Chapter Ninety-One: Taking a Hard Line (2)

In an instant, the entire Azure Emperor’s Glazed Cauldron seemed to be enveloped by the deep blue radiance of the stars!

Yet Jiang Feng continued methodically unleashing his necromantic arts, seemingly paying no heed to Xuan Xingzi.

It wasn’t that he underestimated him, but rather that he had no time to consider Xuan Xingzi’s necromancy. Xuan Xingzi was a true Sixth Stage Necromancer; no matter the technique, once successfully activated, it was not something Jiang Feng could easily counter. His only option was to deploy his own necromantic power before Xuan Xingzi, seizing a chance to escape.

This was his first time facing such a formidable adversary since completing his Half-step Necromantic Pill transformation.

Hence, he held back nothing.

His strike was ruthless and merciless, devouring heaven and earth. Against a natural deity like Xuan Xingzi, there was no question of holding back; even a full-force blow might not guarantee escape. So he poured all his strength into this one attack.

The cosmic manifestations surged wildly inside the Azure Emperor’s Glazed Cauldron. The stellar power summoned by Xuan Xingzi was completely trapped by the cosmic manifestations, unable to move an inch.

“I use these cosmic manifestations to freeze all your stellar power, and with various necromantic arts, having completed the Half-step Necromantic Pill, I sweep across the world, dominating mankind. Are you really planning to snatch something from me?” Jiang Feng’s palm condensed necromantic energy but did not retreat. He stepped forward—one step, two steps, three steps!

Like a tiger or dragon, like a god descending to earth, like a war deity manifesting, he seemed to shrink space itself, arriving instantly before Xuan Xingzi. With a punch that allowed no chance for stellar absorption, his blow was overwhelming and swift beyond description. He infused all the necromantic arts contained within the Jiangshan Bottle into his fist, forcibly condensed, shattering time and space.

A faint crystalline sheen wandered over Jiang Feng’s skin. Within his flesh and blood threads, necromantic energy flowed slowly. His internal organs echoed thunderous drumbeats, accompanied by the sound of a conch shell’s powerful blast, capable of shattering even a peak of refined iron.

His body was originally extremely formidable. After the Half-step Necromantic Pill’s transformation and baptism, he had gained a fundamental brilliance—a fusion of powers: the secret arts of the Profound Heaven, the myriad phenomena of creation, the Nine-Twist Vortex—all melted into one force. Though not truly immortal, he was effectively half-immortal!

For someone with only a Void Necromancer’s cultivation to possess such a body was exceedingly rare.

Even Jue, when mentioning him, could only speak in awe, deeply impressed.

Boom!

The punch, like a meteor streaking across the sky, like an ancient divine arrow piercing the blazing sun, was astonishingly blocked.

Xuan Xingzi simply extended a hand and lightly clapped. The fist met palm, and Jiang Feng’s earth-shaking punch was effortlessly stopped. He felt all the force dissolve into an endless ocean, completely neutralized. Xuan Xingzi’s body was like an infinite sea, like a boundless black hole in the cosmos—impervious to any injury.

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“This palm strike is called the Milky Way Power Fist. I hope it didn’t disappoint you,” Xuan Xingzi said without joy or sorrow after intercepting Jiang Feng’s punch. His body shimmered with azure light, and with a casual gesture, he launched another punch.

Suddenly, the void roared with waves as if the Milky Way itself surged, more turbulent and mighty than any ocean, cascading in wave after wave, countless layers, rushing toward Jiang Feng.

Xuan Xingzi and Jiang Feng — two figures with vast differences in cultivation, status, and age, who should not even belong to the same world — were now truly locked in combat.

Although Jiang Feng’s cultivation lagged far behind Xuan Xingzi’s, he had not followed a conventional path. His necromantic power was as vast as a Void Necromancer at the eighth stage, bolstered by the immense Half-step Necromantic Pill inside the Jiangshan Bottle. For a short time, he definitely had the strength to challenge Xuan Xingzi.

When Xuan Xingzi unleashed the Milky Way Power Fist, Jiang Feng immediately knew this necromantic art was incredibly difficult to counter. Palms flashed from all directions at a speed surpassing his own Shadow Dance Soul-Shattering Steps. The entire cosmos seemed to transform into a starry sea, which only intensified in pressure.

At this moment, Jiang Feng dared not hold back. Crossing his palms, the Half-step Necromantic Pill floated above his head, glowing brilliantly. Various necromantic arts coalesced to shield his body, while his feet relentlessly struck the Shadow Dance Soul-Shattering Steps, filling the space with myriad phenomena, resolutely confronting his opponent’s supreme necromancy.

