With a deafening sound, the spot where Chen Feng stood was cratered by the sheer force of his aura, leaving him floating silently above the pit like a deity or a demon.
A powerful shockwave instantly erupted from this explosion, throwing the warriors standing a dozen meters away clear into the air, where they tumbled hard onto the ground.
Warren slammed his back against the wall, staring at Chen Feng in the distance, almost unable to believe his eyes.
"Ascended to Dou Zun... Is he truly the Chen Feng I knew from outside Dragon Mountain?"
Two months ago, he knew Chen Feng was stronger, but only within the realm of a Ninth-Rank Fighter. To discover his true strength was that of a Ninth-Rank Battle Master was a shock that made self-belief waver.
Behind the crowd, Jacob's face was even more ashen, like parchment. The memory of having tracked Chen Feng with the intent to teach him a lesson sent cold sweat streaming down his spine.
"I actually tracked a Battle Master at the peak of the Ninth Rank? What was I doing if not courting death..."
The entire academy was thrown into chaos by Chen Feng's unpredictable breakthrough to Dou Zun.
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Ling Feng, suspended in the air, suddenly snapped her eyes wide open, her arms trembling. The seven-colored wings behind her shot down toward Xia Liubingqing on the ground like meteors.
Simultaneously, Xia Liubingqing completed his incantation. With a muffled grunt, a colossal Ninth-Rank magic erupted from the tip of his staff.
This magic, like a compressed sphere of energy imbued with the endless might of a Domain, barreled straight toward the seven-colored wings descending from above!
"Crack, crack..."
The collision was not a world-shattering roar, but a sharp, brittle crack. The Domains both had condensed began to show fissures. The cracks widened rapidly, and in an instant, they shattered. Only then did a powerful explosion reverberate through the air.
"Pfft..." Ling Feng in the air immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, soaring back toward the sky like a kite whose string had been cut.
Xia Liubingqing on the contest stage was clearly not faring well either. His pure white staff snapped into dust, the magic shield enveloping his body shattered concurrently, and his chest caved in by several inches. He was grievously wounded as his Domain disintegrated.
"Boom..."
The vast contest stage immediately exploded into countless fragments, and a smooth, massive pit formed in the ground below.
Great clouds of smoke and dust surged upward from the ground, coalescing into a monstrous mushroom shape.
"Now is the time..."
Two small, slender figures hiding in a corner simultaneously darted upward, taking advantage of the billowing smoke.
………………………………………………………………………………
As the explosion occurred, Chen Feng's aura reached its absolute zenith. Streaks of purple flames instantly materialized before him, rapidly forming an ocean of fire.
An intense, murderous will emanated from the flames, and frantic currents of energy churned within.
"What... what Domain is this?" The Dean of Academic Affairs stared, not at the fighting Dean, but at Chen Feng before the arena, his face etched with utter astonishment.
"Could it be... the legendary Endless Fire? The Endless Fire Domain of the Five Great Innate Attributes at their limit?" A teacher’s eyes bulged wide, and he couldn't help but cry out.
"The Endless Fire Domain... How is that possible?" The Dean of Academic Affairs swallowed hard, lapsing into a semi-dazed state.
The Five Great Innate Attributes—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—if refined to purity, would generate the most formidable single-attribute Domain states upon ascending to Dou Zun: the Unbreakable Metal, the Deathless Wood, the Rootless Water, the Endless Fire, and the Infinite Earth—the Five Great Innate Limit Domains.
The Unbreakable Metal Domain, legend claimed, was impervious to all things; no Domain existed it could not breach.
The Deathless Wood Domain, it was said, carried the essence of perpetual growth, allowing complete recovery from any injury within its borders, earning it the title of the Undying Body.
The Rootless Water Domain was rumored to generate an immensely powerful viscous effect, preventing anyone within it from exerting their true strength.
The Infinite Earth Domain was deemed the strongest defensive Domain, one that even Unbreakable Metal would find tremendously difficult to shatter!
And the Endless Fire Domain, the legend stated, was the absolute Domain capable of incinerating everything. Within this space, fire was the sole existence; no other Domain could coexist with it!
Among the Five Great Domains, the Endless Fire might not rank first, but it was undoubtedly the most terrifying, as its manifestation meant absolute life or death—it was a Domain forged purely for killing!
However, the Five Great Innate Attribute Domains had vanished for thousands of years; no one had ever heard of anyone cultivating such a Domain. Thus, the Dean of Academic Affairs and the teacher were petrified with shock upon confirming their speculation.
Chen Feng closed his eyes, carefully savoring the Domain power radiating outward. His sensation was vastly different from that of the Dean of Academic Affairs and the others.
Standing within the Endless Fire Domain, Chen Feng felt not scorching heat, but a distinct coolness!
"Is this the power of an Absolute Domain?" Chen Feng murmured, mentally controlling the fluctuations of the Endless Fire Domain.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and a cluster of purple flame bloomed at his fingertip.
"Flame of Destruction?" He instantly perceived the difference between this flame and the one he possessed as a Battle Master.
If the flame at the Battle Master level was a mere candle flicker, the Flame of Destruction in his hand was undeniably comparable to a furnace fire; the disparity in power was immeasurable.
The swirling energy in his Dantian had long since vanished, replaced entirely by fire! An ocean of flame.
