Chapter 2213: Crisis
Lin Feng's words lingered in the air, and the ten seated figures of the Nine Heavens Gathering all wore solemn expressions. They clearly understood what Lin Feng meant—this was no longer a mere sparring match of the Nine Heavens Gathering. The people from the Ten Divine Palaces intended to kill them, showing no mercy whatsoever. If it were merely about defeating opponents, Huo Xingzi had already defeated Jiu Ling Huang; there was no need for him to continue fighting.
Everyone knew this was not a competition—it was slaughter.
Gu Xuantian's gaze congealed slightly as he witnessed the explosive power Lin Feng had unleashed. Within Lin Feng's body, there seemed to be a strange ancient tree. As a member of the Divine Palaces, he did not know that this tree was the Tianze Ancient Tree from the Divine Wood Valley of the Qingxiao Continent. However, being forced back by a single palm strike from Lin Feng, his eyes grew colder. He stepped toward the position where Lin Feng and Jiu Ling Huang stood, positioning himself opposite Huo Xingzi, as if trapping Lin Feng and Jiu Ling Huang between them.
Two terrifying auras spread out simultaneously, their power astonishing.
"Huo Xingzi, how about a contest to see who can kill them first?" At that moment, Gu Xuantian spoke across Lin Feng and the others, addressing Huo Xingzi.
Flames seeped from Huo Xingzi's eyes as the Flame Punishment Twin Scepters reappeared in his hands. He replied coldly, "Just what I was thinking."
"These two bastards are actually betting on killing Lin Feng and Jiu Ling Huang. That's too ruthless." The crowd's hearts trembled. Many people in Shen Xiao City showed anger. Lin Feng and the others were the strongest geniuses of the Nine Heavens. They had fought hard to reach the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens Gathering, only for each of the Ten Divine Palaces to send out their top monstrous talents to ambush and kill them. This was clearly unfair.
"These scoundrels are core figures of the Divine Palaces, so of course they're powerful. If Lin Feng and the others had entered the Divine Palaces and trained for a while, they would definitely surpass them and be even stronger in combat."
"Those who can reach the peak of the Nine Heavens Gathering will become terrifyingly strong as long as they are given time. Are these Divine Palace experts trying to eliminate them before they grow?" The crowd grew indignant. It wasn't just one Divine Palace targeting the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering—it was all ten working together. Any one of these opponents was likely a core genius disciple from their respective Divine Palaces.
"The methods of these ten Divine Palaces are somewhat despicable." The people of Shen Xiao City were furious. Even those who had been eliminated outside the battle platform felt anger, but they dared not voice it. The ten experts standing in the void were Divine Palace powerhouses. Killing them would be as easy as crushing ants. In their eyes, the crowd was like insects. If they were willing to kill even the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering, what were they?
Yet the crowd couldn't understand why the ten Divine Palaces would join forces. Could it be to target the Fate Temple? After all, these ten were about to become disciples of the Fate Temple.
At that moment, Gu Xuantian and Huo Xingzi stepped toward Lin Feng and Jiu Ling Huang in the center. Demonic might and flame power surged intensely. Gu Xuantian was wrapped in demonic light, while Huo Xingzi held the Flame Punishment Scepters, judging life and death. Both exuded a strong sense of crisis.
Lin Feng's expression turned cold. Suddenly, a fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes. He transmitted a message to Jiu Ling Huang: "Jiu Ling Huang, hold off Gu Xuantian for one strike. I'll ambush this Flame Temple bastard."
Huo Xingzi had not fought Lin Feng before. Seeing the killing intent in his eyes, he seemed eager to compete with Gu Xuantian over who would kill first. Lin Feng planned to exploit his arrogance and launch a surprise attack.
"Alright. I have an Imperial Weapon on me, so I can hold him off for a moment without pressure. But if this fails and these Divine Palace experts bring out even more powerful Imperial Weapons, it will be a disaster for us," Jiu Ling Huang replied. This was also why he had not used his Imperial Weapon earlier. These monstrous geniuses from the Divine Palaces likely had access to greater resources and might possess even stronger Imperial Weapons. They wouldn't be easy to deal with. That was why, even at the risk of his life, he hesitated to reveal his Imperial Weapon.
"There's no choice. If this continues, all ten of us will be completely routed and become prey." Lin Feng continued transmitting his message. Around him, endless Wind Law and Space Law spread out, wrapping him in wind and void, his power terrifying. He faced Huo Xingzi directly.
"Already preparing to run?" Huo Xingzi stared at Lin Feng, spitting out cold words. The powerful Wind Law could drive incredible speed, but he didn't care. This space was small. If Lin Feng tried to dodge, they could easily pick them off one by one. He looked at Lin Feng like a hunter eyeing his prey.
