Chapter Ninety-Four: Breaking Through in Desperation

Chu Feng fought with sweeping force, battling fiercely. This confrontation was destined to be arduous and fraught with peril for him. In solo combat, hidden in darkness, no one present could rival Chu Feng, but now he faced more than thirty elite fighters.

Unquestionably the king of close-quarters combat, Chu Feng wielded a sword technique both profound and unfathomable, mysterious to the extreme. He managed to fend off five formidable adversaries around him, wounding two in the skirmish, and slaying the spirit hound as well.

Yet Chu Feng knew lingering in a stalemate would bode ill; he sought to break through and kill his foes, but soon encountered grave danger. The enemy activated a barrier, illuminating the entire area.

The change occurred so suddenly that, in an instant, Chu Feng became the target of the soldiers' lethal assault. Various spirit techniques surged toward him, and a late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior swung his blade directly at him.

With a thunderous shout, Chu Feng unleashed the full force in his arm, shattering the incoming spiritual attacks with his sword.

Yet he did not escape unscathed; his blood surged within, his body trembled, and he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

“Die!” At that moment, the warrior’s blade was less than a foot from Chu Feng.

It was too late for Chu Feng to retreat. Madness glinted in his eyes as he met the attack head-on, roaring, “You should be the one to die!”

They clashed in an instant. With a resounding crash, the Earth Spirit warrior’s blade snapped in two, and Chu Feng’s Domain Sword pierced through, severing the man’s head in a heartbeat.

Yet the foe was a late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior, wielding a mid-grade Earth-level spiritual weapon—its power was immense.

Under the tremendous recoil, Chu Feng was sent flying, thrown back nearly thirty yards, coughing up blood three times in succession.

The other soldiers stared in shock; none expected that even in such circumstances, Chu Feng could kill one of their own—a late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior, whose combat strength, bolstered by his blade, was the strongest among them.

But such a formidable figure was slain in one strike, his blade shattered, sending chills through the hearts of the others.

They began to sense that Chu Feng’s sword was frighteningly sharp—almost a divine weapon.

Landing, Chu Feng quickly steadied himself. Though the recoil was far greater than he’d imagined, it could not deal him a mortal blow, for his physical body now surpassed even mid-grade Earth-level spiritual artifacts.

This body was Chu Feng’s greatest reliance, the foundation upon which he endured.

Once steady, Chu Feng swept through like a gust of wind. Taking advantage of the soldiers’ brief distraction, he swung the Domain Sword, forcibly disrupting the surrounding barrier.

The light faded, and darkness once again enveloped the battlefield.

A sense of unease gripped the soldiers’ hearts, and fierce combat resumed.

Among them, warriors wielding the power of fire repeatedly unleashed flame-based spirit techniques. Blazing fire provided illumination—less than the barrier, but enough to see clearly in small areas.

Compared to before, the situation remained dire, but Chu Feng found some relief.

He moved swiftly, avoiding the illuminated regions as much as possible.

Wherever Chu Feng arrived, four or five would face him, joining forces to unleash formidable attacks. He mostly defended, rarely able to counterattack.

Taking several blows, enduring repeated entanglements, Chu Feng managed to kill six more, though his own condition deteriorated.

“He can’t hold out much longer—let’s finish him off!” a soldier shouted.

Blood stained Chu Feng’s face, some from his enemies, some his own. In the flickering firelight, he appeared grim and fierce.

Panting, Chu Feng chewed and swallowed six Recovery Pills as he moved. Bitterness welled in his heart, knowing he might not last much longer, for the combined assault was overwhelming.

He exchanged blows again with the soldiers, but gained nothing; clearly, they now emphasized defense, intent on wearing him down.

“What now? Must I just be ground to death?” Chu Feng’s heart burned with unwillingness. He was barely holding on, and feared his strength would soon wane.

In the midst of slaughter, Chu Feng noticed something: under the shroud of spiritual intent, his Domain Sword lacked the mysterious mist-like power it once had.

“What’s going on? It always appeared when I practiced!” Chu Feng’s heart was filled with doubt. Now, more than ever, he needed to boost his strength, but the mysterious power was absent.

