"Click—"
The sound of Nangong Wentian unscrewing the cap of the potion bottle was exceptionally clear in the enclosed passage. A stream of dark green gas overflowed from the bottle opening and instantly dispersed into the air.
The pupils of the group suddenly contracted. The gas... was writhing! Like living mucus, every molecule was moving autonomously, forming some kind of bizarre pattern. The temperature inside the passage plummeted, and frost flowers condensed on the walls, but they weren't white; instead, they were a sickly, eerie green.
"What...what the hell is this?" Dongfang Lin took a half step back, instinctively adopting a defensive stance. He had practiced ancient martial arts for decades and had never felt such a strange energy fluctuation before—it was neither internal force nor magic force, but a completely unfamiliar form of existence.
Zhang Jingcheng's face was ashen, his fingertips already holding three talismans: "Something's wrong... this energy..."
"Extraterrestrial Elixir!" Shangguan Ce suddenly shouted, his voice trembling with fear. "Old ghost Nangong! Did Mu Xiaoxiao really give you this?"
Nangong Wentian grinned: "Old scoundrel Shangguan, stop pretending!" His voice was devoid of any emotion. "I introduced Miss Mu to you because I hoped your Shangguan family could protect my Nangong family in a crucial moment!"
The passageway shook again, and rubble rained down from above. Nangong Wentian's body swelled up like an inflating balloon, his once-fitting robes now torn.
"And what about you?" Nangong asked, continuing, "Hesitant and timid! Luckily, Miss Mu was prepared..." He held up the vial, the remaining liquid clinging to the bottle like living things, "These last two vials of the Nether Crystal Clan's original essence will be inherited by me!"
After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the medicine in one gulp.
"Stop him!" Dongfang Lin and Zhang Jingcheng shouted at the same time, but it was too late.
The moment the medicine entered his throat, Nangong Wentian didn't react much, only humming, "Once I fully absorb this Youjing Clan's original liquid, you will all die here!"
After a while, Nangong Wentian did not feel any changes in his body. Unconvinced, he unscrewed the last vial of medicine and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing this, Han Feng simply ignored it and turned to Shangguan Ce. With a thought, he activated the pulling force of the Star Mirror within his body.
Before Shangguan Ce could react, the Star Mirror he had just put away flew straight out of his body and pierced Han Feng's forehead.
Shangguan Ce roared, "You little beast, return the Star Mirror of my Shangguan family!"
Dongfang Lin retorted, "Bah! You old thief Shangguan, the Star Mirror belongs to the Star Soul Master, so what right do you have to say that it belongs to your Shangguan family!"
"My Shangguan family has kept this item for hundreds of years; it has long belonged to my Shangguan family!"
Zhang Jingcheng couldn't stand it any longer and angrily rebuked, "Shangguan Ce! You colluded with the Nangong family to provoke foreign forces and violated ancestral teachings! I'm being lenient by not killing you!"
Shangguan Ce retorted, not to be outdone: "Bah! You two old codgers! Come on, try it!"
After saying that, the group was about to make a move.
"Impossible!" A loud shout from afar attracted several people.
The deranged Nangong Wentian was muttering incessantly.
"What's going on?! This can't be!" Nangong Wentian looked down at his hands, but the expected surge of power did not occur. He frantically touched his entire body, even tearing open his robes, but his skin remained unchanged, without any abnormality.
The passage was deathly silent, with only Nangong Wentian's heavy breathing echoing through it.
After absorbing the third Star Mirror, Han Feng picked at his ear, looking completely innocent: "Patriarch Nangong, does your 'earth-shattering' change mean you're drenched in sweat?"
"Pfft—" Dongfang Lin couldn't help but laugh out loud, and quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve.
Nangong Wentian's face went from red to green, then from green to purple, like a spilled palette of colors. He suddenly pointed at Han Feng: "What did you do?!"
"Oh?" Han Feng raised an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it, I do remember..." He feigned sudden realization, clenching his right fist and striking his left palm. "Today, when I was 'visiting' the Nangong family, I accidentally wandered into this secret room and happened to discover these two potions."
Nangong Wentian's pupils suddenly contracted.
"I accidentally spilled the bottle..." Han Feng gestured as if tilting it. "The bottle tipped over, and most of the medicine spilled." He looked apologetic. "I was afraid you'd find out, so... um... I added some 'substitute'."
Zhang Jingcheng asked curiously, "What alternative?"
Han Feng smiled shyly: "Does taking a piss to replace it count? Oh, by the way, my Star Power can simulate energy aura, and I was afraid of being exposed, so I added a little energy."
"Hahahaha!" Dongfang Lin laughed so hard he bent over, slapping his thigh as he exclaimed, "Old ghost Nangong, what you were drinking just now... hahahaha..."
Even Shangguan Ce, who had just been furious, couldn't hold back any longer. His beard twitched as he said, "Nangong Wentian, how does your 'Nether Crystal Clan Inheritance' taste? Weren't you going to kill me? Let me experience your power."
Nangong Wentian stood rooted to the spot, his face turning from purple to black, his whole body trembling like a leaf. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood—not a backlash from burning his essence blood, but purely from anger.
"You little beast! I'll kill you!" he roared, and blood mist rose around him as he burned his life essence to forcibly increase his power.
Han Feng felt the surging stellar power within his body—the three star mirrors formed a stable triangular structure in his dantian, each flow of energy possessing unprecedented smoothness and freedom. He raised his hand to stop Dongfang Lin and Zhang Jingcheng, who were about to step forward to help, a playful smile curving his lips.
"Please calm down, seniors," he said softly. "This is a good opportunity to test out my new move."
Nangong Wentian was now acting like a madman, his body surrounded by churning crimson mist that scorched and distorted the air. The Burning Heaven True Qi condensed into a crimson spear in his palm, and what dripped from the spearhead was not blood, but molten rock.
"You little beast! Die!"
The spear pierced through the air, cracking the ground and instantly carbonizing the vegetation in its wake. This strike had transcended the realm of the Innate Realm, faintly touching the threshold of a higher level.
Han Feng didn't even lift his eyelids. He simply waved his hand casually, as if brushing dust off his shoulder.
An unbelievable scene unfolded—the menacing Heaven-Burning Spear suddenly came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, its shaft trembling violently as if it had encountered its natural enemy. The next second, it changed direction and shot towards Nangong Wentian at an even greater speed!
"What?!" Nangong Wentian's pupils shrank suddenly, and he hurriedly crossed his arms over his chest, instantly forming a crimson fire shield.
\"boom--!\"
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