Chapter 80: Sparring

The blind elder sat down, with two disciples standing behind him.

Mo Yu Qingyan personally brought fruit and fine wine.

“Please,” Luo Feng said, raising his wine glass.

The blind elder also poured himself some wine. For powerful cultivators, eyes can be trained to be exceptionally keen, and even blindness doesn't prevent them from perceiving their surroundings. Indeed, many cultivators' divine bodies, whether in gaseous or liquid form, lack the physical structure of eyes.

“Please!” the blind elder said with a smile after raising his cup and taking a sip of wine.

“Before I even arrived in Huyang City, I had already heard of God-Monarch Luohe’s renown! General Yonghu of the Yu Kingdom’s capital, even with the aid of Huyang City's grand formation, couldn't draw a single drop of blood from God-Monarch Blood Cloud! Yet, God-Monarch Luohe, you slew Yu Tianxu, Yu Tianyi, and the escaped God-Monarch Blood Cloud outside the city walls, all in a single night! Your strength, God-Monarch, is truly superior to General Yonghu’s!”

“General Yonghu was merely considerate of the city's inhabitants; he allowed Blood Cloud to escape out of concern for collateral damage to the populace,” Luo Feng explained.

“The Yanfeng Guildhall openly sells records of the battle between General Yonghu and Blood Cloud,” the blind elder stated. “It's clear to everyone that Blood Cloud's power is immeasurable, which only increases the admiration of my Heart Shadow Sect for God-Monarch Luohe! Our Sect Master had already issued a strict order: upon arriving in Huyang City, we must never offend the God-Monarch!”

“Your Sect Master is too kind!” Luo Feng said with a slight smile.

Mo Yu Qingyan, standing nearby and serving, pricked up his ears and listened intently. *Never offend the master? The Heart Shadow Sect certainly seems to fear the master!*

“The Heart Shadow Sect’s presence in Huyang City this time is also to secure a place to survive,” the elder sighed. “It is incredibly difficult for a sect to simply survive!”

Luo Feng listened closely.

“For the sake of our survival, all disciples of the Heart Shadow Sect are willing to go to any lengths!” the blind elder declared. “We earnestly request that the God-Monarch understand the Heart Shadow Sect’s predicament and refrain from interfering in these matters!”

“Haha…” Luo Feng chuckled. “I am neither an official of the Yu Kingdom nor a citizen of your Food Kingdom; I am merely an unaligned cultivator. As for whom I assist? Ah, we unaligned cultivators all strive desperately for resources. If ample resources are offered for my hire, how could I possibly decline?”

Luo Feng understood the implication. The elder wished to secure Luo Feng's promise not to intervene in the ongoing conflict in Huyang City.

“Sufficient resources to hire?” the blind elder echoed. “How much would it take to employ God-Monarch Luohe?”

“I treat all equally! The Yu Kingdom has already bestowed considerable benefits upon me, though I have yet to commit to assisting them,” Luo Feng replied. “If the Heart Shadow Sect wishes to hire me, two hundred million cosmic sands would be sufficient!”

“Two hundred million cosmic sands?” The blind elder’s face twitched involuntarily. *He certainly dared to name a price!*

Luo Feng observed him. After all, the ruler of the Yu Kingdom had gifted him a leaf from the Void Expansion Mother Tree, and Marquis Jiujiang had presented him with ten million cosmic sands as a token of gratitude. These were all gestures of goodwill. Quoting one hundred million cosmic sands to the Yu Kingdom was already a friendship price. Therefore, quoting two hundred million cosmic sands to the Heart Shadow Sect was perfectly justified. If the Heart Shadow Sect were to agree to such an exorbitant price, and word got out, the Yu Kingdom would have no grounds for complaint.

“I am simply an unaligned cultivator; I assist whoever provides me with resources. I trust Elder Xinyan can understand this,” Luo Feng said, looking at the elder.

The conversation between Luo Feng and the blind elder continued. The two disciples behind the blind elder and Mo Yu Qingyan all felt their hearts pound. Two hundred million cosmic sands? What an immense fortune!

“I understand. Even for the disciples of our sect, acquiring resources is no easy feat,” the blind elder acknowledged. “I have traveled the world, challenging powerful individuals from all corners! With the God-Monarch's formidable strength, I wonder if you would be willing to spar for a bit?”

“Spar?”

Luo Feng nodded. “Very well!”

Sensing Luo Feng's confidence, the blind elder immediately nodded. “I shall arrange for a more spacious location!”

“My cave dwelling will suffice,” Luo Feng replied. “It's merely a spar; this space is ample!”

“I fear it might damage the God-Monarch’s cave dwelling,” the blind elder added.

