Chapter 92: Cross Shadow Assassination Art
"Lin Feng, from now on, you are the new Sect Leader of Cloud Sea Sect."
The solemn words fell upon Lin Feng's ears, causing his heart to tremble slightly as he stared blankly at Old Man Bei.
"Lin Feng, although Cloud Sea Sect now has no one left, I do not wish for the sect to be severed. This was also Nan Gong's wish. In the future, if there is an opportunity, I hope you can rebuild Cloud Sea."
Looking at Old Man Bei, who had suddenly aged considerably, Lin Feng nodded heavily.
"If I, Lin Feng, do not die, Cloud Sea Sect will surely reappear in this world."
"Good."
A trace of a smile appeared on Old Man Bei's aged face, and his right hand heavily patted Lin Feng's shoulder.
"Lin Feng, there is one more thing I need to tell you."
"Old Man Bei, please speak."
"Once upon a time, Liu Fei's father, Liu Canglan, and Nan Gong were the most outstanding disciples of Cloud Sea Sect, placed with great hope by the sect. The previous Sect Leader, Nan Gong's master, actually favored Canglan to succeed the position of Cloud Sea Sect Leader. Additionally, he intended to betroth his only beloved daughter to Canglan."
"However, later on, Canglan left the mountain alone, departing from the sect and abandoning everything. Because he wanted to yield the position of Sect Leader to Nan Gong. But what Canglan did not expect was that the Sect Leader's daughter had already fallen deeply in love with him. Unable to bear the pain of abandonment, she actually... took her own life. After his beloved daughter died, the Sect Leader was also deeply heartbroken. One time, after leaving Cloud Sea Sect, he never returned, his fate unknown, alive or dead."
"From then on, Nan Gong took over the position of Sect Leader, while Canglan had no face to set foot on Cloud Sea Sect again. He only sent Fei Fei into the sect. Canglan wronged the Sect Leader, and he wronged the Sect Leader's daughter, but what he wronged even more... was the old woman, the Sect Leader's wife. Her beloved daughter had passed away, and her husband had vanished without a trace. Therefore, the old woman always hated Canglan. She took Wen Renyan as her disciple, wanting Wen Renyan to marry Canglan's daughter, Liu Fei. That is why Wen Renyan dared to act recklessly within the sect, with no one daring to provoke him."
Upon hearing Old Man Bei's account, Lin Feng's heart trembled violently once again. He had not expected the sect to have such a secret history. No wonder Wen Renyan was so arrogant, claiming Liu Fei as his woman. No wonder the old woman had such a strange temperament. So this was the reason.
"Lin Feng, you heard it too. Before she left, the old woman asked me to tell Canglan that she had already forgiven him. Moreover, she also said to let you marry Fei Fei. This matter, I leave for you to handle yourself." Old Man Bei spoke earnestly. "Canglan should be in Broken Blade City. You can go there to find him. Moreover, his character is straightforward; I'm afraid he cannot contend with Duan Tianlang. If anything happens to him in the future, you should also take good care of Fei Fei."
"Old Man Bei, there is nothing between Liu Fei and me." Lin Feng smiled bitterly. The old woman had only said that Lin Feng was not bad; when did she ever ask him to marry Liu Fei?
"This is what the old woman implied. You only need to truthfully convey this to Canglan. Fei Fei is still staying at Cloud Sea Sect for now. Given her status, Duan Tianlang would not dare to do anything to her. But if Canglan falls from power in the future, it is hard to say. That is why I ask you to take care of her. Moreover, Fei Fei is an excellent person, a good match for you."
"Alright, that's all I have to say. Handle everything in the ancient hall yourself. Remember to go find Canglan."
"Old Man Bei." Lin Feng's brows furrowed tightly. Old Man Bei's tone sounded as if he were giving final instructions, which gave Lin Feng an ominous premonition.
"In that direction, there is an exit leading to Black Wind Ridge. Be careful yourself. Of course, you can also cultivate in this ancient hall and only leave after your strength has increased a bit." Old Man Bei pointed in a certain direction, said a word, then turned around, walked out of the ancient house, and headed toward the entrance.
"Old Man Bei, you..." Lin Feng's expression changed drastically. He chased after him, wanting to call Old Man Bei back, but Old Man Bei interrupted his words.
"Lin Feng, as the guardian of Cloud Sea Sect, if the sect exists, I live; if the sect is destroyed, how can I live on alone? Take care!"
Having said that, Old Man Bei had already stepped to the entrance. The stone door rumbled open. Without looking back, Old Man Bei's footsteps strode straight out, leaving Lin Feng only with that desolate silhouette.
Lin Feng's body felt as if struck by lightning. He stood there in a daze, watching the stone wall slowly close, Old Man Bei's figure disappearing from sight.
Lin Feng understood in his heart that this stone wall not only blocked his view but would also be the barrier between life and death. This parting would be forever.
He did not know how long he stood there. Finally, Lin Feng's gaze moved slightly. His eyes closed slightly, and he took a deep breath. A sorrowful sigh echoed through the ancient hall.
"Sect Leader, Old Man Bei, Old Man Kong, the old woman, and so many sect elders. For the sake of my life, they spared no effort, feared no death, using their lives to hold back the crowd and preserve my life."
"Now, they are no more, but I am still alive. I have so many things to do now."
Lin Feng murmured to himself. His sighing gaze suddenly became incomparably sharp and resolute.
