203: The second sword

"Nine Heavens Lightning Guidance."

Lin Feng let out a low shout, his right hand pointing straight at the firmament.

An invisible bridge seemed to form between his finger and the thunderclouds; streams of purple lightning, as thick as a child's arm, were drawn forth, converging frantically toward his fingertip like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The majestic power of thunder compressed and condensed rapidly, eventually taking the form of a purple lightning spear about a zhang long, composed entirely of destructive energy.

Arcs of electricity danced across the spear's shaft, emitting a scalp-tingling crackling sound. The power it contained made the Divine Souls of Liu Mingxuan and Elder Mo, who were suppressed by gravity, tremble.

"Crash!"

The first purple lightning spear tore through the twilight sky and descended with a boom.

Liu Mingxuan's eyes were splitting with rage; he exhausted his last bit of spiritual energy to summon a crimson fire ring above his head, his life-saving Magic Treasure.

However, under the lightning spear, the fire ring only held for an instant before turning into dust.

Immediately following were the second and third waves of lightning spears...

Elder Mo's life-saving Talisman had just begun to glow with a faint light when it was pierced by a lightning spear. His body trembled violently in the violent electric light, soon turning into charred remains.

The lightning dissipated, and the battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Feng reached out and caught the falling crimson phoenix sky burning pearl, its light now dim.

The pearl still retained some warmth, and the Phoenix soul inside still flickered faintly, though it no longer had the strength to resist.

He didn't even glance at the charred corpses of Liu Mingxuan and Elder Mo on the ground, instead turning to walk toward Fang Lingyao, who had been guarding the edge with a somewhat pale complexion.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay." Lin Feng looked up at the darkening sky; the sound of air being torn apart in the distance was drawing closer.

Fang Lingyao looked at the new Magic Treasure in his hand, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a soft sigh as she nodded slightly.

The two figures turned into streaks of light, quickly disappearing into the depths of the valley.

After changing directions several times and confirming no one was following, they landed in a secluded mountain stream.

Fang Lingyao's face was somewhat pale. Watching Lin Feng skillfully set up concealment and protective Formation, her fingertips curled slightly. Finally, she spoke, her voice trembling slightly: "The harvest this time is not small... especially those three red emperor flowing pearls, the aura is truly pure."

"Hmm, the red emperor flowing pearls are somewhat useful." Lin Feng was driving the last Formation Flag into the earth veins. Hearing this, he didn't pause at all, then turned around, "It is you, your aura seems somewhat unstable."

The smile on Fang Lingyao's lips stiffened slightly, and the glint in her eyes dimmed. She was so intelligent that she immediately understood that Lin Feng saw through everything but was unwilling to continue the conversation.

On the path of cultivation, Opportunities depend on one's own ability. He claimed the spoils of war alone, and no one could criticize him for it.

She revealed a bitter smile: "Watching your battle, I have gained some insights, and my cultivation Bottleneck seems to have loosened. I... am afraid I need to return to the Sect as soon as possible to prepare for seclusion and attempt Core Formation."

Lin Feng nodded, showing no surprise: "Core Formation is of great importance; returning to the Sect for seclusion is the safest path. I still need to travel and train, seeking other Opportunities."

A trace of barely perceptible disappointment flashed across Fang Lingyao's lips, but she soon let it go. Without further words, she turned into a rainbow light and flew off in the direction of the Sect.

Lin Feng watched her disappear into the horizon, then turned and went deeper into the mountain stream, finding a hidden rock wall where he excavated a simple Immortal Cave.

Layers of Formation light circulated, completely isolating the inside from the outside. The Immortal Cave was silent, with only the faint heat rising from the depths of the earth veins.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged and spent several hours adjusting his breathing to bring his state to its Peak. Afterward, he reached out and brushed the air in front of him, causing the crimson phoenix sky burning pearl and a red emperor flowing pearl to appear simultaneously.

