182: Transformation Technique

These three Puppets appeared extremely abruptly, entangling the two disciples tightly, and the sound of Magical Artifact collisions immediately rang out in a flurry.

"Three... Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Puppets?!" Daoist Dry Bone gasped, "You... you are only at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, how can your Divine Sense be strong enough to control three Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Puppets at once?! This is impossible!"

He roared in disbelief, his heart surging with turbulent waves. An ordinary Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator could barely manage to control one Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Puppet at the same time; the burden on their Divine Sense would be extremely heavy. Yet this person before him not only controlled three but could also move freely and execute sharp sword techniques... this strength of Divine Sense was simply shocking.

Only now did he truly realize that this young man, who appeared to be only at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, had a terrifyingly deep Foundation.

Just as his mind was violently shaken by this astonishing discovery, he saw Lin Feng's figure move like lightning, actively meeting the roaring, pouncing Poisonous Corpse.

His right hand gripped the air, and a dazzling, intensely Yang-focused Thunder Sword Essence suddenly condensed.

The Poisonous Corpse swung its claws, bringing a foul wind with it.

Lin Feng did not dodge or evade; a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the Thunder Sword in his right hand struck first despite being launched later, like a thunderbolt from the Nine Heavens, precisely smashing into the Poisonous Corpse's pitch-black sharp claw.

The intensely Yang Thunder and the intensely Yin Death Qi collided violently, emitting a harsh "chi la" explosion. The thick black Death Qi wrapping the Poisonous Corpse's entire arm was forcibly blasted away and largely purified, revealing the blue-black rotting flesh beneath, and its pouncing movement came to a sudden halt.

Immediately, the Thunder Sword in Lin Feng's right hand transformed into Yimu Sword Essence.

The Yimu Sword Essence was like a spring breeze brushing against a willow, seemingly gentle but containing immense vitality, silently striking the core where the Death Qi was condensed in the Poisonous Corpse's chest.

For this dead object, this surging vitality was no different from the most potent poison. As vitality and Death Qi violently collided and annihilated each other, the Poisonous Corpse let out a shrill, miserable howl. Its chest erupted with billowing, foul-smelling black smoke, its entire body trembled violently, and its movements became completely rigid, clearly on the verge of collapse.

"No! My Poisonous Corpse!!" Daoist Dry Bone's eyes were practically splitting, and he let out a roar of shock and anger. This Poisonous Corpse, which he had spent countless efforts to refine by gathering Evil Qi from Yin pulses and tempering it with a hundred poisons, was one of his greatest trump cards; even an Early Core Formation Cultivator would find it troublesome to face.

At this moment, it was actually being restrained and instantly severely injured by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in such a crushing manner, with just a casual gesture?!

Seeing that his greatest trump card, the Poisonous Corpse, was crippled, his poisonous mist ineffective, and his disciples entangled, intense fear finally welled up in Daoist Dry Bone's heart. He let out a strange cry, black light flashed on his body, and he turned without hesitation, transforming into an Escaping Light to flee.

"Want to leave?" Lin Feng's eyes turned cold. With a thought, the three ironwood Puppets intensified their offensive, tightly entangling the two disciples and preventing them from escaping.

At the same time, the Shadow Scale Snake, which had been lurking on the side, transformed into a streak of black light, moving with incredible speed. After catching up to Daoist Dry Bone's Escaping Light, it took a bite at his protective spiritual light.

Although it failed to break the defense, it caused Daoist Dry Bone's figure to falter.

In this brief delay, Lin Feng had already appeared behind him. His right hand combined the Thunder Sword Essence and Yimu Sword Essence into a sharp sword aura interwoven with cyan and gold, containing the intent of life and death, and stabbed straight at his back.

"No—!" Daoist Dry Bone only had time to let out a desperate roar before his protective spiritual light was torn apart by the sword aura. His body shook violently, his Escaping Light dissipated, and he fell from mid-air, completely devoid of life.

