Sword of Desolate Stillness.
Duan Han's expression changed drastically. No one facing this sword understood its terror better than he did. The shadow of death enveloped his body, and he had long abandoned the agreement he made with Lin Feng.
"One Finger Reaching the Sky."
He used a top-grade Profound-level martial technique. A massive, almost tangible sword materialized, and Duan Han's body began to retreat rapidly.
"Chi chi!"
A very faint sound rang out. The Sword of Desolate Stillness, wreathed in gray energy, annihilated everything. Even the top-grade Profound-level technique, One Finger Reaching the Sky, withered and perished before it.
"Get lost!"
At that moment, a cold shout rang out. Sword energy crisscrossed the air, and a blindingly bright sword aura forcibly severed the Sword of Desolate Stillness. Lin Feng's body drifted back like a gust of wind, but the residual surging sword energy still struck him, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
The one who had intervened was Duan Tianlang. His expression grew colder, his gaze fixed on Lin Feng, his killing intent even stronger than before.
For a swordsman, first one gathers momentum, then one enters subtlety, and finally, one achieves the unity of man and sword. Man is the sword, and the sword is man.
Gathering momentum refers to sword momentum. When the man is still, the sword momentum is formed, sharp and fierce, greatly increasing a sword cultivator's attack power, making it immensely powerful.
At this realm, talented sword cultivators could enter it at the Spirit Martial Realm, and usually after the Fifth or Sixth Layer, at the peak of the Spirit Martial Realm, their sword momentum could reach great accomplishment.
Duan Han, his son, had comprehended sword momentum at the Third Layer of the Spirit Martial Realm, showing exceptionally outstanding talent.
After gathering momentum came entering subtlety, the realm of subtlety, where sword energy condensed without dispersing, and sword momentum moved with the heart.
For sword cultivators, those with outstanding talent could comprehend it in the early stages of the Mysterious Martial Realm, transitioning from momentum to subtlety.
However, Lin Feng, at the Second Layer of the Spirit Martial Realm, with that desolate and still sword strike just now, had given Duan Tianlang a fleeting illusion: subtlety.
Lin Feng's sword already had the artistic conception of subtlety, but Lin Feng had not yet mastered it. Therefore, Duan Tianlang had interrupted him.
At this moment, although blood stained the corner of Lin Feng's mouth, his gray pupils held a trace of deep, mocking smile.
"If the two of you, father and son, attack together, I truly wouldn't even have the right to be compared to you. But I wouldn't be so shameless."
Lin Feng's mocking words pierced Duan Han's heart.
"Shut up!" Duan Han said darkly, wishing he could cut Lin Feng into a thousand pieces.
"Duan Han, what's there to argue about with a man about to die?"
Duan Tianlang shouted coldly, stepping forward towards Lin Feng.
"Duan Tianlang, bullying a junior truly befits the title of Celestial Wolf King."
Nangong Ling, along with the elders of the Cloud Sea Sect, stepped through the air and instantly descended onto the Life and Death Platform, in front of Lin Feng.
Seeing this, the many experts brought by Duan Tianlang also stepped forward. Instantly, an immensely surging aura raged through the space, and a fierce killing intent seemed to crush heaven and earth.
"Kill these old men slowly. Seize the opportunity to kill Lin Feng first."
Duan Tianlang said calmly. This time, when he came to the Cloud Sea Sect, he had brought experts from the three great sects: the Hao Yue Sect's Sect Leader and the Ice and Snow Mountain Villa's Villa Master had come in person, along with the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's Deputy Sect Master, who had brought powerful demonic beasts. Adding the other experts, their strength far surpassed that of the Cloud Sea Sect.
Their goal this time was to annihilate the Cloud Sea Sect, wipe out the entire sect, seize its foundation, and then divide the spoils.
This was also the most important reason Duan Tianlang had been able to convince the several Sect Leaders to agree to send some of their outstanding disciples to the Snow Moon Holy Academy.
The Cloud Sea Sect, a vast sect, possessed countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, along with powerful techniques and martial skills. Adding the outstanding disciples who had betrayed the sect, these were all things the other sects greatly desired.
"Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry, leave no one alive within the Cloud Sea Sect, not even a chicken or a dog."
Duan Tianlang waved his hand. Instantly, the iron cavalry charged, dust flying. The Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry surrounding the Life and Death Platform area surged into the canyon.
"Duan Tianlang, I, Nangong Ling, am the Sect Leader of the Cloud Sea Sect. You have brought men to destroy my sect. Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"
Nangong Ling stepped forward, his powerful aura pressing directly towards Duan Tianlang.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Duan Tianlang sneered, his body shooting up into the air.
