C15 See the Sky Feather

Chu Haoyun's reaction elicited a slight smirk from Lin Beikong, who taunted, "So, you're familiar with my second brother's name. Scared now, are you? Don't flatter yourself for killing Hee Zhanpeng; you're still pathetically weak in my eyes."

"You're not Chen Yisheng?" Chu Haoyun's expression tensed, having heard that Chen Yisheng should be a formidable second-level Returning to Origin warrior. Lin Beikong replied with scorn, "The mere mention of my second brother's name terrifies you, so why would he bother dealing with you personally? I am Lin Beikong. Today, I won't kill you, but I'll ensure you live to regret it."

With a flick of his wrist, Lin Beikong tossed his short knife, his eyes brimming with mockery. A subtle surge of elementary force emanated from him, vastly more potent than Hee Zhanpeng's had been.

Chu Haoyun let out a cold laugh. "Afraid? You're not even close. You're merely at the peak of the ninth level of Body Forging, still unable to harness the elementary force effectively."

Despite also being at the ninth level of Body Forging, Lin Beikong exuded an aura that put Chu Haoyun on edge. It was the first time he truly sensed the vast disparity between warriors of the same level.

The standoff continued, with Chu Haoyun growing concerned for Qin Bing and eager to end the fight swiftly. Lin Beikong appeared nonchalant, his defenses seemingly impenetrable, which made Chu Haoyun hesitate to make a move. A tense silence enveloped them. Behind, Ning Chen and another companion exchanged glances and began to edge away, keen to escape the brewing conflict.

Chu Haoyun's eyes, dark as night, flickered with a serpentine menace, sending a shiver down his spine. Yet, in that moment, Chu Haoyun's lips twisted into an eerie smile, and unexpectedly, he launched an attack despite his weaker presence.

"Kill!" Chu Haoyun's aggressive move took Lin Beikong by surprise. He couldn't fathom why his seemingly disadvantaged opponent would strike first. But as Chu Haoyun's guard dropped, Lin Beikong flipped his dagger and exploded into action. His feet crushed the greenish-brown rocks beneath him as he lunged straight for Chu Haoyun's chest with lethal intent.

As they closed in on each other, Chu Haoyun's sinister smile grew more pronounced, sending a shiver through Lin Beikong's heart as a premonition of death loomed over him. Yet, this impending sense of danger did not stem from Chu Haoyun!

"Move!" Lin Beikong's mind raced, and as the thought struck him, Chu Haoyun had already sidestepped, his blade whirling to deliver a fierce slash to his side. The blade met a streak of blue light with a metallic clang, holding it at bay momentarily before shattering into pieces. The violent backlash shook Haoyun, causing him to cough up blood and stagger back dozens of steps before regaining his footing.

Lin Beikong experienced the same assault, but he merely quivered, escaping any real harm.

From afar, two agonized screams pierced the air. Ning Chen and Wang Yue, who had been attempting to flee by the scattered rocks, failed to evade the unexpected onslaught. Each was impaled in the chest by a foot-long blue feather. In a flash, the feathers detonated within their hearts, sending a spray of blood and organ fragments scattering for meters.

Lin Beikong's eyes narrowed at the sight. An attack using mimic energy? A Returning to Origin master was at play! A wave of cold dread washed over him as he realized they were under the watchful eye of a master who sought to ensnare them all in one swift move.

"We need to get out of here!" Lin Beikong decided instantly. Despite his confidence in being unbeatable at the ninth level of Body Forging, he knew he was no match for a Returning to Origin master. There would be other chances to confront Chu Haoyun; it wasn't worth losing his life in confusion here.

Lin Beikong made a hasty retreat, while Chu Haoyun, clutching the remaining third of his broken sword, looked visibly shaken. His recent attack had drained ninety percent of his elementary force, causing the purple strand within his Qi Sea to fade into a wisp.

