The Ancient Spirit Mountain Range was a colossal spine of peaks separating the free territories from the centralized control of the Violet Flame Dynasty. The air here was dense with Primal Qi, making it an ideal place for high-level cultivators, but also a den for powerful Demon Beasts and predatory mercenary groups sanctioned by the Dynasty to keep the region volatile.
Lin Feng and Xia Qingwu used the brass token. It shimmered violently, engulfing them in a temporary spatial tunnel, and spitting them out onto a high, precarious mountain path.
"The Qi here is intoxicating," Xia Qingwu breathed, channeling the abundant energy into her refined Qi Sea. "We can break into the Origin King realm here, Feng. But we must find an Origin Spring—a natural node of concentrated Qi."
As they began their descent, navigating the dense jungle canopy, Lin Feng felt an unsettling tremor in the air. It wasn't environmental chaos; it was a carefully constructed spiritual array.
"Stop. We are surrounded," Lin Feng warned, pulling Xia Qingwu behind a massive, moss-covered monolith. His Void Soul Seal alerted him to minute, unnatural spatial stability—the hallmark of a highly organized trapping formation.
A moment later, a thick, scarlet mist descended, covering the entire valley floor. It wasn't natural fog; it was a potent Mind-Locking Poison Array.
Four figures, cloaked in the black-and-gold armor of the Violet Flame Dynasty's Imperial Commander Corps, materialized from the mist. Their commander, a man with a scarred face and an aura of cold, practiced violence, stepped forward. His cultivation was undeniably in the Origin King realm—the very level Lin Feng needed to reach.
"The Sweeper has moved up in the world," the Commander sneered. It was Luo Han, a notorious figure in the Dynasty's military, sent by Young Master Jian's faction to eliminate the nuisance that had caused trouble at the Crimson Cloud Sect. "My orders are simple, Lin Feng. Retrieve the spatial anomaly and bring the Fire Rogue back to the capital. Young Master Jian wants her Phoenix Fire Alchemy secrets."
"I am not going anywhere with you," Xia Qingwu declared, her twin fire blades already blazing fiercely, momentarily pushing back the scarlet mist.
"You don't have a choice," Luo Han countered, his voice dripping with condescension. "In this array, my Origin King power is multiplied, and your Peak Qi Sea is suppressed. Surrender, or be incinerated."
Luo Han raised a hand, and a massive, crushing pressure—the Domain of Origin—slammed down on Lin Feng and Xia Qingwu. They staggered, their Qi circulation instantly restricted. This was the terrifying difference between realms.
"Qingwu, we can't fight his Domain directly," Lin Feng gritted out, forcing his Void Qi to ripple defensively around them. "He's using the array to anchor his Domain. We have to break the array's connection points."
"Which are where? He's hidden them perfectly in the mist!"
Lin Feng closed his eyes, ignoring the physical pressure. He channeled the Pill of Instantaneous Perception, forcing his mind to see the world as spatial geometry. The Domain wasn't a physical force; it was a perfect, stable spatial structure created by the Origin King. He needed to find the invisible threads connecting Luo Han to the four array points in the jungle.
There! His Void Seal detected four minute, energetic distortions—the array anchors, shielded by the mist.
"Three hundred paces North-East! Now, Qingwu!"
Without hesitation, Xia Qingwu launched herself into the mist, relying purely on Lin Feng's spatial guidance. She used her Phantom Flash Footwork, matching his speed, and targeted the nearest array anchor.
BOOM!
A massive surge of Phoenix Fire slammed into the anchor. The spiritual connection shrieked, and the oppressive Domain of Origin flickered violently.
Luo Han roared in surprise and anger. "You dare to fight back?! Kill them!"
The three Imperial Guards charged, flanking Lin Feng. They were Peak Qi Sea cultivators, overwhelming him with synchronized force.
Lin Feng had to protect Xia Qingwu's focus.
He activated the Void Cutter Finger, unleashing a chaotic storm of cuts at the guards. He wasn't aiming to kill, but to maim and distract. Two guards immediately fell, clutching their severed hands and legs.
The third guard, trained in defense, manifested a solid earth shield. Lin Feng didn't waste Qi. He used the Phantom Flash Footwork to appear directly behind the guard, unleashing the Void Cutter Finger at the weakest point of the armor. The guard slumped, his cultivation foundation shattered by the invisible tear.
Lin Feng was exhausted, but he had bought Xia Qingwu time.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingwu systematically targeted the remaining three anchors, her Blazing Phoenix Array technique erupting in focused, devastating bursts of crimson fire.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
As the final anchor shattered, the scarlet mist instantly dissolved, and the oppressive Domain of Origin vanished.
Luo Han was exposed and furious. His Origin King power, no longer amplified by the array, was still overwhelming, but they had destabilized his control.
"Impressive. You are worthy of death by my own hand," Luo Han snarled, pulling a massive, shimmering gold halberd—a high-grade Origin Artifact. He lunged, moving with frightening, realm-breaking speed.
"Now, Feng!" Xia Qingwu cried out.
Lin Feng and Xia Qingwu did not run. They stood together, back-to-back, facing the Origin King.
"Combination!"
Lin Feng channeled his powerful Void Qi into his entire body. Xia Qingwu did the same with her Phoenix Fire Qi. They had practiced this maneuver, knowing their only hope was to mix their opposite, refined powers.
Lin Feng focused on creating the perfect spatial tear—the ultimate Void Cutter. Xia Qingwu wrapped her searing Phoenix Fire around that tear, using the heat to stabilize the chaotic Void Qi and give the spatial cut kinetic force and visibility.
The resulting attack was a terrifying fusion: a single, visible arc of purple-crimson mixed energy that carried the slicing force of space itself.
Luo Han, relying on the stability of his Origin King realm, raised his gold halberd to block.
SHATTER!
The combined attack did not pierce the Origin King. But it hit the high-grade Origin Artifact with catastrophic force. The gold halberd, struck by the destabilizing Void-Fire fusion, fractured into pieces, the energy backlash sending Luo Han staggering backward, his chest bleeding Qi.
"Impossible!" Luo Han screamed, looking at the broken pieces of his artifact.
Lin Feng and Xia Qingwu, completely drained of Qi, took the opportunity. "Run!"
They activated the last reserves of their Phantom Flash Footwork, blurring into the high peaks of the mountain range, leaving the defeated Commander and the crippled guards in the dismantled array.
They had challenged an Origin King and survived, but their victory was temporary and costly. Luo Han would pursue them relentlessly. They needed to find an Origin Spring and break into the next realm immediately.