Chapter 860: Lin Feng, the Monarch
"Stop!"
Just as Lin Feng was about to step through the city gate while flying through the air, a figure shot up and intercepted his body.
"This is the Imperial City, a restricted area. No one may fly across it." The man was clad in a suit of Crimson Blood armor, and his cultivation was at the Second Layer of the Mysterious Martial Realm. He was likely a new recruit to the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry, or else he would have recognized Lin Feng.
At this moment, Qi Yun's heart was tense. Although this man was as young as he was, standing casually in the void gave off an unfathomable aura, as if he weren't relying on true essence to hover but was simply floating in place. Qi Yun could sense that the young man before him, with his deep, penetrating gaze, possessed formidable cultivation—strong enough to annihilate him with a single strike.
But as a member of the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry, he had sworn on the day he joined to defend the honor of the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry with his blood. Yangzhou City was now the Imperial City of the Snow Moon Kingdom, the former homeland of Monarch Lin Feng. No one was allowed to step into it from the air. No one was permitted.
Lin Feng, of course, had no intention of blaming him. A hint of amusement flickered in his heart, but he kept his face stern and said, "You are no match for me. I could kill you with a single strike. Step aside."
As he spoke, Lin Feng raised his palm, and a terrifying surge of true essence churned within it, so powerful that it made Qi Yun feel as if he were suffocating.
Just as he had guessed, this man was incredibly strong—likely far more terrifying than even the commander.
"Yangzhou City is the homeland of Monarch Lin Feng. No one may cross it from the air. If you wish to enter, you will have to step over my corpse." The eyes behind the armor were resolute, and his voice carried a sense of faith. Lin Feng was his faith, the faith of Yangzhou City. As a native of Yangzhou, he had grown up hearing tales of Lin Feng's deeds. Even though his age might be close to that of Monarch Lin Feng, Lin Feng had become famous too early—at just sixteen, he had already made a name for himself in Yangzhou.
"Monarch Lin Feng!"
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected his parents to establish him, a man whose fate was unknown, as the monarch.
"A man who fell into the demonic path, abandoned everything and left, not even knowing if he was alive or dead—what right does he have to be called a monarch? Is he worthy?" Lin Feng murmured softly.
But his casual words caused a fierce chill to emanate from Qi Yun. This man was insulting his faith, insulting the monarch of Snow Moon.
"Because of those words, even though you are strong, I will attack you," Qi Yun said coldly. He stepped forward, thrusting his spear with a fierce, domineering force, the true essence twisting the space around it.
Lin Feng smiled faintly, casually reaching out and catching the spear in his hand.
Qi Yun struggled violently, but found the spear immovable. No matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't budge it even a fraction.
A look of shock flashed in his eyes. Qi Yun stared at Lin Feng through his armor, his gaze fixed. This man's strength was terrifying.
Lin Feng's hand trembled slightly, and a fearsome force vibrated through Qi Yun's tiger's mouth, causing the spear to slip from his grasp. In an instant, it was seized by the other man, and Qi Yun's face turned grim.
Disgrace. As a member of the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry, he was being humiliated like this.
"Watch closely. This is how a spear should be thrust," Lin Feng said with a smile. Then, he shook the spear and thrust it toward Qi Yun.
The tip of the spear seemed to carry a terrifying streak of light—speed, as fast as lightning, like a phantom.
"Whoosh!" A whistling sound rang out, and the spear tip transformed from swift to fierce, as if it contained a terrifying momentum of heaven and earth. Before the spear even arrived, Qi Yun felt what it meant to suffocate. It was as if he were already a dead man. Before this spear thrust, he had no chance of survival. He closed his eyes.
Then, suddenly, the terrifying momentum vanished into thin air. Qi Yun opened his eyes to see the spear tip stopped right in front of him, steady as a mountain, not even trembling.
"Crack!"
The head armor shattered inch by inch, crumbling completely. Qi Yun was drenched in sweat. This spear thrust was beyond his imagination. He had never seen such a terrifying spear technique.
"Did you see it clearly?" Lin Feng asked with a smile.
