Chapter 115: The Threat

Linghu Yu gasped inwardly at Feng Jun’s ruthless efficiency. Simultaneously, he felt a pang of profound heartache. This boy! That was a divine beast, a creature one might never encounter in a thousand lifetimes, and he had just slaughtered it! How could he be so incredibly wasteful?

However, in Feng Jun’s eyes, a quick death for the flood dragon was far too merciful. He wished he could tear it limb from limb, inflicting upon it a thousandfold the pain Shen Duo had suffered. The fury in his icy gaze only began to dissipate once the dragon’s massive body crashed to the ground.

Although the death of the divine flood dragon was a tragedy, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. The beast’s power had been terrifying; had the battle dragged on, no one was certain they could hold out. Every expert above the Heaven-rank was utterly exhausted, their internal spiritual phantom energy depleted.

Shen Duo tilted her head to look at Feng Jun, sweat dripping from her cheeks, a testament to her fatigue. Shen Taixing retreated a step, returning to the Shen family’s training squad. The harrowing battle had finally ceased. Thankfully, due to the high number of experts, casualties were not severe; the Shen family squad had lost only two members and seen two others injured, while the rest, having not participated, remained unscathed.

Just as Shen Duo caught her breath, an eerie, cold breeze swept in from the side. A flash of azure light flickered, and Shen Jianming was suddenly upon her. He clamped one hand around her slender neck, azure spiritual phantom energy shimmering in his palm, his narrow eyes filled with malice. "Stay back, all of you, or I will kill her!"

He held nothing but contempt for Chen Boguang, a mere nine-star Great Phantom Master, and the silver wolf crouching near Shen Duo appeared to him as nothing more than a common, low-tier phantom beast, posing no threat whatsoever. Thus, he was quite satisfied with his threat.

While the high-level Heaven Phantom Masters were locked in combat with the flood dragon, the Shen family disciples watching from afar had plotted this move. Accustomed to feeling superior and receiving aristocratic treatment wherever they went, they had been repeatedly thwarted by Shen Duo and Linghu Yu. They had been unable to claim the precious treasures for themselves, and such a bitter loss was something they could not endure. They were determined to seize the Dragon Scale Grass by any means necessary.

Shen Duo stared coldly at Shen Jianming’s face, a trace of mockery playing on her lips. Stung by her expression, Shen Jianming’s pupils constricted in renewed rage. Had he not needed her as leverage to obtain the Dragon Scale Grass, he would have snapped the girl’s neck instantly.

The sudden betrayal by the Shen family disciples filled all the other phantom masters present with disdain. This was the very definition of repaying kindness with enmity. Had it not been for Shen Duo’s desperate final strike, few of the young Shen disciples would have survived. Yet, once the powerful threat was neutralized, the Shen family turned and bit the hand that fed them—they were even more despicable than the flood dragon itself.

Linghu Yu nearly exploded with rage. Pointing at Shen Taixing, he cursed without restraint, "Well done, Shen Taixing! You’ve really lost all sense of decency in your old age. I regret ever knowing you; you’re a disgrace! To use such a despicable tactic—have you no shame? As for the so-called Four Great Families, the Shen clan is nothing but a den of cowards and schemers. If I ever see your clan elders, I will certainly file a complaint against you!"

Feng Jun’s frigid gaze fell upon Shen Jianming, his eyes radiating a bone-chilling cold that seemed ready to hack the man to pieces at any moment.

Shen Taixing was surprised by the sudden move of the Shen disciples, but despite Linghu Yu’s scathing insults, he did not disapprove of Shen Jianming’s actions. He, too, was seething with resentment and coveted the Dragon Scale Grass—a rare medicinal herb capable of helping even Heaven Phantom Masters advance! Who wouldn't be tempted?

"All is fair in war, Linghu Yu. If you have the ability, come and save her!" Shen Taixing retorted shamelessly.

With the tacit backing of his family’s elder, Shen Jianming became even more reckless. "Hand over the Dragon Scale Grass, or I’ll kill her right now! Decide for yourselves what’s more important: her life or the grass!"

Following the intense battle, the Heaven Phantom Masters were drained of energy and lacked the capacity to contend with the dozen or so spiritual phantom masters in the Shen squad. Linghu Yu and Ji Qingsue were gnashing their teeth in frustration, but they were helpless to save Shen Duo. Feng Jun, having fought the hardest, was equally exhausted and unable to engage them directly.

Linghu Yu was consumed with indignation. Were they really going to let these shameless wretches succeed and snatch half the Dragon Scale Grass? It was a prize Shen Duo and the others had risked their lives to win! The thought of handing it over was unbearable.

As the two sides stood in a stalemate, no one noticed the Five-Tailed Fire Fox and the White Wolf, which had shrunk into their petite forms behind the crowd. Lou Jingbai was furious; humans were truly both cunning and shameless. Had he and Ben Yi not been Shen Duo’s phantom beasts, they would have been bullied helplessly.

"Little Duo, are you alright?" Lou Jingbai asked worriedly in his heart.
"I'm fine," Shen Duo replied, her internal voice calm.
"You stupid White Wolf, what’s wrong with you? You couldn't even guard Little Duo’s safety! Are you an idiot?" Lou Jingbai raged.

