71: Earth Core Spirit Tempering Milk

The incident happened suddenly. The two Disciples were distracted by the backlash of spiritual power and the flying stones. By the time they sensed the killing intent upon them, it was already half a step too late.

“Ugh!”

The Disciple holding the Compass felt a tightening around his neck. A binding force instantly cut in, and his Protective Spiritual Light failed to completely block it. The sound of his throat bone shattering was barely audible; the horror in his eyes froze, and his body collapsed.

The other Disciple only managed to turn sideways, but the Dragon Shadow had already pierced through his ribs, bringing forth a spray of blood. He fell heavily, severely wounded, instantly losing his Combat Strength.

In the blink of an eye, two of the three men were gone.

Lin Feng's figure did not pause at all. The moment he landed, he was already facing the sole standing leading Disciple, approaching him step by step.

The leading Disciple had just blocked the shattered stones, but before his eyes was the tragic sight of his two companions—one dead, one severely wounded. Seeing Lin Feng approach, his face instantly turned pale as paper, and the hand gripping his sword trembled slightly. Shock and fury mixed: “W-who are you?!”

Lin Feng did not answer, continuing forward.

The leading Disciple's mind was already in chaos. He slammed a Crimson Talisman onto his body, causing his Spiritual Light to surge dramatically. Instead of attacking, he turned and attempted to flee toward the cave entrance.

“Thinking of leaving now? Too late.” Lin Feng's voice was icy cold. The flowing cloud immortal binding silk shot out once more, following him like a shadow, wrapping directly around his legs.

The Disciple turned and swung his sword rapidly, attempting to cleave the silk ribbon, but he didn't anticipate Lin Feng Form Hand Seal with his left hand, causing the azure flood dragon banner to conjure a surging Flood Dragon that slammed into his flank.

“Bang!” The Disciple was knocked stumbling backward by the Water Dragon. His Protective Spiritual Light flickered violently, and his posture became unstable.

Just then, a cold light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. The Flying Sword in his hand shot out of the air, accurately piercing the throat exposed by the Disciple's panic.

“Hoh...” The Disciple's body stiffened, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror. The Magical Sword in his hand clattered to the ground, blood gushed from his throat, and he slowly knelt down, breathing his last.

The cave instantly fell into deadly silence, leaving only the faint groans of the two severely wounded Disciples.

Lin Feng walked expressionlessly to the two severely wounded Disciples lying on the ground. Under their desperate gazes, he raised his hand and finished them off with a burst of Sword Qi.

He scanned his surroundings, confirming there were no survivors, before quickly walking over to the Stone Mortar.

Looking at the Spiritual Liquid, he took a deep breath. He took out a jade bottle and, with extreme caution, collected all of the earth core spirit quenching milk, leaving not a single drop.

Having finished all this, he wasted no time, quickly searched the five corpses, and pocketed all valuable items.

Afterward, he activated the Fire Bullet Talisman, burning all the corpses and traces of battle. He then guided the remaining chaotic Yin Sha Qi within the cave to strike the walls, creating the illusion that a fierce Spiritual Power conflict had occurred here, leading to a partial collapse.

Taking one last look at the cave, Lin Feng's figure flickered, and he quickly vanished into the passage he had used to enter.

When Lin Feng quietly returned to the Luoyun Valley Forward Operating Base, the scene in the valley was completely different from when he had left.

The fierce fighting that had lasted for several days seemed to have just subsided. The air was filled with a thick, heavy scent of blood, mixed with the bitter smell of the large number of Healing Medicinal Pills used.

The Light Barrier of the Defensive Formation around the camp was noticeably dimmer, and many areas bore scorch marks left by Spell bombardments and signs of hasty repairs.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties, losing many Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples. Even Immortal Master Xuanjue, who was holding the fort, was injured in a fierce confrontation with an opposing Core Formation Stage Master and was currently recuperating in the camp.

Chiyan Sect also seemed to have paid a considerable price. Their offensive was temporarily halted, and the remaining Disciples retreated to their Stronghold. Currently, neither side appeared capable of organizing another large-scale attack, resulting in a brief stalemate as they accumulated strength, waiting for the final struggle when the ice fire lotus truly matured.

