"Ha! That’s great!" Yue Yunlan let out a sigh of relief.
To think that after leaving Tianwei Academy for just over a month, Ling Feng’s progress had become this terrifying.
In that brief moment just now, she hadn’t even been able to clearly see how many meridian gates Ling Feng had opened.
Was it fifty? Sixty? Or even more?
In any case, Ling Feng’s current strength was certainly no weaker than hers. He might have even surpassed her.
How did he manage to do it?
Hong Li also clenched his fist secretly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Brother Ling is indeed quite formidable!"
"Hehe, of course. Do you know whose little brother he is?" The despicable donkey had at some point flown back from the artificial hill. Since everyone’s attention was on Ling Feng, his efforts to show off on the side had gone unnoticed, which made him feel a bit awkward.
"Yes, yes," Hong Li knew the despicable donkey’s strength and naturally followed along with his words.
Meanwhile, Nangong Yin, who was lying on Yu Qian’s back, had his eyes completely fixed on Yue Yunlan’s exquisite figure. From time to time, he would steal glances at her perfect body while secretly swallowing his saliva.
This guy truly was a lustful demon!
"Hmph. Boy, I underestimated you," the Lei family elder sneered. In his first strike earlier, he had only used ten percent of his power. Against a mere Pulse Formation Realm kid, he hadn’t even bothered using martial skills.
However, he had miscalculated. This seemingly insignificant youth had managed to explode with terrifying strength in an instant.
"My second strike won’t be as easy as the first," the Lei family elder said as he stood with one hand behind his back, the other one gathering power as he activated a mystical-tier martial skill.
The Lei family elder’s late achievement in reaching the ninth level of the Spiritual Element Realm was due to some fortunate encounters in his later years. However, due to the limited foundation of the Lei family, even with his advanced cultivation, he was probably one of the weaker ninth-level Spiritual Element Realm experts. His most powerful martial skill was no more than a mystical-tier technique.
Still, as the saying goes, brute strength could overcome skill. With his formidable elemental force and the power of his martial skill combined, he was not to be underestimated.
The Lei family elder roared, and in the blink of an eye, his second palm strike was unleashed. The condensed elemental qi in his hand spread out, transforming the surrounding environment into a vast ocean. Terrifying waves surged towards Ling Feng as if intending to crush him into dust.
Ling Feng’s pupils contracted as he formed a strange hand seal. Lightning arcs flickered around him, forming a blue sphere of electricity that tightly shielded his body.
This move was the Augmented Elemental Thunder Shield, a secret art Ling Feng had stolen from the Jinglei Sword King during the Wind and Thunder Trial at the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder.
It was the only defensive secret art Ling Feng had mastered. However, because he had no thunder-attribute true qi, he had never been able to unleash its full power and thus hadn’t used it much. But at this moment, it proved useful.
The massive wave crashed against the thunder shield, and in the intense collision, Ling Feng staggered back several steps. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he had managed to withstand the elder’s second strike.
"A thunder-attribute defensive secret art!"
The Lei family elder’s eyes flashed with surprise once again. "Boy, you’ve got quite a few surprises up your sleeve!"
"Senior, you flatter me!"
Ling Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said calmly, "There’s still one more strike. Please, Senior, continue!"
"Good boy, I won’t hold back this time!"
The Lei family elder clenched his fist, his gaze sharpening as a cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
In an instant, the power of the Spiritual Element Realm surged around him, and a green pillar of light shot into the sky. In the next moment, a massive green wolf slowly rose behind him. The giant wolf had its bloodthirsty maw wide open, with two sharp fangs gleaming with a chilling light. Its eyes were cold as it stared fixedly at Ling Feng.
A soul manifestation obeyed its master’s will, so even though the giant wolf was merely a manifestation of the elder’s spiritual element, it was mentally in sync with him.
"He's even unleashed his soul manifestation?" Ling Feng swallowed hard. It seemed that the Lei family elder was finally getting serious!
Yue Yunlan's worry returned as she saw the Lei family elder, a ninth-level expert of the Spiritual Element Realm, releasing his soul manifestation. This was no small matter.
What made experts of the Spiritual Element Realm so powerful was their reliance on their soul manifestations.
Although the Lei family elder's soul manifestation wasn't particularly rare or extraordinary, it was still at the ninth refinement level, and its strength was far beyond what a mere Pulse Formation Realm cultivator like Ling Feng could handle.
"Mr. Ling, take this!" Yue Yunlan gritted her teeth and retrieved a precious orb from her storage spirit ring, tossing it to Ling Feng. "This is a high-grade Treasure of Stars, the Moon Soul Orb!"
The Lei family elder didn't immediately attack, seemingly allowing Yue Yunlan to hand the valuable item over to Ling Feng.
Ling Feng caught the Moon Soul Orb with a wave of his hand and gave Yue Yunlan a slight nod.
This high-grade Treasure of Stars, the Moon Soul Orb, contained the essence of the stars. Once attached to the body, it formed a moon-white barrier that enveloped him and significantly enhanced his defense.
What a remarkable treasure!
Ling Feng couldn’t help but admire it internally. However, relying on this alone to withstand the full strength of a ninth-level expert of the Spiritual Element Realm would be naive.
No one at that level was a weakling. Even if the elder’s soul manifestation wasn’t exceptional and his martial skills weren't extraordinary, the overwhelming elemental force of a ninth-level Spiritual Element Realm expert could easily crush someone like Ling Feng.
"Boy, I admire your courage, but a blood debt must be repaid in blood. You volunteered to take my three strikes, so you can't blame me for being ruthless!"
The Lei family elder roared, and his elemental qi surged like a raging storm. The weaker cultivators nearby couldn’t even stand their ground and were swept away.
Ling Feng’s pupils contracted. He had no options left. A full-powered strike from a ninth-level Spiritual Element Realm expert was not something he could endure unscathed.
A golden light flashed in Ling Feng's hand as he inserted golden needles into severalof his acupuncture points. He circulated his true qi throughout his body and gritted his teeth. "Senior, go ahead!"
In an instant, a deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth. The devil wolf soul manifestation behind the Lei family elder howled toward the sky, and a green whirlwind instantly surged toward Ling Feng. The world seemed to warp as if heaven and earth had reversed.
Ling Feng's body was like a lone boat in a vast ocean. At any moment, a giant wave could crash down and destroy both the boat and its passenger.
Ling Feng spat out a mouthful of blood. Under the Lei family elder's lethal strike, his body was nearly torn apart. The violent wind pressure caused blood to flow from his seven orifices. After enduring the attack, his body could no longer stand, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
"Mr. Ling!" Yue Yunlan rushed forward to catch Ling Feng, tears streaming down her face in desperation.
Hong Li clenched his fists, unable to believe that Ling Feng, an outsider, would sacrifice so much for the Cangqiong Sect.
"This kid... always pushing himself!" The despicable donkey snorted softly, but he had already noticed that Ling Feng’s life wasn’t in danger. Otherwise, the Lei family people would have been in serious trouble.
"Boy, you're a true man!" The Lei family elder gave Ling Feng a fist-and-palm salute and then left with the members of the Lei residence, allowing Yue Yunlan and her companions to leave freely.