Within the myriad phenomena were countless demonic gods and war generals wielding fists, all continuously striking. Through Jiang Feng’s twin fists, nearly all necromantic power was unleashed without reserve. His body shimmered, delivering tens of thousands of fist imprints. He refused to believe that the myriad phenomena he had comprehended from the Jiangshan Bottle had not surpassed Fang Yichen’s understanding of this necromantic art. Moreover, he had integrated other necromantic powers, creating a fierce and balanced palm wind that should be able to overcome Xuan Xingzi.

This time, Jiang Feng’s palm technique differed from before. The prior strike emphasized sharpness, speed, and a swift kill — a flash of brilliance, a severed head.

This palm was powerful and majestic, enduring and dense, relentless as the tides of sun and moon, waves crashing in successive impacts, each linking to the next, each pulse drawing in the following. Every punch was sustained and forceful, impossible for anyone to withstand such relentless power.

Explosions erupted continuously, and amid the blowing fist winds, large water bubbles rose one after another—each as large as a jar’s opening, densely scattered across a hundred-mile void, ready to burst at any moment.

At this moment, even a true Necromancer entering their duel without powerful necromantic arts or weapons would be instantly pulverized into dust.

In what could only be measured in breaths or instantaneous time, the two exchanged tens of thousands of punches, each strike carrying the might to collapse mountains and shatter seas. Only someone like Jiang Feng, with his Ice Soul Liquid and Jiangshan Bottle, could withstand this. Others would have long since exhausted their strength.

Jiang Feng had originally thought Xuan Xingzi’s necromancy relied more on finesse, but it turned out to be just as overwhelming and ruthless, remarkably similar to his grandfather Jiang Yuehai’s style: boundless dominance, merciless slaughter, bringing down heavenly punishment with thunderous might, killing enemies cleanly and decisively.

However, unlike Jiang Yuehai, Xuan Xingzi’s dominance also bore a dense, enduring, majestic quality, like needles hidden in cotton, concealing deadly intent. His mind was steadfast and unshakable, immovable as a rock, unwavering once his will was set.

Jiang Feng’s current feelings were terrible. He mentally compared Xuan Xingzi to all the great figures he had seen. In cultivation and temperament, Xuan Xingzi ranked supreme. Jiang Feng had harbored thoughts of escape, but now it seemed even that was impossible.

Boom!

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Their fists met palm, bodies flashing as mighty fist shadows collided. Countless fist marks splattered across Jiang Feng and Xuan Xingzi’s bodies, yet neither was wounded—they were fiercely contesting physical resilience!

“Just a trace of stellar essence can produce such formidable might. These natural deities truly leave me powerless,” Jiang Feng thought bitterly, unwittingly letting his fighting spirit falter. He quickly reminded himself: “Boy, he’s just a fragment of stellar essence. What’s so frightening about that? Humans have ruled for so long for a reason. No matter his talents, they don’t compare to the rare opportunities that forged your power. Besides, you have necromantic soul power!”

Jiang Feng glided once more, stabilizing in midair, increasing distance from Xuan Xingzi. He was amazed, recalling from Jue’s words another hidden power within his body.

Necromantic Soul Power!

A long-lost, vast force capable of destroying heaven and earth!

“But with my current cultivation, if I can’t kill him, the secret of the Necromantic Soul Power will be fully revealed. Then what?” Jiang Feng worried. To him, Necromantic Soul Power was a hot potato.

Jue’s frustration turned his face green as he shouted, “When’s the time for hesitation? If you die, you lose everything!”

Seeing Xuan Xingzi’s azure radiance and undiminished fist power, Jiang Feng knew if he did not muster desperate resolve, he would perish here.

He no longer hesitated, drawing forth those strange yet familiar powers from his mind sea. Inside, the dense, viscous Necromantic Soul Power danced like lively spirits, constantly moving and flowing, releasing vast energy like a gentle stream coursing through Jiang Feng’s body.

In an instant, he was revitalized, power surging!

“You recover so quickly. It seems you have another treasure within your body. Let me guess—what kind of treasure could it be?” Xuan Xingzi suddenly spoke, eyes gleaming with interest. “Could it be something like the Dragon Dawn Pill Fang Ping once took? No, with your personality, you would never possess such a self-damaging, pointless treasure. Then what is it?”

Jiang Feng steadied himself, feeling completely different all over. No matter how finely he controlled necromantic power before, it could not compare to this pure Necromantic Soul Power. It was like the difference between muddy water and crystal-clear spring water. No matter how much you filter muddy water, it remains turbid due to the dust. But Necromantic Soul Power was a clear, dazzling stream.

“What do you think?” Jiang Feng sneered.