Chapter 2235: Pursuit and Kill
Lin Feng directly strolled away from the place. The crowd watched his departing figure, their hearts trembling. So strong.
A powerful Martial Emperor realm figure, capable of annihilating enemies with just a glance—such strength was too formidable, too mighty. He could even slay terrifying Great Emperor realm experts. His combat power completely transcended cultivation levels.
Moreover, what was truly shocking was that killing a powerful Great Emperor seemed as effortless to him as lifting a finger, without unleashing any significant trump card power. In a casual manner, he had slain his opponent. Perhaps this person never even regarded Great Emperor realm experts as his opponents. For Martial Emperors, a single glance was enough.
"They still hoped he would step into the Emperor realm. Now, he's not even an Emperor yet, and he's already this strong. Once he does enter the Emperor realm, how terrifying will his combat power be?" The young man from the Nine Nether Mansion stared at Lin Feng's distant figure, murmuring softly.
"Perhaps it's because he has spent several hundred years in sedimentation (chen dian), still unable to break through the Martial Emperor realm, that he has gained such formidable combat power," Qing'er said, believing Lin Feng's strength came from enduring long years, not from exceptional talent.
But all of this had nothing to do with Lin Feng. He strode through Eternal Night City, his heart gloomy, death intent swirling around him. He felt the path of martial arts was elusive. In the past, though his strength was lacking, at least his goals were clear, and he advanced steadily—until he encountered Heaven's Abandonment, where laws refused to descend, giving him a strong sense of defeat. But this time, he felt that same pain again, as if he could not see the road ahead.
At the same time, within the Sword Sect, upon learning that Lin Feng had killed several of their disciples, they began hunting him down and issued an assassination order.
Inside the Fate Temple, the Prophet brought Lin Feng to the temple's archive storage area and said to his external incarnation: "Lin Feng, our Fate Temple not only stores records of powerful figures born in the temple's history but also records of other strong individuals. The collection is vast. See if you can find anything useful. However, you possess a Fate-Defying Body, different from everyone else. You are destined to forge your own path. The cultivation methods of others can only serve as your reference."
"Thank you, Teacher." Lin Feng nodded slightly and began searching through the records. The archives of the Fate Temple were incredibly rich and precious, priceless treasures. Any single record leaked would cause a sensation. Yet the Prophet allowed him to browse freely, showing that he regarded Lin Feng as an absolute core member of the temple.
Lin Feng's external incarnation started flipping through the records. The cultivation insights of those powerful figures made Lin Feng deeply realize that there were countless strong individuals in the world. No two people cultivated the same way; each had their own understanding and their own path.
Especially when Lin Feng saw a few particular records, his insights were especially profound.
One record belonged to a supreme Buddha figure. His enlightenment was recorded as: "Humans have eight sufferings: birth, aging, sickness, and death are the first four. With martial cultivation, these four sufferings become empty. However, do the people around us also experience these four sufferings? Beyond these, the latter four sufferings are: the suffering of parting from loved ones—the separation of life and death from those we cherish. In the mortal world, how many must endure this? The suffering of meeting those we hate—in a lifetime, we meet many like-minded people, but also many we detest and loathe. Meeting them, even living with them, brings suffering. This suffering is sometimes unavoidable. The suffering of the five aggregates flourishing, and the suffering of not obtaining what we seek. Even the strongest martial cultivators still have desires. When they cannot obtain what they seek, their hearts are unsettled. On the day one comprehends life and understands the eight sufferings, they attain Buddhahood on the spot."
"The eight sufferings of Buddhism—no living being in this world can avoid them," Lin Feng murmured inwardly. To comprehend the eight sufferings and attain Buddhahood on the spot—was that the way? Experiencing the eight sufferings of life and comprehending them—perhaps anyone could reach a very high realm. His separation from Meng Qing was the suffering of parting. His inability to break through the Emperor realm now was the suffering of not obtaining what he sought.
If one could comprehend and penetrate the eight sufferings of the human world, what obstacle could they not overcome? But could he truly comprehend them? Could he let go of the suffering of parting? Could he let go of not obtaining what he sought? This path was the path to Buddhahood, and it was not suitable for Lin Feng.
Lin Feng continued reading the records, page after page unfolding before his eyes. He came across another very meaningful record. Martial cultivators sought supreme strength, but some also held firm to their beliefs, unyielding in the face of setbacks. For example, some aspired to become peerless sword cultivators, others to become ancient Buddhas, respected and worshipped by the world.
But when you spend your entire life walking the path you insist on, only to find that everything goes against your wishes, what will the final outcome do to your original heart?
