Days turned into a blur, and then one day.
"En? I seem to be close to the location of the Yin-Yang Tai Chi Eye!" Yang Feilong's eyes suddenly lit up.
And at that very moment, Yang Feilong's expression tensed slightly.
For he saw an old enemy, Xiao Tengyun, who had almost killed him before.
"It's you, brat!" Xiao Tengyun, upon seeing Yang Feilong, exclaimed in shock and anger, "To think you could reach this point!"
"It's you!" Yang Feilong looked at Xiao Tengyun, his expression icy. A month ago, he had narrowly escaped death at Xiao Tengyun's hands, separated by several formation units. Now, his cultivation was no longer what it used to be! This was the perfect opportunity for revenge!
"You killed my cousin, die!" Xiao Tengyun roared, and the next moment, he drew his long sword and charged at Yang Feilong.
The powerful sword intent made even Yang Feilong's complexion change. A peak first-tier sword intent, coupled with a sharp killing intent, was far more potent than a month ago. This was understandable; if he could improve, why couldn't others?
In the more than a month since entering the formation, Yang Feilong's cultivation had advanced from the first level of the Yin-Yang realm to the third level, a leap of two realms. He had also comprehended sword intent and cultivated it to near perfection. This progress far outstripped his opponent's.
Even so, as soon as Yang Feilong clashed with him, he immediately felt outmatched! Unless his sword intent also broke through to first-tier perfection, his own sword intent would be suppressed, preventing him from unleashing its full attacking power.
"Your combat strength has increased so much in just over a month; I cannot let you live!" Xiao Tengyun's eyes were filled with fierce killing intent as he looked at Yang Feilong. This opponent's rapid growth filled him with envy. He himself had taken a long time to reach the perfect stage of sword intent, and he had been quite proud of it. But compared to Yang Feilong, he felt utterly ashamed. In such a situation, the prospect of eliminating someone far more talented than himself greatly fueled his emotions!
"Xiao Tengyun is only seventh on the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking, and he's already this strong. How powerful must those ranked above him be?" Yang Feilong mused internally. "Perhaps, if I want to be unrivaled beneath the Golden Core realm, my cultivation must continue to rise!"
Despite being suppressed, Yang Feilong could not be easily subdued by Xiao Tengyun due to his superior footwork.
"Damn it, should I just ignore him?" Xiao Tengyun frowned. Unable to defeat Yang Feilong after such a long time, he grew impatient. He was so close to the core, where he could seize the great treasures left by the Black and White Impermanence. If his progress was delayed by Yang Feilong, and someone else claimed the treasures, he would be furious!
"I'll spare your life this time!" Xiao Tengyun cast a fierce glare at Yang Feilong, then distanced himself and vanished from the spot in a flash.
"Tch!" Yang Feilong couldn't help but spit. Although he could have pursued Xiao Tengyun when he retreated, it would have been futile. His strength was inferior, and if he got too close, Xiao Tengyun might resort to forbidden techniques, against which even reaching the fourth level of the Yin-Yang realm might not be enough to kill him!
"The treasures are more important! According to Qiu Yue's father, these Black and White Impermanence possess two items that even Nascent Soul realm cultivators covet: a top-grade spirit artifact and the Green Lotus Spirit Fire! I'll get my hands on those first!"
Swish!
The next moment, Yang Feilong also disappeared from his spot.
...
At the core of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation lay a massive altar. Inscribed upon the altar were numerous arcane symbols, and at the center of these symbols was a Yin-Yang Tai Chi, like two fish, one black and one white.
"Green Lotus Spirit Fire!" "Top-grade spirit artifact!"
The two, arriving almost simultaneously, both spotted the two treasures on the altar. The Green Lotus Spirit Fire and the top-grade spirit artifact were the eyes of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation. Refining one would grant partial control of the formation, while refining both would grant complete control.
"Kill this guy, and both these treasures will be mine!" Xiao Tengyun's eyes gleamed with greed.
Yang Feilong naturally understood Xiao Tengyun's intention: to eliminate him! Yang Feilong's expression changed. While he had broken through under pressure many times before, doing so again would be difficult. His previous breakthroughs had occurred when bottlenecks were already loosening. Now, his third-level Yin-Yang realm cultivation was solid, making it nearly impossible to break through with external pressure. Furthermore, advancing from the third to the fourth level of the Yin-Yang realm was a significant threshold, akin to transitioning from the early to the mid-stage of the Yin-Yang realm.
His sword intent, however, held promise. But even if it broke through, he would at best be evenly matched with Xiao Tengyun. They had reached this place by chance, but who knew how long it would take for others to arrive? If they delayed too long, they would be paving the way for others.
"I must obtain the Green Lotus Spirit Fire!" Yang Feilong desired both treasures, but he yearned for the Green Lotus Spirit Fire more than the top-grade spirit artifact sword. With the Green Lotus Spirit Fire, he could master fire manipulation techniques. With its power, he would be virtually invincible beneath the Golden Core realm, and defeating Xiao Tengyun would be effortless!
Swish!
The next moment, Xiao Tengyun flickered, his mind set on killing Yang Feilong. But to his utter fury, Yang Feilong evaded his seemingly inevitable killing blow and leaped onto the altar, landing near the Green Lotus Spirit Fire. As Xiao Tengyun prepared to pursue, he was struck by a powerful force, sending him flying backward with a bang.
"Damn it, what's going on? Why is he fine up there, and I'm repelled?" Xiao Tengyun exclaimed in shock and anger.
The next moment, as if struck by inspiration, he leaped to the other side of the altar, where the top-grade spirit artifact lay. True to his guess, he successfully ascended.
"It's as I suspected!" Xiao Tengyun understood, his expression turning grim. "If he refines the Green Lotus Spirit Fire first, I'll be in mortal danger! No, I must refine this top-grade spirit artifact before him!"
After ascending to the side of the altar with the Green Lotus Spirit Fire, Yang Feilong remained vigilant against Xiao Tengyun, planning to collect the Green Lotus Spirit Fire using a special method before acquiring the top-grade spirit artifact. However, just as he was about to begin, he received a message left behind.
"Refining the Green Lotus Spirit Fire allows control of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Formation. During the refining process, you will be protected by the formation and undisturbed by external forces! If you cannot refine it within three days, you will be annihilated by the formation!"
Despite the message, Yang Feilong remained uneasy. The fact that Xiao Tengyun could not reach him proved its truth. From now on, he needed to focus all his attention on refining the Green Lotus Spirit Fire, or risk death!