Chapter 2158: Rift
In the blink of an eye, another month had passed. The Nine Heavens Gathering was drawing near once more, and in the twelve regions of Divine Sky City, the hearts of the crowd surged with ever-greater excitement.
On this day, within the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan’s estate, Lin Feng’s external incarnation suddenly opened its eyes. With a flicker of movement, it dashed out of the temporary palace. By now, among the nearby palaces, only this one external incarnation remained. The others had all departed, recommended into the Martial Saint Pagoda of the four great powers to become candidates for the Nine Heavens Gathering.
Only this external incarnation, kept under watch by the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan, still lingered here. But now, it seemed, it was time to leave.
In the dim shadows, several figures silently followed Lin Feng’s external incarnation. When it descended to the outskirts of the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan’s estate, these figures blocked its path.
“I entered the Refining Gold Mountain a month ago and became a candidate for the Nine Heavens Gathering, yet you still trap my external incarnation here. What meaning is there in this?” Lin Feng’s external incarnation said coldly. This was precisely what the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan feared. Since Lin Feng’s true body had already left, it was clear he would join one of the four great powers and become a candidate for the Nine Heavens Gathering—a position no force could shake.
“Let your true body come and speak,” the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan member replied icily. But just as his words fell, his gaze suddenly shot into the distance. There, a figure draped in a golden long robe drifted forward. That golden long robe was unmistakably the attire of Refining Gold Mountain cultivators.
“You were looking for me?” Lin Feng said lightly, causing the pupils of the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan members to contract as they stared at him. “You are Lin Feng?”
“Yes. The external incarnation was born from the true body, a manifestation of the soul. In the past, I changed my appearance, so the external incarnation differs from my current true body. But now, it’s time to reunite.” Lin Feng smiled. The external incarnation moved forward, but two figures immediately cut it off from left and right, causing a flash of icy coldness in Lin Feng’s eyes as killing intent erupted.
The two Emperor-level figures frowned slightly, naturally sensing the murderous intent in Lin Feng’s gaze. At that moment, Lin Feng let out a cold snort. The Myriad Transformations Cauldron appeared, and a terrifying deathly resonance from the cauldron shook their minds. At the same time, the cauldron transformed into a fearsome beam of light that enveloped them. They felt their souls trapped, and their expressions shifted dramatically.
“Kill!” Lin Feng stepped forward, his form like the wind, his sword cleaving through the void as if freezing space itself.
“No…” One of the Emperor-level figures erupted with overwhelming aura, a terrifying light of Heavenly Demon radiance bursting forth. He threw a punch with incredible speed, while countless demonic law-infused fist beams crushed toward Lin Feng, all unleashed in an instant.
“Boom!” Lin Feng stamped his foot. Array light appeared, and his figure vanished, reappearing before the Emperor-level figure. His fist contained a Sword Dao Sacred Spirit, tearing through everything. Simultaneously, the Myriad Transformations Cauldron frantically devoured the opponent’s soul, preventing him from mobilizing his power. With a thunderous explosion, the physical body shattered. The soul, like a wisp of green smoke, twisted with a ferocious expression as it was drawn into the cauldron, refined by its rapid rotation.
“How dare you!” A furious roar rang out. Lin Feng sneered. His external incarnation merged with his true body, and with a tremor of his palm, the cauldron returned. He struck out with another sword toward the other Emperor-level figure, but the attack was intercepted.
“You dare commit murder within the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan?” The powerful figure who had rushed over radiated an overwhelming Emperor’s might, demonic pressure crushing down on Lin Feng as if ancient demonic shadows surrounded him.
“As a candidate for the Nine Heavens Gathering, I have no enmity with the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan. In the past, Lei Dongtian promised to protect me, but later, your clan betrayed me for profit. Now, you even block my external incarnation from reuniting with me. For such despicable acts, what’s wrong with killing a few?” Lin Feng said coldly.
“Arrogant!” The Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan member threw a punch. A terrifying demonic fist struck Lin Feng’s body directly. Lin Feng did not resist or dodge. The fist slammed into his chest, causing his Refining Gold Mountain robe to ripple. He was sent flying, coughing up blood, but a cold smile lingered on his face. This scene made the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan expert’s expression stiffen, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. This madman had let the attack land fully. If he had actually been killed, the consequences…
Lin Feng coughed a few times, then moved forward again, appearing before the man. His pupils were pitch-black, his expression cold. “What happened here, I will condense into a memory image with my divine sense and spread it throughout the eastern domain of Divine Sky City. I will also inform Refining Gold Mountain. Since the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan has bullied me so, from now on, whenever I encounter a member of your clan, I will kill them without mercy.”
With that, Lin Feng turned and left, leaving the stunned Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan expert with a face ashen with rage.
