Chapter 196: The River All Red
"Wrath bristling through the crown, leaning on the railing, the drizzling rain has just ceased."
As the solemn voice fell, Lin Feng stepped forward, a sharp Sword Intent radiating from his body. His palm descended, striking the first war drum. In an instant, the drum turned to powder, vanishing without a trace, clean and complete.
With a single strike, the crowd's eyes trembled. What a fierce Sword Intent.
"Lifting my gaze, I raise my long cry to the sky, my heroic fervor surging."
The resounding voice vibrated against their eardrums, conjuring an image in the crowd's minds: a hero wielding a sword, standing amidst the battlefield, wrath bristling through his crown, crying out to the heavens.
"Boom-crack!"
The second war drum was annihilated, gone without a trace.
"Thirty years of fame and glory are but dust and earth; eight thousand miles of clouds and moon."
"Don't idle away your time, letting your youthful head turn white, and empty sorrow fill your heart!"
Lin Feng's voice continued. As the words were spoken, the war drums rumbled and exploded one after another. In the blink of an eye, four of the drums before Lin Feng had already burst apart.
His breath remained unbroken. Lin Feng's steps did not stop, his voice growing louder and more impassioned, brimming with fervor.
"The shame of the broken blade has yet to be avenged."
"The hatred of the subject—when will it be extinguished?"
"Mount the iron steeds, and trample through the Que of Helan Mountain!"
"Boom!" The fifth war drum exploded, vanishing into the space around them.
At this moment, the Sword Intent on Lin Feng soared to the heavens, merging perfectly with the heroic words from his mouth, as if it would shatter the Nine Heavens themselves.
At the same time, an overwhelmingly surging momentum—an unstoppable sword momentum—spread unceasingly from Lin Feng, enveloping everyone in the space.
"In ambition, I hunger to feast on the flesh of barbarians; in laughter, I thirst to drink the blood of the Moyue."
Lin Feng's palm transformed into a sharp sword, carrying that surging momentum, effortlessly shattering the sixth war drum. The crowd's hearts trembled along with it—that was already the sixth drum.
"Wait until the time comes, to reclaim the old mountains and rivers, and pay homage to the Celestial Palace!"
An incomparably arrogant roar filled the heavens. The arrogant youth blazed with endless sword light. With a palm strike—or rather, a sword strike—a brilliant white light flashed. The seventh war drum, like fragile paper, drifted away with the wind and vanished into nothingness.
At this moment, Lin Feng's movements finally ceased. His robes and long hair fluttered and danced in the air—unrestrained, unruly, defying the world. His earth-shaking voice still echoed through the space, unable to be extinguished, trembling through the minds of the crowd wave after wave.
"Wrath bristling through the crown, leaning on the railing, the drizzling rain has just ceased."
"Lifting my gaze, I raise my long cry to the sky, my heroic fervor surging."
"Thirty years of fame and glory are but dust and earth; eight thousand miles of clouds and moon."
"Don't idle away your time, letting your youthful head turn white, and empty sorrow fill your heart!"
"The shame of the broken blade has yet to be avenged."
"The hatred of the subject—when will it be extinguished?"
"Mount the iron steeds, and trample through the Que of Helan Mountain!"
"In ambition, I hunger to feast on the flesh of barbarians; in laughter, I thirst to drink the blood of the Moyue."
"Wait until the time comes, to reclaim the old mountains and rivers, and pay homage to the Celestial Palace!"
What a stirring and heroic song! This was the true soaring ambition and heroic blood.
Compared to this song, the tune Yue Tianchen had chanted earlier was indeed too insignificant to mention—just as Lin Feng had said: a petty trick, neither fish nor fowl, utterly nonsensical.
The assembled soldiers stood solemnly, rooted to the spot, with a blazing fervor burning fiercely in their chests.
"Excellent! Excellent!"
Duan Wuya rose to his feet, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Such a soul-stirring 'song' was truly rare—and it came from the mouth of a young man.
Compared to Lin Feng, Yue Tianchen's so-called talent was not worth mentioning. At this moment, he felt like a clown, trying to please Duan Xinye.
Lin Feng—he was the embodiment of a man's spirit, a hero's passion.
Duan Xinye's beautiful eyes flickered continuously as she gazed at Lin Feng with a strange brilliance. Lin Feng could actually chant such a heart-shaking song.
The people from Snow Moon Holy Academy and Heavenly One Academy all stood in silence, staring at the unrestrained youth. In their minds, the scene of Lin Feng holding his sword and singing, trampling everything in his path, still lingered.
