Chapter 1724: Crushing the Will
The Jade Emperor Palace shattered, and suddenly, within the palace, a group of figures was revealed, causing the crowd to freeze for a moment as they stared at the people below.
"Heavenly Martial? Venerable Martial?"
The onlookers showed strange expressions. Most of these people were at the Heavenly Martial Realm, with a few at the Venerable Martial Realm, and even some at the Mysterious Martial Realm. They were pitifully weak. In the Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital, even children were stronger than some of them. Why was Lin Feng imprisoning such a group of weak cultivators?
Little did they know that the moment the palace shattered, the people inside the Jade Emperor Palace saw the light. A flicker of madness surged in their eyes, mixed with wild joy. They could finally see the light again! How many years had it been since they were imprisoned in that palace, without seeing the sun or knowing the passage of time?
But this joy was quickly replaced by shock. They timidly stared at the figures in the void. So strong! These people were so powerful that they couldn't even imagine it. A trace of unintentionally released aura made them feel a suffocating pressure from the depths of their souls. Especially the furious cultivator standing directly above them—it seemed like a single glance from him could kill them.
"What place is this? What level of experts are these?"
They swallowed hard. How many years had it been? Where had that bastard Lin Feng brought them?
"Where is Lin Feng?" Cang Ling's voice was icy cold. There was no trace of Lin Feng or Cang Xiao in the palace. Cang Xiao's aura had indeed started disappearing here, but now it couldn't be sensed anymore.
"It really is Lin Feng." The hearts of the crowd trembled. After all these years, what cultivation level had Lin Feng reached? And the old man in the void—what was his level?
"Senior, we do not know." Cang Ling's gaze was too sharp, forcing them to lower their heads and speak weakly.
"Who are you to Lin Feng?" Cang Ling asked again. A heavenly might descended, nearly forcing them to prostrate themselves.
"We were imprisoned in the palace by Lin Feng. It has been many years, and we don't even know where this is," one person spoke up again. It seemed this person had a grudge against Lin Feng, so telling the truth was the better option.
Cang Ling didn't doubt his words. These people indeed looked like prisoners, each one pitifully weak.
"Where are you from? Do you know where Lin Feng's home is?" Cang Ling asked coldly.
"We are from the Qian Domain. As for Lin Feng, he is a disciple of the Heavenly Lake," the man answered again. But to Cang Ling, their answers were as good as nothing. Qian Domain? Heavenly Lake? He would be lucky to find those places.
Feeling the terrifying pressure Cang Ling released from the void, the people below changed expressions and respectfully asked, "May I ask, Senior, where is this place?"
"Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital," Cang Ling said coldly. As long as he found Lin Feng's lair, he wasn't afraid Lin Feng wouldn't show up. Now that Lin Feng had infiltrated the ancient capital and Cang Xiao's aura had vanished, Lin Feng would surely go into hiding.
"Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital?" The people below looked confused. Was there such a place? They had only heard of the distant Eight Wastelands and Nine Abyss regions, as well as the Holy City Central Continent, but never of the Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital.
These people didn't even know this was the Great World. The place they originally lived in was just a corner of a Small World. They had no idea how Lin Feng had brought them here, nor did they know about the Nine Immortal Palaces and Heavenly Fortresses. So, they couldn't communicate with Cang Ling at all, because their knowledge had no overlap.
"The Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital is one of the eighteen Heavenly Main Cities of the Qingxiao Continent. Think carefully—where is the Heavenly Lake you mentioned?" Cang Ling continued his interrogation.
Qingxiao? Heavenly Main City?
The people below looked dazed, completely clueless. There was no way to communicate.
"May I dare to ask, Senior, what is your cultivation level?" someone below asked again.
"Heavenly Emperor!" Cang Ling couldn't imagine where these people came from. That bastard Lin Feng must have come from some remote place, carrying a group like this with him.
"Emperor... Heavenly Emperor!" Their hearts pounded violently. Above the Venerable Martial Realm, they had heard of the lofty Martial Emperor, who possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth. And from ancient texts, it seemed there was a record that above the Emperor realm was the legendary Emperor. The expert before them... a Heavenly Emperor?
This was beyond their understanding. What did Heavenly Emperor even mean? They couldn't comprehend it. Lin Feng had offended a Heavenly Emperor?
"Senior, are you a legendary existence above the Martial Emperor?" one person asked weakly. Finally, a terrifying fury flickered across Cang Xiao's calm face, pressing the man down until he prostrated, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Damned Lin Feng! You actually come from a mere Small World!" A cold gleam flashed in Cang Ling's eyes. Then he stepped through the void and left in an instant, beginning to search for Lin Feng with his divine sense. But searching for one person was no easy task, especially since Lin Feng had already changed his face.
After Cang Ling left, a group of confused people remained. Small World? After thinking for a moment, someone dared to guess: Could there be another world outside their own? Where was their path?
