Even if Chen Feng were to immediately discard Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun aside, there was no way for Chen Feng to escape the Thunderhawk's attack. It had locked down on him.
Helpless, Chen Feng released his grip, letting Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun fall to the ground. Next, he mobilized all his strength to block the thick claws coming down on him.
Like tidal waves, all his opened insight acupoints erupted. The streams of longevity-type primary energy became like many great rivers charging through his body. His blood – filled with power – coursed like an erupting volcano.
At the same time, the three Prized artefacts that Chen Feng had fused into his body, the Overwhelming Astral Sword, Thousand Seeker Mirror and b.l.o.o.d.y Soul, flew out from his body.
Facing this Great Yao with who knows how many Lightning Tribulations under its belt, Chen Feng had no plans of leaving his fate to luck. In but a flash, Chen Feng had mobilized every drop of energy within his body. Chen Feng had never felt this strong before. And yet, he did not have the slightest sense of confidence. Rather, Chen Feng felt that, even if he were to become several times stronger, he would still be no match for this Great Yao. At that moment, all Chen Feng could think of was to block the Great Yao's attack.
Boom!
The Thunderhawk's large talons flashed with azure lightning power as it slammed heavily against Chen Feng's attack.
A deafening and thunderous boom erupted in the sky. As for Chen Feng, he became like a meteor as he smashed into the ground.
The falling Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun had yet to even reach land when Chen Feng's figure smashed into the ground.
Seeing the bottomless crater exploding into existence, Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun grew incredibly shocked. They immediately struggled to hover in the sky. Exchanging glances, looks of concern appeared on their faces.
“Chen Feng should be fine, right?” Tie Changkong asked with an uncertain tone.
“Can you block such a powerful attack?” Shangguan Yun asked instead.
“No.” Tie Changkong felt bitterness on his tongue.
Far away, Xu Ziping was still quickly flying away. He had clearly heard the thunderous boom earlier. However, all he did was to turn around once before revealing a slight sneer.
“What a fool. You could have escaped, but instead you chose to go die. Hey, I will not be accompanying you guys. I must prioritize getting out of this forest. Eh, where did Liu Tian go? Why can't I see him at all after chasing after him for so long?” Xu Ziping mumbled in a hushed tone.
Next, Xu Ziping's body began emanating energy waves outwards. After that, his already impressive flying speed increased by another level. Additionally, the aura emanating off his body became different compared to before.
Xu Ziping had actually been hiding his true strength.
…
“He should be fine, right?”
Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun stood before the crater, peering down, hoping to see Chen Feng's figure.
“Why didn't you two run away? What are you still doing here?” Suddenly, Chen Feng's voice came out from the deep crater.
“Still alive!”
Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun looked at each other, looks of joy and surprise on their faces.
“Of course I am still alive. What? Do you want me to die here?” Clutching his b.l.o.o.d.y lance, Chen Feng, whose body was covered in dirt, climbed out from the crater.
Although Chen Feng appeared miserable, he didn't seem to have taken much in terms of damage. His aura remained stable. Rather, it was surprisingly unblemished.
“Why aren't you fellows taking this opportunity to escape?” Chen Feng's body gave a pulse, causing the dirt on his body to fall off. Tears could be seen on the magic robes he wore.
“Sigh, another set of magic robes damaged.” Chen Feng sighed.
“You saved us. If we run away like this, we would be no better than animals. Besides, do you think we have an opportunity to escape?” Tie Changkong said with a bitter smile.
At that moment, the Thunderhawk was hovering up in the sky, its ma.s.sive wings spread wide open. It did not continue attacking. Instead, it regarded Chen Feng and the others with an amused look. It was like a cat looking at a trapped mouse. Only after it had had its fill of toying with them would it devour them.
“By staying behind, you two will only become a burden. It becomes much harder for me to escape.” Chen Feng gently brandished the b.l.o.o.d.y lance in his hand and a wave of intense fighting spirit rose up from within him.
“Burden.”
Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun felt their hearts wincing. More, they felt a desire to smile bitterly. Chen Feng was just a level 4 Concealed stage cultivator. Not to mention, the two of them had already cultivated out their domain powers. Unexpectedly, they would become a burden for Chen Feng. However, that was the truth of their situation.
“Weren't you injured just now?” Shangguan Yun asked gingerly.
“Of course I am. However, given our current situation, no matter how badly injured I am, I cannot just sit still and wait for death. This beast wants to kill us? It won't be that simple!” Chen Feng sneered. b.l.o.o.d.y Soul began thrumming and waves of blood-red light began radiating from the lance.
“Demonic artefact!”
Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun exclaimed at the same time. They did not expect the b.l.o.o.d.y lance in Chen Feng's hand to be a demonic artefact. Additionally, it would appear that it was a very strong one.
“Yes, it is a demonic artefact. A pity. If I am already at the Sky Human stage, I am confident that this lance alone will allow me to kill this Thunderhawk. But now, we'll have to figure a way to fight it,” said Chen Feng coolly.
“Chen Feng, you could have escaped, but instead, you stayed behind for our sake and ended up in danger. Do you not regret it?” asked Tie Changkong.
