Chapter 81 Hey, I'm Alive Again
The blood from the corpse on the ground was still gurgling. Due to death, the replication effect had faded, and the middle-aged man's appearance had long since reverted to Xia Feng's face and body.
Confirming Xia Feng's death, Wang Jue remained vigilant, scanning his surroundings—until a sudden chill crept up the back of his neck.
His pupils constricted sharply as the silver pendant around his neck shattered with a loud crack. A layer of pale violet light flared, repelling the figure that had materialized behind him without warning.
This guy has a lot of good items. Xia Feng, forced backward by the rebound, grumbled internally.
Moments earlier, after exiting the Nirvana state, he had chosen to reform his body directly behind Wang Jue. Countless ghostly flames coalesced in midair, instantly shaping into human form. But Wang Jue's reflexes were sharp—he activated a defensive artifact without hesitation, thwarting the ambush.
Xia Feng glanced down at his bare body. With a thought, the Vermilion Bird Armor morphed into a sleek white tuxedo, covering him.
Wang Jue turned, his gaze flickering between Xia Feng and the identical corpse on the floor, his expression darkening.
He had sensed it clearly—the spiritual pressure Xia Feng radiated during that attack had reached the third stage?!
From the first stage to the second, he'd already been shocked enough. Now, in the span of a month, it had jumped to the third?
Impossible.
Even if Xia Feng was a prodigy, advancing two whole stages in a single month defied all logic.
"Who are you?" Wang Jue demanded, eyes locked onto Xia Feng.
Xia Feng, meanwhile, reveled in the torrent of spiritual pressure surging within his soul—like a pond abruptly swelling into a raging river, bursting through its banks. Power thrummed through every fiber of his being, as if he could shatter the world itself!
I died.
Then I came back to life~ and got stronger! The Vermilion Bird Armor's ability was truly incredible, far more practical than the Forest Scepter.
Xia Feng grinned and waved. "Hello~ Lord Wang Jue! I'm Xia Feng's younger brother, Xia Ye~"
"Brother?" Wang Jue's face twisted in disbelief. Does this brat take me for a fool?! An elder brother at the second stage was already rare enough—now a younger brother, a third-stage powerhouse?
Before he could retort, Xia Feng swung his blood-flame-wreathed greatsword and lunged forward, his expression icy:
"Liszt! You killed my brother! I'll make you pay in blood!"
Wang Jue's face tightened. His body dissolved into a flurry of violet petals as he retreated rapidly.
Raised in opulence, he had seldom honed close-combat skills. Most of his spiritual garments were long-range—making him a textbook mage. Even as a third-stage spiritual master, recklessly engaging in melee was unthinkable.
Whoosh—
The two danced across the battlefield: violet petals scattering ahead, Xia Feng—shoulders blazing with azure flames—streaking after him like white lightning.
Despite employing Thunder Sky Step, dual-tailed acceleration, and Vermilion Bird Feather Flames, Xia Feng couldn't close the gap.
Damn, what kind of spiritual garment did this guy learn? His speed's insane! Xia Feng's scalp tingled. Wang Jue's evasion was absurd—this had to be at least a B-rank movement-type garment.
Probably trained specifically for running away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Seeing pursuit was futile, Xia Feng unleashed a barrage of attacks. Arcing crimson waves shredded the air, reducing the enclosed house to rubble once more.
Rumble—
Dust and flames choked the ruins.
In his current state, Xia Feng mused, fighting Mu Qingtong would be a one-sided beatdown.
Hah! The "Witch of Destruction"? Pfft—more like "Witch of Getting Spanked."
His confidence swelled. He suddenly really wanted to spar with the little witch.
[Spiritual pressure has reached the third stage (Rebirth State: Duration—30 minutes)]
[Replication slot +1]
[Current copy position: 2+1 (After exiting Rebirth State, spirit weapons in copied slots are temporarily sealed and unusable)]
[Current spirit weapons: Forest Scepter (C-rank), Vermilion Bird Armor (B-rank)]
[No spirit weapons available for copying]
What a shame the prince doesn't own a spirit weapon. He hasn't even awakened an N-rank one. Pathetic.
[Link Progress: 88% → 89%]
Seeing the futility of pursuit, Xia Feng halted, abandoning the chase. The prince seized the moment to reactivate his Infinite Domain, leaping into its shielded zone before sealing the barrier behind him.
Exhaling sharply, he turned to glare at the distant figure, his expression grave. The truth was now undeniable—this monstrous adversary was still that damned Xia boy! Yet how did he manifest a second body? And why did it wield greater spiritual pressure?
It reminded him vaguely of Old Ba's Vermilion Bird Armor, which could temporarily elevate spiritual pressure by one stage upon destruction. But Old Ba's technique carried mortal risk—true death, without the subsequent power surge.
Xia Feng's state defied logic entirely.
The prince's thoughts tangled into knots. One conclusion, however, crystallized with icy clarity:
Xia Feng must die.
A "first-stage" spiritual master masquerading as third-stage strength? Such a grotesque genius couldn't be permitted to mature.
"I must admit, Xia Feng," the prince mused, hefting the mushroom with a dry chuckle, "you've astonished me. Rest assured—once the Birth Ceremony concludes, I'll dissect your secrets personally."
[Link Progress: 92%...93%]
Xia Feng blinked, silent, as the prince carried the mushroom toward a massive apparatus.
The device resembled a hollow Ferris wheel. Its hatch hissed open, revealing a skeletal human frame inside. The mushroom thrashed uselessly as the prince clamped it into place, alloy restraints snapping shut over its limbs and neck. The hatch sealed with a final clang.
With Xia Feng's absurd power level, the prince saw no merit in direct confrontation. The backup plan would suffice—slower, but inevitable.
The chamber's underbelly housed a rarity: a Dream Weaver brain. Countless experiments had birthed this control apparatus, ensuring the brain's obedience and dream stability.
As the prince adjusted the console, he glanced at Xia Feng, amused. "Well? Why linger? Shouldn't you be fleeing?"
"Eh?" Xia Feng tilted his head. "Why would I?"
The middle-aged man smirked. "Once the princess acknowledges me as master, escape will be… academic."
"Fair point." Xia Feng scratched his chin, utterly unruffled. "But even if I ran, you'd hunt me to the ends of the earth, no?"
"How well you understand me." The prince's smile was velvet over steel. "But geniuses warrant consideration. I'll kill only you—spare your family."
"…How magnanimous of you~"
[Link Progress: 96%...97%]
The prince slammed all console sliders to maximum. "Ah, I nearly forgot," he added lightly. "I approved your engagement to Mu Qingtong."
His teasing grin sharpened. "Fear not, boy. I'll see your fiancée… settled after your death. Several of my adopted sons remain unmarried."
Xia Feng ignored the taunt. His entire focus narrowed to the soul-channel blazing between him and the princess—expanding, clarifying, thrumming with connection.
[Link Progress: 99%]
(End of Chapter)