The red emperor flowing pearl was as crimson as a fire jujube, containing incomparably pure fire element power; the crimson phoenix sky burning pearl was interwoven with gold and red, and a Phoenix phantom struggled and danced within it.

As soon as the two fire-type exotic treasures appeared, the temperature inside the Immortal Cave soared.

"I will use you as the main Material to forge the first sword of my Vermilion Bird Seven Mansions." Lin Feng whispered, his gaze falling on the crimson phoenix sky burning pearl.

Lin Feng formed seals with his hands, his Golden Core circulating. Pure Bing fire Sword Essence slowly flowed from his fingertips, manifesting a crimson stream of light as condensed as cinnabar and flowing with a metallic luster.

He opened his mouth and spat out a wisp of his life-Origin Qi, merging it into the Bing fire Sword Essence. Then, he held his hands in a void-grasping motion, lifting the crimson stream of light.

"Heart Refining Method, rise!"

Under Lin Feng's control, the ball of Bing fire Sword Essence transformed into a ball of soft yet scorching flames, simultaneously enveloping the red emperor flowing pearl and the crimson phoenix sky burning pearl.

Lin Feng held his breath and focused his mind, sinking all his attention into it. He did not rush for success; instead, using his Divine Sense as a guide, he manipulated the strands of Sword Essence like the most patient seamstress, beginning to outline in the air.

The threads twisted and spiraled, connecting head to tail to form a perfect closed loop. The second and third strands of Sword Essence followed, and under his incomparably precise control, they layered and intertwined along the trajectory of the first loop, yet did not interfere with each other.

Gradually, a translucent, flame-shaped phantom composed of countless crimson threads enveloped the two treasures. This phantom appeared soft, but inside it contained astonishing heat and sharp Sword Intent.

Inside the flame phantom, countless Sword Essence threads began to flow slowly along their respective trajectories at different speeds. Some moved forward, some backward. As they intersected, they generated uniform and continuous heat to gently calcine the Materials, while also creating countless tiny cutting and grinding effects at the microscopic level, beginning to disintegrate the treasures' external defenses and internal structures.

The red emperor flowing pearl had a relatively gentle nature. Under this unique Heart Refining fire, ripples soon appeared on its surface, and it began to melt slowly, precipitating pure crimson liquid beads. The crimson phoenix sky burning pearl, however, resisted violently. The Phoenix soul inside felt the threat, and its golden-red light surged, attempting to burst open this seemingly weak ball of flame.

Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged, but his Divine Sense suddenly condensed. The slowly circulating Sword Essence flame underwent a subtle change: where the Phoenix soul's impact was most intense, the counter-rotating Sword Essence threads suddenly increased and accelerated, while in other areas, the forward-rotating threads maintained a stable heat output, continuing the calcination.

This was no longer simple fire control, but an extremely complex microscopic manipulation using Divine Sense, as if simultaneously controlling thousands of invisible threads, weaving and adjusting a great net of flame—both to trap the struggling Phoenix and to refine the docile flowing pearl.

The resistance of the crimson phoenix sky burning pearl was finally worn away thread by thread, and its outer shell finally began to show signs of melting. The Heart Refining fire was unhurried, burning slowly like a gentle flame simmering soup, stripping away the shell of the pearl bit by bit, refining the Impurities within, and guiding the Fusion of the crimson phoenix sky burning pearl with the liquid beads formed by the red emperor flowing pearl.

This was an extremely mentally draining process. The slightest mistake would not only waste all previous efforts but could also lead to a backlash. Fine beads of sweat seeped from Lin Feng's forehead as he slowly engraved his own Bing fire Sword Intent, as well as his insights into speed and explosive power, into the gradually forming liquid.

Time passed quietly, and the only sound in the Immortal Cave was the faint crackling of the burning flames.

Three months later, the liquid finally fused completely, turning into a more profound and noble dark gold. In the center of the liquid, a tiny Phoenix phantom circled peacefully, no longer struggling, but instead resonating wonderfully with Lin Feng's Sword Intent.

"Condense!"