197: Palace Master of Xiaoji Palace

The three-colored flame floated in mid-air.

It didn't emit scorching heat or biting cold, yet it made everyone present feel a tremor originating from their Soul.

Han Li Supreme Matriarch stared intently at the flame, the color long drained from her face, leaving only endless shock and fear.

She could feel that the Origin of the Qianlan Ice Flame, which she had painstakingly refined for hundreds of years, had been completely devoured, becoming nourishment for the other flame.

The pain of that Divine Soul connection being forcibly erased was a thousand times worse than the pain of a severed arm.

“W-what kind of flame is that?”

Her voice was dry and hoarse, with a tremor she hadn't even noticed herself.

Lin Feng didn't respond to her words.

He raised his hand and gently beckoned towards the fiercely burning three-colored flame.

The strange flame, capable of making even Great Cultivators despair, became as docile as a house cat, rapidly shrinking into a wisp of three-colored light, which then disappeared into his fingertip.

The entire process was fluid and effortless.

“It's just a secret art of a barbarian Cultivator.”

Lin Feng retracted his hand, his gaze calmly fixed on Han Li Supreme Matriarch, his tone carrying a hint of well-placed mockery.

“Does Elder Han Li Supreme Matriarch even have an interest in such a low-grade minor secret art?”

At these words, Han Li Supreme Matriarch felt a tightness in her chest, and a mouthful of old blood nearly gushed out.

A low-grade minor secret art?

This was clearly using her apprentice's earlier words to fiercely slap her face!

Beside her, Leng Senior Apprentice's delicate body was already trembling like a sieve.

She felt dizzy, her intestines turning green with regret.

How foolish had she been to provoke such an evil star?

Just to humiliate the Bai Yao Yi she always looked down upon, she had dragged herself, her Dao Companion, and even her Master into this abyss of eternal damnation.

She subconsciously glanced at Xiao Senior Apprentice, whose face was pale beside her, then looked at the black-robed man standing with his hands behind his back, looking down on the world.

An intense surge of jealousy and envy rose from the bottom of her heart.

Why!

Why was that bitch Bai Yao Yi so lucky to attract such a terrifying powerhouse?

Such demeanor, such strength, was tens of thousands of times stronger than her Dao Companion, Xiao Lang!

Han Li Supreme Matriarch, at this moment, had no mind to care what her apprentice was thinking.

Her heart was bleeding.

Her right arm was severed, and her vital essence was depleted; it would take several years of hard work to recover.

Now, even her life-bound Qianlan Ice Flame had been taken, her Foundation was damaged, and her Dao path was bleak.

That sliver of a Soul Transformation opportunity she had touched upon had, at this moment, completely vanished.

In this life, she feared there was no hope for Soul Transformation!

Unless…

Han Li Supreme Matriarch's gaze uncontrollably flickered towards Lin Feng's fingertip, a hint of greed and madness flashing in her eyes.

Unless she could obtain that three-colored flame!

If she could claim this flame for herself, not only might she replenish her losses, but she might even Break through her Bottleneck in one fell swoop!

This was Xiao Ji Palace, her territory!

As long as she could lure this person into the Virtual Spirit Hall within the Palace, and use the ancient Restrictions formation within the Hall, there might be a chance to suppress and kill him!

At this thought, Han Li Supreme Matriarch's killing intent flared again.

She suddenly turned and sharply shouted at Xiao Senior Apprentice and Leng Senior Apprentice: “You two, block him!”

Before her words finished, she transformed into a streak of light and fled desperately towards the depths of the ice crystal palace.

She wanted to escape! Escape into the Virtual Spirit Hall!

However, her movements were fast, but Lin Feng's were even faster.

“Slap!”

The streak of light that had just taken flight seemed to be violently yanked down from mid-air by an invisible large hand, smashing back to its original spot at an even faster speed than it had left.

Han Li Supreme Matriarch was utterly disoriented, seeing stars, and fell straight to the ground, motionless.

At the same time, Leng Senior Apprentice, who had just gotten up and was also preparing to flee, only felt a blur before her eyes.

