The talent shot into the air and immediately felt himself locked by a faint thread of intent, followed by four or five blasts of Purple Flame Arrows streaking toward them both. "Trifling skills!" Alsius roared.

A Ninth-Level Magister’s spiritual perception was peerless; if such a trick couldn't be detected, it would be a monumental failure. With a casual wave of one hand, a subtle ripple appeared in the air.

Just as the ripple was about to touch the Purple Flame Arrows, they detonated violently. However, the explosions occurred at least thirty meters away, posing no threat whatsoever.

Why would this red-haired youth expend such pointless effort? "He's gone again," Douglas murmured calmly.

Chen Feng, after launching the arrows, turned and vanished into the dense thicket. "It seems this youth possesses some method of concealment.

If this were a fight between equals, I doubt even ten of us could match him in this forest," Alsius observed with a sigh. Though Douglas remained silent, his expression clearly conveyed his agreement.

To have two such powerful figures—a Ninth-Level Magister and a presumably high-level warrior—put on the defensive by an Eighth-Level Battle Master spoke volumes about the youth's prowess within the woodland terrain. "Perhaps we should resort to an Eighth-Level magical bombardment!" Alsius suddenly proposed.

"At worst, we'll cast several more spells, make a complete mess of the area, and no one will be able to tell who did what!" Douglas lowered his head in deep contemplation for a moment. Veins stood out on his hands.

"Fine. At worst, we'll both conceal ourselves until we've fully deciphered that scroll.

Then, we'll ascend to godhood in one fell swoop. What do we have to fear from the 'Fist King' then?" "Indeed.

Godhood in one move!" Alsius's eyes shone with brilliance. …………………………………………………………………………………… "Those two old codgers clearly lack patience.

If I keep leading them on like this, they’ll inevitably resort to a high-level magical barrage," Chen Feng mused. "My sneak attacks are useless against them; they only serve to infuriate them more.

What should I do now?" "Go to the Ninth-Story Pagoda and ask Elder Flame Dragon for help?" Thinking of this, Chen Feng immediately shook his head. "The Ninth-Story Pagoda is my most crucial secret; no one can ever know about it.

Besides, Elder Flame Dragon is currently only a soul; he can’t possibly intervene on my behalf." Patting his slightly throbbing head, Chen Feng's face suddenly broke into a look of startled delight. "Wh-when did I grasp these?" A vast segment of memory had appeared in his mind—the automatically comprehended techniques of the King of Fighters.

"Ryo Sakazaki's *Haohshouken, Ryūko Ranbu; Benimaru Nikaido's *Raijin Fist, *Gen'ei Phantom; Athena Asamiya's Psychic Teleportation... This, this is..." Chen Feng’s expression shifted drastically, a wave of blissful joy washing over him.

"It's Orochi's Dark Particle..." However, after swiftly scanning the usage method for the Dark Particle, Chen Feng’s expression soured again. "It requires mastery over the power of space to release this move!

What good is comprehending it now? Mastering spatial power means mastering the power of the Great Universe.

I haven't even grasped the Absolute Domain yet; when will I ever reach the Great Universe power?" Chen Feng lamented inwardly. "To see a treasure mountain before me and be unable to mine it...

Damn it, this is infuriating!" In the context of this world's battle skills, Orochi's techniques would all be classified as Heaven-Rank skills. Something like the Dark Particle would surely be a formidable Mid-Heaven-Rank skill.

If he could unleash such a devastating skill with his current strength, killing a master below the Third-Level Battle Sovereign might not be overly difficult. But...

the spatial obliteration of the Dark Particle... Forget executing it; he couldn't even begin to decipher it!

It was like a primitive man staring at the schematics for building an atomic bomb—the more detailed the plans, the less sense they made. To activate this move, the power of the Great Universe was required.

How could he, who was still struggling with the power of the Vortex, possibly utilize it? With a frustrated shake of his head, he dismissed the enviable yet infuriating technique.

Simultaneously, he wondered why he had learned it at all. According to King of Fighters lore, this move was at least a God-Tier skill, perhaps even surpassing something like the Mu No Shiki.

Why could his current self, possessing only Vortex power, comprehend it? Was this comprehension random, entirely independent of one's actual strength?

Sighing, Chen Feng stopped dwelling on the issue. "I can perform Ryo Sakazaki's Haohshouken now, but such an attack won't do much against a Ninth-Level Magister; at best, it's only slightly stronger than a Purple Flame Arrow." As he wrestled with his dilemma, a sudden spark of inspiration hit him: "Wait, Athena Asamiya's Psychic Teleportation...

How did I not think of that?" A look of wild ecstasy returned to his face; he already had a plan forming. (For those unfamiliar with King of Fighters, looking up these move names on Baidu and watching videos will likely show you most of them.

Chen Feng won't use these moves often, so readers don't need to obsess over them.) ………………………………………………………………………………………… Douglas felt deeply perplexed. He had clearly sensed the red-haired youth directly below him just moments ago, yet before his spell could launch, he felt the youth was somewhere else entirely.

