82: Chapter 81 Burning the World

In her haste, the defensive spell Yun Baimei had instinctively erected shattered, and her protective Spiritual Qi was dispersed by the flying feathers.

The feather blade pierced three-tenths of an inch into her back.

In that critical moment, she exerted all the Spiritual Qi in her body, barely managing to withstand this fatal blow.

After forcing the feather blade out, a lingering fear washed over Yun Baimei.

If Li Fan hadn't intervened and helped her deflect most of the force, she would surely have been severely injured, even if she had managed to save her life.

Thinking of this, she looked deeply at Li Fan.

This man before her was far more reliable than she had expected.

Li Fan, however, paid no attention to Yun Baimei's gaze; his expression was grave as he looked toward the direction from which the flying feathers had come.

Through the disturbance in the Spiritual Qi, he could roughly sense four formidable auras rapidly approaching.

One in front and three behind; the flying feathers from just moments ago had come from the one in the lead.

Li Fan pondered and judged, "Four Golden Core Cultivators, is it..."

He glanced at the System panel; the [Overcoming the Superior System] was still online.

"Does the System think I can fight them?"

When Li Fan had just reached Foundation Establishment, his Spiritual Qi was already comparable to a Golden Core.

Now that he was at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, his foundation far exceeded that of an ordinary Golden Core. Coupled with the mid-third-grade luofeng sword, he might just stand a chance.

With this thought, he sensed again.

The leading Golden Core Cultivator was the fastest, having opened up a gap of ten breaths' distance from the three behind him.

Seeing this, Li Fan gripped the cool hilt of his sword, his eyes sharp and full of edge.

"Merely standing a chance is not enough."

"Today, in ten breaths, I will use a Foundation Establishment sword to slay a Golden Core."

As he spoke, his entire body tightened, and he activated Spirit Reflection.

The ambient Spiritual Qi within a hundred-meter radius was swept clean, all converging onto the blade of the luofeng sword.

The Innate Yang-Lengthening Sword Body resonated with the luofeng sword, and the sound of the wind around them suddenly ceased.

The swaying wild grass and the flowing clouds in the sky all froze in place.

Yun Baimei, who was healing nearby, saw Li Fan holding his sword horizontally to build momentum, not yet understanding what he intended to do.

In an instant, a gale swept the ground, and the leading Winged-race Golden Core arrived, carried by the wind.

Seeing Li Fan standing with his sword, striking a fighting stance, he immediately laughed wantonly, his tone filled with disdain.

"A mere Foundation Establishment ant, not knowing to kneel and beg for mercy upon seeing this Golden Core, yet you have some guts."

"However, that is all it is, a meaningless struggle."

He mocked wantonly, completely unaware that the gale he brought with him stopped the moment it neared Li Fan.

In mid-air, Li Fan stood still, holding his sword; a layer of scorching red halo emerged upon the luofeng sword.

He sighed softly and uttered two words, not bothering to retort.

"One breath..."

As he spoke, Li Fan swung his sword horizontally.

This sword strike was not fast.

But the blazing sword light, like the morning sun breaking at dawn, slowly spread out.

Enveloped in a howling gale, it pressed heavily toward the Winged-race Golden Core.

The leading Winged-race Golden Core in front had initially not taken Li Fan seriously at all.

When the sharp Sword Intent rushed toward his face, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly raised his hands to defend.

But strangely, despite the surrounding gale being violent and surging, he could not borrow any of the wind's momentum.

Instead, his body was pulled by an invisible wind pressure, dragged straight into the sword's momentum.

In the critical moment, he crossed his wings in front of him, and defensive spell patterns lit up between his feathers.

Li Fan's sword technique had no hesitation; Spirit Reflection was activated once more, disrupting the opponent's circulation of Spiritual Qi.

At the third breath, the spell patterns shattered inch by inch; at the fifth breath, the wings snapped; at the seventh breath, the protective Spiritual Qi was crushed and dispersed; at the tenth breath, the crimson sword blade pierced through his throat.

The Winged-race Golden Core's eyes widened, and his massive body slammed heavily into the ground, his life force dissipating.

The other three Winged-race Golden Cores behind him only then arrived in a hurry.

Seeing their kin perish on the spot at a glance, a monstrous rage instantly swept through their minds.

"Audacious brat!"

"Join forces and crush him!"

