180: Chapter 179 The Beginning of the Battle

A shrill alarm sounded from the Zhou Family Manor, piercing the dull afternoon air.

The alarm was piercing, like a cat howling after its tail had been stepped on, echoing throughout the entire valley.

Immediately after, the emergency lights on the outer walls of the manor all lit up, their red light flashing and staining the surrounding leaves blood-red.

On the walls of the Zhou Family Manor, several searchlights turned on simultaneously. The thick beams of light seemed somewhat redundant during the day, but they certainly set the tense atmosphere.

On the private road leading to the summit, dozens of guards in black uniforms immediately swarmed out—some emerging from the woods by the roadside, some running from hidden posts on both sides of the road, and others rushing out from the side gate of the manor at the top.

They held various weapons—long swords, short batons, stun batons, and standard energy rifles—lining up on the road to form a human wall, their muzzles aimed squarely at the lone youth standing at the foot of the mountain.

"Stop! Do not take another step forward!"

A man who appeared to be the captain shouted through a megaphone.

He stood at the very front of the human wall. He was about forty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and weathered features, clearly someone who had experienced real combat.

His voice was half-drowned out by the alarm from the summit, but the tension in his tone was audible—not anger, but nervousness.

His knuckles were slightly white as he gripped his sword.

Lin Feng ignored him.

He rested the dragon slaying sword on his shoulder and turned to look at the two little things on his shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

Xiaoguang jumped down from his shoulder and landed on the ground.

It was only thirty centimeters tall, standing on the potholed asphalt road, looking up at the luxurious manor on the summit.

The manor was huge, covering at least several hundred acres. The main residence was a five-story European-style villa with white walls, a red roof, and two Roman columns at the entrance, looking quite imposing.

On both sides of the villa were vast gardens and auxiliary buildings, as well as a swimming pool, tennis court, and helipad.

"It has been ten thousand years..."

Xiaoguang murmured, its voice carrying a trace of vicissitudes that didn't belong to its size.

"It has been ten thousand years since I helped someone fight. I don't know if I'm still skilled with the Formation."

It lowered its head, looked at its small golden hands, and then clenched them tightly. When it raised its head, its mini face was already filled with high Battle Intent.

"However, I'll know once I try! Whoever it is, bullying Lin Feng is bullying me, and bullying me is bullying the Taixu Dojo!"

It formed hand seals with both hands, chanting under its breath.

A golden light shot from its fingertips, weaving into a palm-sized net of light in the air.

The light net spun, growing larger and brighter as it rotated, like a blooming golden firework.

Xiaojin climbed down from Lin Feng's shoulder and landed on the ground.

It wasn't as talkative as Xiaoguang; it just scratched the ground twice with its front legs, then crunched and swallowed the half-piece of Spirit Stone in its mouth to replenish its stamina.

It spread its six golden legs, struck a pose, raised its head to look at the dozens of Zhou Family guards on the hillside who were treating it like a formidable enemy, and let out a low squeak.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

That meant—beat them up.

Lin Feng looked at the two little ones, one gold and one black, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

One was Xiaoguang, the thirty-centimeter-tall being he had created by using his Fusion Talent to fuse a Tool spirit into Materials. It claimed to be the guardian spirit of the Taixu Dojo, had lived for over ten thousand years, was proficient in all kinds of Formations, and had just learned to use a light switch yesterday.

The other was a dung beetle he had hatched in a Secret Realm. On the surface, it looked like a bug chewing on a Spirit Stone, but in reality, it possessed a treasure-hunting Talent, could emit hallucinogenic scent, and could spray a protective shield. It spent all day eating and sleeping, but it never failed at critical moments.

The two little things, one gold and one black, one setting up Formations and the other stirring up trouble, stood at his feet like two miniature door gods.

Coupled with the dragon slaying sword he carried on his shoulder, under the midday sun, he really had the air of a "mountain lord coming down the mountain with two little minions to rob someone."

"Let's go."

Lin Feng took the dragon slaying sword off his shoulder, pointed the tip toward the ground, and started walking toward the summit.

His pace was unhurried, his boots making dull sounds as they stepped on the asphalt road built by the Zhou Family.

Xiaoguang followed on his left, forming hand seals as it walked, muttering non-stop.