The record told of a eminent monk who aspired to become an ancient Buddha, to teach and transform the people, to reduce killing, to cherish good thoughts, and to seek immortality. However, when the world fell into chaos, with war raging everywhere and lives being destroyed, the monk, in his anger to quell the conflict, caused rivers of blood to flow, completely betraying his original heart. In the end, he could not become a Buddha. From then on, he fell into the demonic path and became a world-shaking demon lord.
Another record told of someone who sought an audience with a eminent monk, single-mindedly (yi xin) seeking Buddha and the Dao. After enduring countless hardships and exhausting himself, he thought he would receive the monk's guidance and enter the Buddhist path to become a great Buddha. But things turned out contrary to his wishes. He discovered that the world was full of lies. The eminent monk did not exist. The person before him was not a monk but a demon. Everything he had done was in service to a demon. In his rage, he no longer trusted anyone, killed indiscriminately, did whatever he pleased, committed every evil, and became a terrifying heretic cultivator (xie xiu), yet he was extremely powerful.
Lin Feng's heart trembled as he read these records. These were the stories of some extremely powerful figures—their cultivation insights or life experiences. Reading these cultivation stories, Lin Feng felt as if he were seeing all living beings, their hardships and twists of fate (kan ke) and destinies. Those who became peerless experts—whether pure-hearted or utterly evil—had all experienced heart-stirring stories and suffered hardships and setbacks. Anyone who wished to reach the peak of martial arts had to endure too much, far too much.
Lin Feng's external incarnation did not stop. He continued reading the records, each one bringing new insights, as if he were witnessing the suffering of all beings, walking an endless road.
Meanwhile, the real Lin Feng walked through Eternal Night City. The death intent around him gradually calmed somewhat. His sharp eyes, hidden beneath his long hair, shot out dazzling, terrifying light. The death intent swirling around him kept no one from daring to approach him.
However, in the distance, many figures came whistling through the air, riding giant swords, rolling forward. Lin Feng had always known that someone was following him, but he had simply ignored them.
Outside the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, on this Purple Dawn Continent, killing him was not so easy. Besides, he was now ice-cold, his gaze indifferent, ignoring everything, allowing them to track him.
As he rolled forward, finally, from his flank, several giant swords shot toward him. Many people on the ground saw this scene and trembled, saying: "They are Sword Sect experts. Are they pursuing a Martial Emperor realm figure? So many powerful Sword Sect experts, all Great Emperors—such a strong lineup. Who are they chasing?"
"Unknown. A Martial Emperor attracting so many powerful experts—he must be very important," the crowd thought. At that moment, a Sword Sect expert roared: "Stop right there, sir!"
His voice rolled out, as if countless sharp swords were stabbing out with his words, the killing intent in the void intense.
"If you don't want to die, get lost!" Lin Feng spat out an icy deathly sound. But the Sword Sect experts only snorted coldly and continued: "You killed our Sword Sect disciples and still think you can leave Eternal Night City?"
From all directions, five Great Emperor realm sword cultivators surged forward simultaneously. The sword intent made those below feel a sense of oppression. Too terrifying.
On Lin Feng's body, endless death intent roared and howled. His eyes grew colder and colder. Since they wanted to die, then let them die. Hundreds of thousands of death brands spread around him simultaneously. The death intent, wherever it passed, made heaven and earth tremble and shudder. Those below, wherever Lin Feng passed, felt as if they were about to die.
Suddenly, Lin Feng stepped on the void array, his figure vanishing from his original position and appearing directly before a Sword Sect expert. His speed was even more terrifying than an Emperor realm sword cultivator, unfathomable.
"Great Dream!" Lin Feng uttered a sound. The sword cultivator seemed about to fall asleep, but his terrifying sword will kept him awake.
"Die!" Endless death intent descended from the sky, rolling into his body. Lin Feng's eyes shot out curse light, and the Sword of Death struck from all directions.
"Get back!" The man roared, his sword shattering the void. But Lin Feng paid no attention. His fist, containing a sword, broke through the air, destroying all sword intent. No power could stop him from killing his opponent.
Death intent stripped away the opponent's life. With the Great Accomplishment Dao and hundreds of thousands of death brands striking simultaneously, Lin Feng's body arrived. A fist crushed through heaven and earth. With a thunderous explosion that shook people's hearts, an Emperor realm expert fell in an instant, shocking to behold. But at that moment, the other Great Emperor realm experts attacked.
"This man is very strong. We need reinforcements." One of them offered a jade slip and transmitted his divine thoughts into it. Lin Feng's strength was unexpectedly terrifying. A Great Emperor realm sword cultivator had been killed in an instant. This would be extremely troublesome.