It felt as if... as if the youth were blinking in and out of existence!

How was that possible? Only experts at the Battle Sovereign level, possessing Domain abilities, could teleport within the range of their own Domain.

How could an Eighth-Level Battle Master achieve instantaneous movement? He must have misjudged the location.

The youth definitely possessed something capable of disrupting one's spiritual perception. What could interfere with one's perception and cause such misjudgments?

Only the mental assaults of a Spirit Magician or the illusions cast by an Illusion Magician. But this youth was clearly a Battle Master; how could he cast illusions?

A hallucination, it had to be a mistake! He glanced toward Alsius nearby with a flicker of doubt, only to see his companion also frowning deeply, a look of sheer bewilderment on his face.

"What is it? Did you find him?" Douglas asked.

"I find this youth very strange. I actually felt him teleporting just now...

With such low cultivation, he doesn't even have a Domain. How can he teleport?

It's fundamentally impossible!" Alsius stated. "I felt the same thing!" Douglas exclaimed, startled, as he confirmed his old friend's observation.

"This is bizarre. I must investigate what's causing this strangeness," Alsius declared.

He immediately unleashed his Domain, his form blurring as he materialized above the jungle canopy. Domains varied from person to person; since they were unique spaces, they could be manifested with great power or they could be rendered utterly silent.

Alsius skimmed the treetops, using his spiritual sense to pinpoint Chen Feng’s location instantly. His Domain expanded soundlessly, and his figure flickered, vanishing from his spot.

"Kid, you can't escape this time!" Alsius reappeared abruptly right in front of Chen Feng. "Ah..." Chen Feng gasped in surprise, executing a quick Shadow Hook Fist while simultaneously darting rapidly forward.

"Trying to run?" A faint smile touched Alsius's lips as he blinked forward, intercepting Chen Feng's path. Appearing in front of Chen Feng just as the youth was about to speak, Alsius felt a sudden clench in his face.

An overwhelming surge of willpower directly assaulted his brain. His vision swam, followed by a sharp, intense pain in his back.

His world instantly went black, and consciousness fled. Chen Feng let out a long breath, withdrawing the Nether Feather Sword embedded in the Magister’s back, his body slick with cold sweat.

If Alsius had chosen to strike with the full force of his Domain upon manifesting, rather than using a blink to pursue him, he himself would likely be the one dead now. His intention in using Athena Asamiya's Psychic Teleportation was precisely to sow doubt, making them suspect he was blinking around so they would come close to investigate.

Only then, within close proximity, could he leverage the deadly power of the Nether Feather Sword. Otherwise, a Battle Master who couldn't close the distance was simply a target for a Magister's spells.

"Alsius..." Douglas cried out in shock, instantly appearing in the air, a powerful spell already forming at his fingertips. Chen Feng did not hesitate.

He raised the Rear Bow, concealing the Nether Feather Sword within a Purple Flame Arrow, instantly channeling his Vortex power into a single, colossal flame arrow that nocked onto the bowstring. "Overestimating yourself!" Douglas’s face darkened.

He loosed his spell directly at Chen Feng, this time imbuing it with effects of stunning and imprisonment to prevent escape. Eighth-Level Single-Target Spell—Diamond Arrow.

This spell utilized extreme power to forcibly compress the ambient earth elements into a diamond arrow possessing a density hundreds of times greater than ordinary bluestone. Such an arrow traveled at incredible speed, capable of mimicking teleportation if combined with Domain power.

Seeing his comrade slain, Douglas fought with full force in his shock, even utilizing his Domain. As the Diamond Arrow shot toward Chen Feng’s chest, Chen Feng simultaneously launched the Nether Feather Sword, imbued with all his strength, toward Douglas in the air!

"Crack..." "Boom..." A massive explosion ripped through the air. Chen Feng was slammed backward by the Diamond Arrow, several ribs audibly cracking, before being hurled away.

The ensuing shockwave blasted a crater over four hundred meters in diameter into the ground. And this was merely the power of a single Eighth-Level single-target attack spell!

Simultaneously, the Nether Feather Sword, carrying immense killing intent, pierced straight through Douglas’s chest in the sky, skewering him completely! Chen Feng’s two greatest weapons, used in concert, had indeed unleashed unparalleled destructive force, slaying a Ninth-Level Magister instantly!

"Cough, cough..." Chen Feng clutched his chest, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood. He reached into his robes and retrieved the armor forged from Black Gold Iron.

Since he had come seeking revenge, he had wisely worn the Black Gold Iron armor. Now that he had committed to a direct confrontation, he made sure it was in place.

It was a blessing he had put the armor on; otherwise, his body would have been pierced clean through by the Eighth-Level Diamond Arrow. He took a deep, ragged breath, feeling utterly spent.

With a dizzy spell, his vision darkened, and he collapsed unconscious onto the ground. ps: Twelve thousand words updated today...

Tomorrow will be closer to 9,000, not quite twelve thousand. Please bear with me.

I slipped off the category recommendation list again; if anyone has recommendation tickets, please cast a few quickly!! (To be continued.

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