Chapter 339: A Fierce Battle!
"Sir, I mean no harm, nor do I wish to disturb your secluded life. It's just that this map fragment is incredibly important to me. Please, I beg your indulgence," Lin Langtian said, his gaze fixed on the elder, who was radiating intense energy throughout the map shop.
The elder scoffed, his energy unfurling powerfully around him. "Hmph! I went to great lengths to acquire that map fragment years ago. Even though I haven't fully figured out its secrets after all these years, I know it holds something significant. Do you honestly think I would just hand it over to some young upstart? Dream on!"
Lin Langtian frowned, about to respond when he sensed a dangerous shift. Reacting instantly, he formed a seal, and a fiery armor appeared around him.
"Swish…"
Several gray projectiles shot toward him, hitting his flame armor with sharp clinks. Upon contact, the gray streaks dissolved into a fine toxic mist, clinging to the armor and seeping through its gaps, seeking entry into Lin Langtian's body.
Realizing this, he felt a chill. Poisoned? The elder was not only powerful but also skilled in using venom.
With a flick of his fingers, Lin Langtian summoned a red flame that spread across his armor, vaporizing the gray toxin before it could invade further.
"Oh? The Vermilion Bird Burning Flame, is it? I didn't expect you to possess such a treasure at your age," the elder remarked with surprise.
He recognized it that quickly? Lin Langtian thought, cautiously moving closer to the door. Who exactly is this old man?
The elder's face darkened as he noticed Lin Langtian inching toward an escape. "Even though that cursed poison left my powers a shadow of what they were, dealing with a boy like you will be nothing!"
The elder released a vast, grayish toxic cloud, foul and suffocating. The stench was nauseating, and Lin Langtian felt an overwhelming dizziness.
So, he's a rare poison martial artist. This just got troublesome, he thought, his brows knitting.
The elder shot toward him with lightning speed, forcing Lin Langtian to respond immediately, charging his palms with immense power and thrusting them at the elder.
The elder formed a complex seal with his bony fingers, shouting, "Poison Suppression Seal!"
Gray mist spun in front of him, condensing into a half-meter-wide poison seal just before Lin Langtian's flaming palms reached him.
Boom!
The fiery palms clashed with the poison seal, and Lin Langtian's face paled as he felt his flames begin to dissolve. He instantly pulled his palms back, pushing himself backward to retreat from the potent seal.
"Not so easy, boy," the elder sneered, waving his hand. Dozens of spiraling poison darts materialized before him, shooting toward Lin Langtian.
Lin Langtian scowled and quickly summoned the crimson wings on his back. With a strong flap, he shot upward, dodging the deadly projectiles just in time.
"Hmm… beast bone wings?" the elder murmured, intrigued. "The rare Vermilion Bird Burning Flame, beast bone wings, and power surpassing the ordinary Nirvana Realm. Boy, are you the disciple of one of the super sect leaders? Or perhaps from a great family in the Southern Mystics Region? Maybe even the heir of a faction in the Sea of Demons?"
The elder's interest seemed piqued as he observed Lin Langtian flapping his wings above him.
Lin Langtian maintained a wary gaze, saying nothing.
"But even if you have such a prestigious background, you won't be leaving here with that map fragment," the elder growled, his tone turning colder. "No matter what abilities you have, you're still in the Nirvana Realm. Though I've been weakened, taking you down won't be hard."
Lin Langtian's face darkened as he heard this. Aunt Ling, it seems I'll need your help again. My strength alone isn't enough. Even weakened, this old man could easily defeat me.
Aunt Ling's voice echoed in his mind. "Indeed, this elder still holds a Life Profound Realm level, far stronger than Mu Ku, whom you recently defeated. He was merely testing you, but if he gets serious, you won't last five rounds."
Lin Langtian nodded grimly. Their brief clash had been enough for him to gauge the elder's overwhelming power. If the elder hadn't been holding back, he might already be captured.
"To face him, you'll need to bear the full weight of Life Profound Realm power," Aunt Ling warned. "Brace yourself; this will be intense. You'll need to withstand the force."
A steely resolve filled Lin Langtian's gaze as he remembered the first time he had wielded Aunt Ling's power. The excruciating pressure had nearly torn him apart. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Don't worry, Aunt Ling. I can handle it."
Physical resilience had always been his strength. And, having drawn on Aunt Ling's power before, he knew it could be done—even if it came with enormous risk. He was willing to take that risk for the map.
"Sir," Lin Langtian called out, meeting the elder's gaze with fierce determination. "I told you, I will obtain this map fragment!"