Qi Yun nodded, then shook his head, half-understanding. Of course, he had seen the thrust clearly, but he couldn't grasp its essence.
"What spear technique is this?" Qi Yun asked Lin Feng.
"There is no technique. I don't even understand the spear," Lin Feng shook his head.
"You don't understand the spear?" Qi Yun stared at Lin Feng, unable to believe it.
"Spear techniques and martial skills are all fixed. They only give you a method. If you can't grasp their essence, you'll never unleash their true power. Once you understand, you can unleash terrifying force from even the most ordinary technique, or even use no technique at all, following your heart and moving as you will, borrowing the momentum of heaven and earth. With one thrust, heaven and earth tremble."
Lin Feng said calmly. Qi Yun seemed to fall into deep thought, still half-understanding. At his current level, he couldn't grasp the mystery of Lin Feng's words. But Lin Feng believed that the thrust and his words would point him in a direction. At least in the short term, his spear technique would surely improve.
"Qi Yun!" At that moment, several figures rose into the air, standing beside Qi Yun, glaring at Lin Feng with hostility.
Qi Yun snapped out of his daze, looking at Lin Feng and asking, "Wait, what is your intention? Why are you teaching me spear techniques? And you insulted Monarch Lin Feng."
The others, hearing Qi Yun's words, all stared at Lin Feng, their eyes cold. This man had slandered Monarch Lin Feng.
Lin Feng, now the Snow Moon Monarch, might not have high prestige among the common people, but within the Snow Moon army, led by the Crimson Blood Legion, he held supreme authority. He was the faith and god of the Crimson Blood Legion.
The intricate connections between Lin Feng and the Crimson Blood Legion had now evolved into countless legends circulating throughout the Snow Moon Kingdom.
"Stubborn fellow," Lin Feng shook his head with a smile. This man reminded him a bit of his younger self.
"What's going on here?" At that moment, a voice came from afar. The men in Crimson Blood armor turned to look at the newcomer and said, "Commander, this man insulted Monarch Lin Feng."
"Boom!" Upon hearing this, the man's true essence erupted like a roaring beast, and even a murderous intent began to spread.
The men before him quickly parted, allowing him to see the face of the one who had insulted Monarch Lin Feng. That once-handsome face was still refined, but it bore the marks of many years. His eyes were deeper, his aura more natural and unfathomable, and there were a few strands of silver at his temples.
The commander's body trembled. Scenes from the past flooded back into his mind. Once, Lin Feng had led the Crimson Blood Legion to burn and slaughter Moyue's army of hundreds of thousands at Broken Blade City. Once, Lin Feng had led the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry to rescue General Liu at the Execution Platform in the Imperial City.
Once, Lin Feng, enraged by General Liu's death, had slaughtered the armies of several kingdoms until rivers of blood flowed. Returning to the Imperial City, he found his own family dead and wounded, and he himself had fallen into demonhood.
Scenes from the past echoed in his mind. The true generals and commanders of those days were all gone now, leaving only General Lei, who drowned his days in drink. And he himself had risen from an ordinary soldier to become the commander.
Time flowed like a song; the seas changed, and mulberry fields turned to dust. Everything had changed. Fortunately, heaven had shown mercy. The prodigy of the Snow Moon Kingdom, Lin Feng, had returned—alive.
Qi Yun and the others watched their commander in a daze. Their commander, upon seeing the young man, burst into tears, weeping like a child. A hardened soldier, a strict and serious commander, was now crying like a child, leaving them all stunned.
They had not lived through those years of mountains of bones, those battlefields of rivers of blood, those doomsdays where even the sunset was stained red by blood. How could they understand the tears of their commander now? In his mind, there were too many memories.
Supported by true essence, he knelt on the ground, tears still flowing, and the old commander called out in a hoarse voice, "General!"
General!
Qi Yun and the others were all stunned. General. Their commander was calling this man "General." Such a young general. In the Snow Moon Kingdom, there was only one: the Snow Moon Monarch—Lin Feng!
PS: I took a day off today and am continuing to write. Please support me!