As Chu Feng wielded his weapon, cold glints flashed, sword shadows multiplied, and his aura surged instantly.
Linghu Hongfei panicked slightly. After dodging Chu Feng’s onslaught, he immediately executed a movement technique, retreating swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, he had put tens of thousands of metres between himself and Chu Feng.
It wasn’t that Linghu Hong was overreacting.
Linghu Hong knew deep down that despite having the upper hand earlier, his advantage over Chu Feng was marginal at best.
Once Chu Feng revealed his semi-complete Venerable weapon, Linghu Hong’s combat power paled in comparison.
“It seems the gap isn’t that wide,” many martial cultivators in the crowd remarked, picking up on the situation.
Some even caught a fleeting look of panic on Linghu Hong’s face.
Though it passed quickly, it was noticed.
Thus, they concluded that the difference between Chu Feng and Linghu Hong was indeed small, and with a semi-complete Venerable weapon, Chu Feng could turn the tides.
But Linghu Hong, naturally, wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.
As he retreated, he too drew his semi-complete Venerable weapon.
Swish, swish, swish,
Cold light gleamed, and blades of light danced as Linghu Hong charged at Chu Feng once more.
“Here you come, perfect,” Chu Feng said fearlessly, gripping his Blue Jade Mandarin Sword, engaging Linghu Hong again.
With the support of their semi-complete Venerable weapons, their combat power returned to a balanced state.
The earlier scene repeated itself.
At first, neither gained the upper hand, but gradually, the balance shifted. Chu Feng began to falter, and Linghu Hong started to suppress him.
Buzz,
However, just as Linghu Hong gained the advantage, Chu Feng’s cultivation surged from Fifth Rank Venerable to Sixth Rank Venerable.
The divine thunder mark surging on his forehead revealed why his cultivation had risen.
Perhaps learning from Chu Feng’s earlier reveal of the semi-complete Venerable weapon, Linghu Hong didn’t let his guard down this time, keeping a close eye on Chu Feng.
Almost simultaneously, as Chu Feng unleashed his thunder mark to boost his cultivation, Linghu Hong did the same.
In nearly the same moment, both their cultivations rose from Fifth Rank Venerable to Sixth Rank Venerable.
Crackle,
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, after releasing his thunder mark, Chu Feng’s cultivation climbed again, reaching Seventh Rank Venerable.
It was the Thunder Armour on Chu Feng’s body.
Seeing the Thunder Armour, the crowd wasn’t overly shocked.
Though unlocking Thunder Armour was a difficult feat, some had witnessed Chu Feng use it before, and the news had spread. Thus, people already knew Chu Feng possessed it.
While they marvelled at his talent, they weren’t particularly surprised.
Moreover, they didn’t believe Chu Feng’s Thunder Armour would shift the battle’s outcome.
After all, everyone knew Linghu Hong also possessed Thunder Armour.
Crackle,
Sure enough, after Chu Feng unleashed his Thunder Armour, Linghu Hong followed suit.
“Chu Feng, every technique you have, I have too. What can you possibly use to fight me?”
“Your fate was sealed from the start. No matter how you struggle, it’s futile,” Linghu Hong mocked.
“Is that so?” Chu Feng replied, a strange smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
Swish, swish, swish,
In the next moment, Chu Feng’s sword moved with blinding speed, so fast that even Linghu Hong struggled to keep up. His attacks grew fiercer.
When their weapons clashed, Linghu Hong’s palms tingled, and he was forced to retreat. Facing Chu Feng’s current onslaught, Linghu Hong found himself struggling to cope.
Initially, people thought that after both raised their cultivation, Chu Feng would be suppressed by Linghu Hong as before.
But the current situation proved them wrong.
Now, it wasn’t Chu Feng being suppressed, but Linghu Hong.
“How can this be? Their cultivations are the same, so why has the combat power shifted? Could it be… Chu Feng was deliberately hiding his strength earlier?” the crowd pondered, puzzled.
Like Linghu Hong, they had assumed he would continue to dominate, but the reality was the opposite.
Naturally, people began to speculate why such a change had occurred.
Chu Feng hiding his strength from the start seemed a plausible explanation.
“No, perhaps it’s not that Chu Feng hid his cultivation. It might be the difference in their Divine Punishment Mysterious Techniques,” someone else suggested.
“Divine Punishment Mysterious Techniques?” The crowd remained confused.
“While both have unlocked their thunder marks and Thunder Armour, the unique powers of their Heavenly Bloodlines, don’t forget: the mark on Chu Feng’s forehead is ‘Divine,’ while Linghu Hong’s is ‘Heaven,’” the person explained.
“Divine Punishment Mysterious Technique! It’s the power of the Divine Punishment!”
“How did I not think of that? Divine Punishment Mysterious Techniques vary in strength.”
“While the Heaven Punishment Mysterious Technique is already top-tier, many juniors in the Ancestral Martial Starfield cultivate it.”
“But in the entire Ancestral Martial Starfield, only Chu Feng has successfully cultivated the Divine Punishment Mysterious Technique,” they realised.
At this, the crowd came to a sudden understanding.
All along, they had believed Linghu Hong would surely win.
Thus, they overlooked Chu Feng’s advantage—his cultivation of the Divine Punishment Mysterious Technique.
As the hardest to cultivate, the Divine Punishment Mysterious Technique was inherently superior to others.
In terms of bloodline strength, the Divine Punishment naturally suppressed the Heaven Punishment.
Thus, Chu Feng’s ability to overpower Linghu Hong could best be explained by the Divine Punishment Mysterious Technique.
Swish, swish, swish,
Chu Feng’s attacks grew fiercer, his sword light pouring like a storm, overwhelming Linghu Hong.
At this moment, Linghu Hong was far more dishevelled than Chu Feng had been when suppressed earlier.
Despite Chu Feng’s ferocious assault, his expression wasn’t fierce at all. Instead, a growing smile spread across his face.
“Linghu Hong, what’s wrong? Don’t keep retreating.”
“Didn’t you say you’d suppress me from the start?”
“This performance is rather disappointing,” Chu Feng taunted while dominating Linghu Hong.
This enraged Linghu Hong. Already prideful, and now wielding numerous techniques, he was brimming with confidence.
He couldn’t tolerate anyone humiliating him.
“Argh!”
Suddenly, Linghu Hong roared, brandishing his semi-complete Venerable weapon.
In an instant, massive flames erupted from his weapon, surging toward Chu Feng.
It was an Immortal Taboo Martial Skill, and its power was immense.
Caught off guard by Linghu Hong’s sudden attack, Chu Feng blocked it but was still pushed back by the force.