He then closed his eyes, summoning the inner strength Aunt Ling had granted him. Watching Lin Langtian's strange behavior, the elder hesitated, his brows drawing together in suspicion. Then his eyes widened in shock.
He felt an immense surge of energy coming from the young man—a strength that matched his own.
"How is this possible?" The elder's typically calm face showed astonishment as Lin Langtian's aura continued to build.
"What kind of technique is this?"
Seeing Lin Langtian's seamless leap from the Seventh Nirvana Stage to Life Profound Realm, the elder's face changed, watching him with disbelief.
"Who is this boy, really?" he muttered, a glint of cold determination flashing in his old eyes. "No matter. I'll capture him first and ask questions later."
As he calmed down, the elder steeled himself, his bony hands pulling in the gray poison mist from around him. It rapidly condensed into a dark, sinister spear. Meanwhile, the aura radiating from Lin Langtian in midair only grew stronger, the pressure of his power sweeping away much of the toxic mist below him.
The elder, seeing his poisonous mist dispersed, responded with a scowl. With a swift flick of his spear, countless needle-like poisonous darts formed overhead, slicing through the air as they hurtled toward Lin Langtian.
Feeling his body straining under the pressure of borrowed power, Lin Langtian clenched his fist tightly, feeling the skin crack open on the back of his hand. His surge to Life Profound Realm had come at a cost: a tearing sensation within his body that threatened to overwhelm him. In his fight with Yang Li, Aunt Ling had granted him only a half-step boost, but this full jump to Life Profound Realm was almost too much.
Even so, he knew he couldn't let go of the map now. His resolve set, Lin Langtian's crimson wings beat down, launching him forward like a mighty bird. Seeing the barrage of poison darts approaching, he clasped his hands together, releasing an intense, dark flame. As it spread, it silently devoured the approaching projectiles, vaporizing them upon contact.
"Strange… what kind of flame is this?" the elder whispered, momentarily stunned by the eerie black flames.
Ignoring the elder's shock, Lin Langtian soared above him, conjuring the Heavenly Black Dragon Seal in his hand. As he struck, the mark left a faint black trail in its wake, ripping through the air toward the elder.
Realizing he had to defend, the elder tightly gripped his spear, channeling a powerful poison aura along its length. As the Dragon Seal collided with the spear, a surge of energy rippled outward, cracking the ground like a spider web.
"Break!" Lin Langtian's sharp command rang out, and the spear bent under the pressure. With a loud snap, the spear shattered, the poison mist dispersing in all directions. The elder's face darkened, visibly shaken.
"How could this boy's strength change so drastically in such a short time?" the elder muttered, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The elder's face hardened. "I've hidden away for over thirty years. I refuse to let some arrogant kid best me here!"
He stamped his foot, releasing a thick, venomous fog that began eating into the very ground beneath him.
"Scorpion of Poison!"
The elder's energy coalesced into a massive, venomous centipede, its body radiating a deadly green aura, ready to strike.
"Go!" he commanded, and the monstrous centipede launched toward Lin Langtian, filling the air with poisonous miasma as it shot forward.
Lin Langtian steeled himself, his hands weaving a series of seals as flames gathered around him.
"Emperor Flame Art — Qilin!"
At his call, flames roared from his body, forming into a massive fire qilin. The creature's intense heat warped the air around it, leaving scorched trails as it streaked toward the elder's venomous centipede.
The two giant beasts collided in a fiery explosion that sent shockwaves through the room. Even holding back, the impact shattered nearby surfaces, both the poison centipede and the fire qilin dissolving in a mutual destruction.
Lin Langtian wiped blood from his mouth, his face pale from exertion. Even borrowing Aunt Ling's power came at a price, and the elder was proving to be an unyielding opponent. Maybe I need to give up on the map, he thought, his eyes dimming with frustration.
"Boy, even if I lose here, I can't let a brat like you have the last laugh!" the elder barked. His cloudy eyes narrowed, and suddenly his aura exploded, the force emanating beyond the limits of ordinary Life Profound Realm power.
"Advanced Life Profound Realm…" Lin Langtian whispered, his expression turning grim. It seems like I have no choice but to abandon this attempt.
But just as he was preparing to retreat, he noticed something strange. The elder's power was spiking erratically, fluctuating wildly, as if he were struggling to keep it under control. Amidst his rising aura, Lin Langtian detected an unearthly, sinister energy, foreign to this realm—a dark, otherworldly essence.
"This… could it be… demonic energy?" Lin Langtian muttered in shock.
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