The golden light net spun above its head, growing larger and brighter with every rotation.

Xiaojin followed on his right, its six legs skittering fast across the asphalt, still chewing on half a Spirit Stone—it had finished the previous one and taken out a new one.

It chewed as it walked, making crunching sounds, with crumbs falling onto the road and leaving a trail of fine golden particles behind it.

The dozens of Zhou Family guards on the hillside were stunned to see this spectacle.

They had seen people storm the Zhou Family alone, had seen people storm the Zhou Family with an army, and had even seen people hire assassins to launch sneak attacks.

But they had never seen someone storm the Zhou Family with a palm-sized golden person and a dung beetle with six golden legs.

What is this? Bringing two small pets to collect a debt?

The square-faced captain holding the megaphone twitched his mouth, forgetting to even lower the megaphone.

"What… what is this? That golden thing, is it a toy? Or a Magical Artifact? That bug, is that a dung beetle? No, that's not reasonable either. Why does it have six golden legs? Why is it chewing on a Spirit Stone?"

A young guard nearby leaned in and lowered his voice.

"Captain, that little golden thing seems to be… setting up a Formation? Look at that ball of light on its fingers, are those Formation runes?"

"Never mind what Formation it's setting up!"

The captain snapped back to reality and roared into the megaphone.

"All units—stop them! The Zhou Family hasn't been feeding you for this long just for you to stand here and watch a show!"

Dozens of guards raised their weapons simultaneously.

The muzzles of the energy rifles gleamed coldly in the midday sun, and the blades of the long swords reflected a piercing, icy light.

They arranged themselves into a fan-shaped Formation, closing in from both sides of the road, looking like they intended to surround and trap the three of them.

Their footsteps hit the asphalt road, making a rhythmic thumping sound.

The three guards in the lead exchanged glances and pulled their triggers simultaneously.

Three blue energy beams shot from the muzzles, sizzling as they cut through the air, aimed respectively at Lin Feng's head, chest, and abdomen.

These three shots were coordinated perfectly, blocking all his space for evasion.

Lin Feng didn't even look up.

A golden light surged from between his brows, forming a translucent shield of light in front of him.

The three energy beams hit the light shield like raindrops hitting the surface of a lake, disappearing after stirring up only a faint ripple.

The shield surface fluctuated slightly, then returned to calm, not even having a crack.

[Taixu Shield received damage: 3000 points. Remaining absorption value: 497000 points.]

Lin Feng didn't even blink.

"The first move."

He drew the dragon slaying sword from its scabbard, the golden patterns on the blade shining to the extreme under the sun.

The thirty-some guards on the hillside saw him walking toward them alone, and for a moment, no one dared to fire again.

The three guards who had fired first looked at each other, the muzzles of their energy rifles drooping slightly.

They had seen people who could block energy beams, but never anyone who could block them so easily—without even dodging or evading, and that light shield didn't even flicker.

"Keep firing!"

The captain's voice sounded exceptionally shrill in the quiet afternoon.

"Don't let him get close!"

Seven or eight more blue beams shot over, denser and at more tricky angles than before.

Some shot at Lin Feng's face, some at his knees, and some at his ankles.

But all the beams hit the Taixu Shield, stirring up only a slightly brighter ripple before dissipating into nothingness.

Lin Feng's pace never stopped.

"Cap… Captain, that light shield of his has at least hundreds of thousands of defense points. Our firepower isn't enough to break it."

A young man with glasses nearby pushed up the frames on his nose. His equipment looked more sophisticated than the others; he was likely responsible for observation and assessment.

The screen was densely packed with data, and one line of red numbers was constantly jumping—that was the calculated result of Lin Feng's light shield defense value.

His fingers trembled on the screen, and his voice was shaky.

"I suggest calling for headquarters support; we need heavy firepower or high-Rank Talent users."

The captain gritted his teeth, rubbed his finger on the trigger several times, and finally nodded.

"Send the message."

He said in a low voice, then raised the megaphone and shouted to Lin Feng.

"Take one more step forward, and we will kill you without mercy!"

Lin Feng walked forward three steps.

"What about 'kill on sight'?"

He stopped and looked up at the captain with the square face.