During his clash with Hee Zhanpeng, Haoyun had tapped into the power of the Glimmering Soul Orb, using it to connect with the inconspicuous ants scattered around them. This allowed him to take complete control of his surroundings, suppress and even predict Hee Zhanpeng's movements, and ultimately execute him.

At that moment, the ants conveyed information about someone lurking in the distance, poised to strike. Particularly during his standoff with Lin Beikong, this individual had them all in his sights. As anticipated, the moment they made a move, the attack was unleashed. Yet, what he hadn't foreseen was the formidable power of the yellow sparrow—it was the might of a true Returning to Origin master.

He darted in front of Qin Bing, intent on escaping with him. Suddenly, several streaks of blue light sliced through the air. Two intercepted Lin Beikong's hasty retreat, while the last one aimed directly for Chu Haoyun's face.

Confronted with the assault, Chu Haoyun finally discerned the true nature of the chilling light. The elongated blue feather? The Order of the Skyfeather! The term flashed through his mind.

With no time to ponder, the elementary force within him erupted. His Glacial Touch transformed into a blur, unleashing over a dozen strikes that momentarily stalled the blue feather. In the same instant, he whisked Qin Bing aside with Flash, taking cover behind a cluster of chaotic stones.

Elsewhere, Lin Beikong bellowed, his dagger spinning like a cyclone, its piercing whir slicing through the air. He mustered all his strength to cleave through a blue feather and, with a forceful push, his body surged forward, retreating with the agility of the Golden Snake Step. Yet, the remaining blue feather seemed to home in on him, targeting his heart.

In the face of danger, Lin Beikong gritted his teeth, positioning his dagger across his chest. He braced for impact, absorbing the blue feather's collision with a resounding clang. The dagger vibrated but held firm, blocking the strike. The recoil sent Lin Beikong flying, blood spraying from his mouth. Leveraging the momentum, he hastened his retreat, vanishing into the expanse of Embercrest within moments.

At the fringe of the boulders, a middle-aged man witnessed the scene, his eyes seething with rage. He spat out a curse, "Golden Snake Step? Hmph, consider yourself lucky to have fled so swiftly!"

Shifting his attention to a cluster of dense, peculiar rocks, the middle-aged man breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Thankfully, his primary target hadn't slipped away.

He had been quite frustrated these past few days. He had pursued the faint trace of the remnant feather's aura, only to find that his quarry had ascended to Cloud-Veiled Peak. With Lan Canghai present, he dared not act rashly for fear of drawing the attention of the Order of the Celestial Veil's masters. After a seven-day wait, with the remnant feather's aura nearly vanished, the target finally descended from Cloud-Veiled Peak. He had not expected the one who had slain Zong Ji to be such a youthful fellow.

Refocusing on the present, the middle-aged man let out a sinister chuckle, "Heh, no use hiding, boy. The lingering aura of the Order of the Skyfeather clings to you. No matter where you hide, you shine like a beacon to me. Come out willingly, and I'll spare you some agony. I'll simply break every bone in your body before granting you a merciful end."

His eyes gleamed with mockery as he advanced. When Chu Haoyun remained silent, he taunted, "Don't even think about escaping. I've already scouted Embercrest's terrain, which only strengthens me. Playing a game of assassination here could be quite entertaining!"

"..."

"Your silence will be taken as consent!" The middle-aged man closed in, now merely ten meters from Chu Haoyun, conjuring a bluefeather in his hand that flickered with a lethal chill. "To spice things up, I'll start with your dying friend there! Let's see if the so-called bonds of friendship are worth anything in the face of death!"

Chu Haoyun's discomfort grew at the sound of that cat-toying-with-a-mouse laughter. His mind raced, searching for a way out. Then, spotting a cluster of Flamemaw Ants tumbling nearby, a slight smile crept onto his face. His gaze hardened, and his consciousness transformed into a slender thread, furiously surging toward the purple mass within his Qi Sea.

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