Nangong Ling followed, his body hovering in the sky. A dazzling sword light was blindingly brilliant. Duan Tianlang swung his sword directly through the air, a slash of immense power.
"Boom..."
The demonic beast Kun Mang let out a low roar, spreading its wings and lunging towards the Cloud Sea Sect members. The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's Deputy Sect Master, Teng Wushan, sat atop the beast, his gaze like lightning.
"Beast!"
The crane martial soul behind Old Man Bei flapped its wings, charging towards the Kun Mang, and they clashed together.
The others also chose their respective opponents and joined the battle.
A vast and magnificent battle began, shaking heaven and earth. All kinds of fierce gales raged with unrivaled dominance.
From the sky to the ground, everything was a torrent of battle.
The Life and Death Platform trembled incessantly, as if it might collapse and be destroyed at any moment.
Lin Feng's gray pupils silently watched the surrounding battle, but he could not intervene. He could feel that the Sect Leader, Old Man Bei, and the other elders of the sect were all fighting for him.
Lin Feng had never imagined that this war of annihilation would unfold centered around him.
A faint, warm current surged within his ice-cold heart. For the first time, Lin Feng felt a sense of belonging to the Cloud Sea Sect. The people of the Cloud Sea Sect were fighting to the death for him.
Sect Leader Nangong Ling, Old Man Bei, and the other elders were all powerful. They could have scattered and broken through the encirclement. Although there was no guarantee of escape, they at least had a decent chance.
But no one did that. They all gathered around him, Lin Feng, a mere disciple of the sect, and fought because of him.
"Cloud Sea Sect..."
Lin Feng murmured to himself, looking at the fresh blood under the setting sun. His heart was incredibly oppressed and heavy.
"Lin Feng!"
Just then, a shout suddenly rang out. Turning his gaze, Lin Feng's eyes couldn't help but freeze.
He saw a cold figure step onto the Life and Death Platform, a cold smile on his face, his killing intent flickering.
This person was none other than the Cloud Sea Sect's Inner Sect Elder, Mo Xie.
"Beast!"
Lin Feng watched Mo Xie walk towards him with a cold smile, his eyes filled with icy hatred.
At a time of crisis for the sect, facing the calamity of annihilation, Mo Xie, as an Inner Sect Elder of the Cloud Sea Sect, was not fighting for the sect. Instead, at this very moment, he was still thinking about him, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to deal with him.
"What use is killing me? You, Mo Xie, will still die anyway."
Lin Feng looked at Mo Xie approaching him and said with extreme coldness.
"That's not necessarily true. You've displayed such extraordinary talent. Lord Celestial Wolf must kill you today. If I cut off your head and present it to him, expressing my willingness to follow him in the future, do you think I will still die?"
The smile on Mo Xie's lips was exceptionally sinister. Hearing his words, Lin Feng's gray pupils froze.
An Inner Sect Elder. This was the Inner Sect Elder of the Cloud Sea Sect, Mo Xie. He was utterly shameless to the extreme!
"I truly admire you. You can say such shameless words with a smile on your face."
"What does it matter? The victor is king, the loser a bandit. Lord Celestial Wolf's power is strong. The Cloud Sea Sect is destined to be destroyed, and it cannot be reversed. Instead of fighting against the current, it's better to go with the flow. Those who fight to the death for the sect are the foolish and ignorant ones."
Mo Xie declared loudly. Not only did he not feel ashamed, but he was proud of himself. Perhaps in his heart, there was no longer any concept of shame.
"Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish. Come on."
Lin Feng was utterly free and easy, standing there without moving, as if he was willing to let Mo Xie kill him.
This made Mo Xie frown instead, looking at Lin Feng suspiciously.
But then, his brow relaxed again. With his strength, even if Lin Feng's talent was outstanding, he couldn't pull any tricks.
"What a pity. A genius is about to die by my hand, and he will die very miserably."
Mo Xie released his martial soul. A thick python vine shot out instantly, binding Lin Feng's body. Lin Feng didn't struggle at all.
Mo Xie didn't notice at this moment that a sinister and strange smile hung on the corner of Lin Feng's mouth.
"It seems you've given up yourself. Don't worry, I'll make sure you die slowly, and finally take the head of this genius." Mo Xie's expression was cruel.
But at that moment, on Mo Xie's body, a dark shadow suddenly appeared.
This shadow appeared silently, without form or trace, yet it truly existed there.
"Is that so?"
A voice came from the void. Instantly, Mo Xie's expression stiffened, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Him!!
Mo Xie would never forget the scene from last time. That shadow in the darkness, like a ghost.
And at this very moment, that shadow was imprinted on him once again.