The Moshiki (Ultimate Style), the signature technique of the Kusanagi clan, possessed limitless power and— a certain ability. It was this move that Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami used to re-seal Orochi in The King of Fighters '97.

The Moshiki—it has no fixed, rigid form! The practitioner of this martial art is desireless, without want, needing even to shed their own thoughts, achieving a state of selflessness.

Kyo was able to unleash the Moshiki back then precisely because his soul had been seized by Orochi’s ultimate technique, the ‘Soul Sucker’! It was executed without a single conscious thought.

Chen Feng’s current predicament was strikingly similar. He had fallen into a coma, and the burning remnant of the Flame Dragon’s soul provided him with a surge of immense power in that instant, causing him to involuntarily unleash the Moshiki.

Chen Feng, wreathed in flames, resembled an invincible War God as he flung Jin Xuanhu high into the air with crushing force. “Ah…” How could Jin Xuanhu, injured by someone merely at the Dou Zun level, endure this?

The divine power within him erupted violently, finally shattering the spatial restraints binding his body. He thrust his fist forward, and his divine power, like fire breaking through ice, met Chen Feng’s final strike head-on.

“Boom…” A massive explosion erupted at the point of their collision. A blinding white light, like a miniature sun, illuminated millions of miles around.

“Hoo…” Space itself twisted instantaneously, revealing a gigantic void. Wildly surging divine power spread outward along the ground like a tempest.

“Rumble…” All the surrounding peaks instantly collapsed under the impact of the divine force. The magic array laid out ahead vibrated with intense magical energy from the clash, releasing a massive burst of light.

“Die!” Jin Xuanhu roared, accelerating his momentum and slamming Chen Feng directly into the void created by the battle nearby! The void shuddered violently under the intense tremors and vanished in a flash beneath the radiance of the magic array!

Even utilizing the Moshiki and the power of the Flame Dragon’s lingering soul, Chen Feng had failed to kill Jin Xuanhu! “Is it finally over?” Jin Xuanhu exhaled deeply, watching the void where Chen Feng disappeared, wiping a trickle of blood from his lips.

‘To think a mere Fourth Stage Dou Zun could injure me. Where did the Flame Dragon dig up such a monstrous being?’ Jin Xuanhu mused, unwilling to linger.

He shot away toward the Tiger Domain like lightning. His immediate priority was healing, which for a God-level master naturally required the power of faith!

Although Chen Feng was dead and the Flame Dragon’s remnant soul crushed, Jin Xuanhu felt no elation. It wasn't because his injuries couldn't be healed now that they were gone; rather, a strange, inexplicable sorrow had settled upon him.

The Flame Dragon, the Fire Phoenix, Jade Dao. “Right…” Everyone else simultaneously came to the same conclusion.

What else, besides a battle, could unleash such an overwhelming light? The Dragon Domain suffered casualties of over forty thousand in this conflict.

If not for Chen Feng’s Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, the losses would have been far greater. Xiao Hu, deliberately shielded by the Great Elder, remained unharmed.

His large eyes fixed on the direction from which the white light emanated, and then, his gaze hardening, he roared out, “Boss! Boss…” Shouting, he broke away from the retreating Dragon Clan army and charged toward the source of the light.

The Great Elder snatched him back. “What are you doing?” “Boss… his aura is gone!” Xiao Hu cried out in distress, tears streaming down his face.

“What? The Dragon God’s aura has vanished?” The Great Elder grew anxious.

If he couldn't sense the aura, didn't that imply death? Xiao Hu nodded fiercely.

“I’m going to find the Boss!” With that, he wrenched free of the Great Elder’s grasp and flew straight ahead. The Great Elder summoned his right hand, and a transparent wall of energy materialized before Xiao Hu, completely blocking his path.

“Let me go, you old pervert, let me pass!” Xiao Hu cursed in his panic. The Great Elder paid him no mind.

“Don’t rush off; I’ll go back with you!” Xiao Hu was the Dragon God’s spirit beast; losing him would be disastrous. Besides, the Elder himself needed to see what had happened.

How could the Dragon God simply die without a sound? “What is it?” A faint voice sounded from ahead of the two.