Only powerful strength could change fate, allowing those departed lives to find peace for their souls.
"Hao Yue Sect, Ice and Snow Mountain Villa, Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, Duan Clan; Chu Qing, Han Xuetian, Teng Wushan, Duan Tianlang, Duan Han, Mo Canglan, Wen Renyan."
Lin Feng spoke aloud, spitting out one sect after another, one name after another. These people, he would engrave them in his heart, never to forget.
Lifting his steps, Lin Feng turned around and walked with heavy yet resolute strides toward the first ancient house.
On the sandalwood bookshelf in this ancient house, there were over a hundred techniques and martial skills. On the topmost layer of the bookshelf, there were three: one technique and two martial skills.
"Overlord Blade Art: cultivates domineering blade essence. Earth-grade lower-rank technique. After cultivation is strong, the true essence throughout the body becomes as fierce as a blade, destroying everything."
Lin Feng glanced at the technique. It was not suitable for him to cultivate. The Overlord Blade Art was best cultivated by those with a blade martial soul. Of course, Lin Feng's strength was still too weak now; he could not even condense true essence, let alone cultivate the Overlord Blade Art. He would have to wait until his strength reached the Mysterious Martial Realm, where the heaven and earth energy within his body could condense into powerful true essence.
Putting down the technique, Lin Feng opened the two martial skill manuals.
"Falling Leaf Palm: Earth-grade lower-rank martial skill. The palm technique is as light as falling leaves, ethereal and agile, illusory and elusive. It appears to have no power at all, but when it lands on the opponent's body, it can instantly destroy the enemy's internal organs, extremely domineering."
This was a palm technique for ambushing. It did not look powerful, like a falling leaf, light and casual, but in essence, it was extremely domineering. If anyone dared to underestimate it, one strike would be enough to kill.
Moreover, this set of palm techniques emphasized illusory elusiveness, like the trajectory of a falling leaf, impossible to grasp, making it hard to guard against.
Putting down the Falling Leaf Palm, Lin Feng opened the other martial skill manual.
"Cross Shadow Assassination Art: Earth-grade lower-rank martial skill. Suitable for cultivators with concealment-type martial souls. It has only three forms: Absolute Shadow Kill, Dark Shadow Kill, and Cross Shadow Kill."
"This is the martial skill Old Man Kong cultivated." Lin Feng's gaze moved. Old Man Kong seemed to have only mastered the first form, Absolute Shadow Kill. Combined with Old Man Kong's unique shadow martial soul, it was indeed very powerful.
Unfortunately, Old Man Kong had not been able to cultivate the Dark Shadow Kill. Otherwise, when killing enemies, his shadow would be dim and blurry, without form or trace.
As for the Cross Shadow Kill, it was even stronger. The shadow transformed into a cross, assassinating in the dark night.
"My Heavenly Radiance martial soul allows me to conceal my aura and enhances my perception. If I cultivate the Cross Shadow Assassination Art, it will surely complement each other perfectly."
Lin Feng's heart stirred. This martial skill also had no strength requirements; anyone of any realm could cultivate it, provided they could comprehend it.
Martial skills were merely aids. The stronger one's strength, the greater the power unleashed by the same martial skill.
Lin Feng flipped through the other martial skills on the bookshelf but did not find any more suitable for himself than the Cross Shadow Assassination Art. So he collected all the martial skills from the bookshelf into his Storage Ring.
Since Old Man Kong had passed away, besides Lin Feng himself, no one else knew about this place. Leaving these things here was a waste. It was better to keep them with him. If he encountered misfortune, these martial skills left in the ancient hall would also be wasted.
Thinking this, Lin Feng walked to another ancient house and collected all the spirit artifacts into his Storage Ring as well.
Additionally, there were quite a few Origin Stones for cultivation in this ancient hall. Lin Feng took them all.
Origin Stones contained pure heaven and earth energy. Cultivators at the Spirit Martial Realm could directly absorb energy from Origin Stones, improving cultivation efficiency. They were very precious.
How could Lin Feng let such good things go?
After circling the vast ancient hall a few times, Lin Feng finally stopped before two giant pillars. These two towering pillars were like stabilizing needles, extremely tall, with the same two demon beasts carved on them.
Just looking at the images of these demon beasts gave one a feeling of intense, wild dominance, far stronger than the powerful Mysterious Beast Kun Mang.
But at this moment, Lin Feng was focusing on the golden door between the two giant pillars. This five-meter-tall golden door carried an ancient aura, tightly shut. No matter how hard Lin Feng pushed, he could not budge it at all. Moreover, he could not find any mechanism or button around.
"There must be some secret behind this door. Perhaps the owner of this ancient hall left clues inside, but unfortunately, I cannot open it."
Lin Feng shook his head inwardly. Old Man Bei had not mentioned this giant door to him, which clearly indicated that perhaps Old Man Bei and those Cloud Sea Sect predecessors had never opened this door either.
"Forget it. If there is an opportunity in the future, when my strength is greater, I will come back here to try."
Lin Feng muttered softly and finally gave up. In the thousand-year history of Cloud Sea Sect, no one had ever opened this golden door. Clearly, he could not easily open it either. Spending time on it would only be a waste.
Now, it was time to improve his own strength first.
At the Second Layer of Spirit Martial Realm, although it was already quite good for Lin Feng's age, compared to true experts, he did not even have the qualification to be mentioned in the same breath.