Chapter 84: Fighting Wu Lihua

Jiang Feng and Wu Lihua stood across from each other, the tension between them palpable and friendly at the same time. The murmurs of the onlookers faded into silence as both combatants prepared to fight. All the elders had a frown, they could sense that Jiang Feng was only at the first essence stage but could fight those at the 8th. They wanted to know what kind of monster the Zhen clan had let into Northern Moon, but they couldn't voice their opinion.

Wu Lihua spun her staff once and slammed it into the ground, creating a resonant thud. "I'm not one of those fools you've already dealt with, they were both injured yet acted tough and ran into a brick wall. Show me everything you've got" she said, her voice calm but edged with anticipation. But what would she think if she knew that she was fighting a young man who was about to turn twenty at the first essence stage while she who was nearing one hundred and being at the 8th stage, wanted to fight a him-to gain the opportunity for a breakthrough.

The Situ army stood neatly in rows of the 10 as they both watch the fight that's about to unfold while keep a watch for any activity near the forest. If anything were to happen, the punishment wouldn't be light. Yumo wanted to stop Jiang Feng but after some thought he said put. After all, this wasn't a stage where he could act as he pleased, worst when the Ironwood Sect and him had some bad blood.

Jiang Feng didn't reply to Wu Lihua's shout. His gaze locked onto hers, and the black scales on his arms shimmered faintly as a low heat radiated from his body. He wasn't one for banter.

Wu Lihua made the first move. She tapped her staff against the ground, and instantly, three shimmering forged tools appeared in the air around her—a massive iron hammer, a bladed discus, and a jagged chain. Each weapon gleamed with the distinct aura of Ironwood Sect craftsmanship, their spiritual energy humming in harmony with their creator.

"Let's see how you handle this!"

With a flick of her wrist, the bladed discus spun to life, whirling through the air like a razor-edged storm. At the same time, the iron hammer shot forward with a forceful, gravity-defying momentum, aimed directly at Jiang Feng's chest.

Jiang Feng sidestepped the discus, its sharp edge slicing through the air mere inches from him. The hammer, however, closed in too quickly. He crossed his scaled arms in front of him, bracing for impact. The blow landed with a deafening clang, forcing him back several paces but leaving his black scales unscathed as his blood began to boil.

"You've got skill" Jiang Feng admitted, flexing his arms. "But let's see how you handle this, Skyforge Flame do your thing!."

He raised his hand, and the Skyforge Flame roared to life, engulfing his entire body in a brilliant blue blaze. The temperature in the area skyrocketed, and the ground beneath him began to char and crack. Wu Lihua's eyes narrowed as she felt the raw, unbridled energy emanating from him.

Without warning, three vortexes of blue flame erupted around Jiang Feng, spinning violently. Each vortex was a maelstrom of destructive power, spilling tongues of fire that seared the air. The vortexes pulsed with alternating suction and repelling forces, distorting the battlefield.

Wu Lihua staggered slightly as the nearest vortex pulled at her, the suction threatening to drag her in. She planted her staff firmly into the ground and steadied herself, her iron hammer and bladed discus moving to intercept the swirling flames.

Jiang Feng didn't give her a chance to regroup. He thrust his hand forward, and one of the vortexes surged toward her like a blazing tempest while he followed closely behind.

Wu Lihua gritted her teeth and raised her staff, its tip glowing with emerald light. She muttered a quick incantation, and the jagged chain coiled around her, forming a protective barrier. The vortex slammed into the barrier, sending sparks and flames flying in all directions. Then a black scaled fist slammed into the chains right after.

The force of the collision pushed Wu Lihua back with some shock in her eyes, but she didn't falter. With a swift gesture, she sent the bladed discus spinning into the heart of one of the remaining vortexes. The discus carved through the flames, dispersing some of their energy, but the vortex retaliated with a burst of repelling force, sending the weapon spiraling back toward her.

"Shxt, not bad" Wu Lihua said, her voice steady despite the strain. "But I'm not done yet."

She slammed her staff into the ground again, and the iron hammer returned to her side. With a fierce shout, she sent it hurtling toward Jiang Feng, this time imbued with the spiritual energy of her sect's signature forging technique. The hammer blazed with green light as it split the air, aiming directly for his midsection.

Jiang Feng responded by summoning the remaining two vortexes to converge in front of him, creating a fiery barrier. The hammer collided with the vortexes, triggering an explosion of blue and green that engulfed the battlefield.

The shockwave knocked both fighters back, but Jiang Feng's scales absorbed most of the damage. Wu Lihua, however, stumbled, a trail of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and smiled.

"You're better than I expected. You truly didn't disappoint me, not even Zhen Ming and Lei Wenshan could give me so much pressure" she admitted. "But this is exactly what I needed."

Jiang Feng didn't respond. Instead, he raised both hands, and the flames from the dissipated vortexes began to gather again, condensing into a single, massive sphere of fire above his head. The sphere pulsed with energy, the ground trembling beneath its weight.

Wu Lihua's eyes widened. She knew she couldn't face that attack head-on. Summoning all her remaining energy, she directed her staff, hammer, and chain into a unified assault. The three forged weapons combined into a single, spinning construct, glowing with emerald light.

Both combatants unleashed their attacks simultaneously. Jiang Feng's fiery sphere shot forward, its intense heat distorting the air, while Wu Lihua's spinning construct tore through the battlefield like a meteor. The two attacks collided in an earth-shaking explosion of fire and light, the force of it sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

Lie Wenshan and Zhen Ming had to be rescued by members of the Lei Clan along side several Situ army officers before the shockwaves could get to them. In their battered state, if such a large force were to hit them, their broken bones would be the least of their worries.

When the dust and flames cleared, both fighters stood, breathing heavily. Jiang Feng's scales were shattered in places, but his stance was unbroken, his feet planted firmly into the ground as the Earth Meridian pulsed. Wu Lihua, battered and bloodied, leaned heavily on her staff, but her eyes burned with satisfaction.

Jiang Feng took a deep breath, all of this spiritual energy had been used up, he had fought against a large wave of demonic beasts, then he was injured by Zhen Ming and Lei Wenshan. He had to then expand large amounts of spiritual energy to defeat then and now he was battling against Wu Lihua. He had nothing left but to break another of Lin Moyi's warning, deep within his being, a dark stillness pervades his soul- 'Darkness' Jiang Feng muttered softly.

"Enough" she said, her voice hoarse but resolute. She opened the box containing the Essence Harmonizing Pill and tossed it toward Jiang Feng. "You've earned this."

Jiang Feng caught the box without a word, his expression unreadable. As he turned to leave, Wu Lihua called out to him.

"Jiang Feng it is right" she said, her tone softer now. "I'll remember this fight. Next time, I'll be the one standing victorious, your to exhausted all that fighting so this one doesn't count."

He glanced back briefly, the faintest hint of a smirk on his lips, before walking away, the flames around him slowly fading into nothingness and the darkness of his eyes that were starting to changed quickly went back to normal. Soon after, Jiang Feng return to his position on 9E, the eyes of everyone on him.