# Chapter 214: Destruction and Rebirth
Looking at Lin Feng's icy, emotionless pupils and his continuously rising aura, the deputy commander's expression turned solemn. The massive demon ape phantom actually began to move, roaring up to the heavens.
"Annihilate!"
The deputy commander roared angrily, his palm striking toward Lin Feng. That fleshy palm brimming with surging power transformed into a phantom, a giant ape palm large enough to cover Lin Feng's entire body.
"Boom!"
Vast momentum rolled forth. The world's qi crazily surged toward Lin Feng, making him feel as if he were about to suffocate.
Yet his battle intent remained unextinguished, fearless, undaunted. Lin Feng transformed his fingers into a fist. His entire fist was like a sharp sword, piercing through everything as it collided with that giant palm.
"Boom, rumble."
Another earth-shaking tremor rang out. Numerous cracks appeared behind and beneath Lin Feng. The ground split open. At this moment, the deputy commander was like a demon ape, more towering than a mountain.
The cracking sounds were drowned out by the rumbling explosions. The incredibly powerful palm force pressed down on Lin Feng, making it feel as if all the bones in his body had shattered. His internal organs were severely damaged. Yet he stood there, not retreating half a step, causing the crowd to stare at him fixedly.
The space fell silent for a moment. A drop of crimson blood dripped down along the deputy commander's palm. No one knew that at this moment, his palm had been torn open with a hole by Lin Feng's overwhelmingly domineering fist. But he didn't even furrow his brow. He knew that Lin Feng before him was injured even more severely than he was.
Lin Feng's fist was still within the other's palm. He stood there motionless, his gray eyes, his emotionless pupils. The surrounding world remained as clear as ever—this was his world.
His bones had shattered, his internal organs severely damaged, as if he might collapse at any moment. His body felt light and ethereal. Yet he still stood there, firmly rooted.
In his black world, the blue specks of light were ice and snow; the dazzling white dots were sword elements; the golden specks of glow were battle intent. All of this appeared in his world, in his mind, so clear.
Momentum was about borrowing, borrowing the power of heaven and earth, merging it for one's own use, unleashing vast momentum.
Subtlety was the extreme of momentum, merging momentum into a single point, unleashing the strongest power. Every movement could have countless variations, countless kinds of momentum, following one's heart.
However, whether momentum or subtlety, both borrowed external power. That was not one's own power—it was an application, an understanding, but ultimately limited.
In one's own world, one should possess power that completely belonged to oneself.
Within Lin Feng's world, the three-colored specks spun wildly, as if about to merge into one. At the same time, on Lin Feng's body, there was no longer any ice and snow intent, no sword intent, no burning battle intent. At this moment, he was like an ordinary, common person, even without any cultivation, plain, unremarkable, without the slightest special quality.
Yet within this plain and unremarkable temperament, there seemed to be a special charm, a charm of merging with heaven and earth.
Threads of heaven and earth qi drilled into Lin Feng's body, merging with the qi within him, flowing wildly through his bones, tendons, flesh, and blood. The bones on Lin Feng's body continuously emitted cracking sounds, as if they were being reorganized.
Cultivation, stepping onto the martial path, could change one's destiny.
This change did not merely refer to a change in strength. Similarly, martial arts could change one's bones, flesh, blood, and temperament, allowing martial cultivators to better train, continuously evolve, and become stronger.
Bones could shape a perfect physical body.
Flesh and blood could transform into bloodline.
Temperament was reflected in comprehension and soul.
As a martial cultivator trained, their temperament would continuously change. Bones, on the path of becoming stronger, would inevitably undergo transformation to perfect the physical body, thereby aligning with cultivation.
This kind of change required destruction and rebirth. To reshape bones, one must first destroy bones. However, this reshaping was a natural process—when one's strength reached the appropriate level, destruction and rebirth would naturally occur.
But Lin Feng seemed to have changed all this. His cultivation was merely at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm. The shattering of his bones was caused by external force, not the natural destruction during the cultivation process. Yet at this moment, Lin Feng was rebuilding. Using external destruction, relying on his own comprehension, he was rebuilding.