“Regret, naturally. However, what's done is done. Saying anything else is pointless. We should save up our strength for the fight,” Chen Feng said with a smile.
“You are right. We won't make it easy for this beast to kill us.” After saying that, a series of ringing sounds suddenly reverberated out from Tie Changkong's body. Next, the wounds on his body began healing up at a visible rate.
He was utilizing a secret technique to accelerate his recovery process. However, the technique would also bring about great harm towards his own essence power.
“You are burning the power of your domain!” Shangguan Yun uttered in shock.
“Yes. It is not just the power of my domain. Next, I will burn the power of my Soulflame. Chen Feng, Shangguan Yun. Later, I will engage the Thunderhawk. You two take that opportunity to run away,” Tie Changkong said calmly. Next, the aura radiating from his body rose. A sword hovered before Tie Changkong, emanating a formidable sword intent. It was Tie Changkong's lifebound magic treasure, the Grandsky Sword, a grade 1 Prized-tier sword.
The Thunderhawk continued hovering in the sky, observing them with a look of nonchalance. Occasionally, it would reveal an amused look.
“All right. Time's up. After killing you three, I will go after the others,” said the Thunderhawk in the human tongue.
Next, its ma.s.sive wings flapped fiercely, causing over 100 hurricanes to emerge. They spun around and moved towards Chen Feng and the others. As for the Thunderhawk, it spread open its claws and shot past the hurricanes as it clawed at Chen Feng and the others. Its overpowering attacks locked down on all three, making it impossible for them to escape.
“Fight!”
“I will burn the power of my domain as well!”
“You fellows, hurry up and run! I will block the Thunderhawk.”
In the face of such powerful attacks, Chen Feng and the others fought back with their all. Even Shangguan Yun was burning the power of her domain.
During that critical moment of their counter attack, a colossal, crystal-clear palm suddenly appeared in the sky to block the Thunderhawk's incoming claws.
Appearance wise, the colossal palm did nothing else. However, the hundred plus hurricanes raging in the sky suddenly disappeared. In the blink of an eye, tranquillity returned to their surroundings.
The Thunderhawk's large claws struck the palm and sparks flew across its surface. Next, a grating sound spread outwards.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The soil and rocks on the ground exploded as a result of the soundwaves. Even Chen Feng, Tie Changkong and Shangguan Yun had to cover their ears as they cried out in pain. In the end, blood flowed out from their ears.
Weng!
The crystal-clear palm suddenly released a grey-coloured energy current, which enveloped the ma.s.sive Thunderhawk. No matter how hard the Thunderhawk struggled, it was incapable of breaking out from the seemingly weak energy current.
The Thunderhawk roared loudly. Finally, it screamed out in dread, “Who is it? Who dares attack me?!”
The grey-coloured energy current kept shrinking and the ma.s.sive Thunderhawk's body followed suit. Finally, it shrunk until it was the size of a sparrow. It jumped up and down on the colossal palm, trying to fly away.
Chen Feng's team of three gaped at it all. It felt like a dream. Just a moment ago, the Thunderhawk had been an invincible, absolute figure. In the blink of an eye, it had been reduced to a sparrow. The atmosphere of savagery that it emanated earlier had utterly vanished.
This was something they found hard to accept.
Next, the colossal palm disappeared. Then, Chen Feng and the others saw a middle-aged cultivator dressed in scholarly attire floating in the sky. In his palm was a small bird. A careful look revealed that it was none other than the Thunderhawk.
“This! This!”
Chen Feng and the others were shocked. Their mouths grew wide open but they were unable to say anything.
Shua!
The middle-aged scholar disappeared into thin air and tranquillity reigned. It took a long time for Chen Feng and the others to finally recollect themselves.
“Is this a hallucination?” Chen Feng was the first to recollect himself.
“We're saved.” Shangguan Yun breathed a sigh of relief.
“I wonder who that person is. That colossal palm could easily subdue a Great Yao! What level is that cultivator in scholarly attire at?” Chen Feng shook his head and said with a sigh.
“G.o.dhand! That person must be G.o.dhand!” Tie Changkong suddenly exclaimed.
“G.o.dhand? You recognize him?” Chen Feng asked curiously.
“According to the stories, the magic technique that senior practices is the G.o.dhand technique. He is a reknowned figure amongst Sky Human stage cultivators. His exalted name has been around for several thousand years. I didn't think we would get to meet him here. Not to mention, he saved our lives,” Tie Changkong said.
“It has to be G.o.dhand. Our sect has records of him as well. It is said that G.o.dhand is a loose cultivator. He has overcome at least 5 Lightning Tribulations,” Shangguan Yun said.
“Five Lightning Tribulations! That is truly a master. No wonder he could easily subdue a Thunderhawk. He is an expert with great magic powers and saving us was just something casual for him. However, he did save us after all. If there is a chance, I hope to repay him,” Chen Feng said coolly.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Tie Changkong was unable to stop himself from laughing out. Even Shangguan Yun was smiling.
“What level is he at and what level are we at? Even if we do have the desire to repay him, it is impossible.” Tie Changkong laughed.
“Forget it. Who knows what the future holds? Right now, let's hurry up and leave this place,” said Chen Feng with a faint smile.
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