312: True form destroyed

Although this man was only a Loose Cultivator, he did not yield to Family powers and was not keen on fame or fortune. In other words, whether it was power or wealth, nothing could tempt him.

For Jiang Ling to be able to study under such a person, it was clear that the Jiang Family held high hopes for her, treating her as the future successor of the Jiang Family.

However, because of Jiang Shuyu and Jiang Shuwan, she had lost her original halo and no longer held her previous status within the Jiang Family.

Jiang Ling stood by, waiting in full battle array. Seeing Feng Ming and Zhao Peng whispering to each other, she suddenly became impatient. She frowned and scolded, "I say, have you two said enough? Are we going to fight or not?"

Seeing her as fierce as fire, Feng Ming nodded. "Alright, we've said enough. If you want to move, then come."

Jiang Ling had always been decisive. Before her voice had even faded, she had already made a bold move!

With a light flick of her wrist, her long sword left its scabbard. Amidst the whistling sword wind, a massive Blade Disc actually condensed in front of her.

The disc spun rapidly, its edges flashing with cold light. Carrying a momentum that could crush anything in its path, it lunged fiercely toward Feng Ming!

Zhao Peng's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand, shouting, "Everyone, retreat quickly! Don't get caught in the crossfire!"

Hearing this, the crowd retreated hurriedly. In almost an instant, a vast, empty space was cleared around Feng Ming and Jiang Ling.

Feng Ming stood still, as if he didn't care about the impressively powerful Blade Disc at all.

Wherever the Blade Disc passed, Sky-Piercing Pines snapped one after another, their cuts smooth and even, as if they had been precision-cut.

The surrounding Cultivators watched in amazement, secretly shocked by the domineering nature of this sword technique.

Zhao Peng's heart tightened even more, and he couldn't help but shout a reminder, "Boss, be careful! That's the Blade Disc, one of the Sword Venerable's three ultimate moves! Its power is infinite!"

Hearing this, Jiang Ling's gaze turned cold, and she glared fiercely at Zhao Peng. The latter rubbed his nose awkwardly and sensibly shut his mouth.

As for Feng Ming, at the moment the Blade Disc was about to touch him, he suddenly laughed and slowly raised his right hand.

In the next moment, a massive palm of lightning arcs appeared out of thin air, blotting out the sun. Carrying a majestic heavenly pressure, it slammed down fiercely!

Boom—!

A massive explosion shook the mountains and the ground!

That seemingly indestructible Blade Disc actually shattered under this single palm strike, turning into a sky full of Sword Qi before dissipating into nothingness.

The Lightning Arc Palm's residual force didn't diminish as it slammed into the ground, grinding a large patch of Sky-Piercing Pines into powder and leaving a massive palm print several meters deep in the hard earth.

Jiang Ling's strength was not weak, and she happened to be standing in the gap between two fingers of the palm print, narrowly escaping the strike.

At this moment, the previous arrogance and anger had long vanished from her face, replaced only by utter shock and horror.

The moment that palm slammed down, a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire world, leaving her body cold and her very Soul trembling.

She had no doubt that if she had been hit squarely by that palm, her bones and tendons would have surely shattered, leaving her heavily injured on the spot!

At this moment, the entire forest fell into a deathly silence.

Feng Ming looked down at the pale-faced Jiang Ling, his tone still indifferent. "Well? Do you still want to compete?"

Jiang Ling swallowed hard, her heart filled with both anger and resentment. She stared fixedly at Feng Ming and gritted her teeth, "I admit you are strong, but you used a lightning-based Divine Ability just now. That doesn't count as true skill!"

She suddenly looked up, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes. "If you have the ability, do you dare to compete with me in swordsmanship? No Divine Abilities, no borrowing spiritual power—just pure swordplay!"

Before Feng Ming could speak, Zhao Peng couldn't help but jump out from the side, pointing at Jiang Ling and scolding, "Hey! Do you have no shame? You've studied the sword under the Sword Venerable since you were a child; swordsmanship is your specialty!"

"And now you're asking our boss to compete with you in swordsmanship? How can you use your strength to challenge someone else's weakness? Do you really think just because you're a woman, you can be so unreasonable?"

Jiang Ling snorted coldly, her eyebrows arching high. "What's wrong with challenging with one's strengths? Could it be that when you kill someone, you'd be stupid enough to risk your life using your weaknesses?"

"You!" Zhao Peng was so stifled that his face turned red. Just as he was about to explode, Feng Ming raised his hand to press down on his arm, calmly indicating it was fine.

He looked up at Jiang Ling, his gaze calm and rippleless. "Have you truly thought this through? You want to compete with me in swordsmanship? My sword, well..."

"Stop wasting words!" Jiang Ling interrupted him impatiently, her jade-like finger flicking her scabbard heavily. "Do you dare or not!"

Feng Ming shook his head helplessly and stepped aside, raising his hand. "Please."

Before his voice finished, Jiang Ling had already snorted and unsheathed her sword. Snow-bright sword light was accompanied by a piercing wind. With a tap of her toe on the ground, her figure rushed toward Feng Ming like an arrow released from a bow.

But at the moment she lunged forward, her figure actually vanished from the spot into thin air.

In the next moment, light and shadow flickered before Feng Ming's eyes. Three or four of Jiang Ling's figures appeared from different directions, only to vanish again the moment they appeared. The intertwining of the real and the illusory made it impossible to lock onto her true body.

"Boss, be careful! This is the Sword Venerable's ultimate move..."

Before Zhao Peng's cry could land, a figure suddenly solidified within that flickering light and shadow.

Before anyone could see what had happened, they all gasped in unison.

Feng Ming's fingertips were lightly pinching something. A long sword surrounded by fine lightning arcs was suspended quietly in mid-air, its tip pointed precisely and unerringly at the center of Jiang Ling's forehead.

As the lightning arcs flickered, the strength in Jiang Ling's entire body instantly froze.

Feng Ming's voice was as clear as water. "You've lost again."

"Are you sober now?"

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Jiang Ling's eyes widened suddenly, filled with unbelievable horror. "How could you find my true body? This is the essence of swordsmanship I practiced for five years under my Revered Master!"

Feng Ming didn't bother to explain to her. He just turned his head and jerked his chin at Zhao Peng. "Let's go. We're continuing our journey."

Just as Zhao Peng was about to respond, Jiang Ling suddenly spoke up to stop him. "Wait!"

She looked at Feng Ming's back, her lips pursing repeatedly as if she had made a great decision. "I have a question I want to ask you."

Feng Ming paused and turned back to look at her. "Speak."

"Jiang Shuwan is just a concubines daughter of the Jiang Family." Jiang Ling's voice carried a hint of confusion and a hint of resentment. "With your talent, why did you marry her back then?"

As soon as these words came out, not only Feng Ming, but even Zhao Peng and the others who were eavesdropping nearby instantly perked up, their eyes shining with the light of gossip.

Hearing this, Feng Ming remained silent for a moment before suddenly asking back, "So in your view, given my talent, I shouldn't have married her back then?"

"Naturally!" Jiang Ling said righteously. "With your talent, you should have expected that you would definitely rise in the future. Jiang Shuwan's status is low. You clearly had better choices, so why did you choose her of all people?"