Luo Feng sat on the ground, pondering how to escape the stone chamber. The three-meter-thick wall of Mysterious Essence Iron was impossible to destroy with brute force. After much thought, the only solution he could devise was to advance his Sky Slayer Saber Technique to its fifth stage. This would allow him to release Gang Qi externally and slice open the iron door.
The cultivation method for the Sky Slayer Saber Technique was far from ordinary. This saber technique allowed Martial Artists who had not yet reached the seventh stage of the Essence Storage Realm to unleash Gang Qi, even projecting it externally! It was truly extraordinary. The cultivation method was also peculiar, relying on stimulating the negative emotions within the practitioner’s heart. Slaughter, brutality, anger... these emotions would coalesce into a potent Evil Qi within the practitioner’s heart. Ultimately, the practitioner might even be consumed by the overwhelming Evil Qi, descending into madness and becoming a Saber Demon who killed indiscriminately. Consequently, despite the saber technique’s incomparable power, no one at the Purple Sun School dared to practice it.
Luo Feng could cultivate it safely not only due to his extraordinary willpower but primarily because his Soul Power was far superior to that of an average person. An ordinary person would likely have already been devoured by the Evil Qi, transformed into a mindless Mad Demon knowing only slaughter.
Thinking about the characteristics of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique... Luo Feng gazed at the Tiger Soul Saber, a thoughtful expression on his face. In the previous battle with the Li Family, he had slain over a hundred people, and the level of his Sky Slayer Saber Technique had drastically improved as a result. Initially, he could only extend his Gang Qi about three inches, but now it could reach up to one meter!
Luo Feng felt his Sky Slayer Saber Technique had reached a bottleneck, but he hadn’t the slightest idea how to take that final step.
Releasing Gang Qi externally... Releasing Gang Qi externally... How can I achieve that...? Luo Feng mused, then swung the Tiger Soul Saber.
An obsidian blade light flashed, and a three-foot-long saber scar appeared on the adjacent floor.
Looking at the saber scar on the ground, Luo Feng’s eyes brightened slightly. Huh... He suddenly recalled seeing a similar saber scar when he killed Qiu Bichi. That saber scar had been at least three meters away from Qiu Bichi’s position! At the time, he had felt that saber strike was different from usual. However, Luotian had interrupted his train of thought, so he had pushed it to the back of his mind. Recalling it now brought a sudden sense of revelation.
Could that be the key to releasing Gang Qi externally?
Looking at the saber scar on the floor, Luo Feng’s eyes sparked, his breath catching with excitement.
"Luo Feng, what are you thinking about?" Bing Ruolan, standing nearby, asked when she noticed Luo Feng muttering to himself before suddenly breaking into a smile.
Luo Feng grinned confidently, looked at Bing Ruolan, and said, "Ruolan, I think I might have found a way out."
"Really?" Her rosy lips curled slightly, a faint smile barely touching her small face. She was very familiar with various materials and knew what a three-meter-thick wall of Mysterious Essence Iron signified. They probably can’t get out of here, she thought. He’s just trying to comfort me.
Gazing at Luo Feng, Bing Ruolan’s eyes shifted. Her eyelashes quivered subtly, and her deep blue pupils flashed with a strange light. She said mysteriously, "Luo Feng, if we can escape safely, I’ll tell you a secret."
Luo Feng looked at Bing Ruolan. "What secret?"
"Since it’s a secret, of course, I can’t tell you now. I’ll tell you once we’re out!" Bing Ruolan gave Luo Feng an annoyed glance, biting the corner of her lip as she smiled. Her fresh, captivating smile made her look as lovely and pure as a lotus in the morning dew.
Luo Feng was about to ask more when he suddenly sniffed hard. "Huh?" he asked curiously, "Ruolan, do you smell something strange?"
"A strange smell?" Bing Ruolan stood up, sniffed carefully, and nodded. "Yes, it seems like there’s a faint, sweet scent."
As she spoke, she suddenly staggered, an odd wave of dizziness compelling her to lean against the nearby rock wall.
"Are you okay?" Luo Feng frowned.
"Ugh..." Bing Ruolan slid down against the rock wall, her cheeks flushed. She shook her head slightly. "I’m fine... I just suddenly feel a bit dizzy..."
"You..." Luo Feng realized something was wrong. He was about to check on Bing Ruolan when he, too, suddenly felt a wave of dizziness spreading within him. Meanwhile, Bing Ruolan had her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her eyes shut, seemingly enduring something with great effort.
"Hahaha... How are you kids feeling?" a harsh voice wafted in from outside the iron gate. "Feeling dizzy and weak all over now, are you?"
Luo Feng recognized the voice as Xu Huan, the Flower Faced Civet. He glanced at Bing Ruolan, who had collapsed, his heart sinking. "Is this all your doing?" he snarled, his voice cold and furious.
"Indeed. This is a special concoction of mine, the Flower Faced Civet. If the antidote isn’t taken within a quarter of an hour, even a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert will bleed from all seven orifices until dead."
"Now, let’s see how long you can last in there!"
"Damn it! When I get out, I’ll tear you limb from limb!" Luo Feng was livid.
"Luo Feng... I feel so unwell..." Bing Ruolan’s delicate body curled into a tighter ball.
"Ruolan, how are you?" Startled, Luo Feng squatted beside Bing Ruolan to check on her.
"Hold on a little longer! I’ll get you out of here... Ugh..."
Before he could finish, Luo Feng’s vision suddenly blurred. An increasingly intense wave of dizziness made the world before him seem to twist and distort. It felt as if thousands of ants were crawling through his veins, nearly making him drop the Tiger Soul Saber.
The poison is starting to take effect in me too, Luo Feng realized.
Outside, Xu Huan’s, the Flower Faced Civet’s, mocking laughter continued to drift in.
If this dragged on, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Bastard!" With a furious roar, intense anger surged through Luo Feng, his eyes becoming shot with thick, crimson veins. He glanced at Bing Ruolan, curled up in discomfort with tears streaming down her face. It felt as if a ferocious tiger were roaring in his mind. A violent aura erupted from him, whipping up gusts of wind within the cave!
He leaped up, the Tiger Soul Saber somehow already in his hand. Its blade’s black Saber Gang seemed to sense his fury, pulsing incessantly...
The Saber Gang, black as ink, writhed like a furious sea dragon upon the blade, carving deep gashes into the ground.
Luo Feng advanced towards the iron gate step by step, saber in hand. Each footfall left a deep imprint on the ground! His jet-black eyes seemed to burn with dark flames. He exuded a violent, ferocious aura, appearing less like a human and more like a savage beast ready to choose its prey and devour it!
At that moment, Luo Feng had only one thought: Get out of here. Catch the One-Eyed Wolf and the Flower Faced Civet. Tear those two damned bastards to pieces! Anything that stands in my way, I will destroy, no matter the cost!