Chapter Forty-Five: Breaking the Law!

Qin Feng narrowed his sharp eyes slightly.

It seemed that Fengyang was finally going to get serious.

The previous techniques had already been so formidable; if he unleashed his true power, Qin Feng wondered if he could withstand it.

The battle between the peach tree spirit and his maternal aunt was still ongoing.

Relying solely on the hundred-plus animal zombies would make it very difficult to contend with Fengyang.

At that moment, Fengyang produced a packet of cinnabar, dipped the index and middle fingers of his left hand into it, and quickly traced a spell upon the palm of his right hand.

Simultaneously, he chanted incantations at a rapid pace: "Boundless heaven and earth, universe lend me your power. Eastern wood thunder slays evil specters, southern fire thunder burns demonic souls. Western gold thunder snaps all shackles, northern water thunder washes demonic dust. Central earth thunder suppresses mountains and rivers; the five qi converge, the art is complete.

"By imperial decree!"

The next moment, a five-colored lightning rune materialized immediately within Fengyang's palm.

"Wretch, go to hell!"

Fengyang struck out with his palm.

"Crackling—!"

A five-colored bolt of lightning, intertwined with gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, projected an arc stretching ten meters long.

Seething with wild and destructive momentum, like the descent of the Grim Reaper, it roared rapidly toward Qin Feng.

"Another spell?"

Qin Feng frowned inwardly. "No, this shouldn't be the same technique. The power of the spell Fengyang used just now was nowhere near this strong."

"Feng'er, this is the Five Thunder Palm Incantation Secret! Its power far surpasses ordinary spells—you must not meet it head-on!"

Mu Rusue, who had been keeping a watchful eye on Qin Feng, hurriedly issued a warning.

She was currently a walking treasury of knowledge, holding secrets in her mind that far surpassed the scripture pavilion of a major sect.

It was no surprise that she could instantly see through the technique Fengyang had employed.

Nor was it surprising to Fengyang himself. Any Daoist disciple with even a sliver of discernment knew of the Five Thunder Palm Incantation Secret.

This incantation was an upgraded version of lesser spells, vastly more powerful.

However, it was notoriously difficult to master. Even with his talent, it had taken him a full five years of practice to command it.

The sole drawback was the immense consumption of spiritual mana required to execute it.

Even for him, using this technique drained fully one-third of his total spiritual energy.

In other words, he could only use this move three times.

Once those three times were up, his mana would be completely exhausted.

Yet, he remained confident that a single strike would be enough to obliterate Qin Feng.

"I knew it, a regular spell couldn't possibly be this powerful."

Qin Feng snapped back to his senses, his legs retreating swiftly while he commanded the hundred-plus animal zombies to shield his front.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

"Crackling—!"

The hundred-plus animal zombies were directly blasted by the violent lightning, some hurled high into the air, others exploding into pieces.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning tore the ranks of animal zombies to shreds.

The surging lightning, resembling a roaring thunder dragon with its maw agape, lunged forward to swallow Qin Feng whole.

"Such speed! I can't dodge it!"

Qin Feng's pupils constricted, his teeth clenched as he swung his sword fiercely toward the oncoming lightning.

There was no alternative.

The lightning moved with blinding velocity; in such a brief window, he could devise no countermeasure against Fengyang's assault.

Unable to evade, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and counterattack.

With his physical resilience coupled with his armor of hair, surely he wouldn't be killed in a single blow, would he?

Qin Feng had no certainty in his heart. Now, he could only stake his life on it.

"Feng'er, don't be afraid, Auntie is here!"

Out of nowhere, Mu Rusue materialized directly in front of Qin Feng.

Her curvaceous, alluring figure stood like a towering mountain, shielding him safely behind her.

A longsword gash ran across her right shoulder.

Her clothing was torn, fresh blood spilling forth as the tender flesh parted from the edges—she was gravely wounded.

Without a thought, he knew she had abandoned all concern for her own safety, disregarding Wufeng's attacks to rush before him despite the cost.

Qin Feng was utterly moved, a profound wave of guilt washing over him.

