Chapter Sixty-Seven: Duan Xingyun

Sensing the disturbance within the Starlit Soul Array, Duan Xingyun’s expression changed drastically. He hurried to Jiang Feng’s side, swept a disbelieving gaze over the scene, and asked, “Jiang... Jiang Feng… was this your doing?”

Jiang Feng was startled, but upon realizing it was Duan Xingyun, he relaxed his guard and answered sheepishly, “Maybe it was.”

Centered around Jiang Feng, the entire section of the Starlit Soul Array had been reduced to ruins. What stunned Duan Xingyun even more was that some of the crystals—exceptionally rare Star-Refining Stones from the Langya Chamber of Commerce’s collection, imbued with boundless astral energy—had been completely drained of their power. Where they once gleamed with deep blue light, they were now nothing more than milky-white river pebbles.

From Jiang Feng, Duan Xingyun sensed an extraordinarily dangerous aura. With keen perception, he noticed that the tattoo of a jade bottle on Jiang Feng’s chest appeared to be the source of this peril. Upon closer inspection, he found the tattoo exquisitely detailed, inscribed with faint, intricate patterns—resembling an array, yet not quite.

Faint traces of astral energy still drifted through the air, but as soon as they neared Jiang Feng’s chest, they vanished without a trace.

Alarmed, Duan Xingyun scrutinized Jiang Feng for a long moment before suddenly realizing the cause: the jade bottle tattoo on Jiang Feng’s chest seemed to possess a devouring power. The astral energy was not merely being absorbed, but utterly consumed!

There is a vast difference between absorption and devouring.

Duan Xingyun himself cultivated in this Starlit Soul Array through absorption—drawing astral energy gently into himself with his soul force. But the jade bottle tattoo on Jiang Feng’s chest had forcibly seized the astral energy without releasing the slightest trace of soul force. If it could devour energy so forcibly, might it not also be able to consume the power within others’ bodies or treasures?

Such a soul art should only be possible for those who had reached the True Nether Realm or above!

And in the Langya Chamber of Commerce, any practitioner of the True Nether Realm was regarded as a sovereign.

“Jiang Feng, may I ask you something?” Duan Xingyun hesitated for a long while before finally voicing his question. Even as he spoke, fear shimmered in his eyes, as if worried that he might be Jiang Feng’s next target for devouring.

Jiang Feng, embarrassed by Duan Xingyun’s anxious demeanor, braced himself and replied, “Ask away.”

“What is your cultivation level?”

Though Duan Xingyun could make a guess based on his experience, he could not quite trust his own judgment. After asking, he speculated aloud, “Are you at the Void Nether Realm? Somehow, it doesn’t seem so. You don’t appear to be as advanced as I am… I mean no offense, really… please don’t misunderstand me.”

In the sea of consciousness, Jue was laughing so hard he could barely straighten up. “Void Nether Realm? He’s got quite the imagination. Even though you’re merged with the River-Mountain Bottle, that doesn’t mean you can wield the soul arts within it, nor does it mean you possess its vast soul power. At best, you’re like an untapped treasure vault, yet he thinks you’re a Void Nether Realm practitioner!”

Jiang Feng was at a loss for words. Ever since meeting Duan Xingyun, the esteemed prodigy of the Langya Chamber’s younger generation had fallen rapidly in his estimation—so much so that Jiang Feng now felt Duan Xingyun’s judgment was worse than his own.

“I’m only at the ninth segment of the Soul Practitioner level,” Jiang Feng admitted with a sigh, a touch of embarrassment coloring his voice.

For the next several days, Duan Xingyun’s expression was singularly stupefied. Mouth agape, eyes wide, whenever he saw Jiang Feng in the Starlit Soul Array, he would point at him and stammer the word “monster.”

Left with no choice, Jiang Feng sought out a quiet corner to cultivate in peace.

“Jue, how can I improve my strength?” Jiang Feng finally voiced the question that had been weighing on him. In the days since merging with the River-Mountain Bottle, he found his strength had not advanced at all—in fact, he was stagnating.

Jue was not surprised in the least and explained, “Actual combat. That’s the most effective way.”

“Actual combat?” Jiang Feng’s eyes brightened. Jue’s words often brought him sudden clarity. He realized he’d been overcomplicating something that was actually very simple. “But where am I supposed to find actual combat?”