"This is the power of the Absolute Domain. It is no longer the power of the vortex!" Chen Feng recognized the conversion of his internal energy, knowing he had completely entered the energy state of an Absolute Domain.
He withdrew his spiritual power from within his body, attempting to survey the battle outside the Domain, but his expression instantly changed, and he shouted loudly.
"You dare!"
His body blurred toward the ground, vanishing from his original spot, and reappearing in the air.
Athena Ma's Teleportation Technique!
Ling Feng, still aloft, had already fallen unconscious mentally. The Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens technique she had used had completely drained her strength, and the violent backlash from the Domain's rupture had dealt her a devastating blow.
Two dark shadows shot up from the ground. A sinister light flashed from their hands as they stabbed directly down toward the airborne Ling Feng!
"Stab!" Ling Feng, completely unprepared, was pierced by two daggers. Blood flowed continuously down the blades.
With a furious roar, Chen Feng flashed instantly before Ling Feng. He unleashed the Endless Fire Domain, instantly incinerating the two ambushers into ash!
"Ling Feng!" Chen Feng held Ling Feng’s yielding body, his heart choked with regret.
"Why wasn't I more vigilant just now... Why!" Chen Feng stood suspended in the air and suddenly roared to the heavens: "Tianfeng Academy actually resorts to such despicable acts! Attacking injured parties after losing a match! I will make you pay the price!"
The academy grounds were locked down, preventing anyone associated with the academy from entering. Therefore, the only group capable of such an atrocity could be the Tianfeng Academy itself. Such a dishonorable act was utterly contemptible!
He owed his successful breakthrough to the Dou Zun realm entirely to Ling Feng. Without their two months of rigorous sparring, this breakthrough today would have been impossible!
And the person who helped him so profoundly was now harmed by the scheming actions of the enemy. How could this not ignite his fury and rage?
"Whoosh... Whoosh..."
Four or five Dou Zun-level experts suddenly materialized in the air.
A flicker of flame danced in Chen Feng's eyes as he saw them. The Endless Fire Domain fully unfurled.
"I will make you die!" Chen Feng used his Domain to gently suspend Ling Feng mid-air, then charged forward like a madman!
Directly in front of him was a teacher at the Third-Rank Dou Zun level. He never expected Chen Feng to charge without a word; startled, his own Domain had only just begun to manifest when Chen Feng’s fist slammed into his face.
Light Fist + Heavy Fist Throw, Sunflower Three Forms, Light Fist, Sunflower Three Forms, Light Fist, Sunflower Three Forms...
The Sunflower Infinite Combo! (This combo involves cornering the opponent, using the Sunflower strike to launch them, and then following up. It differs slightly from its real-world and arcade counterparts; apologies for any discrepancy.)
"Bang!"
Pitiable was the Third-Rank Dou Zun, who was pulverized into a bloody mess by the infinite combo before he could even react!
The remaining teachers, seeing Chen Feng kill someone with his very first move, were instantly consumed by rage.
"Teacher Robinson..."
"All together! Kill this murderer!" shouted a Dou Zun-level teacher.
Chen Feng’s eyes turned like blades as he fixed them on the shouting teacher. A wave of murderous intent surged downward from him. The Domain spread, creating an ocean of fire across the sky, and he lunged toward that teacher.
However, this time, the opponents were prepared. Their Domains—front, back, left, and right—all opened instantly. The collision between Domains was comparable to a physical clash; otherwise, Ling Feng wouldn't have fallen unconscious due to the Domain’s collapse.
Before Chen Feng could reach the teacher, he was surrounded by the remaining three, and a powerful pressure began to compress his Domain inward.
Although the Endless Fire Domain was one of the Five Great Innate Attribute Limits, it had only just formed; he had only recently advanced to the Dou Zun level, and his control over the Domain was still unrefined. Trapped by their encirclement, he could barely move.
He clutched Ling Feng close to his chest, noting her breath growing fainter. Fury surged up from his core. Glaring at the surrounding figures, a surge of energy rushed up from his Dantian, and he roared: "Get lost!"
This shout was like thunder, an ultra-powerful magic exploding in the air.
The Dou Zun-level teacher directly in front of him, staggered by the shockwave of the sound, his mind momentarily blanked, and his vision blurred. Simultaneously, a gap appeared in the Domain compressing Chen Feng.
Chen Feng seized this opportunity, holding Ling Feng, and used the Teleportation Technique to burst out of the encirclement. He then flickered several times in rapid succession in the air, moving as if blinking, and vanished from the sky.
"He... is that instantaneous movement?" The remaining four Dou Zun experts were too stunned to react. They stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded by Chen Feng's speed.
Even Dou Zun-level experts could achieve instantaneous movement within their own Domain, but the maximum range was never more than a meter. Yet, this red-haired youth covered nearly a thousand meters with every single teleport! How could they not be shocked?
"Chase him! He just advanced to Dou Zun and is carrying an injured person; he can't have gone far! We must avenge the fallen Teacher Robinson!" As one teacher shouted, over a dozen more Dou Zun-level teachers flew up from the ground and sped off in the direction Chen Feng had fled.
ps:: This is the last chapter for tonight. No more updates. Also, seeing five more Monthly Tickets this afternoon, plus 22 more Encouragement Tickets—I estimate I'll have to update twelve thousand characters again tomorrow. Sob... Can everyone please stop tempting me like this and let me rest... (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in to www.idiancomm for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!) First published.