Li Feng and the others’ expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly turned toward the source of the voice.
On the platform beside the lava pool sat an old man with silver hair, his face illuminated a fiery red by the glowing magma.
“Senior, we didn’t know you were here. We apologize for the intrusion and will leave immediately,” Li Feng said quickly.
They hadn’t noticed the old man until now, indicating he was no ordinary person. Li Feng had no desire to linger.
“Quack, quack, since you’re here, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. This old man hasn’t seen a living soul in a long time,” the old man cackled.
His voice was chilling, causing Ge Ying to hide behind Li Feng.
“Senior, we have urgent matters,” Li Feng said, unwilling to stay. He turned to leave with Ge Feng and Ge Ying.
“Quack, quack, quack, do you think you can leave in my presence?” The old man’s sinister voice rang out again, and a powerful oppressive force enveloped the trio.
Li Feng felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, rendering him immobile. His face paled as he looked at the old man in shock. He hadn’t expected a mere wave of pressure to immobilize him. What kind of strength was this?
Innate Realm?
Li Feng had never encountered an Innate Realm martial artist, though he had seen peak Acquired Realm martial artists in his previous life. None of them had such pressure.
Who was this old man? Why was he here?
And what did he mean by not seeing a living person in a long time? Had he been here all along?
Questions swirled in Li Feng’s mind, but facing this old man, he dared not ask.
“I just want to talk,” the old man said again.
Li Feng and the others didn’t dare act rashly. To ease the old man’s wariness, Li Feng even stored his saber in his spatial bag.
“Senior, this junior, Ge Feng of the Ge family, greets you,” Ge Feng said, recognizing the old man’s strength and respectfully introducing himself.
“Ge family?” The old man’s gaze landed on Ge Feng, and he suddenly laughed. “I didn’t expect to meet Ge family members here.”
“Senior knows our Ge family?” Ge Feng’s face lit up with hope.
But his joy was short-lived as the old man’s sinister voice continued, “A blood feud, unforgettable even in death.”
“What…”
Ge Feng’s face turned ashen. He hadn’t expected this old man to have a blood feud with the Ge family. His mind went blank.
It was over…
He had hoped the Ge family name would convince the old man to spare them, but it had backfired.
If he had known about this feud, he would never have revealed his identity.
“So you must die today,” the old man said menacingly.
“We have no grudge against you. Why kill us?” Ge Ying asked angrily.
“Why? Quack, quack, quack, little girl, I’ll tell you why,” the old man cackled. “Because you’re from the Ge family. I kill every Ge family member I see.”
“That’s unreasonable!” Ge Ying huffed.
“Hahaha, this old man has always been unreasonable,” the old man laughed, then fixed his sinister gaze on the trio. “But since you’re so young, I’ll give you a chance to live.”
“What do you mean, senior?” Li Feng asked.
“Simple. Only one of you three can live. You decide who lives and who dies,” the old man said with a cold smile.
“Senior, is this game fun to you?” Li Feng sneered.
A glint of cold light flashed in the old man’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? This kind of outdated game was played thousands of years ago. What’s the point now? Senior, you’re a powerhouse. Either kill us outright or stop playing these tricks,” Li Feng said coldly. When Ge Feng revealed their family name and the old man mentioned the blood feud, Li Feng knew this couldn’t end peacefully. Though not part of the Ge family, he had come with the siblings and wouldn’t stand by while they were killed.
“Aren’t you afraid of death?” The old man’s chilling gaze fixed on Li Feng, who felt a piercing cold.
“Afraid? Of course, I’m afraid. Who in this world isn’t? But being afraid doesn’t mean I’ll let you toy with me like a monkey,” Li Feng sneered. “Senior, I don’t think you kept us here just to talk or kill us, did you?”
“Heh, heh, heh…”
The old man gave a sinister smile. “Interesting, interesting. I didn’t expect you to have such guts. If you want to die, then die.”
As soon as he spoke, a terrifying wave of pressure surged toward Li Feng.
Li Feng’s face changed drastically. He hurriedly circulated the Nine Heavens Heart Sutra to resist. But this pressure, at least from the Innate Realm, was beyond what he could withstand, even with his third-level Qi Refining strength, equivalent to the fifth level of the Acquired Realm.
