Chapter 60: Assassination
Beichuan Mountain Range.
The mountains here were towering, and the air was bitingly cold.
Ling Fei soared through the mountain ravines on his Profound Eagle.
Nestled among the encircling peaks was a massive lake.
This was Beichuan Lake.
The lake was so vast it was like an ocean, its far shore out of sight.
But as soon as they reached this area, the Profound Eagle refused to go any further.
It was simply too cold. Even a Profound Eagle at the Nine Layers of Body Tempering couldn't continuously withstand such icy qi.
Thus, Ling Fei had no choice but to have the Profound Eagle wait at the edge of the mountains.
He then took off, running forward as if on wings.
'It really is much colder here than outside, but it's still nothing compared to the Cold Qi in the Dragon Pool.' Ling Fei ran with swift strides.
The cold here couldn't affect him in the slightest.
Behind him, a figure appeared.
It was none other than Qin Hui.
'This kid has the Cold Essence Spirit Body, so he isn't afraid of the Cold Qi here at all. If he gets any deeper, it'll be a disadvantage for me.' Qin Hui's eyes glinted coldly as he muttered to himself, 'This place is deserted. It's the perfect chance to strike and kill Ling Fei in one blow. That way, no one will ever trace it back to me.'
A cold smirk touched the corner of his lips.
Then, he drew the long sword from his waist, pulling the blade from its sheath.
A sharp killing intent emanated from his eyes.
'Killing intent? Someone's here!' Just as Qin Hui drew his sword, Ling Fei's eyelid twitched, and he came to a sudden halt.
At that moment, Qin Hui was two hundred meters away from him.
An Innate Realm cultivator could conceal their aura and move as lightly as a goose feather. Without actively looking, it would be difficult to notice their presence.
But Ling Fei's Soul Power far surpassed that of a cultivator at the Nine Layers of Body Tempering. The moment Qin Hui's killing intent began to spread, he sensed it.
Ling Fei immediately spun around to look.
At the same time, the Light Pattern on his Sodium Ring flashed, and a Treasure Sword materialized in his firm grip.
A Sword Momentum began to gather around him.
Just then, Qin Hui made his move.
His feet tapped the ground, and his body shot forward. Long sword in hand, he thrust toward Ling Fei's heart like a flash of lightning.
SWOOSH!
The long sword cut through the air, its momentum overwhelming.
In an instant, a sharp aura crashed toward Ling Fei like a tidal wave.
Ling Fei felt the air in front of him disintegrate. His breathing became difficult, and his Blood Qi felt suppressed by a powerful momentum.
'Is this Innate Momentum?' Ling Fei's heart shook as the pressure bore down on him.
He felt his very soul being crushed by an immense power, an unbearable sensation.
The Blood Qi and Power within his body were both being suppressed by the Innate Momentum.
Right now, Ling Fei was like a trapped dragon, wanting to break free from this pressure but finding it incredibly difficult.
'My body is like a dragon, and also like a sword!' Ling Fei's eyes focused, and a True Dragon Momentum rapidly coalesced.
Then, his gaze flashed, sharp as a sword.
True Dragon Momentum and Sword Momentum gathered at the same time!
Only then was he able to withstand that terrifying Innate Might.
"Lingyun Sword Technique—Cloud-Piercing Crane!" As his Sword Momentum condensed and True Qi circulated within him, Ling Fei swung his long sword in an upward arc. It was like a strike piercing through clouds to hit the crane hiding within. The next moment, a crisp CLANG rang out, and the momentum of the lightning-fast sword strike was blocked.
CLANG!
The crisp sound echoed as Qin Hui's long sword trembled as if struck by immense force. With his Sword Momentum blocked, his attack was thrown off course.
At the same time, Ling Fei's long sword also shuddered. A massive force traveled up the blade, making his arm go numb.
He quickly circulated his True Qi to dissipate the force.
THUD! THUD!
Ling Fei stumbled back seven steps, each one leaving a deep footprint in the ground. The ice crystals on the ground cracked, forming a spiderweb of fissures.
'So strong!' Ling Fei's heart pounded as he steadied himself.
That last exchange felt like striking a mountain. The immense, unshakeable oppressive force had made him feel utterly powerless.
His qi and blood were still churning within him.
After regaining his footing, he hastily circulated his Cultivation Technique to calm the True Qi in his body.
He then raised his head and stared forward, his eyes filled with solemn gravity.
While Ling Fei looked on with a grave expression, Qin Hui was also frowning, his gaze filled with surprise.
'This kid actually blocked my strike, and he's not even injured!' Qin Hui couldn't help but take a sharp breath as he stared at Ling Fei.
He had, after all, launched a sneak attack with his full power, intending to kill the boy on the spot.
A strike like that should have been more than enough to kill any cultivator below the Innate Realm.
But who would have thought that Ling Fei would not only discover him, but even if he had, how could a mere cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering possibly resist the powerful momentum of the Innate Realm?
That momentum alone should have been enough to crush him and send him reeling!
And yet, he had withstood it.
'His power exceeds twenty thousand jin!' Qin Hui recalled the details of the clash. 'Not only that, his strike carried Sword Momentum. Otherwise, even if he had managed to block in time, it would have been like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. He shouldn't have been able to affect my attack in the slightest, let alone knock it off course.'
An immense force had even traveled back to his own wrist.
If not for that, how could his assassination attempt have failed?
'This guy... he already has the combat strength of an ordinary Innate Realm cultivator!' Qin Hui's eyes flashed.
In just an instant, he had analyzed Ling Fei's combat prowess.
"Who are you? We have no grievances between us, so why did you try to kill me?" Ling Fei asked, his face full of vigilance as he regulated his breathing.
He had only been at Celestial River Academy for two months, and had only attended classes for a single day.
During that time, he had barely interacted with any outsiders.
Ling Fei simply couldn't understand why this person would go to such lengths to ambush and kill him here.
"Heh, no grievances between us?" Qin Hui's gaze turned icy. "You killed my cousin, and your adoptive father killed Innate masters of my clan. You call that 'no grievances'?" As he spoke, a dense killing intent condensed around him, and at the same time, an Innate Momentum began to radiate outward.
Clearly, Qin Hui was gathering his power.
His eyes were sharp, locked tightly onto Ling Fei, ready to deliver a thunderous blow at any moment.
"You're from the Qin Mansion!" Upon hearing this, Ling Fei's eyes narrowed, and his expression grew cold as he stared at Qin Hui.
"That's right," Qin Hui said, enunciating each word. "You killed my kinsman. This is a blood feud. Today is the day you die."
"I killed your kinsman?" Ling Fei's gaze grew cold. "Your Qin Mansion throws its weight around, bullying others. If I hadn't had some strength of my own, I would have already been killed by Qin Hong. If my adoptive father hadn't been powerful, my sister Xue Xi would have been defiled by Qin Hong. And now you're still unrepentant and want revenge?"
"It seems your Qin Mansion has been bullying people for so long that your minds have become twisted." As Ling Fei spoke, his True Dragon Momentum continued to build.
His Heart Spirit had already sunk into the True Dragon Visualization Image, and he began to condense his True Dragon Momentum.
"You killed my kinsman, yet you accuse my Qin Mansion of evil? So what if I am evil today? Even if I kill you here, no one will ever know," Qin Hui said, his gaze icy as he spoke each word with chilling clarity.
"Now, die!"
Before his words had even faded, his sword was already in motion.