“Bastard!” He roared coldly, staring at Lin Feng’s retreating back with murderous intent. Clearly, Lin Feng had deliberately provoked him into striking, so that no matter how Lin Feng dealt with the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan in the future, the clan would be seen as the despicable aggressor. This way, the clan could not kill him.
Lin Feng followed through on his words. Soon, the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan’s actions spread throughout the eastern domain of Divine Sky City, drawing widespread scorn.
“The Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan is a second-tier force in the eastern domain, yet they act so petty. Lei Dongtian once promised to protect Lin Feng, but not only did they fail to protect him, they first sold him out to the Medicine King Clan for benefits, then imprisoned his external incarnation. When Lin Feng’s true body came to retrieve it, they still blocked him. How despicable—even worse than the Medicine King Clan!”
“The Medicine King Clan acted out of rage over the King Realm incident. Breaking their promise for revenge, though dishonorable, is somewhat understandable. But the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan has completely sullied their name.”
The eastern domain of Divine Sky City was filled with such sarcastic remarks. The Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan’s shameless behavior became a hot topic. After this spread, news followed that several Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan members had been encountered and killed by Lin Feng. The crowd merely remarked that they deserved it, no doubt finding Lin Feng’s actions satisfying.
A few days later, an even more shocking piece of news emerged: Wang Jie had not died. He had appeared in the eastern domain of Divine Sky City and personally killed two young members of the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan. But that wasn’t the most startling part. What truly shook everyone was that Wang Jie now wielded the power of demonic tribulation, using a technique that seemed to be the Ten Thousand Calamities Indestructible Heavenly Demon Art.
If that weren’t enough, someone claimed to have witnessed Wang Jie undergoing a Heavenly Demon Tribulation—a phenomenon unique to the Ten Thousand Calamities Indestructible Heavenly Demon Art, known to all in Divine Sky City. Mere rumors might not be credible, but someone recorded the scene of Wang Jie’s tribulation with their divine sense. Soon, the entire eastern domain of Divine Sky City buzzed with gossip.
The Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan was enraged, filled with suspicion.
The Medicine King Clan grew uneasy, plagued by doubt.
Within the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan, in a hall, the gathered crowd wore grim expressions. The leader, the same man who had negotiated with the Medicine King Clan over Lin Feng, swept his gaze across the room and asked, “What do you think?”
“In recent days, many of our clan have been killed. We cannot rule out that they were coerced into handing over the Ten Thousand Calamities Heavenly Demon Art. Fortunately, none of the slain possessed the complete technique. But for our clan’s art to fall into Wang Jie’s hands…” The speaker fell silent, his face dark.
“Last time, the Medicine King Clan paid a heavy price to capture Lin Feng, hoping to save Wang Jie, but failed. They also demanded that we return what we obtained, which we refused. You all remember this,” another person interjected.
“A few days ago, Lin Feng came to our clan—everyone knows that. The Medicine King Clan won’t seek revenge on him. Since Wang Jie is still alive, the Medicine King Clan could pay a great price to trade with Lin Feng for him. They could cooperate.”
“But how did Wang Jie recover so quickly?” someone questioned.
“Don’t forget—that’s the Medicine King Clan. For a pill-refining force like that, anything is possible. Besides, the injured party is Wang Jie. They would spare no expense.”
“That may be, but Lin Feng only appeared a few days ago. Even if the Medicine King Clan traded with him and then killed our people to obtain the technique for Wang Jie, his cultivation progress wouldn’t be this fast.”
“You know Wang Jie’s talent. Moreover, he was already at the peak of High-rank Emperor combat power. The early stages of the technique are naturally easier to cultivate, and the early demonic tribulations wouldn’t have much effect on his body.”
This was a discussion within the Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan, and it represented the most likely scenario. Otherwise, nothing could be explained. The Medicine King Clan had forced out their clan’s technique and used it for cultivation—this was a grave taboo.
At the Martial Saint Pagoda, two figures strode out, both radiating cold intent. They glared at each other as they walked.
“Medicine King Clan, very good. You kill my clansmen and steal my clan’s technique. Wang Shi, remember this,” Lei Dongtian said icily.
“Ridiculous. In the past, your Heavenly Demon Thunder Clan failed to keep its promises. Whether you conspired with Lin Feng to deceive my clan is unknown. Now you slander us. Truly as despicable as the rumors say,” Wang Shi retorted without backing down. Both wore the robes of the Martial Saint Pagoda, their auras clashing as if they wished to fight before the Nine Heavens Gathering even began.
“The truth will come to light. Your clan seizing our technique is a grave taboo. This will not end peacefully,” Lei Dongtian said coldly again.
“If that’s how you want it, I’ll oblige,” Wang Shi replied coldly.
The two then separated, heading in opposite directions.