258: Chaotic Sword Qi

At the very moment the Devilish Qi on Zhongli Wu's fingertip was about to touch Qin Feng's brow—

"Bzzz—!!!"

Deep within Qin Feng's body, the Sword Heart and Sword Bone that had lain dormant for so long, first stirred during the battle with Sasaki, suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, almost mournful tremor! A shudder and warning born from the deepest recesses of his Soul, like the final roar of a beast driven to the cliff's edge, mixed with endless fear of death and unwillingness to succumb, savagely assaulted his consciousness!

A second time! This was the second time his Sword Heart and Sword Bone had issued such a clear, such an urgent death warning! Far more violent, more desperate, and more... resolute than the first time against Sasaki!

"Roar—!!!"

Qin Feng's eyes suddenly lost focus, turning chaotic, and he let out a roar that sounded inhuman! As if some shackle had been utterly shattered, or like the final flare of a dying man! Within his battered body, the well of potential that had long since run dry was forcibly squeezed by this warning born of his life's Origin and his unyielding will, wringing out the last, most violent surge of power!

It was not True Essence, not Divine Sense, but something more fundamental—a fusion of the Origin of his Sword Heart and Sword Bone, his unyielding Battle Intent, and even part of his life essence—Chaotic Sword Qi!

"Boom—!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying Sword Qi, gray and murky yet laced with blinding bloody light and platinum sharpness, erupted without warning in a spherical blast centered on Qin Feng, heedless of cost or consequence! This was not a Martial Skill, not a Move, but the instinctual counterattack of life itself, the burning of his very Sword Dao Foundation!

The speed, ferocity, and suddenness of the Sword Qi's eruption far exceeded anyone's expectations! Zhongli Wu, being the closest, bore the brunt of it!

"What?!" A trace of genuine shock finally flashed in Zhongli Wu's pitch-black eyes! He had never anticipated that a Mid-stage Martial King on his last legs, with shattered Meridians, could still unleash such an inconceivable Sword Qi—one that even made him feel a hint of threat! The Sword Qi's level wasn't high, but the resolute, frenzied, and even faintly Origin-touching sharpness within it made his heart palpitate!

In haste, he could only push his protective Devilish Qi to the limit, cross his arms in front of his chest, while the Heaven Rank demonic armor over his heart blazed with a ghostly light!

"Swoosh—!!!"

The gray-red-white interwoven Chaotic Sword Qi slammed violently into Zhongli Wu's crossed arms and chest!

"Crack! Tear—!"

The sickening sounds of shattering and tearing rang out simultaneously!

Zhongli Wu's sleeve robes instantly turned to dust, revealing the muscular arms beneath, now instantly mangled and bloody, with glimpses of white bone! His protective Devilish Qi was brutally torn apart by the Sword Qi! What made his pupils constrict even more was the astonishingly defensive Heaven Rank demonic armor on his chest, which bore the most concentrated impact of the Sword Qi. It actually emitted a groan of strain, with several clear cracks appearing on its surface, its ghostly light rapidly dimming!

"Ugh—!" Zhongli Wu grunted, his entire body sent flying backward by the explosive force, crashing like a broken kite dozens of zhang away, smashing heavily into a rock wall behind him, dust billowing, rubble cascading down!

Silence!

A deathly silence!

Whether it was the Corpse Demon Sect Master who had just repelled Cold Peach Blossom, or Blue Nightmare watching from afar, or even the surviving, poisoned disciples of the Yin Demon Sect, all were as if struck by a paralysis spell, staring dumbfounded at Zhongli Wu—embedded in the rock wall, disheveled, arms severely injured, demonic armor cracked!

Zhongli Wu... the Sect Master of the Yin Demon Sect at the late stage of Martial Sovereign, a major power under the Heavenly Demon Sect... was actually... sent flying and seriously injured by some inexplicable Sword Qi erupted by a Mid-stage Martial King youth on the verge of death?!

This completely overturned their understanding!

"Sec... Sect Master?!" A Mid-stage Martial Emperor Elder of the Yin Demon Sect stammered, voice trembling.

"Brother Zhongli?!" The Corpse Demon Sect Master also forgot to pursue Cold Peach Blossom, staring in shock at the rock wall.

Blue Nightmare narrowed his eyes, the glint of a fisherman's gain in their depths instantly replaced by heavy doubt and suspicion. He stared fixedly at the curled-up, life-unknown figure of the youth in the dust, muttering, "This... what kind of power is this? Burning life? Or... does he truly possess a Heaven-Defying Legacy?"

However, the price Qin Feng paid for unleashing this world-shocking sword strike was equally unimaginably severe.

With a "thud," he fell straight to the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably, foul blood mixed with bits of internal organs continuously gushing from his mouth. The white dragon armor had long since shattered and fallen off, revealing the heavenly silkworm jade thread garment beneath, also covered in cracks, its spiritual light completely gone, almost turned into a mundane object. His right hand still tightly gripped the broken hilt of the ink plum sword, the tiger's mouth split open, deep enough to see bone. His face was deathly pale, his aura so faint it was almost extinguished. The Meridians within his body were shattered inch by inch, his Dantian dried up. The mournful cries from his Sword Heart and Sword Bone also gradually weakened, as if about to fall completely silent. Potential, life essence, Sword Dao Foundation... all were burned out in that single strike.

