Sword qi spiraled ninefold, shattering the heavens!
In this moment, Lin Fan stood like a sword saint, each move imbued with immense divine might—unbreakable, unstoppable, sharp, and domineering.
At the same time, a divine disk emerged, materializing in the void behind him. Black and white energies swirled within, giving rise to chaotic qi.
At a glance, it was vast and sacred, resembling an innate diagram of the Dao, causing the surrounding heaven and earth to tremble and descend into disorder.
Yet, an astonishing scene unfolded. The flames spewing from Jin Chan's divine lamp, under the radiance of the divine disk, rapidly decayed, crumbling into dust.
Seizing the moment, Lin Fan surged forward, closing in on Jin Chan. Wielding his jade-like divine sword, he slashed toward Jin Chan's neck.
"Danger! Jin Chan's in peril!" someone shouted.
No one had expected the Heaven Mending Sect's initial-generation prodigy to possess the ability to decay treasures, rendering their power null and achieving a state of invulnerability to myriad techniques.
Roar…
Just as Lin Fan's blade neared Jin Chan's head, a transformation occurred. Mist rolled in, and in Jin Chan's place stood a celestial cicada.
It was roughly six zhang long, with six translucent wings, its body a radiant gold. Its wings were as sharp as blades, and its shell was harder than the thickest armor.
"The Six-Winged Celestial Cicada, the foremost of the ancient five insects?!" The crowd gasped, recognizing the creature.
This was a rare variant of the celestial cicada clan, hailed as the most ferocious insect of the acquired realm.
Though it appeared harmless and delicate, it was brutally savage, feeding exclusively on living beings.
Its appetite was a bottomless abyss, as if it could never be sated, rivaling even the ancient Taotie. Any creature that crossed its path was doomed to become its meal.
"The Western Sect has some nerve, taking such a ferocious insect as their heir. Aren't they afraid it'll turn on them one day?" an elder from the Heaven-Severing Sect remarked cryptically.
"You misunderstand, friend. Our sect leader has long since enlightened Jin Chan, purging its savage cruelty," a Western Sect member replied with a calm smile.
The elder said no more. It was well known that, beyond their unmatched physical prowess, the Western Sect excelled in enlightenment. In Sumeru Province, they reigned supreme, their word absolute.
Those who dared oppose them often found themselves inexplicably converted, joining the sect in a bizarre twist of fate!
Clang! Clang!
Lin Fan's sword struck the cicada's shell, sparks flying as metal clashed. He exclaimed in surprise, "Such a tough shell! Even my divine sword can't cut through!"
Suddenly, the massive golden cicada quivered, its near-transparent six wings beating rapidly.
With a whoosh, blade-like qi surged. The cicada's wings transformed into six flying knives, slashing toward Lin Fan in unison.
In an instant, Lin Fan retreated. His sole Heavenly Passage opened behind him, blocking the six blades and causing them to rapidly erode into six wisps of misty light.
Seeing his attack fail, Jin Chan reverted to human form, though three pairs of crystal-like, translucent wings now adorned his back, glimmering under the sunlight.
"You've forced out my true form. That's something to be proud of," he said coldly, his eyes shifting, now tinged with a faint murderous aura.
"Hmph. If I were at the peak of Spirit Transformation, you'd already be dead! Still… those wings of yours are quite appealing. They'd make fine material for a certain treasure robe," Lin Fan sneered, then added with a hint of regret, "Pity we're in the Spirit Realm. Taking them would be pointless."
"You…" Jin Chan's fury flared. He knew exactly what Lin Fan meant by that rare treasure robe.
It was the Celestial Cicada Robe, a peerless artifact. Once worn, it rendered the wearer impervious to blades, fire, water, and heavenly lightning. It could meld with flesh, transparent and colorless, so coveted that even sect leaders couldn't resist its allure.
Moreover, it was exceedingly rare and difficult to forge. Across the Three Thousand Provinces, only a handful existed.
The robe required the translucent wings of a celestial cicada as its core material, and celestial cicadas were already scarce—barely a few remained in the world.
Beyond that, it demanded the elusive Void Immortal Gold, along with several other peerless divine materials, painstakingly refined to create a single sacred treasure robe.
Thus, the Celestial Cicada Robe's defensive power was astonishing, a supreme treasure far surpassing other armors. How else could it tempt even sect leaders?
What a treasure…
Lin Fan's eyes blazed with desire. The Six-Winged Golden Cicada was a rare variant. If he could claim its wings, he could craft the finest Celestial Cicada Robe.
"Courting death!" Jin Chan roared. That fervent gaze, treating him as an object, a prey, was an unbearable humiliation.
As an initial-generation prodigy and heir of a great sect, he was always revered, bathed in glory wherever he went. When had he ever been treated like this?
Worse, he despised those who coveted his wings to craft Celestial Cicada Robes. He killed them on sight.
For the celestial cicada clan, it was the ultimate disgrace.
"Die!"
In the next moment, Jin Chan's body glowed golden, his six wings unfurling. Runes densely covered them, and a deafening sonic wave erupted.
Some onlookers couldn't withstand it, their ears bleeding, some even going deaf as eardrums ruptured. The scene was horrifying.
But the crowd understood—the Western Sect's prodigy was truly enraged. His face, once serene and dignified, was now cold and stern. Lin Fan had been marked for death.
At this moment, Jin Chan held nothing back. His aura surged, runes boiling like a sea, flooding in all directions.
Clearly, he was about to unleash his forbidden power.
Though the spectators stood far away, their hearts trembled, a chilling dread rising, leaving them utterly terrified!
"Oh? Your innate divine ability lies in those wings? That makes them even more valuable. I'm delighted," Lin Fan said calmly, his words deliberately provocative.
Behind him, the divine disk glowed, radiating brilliance and exuding the aura of the great Dao, grinding the incoming runes to nothing. It framed him like a celestial deity.
"What technique is that? An innate Dao diagram?" someone asked, puzzled.
"No, wait… it's more like a Heavenly Passage?!" another guessed, eyes widening as if witnessing a miracle.
"Next, I'll tear you to pieces and devour you bit by bit," Jin Chan declared, his eyes blazing with cold intent, boundless killing intent collapsing a nearby mountain.
In an instant, his six wings sliced through the air, transforming into a golden rainbow. His speed was unimaginable, far surpassing before, too fast for the eye to follow.
Yet, the crowd could see the aftermath—mountains he passed crumbled, sliced cleanly in two, their surfaces unnaturally smooth.
"Terrifying! Those wings are like blades, stronger than weapons forged from divine gold!" someone exclaimed.
If struck by such a cut, a body would likely be bisected like those mountains, utterly defenseless.
Yet Lin Fan merely stretched, sitting cross-legged within his sole Heavenly Passage, like a supreme deity, unmoving as a mountain, facing the attack head-on.
Boom!
The strike erupted with divine light, shaking heaven and earth, howling winds tearing the ground into fissures, the roar reverberating through the cosmos.
But to everyone's shock, the wings—capable of slicing gold and stone—couldn't breach the divine disk. They were halted mid-air.
Under the erosion of the black-and-white qi, Jin Chan's six wings dimmed, nearly transparent, as if on the verge of vanishing.
"I refuse to believe you're truly invulnerable, that your defense can't be broken!"
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