57: Battle of the Stone Temple (I)

The voice was laced with a hint of familiarity, tinged with a playful mockery.

Nangong Wan struggled to open her eyes. In her blurry vision, a figure stood in front of her.

That figure was not particularly burly, yet his back appeared exceptionally towering at that moment.

In his hand, he held an ancient, black shield. A faint glow shimmered on its surface, exuding a heavy, indestructible Aura.

It was this shield that had steadily blocked the Ink Dragon's fatal strike.

The dark green Demonic Qi collided with the black shield, producing a dull thud, and violent Qi waves swept in all directions.

Nangong Wan was buffeted by the residual Qi waves, and her Qi and blood surged once more.

She tried to focus her vision, wanting to see the person's face clearly.

As the dust settled slightly, the person slowly turned half his face, a faint, almost imperceptible curve on his lips.

"It's you?"

Nangong Wan recognized the newcomer and exclaimed in surprise, her voice filled with disbelief.

The person before her was none other than Lin Feng, the young man who, several years ago at the Ascension Gathering in Tai Nan Valley, had left a deep impression on her, even making her consider taking him as a Disciple, but who ultimately entrusted his Dao Companion to her!

How could he be here?

This place was deep within the Blood Forbidden Ground, fraught with danger. How could a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator like him, alone, have safely reached this place?

Moreover, he was actually able to block the attack of a second-Rank Yao Beast, the Ink Dragon, at such a critical moment?

Countless questions flooded Nangong Wan's mind, making her momentarily forget the intense pain in her body.

Lin Feng did not turn his head, his voice still carrying a hint of ease: "Nangong Senior, have you been well?"

The black shield in his hand flashed, deflecting the Ink Dragon's subsequent claw strike once more.

"Bang!"

With another loud thud, Lin Feng's body swayed slightly, and the arm holding the shield seemed to tremble gently.

The Ink Dragon's two failed attacks infuriated it, enraged by this sudden little bug.

It let out an angry roar, the fierce light in its lantern-like giant eyes growing even brighter, and its massive body squirmed again, clearly brewing a stronger attack.

"Roar!"

The Ink Dragon opened its huge mouth, and a column of dark green Demonic Qi, even more condensed than before, shot towards Lin Feng like a sharp arrow, carrying a foul, fishy smell.

"Be careful!" Nangong Wan's heart tightened at the sight, and she couldn't help but call out a warning.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, and the spiritual power in his body surged wildly into the black shield.

The runes on the shield suddenly lit up, forming a solid black light screen.

"Boom—!"

The Demonic Qi light column slammed heavily onto the black light screen, erupting in dazzling light.

Lin Feng groaned, the stone slabs beneath his feet cracking inch by inch, and he was pushed back several feet.

His face turned pale, and a trickle of blood slowly overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Pfft."

He forcibly swallowed the metallic sweetness that rose in his throat, but his eyes remained sharp.

Nangong Wan saw the blood at the corner of Lin Feng's mouth, and the slight surprise that had arisen from his appearance was instantly replaced by deep worry.

She saw clearly that Lin Feng's cultivation at this moment was still at the peak of the Qi Refinement Stage, no different from when she saw him at the Ascension Gathering.

How could a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, no matter how extraordinary his Magical Artifact, contend with a second-Rank Yao Beast?

His stubborn resistance was akin to a mantis trying to stop a chariot, seeking death!

"Lin Feng! Leave here quickly!" Nangong Wan struggled to get up, her voice anxious, "This Ink Dragon is not something you can handle! I'll hold it off, you quickly take the Disciples and leave!"

At this moment, she had only one thought: she could not let this young man, who dared to entrust his Dao Companion to her, also perish here.

What's more, he was Phoenix Dance's husband.

If something happened to him, how could she explain it to Phoenix Dance?

Upon hearing Nangong Wan's words, Lin Feng, instead of retreating, turned his head, frowning slightly, a look of gentle anger on his face.

He quickly took out a jade bottle from his Storage Pouch and threw it to Nangong Wan.

"Nangong Senior, don't say such disheartening words!" His voice carried an undeniable tone, "Phoenix Dance is entrusted to you, so you must teach her well and protect her! Quickly take these Medicinal Pills, I can hold on for a while longer!"

No sooner had he spoken than the Ink Dragon's next round of attacks arrived.

This time, it was several condensed dark green wind blades, cutting from different angles, sealing off all of Lin Feng's escape routes.

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, and the black shield in his hand danced, leaving behind trails of afterimages.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The wind blades struck the shield, producing a dense clanging sound of metal.

Lin Feng, relying on his exquisite acting skills, narrowly blocked all the wind blades.

But his left arm, holding the shield, visibly sank, and his face paled a bit more.

"Pfft!"

Another mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, more than before, splashing onto the front of his clothes.

He staggered, almost kneeling on one knee, but he straightened his back, his eyes still defiant.

Nangong Wan looked at Lin Feng's stubborn display, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

A Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator dared to speak to her in such a commanding tone.

If it were anyone else, even with her cultivation currently fallen, it would certainly displease her, and she might even scold them.

But for some reason, listening to Lin Feng's words, filled with anger and concern, and seeing his figure protecting her, a strange and inexplicable feeling welled up in Nangong Wan's heart.

The feeling was a bit sour, a bit warm, and with a hint of inexplicable flutter.

She had never been so rudely reprimanded by a man, nor had she ever seen anyone willing to fight so desperately for her.

Especially since the other party was a Junior whose cultivation was far inferior to her own.

She held the jade bottle in her hand, momentarily lost in thought.

"You silly woman, what are you staring at!"

Lin Feng saw Nangong Wan stunneding there and scolded her urgently.