"Brother Feng—!!!" Xiao Chun let out a heart-rending cry, tears blurring her vision. Seeing Qin Feng convulsing on the ground, a pain and protective desire far deeper and more resolute than before erupted in her heart like a volcano!

She suddenly pulled the hairpin from her head and, without hesitation, stabbed it fiercely into several vital acupoints on her own body related to vitality! Myriad Medicine Body · Origin Acupuncture!

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The hairpin pierced flesh, bringing intense pain, but Xiao Chun's eyes shone frighteningly bright! She wasn't harming herself; she was using the most extreme method to stimulate, awaken, and draw from the deepest wellspring of vitality within her Myriad Medicine Body!

"Bzz—!"

A surge of emerald-green radiance, far more vast and pure than during her previous healing, as if containing the creative power of all things at their birth, violently erupted from Xiao Chun's petite frame! Where the light passed, her paper-pale face instantly regained its rosy hue, even taking on a layer of holy glow, but a few stark gray-white strands visibly appeared at her temples!

She was burning her own Lifespan and Life Origin, forcibly pushing her Myriad Medicine Body to an unprecedented state!

"Go!" Xiao Chun's fingers pointed rapidly, several beams of emerald vitality condensed like substance shot towards the severely wounded, near-death Qin Feng; the unconscious, unresponsive Tao Yuanyi; the barely breathing Ji Ruxue; and the heavily injured Xia Ya and Ye Wuyou!

The beams entered their bodies like sweet rain after a long drought!

Qin Feng's violent convulsions slightly subsided, a faint trace of color returning to his deathly pale face, but his injuries were too severe, and he remained unconscious.

Tao Yuanyi's faint chest movements became slightly more pronounced.

Ji Ruxue's fingertips twitched slightly.

Xia Ya and Ye Wuyou, however, felt their spirits lift. Their depleted True Essence and injuries recovered at an astonishing rate. Though not fully healed, they had regained some combat power!

"Xiao Chun! You..." Xia Ya, feeling the surging vitality and restored strength within him, and seeing the gray strands at Xiao Chun's temples, felt tears welling in his eyes.

"Don't mind me! Help Brother Feng quickly!" Xiao Chun's voice was hoarse but firm. Staggering, she threw herself beside Qin Feng and, without hesitation, bit her own wrist, letting the blood flowing with emerald-green luster and emitting a rich medicinal fragrance drip into Qin Feng's slightly parted mouth. The Origin Essence Blood of her Myriad Medicine Body was the most direct life force she could give at this moment!

Meanwhile, Little Fire, previously ignored by Zhongli Wu and anxiously growling nearby, seeing its master grievously wounded, erupted with full ferocity in its beastly eyes! Mustering its strength once more, it spat a compact, highly condensed golden-red pillar of fire at Zhongli Wu, who had just struggled to his feet from the rubble of the rock wall, his face terrifyingly dark! The fire pillar shot directly at Zhongli Wu's torn robes and exposed, bloody wounds!

"Sizzle—!" The sound of flesh burning echoed. A piercing pain shot through Zhongli Wu's already mangled arm, and the remaining tatters of his robe caught fire!

"Beast! You seek death!" Zhongli Wu, having suffered consecutive injuries and a loss of dignity, was enraged to the extreme. Without even looking, he spun and kicked, a leg wind infused with terrifying Devilish Qi smashing into Little Fire!

"Awoo—!" Little Fire let out a shrill cry, its small body sent flying like a ball, crashing through several stone pillars before rolling to the ground. Most of the flames on its body extinguished, its aura weak. It struggled a few times but couldn't stand up.

"Little Fire!" Xiao Chun's heart ached as if wrung.

Zhongli Wu stepped out of the dust step by step. His upper body was bare, mangled and charred, the cracks on the demonic armor over his heart hideous. His face was so dark it seemed to drip water, the killing intent in his pitch-black eyes almost solidifying. He stared fixedly at Qin Feng, who was shielded behind Xia Ya and being fed essence blood by Xiao Chun, his voice raspy like sandpaper grinding:

"Good... very good... Qin Feng... and all you ants..."

"Today, I will ensure all of you... are utterly destroyed in body and Soul, never to reincarnate for eternity!"

Devilish Qi began to gather madly around him once more, this time more violent, more terrifying than any time before! He would completely wash away this humiliation, erase everything before his eyes, along with this land, from the world!

Xia Ya held his giant shield horizontally, blocking the way before Qin Feng and Xiao Chun, his earth-yellow True Essence burning without reserve. Ye Wuyou, dragging his injured body, stood shoulder to shoulder with Xia Ya. Cold Peach Blossom, having broken free from the Corpse Demon Sect Master's entanglement, quickly retreated to Qin Feng's side, forming a triangular defense with Xia Ya.

The desperate situation seemed not to have truly changed because of that unexpected eruption and sacrifice. Though injured, Zhongli Wu's Foundation as a late-stage Martial Sovereign and his towering rage were still more than enough to destroy everything.