To cover his escape, Lin Feng had no choice but to abandon the Jade Emperor Palace. After all, compared to Cang Xiao, a Jade Emperor Palace was utterly insignificant. He now had his own Martial Soul World, and the Jade Emperor Palace had lost its value. As for the people inside, to Lin Feng now, they were no different from ants. Killing them or not didn't matter, so he let them go.
Lin Feng naturally wouldn't think about how shocked those people would be when they learned where they were, or how their expressions would change when they found out he had killed many Martial Emperors. Time was merciless. It was hard for them to imagine that during the years they were imprisoned, the Lin Feng who had imprisoned them was now a dominant figure, easily killing Martial Emperors who only existed in legends.
At this moment, in a courtyard of an inn, Lin Feng, now with a changed face, sat cross-legged. His eyes closed, his mind sank into his Martial Soul.
Inside his Martial Soul World, one area was divided into Yangzhou City, while another area was separated from it, empty. Lin Feng and Cang Xiao appeared in this space.
Cang Xiao waited for a long time without feeling any movement. He slightly lifted his armor to reveal his eyes. No one attacked him. Soon, he saw Lin Feng standing calmly before him.
Lin Feng wore a cold smile, his gaze filled with mockery as he looked at Cang Xiao, standing there calmly and openly.
"Where is this?" Cang Xiao looked around, his pupils contracting. This wasn't the Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital.
"A Small World. This is your Small World," Cang Xiao said coldly.
"Yes, this is my Small World. You're wearing that armor, and it's too thick. Even if I can't kill you, I can imprison you forever until you die!" A cold grin curled at the corner of Lin Feng's mouth, making Cang Xiao sneer. This guy probably didn't know his death was near.
"You can still laugh?" Lin Feng's expression turned mocking. "Maybe you're still waiting for someone to save you. But unfortunately, I'll tell you this: here, no one can find you. Even if you left a divine sense fluctuation outside, even if your aura is out there, once you enter here, everything will be cut off!"
"Arrogant talk!" Cang Xiao shouted coldly. "You think your Small World can cut off everything?"
"Arrogant talk?" Lin Feng sneered. "Here, even the Heavenly Demon Tribulation can be cut off. I crossed the Heavenly Demon Tribulation in this very sky!"
"Impossible!" Cang Xiao refused to believe it. No one's Small World could surpass the heavens. The Heavenly Demon Tribulation was a heavenly calamity triggered by the Ten Thousand Calamities Indestructible Heavenly Demon Art. How could this Small World be qualified to summon a heavenly tribulation?
"Impossible? Look closely." Lin Feng's expression was cold and mocking. With a thought, the power of Flame Law ignited, wrapping around Cang Xiao's body. Earth Law built walls around him, and Lightning Law wildly struck his Cang King Armor.
"No... impossible! Laws! How can you mobilize the power of Heavenly Laws?" Cang Xiao's heart shook. Looking at Lin Feng again, his heart skipped a beat. He stumbled back a few steps, his expression turning extremely ugly.
"Now you see?" Lin Feng's voice remained calm, but Cang Xiao looked as if he had seen a monster. Lin Feng... at the Martial Emperor Realm?
Who could tell him what was going on? Lin Feng was clearly at the Venerable Martial Realm, but here, he was a Martial Emperor! A true Martial Emperor! Because he could mobilize the power of all elemental Heavenly Laws.
Maybe Lin Feng had cultivated a technique to conceal his cultivation level, and he had misjudged him. But would a Great Emperor misjudge? That was utterly absurd. Yet, right now, Lin Feng was indeed at the Martial Emperor Realm. Why?
"A Heaven-Forsaken One? Ridiculous! I have long become an Emperor, but the heavens outside don't acknowledge it. They even summoned a heavenly tribulation to kill me. But I didn't let the heavens have their way. I still live well, my physical body transformed!" Lin Feng laughed coldly. Cang Xiao's heart grew heavier and heavier. He stared at Lin Feng and said, "The one who provoked heaven's wrath... was you, Lin Feng!"
"Of course it was me."
"Forbidden... a Forbidden Body!" Cang Xiao's face turned extremely ugly. The Lin Feng he had always despised was the one who provoked heaven's wrath, a Forbidden Body. And he had long become an Emperor, but the heavens didn't acknowledge it.
"Cang Xiao, how laughable that you were always so arrogant and conceited. What right do you have to compare yourself to me? If I want you dead, a single finger, a single thought is enough!" Lin Feng's voice continuously drilled into Cang Xiao's mind, making him look utterly dejected, as if he was about to collapse. He was imprisoned by Lin Feng, and Lin Feng could easily kill him.
Lin Feng slowly stepped forward, his eyes pitch-black like an abyss.
"Cang Xiao, look into my eyes. How can you compete with me?" Lin Feng's voice, mixed with the power of a curse, gradually crushed Cang Xiao's will. On the verge of collapse, Cang Xiao raised his head and looked into Lin Feng's eyes. Instantly, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. The power of the Nine Nether seeped into his mind, and in his mind, it seemed there was a spring of the Nine Nether!