Jue rolled his eyes and pointed toward the distant flickers of light, answering as if it were obvious, “Who else on this mountaintop could be your sparring partner?”

“You mean Duan Xingyun?” Jiang Feng immediately deflated. “Now, whenever he sees me, he just calls me a monster and won’t utter a single normal sentence. How am I supposed to communicate my intentions?”

Jue, however, had no shortage of ideas. He cracked his knuckles and said, “If talking doesn’t work, just fight him directly. What, do you think he won’t fight back?”

Jiang Feng broke out in a sweat, but Jue wasn’t wrong—if you want to spar, what’s the point of negotiating? Better to fight first and talk later!

“Fine, I’ll challenge him right now!”

As he spoke, Jiang Feng unleashed his soul force, forming a massive, ethereal hand of soul energy that swept toward the thoroughly absorbed Duan Xingyun from afar. The power enveloped a vast area, as if Jiang Feng truly intended a fight to the death.

If Duan Xingyun couldn’t withstand such a move, Jiang Feng would lose all interest in the Jiu Yan Grand Tournament.

At that moment, Duan Xingyun was unarmed, practicing what appeared to be a profound footwork technique. When the soul-forged giant claw suddenly struck from the right, his instincts instantly sensed danger. He sprang up, sweeping his hands as though scattering countless grains of fine sand. As the sand flew into the air, it erupted in a series of explosions, like festive firecrackers, bursting into dazzling fireworks.

“What is this?” Jiang Feng was momentarily bewildered by Duan Xingyun’s bizarre technique.

Yet those seemingly simple fireworks were, in truth, wondrous and mysterious. The sand hung in the air, neither dispersing nor making much noise, only emitting faint crackling sounds. Within the huge fireworks, even smaller ones exploded in succession.

This childish-looking soul art actually shook the entire space. Jiang Feng sobered, realizing that if anyone made contact with those grains of sand, their flesh and bones would be pulverized, erased from existence.

Sure enough, his soul-force claw barely lasted a moment within the fireworks before dissolving into countless particles, drifting prettily through the air.

Duan Xingyun might seem foolish and bumbling most of the time, but when life and death hung in the balance, he was utterly ruthless. His normally pleasant voice now rang out in a duck-like squawk that made Jiang Feng despair. Only battle-mad lunatics sounded like that, and it seemed he had run into just such a one.

Duan Xingyun laughed loudly, “That soul art is called Shattering Star Sand! Dare you touch it and see what happens?”

He spread his arms wide, and shattering star sand streamed from every part of his body. At the same time, he chanted, “Star sand shatters, the firmament is destroyed!” As he spoke, the sand began to twist and reassemble, emitting a harsh, grating cacophony, as if thousands of fiends were escaping from hell, shrieking and howling, gnawing on bones with chilling ferocity.

Infused with boundless agony, this soul art would plunge anyone who touched it into a pit of torment.

At that moment, Jiang Feng finally understood why Duan Xingyun was called the Little Demon Star of Langya.

“With Shattering Star Sand as my shield, even if you possess the soul-devouring arts of the True Nether Realm, I doubt you’d dare consume my power, would you?” Duan Xingyun boasted, while deftly manipulating the star sand into a single arrow. Its chilling gleam made Jiang Feng’s heart tremble, as if one arrow could sweep away all before it.

“That’s not necessarily so, boy,” Jue advised. “First, evade the star sand; meanwhile, study the Myriad Phantasm from inside the River-Mountain Bottle. You’ve already endured its pain—learning it will come naturally. Draw him into the Myriad Phantasm and then devour his soul force; it will be much easier.”

Jiang Feng protested, “Jue, you’re joking, right? The art of infinite devouring is for refining treasures, not people! How could I devour his soul force?”

“Foolish boy. I’m only telling you to threaten him, not to actually devour him. Besides, his soul force isn’t even worth your trouble.”

Jiang Feng nodded slightly, accepting Jue’s reasoning. He darted about, evading the star sand with ghostly agility. As he danced between the deadly grains, he launched strike after strike, the imprints of his Profound Heaven Divine Palm howling into the star sand. The fierce, surging palm force, as corrosive as acid, gradually wore the star sand away.

“How bold! You dare erode my star sand? Let me show you my soul art and ensnare you completely. Star Sand Abyss—endless agony, the demon domain returns, chaos reigns!”