It was all his fault; had it not been for him, his aunt would never have been injured.

His strength was still simply too weak.

Gazing upon his aunt's bleeding wounds, a desire to grow powerful surged within Qin Feng with unprecedented intensity.

If only he were strong enough to slay Fengyang in a single strike, his aunt would never have had to suffer.

"Feng'er, this technique relies on the convergence of the five elements' thunder qi and the integrity of the thunder talisman. Breaking it is quite simple.

"You only need to block the thunder qi, disrupt the five elements, and shatter the talisman's form. Watch closely."

Mu Rusue's ten fingers, resembling polished mutton-fat jade, wove through hand seals at lightning speed.

Her lips moved in a low incantation, culminating in a sharp command: "Decree!"

As the word fell, a sharp whistle pierced the air.

A surge of metal-attribute spiritual mana materialized into a scaled defensive shield, stationing itself before Mu Rusue.

"Geng-Metal Thunder-Transforming Art!"

Fengyang gasped in involuntary shock. "Impossible! How do you know the Qingcheng Sect's Geng-Metal Thunder-Transforming Art? Could it be that you are a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect?!"

Even as Fengyang cried out in astonishment, a deafening explosion resounded.

The lightning struck the scaled shield squarely.

The shield rapidly absorbed the violent thunder energy, transmuting it directly into defensive power.

Though Mu Rusue's cultivation was inferior to Fengyang's, her scaled shield remained unbreached, growing even steadier instead.

Such was the nature of mutual generation and restriction among mystical arts.

The Five Thunder Palm Incantation Secret took wood thunder as its catalyst, belonging to the wood-attribute arts among the five elements.

Meanwhile, the Geng-Metal Thunder-Transforming Art belonged to the metal-attribute arts.

Water restrains fire, and metal restrains wood.

With Fengyang's technique countered, it naturally failed to unleash its full might.

"Auntie, rest well. Leave the rest to me," Qin Feng said, hurrying to Mu Rusue's side as he saw the lightning blocked.

His aunt's injuries had only just healed, yet she had been wounded once more—both times because of him.

He refused to let her drag her battered body into battle for his sake any longer.

"Feng'er, Auntie is fine, just grazed by a sword.

"Don't we still have the thousand-year ginseng? Minor wounds like this heal instantly," Mu Rusue said nonchalantly.

"Hmph! As a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, you actually consort with zombies. Aren't you afraid I'll report this matter back to the sect?"

Fengyang stared at Mu Rusue with icy eyes, showing not a shred of fear.

His technique had been broken, but that was of no consequence.

When two spellcasters fought, having one's art countered was commonplace.

If they were to engage in real combat, he possessed absolute confidence in his ability to kill Mu Rusue.

In his estimation, he mastered far more techniques than she did.

Not only that, but his arts were superior to hers.

Even among disciples of major sects, disparities existed. As the successor to a Celestial Master, he had started his journey standing upon the shoulders of giants.

"Heh, go ahead and report it then," Mu Rusue sneered.

She neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.

Letting him assume she was a Qingcheng disciple worked to their advantage, sparing White Cloud Temple unnecessary trouble.

"I'll kill you first, then we can talk.

"I'll be doing the Qingcheng Sect a favor by purging their ranks; they ought to thank me."

Fengyang formed hand seals with both hands, stepping out the Pace of Yu to trace a Bagua pattern upon the ground.

His lips chanted the incantation: "Jade Clear channels breath to nourish the spirit, Upper Clear gathers thoughts to unite the hundred skeletons, Great Clear banishes delusions to slay the three corpses. The three flowers gather at the crown, the calamity finger pierces the netherworld—decree!"

As the incantation finished, Fengyang extended the pinky finger of his right hand and pointed it straight at Mu Rusue.

A thick, potent wave of spiritual mana blasted forward.

"Auntie, watch out!"

With quick eyes and swift hands, Qin Feng lunged forward and yanked Mu Rusue behind him.

The dense wave of spiritual mana struck Qin Feng dead-center, plunging directly into his body.