The flame power within the Flame Punishment Scepters grew more terrifying, surging endlessly. Finally, Huo Xingzi sneered at Lin Feng and said, "The number one of the Nine Heavens. Let me see how strong you really are."
With that, he stepped forward and lunged at Lin Feng. At the same time, terrifying flames burst from the Flame Punishment Scepters, incredibly fierce.
"Boom!" Lin Feng punched out with both fists. Gale winds howled, blotting out the sky. But Huo Xingzi's eyes blazed with terrifying firelight, like fiery eyes that could pierce through anything. He charged at Lin Feng without hesitation. The flames from the scepters grew brighter. If they pierced a person's body, the flesh couldn't withstand such heat. Even Jiu Ling Huang had been severely wounded by a single strike, and he was a master of fire.
"Clang!" At that moment, the sound of a cauldron rang out. Suddenly, an ancient, massive cauldron shot directly at Huo Xingzi. Terrifying light patterns spun instantly. Lin Feng mobilized all the soul-attacking power within the cauldron. In an instant, a deathly dirge filled the entire void, saturating it with death intent, as if turning it into a dead, silent space.
"Clang!" The cauldron rang again. Huo Xingzi, only a few steps away from the ancient cauldron, instantly turned pitch black. His soul trembled violently, as if it were about to be shaken to death. His face turned deathly pale. Death intent surged through his body, seeking to claim his life. At the same time, Lin Feng's Death Dao, combined with the Sword of Death, attacked wildly. The death intent at this moment was unimaginably powerful.
Simultaneously, Lin Feng's body moved. Shrouded in endless Wind and Space Law, his speed was astonishing. In an instant, he appeared before Huo Xingzi. Huo Xingzi was still resisting the erosion of death, his face ashen. Seeing Lin Feng arrive in an instant, his expression stiffened, turning ugly.
"Die!" Lin Feng roared. The deathly demonic sound drilled directly into Huo Xingzi's eardrums. His fist shot straight toward the opponent's head.
Huo Xingzi's face turned iron-gray. His eyes, fixed on Lin Feng, suddenly shot out two terrifying beams of flame light. In an instant, Lin Feng felt an extremely intense sense of crisis. But his fist did not hesitate. It still slammed fiercely toward the opponent's head, intending to blast it apart.
"Such a madman." The crowd's hearts pounded. Huo Xingzi was an expert of the Flame Temple, yet Lin Feng dared to risk everything to kill him. It was sheer insanity.
"Explode!" Huo Xingzi roared. With a thunderous blast, flames engulfed the sky and earth. Huo Xingzi's body was instantly shrouded in flames. A scorching wave of fire rushed at Lin Feng. Lin Feng stepped into the air, rising into the void. The ancient cauldron rose with him, floating before him. His cold gaze fixed on a spot ahead. Huo Xingzi stood there, his face dark to the extreme.
"There was a treasure hidden in his eyes. He escaped death by a hair." Lin Feng's expression turned cold. Huo Xingzi looked up. Blood seemed to seep from his head, trickling down his cheeks. His eyes, locked on Lin Feng, seemed ready to devour him.
"So close. Huo Xingzi nearly had his head blown off by Lin Feng. That punch didn't even touch him. If it had, with Lin Feng's strength, one punch would have exploded it." The crowd was shocked. On the other side, Jiu Ling Huang had also used his Imperial Weapon to deal with Gu Xuantian. The battles of the others grew even more ferocious. The top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering had gathered together. Zhou Rongman had saved Mo Luo, who was nearly killed. They were now on the same side—if one fell, all would suffer. These Divine Palace experts wanted them dead.
"Very good." Huo Xingzi's Flame Punishment Scepters turned into flames and merged into his body. At the same time, another pair of Flame Punishment Scepters appeared in his hands—double scepters. Flames shot out three zhang, their power terrifying. Gu Xuantian donned a demon king armor, looking like a true demon god, as if no one could break through its defense.
"This is bad. These Divine Palace experts have all brought out extremely powerful Imperial Weapons." The crowd's hearts sank. The battle seemed to escalate again, growing even more violent. But the Nine Heavens Gathering participants were almost completely surrounded. Clearly, the situation was extremely unfavorable for them. If this continued, someone would inevitably be unable to hold on.
Jing stared at the ancient cauldron before Lin Feng. So it was this guy. But now, she was worried about Lin Feng. She felt quite frustrated. Why had the ten Divine Palaces joined forces to kill the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering? What had happened? The ten Divine Palaces valued their reputation greatly. Under normal circumstances, this would never happen—unless something extremely special had occurred, forcing the ten Divine Palaces to pressure the Fate Temple. These ten were about to become disciples of the Fate Temple. Attacking them was equivalent to attacking the Fate Temple!
PS: Two chapters today. Updates may not be many in the next few days. I'm going out to clear my mind. I'll have a burst of updates when I return. Specific notifications on WeChat. WeChat ID: jingwuhen888!