The captain's face flushed red, and he wanted to order them to concentrate their fire, but the previous three rounds of volleys hadn't even scratched the surface of the opponent's light shield, and his knuckles were white as he gripped his long saber.

Should he swing that blade or not? If he swung, he couldn't break the opponent's defense. If he didn't, the Zhou Family behind him wouldn't let him off.

"Answer me."

Lin Feng's voice was not loud, but in the quiet of the mountainside afternoon, everyone heard it clearly.

The captain gritted his teeth and gripped his saber handle tighter, just about to risk it all and order a concentrated attack, when a deep shout came from the mountaintop.

"Enough—!"

It was Zhou Tiannan's voice.

The pressure of a Rank 79 S-Rank Talent user swept down from the direction of the main villa at the mountaintop, like an invisible hot wind, causing the leaves of the plane trees by the roadside to fall in droves.

Those leaves spun in mid-air and were ground into fragments by that pressure before they even hit the ground.

"Lin Feng! Do not push me too far!"

Zhou Tiannan walked down from the mountaintop.

He was wearing a deep purple robe today, his hair combed meticulously, his face dignified, his eyes like two burning coals.

In the forty-degree heat of noon, ordinary people were sweating profusely, but there wasn't a single drop of sweat on his forehead—the hot air around him was emitted by himself, and that scorching sensation was even more oppressive than the midday sun.

With every step he took, a fine crack appeared on the asphalt road beneath his feet, the edges of the cracks slightly red as if branded by a soldering iron.

Several old men and a group of black-clad guards followed behind him.

Those old men were all over sixty, with graying hair, but their eyes were sharp; judging by their bearing, they must all be Guest Elder experts of the Zhou Family.

"Pushing you too far?"

Lin Feng looked at him, his chin slightly raised, his voice not loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground.

"I opened a shop, and you sent the urban management to seal it, and later you hired Baga Country assassins to ambush me in a Dungeon."

"Hiring hitmen for murder, colluding with foreign forces, stealing state secrets—of these things, which one is me bullying you? Which one is a debt you shouldn't have to repay?"

The mountain road was so quiet that only the chirping of cicadas remained.

The muzzles of the guns in the hands of those thirty-something guards drooped even lower, and a few had already started moving their feet backward.

These grassroots guards only knew that someone had come to the door to cause trouble today, but they didn't know there were such things behind it.

Zhou Tiannan stared at Lin Feng, fire elements looming in his palm.

He took a deep breath, his voice lowering a few notches, as if he were gritting his teeth.

"Lin Feng, you are also a smart person. If you take a step back today, I can let bygones be bygones. Everything from the past will be written off. If you continue to make trouble—"

The flames in his palm changed from red to orange-red, the surrounding air was baked and distorted, and the cracks on the road widened a bit more, making popping sounds.

The Guest Elder experts behind him simultaneously took a step forward, their gazes fixed squarely on Lin Feng.

Although those old men were old, they were all vigorous, with steady Auras; one look and you could tell they had seen blood.

Their positioning seemed casual, but in reality, they had already faintly surrounded the area of the golden light net that Xiaoguang had laid down, clearly intending to strike at the first opportunity.

"Let bygones be bygones?"

Lin Feng slowly tightened his grip on the hilt of the dragon slaying sword.

The golden patterns on the scabbard glowed slightly in the sun.

"Your Zhou Family bullied me, humiliated me, and hunted me down, and now you want to 'let bygones be bygones'?"

He pointed the sword at Zhou Tiannan.

"Do you really think I came here to negotiate with you?"

Xiaoguang stood at Lin Feng's feet, looking up at Zhou Tiannan, a trace of anger appearing on its little golden face.

It was forming hand seals faster and faster, and the incantations it chanted became increasingly rapid.

The golden light net above its head had already expanded to several meters in radius, with bright runes flashing at the edges of the light net.

"Lin Feng, is this old man in the purple robe their boss?"

Xiaoguang asked Lin Feng in a tiny voice.

"Sort of."

"Then I will trap him."

Xiaoguang said seriously.

"This person is so hot, but no matter how hot he is, he is not as hot as the Taotie."

