A brief silence followed, broken by the sound of Yi Shi’s furious roar, heavy with resentment.

“I never thought you were hiding an ace up your sleeve. I, Yi Shi, misjudged you.”

“I was trying to save you just now; it’s rather rude of you to grab me like that,” Hun Lie added quietly.

As they spoke, the power surging within them lashed out frantically at Chen Feng, yet inexplicably, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, making no sound.

Of course, neither man felt fear. In this place, no newcomer, however arrogant, would dare kill them. Furthermore, they didn't believe Chen Feng’s cultivation level was vastly superior to theirs; their restraint was purely due to being overly focused on the fight. The opponent had taken advantage of their distraction with a surprise move, merely using some method to suppress their cultivation.

“I said, if you become my subordinates, I will naturally release you,” Chen Feng maintained his smile, yet his words carried an undeniable force.

“Nonsense! How could we, one of the Ten Great Masters, possibly submit to a nameless brat like you?” Yi Shi roared angrily.

“Masters?” Chen Feng scoffed, falling silent, but his sarcasm was thick enough to taste. To be utterly helpless in someone’s grasp, yet still claim the title of ‘Master’—it was enough to make one split their sides laughing.

“You succeeded through a sneak attack. Did you think that meant you’ve defeated us?” Hun Lie, uncharacteristically siding with Yi Shi, spoke with indignation. In truth, he felt deeply frustrated. This originally had nothing to do with him; he only intended to recruit a subordinate, yet he had run into someone unexpectedly tough.

“A sneak attack?” Chen Feng sneered. “How about this?”

With that, he loosened his hands. Hun Lie and Yi Shi felt the oppressive weight lift instantly; the pressure that had bound them vanished, and their bodies regained freedom.

“Hmph, let’s see you now!”

With their power restored, Hun Lie and Yi Shi sprang up simultaneously and, with a great shout, unleashed their strongest attacks directly at Chen Feng.

However, before they could fully manifest their assaults, everything went dark before their eyes. Two massive fists slammed toward their chests.

Chen Feng hadn't deployed the Power of the Great Cosmos this time, relying only on the pure strength of his muscles. Yet, even muscle alone was far more than these two Necromancers could withstand.

“Ahhh…”

A simultaneous cry of agony tore from them as they were sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ground and gouging out deep pits. Though the impact was severe and their appearance miserable, this type of attack could not take the lives of the two Necromancers due to their unique undead constitution.

“You… despicable!” Yi Shi clawed his way out of the crater and shouted, then began chanting a string of strange incantations—clearly some form of Necromancy.

Hun Lie was not to be outdone and began murmuring incantations as well.

“It’s the Spirit Summoning Rite,” Gao Jianshu shivered. “The two lords are trying to summon their Spirit Corpses…” The Necromancers’ strongest attack was summoning their Spirit Corpses to fight. While Yi Shi and Hun Lie’s corpses weren't as individually powerful as their masters, their sheer numbers—easily thousands combined—would be something a small fry like himself couldn't possibly endure if summoned. This young man was the one who had guided the two lords here. If he injured Lord Yi Shi and Lord Hun Lie, his responsibility would be undeniable. And if the lords' Spirit Corpses arrived and killed this youth, he would undoubtedly face the same terrible fate. Last time, a mage had defied Yi Shi, and the Lord, in a fit of rage, had refined him into a Spirit Corpse. If captured now, his fate wouldn't be any better. Thinking of this, Gao Jianshu trembled uncontrollably and, without hesitation, shot backward, his speed even surpassing his maximum effort.

Roar…

He hadn’t gone far when a fierce roar erupted directly ahead. A dense, black mass rushed toward him—thousands of figures—and they had already encircled him, the two young men, and the young woman in the center.

“Ah… it’s over, it’s really over now…” Seeing the swarm of Spirit Corpses charging, despair washed over Gao Jianshu. Being surrounded by these creatures meant escape was impossible, and not escaping meant a truly agonizing end.

“Brother… Lord, I have truly doomed you this time!” Gao Jianshu flew in front of Chen Feng and roared, his voice laced with panic.

Seeing their Spirit Corpses arrive, Yi Shi and Hun Lie seemed to regain their strength. They both ascended and plunged directly into the throng of the undead. Just as Chen Feng expected them to direct the corpses to attack, something bizarre occurred: the two men simultaneously turned their killing intent upon the 'subordinates' who had come to their aid.

Scratch. Crunch.