Lin Feng landed, raised his hand to retrieve Daoist Dry Bone's Storage Pouch and a black bell that controlled the Poisonous Corpse.

On the other side, the Poisonous Corpse, having lost its Master's commands and having been injured, had already collapsed on the ground, turning into a puddle of pus and blood. Seeing their Master dead, the two disciples were Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; they were quickly besieged and killed by the three ironwood Puppets and the Shadow Scale Snake.

Lin Feng flicked out three fireballs, turning their corpses into ash. Only after dealing with the traces of the battle did he breathe a sigh of relief and begin to check his spoils.

There were many Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch, but what caught his attention most was a dark-colored bone fragment, on which some poison technique secrets were recorded in ancient script.

At the very end, he saw a few lines of small text mentioning a niche technique called "Form Transformation Art" that could disguise one's aura by reversing blood flow and changing the shape of bones and muscles.

"Form Transformation Art..." Lin Feng held the bone fragment, his eyes flickering. Although this technique was classified as a poison art, the process was extremely painful as it required inducing the reversal of blood flow and even the subtle strength of muscles and bones within the body. If not controlled properly, it was very easy to damage one's Foundation, so it was regarded by ordinary people as a niche and dangerous technique.

However, for Lin Feng, this was not an insurmountable obstacle. Relying on his far-superior-to-ordinary control over his own blood flow and Meridians, as well as the unique guidance from the heaven-stealing vine in his Sea of Consciousness, he managed to find the knack after just a few attempts.

The intense pain and backlash during cultivation were minimized, and the potential damage to his Meridians caused by the reversal of blood flow was carefully guided by him and dispersed to a range his Physical Body could withstand.

After several days of hard cultivation and deliberation, Lin Feng was able to preliminarily operate this technique. With a slight movement of his mind, his facial muscles and bones emitted extremely faint "ka ka" sounds, his contours changed, and his eyes and temperament were subtly adjusted, instantly transforming him into another ordinary appearance.

He could even simulate the subtle characteristics of different attributes from the spiritual power fluctuations emitted by his body. Although he could not completely change his cultivation level, it was enough to confuse the perception of high-level Cultivators.

"Truly mysterious!" Lin Feng examined himself, feeling pleased. Although this technique had no offensive power, its value for concealment, sneaking, and avoiding disaster was immeasurable.

With his injuries fully recovered and having obtained this strange technique, Lin Feng decided to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible and return to the Tianxuan Sect. He changed his appearance, restrained his aura, and was preparing to continue his journey.

Suddenly, three powerful Divine Senses swept across this area from different directions. These three Divine Senses varied in strength, but all carried Evil Qi, and their cultivation levels were all above the Core Formation Stage, with one of them even reaching the Mid-stage Core Formation.

Lin Feng's heart tightened. He immediately stopped his figure, his face appropriately revealing the panic and awe that a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator should have when encountering a high-level Cultivator, and he stood in place with his head lowered, not daring to act rashly.

Three Escaping Lights landed, revealing three Cultivators with different attire but all carrying a fierce look between their brows. The leader was a burly man at the Mid-stage Core Formation with a scar on his face; his gaze was like lightning as he swept over Lin Feng and then carefully sensed the surroundings.

"Big brother, the Soul-Chasing Disc became blurry when pointing to this area. The old ghost Dry Bone's last aura dissipated here," said a thin, dry Early Core Formation Stage Cultivator.

The scar-faced burly man snorted: "Hmph, although Dry Bone was a loner, he was at least a named member of our 'Black Fiend Alliance'. To have him die so inexplicably, we must investigate it clearly! Otherwise, outsiders will think our Loose Cultivator Alliance is easy to bully!"

The third person was an old woman holding a snake-headed staff, her voice hoarse: "Hmph, although Dry Bone's cultivation was at the bottom among us, his poison techniques and corpse Puppet techniques were not easy to deal with. Who exactly could destroy his form and spirit here? Judging by these traces, the battle ended very quickly. The opponent was either far stronger than him, or... used some insidious means to counter him!"