“If it breaks, you won’t be held responsible!” Luo Feng said with a laugh as he stood up.

“The God-Monarch is indeed generous!” The blind elder also rose to his feet.

His two disciples behind him, along with Mo Yu Qingyan at his side, all grew somewhat nervous.

In a spacious area within Luo Feng’s cave dwelling, Luo Feng and the blind elder stood facing each other from a distance. Molosa, Mo Yu Qingyan, and the two Heart Shadow Sect disciples observed from the periphery of the cave dwelling.

“Please!” Luo Feng said with a smile, looking at the elder.

The blind elder turned his hand, revealing a black spike. At first glance, this spike appeared unremarkable, with a subdued sheen and no discernible mystical patterns. As it was merely a spar, neither party ignited their divine power, keeping their auras restrained.

“This God-Monarch Luohe intends to play both sides, demanding two hundred million cosmic sands right away? If I make him realize the true disparity in our strengths, he will become far more cooperative!” the blind elder mused inwardly.

“God-Monarch, be cautious!” the blind elder warned, thrusting the black spike in his hand forward.

This single thrust, however, tore through the ‘Life-Death Domain’ that already encompassed the surroundings. Luo Feng’s Life-Death Domain enveloped the entire cave dwelling, offering stout resistance the moment the blind elder thrust his spike. The Life-Death Domain was a combination of three Chaos Realm techniques. Once manifested, it spun like a vast Tai Chi cloud formation, its power several times greater than a pure ‘Control of Chaos’ technique.

Tear.

The blind elder’s thrust, however, forcibly pierced through the Life-Death Domain’s obstruction, tearing the energy currents and sending waves of energy billowing. The spike had already reached Luo Feng’s robe! Luo Feng remained motionless. A layer of hazy protective attire materialized on the surface of his robe, formed by condensing the Life-Death Domain and integrating two Chaos Realm techniques related to the laws of chaos. Only through the fusion of five techniques did this protective Chaos Robe fully form! Though it couldn't compare to God-Monarch Blood Cloud, who merged nine techniques to create his Blood Cloud Grand Formation, the Life-Death Domain and the Chaos Robe were merely a fraction of the methods Luo Feng had comprehended over these past five epochs!

“Pfft.”

This thrust actually pierced through Luo Feng’s hazy Chaos Robe, reaching his skin. His perfect divine body, refined thrice, finally suffered a slight puncture, revealing a tiny red blood dot!

“Hmm?” The blind elder recoiled instantly, a look of disbelief on his face.

“Remarkable, truly remarkable! Elder Xinyan’s casual thrust can pierce through my domain and protective robe, and even wound me!” Luo Feng exclaimed.

The blind elder felt the pressure mount. “I cultivated the God-King level legacy, 'Six Destructions,' integrating seven Chaos Realm techniques precisely as taught to form this single thrust!” the blind elder thought, secretly astonished. “I have encountered cultivators with infinite divine bodies before, and this very thrust was always sufficient to grievously wound them! Yet, against God-Monarch Luohe, it merely grazed his skin?”

What appeared to be a simple thrust was, in fact, one of the blind elder's most devastating killer moves, with which he had triumphed across countless factions!

“God-Monarch, I invite you to try this next technique of mine!” the blind elder declared.

Immediately after speaking, his figure blurred into indistinctness!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh.

He instantly split into thirteen figures, each unleashing a thrust. While each individual thrust appeared formidable, the true earth-shattering power emerged when all thirteen converged into a single strike!

“Rumble rumble.”

This concentrated black thrust even surprised Luo Feng. “Indeed worthy of a God-King sect disciple; these techniques are truly profound, forming a formation with multiple moves to unleash a concentrated strike? Simply relying on my protective robe to endure this won't suffice; I must display some true skill!”

Confronting the terrifying, earth-shattering blow, Luo Feng extended his left hand!

Boom! His arm expanded rapidly, and his palm grew colossal, as if it could blot out the sky. Each of Luo Feng’s five fingers contained a two-colored vortex, making his entire palm resemble a miniature chaotic realm! Bang! As the fearsome thrust collided with Luo Feng's palm, their powers clashed destructively, furiously obliterating each other!

On one side was a technique from a God-King level legacy, allowing disciples to steadily enhance their foundation and approach the Chaos Realm simply by following its steps. On the other side was ‘Ten Directions Annihilation Palm’, one of Luo Feng’s six ultimate killing moves, which directly confronted the Grand Dao of Life Origin and the Profound Mysteries of Destruction Origin, merging both, further integrated with insights into chaos.

If the ‘Ten Directions Immeasurable Blade’ from the ‘Nine Breaking Blades’ was purely defensive, then this ‘Ten Directions Annihilation Palm’ was an offensive palm technique, integrating ten Chaos Realm techniques and executed with a perfect divine body refined thrice. This was one of Luo Feng’s true killing moves!