At this moment, only Yue Tianchen wore an expression of extreme ugliness. He had lost—lost so completely.
Whether in strength or talent, he had lost—utterly and thoroughly.
Talent aside, in terms of strength, although both he and Lin Feng had struck seven war drums and used only one breath, Lin Feng's song was longer, more impassioned, more infectious, and more shocking. Naturally, it was also more difficult. Moreover, every drum Lin Feng struck did not just crack—it was completely reduced to powder, vanishing into nothingness under his sharp Sword Intent, including even the seventh drum.
Thus, the outcome was clear. Yue Tianchen, who had been so lofty and superior not long ago, was now utterly defeated.
The words he had used to humiliate Lin Feng were still fresh in memory, but Lin Feng had used his actions to slap him hard across the face.
What made it even more unbearable for Yue Tianchen was that at this moment, Duan Xinye's beautiful eyes were fixed on Lin Feng, clearly releasing a trace of admiration—different from the polite smiles she gave others. It was obvious that Duan Xinye was somewhat captivated by Lin Feng. This was something Yue Tianchen could not allow. Duan Xinye must become his wife.
The beautiful woman whose body flowed with the bloodline power of the Seal Gate—he was determined to have her. In Snow Moon Kingdom, only he, Yue Tianchen, was worthy of Duan Xinye.
Although he had lost this contest, it did not mean his strength was inferior to Lin Feng's. If he went all out, Yue Tianchen believed his chances of victory were far greater than Lin Feng's.
At this moment, Lin Feng finally moved. He slowly turned around and looked at Yue Tianchen. In Lin Feng's eyes, there was a deep, biting sarcasm.
"The princess holds a noble status. The one worthy of matching her must be flawless in both martial talent and birth. Those lowly ants of humble status who possess a bit of strength and don't know their place, yet still delusionally covet the princess's honor and seek to climb the social ladder—how utterly ridiculous."
Lin Feng repeated Yue Tianchen's words, then said coldly, "You say my status is lowly. I admit my birth is not as illustrious as yours. But you also call me an ant who doesn't know his place just because I have a bit of strength. Then let me ask you—what are you? Just a pitiful fool with a good family background who only knows how to show off; your eyes cannot tolerate anything else, so how could you possibly know how vast the world is?"
As Lin Feng's sarcastic words fell, Yue Tianchen's gaze turned exceptionally cold and sinister.
"A person's family background is predetermined and cannot be changed. What a martial cultivator can do is only to continuously grow stronger and elevate their status. Even those of humble birth, if they are willing to strive and possess soaring ambition, I believe that one day, their lowliness will no longer exist. When they step onto the clouds, what they will look down upon are precisely those who were once unreachable and lofty before them. This kind of person has the right to be proud."
Lin Feng continued, "And you are the other type—relying on your family background, seeing only family background, thinking that with it you have everything. You don't know how to strive, you look down on everyone. This kind of person's vision is ultimately limited. No matter what, they cannot break free from their constraints. At best, they can inherit their family's legacy to gain false glory. Such people are destined to be surpassed by others, and their families will inevitably decline."
The crowd's hearts trembled at Lin Feng's words. Those of humble birth felt a surge of ambition rise within them. That was right—as long as they had soaring ambition, one day they would rise above the Nine Heavens and look down upon those who once despised them.
As for the scions of the great families, they felt a chill run down their spines. Although they didn't like hearing Lin Feng's words, they had to admit that Lin Feng saw things very clearly and spoke with great reason. If they themselves did not strive, no matter how illustrious their family background, they would eventually sink into mediocrity.
The crowd looked at Lin Feng with expressions of astonishment. How old was Lin Feng? Yet he understood things so clearly and had such far-reaching insight.
"This young man, even setting aside his birth, is worth recruiting. His future is limitless."
Duan Wuya's gaze flickered as he stared at Lin Feng. In talent, skill, and intellect, Lin Feng excelled in every aspect—even his birth was remarkable. Truly, he was worthy of being her descendant.
Duan Wuya increasingly felt that Lin Feng was indeed worthy of his sister, Duan Xinye.
Just as many thoughts were stirring in the crowd, Yue Tianchen's face had turned as ugly as it could get. Even if everything Lin Feng said was reasonable, what did it matter? At this moment, Lin Feng was lecturing him—using an arrogant tone, in front of everyone—to teach Yue Tianchen, the future heir of the Yue Clan, a lesson!