Destruction and rebirth!
The crowd stared at Lin Feng, their hearts suddenly trembling. They discovered that Lin Feng had become different, but they couldn't pinpoint exactly where the difference lay.
This was a change in temperament. At this moment, Lin Feng's entire being seemed to merge with heaven and earth, returning to simplicity.
A sense of crisis spread in the deputy commander's heart. He was at an absolute advantage in his battle with Lin Feng, yet he felt uneasy, a deep unease, as if danger might descend at any moment.
This uneasy feeling made him move again. His foot stomped the ground, as if possessed by a mighty demon ape, trampling the earth. The ground trembled violently, dust flying.
The deputy commander's hand lifted once more, then fiercely swung out. An incomparably huge illusory palm was about to engulf Lin Feng entirely.
Lin Feng's hand also moved, directly slashing through the void. A dazzling radiance, incomparably bright, accompanied the fall of this light. Blood splattered. A palm was directly severed, flying through the air.
Then came an extremely miserable scream.
"Ahh... my hand..."
After a brief pause, the deputy commander realized his hand was gone, severed by that flash of light. His left hand gripped the severed gap, blood crazily seeping out, while his face twisted in extreme ferocity.
How could this be? His hand was impervious to blades and spears. Even those at the Seventh Layer of Spirit Martial Realm using weapons could hardly injure him. The defensive power of the mighty demon ape was beyond doubt. Possessing the mighty demon ape beast martial soul, both his strength and defense were terrifyingly powerful. Yet now, his hand had been easily severed, and he didn't even know where that dazzling radiance had come from.
Because at this moment, Lin Feng's hand was empty.
The crowd also stared at Lin Feng's hand, shocked. That flash of light just now... was Lin Feng's palm.
At this moment, Lin Feng's ordinary quality faded. He stood there, like a sharp sword, a sword of incomparable sharpness.
His person was the sword; the sword was the person.
That dazzling radiance was struck by his hand, because it was his palm, and also a sword.
"Man and Sword as One!"
The crowd's hearts trembled violently. Yes, this was the realm of Man and Sword as One. Lin Feng had actually broken through the boundaries of sword momentum and subtlety, reaching another level, a monstrous level—Man and Sword as One.
Lin Feng was merely at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm, yet he had comprehended a mysterious realm that even Mysterious Martial Realm experts might not necessarily reach. Such talent and comprehension were too terrifying. He was a prodigy.
"Slash!"
A low shout rang out. Lin Feng's palm slashed out again. The deputy commander, who was still wailing and clutching his arm, trembled violently, wanting to retreat. But it was too late. An eerie sword light flashed, passing across the deputy commander's throat. The deputy commander's eyes froze, and then his body crashed to the ground.
A cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Martial Realm—dead!
Lin Feng, relying on his own strength alone, had already killed three cultivators at the Seventh Layer of Spirit Martial Realm and one at the Eighth Layer.
Now, of the eight, only the last Black Fiend Guard deputy commander and three helmeted, masked soldiers remained.
Lin Feng's gaze shifted, landing on the masked soldier beside the princess. That person urged his horse aside, separating from Duan Xinye, saying, "The princess is returned to you."
Lin Feng's gaze congealed. He looked at that person, then his feet lightly trembled as he arrived beside Duan Xinye. The masked soldier, meanwhile, urged his horse to join the other three.
"You're not killing him?"
The last remaining Black Fiend Guard deputy commander looked at the masked soldier who had returned Duan Xinye to Lin Feng, speaking coldly.
"Only if the four of us join forces do we have a chance." The masked soldier urged his horse forward, arriving beside the Black Fiend Guard deputy commander. Suddenly, his body transformed into a phantom, directly leaping from his warhorse, instantly reaching the deputy commander. A palm strike, as fierce and violent as surging waves, landed on the other's heart.
The deputy commander's body convulsed. His five viscera and six bowels were directly destroyed by this violent wave-like palm force. His eyes stared straight, fixed on the other.
"You..."
He wanted to speak, but the masked soldier added another palm strike. Thus, the last Black Fiend Guard deputy commander fell beneath his warhorse—dead!