He swung his shield again to block another sweeping tail attack from the Ink Dragon, and the shield let out a mournful cry, its light dimming a bit.

Lin Feng only felt his arm go numb, and the web between his thumb and forefinger throbbed faintly.

Although the Renwang Shield had astonishing defense, activating it also consumed a lot of spiritual power. With his cultivation suppressed to the early Qi Refining Stage, continuously enduring the attacks of a second-Rank Yao Beast was somewhat difficult.

Nangong Wan was jolted by Lin Feng's scolding of "silly woman" and instantly snapped back to reality.

Her cheeks flushed, she wasn't sure if it was from anger or shame.

In all her life, no one had ever dared to call her that!

But at this moment, she couldn't feel angry at all.

Without the slightest hesitation, she pulled out the stopper of the jade bottle and poured all the Medicinal Pills into her mouth at once.

The Medicinal Pills melted upon entry, transforming into a pure and extremely gentle medicinal power that quickly flowed through her limbs and bones.

Her originally parched Dantian, like a long-awaited rain, began to rapidly fill up.

The feelings of weakness and stinging pain caused by the depletion of spiritual power were receding at an astonishing speed.

A hint of surprise flashed in Nangong Wan's eyes.

The efficacy of this Medicinal Pill was actually so astonishing!

In just a few breaths, her spiritual power had recovered by seventy to eighty percent, almost as full as her peak state before entering this stone palace!

This was definitely not an ordinary recovery Medicinal Pill; at the very least, it was some kind of extremely rare High Grade Medicinal Pill!

How did a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator like him obtain such precious Medicinal Pills?

And he gave them to her so unreservedly?

Numerous questions once again surged in Nangong Wan's mind, but now was clearly not the time to delve into them.

She felt the spiritual power re-filling her body, and her confidence returned with it.

"Clang!"

The Vermillion Bird Ring glowed brightly with red light, emitting a clear Phoenix cry, and once again floated in front of her.

"Evil beast, die!"

Nangong Wan let out a soft cry, forming a hand Seal. The Vermillion Bird Ring transformed into a fiery red stream of light, carrying a scorching Aura, and flew directly towards the Ink Dragon.

The Ink Dragon was about to attack Lin Feng again when it suddenly felt a powerful threat from its side.

It turned its head and saw that the female Cultivator, whom it had severely injured earlier, was now full of vigor again, and her Aura was even stronger than before.

The Vermillion Bird Ring was incredibly fast, and the Ink Dragon, caught off guard, was hit hard in the abdomen.

"Bang!"

Fire light exploded, and the Ink Dragon cried out in pain, letting out a shrill roar, its massive body tumbling backward several feet.

The hard scales on its abdomen were scorched black, and faint traces of blood seeped out.

Lin Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Nangong Wan had finally recovered her combat strength and successfully repelled the Ink Dragon.

Acting was also physically demanding, especially playing the role of a weakling in such high-intensity combat; it was truly exhausting.

He wiped the "bloodstains" from the corner of his mouth, feigning a look of spiritual power depletion and imminent collapse, and said to Nangong Wan: "Nangong Senior... as expected, you are formidable... cough cough..."

He deliberately coughed a few times to make himself appear even weaker.

"Senior, please hold on for a while. This Junior guesses you... cough... certainly didn't bring a Talisman Treasure. However, this Junior happens to have one in hand."

Lin Feng's voice was intermittent and weak, as if he could collapse at any moment.

Nangong Wan had just succeeded with one strike and was about to press the advantage, but upon hearing Lin Feng's words, her movements paused slightly.

Talisman Treasure?

She indeed did not carry a Talisman Treasure.

Talisman Treasures were made by Core Formation Cultivators who sealed a portion of a Magic Treasure's power into a special Talisman, which, when activated once, unleashed immense power comparable to a full strike from the Magic Treasure itself.

They were usually refined by high-Rank Cultivators and bestowed upon younger generations they favored.

Her main purpose for entering the Blood Forbidden Ground this time was for the box in the stone palace, and she had not anticipated encountering such a powerful second-Rank Yao Beast, so she naturally hadn't prepared a Talisman Treasure.

This Lin Feng, he actually had a Talisman Treasure?

Nangong Wan felt surprised once again.

The secrets about him seemed to be even more numerous than she had imagined.

She had originally wanted to hold him accountable for the "silly woman" remark, but seeing Lin Feng's current listless and respectful appearance, that little bit of displeasure was suppressed by her.

After all, he had saved her and given her such precious Medicinal Pills.

Moreover, with him looking like this now, if she were to still quibble, she would seem petty.

"Mm." Nangong Wan simply responded faintly, tacitly acknowledging his statement.

She refocused her attention on the enraged Ink Dragon. Under her Divine Thought's control, the Vermillion Bird Ring circled and danced, engaging in a fierce battle with the Ink Dragon.

With Nangong Wan, a former Core Formation Cultivator, holding the Ink Dragon in a head-on confrontation, Lin Feng's pressure was instantly reduced.

He took the opportunity to sit cross-legged, took out another Medicinal Pill from his Storage Pouch and consumed it, beginning his "rest and recovery."

Of course, this was just for Nangong Wan to see.

His real goal was to quickly operate within the System interface.

"System, detect the bond value with Nangong Wan."

【Ding! Target: Nangong Wan. Current Bond Rank: Friendly (45/60).】

His previous actions at the Ascension Gathering, leading Mo Fengwu to become her Disciple, had already raised the bond to Friendly (30 points).

The recent heroic rescue, plus the gift of the Medicinal Pill, added another 15 points.

Still not enough.

Lin Feng's goal was not just Friendly.