Luo Feng still had to hold back some of his power; too much force would exceed the realm of an 'Eternal True God'! Luo Feng had long decided not to conceal his accumulated cultivation realm, as the outside world already believed he was very close to the ‘Chaos Realm’. However, the true might of his perfect divine body had to be reined in! Even when restricted to the power level of an 'Infinite Divine Body', it still managed to suppress the blind elder! While the integration of ten techniques within the ‘Ten Directions Annihilation Palm’ was still somewhat unrefined, it was no less potent than the blind elder’s killing formation!

“Bang!”

That fearsome thrust, under the crushing force of Luo Feng’s immense palm, ultimately splintered and was utterly annihilated! This sight sent a jolt through the blind elder.

“This Luohe possesses an Infinite Divine Body of the Law Lineage! Furthermore, his accumulated cultivation realm surpasses mine!” The blind elder instantly confirmed this realization. “If he belonged to a bloodline cultivation system, with such accumulation, he would likely have already ascended to the Chaos Realm!”

“Elder Xinyan, your formation technique is quite formidable!” Luo Feng complimented. “I was even forced to use one of my ultimate techniques. Elder Xinyan, do you have any more moves to demonstrate?”

“There’s no need to continue; I am indeed inferior to God-Monarch Luohe!” the blind elder conceded. “This spar has certainly broadened my horizons! God-Monarch Luohe, I shall take my leave now. I will convey the hiring price you mentioned to our Sect Master!”

“Very well!” Luo Feng smiled and nodded.

The blind elder turned and promptly departed with his two disciples.

Throughout this exchange, the cave dwelling remained enveloped by the Life-Death Domain. The blind elder had also intentionally limited his scope without igniting his divine power, so the cave dwelling was mostly undamaged. Only the open ground where they fought showed some minor pits and depressions.

“Whoosh!” With a single thought, the ground swiftly restored itself.

“Master, this Elder Xinyan is quite powerful!” Molosa commented.

“He should be stronger than Blood Cloud!”

“Indeed. Blood Cloud’s formations are still relatively crude, whereas Elder Xinyan’s killing techniques are more refined and naturally integrated, possessing superior power!” Luo Feng nodded. “Truly befitting a God-King level sect!”

Although he himself possessed two lineages of God-King inheritances, his revered master, Zuoshanke, was a God-King of the artifact refining lineage, and none of the God-King inheritances were suitable for him personally! The third-generation patriarch of the Duan Donghe lineage did leave behind three God-King level inheritances—‘Duan Mie,’ ‘Dong Hua,’ and ‘Immortal River’—but these were all auxiliary methods! There was no other way; both Master Zuoshanke and the third-generation patriarch were merely nascent God-Kings! This was also why they met such fates: one fled into the cosmic sea, while the other utterly perished! True strength is the fundamental essence.

“Elder Xinyan, how was your visit with God-Monarch Luohe?” the Heart Shadow Sect Master, Feng Yuqi, asked, having returned from his own visit to the Yanfeng Guildhall. “I hear you sparred with him?”

“I requested that he not interfere, but he immediately demanded a hiring fee of two hundred million cosmic sands!” the blind elder said, frowning. “Thus, we had no choice but to proceed with the backup plan: spar with him to exert some pressure! However, in this exchange… his divine body proved stronger than mine, and even his cultivation realm surpassed mine!”

Heart Shadow Sect Master Feng Yuqi couldn't help but interject, “Both Old Ancestors have stated that your accumulation, Elder Xinyan, is sufficiently profound, and with just a slight opportunity, you are poised for a breakthrough! His realm is actually higher than yours?”

“While slightly higher, it is ultimately within the same tier,” the blind elder clarified. “However, once I command our disciples and wield the mechanical secret treasure, the ‘Heart Demon Kite,’ I will be more than capable of matching Luohe!”

The God-King who originally founded the Heart Shadow Sect had, based on their own inheritance, specifically commissioned thirteen mechanical-stream secret treasures to serve as the sect’s heirloom artifacts! Yet, over the long passage of time, only seven of the original thirteen mechanical-stream secret treasures guarding the sect gates remain, and the ‘Heart Demon Kite’ is one of them! When God-Kings establish a sect, they leave behind numerous methods and safeguards! It's just that with continuous decline, the Heart Shadow Sect’s means have dwindled.

“This was merely a spar; I did not employ my will secret technique, ‘Shadowless Thrust,’ which is truly my most powerful move,” the blind elder stated. “Once that will secret technique is utilized, it ceases to be a spar and becomes a battle to the death!”