Soon, he realized the cause: his mind was too agitated, anger at the Eastern King clouding his thoughts.

“Yes—anger can be a driving force, but also a hindrance. The key is to master it, not be mastered by it. What is death to fear? What can the Eastern King do to me? One day, I’ll storm the Eastern King’s city!” Chu Feng mused inwardly.

He began to calm himself, seeking the profound states he once glimpsed.

Indeed, not long after, a mist appeared on his sword, thicker than before, visible to the naked eye.

In a flash of insight, Chu Feng rediscovered the feeling he once had wielding his sword, and his perception deepened.

His swordplay became more mysterious and ethereal, its speed reaching new heights. Even late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warriors found it hard to follow his blade.

Chu Feng’s combat strength soared, startling the soldiers.

In the ensuing exchanges, four soon fell to his sword.

“What’s happening? Beware his sword!” someone cried.

Despite the tide favoring them, Chu Feng slew four more.

“Damn it, this kid’s a monster! I’ll see how much he’s really got!” a soldier shouted, enraged by the deaths of comrades, losing all reason.

They fought Chu Feng with reckless abandon.

Both sides fought desperately, but Chu Feng’s robust physique gave him the advantage. Three more died by his sword.

Yet, facing their madness, Chu Feng suffered despite his body’s durability, his strength rapidly fading.

Still, his sword remained razor-sharp, increasingly elusive, making him nigh impossible to defend against.

None of the soldiers expected that, in mortal combat, Chu Feng showed no fear; his mind was serene, unconsciously entering a profound state.

Suppressing his excitement, Chu Feng fought almost by instinct. His spiritual intent stretched further, and he felt close to grasping the most elusive, mysterious state he once sensed.

One hundred ten yards!

One hundred twenty yards!

One hundred thirty yards!

…

One hundred seventy yards!

One hundred eighty yards!

One hundred ninety yards!

By now, anyone aware of Chu Feng’s spiritual transformation would be astonished.

Finally, his spiritual intent extended two hundred yards!

Chu Feng was nearly exhausted, his hand trembling as he held the Domain Sword, sustained only by sheer willpower.

The soldiers noticed his weakened state and attacked harder, forcing Chu Feng to retreat, blood spilling from his lips.

“Die!” A late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior slashed at Chu Feng, who could not dodge—the blade was almost upon him.

Suddenly, Chu Feng shouted, and in the next moment, all the soldiers—whether attacking or distant—felt a darkness descend. Their heads throbbed with pain, as if they’d lost consciousness, unable to control their bodies, their eyes vacant and dazed.

In that instant, every soldier lost the ability to fight. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Feng gritted his teeth and, with the last of his strength, swept across the battlefield, sword flashing, killing them all.

At last, Chu Feng spat blood, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, gasping desperately, utterly spent.

“Fate has not abandoned me—at last it’s over!” Chu Feng murmured, his heart brimming with joy. He had not expected his spiritual intent to strengthen so rapidly, reaching a level where he could control its release and gathering at will. This was the realm of an early-stage third-tier Celestial Spirit warrior.

At this stage, he could freely unleash his spiritual intent even with eyes open, and more importantly, he could launch mental attacks—an essential lifeline in that moment.

Chu Feng had just performed a mental assault, splitting his spiritual intent into more than twenty strands, each like an invisible sword piercing into a soldier’s mind, clouding their consciousness and robbing them of combat ability for a short time.

He hadn’t imagined he could reach this step so quickly. It would become his ultimate trump card, enough to make him fearless before any Earth Spirit warrior.

For Chu Feng, the victory was hard-won, but worth it. His gains were immense.

He believed neither the Eastern King nor the hundred dead soldiers could have foreseen such an outcome—a result sure to surprise the Eastern King.

Chu Feng’s body was in poor shape, severely wounded. Lying on the ground, his body trembled uncontrollably, barely able to move.

After a long while, he managed to take a healing pill, then swallowed a few Recovery Pills.

The air grew cool, the sun rose, rays of light filtering through the forest, shining upon Chu Feng’s face.

He lay there for more than three hours before sitting up, his body aching as if broken, but his mood was exuberant.

He kept imagining the look on the Eastern King’s face upon hearing of this event, certain it would be a sight to behold.