Chapter 293: A Drowned Sinner (3)

The entire chamber erupted in a brilliant silvery light.

BOOM!!

Li Feng’s fist collided with the Apostle’s pyramid-shaped head with the force of a falling meteor.

For an instant, the world seemed to freeze.

Then the shockwave exploded outward.

"What!?" Shui Ruo shouted in shock, covering her face as the shockwave slammed into her.

The others reacted the same way.

Before them, a violent burst of silver qi tore through the chamber, sending ripples across the flooded stone floor.

Water blasted outward in a ring, splashing against the ancient walls as the ground beneath Li Feng feet cracked slightly.

The Apostle’s massive body jerked sideways.

For the first time since it had appeared, it was forced to move.

CRACK!

A thin fracture spread across the surface of the black pyramid.

The monster’s towering body slid several meters across the stone before stopping with a heavy

THUD.

Silence fell over the chamber.

Shui Ruo stared in shock.

Yue Lan’s lips parted slightly.

Even Liu Yanyue froze for a brief moment.

Only Jian Ruyi reacted differently as she currently puffing out her small chest proudly.

Since she knew a little about Li Feng’s abilities, this didn’t surprise her nearly as much.

Everyone else, however, was completely dumbfounded.

Even the old man stopped despairing for a moment, stunned by the display.

The old man wasn’t shocked by the power of the punch itself.

In the cultivation world, there were countless techniques capable of producing terrifying bursts of strength.

What shocked him was something else entirely.

Li Feng was only at the Qi Refinement Realm.

Yet the force behind that strike had shown strength equivalent to the Golden Core Realm.

That was a difference of three entire realms.

Even for someone who had seen countless geniuses in his lifetime, this was the first time he had witnessed something like this.

The old man’s eyes trembled slightly.

’What kind of special physique is that...?’

His gaze drifted toward the fading silver glow.

Then his pupils suddenly shrank.

"...And the Black Tides couldn’t corrupt that qi?"

Moments ago, he had seen the corruption try to invade Li Feng’s body.

Yet the moment that strange silver light appeared—

The black corruption had recoiled as if it had touched something forbidden.

"...That’s not normal spiritual qi."

The old man muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Yue Lan looked at the man’s back... the man who had helped her move closer to her goals, and the same man who always called her Senior Sister.

’It seems my title as Senior Sister will be gone soon...’

A small smile appeared on her face.

She didn’t feel bad or jealous of Li Feng’s talent at all.

If anything, she felt quietly relieved.

After all, he had helped her a lot.

She wanted him to grow stronger and live a long life as well.

That was precisely why she had brought him here in the first place... to help him obtain his own opportunity.

Meanwhile—

Several meters away,

[....]

The Apostle slowly rose again.

The crack on the surface of its pyramid-shaped head began to seal itself.

Black liquid flowed across the fracture like living tar, filling the damage until the surface became smooth once more.

The creature straightened its massive body, and the oppressive pressure returned immediately.

... It felt even more intense than before.

Jian Ruyi noticed it first.

"...It’s becoming stronger?"

Li Feng noticed it as well.

He clicked his tongue softly.

"...Tch. Even that wasn’t enough, huh."

He hadn’t held back with that strike, yet it had only managed to leave a small crack on its head—one that had already disappeared.

The Apostle slowly lifted its arm again.

The thick black liquid coating its body rippled like a living ocean.

Then—

It began to move.

The dark fluid dripping across the chamber floor started flowing backward, sliding across the stone like obedient serpents before crawling back onto the Apostle’s body.

Even the corrupted fragments left behind by Shui Ruo’s broken technique were drawn toward it.

Liu Yanyue’s brows furrowed slightly.

"...It’s absorbing the qi."

Jian Ruyi’s eyes sharpened.

"So attacking it only makes it stronger."

The old man’s face darkened.

"I told you!" he rasped hoarsely. "That thing devours spiritual qi!"

As if to prove his words—

The Apostle’s aura suddenly surged as thick black darkness poured from its body.

The pressure filling the chamber became noticeably heavier, and the water on the floor began trembling violently.

Shui Ruo immediately stepped back, her expression tense.

"...It’s stronger than before."

Li Feng narrowed his eyes.