“Kneel!” the old man snorted coldly.
“Damn it, I won’t kneel!” Li Feng roared, his body trembling under the pressure. The rocks beneath his feet cracked, but he stubbornly resisted, his eyes blazing with defiance.
The Innate Realm’s pressure, the pressure of the Heavenly Dao, was indeed extraordinary. Even just this pressure nearly broke Acquired Realm martial artists like them.
As cultivation progressed, the gap between realms widened. Though only one realm apart, the difference between Innate and Acquired was like heaven and earth.
Li Feng had always wondered how strong Innate Realm martial artists were, but now he truly felt their overwhelming power. Even their pressure was beyond his current ability to endure.
The immense pressure was almost crushing, but Li Feng wasn’t one to sit idly. He not only circulated the Nine Heavens Heart Sutra but began condensing his divine sense to resist.
An Innate Realm expert’s pressure wants me to submit? I’ll never yield!
Li Feng’s divine sense surged wildly. Perhaps due to his transmigration, his divine sense had always been exceptionally strong, nearly at the peak of the Acquired Realm, though not quite at the Innate Realm. Knowing his strength couldn’t withstand the pressure, his divine sense became his only weapon.
“Get back!” Li Feng’s eyes flashed with madness, his gaze shooting out beams of light as his divine sense surged upward.
**Boom!**
With a loud boom, the old man’s pressure was repelled by Li Feng’s divine sense.
“Impossible…” The old man stared at Li Feng in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Li Feng to resist his pressure, let alone counterattack. “How do you have such a powerful divine sense?”
“Nothing’s impossible,” Li Feng sneered, drenched in sweat and sitting on a rock, panting heavily, his head throbbing. In that moment, his divine sense had touched the threshold of the Innate Realm but fell short of crossing it.
He knew he lacked a method to cultivate divine sense, making a breakthrough difficult. Divine sense breakthroughs were even harder than cultivation breakthroughs.
For martial artists, body tempering, qi refining, and divine sense cultivation were essential. Divine sense was critical, determining a martial artist’s comprehension of techniques and skills.
“Quack, quack, interesting, interesting. It’s been a long time since I met such an intriguing kid,” the old man laughed, his sinister eyes glinting.
“Li Feng, are you okay?” Though the pressure had targeted Li Feng, Ge Feng and Ge Ying had felt its fringes, which still immobilized them. Seeing the pressure lift, they hurried to Li Feng’s side, concerned.
“I’m fine,” Li Feng shook his head, looking at the old man. “May I know your esteemed name, senior?”
“This old man is Du Wen.”
“So it’s Senior Du. I presume you’ve been trapped here for quite some time?” Li Feng suddenly smiled.
“What do you mean?” Du Wen’s expression shifted, his gaze turning colder.
“What do I mean? Haha, Senior Du, if you could move, you would’ve killed me already instead of using your Innate Realm pressure,” Li Feng chuckled. Thanks to his powerful divine sense, he was sensitive to auras. While resisting Du Wen’s pressure, he had sensed Du Wen’s aura weakening. Combined with Du Wen’s earlier words, Li Feng suspected he was trapped on the platform.
“Ridiculous. To kill a few brats like you, would I need to act personally?” Du Wen sneered.
“Is that so? Then we’ll take our leave,” Li Feng said, standing and motioning to Ge Feng and Ge Ying. “Let’s go.”
Ge Feng and Ge Ying hesitated, fearing Du Wen would kill them if they moved.
“Let’s go,” Li Feng urged, pulling them back the way they came.
“Stop!” Du Wen snorted coldly, his voice laced with killing intent. “You think I can’t kill you?”
“You?” Li Feng turned back, sneering. “Try moving. Haha, Senior Du, I call you senior out of respect. Do you think you can kill me now?”
“Though I don’t know why, I know you’re trapped on that platform. One move, and you might die. Your bluster doesn’t work on me,” Li Feng said coldly, though inwardly he was uneasy. He was gambling that Du Wen was trapped. If he was wrong, he was doomed. If right, there was a chance to survive.
“How did you figure it out?” Du Wen asked, incredulous.