A series of teeth-grinding sounds erupted. Yi Shi and Hun Lie were cutting down the thousands of charging Spirit Corpses. Yet, with every corpse they slew, a wisp of black energy rose from its body, which, upon condensing, burrowed into their own forms. Chen Feng saw what they were doing at a glance. Rendered powerless and heavily injured by him, they were now destroying the Spirit Corpses they had painstakingly acquired, solely to replenish the strength lost through their wounds. So, Spirit Corpses served this secondary function: as the master’s ‘energy reserve.’ Necromancers truly possessed their own unique methodologies.

As Chen Feng marveled at this discovery, the two had already regained their strength. They stood at a distance, staring at him coldly.

“Dare to lay hands on me? If I let you live today, my name isn’t Yi Shi,” Yi Shi hissed, before turning to Hun Lie. “Hun Lie, though we usually clash, we both fell to this brat today. How shall we repay this debt?”

“How about we set aside personal grudges today and deal with this boy together?” Hun Lie conceded.

“Agreed.” Yi Shi had been waiting for just that. A sly grin touched his lips as he fixed his gaze on Chen Feng. “To be killed by the two of us—even in death, you should feel honored.” With that, he thrust his right hand forward. In his grip, he now held a dark, cyan bone club—his magic staff. With a light tap of the staff in the air, roughly half of the Spirit Corpses immediately surged toward Chen Feng as if obeying a direct command.

“I’ll join in!” Hun Lie shouted. He tapped his fingers, and the other half of the corpses received the order to charge forward.

“Ah… now it’s definitely over,” Gao Jianshu felt his vision swim and nearly fainted seeing the two lords simultaneously unleash the Spirit Corpses. His mind descended into chaos. Acting purely on instinct, he quickly covered his head and crouched on the spot.

Thump. Thump.

Soon, he heard sounds like rain hitting the ground. Trembling, he dared not look up, his only thought being, I’m screwed. I’m really screwed this time. But after a moment, he only registered the thudding sounds, yet felt no pain on his body. He cautiously lifted his head and was instantly stunned—the scene before him was utterly… unbelievable.

Chen Feng regarded the charging Spirit Corpses with utter indifference, looking at the two self-proclaimed ‘Masters’ with pity, and shook his head. He suddenly lunged forward, inexplicably breaking through the undead encirclement, and appeared instantly before Yi Shi, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him to the ground.

Iori’s skill, 212 Shiki: Kototsuzuki Otoshi (Bell Moon Shadow). Because he had mastered powerful moves like Orochi Nage and Sunshine, Kototsuzuki Otoshi was rarely used. But rarely used didn't mean unfamiliar; the moment Chen Feng deployed it, its power was immense, certainly no weaker than super-move techniques like Orochi Nage.

Boom.

A gout of flame instantly engulfed Yi Shi. This fire was the Jaki energy differentiated from the Dark Power, giving it a bizarre, blood-red hue.

“Argh…”

Yi Shi shrieked, recoiled from the ground, and crashed hard far in the distance. This impact caused even greater injury than the previous punch, plunging him immediately into unconsciousness. When a Spirit Controller is rendered unconscious, their Spirit Corpses naturally lose all awareness. Like dumplings falling from the sky, they dropped down, sprawling haphazardly on the ground, waiting only for their master's command.

“You…”

Hun Lie, seeing Chen Feng defeat his equal in a single move and leave him severely injured, was jolted. But as a formidable figure in his own right, his reaction was swift. He pushed hard off the ground with both feet and shot backward like a wild goose. If he couldn't win a direct confrontation, he would first evade the immediate threat, then deal with the Spirit Corpses. In that brief moment, a decision was made in his mind.

However, before he could fly far, a flash of light crossed his eyes, and a foot appeared squarely on his face.

Wham…

This kick was not light. Hun Lie’s vision went black, and he tumbled backward several somersaults before slamming violently into the Spirit Corpses behind him, falling from the air and also slipping into unconsciousness. The other half of the corpses, having lost their command, naturally fell around Gao Jianshu just like the first batch—standing motionless like statues…

……, ,. ,.

Chen Feng settled the confrontation in two moves, gaining control of the situation, yet his expression showed no hint of pride. He dragged the two men up and roused them.

“Well? Are you willing to become my subordinates now?”

“If you want me to be your Spirit Corpse, just kill me instead,” Hun Lie roared.

“Be a Spirit Corpse?” Chen Feng, realizing the misunderstanding, was about to explain when he suddenly sensed a dangerous aura. His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the distant town.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a fierce gale howled through the air, and a figure materialized right in front of Chen Feng. This person wore robes patterned entirely with skulls. His skin, a dark, sickly cyan, was particularly repulsive, and his eyes shone with the fierce intensity of an eagle-owl. Judging solely by the aura he radiated, he was vastly more powerful than Hun Lie or Yi Shi.

“I wondered who was causing trouble here. So it’s the champion of the Five Extremes Tournament, Chen Feng,” the newcomer stated coldly.