“Slap!”

The same sound, the same location.

Before she could even let out a scream, she was once again violently pressed into the ten-thousand-year profound ice beneath the ground by an irresistible force.

This time, the depression sank even deeper.

On the ice plain, only Xiao Senior Apprentice remained, frozen in place, his hands and feet icy cold.

He looked at the Grand Elder who had been knocked unconscious with a single slap, then at the human-shaped ice pit that only revealed a blurred outline, feeling a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He didn't move, because he simply didn't dare to move.

And precisely because he didn't move, Lin Feng didn't even glance at him.

Amidst this deathly silence, a pressure even more terrifying than when Han Li Supreme Matriarch had appeared descended.

The Restriction power of the entire Xuanming Ice Island seemed to be fully activated at this moment, transforming into a visible white pillar of light that shot up from the top of the ice crystal palace, and then, like a celestial river pouring down, landed in front of the palace gates.

As the light dissipated, it revealed a beautiful woman in palace attire, with a graceful and noble appearance.

She was surrounded by powerful Restriction spiritual light, her aura so strong that it seemed to surpass Han Li Supreme Matriarch's at her peak.

“Palace Master!”

Upon seeing the newcomer, Xiao Senior Apprentice felt as if he had seen a savior and quickly bowed in salute.

Lin Feng's heart stirred, and his gaze fell upon the beautiful woman.

Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Her cultivation aura seemed slightly weaker than Han Li Supreme Matriarch's, likely having just broken through not long ago, with an unstable Foundation.

But at this moment, she had activated the Restriction power of the entire island to empower herself, and her might was indeed extraordinary.

It was Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master who had arrived.

She had actually arrived long ago.

From the moment Han Li Supreme Matriarch left her Immortal Cave, her Divine Thought had enveloped this place.

She had originally thought that with the Grand Elder's intervention, it would be a simple matter, but she hadn't expected to witness a scene that utterly shocked her.

An arm severed by a sword.

A secret art devoured.

Suppressed with a single palm.

Her proud Xiao Ji Palace Grand Elder was, in front of that black-robed man, like a three-year-old child, utterly defenseless.

Had she not activated the grand formation's Restrictions and appeared in time, she had no doubt that in the next moment, Han Li Supreme Matriarch might have been killed on the spot.

Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tumultuous waves in her heart.

She looked at Lin Feng, trying to force out a gentle smile.

But she found that the other party was looking at her with a half-smile, half-frown, an gaze that seemed to penetrate one's heart, clearly seeing all her nervousness, fear, and the feigned courage she displayed by relying on the grand formation's power.

She felt as if she wasn't here to save the day, but rather to walk into a trap.

It was as if she hadn't surrounded the other party with the grand formation, but rather the other party alone had surrounded the entire Xiao Ji Palace.

A bead of cold sweat silently trickled down her smooth forehead.

“Fellow Daoist, please show mercy!”

She finally spoke, her voice soft, her posture extremely humble.

“Presumably, Your Excellency is Fellow Daoist Qinglian, invited by Junior Sister Bai Yao Yi. As expected, you are formidable, and I, your humble servant, admire you.”

“Today's events are all due to my poor hospitality and inadequate discipline of my disciples, which led to this misunderstanding. I ask Fellow Daoist to show some consideration for Junior Sister Bai Yao Yi's sake.”

Lin Feng smiled.

He looked at the Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master, who was feigning composure, and slowly spoke.

“Palace Master is joking.”

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

“Today, Lin came with the intention of visiting the Palace Master to discuss some matters.”

“But I didn't expect that this Grand Elder of your esteemed Palace, and this Fairy Leng, were somewhat ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.”

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the unconscious Han Li Supreme Matriarch on the ground, then glanced at the deep human-shaped ice pit, and said in a calm tone:

“With such strength, they dared to shout and provoke me.”

“My hands were itching for a bit, so I punished them slightly on behalf of the Palace Master.”

At this point, he paused, then looked up at the beautiful woman whose face had already begun to turn pale.

“Palace Master, you don't mind, do you?”