"Zhu Tianming, you've lost." Chu Feng paid no heed to the murmuring crowd, instead looking toward the distant Zhu Tianming—whose face had turned an ashen shade of iron—with a calm smile.
"Lost? You're the one who's lost!!!" But this battle was a matter of life and death—how could Zhu Tianming concede so easily? With a flip of his palm, a massive golden sword materialized in his hand.
This was a bonded Exquisite Weapon of exceptional quality, far superior to his younger brother's silver Exquisite Weapon, and on par with Chu Feng's Asura Ghost Axe.
The moment this weapon appeared, Zhu Tianming's aura surged several times over. Gripping the golden sword and charging head-on, he radiated an overwhelming presence—like a king descending upon the world—several times more powerful than when he had been using barrier techniques.
Facing Zhu Tianming at this moment, even Chu Feng felt tremendous pressure. There was no denying that a Rank three Martial King still posed an enormous challenge for him.
Yet despite that, Chu Feng showed no sign of retreating. Instead, a slight upward curve tugged at the corner of his lips. With a flash of light from his right hand, the Asura Ghost Axe appeared in his palm.
With a soft tap of his feet against empty air, the Ghost Axe appeared and he shot toward Zhu Tianming in return. In the blink of an eye, the two clashed.
*Whoosh*—after closing the distance, Zhu Tianming swung his arm in a horizontal slash, the sword hurtling straight toward Chu Feng's neck, aiming to take his life.
But against Zhu Tianming's ferocious assault, Chu Feng neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he swung the Asura Ghost Axe in his hands downward in a devastating overhead chop, intent on cleaving his opponent's head in two.
At first, Zhu Tianming merely let out a cold laugh at Chu Feng's suicidal fighting style, finding it utterly foolish. After all, he was a Rank three Martial King—in terms of barrier techniques, Chu Feng might close the gap through superior skill and finesse.
But in a contest of raw martial power, backed by a full two-rank advantage in cultivation, he believed Chu Feng had absolutely no chance of standing up to him. He intended to exploit Chu Feng's recklessness and finish him in a single blow with the lightning speed of a Rank three Martial King, reclaiming the dignity he had lost.
But what he never anticipated was that Chu Feng's speed was equally terrifying—not the slightest bit inferior to his own. If he pressed on now, both would suffer devastating injuries, and they might even die together.
*Whoosh whoosh*—daring not continue the suicidal exchange, Zhu Tianming shifted his footwork in a flash, pulling his strike back to parry and evade Chu Feng's attack. But the Asura Ghost Axe came down far too fast and with overwhelming force, and Zhu Tianming's moment of hesitation had already cost him dearly.
With a sharp *rip*, Chu Feng's Asura Ghost Axe sliced across his left arm. The sheer force of it grazed Zhu Tianming's arm—a superficial wound, but one that drew a considerable amount of blood.
"Damn it, you want to trade lives?! I'll give you what you want!"
Losing blood in their very first clash of Exquisite Weapons, while already seething with pent-up rage, sent Zhu Tianming into a furious frenzy. The golden greatsword swept in a vicious arc, aiming to cleave Chu Feng at the waist.
*Whoosh*—but once again, Chu Feng paid the attack no mind. The Asura Ghost Axe, barely retracted, swung back without the slightest hesitation in an upward smash aimed straight at Zhu Tianming's skull.
"Hell no, you think I'm afraid of you?! You think my body as a Rank three Martial King isn't tough enough?! Today I'll fight you to the death—let's see who dies first!!!"
Zhu Tianming had truly lost his composure. This time, instead of pulling back, he willed his energy forward, and a brilliant golden barrier of light erupted from within his body.
It was a powerful defensive martial art—at least an eighth-tier technique. Zhu Tianming had made up his mind: he would fight Chu Feng to the bitter end, even if it meant mutual destruction.
"Heh."
But in that critical instant, Chu Feng merely smiled faintly. The Xuan Martial Shield Armor activated at his thought, and at the same time, vast swathes of white mist billowed outward, flooding the sky and earth in an instant and obscuring Zhu Tianming's vision.
*Whoosh*—the moment the white mist appeared, Zhu Tianming felt his mind go slightly hazy, as if his thoughts had dulled for a split second, though he couldn't be entirely sure.
All he knew for certain was that Chu Feng's Asura Ghost Axe was already descending toward the top of his skull. Without hesitation, he continued his own sweeping strike, genuinely ready to trade lives with Chu Feng—to the death.
"Whoosh"—but all that was heard was a blast of wind sweeping across, and Zhu Tianming's expression instantly changed. He had swung at nothing—Chu Feng was clearly no longer standing where he had just been.
And just then, the white mist began to thin, and Zhu Tianming discovered that Chu Feng had indeed changed position. He was now standing at his side, and the Asura Ghost Axe in Chu Feng's hand was already crashing down.
The Asura Ghost Axe was unstoppable. With a single resounding clang, it collided with the golden shield hovering above Zhu Tianming's head. The tremendous force instantly crushed the shield out of shape, and in the end, it actually shattered apart.
"Damn it!" In that moment, Zhu Tianming instinctively tried to dodge, but he was half a step too late. Although the Asura Ghost Axe had lost most of its power, it still carried a tremendous amount of force.
It slashed across the side of Zhu Tianming's face. With a whoosh, his left ear was cleanly severed off—but it didn't end there. The Asura Ghost Axe continued downward, and with a sickening thud, it hacked deep into Zhu Tianming's left shoulder.
"Ugh—aahh!" Zhu Tianming let out a heart-wrenching scream, worse than the squealing of a pig.
Never mind that he had lost an ear—nearly half of his shoulder had been almost completely cleaved away.
However, Zhu Tianming was no ordinary fighter. Despite the excruciating pain, he forced himself to endure it. Not only that, his feet flickered with swift movement, and his entire body transformed into a streak of light, hurtling backward through the air.
"Heavens—they've barely begun fighting, and Zhu Tianming is already gravely wounded? This Chu Feng is absurdly strong!"
Since Zhu Tianming had been knocked out of the range of the Xuan Martial Shield Formation's illusion array, the onlookers could now clearly see his condition.
Seeing that this Rank Three Martial Lord was covered in blood from head to toe, with one ear missing, everyone was shocked. They already knew Chu Feng was powerful, but they never could have imagined he was strong to this extent.
"Heh—you thought I was fighting you to the death out of desperation, but you had no idea I was confident enough to dodge your killing blow."
"I figured you were just weak when it came to formation techniques, but I didn't expect your IQ to be this low. I have to say, someone like you is truly a waste of all that cultivation you've built up." Chu Feng rested the Asura Ghost Axe on his shoulder, grinning as he stared at Zhu Tianming, continuing his cold mockery.
The reason he had attacked so recklessly earlier was precisely because he had the supreme secret technique of the Xuan Martial Shield Formation protecting him. This technique not only blocked Zhu Tianming's attacks but also used illusions to confuse him. Though only for an instant, that brief moment was more than enough for Chu Feng to gain an overwhelming advantage.
And the facts proved Chu Feng was right. Zhu Tianming, already inflamed with rage by Chu Feng, had long since lost all reason. Despite being a formidable Spirit World Master, he had committed a fatal mistake.