The Great Elder glanced over and saw Ling Feng. Ling Feng, as the inheritor of the Fire Phoenix, had been protected by everyone and sustained no injury.

She had worried constantly since Chen Feng charged into the Tiger Domain, and seeing Xiao Hu anxiously rushing back confirmed her fears that something terrible had occurred. She knew about the soul contract Xiao Hu shared with Chen Feng.

They could locate each other across hundreds of millions of miles relying on mere sensation; if she couldn’t grasp the meaning of the white light now, she’d truly be foolish. “Boss… I can’t sense the Boss anymore…” Xiao Hu choked out.

“What…” Ling Feng’s vision went dark, and she nearly tumbled from the sky. Sensing no response from someone bound by a soul contract had only one explanation: the other party had perished!

Realizing this, she spoke no more. Her body twisted, her domain power fully unfurled, and she bolted in the opposite direction.

She had only one thought: she wouldn't believe it until she saw the reality with her own eyes. Ling Feng’s temperament was quiet and reserved, but when such a person finally felt deep emotion, their resolve became iron-clad—nothing short of ten oxen could turn them back.

In truth, their concern and panic made them forget a fundamental principle: Xiao Hu and Chen Feng were bound by a Soul Blood Pact! A Soul Contract was the most brutal covenant between a spirit beast and a human, establishing a master-servant relationship—an unequal contract!

An unequal contract meant the bound spirit beast could only ever have one master throughout its life, and it would die upon the master’s death, constrained by the pact, unable to defy the master’s will in the slightest! Since Xiao Hu was alive and unharmed, it naturally meant Chen Feng was also fine… However, when hearing that someone they cared for was in jeopardy, who could stop to think about such details?

Who could maintain a clear mind? Independent thought breeds emotion, and emotion leads to impulsive actions, especially when the safety of a loved one is at stake!

“Princess, you cannot go!” Feng Xiang, the Second Elder of the Phoenix Domain, suddenly appeared before Ling Feng, blocking her path. “Jin Xuanhu is locked in battle with the Dragon God.

Your cultivation is too low; if you go there, your life will be in danger!” “Move aside!” Ling Feng said coldly. “Princess…” Ling Feng clenched her delicate hand and struck out!

Feng Xiang quickly dodged to the side. Her strength, of course, could not harm Feng Xiang in the slightest, but it demonstrated her resolve: anyone who stood in her way would become an enemy.

“Feng Xiang, don’t stop her. Let’s go together to see what happened!” Long Yi also arrived, grasping Feng Xiang’s arm.

But Ling Feng had already shot forward the instant Long Yi moved to intercept. Xiao Hu had also broken free of the Great Elder's restraint and followed closely behind… Long Yi and Feng Xiang exchanged wry smiles.

They returned to their respective clans to issue orders. Long Yi commanded the Second Elder to lead the Dragon Clan disciples back.

The people of the Qilin Domain, having suffered this defeat, were understandably angry with the Great Elder and others, and ignored the Dragon and Phoenix parties before leaving. After making arrangements, Long Yi and Feng Xiang pursued Ling Feng and Xiao Hu.

Having devoured the Demon Core of the Xuanhu Clan, Xiao Hu had inherited their advantage in speed. His current full-speed flight was nearly equal to Ling Feng’s, perhaps even slightly faster.

“What happened?” Ling Feng asked, her eyes reddening slightly when she saw Xiao Hu catch up. “After the white light flashed, I lost all sense of the Boss’s presence!” Xiao Hu replied anxiously, silently praying, Boss, please don’t be gone… Ling Feng’s eyes filled with determination.

Her body flushed crimson, and her speed abruptly increased again. She transformed into a streak of light cutting straight forward through the air.

Xiao Hu gritted his teeth, pulled a Demon Core from the Xuanhu Clan from his person, and swallowed it, instantly maximizing his speed… However, they had already flown at full power for over half an hour during the retreat. To rush back to that location in such a short time was impossible, especially since Chen Feng was flying in the opposite direction; they were likely tens of thousands of miles apart now.

