Chapter 82: Ruler's Might

Elder Zhen Liang moved his lips slightly, sending a sound transmission to Zhen Ming. His voice carried a somber warning, urging caution. "You may not be a match for Jiang Feng in your current state. Even Lei Wenshan might struggle against him" he warned.

Zhen Ming, however, paid little heed to the elder's concerns. Standing in the middle of the open fields, his eyes burned with unrestrained battle spirit. Below him, five faintly glowing formation circles rotated, emanating a subtle hum of power. Ignoring the warning, he clenched his fists tightly, determination radiating from his every breath.

At the same time, Wu Lihua, observing the scene from a distance, turned toward Elder Kaelen Ironshade. Shaking her head with a faint smile, her fighting intent surged uncontrollably. The sight of Jiang Feng only amplified her desire for battle, her blood boiling at the prospect of testing herself against him.

Jiang Feng, on the other hand, stood amidst the aftermath of carnage. Around him lay the remains of 18 demonic beast corpses. His hands, slick with blood, worked methodically as he harvested their cores and stored them in a small leather pouch. Turning away without hesitation, he made his way toward the Eastern Wall, his steps swift.

However, there was a gnawing ache deep in his muscles, a sensation of hunger that clawed at him. His body, almost instinctively, began pulling spiritual energy from the surroundings in an effort to sustain itself. He could feel the tightening of his sinews, the strain almost unbearable.

Just as he approached the base of the wall, a figure moved to block his path.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zhen Ming demanded, his voice sharp and commanding.

Jiang Feng didn't respond. Instead, his fist flew forward like a thunderous cannonball, slamming into Zhen Ming's abdomen with terrifying force. The man's face contorted in shock and pain, his body doubling over as he staggered backward, his complexion turning deathly pale.

"Get out of my way," Jiang Feng growled, his voice deep and guttural, as though it came from the depths of the earth itself. His eyes blazed with fury, his patience long spent. The only thing on his mind was finding a secluded spot to absorb the beast cores and satiate his growing hunger.

Zhen Ming crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach. His eyes were wide with disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to be struck so suddenly—or with such ferocity. The blow had been merciless, heavy-handed, and utterly decisive.

"Bastard!" Lei Wenshan roared, his spear already drawn. Lightning crackled ominously along its length as he pointed it directly at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng turned his head, his expression colder than ice. Without a word, he lifted his hand, and a torrent of blazing blue flames erupted around him. The flames expanded rapidly, forming a massive cage of fire that enclosed the area, trapping Lei Wenshan, Wu Lihua, and several others within its searing boundaries.

Alarmed, several Situ army officers rushed forward, intending to intervene. However, Elder Zhen Liang raised his hand, halting them in their tracks.

"Stand down" he commanded firmly. His gaze shifted to Kaelen Ironshade and Lei Tianrong, the elder overseeing the Eastern Wall operations.

Both elders exchanged uneasy glances, their foreheads glistening with cold sweat. They could feel the suffocating soul pressure blanketing the area, an overwhelming force that made even breathing difficult.

High above the wall, a lone figure emerged from the shadows, his hands clasped behind his back. His presence was quiet but imposing, like a mountain hidden beneath the clouds. Lin Moyi, his eyes sharp and discerning, regarded the scene below with indifference.

"Let them fight" Lin Moyi's voice echoed in the ears of the elders, carried on a thread of spiritual energy so subtle that none of the juniors or army officers could hear it. "Conflicts between juniors should be resolved by juniors."

His tone left no room for argument.

Kaelen Ironshade, Lei Tianrong, and Zhen Liang could only nod reluctantly, their expressions stiff. None of them dared defy Lin Moyi. A legend of his era, Lin Moyi had once stood as a peerless talent, his name uttered in the same breath as Zhen Chen, the former head of the Zhen clan. Even now, his authority carried the weight of centuries, and his words were law.

All they could do was watch as the blazing cage crackled, and the stage for a decisive clash unfolded before their eyes.

It was only recently, after the previous council's oppressive influence had waned, that Lin Moyi's talents had truly begun to flourish again. The chains holding back his cultivation had been shattered, and in no time, he ascended to the Nascent Soul stage. Now, his status among the elders soared high, a reminder of his past glory.