His chilling incantation was like a harbinger of apocalypse. Instantly, the world within the Starlit Soul Array changed, reflecting the brutality of their battle.

Boom!

With Duan Xingyun’s chant, the star sand condensed to an astonishing density, forming a great gate before Jiang Feng’s eyes. Beyond the gate, endless star sand filled the space like a colossal meat grinder, manifesting the very hell described in the incantation.

It was as if the entire world—the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, all things—were drawn into that endless star sand.

Jiang Feng realized that when his Profound Heaven Divine Palm struck the sand, it was as if a clay ox entered the sea, a clay Buddha stepped into the river—his attack vanished without causing any harm, and the connection to his palm imprint was forcibly severed. He couldn’t even reclaim the soul force invested, resulting in a significant loss. Only now did he fully appreciate the power of Star Sand Abyss.

“A true disciple of Jiu Yan Town’s strongest force—formidable indeed!” Even Jue could not help but praise this soul art.

Jiang Feng felt cornered, with no choice but to follow Jue’s advice. He sent his spiritual consciousness into the River-Mountain Bottle, striving to learn the Myriad Phantasm within.

At once, a tremendous tearing force threatened to rip his soul from his body. Nausea, alarm, and terror of the star sand overwhelmed him completely.

Jue said nothing, merely watching in silence. He knew that only Jiang Feng could rescue himself from this pain; others could offer guidance, but when it came to truly understanding the Myriad Phantasm, no one could take his place.

Within the Myriad Phantasm, countless realms existed, each with its own rigid hierarchy. The various ranks and titles pressed down on Jiang Feng, making it impossible to breathe. It was as if he were buried beneath a mountain of books, yet forced to read them all at once.

He was in agony.

Meanwhile, Duan Xingyun was in high spirits, using the opportunity to test the Ninefold Star-Stepping technique he had long studied. His feet moved rapidly, seemingly chaotic, but anyone discerning would recognize the underlying principle—the arrangement of stars. All soul arts originated from the patterns of nature, the most profound being the layout of mountains and rivers, and the configuration of stars.

The footwork Duan Xingyun had mastered followed the path of the stars.

Though his movements looked slow, myriad afterimages flickered about him, like stars scattered across the night sky, making it impossible for Jiang Feng to keep track. With his spiritual consciousness already ensnared by the Myriad Phantasm, Jiang Feng grew dizzier and more nauseated.

As Jiang Feng endured this endless vertigo, Duan Xingyun hurled a spear of star sand—compressing nearly all the remaining grains into a single, razor-sharp weapon. Compared to the earlier arrow, this was far more lethal.

He was certain: with this spear, Jiang Feng would be defeated.

“Ahhh!”

Jiang Feng cried out in torment as his spiritual consciousness was torn to shreds within the Myriad Phantasm, splitting into thousands of fragments. Were it not for his dogged persistence, he would have lost his mind long ago.

At the critical moment, a warm current surged from his chest. Overjoyed, Jiang Feng seized it at once.

The River-Mountain Bottle!

At his moment of greatest peril, the vast soul force from the River-Mountain Bottle surged into the Myriad Phantasm, instantly relieving his agony. But as soon as he felt the comfort, he pounded his chest and cursed loudly, “You damned bottle! You left me to suffer in the Myriad Phantasm, and only now decide to help? Where were you earlier?”

Jue, thoroughly embarrassed, grumbled quietly, “Complain all you want. If it were me, I’d just let you die.”

Already in a foul mood, Jiang Feng snapped back, “And you! What kind of method did you teach me? I almost died, you know!”

Duan Xingyun, spear in hand, was almost upon him—then froze in astonishment, his lightning-fast advance halted in an instant.

Jiang Feng, in a rage, shouted at Duan Xingyun, “All those flashy tricks, who do you think you’re scaring? It’s just a bunch of miniature firecrackers going off! Here—let me show you what an explosion really is!”

“Myriad Phantasm!”

Driven by true fury, Jiang Feng unleashed the Myriad Phantasm from the River-Mountain Bottle in full force.

Duan Xingyun, who a moment before thought victory was assured, was horrified to find his surroundings transformed.

The Starlit Soul Array had vanished. All around were mountains, rivers, and kingdoms—yet stranger still, some mountains floated in the sky, while clouds drifted underground.

What a world of chaos this was!