……………………………………………………………………………… “This is…” When Ling Feng, Xiao Hu, and the two others arrived at Blood Iron Ridge, they were stunned speechless by the scene. Nearly all the peaks within a hundred-mile radius had collapsed, all cleanly sliced in half at the same elevation, as if cut horizontally by an infinitely large blade.

The trees on the ground were a mess, consumed by raging fires. The combat site remained, but not a single human figure could be seen.

“This is the result of using divine power!” the Great Elder murmured slowly. Jin Xuanhu had deployed his divine power in the attack.

How could Chen Feng, a mere Fourth Stage Dou Zun, possibly withstand it! “Boss…” Xiao Hu cried out, darting back and forth in the air, unable to find a single trace.

“Hmm, everywhere else has been blasted into ruins, but why has this dense forest remained untouched?” the Great Elder suddenly asked with surprise. Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward the distance and indeed spotted a patch of perfectly preserved woods.

This forest was where the Flame Dragon had set up the magic array. After the battle, the array had vanished soon after being affected by the void.

The four landed. Xiao Hu dashed into the woods first, but after a moment, he emerged.

The forest wasn't large, and at his speed, he had already scouted it entirely; there was no sign of Chen Feng. The Great Elder remained where he was and spread his spiritual sense.

After a while, a strange expression crossed his face. “There seems to be a trace of a magic array here, but the pattern is too profound for me to decipher.

Moreover, this formation appears to have suffered catastrophic damage and is beyond repair.” If the Great Elder, who studied magic arrays, couldn’t understand it or restore it, perhaps no one else on the continent could comprehend that formation. “Perhaps… the Dragon God is safe and escaped using this formation!” the Great Elder offered, though he himself barely believed his own words.

Ling Feng seemed not to have heard him. She scanned the surroundings, a layer of moisture gathering in her eyes, accompanied by a desperate thought: Chen Feng… where are you?

The four searched this area for ten full days, scouring the entire mountain range except for the Myriad Beast Cave, finding absolutely no trace of Chen Feng. With every extra day of searching, Ling Feng’s spirit grew dimmer.

After ten days, she looked like a completely different person. Love is not most memorable during the passionate honeymoon phase; it is the tentative, misty beginnings when feelings first spark that become the most intoxicating and consuming.

Chen Feng and Ling Feng were exactly in that stage. Although both had confessed their affections, they clearly had not reached the fever pitch of true love, which was precisely why Ling Feng was so anxious.

After the fruitless search, Long Xiang insisted Ling Feng return. The Tiger Domain had suffered heavy losses, and once Jin Xuanhu recovered, renewed conflict was inevitable.

To ensure the Phoenix Clan’s safety, Ling Feng had to return to preside over the Phoenix Clan’s sacrificial rite, transforming her into the Fire Phoenix! Her Fire Phoenix bloodline hadn't been consolidated before, which was why the ritual hadn't taken place.

After venturing out and the unintentional mingling of her blood with Chen Feng’s, the Fire Phoenix bloodline had finally fused completely with her body, becoming inseparable. Since the bloodline was stable, she naturally had to return for the rite, using a secret technique to allow her to fully assume the Fire Phoenix form!

Ling Feng had no choice but to depart first. A month later, the Great Elder and Xiao Hu returned to the Dragon Domain and dispatched thousands of disciples to search.

Months passed with no results; Chen Feng had vanished from the continent as if wiped clean from existence. Later, news spread from the Tiger Domain that their Tiger God had inadvertently revealed that he had annihilated both the Flame Dragon’s heir and the Flame Dragon’s remnant soul.

The Dragon God is dead! This news sent ripples of panic and unrest through the Dragon Domain.

Almost everyone accepted Chen Feng’s death, save for Xiao Hu, Ling Feng, and a few elders of the Dragon Clan. Xiao Hu had finally realized: if he was fine, how could his Boss be dead?

But if he wasn't dead, why couldn't he sense him at all? Ling Feng dispatched agents to the place where Chen Feng had forged his Ling Scholar record and found his soul tablet completely intact, confirming he had not died.

If he hadn't died, then where had he disappeared to? Everyone who believed Chen Feng lived harbored the same perplexing question: Where exactly had Chen Feng gone?

PS: Volume Five concludes here. Chen Feng will embark on a new journey tomorrow… (To be continued.

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