Yumo, observing the chaos from a distance, stood rooted in place. His jaw slackened in disbelief as he witnessed Jiang Feng's unrestrained fury. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Jiang Feng to be this fearsome.

"Feng's... a beast," he murmured, his voice tinged with awe.

Meanwhile, Zhen Ming, who had been knocked down moments earlier, staggered to his feet, his face a mixture of humiliation and rage. The formation circles beneath him flared violently, their sharp, spinning edges exuding deadly intent. Clutching his twin blades, Zhen Ming roared like a wounded animal, his pride shredded to pieces.

"How dare you!" he bellowed.

Power surged through him as talismans on his body ignited, their light merging with his formation. The atmosphere around him twisted, warping under the pressure of his aura.

"Die! Twin Blade Fury!" Zhen Ming roared, his blades flashing in an intricate arc. The air around him screamed as his attack surged toward Jiang Feng, the sheer force causing the elders watching to break out in cold sweat.

Not far away, Lei Wenshan was already on the move. "Trash like you has no right to live. Ten Gaps of the Sky!" His voice boomed like thunder as lightning coursed through his spear, crackling violently. With unmatched speed, he thrust his spear forward, his body enveloped in a cloak of electric energy.

Jiang Feng barely registered the attack before it struck his chest like a divine hammer. The impact sent him flying backward, his body twisting in mid-air. Before he could recover, Zhen Ming's twin blades struck his back in rapid succession, tearing through flesh and spilling blood. Jiang Feng crashed to the ground, his body rolling several times before coming to a stop, battered and bloodied.

Zhen Ming, his eyes alight with bloodlust, lunged forward to deliver the killing blow. However, before he could strike, the cage of blue flames that surrounded them abruptly compressed, shrinking the space between Jiang Feng, Zhen Ming, and Lei Wenshan in an instant.

The sudden shift forced Zhen Ming to halt as flames erupted toward him, their searing heat distorting the air. Reacting swiftly, his formation expanded, forming a protective barrier around him. Lei Wenshan, too, activated a layer of protective lightning, shielding himself from the blazing onslaught.

"And the world shall shake!" Jiang Feng's voice rumbled like a distant storm, his words resonating through the battlefield as he slowly rose to his feet.

Zhen Ming and Lei Wenshan froze as they watched him rise. Black scales crept across Jiang Feng's battered body, spreading from his back to cover his chest, arms, and legs. Between the scales, black lightning danced erratically, crackling with unrestrained power.

Jiang Feng took a single step forward, the ground beneath him cracking as a deep footprint formed.

"Demonic Resilience" he whispered to himself, the words a mantra of his will power to dominate.

With another step, his body blurred into a streak of black lightning. In a blink, his fist collided with Zhen Ming's glowing formation shield like a sledge hammer hitting tofu.

BOOM!

The formation shattered in a deafening explosion, sending shockwaves through the air. Zhen Ming was hurled backward, his chest caving inward as he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood. Before he could react, Jiang Feng appeared above him, his hand clutching Zhen Ming's hair. With a ferocious snarl, Jiang Feng slammed him into the ground, the impact fracturing bones and eliciting a pained howl.

"Vortex" Jiang Feng murmured as he landed heavily on the ground.

The cage of flames surrounding them exploded outward, then regathered into a swirling vortex of blue fire. The vortex howled like a raging storm, pulling Lei Wenshan off balance. He was mid-charge, his spear poised to strike Jiang Feng from behind, but the vortex's pull was inescapable.

Lei Wenshan's body was wrenched into the air, his vision consumed by chaos. Before he could cry out, a fist cloaked in black lightning struck his face with the force of a thunderclap. The impact sent him crashing into the ground, the earth splintering beneath him.

The vortex, now condensed into a searing point of destruction, slammed into Lei Wenshan's prone body. His scream tore through the air, a mix of pain, fury and disbelief, as the fiery onslaught consumed him.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment, the echoes of the clash dissipating into the tense air. All eyes turned toward Jiang Feng, his body crackling with black lightning through dark scales and his presence radiating an overwhelming sense of dominance, as if all that was before him was his. He was giving off ruler's might.