He could feel it too.

The creature’s presence had clearly grown heavier... denser... like the crushing pressure of the deep ocean pressing down on everything in the chamber.

That thing can grow this much just from absorbing the others’ attacks?

Li Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He had also noticed something else.

The Apostle didn’t seem able to absorb the star energy produced by his Starforge Body.

In fact, it had even rejected it.

Then the Apostle slowly turned its pyramid-shaped head.

This time...

It wasn’t looking at Yue Lan anymore.

It was looking directly at Li Feng.

[...?]

The pyramid head tilted slightly, as if filled with curiosity.

It was as though the creature itself couldn’t understand what it had just encountered.

A Qi Refinement cultivator.

Someone who should have been insignificant.

Yet his attack had carried a power that shouldn’t exist at that level.

More importantly... the corruption had failed to invade his body.

For the first time since it had appeared, the Apostle seemed to be observing someone carefully.

Li Feng noticed the gaze and grinned.

"What?"

He rolled his shoulders casually.

"Never seen a handsome guy before?"

Despite looking relaxed, Li Feng felt something very different inside.

Unlike others, his instinct for danger was extremely sharp.

And right now...

That instinct was screaming at him.

The danger coming from that thing was rising rapidly...

As if the Apostle is growing stronger with every second past.

Then—

The Apostle raised its hand.

Black liquid surged upward, forming another lance.

But this time—

The weapon looked far denser than before.

The pressure surrounding it distorted the air slightly.

The old man’s face instantly turned pale.

"...Move!"

But the Apostle had already moved.

The black lance shot forward like a bolt of lightning, straight toward Li Feng.

WHOOSH!

The projectile tore through the air with terrifying speed.

The moment it left the Apostle’s hand, the surrounding water violently parted as if something had sliced through the sea itself.

It was far faster than the previous attacks.

Even Li Feng’s pupils shrank slightly.

’Fast!’

But it was still within his limits.

Li Feng’s body shifted slightly to the side, his feet sliding across the wet stone floor as the black lance tore past him.

BOOOOM!!

The spear slammed into the far wall of the chamber, exploding into a violent burst of corrupted liquid.

SPLASH!

SPLASH!

Fragments of rock rained down into the shallow water with loud splashes.

For a brief moment, the chamber trembled.

Li Feng couldn’t help but notice the already damp floor.

The water seemed to be rising... as if the tide itself was slowly creeping into the chamber.

But Li Feng couldn’t dwell on it for long...because the Apostle had already moved again.

More black liquid rose from its body like a tide responding to the moon as several black streams twisted together before hardening into new lances.

But this time—

Not just one.

Not ten but... dozens of lances began forming above its head.

The chamber darkened as the corrupted weapons gathered.

"...It’s preparing a barrage."

The old man’s voice trembled.

Shui Ruo’s breathing grew tight as she watched the dark weapons forming in the air.

"...Those things are getting denser."

She couldn’t even block the weaker one before... and now she had a feeling she would die trying.

Even Jian Ruyi’s proud expression slowly faded as she gripped her sword tighter.

The pressure radiating from those lances was clearly stronger than before.

Meanwhile—

Li Feng stared at the scene with a frown.

He could dodge... but behind him were all his women, and soon to be one too.

And he could feel it...each time it attacked, the corruption in the air seemed to condense further.

Each strike was becoming more precise... more lethal.

As if the Apostle was slowly ... waking up.

Li Feng exhaled slowly.

"...That’s troublesome."

Behind him, Yue Lan watched quietly.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the Ice Jade Sword he had given her.

Even she could feel it now.

The pressure filling the chamber was no longer the same as before.

Then—

The Apostle raised one arm and pointed toward the group.

WHOOSH!!!

The chamber erupted as dozens of corrupted spears tore through the air like a storm of black lightning.

The sound alone made the water explode upward in violent waves.

They came from every direction, fast and deadly.

Shui Ruo’s pupils shrank.

"Li Feng!"

But Li Feng didn’t move.

Instead—

He stepped forward.

His fist clenched tightly as silver light burst outward.

"Falling Star—"

His arm pulled back.

The stars within his body blazed to life, answering the command of their master.

Then he punched forward with everything he had.

"FIST!!"