Ben Yi felt deeply guilty. He had been focused solely on the battlefield and had let his guard down; caught off guard by Shen Jianming’s sudden movement, he had failed to intervene in time. In truth, it wasn't entirely his fault—he had been abruptly pulled out of meditation by Lou Jingbai and, unaware of the previous friction with the Shen squad, had been complacent. He had only refrained from revealing his true form because Shen Duo had stopped him mentally, signaling that she had other plans. Ben Yi let out a low, whimpering apology through their psychic link.

Shen Jianming, impatient, pressed his fingers closer to Shen Duo’s neck. As he applied slight pressure, blood began to seep from the corner of her mouth. "You’d better hurry up! My spiritual phantom blades have no eyes!"

Feng Jun started to step forward in desperation, but Linghu Yu pulled him back firmly. Linghu Yu fixed a stern glare on Shen Taixing and Shen Jianming, his voice cold. "Fine, I agree. But I, Linghu Yu, swear that the coercion I have suffered today in the Genesis Valley will be repaid tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Shen Taixing was momentarily taken aback by the vow, but he only returned a cold, dismissive stare.

Linghu Yu quickly flew to the ancient tree where the Dragon Scale Grass grew and carefully harvested it. The Shen disciples watched with excitement, as if the herb were already in their hands, and even Shen Jianming’s grip slackened slightly.

At that moment, Shen Duo gave the order in her mind.

Ben Yi, who had been standing cautiously behind Shen Jianming, instantly transformed into his true form—the Iron-Winged Silver Wolf. With a swift swipe, he knocked Shen Jianming aside, immediately followed by a volley of toxic steel needles imbued with potent azure spiritual phantom energy.

The needles fell like a rainstorm. Even with his high-level spiritual phantom master reflexes, Shen Jianming could not dodge them all, and several embedded themselves in his shoulder blade. The Iron-Winged Silver Wolf’s needles were venomous, requiring its own saliva to neutralize. The toxin acted rapidly; as Shen Jianming tried to channel his energy, his skin turned a sickly blue from his shoulder to his neck, and his limbs went limp.

The shift in fortune was instantaneous. The Shen disciples were left defenseless, and in moments, the tide had completely turned.

Shen Duo had not wanted a falling-out with the Shen squad, but since they had brought it upon themselves, she had no choice. Almost as soon as Ben Yi counterattacked, Lou Jingbai and Feng Jun stood protectively before Shen Duo.

"A fine Shen family indeed! Today, I will make you pay the price!" Lou Jingbai no longer hid his divine beast power, truly incensed by their treachery. Dozens of Solar True Flames erupted toward the Shen disciples, the terrifying heat threatening to incinerate them.

Feng Jun, equally ruthless, flashed behind Shen Jianming and channeled his spiritual phantom energy into an ice blade, plunging it into the man’s abdomen. Already poisoned by Ben Yi, Shen Jianming had no power to resist. As the blade pierced him, blood flowed from his stomach, soaking his blue phantom master robes in a dark, crimson stain.

"Jianming!" Shen Taixing screamed in horror, but neither Feng Jun nor Lou Jingbai held back. They were determined to end Shen Jianming’s life. When Shen Taixing tried to intervene, he was blocked by a skill from Linghu Yu.

The Shen family’s ambush had been a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on their own feet. Shen Taixing was filled with regret. The disciples had descended into chaos the moment the white wolf revealed its true power; they could not comprehend how they had gone from a position of absolute control to total defeat in a heartbeat.

Under the combined assault of Lou Jingbai and Feng Jun, Shen Jianming perished in a sea of flames within minutes, not even his bones remaining. The remaining Shen disciples were also wounded. Lou Jingbai, wreathed in Solar True Flames, looked down at them with contempt. "Get out!"

Had Linghu Yu not restrained him, Lou Jingbai would not have even let Shen Taixing leave alive. The Shen squad had arrived with arrogance and left in tatters. Even if Shen Taixing managed to return to the Shen family’s main city, the loss of so many talented disciples would surely invite the wrath of the Elder Council.

Now truly free from danger, Feng Jun approached Shen Duo. His icy, handsome face was etched with guilt as he gathered the heavily wounded girl into his arms. Linghu Yu and Ji Qingsue hurried over, handing half the Dragon Scale Grass to Feng Jun along with a storage bag containing the flood dragon’s corpse. "This is what you deserve. Shen Duo is badly hurt; we must get her out of here for treatment immediately."

Feng Jun nodded, and Ben Yi knelt before him. The entire group climbed onto the wolf’s broad back, and it soared out of the Genesis Valley.

Ben Yi’s speed was immense. Along the way, no one spoke; the atmosphere was heavy. Feng Jun gazed worriedly at the girl sleeping in his arms. Linghu Yu and Ji Qingsue exchanged glances, their eyes lingering on Shen Duo and Feng Jun. They were filled with unanswered questions: How could such a gifted young sword cultivator have such high-level phantom beasts at her side—and more than one? This was unprecedented on the continent. Furthermore, the relationship between the girl and the young man was clearly not that of siblings, and the young man’s phantom master aptitude even surpassed that of the continent’s top genius, Feng Jun! Who were they really?