"I'll use the Six Harmonies Heaven Sealing Formation plus the Five Elements Spirit Trapping Array plus the Four Symbols Demon Suppressing Formation. With these three layered together, I guarantee he won't be able to run. But you need to fight quickly; the triple Formation consumes too much, and I can't hold it for too long."

After saying this, it formed an even more complex seal with its hands, and another ray of golden light shot from its fingertips, weaving into a rotating Bagua diagram in the air.

Zhou Tiannan's pupils contracted slightly.

He felt the power contained in that golden light—it was not the Cultivation system of this world, but something ancient and long lost.

How could a palm-sized golden figure mobilize this level of Formation energy?

Xiaojin crawled over from Lin Feng's feet, splaying its six legs into a combat stance, lifting its head to look at Zhou Tiannan.

Its mouth opened, emitting a low squeak.

The sound seemed like a provocation—You old man in the purple robe, come on then.

It thought very simply in its little head: these bad guys bullied Lin Feng, so it wouldn't be polite.

It scraped the ground twice with its hind legs, then suddenly rushed forward, its antennae standing high on its head, purple light patterns flashing at the tips.

Zhou Tiannan's mouth twitched, and the expression on his face changed from dignified to shame and anger.

He had lived for so many years; what kind of opponents hadn't he seen? But being provoked by a dung beetle with six golden legs was a first.

What concerned him more was that palm-sized golden figure—what on earth was that? Was it some kind of mechanical Puppet? Or an ancient creation Lin Feng brought back from the Secret Realm?

No matter what it was, the Formation energy in its hands was a genuine threat.

"Since you are determined to fight to the death today, don't blame me for bullying the young."

He raised his right hand, and crimson flames surged and condensed in his palm.

That ball of flame in his hand was like a small sun, the flames churning and burning, emitting a dull, rumbling sound.

The asphalt road beneath his feet finally couldn't withstand this high heat and began to melt, the black bitumen turning into viscous liquid, emitting pungent black smoke.

The Guest Elder old men behind him also mobilized their Auras simultaneously.

One of them, with white eyebrows, pulled a horsetail whisk from his sleeve.

Another, bald, propped an iron staff level with his eyebrows on the ground.

Another pulled twin blades from his waist, the edges gleaming with a cold, piercing light under the reflection of the fire.

Their Ranks were all above level sixty; although they didn't have the suffocating pressure of Zhou Tiannan, just standing there, the killing intent accumulated from decades of combat experience still caused those young guards on the mountainside to involuntarily step back several paces.

Lin Feng drew the dragon slaying sword from his waist.

The golden patterns on the sword body shone to the extreme in the sun, with faint phantoms of flood dragons swimming within the blade.

Xiaoguang formed a double seal, and the golden light above its head instantly surged; a translucent dark golden Formation pressed down from mid-air, imprinting the patterns of the Formation runes onto the asphalt road within a few hundred meters around Zhou Tiannan.

Xiaojin shook its antennae, and a puff of pale golden mist sprayed from its mouth, spreading toward the mountaintop.

One man with two little ones stood at the Zhou Family gate, actually forcing the dozens of people opposite them into a state of facing a formidable enemy.

Lin Feng looked at the ball of flame in Zhou Tiannan's palm, suddenly remembering the scene of being suppressed and beaten when he first came to the Zhou Family to seek justice.

That day, he couldn't even take a single move against the Rank 79 Fire God Physique.

But today was different.

"Xiaoguang, start."

He pointed the dragon slaying sword at Zhou Tiannan.

"Boom—!"

The crimson flame in Zhou Tiannan's palm exploded violently, turning into a fire dragon as thick as a water bucket, lunging toward Lin Feng.

Wherever the fire dragon passed, the asphalt road instantly melted into black magma, the plane trees on both sides were scorched into charcoal by the heat wave, and even the air was baked and distorted, emitting crackling, popping sounds.

This time, Lin Feng didn't dodge.

The golden Taixu Shield spread out in front of him; the fire dragon collided with the light shield and exploded into a blinding fireball, the shockwave shaking the ground.

The light shield rippled slightly, the shield surface remaining intact.

"Zhou Tiannan."

Lin Feng stood behind the light shield, the sword tip pointing at the Rank 79 fire-type expert opposite.

"This fire dragon of yours, compared to when we last met—"

"It's weaker."