‘Just in the short time I was gone, everything has been turned upside down...’ Lin Feng mused internally, feeling a sense of awe. His gaze swept over the Casualty List, and seeing a few familiar names, his mood darkened slightly.

He looked toward the Ice Fire Pool. The Rosy Light still permeated the air, and the Unusual Fragrance grew richer, clearly indicating that it was not far from complete maturation.

‘If I could take advantage of the chaos...’ A thought flashed through his mind, but as far as his eyes could see, the security around the pool was several times stricter than before. The remaining Elite Disciples from both sides guarded their respective Battle Lines, watching fiercely, leaving absolutely no opportunity to exploit.

The ceasefire over the past few days did not bring peace. Disciples from both sides faced off across the Ice Fire Pool, and small-scale skirmishes and probes occurred frequently.

Lin Feng was not assigned any external missions during these days. He spent most of his time recuperating inside the camp while silently observing the situation.

“Did you hear? Chiyan Sect seems to have brought in some Tough Opponents too...”

“Nonsense, why else would they suddenly dispatch two more Junior Martial Uncles? It looks like things are going to get serious in these final days...”

Lin Feng silently listened to the conversations of the other Disciples, understanding the situation.

‘As expected... the Sect has dispatched more Core Formation Elders for support. It seems that both sides have invested more power into this final struggle. Immortal Master Yanjue alone is no longer enough to control the overall situation.’

He clearly sensed that the Unusual Fragrance emanating from the Ice Fire Pool grew stronger each day, and the Rosy Light became increasingly intense. Clearly, the maturation of the ice fire lotus was imminent.

The moment the ice fire lotus matured, Rosy Light shot into the sky, and the Unusual Fragrance was overwhelmingly rich.

Cultivators from both Tianxuan Sect and Chiyan Sect fixed their eyes intently on the few completely blossomed Treasure Lotuses in the center of the Ice Fire Pool, their Lotus Petals shimmering with radiant light.

No one knew who struck first, but a blinding flash of Spell light suddenly ignited, like a fuse being lit, and the great battle erupted instantly.

The Pressure exerted by the Core Formation Cultivators clashed once again. Magic Treasures roared, and Qi waves churned.

The Foundation Establishment Disciples swarmed toward the Ice Fire Pool, unleashing various Spells and Magical Artifacts wildly at their opponents, while desperately trying to get closer to the lotuses.

Lin Feng was positioned on the edge of the Battle Group, waving the azure flood dragon banner and unleashing the xuanming heavy water bead to fend off attacks, but his gaze was fixed on the core area.

The Core Formation Cultivator from Chiyan Sect saw the Tianxuan Sect Disciples gradually stabilizing their position under the support of three Core Formation Cultivators and beginning to attempt to pluck the Lotus Petals. A fierce look flashed in his eyes.

“If I can't get it, none of you will either.” The Chiyan Sect Core Formation Cultivator sneered. Ignoring the Spell launched by Immortal Master Yanjue, he turned a Crimson Banner Flag in his hand, frantically poured all his Spiritual Power into it, and violently stirred the bottom of the Ice Fire Pool.

“Boom!!”

A tremendous noise erupted from the bottom of the pool.

“Old Ghost Chi! What have you done?” Immortal Master Xuanjue roared angrily.

Old Ghost Chi was ruthless enough to completely destroy the Ice Fire Pool.

The pool water shot into the sky, sweeping outwards. The ice fire lotuses bore the brunt of the impact; their Lotus Platforms trembled violently, and the Lotus Seeds growing on them were instantly shaken loose, scattering in all directions.

“Bastard!” Immortal Master Yanjue was filled with shock and rage. He exerted his full power attempting to suppress the energy explosion and protect the Lotus Petals, but it was too late to attend to everything.

In the chaos, one Lotus Seed was propelled toward Lin Feng's location by the explosion's Qi wave. It was extremely fast, and its light was slightly dimmer compared to the other Lotus Seeds, making it inconspicuous amidst the splashing Debris and Mud.

‘A Lotus Seed.’ His heart skipped a beat. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.