Li Fan stood with his sword held horizontally, facing the three murderous Winged-race Golden Cores without a hint of fear.

He quickly reviewed the battle situation in his mind. The process of slaying the one Winged-race Golden Core had been far easier than expected, and his own consumption of Spiritual Qi was not even one-tenth.

If he could suppress a Golden Core one-on-one, then fighting three at once might not be impossible.

He glanced at the System panel; the [Overcoming the Superior System] was still steadily online.

Li Fan's lips curled slightly, showing no fear, "Just killed one, perfect; I shall experience the remaining three all together."

Before the words faded, the luofeng sword in his palm hummed softly, and the surrounding air currents of heaven and earth gathered and coiled around the blade of the luofeng sword.

With a flick of his wrist, a crimson Sword Qi erupted, like a wall of prairie fire spanning the sky, crushing toward the three Winged-race Golden Cores.

The gathered gale erupted in tandem; the wind aided the fire, and the fire borrowed the wind's might, causing the power of this sword strike to surge significantly.

The three Winged-race Cultivators in the distance faced this surging sword light with ugly expressions.

A mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator could actually unleash such a spell?

Having witnessed with their own eyes the tragic end of their kin being throat-slashed by a single sword strike, they dared not be even slightly careless.

In their view, this Sword Qi was definitely not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator could catalyze. It must consume a great deal and could not be sustained; they only needed to delay and exhaust him, and it would collapse on its own.

The three reached a tacit understanding instantly, their figures scattering and flying in different directions.

However, Li Fan slashed his sword repeatedly. Strands of crimson Sword Qi poured out, weaving into a net of flaming swords that shrouded the entire airspace.

The Winged-race Cultivators were swift and agile, actually dodging out through the gaps in the sword net.

After dodging repeatedly, they realized that Li Fan's Spiritual Qi was endless, showing no signs of depletion, so they immediately counterattacked.

While dodging the Sword Qi, the Winged-race beings vibrated their wings. A sky full of sharp flying feathers exploded outward, sealing off all of Li Fan's escape routes.

Li Fan only had a Foundation Establishment Physical Body and could not withstand the combined attack of three Golden Core Cultivators head-on. He had no choice but to shake the luofeng sword lightly, causing gusts of wind to swirl around him, wrapping up and dispersing all the incoming flying feathers.

In this way, lacking the wind's momentum to assist in his offense, the Winged-race beings found it easier to dodge and had more leeway to unleash their own attacking methods.

This could not go on. He looked toward Yun Baimei behind him and shouted in a low, stern voice, "Get further away!"

At this moment, Yun Baimei was already trembling, her perception overturned by the scene before her. No one could have imagined that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could behead a Winged-race Golden Core with a single sword strike, and even fight back and forth with three Winged-race Golden Cores.

The suddenly sounding cold shout woke her up, and she subconsciously asked back, "Are you ordering me?"

Li Fan had no heart for idle talk and repeated, "Yes, get lost quickly!"

This time, a flash of relief crossed Yun Baimei's eyes, and she replied cleanly and neatly, "As you command!"

Then, like an obedient little puppy, she ran away without looking back.

Seeing this, Li Fan slashed out another dense wave of Sword Qi, blocking the incoming Winged-race beings.

After a stalemate for a while, he estimated that Yun Baimei had already moved far away from the battlefield, so he sheathed his sword behind his back, formed a seal with one hand, and softly spat out two words, "World Burning."

In an instant, a phantom of a great sun appeared in the sky, and golden light swept across the wild. A torrent of scorching Sword Qi poured down without any blind spots.

The pupils of the three Winged-race Golden Cores shrank suddenly; unable to avoid it, they were all swallowed by the golden light.

The golden light flashed and vanished, the surrounding wild grass turned entirely into flying ash, and the earth was scorched black.

When the smoke and dust dispersed, the figures of the Winged-race beings appeared again. However, they looked, apart from appearing slightly disheveled, not heavily injured.

At this time, the few Winged-race Golden Cores were panting heavily, their eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

They had never seen a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who could unleash such a terrifying spell.

After the shock, joy appeared in the eyes of the Winged-race beings, and they looked at Li Fan with certainty.

Such a method was even greater than the previous Sword Qi; once unleashed, it must have exhausted most of his Spiritual Qi, and he was already at the end of his strength!

However, the figure in the distance, without sorrow or joy, once again raised his hand and formed a seal...