"Hmph, Zhang Zhiliang."
"Sooner or later, I will settle this score with you."
A flicker of ferocity and apprehension flashed through Ye Feipeng's eyes.
"There are many more variables in this life, so things might differ somewhat from what I experienced in my previous life."
"Still, I am certain Zhang Zhiliang will never pass up the chance to hunt down the anima of Heaven and Earth."
"Now that he has advanced to Soul Formation and gained the strength to formally join the contention, his longing for Dao Integration should be even fiercer."
The little fatty analyzed the situation to himself.
"If in my past life he merely assisted from the sidelines as an array master,"
"then in this life, Zhang Zhiliang has leaped to become one of the primary combatants in the hunt."
"Hmm... let me think. If possible, he might even conceal his true strength in secret, sitting back while the crowd of Soul Formation cultivators clash violently with Crimson Flame."
"Once both sides are mutually battered and exhausted, he will make his move to reap the harvest and enjoy the fisherman's spoils."
"He might even hold back a fraction of his strength to guard against me, having escaped and vanished without a trace..."
Ye Feipeng's expression flickered with indecision.
Truth be told, when it came to whether he should still take part in the upcoming major event of Crimson Flame burning the sea, he remained somewhat hesitant.
After all, he had now awakened the Kunpeng inheritance and possessed a dual Dao Foundation of the Vast Sea Pearl and Azure Wind True Intent.
He was far stronger than the vast majority of cultivators.
Even compared to certain prodigies, he would hardly fall behind.
Even if he gave up the opportunity to use Crimson Flame for Dao Integration and relied purely on his own cultivation, he had a very high chance of reaching Nascent Soul and Soul Formation.
Why take such a colossal risk and try to snatch food from a tiger's jaws right in front of a bunch of Soul Formation experts?
If he succeeded, well and good, but if he failed...
Ye Feipeng's cheek twitched.
*But... that is Dao Integration, after all.*
*If I miss this chance, there might never be such a golden opportunity again.*
He could not help thinking this in his heart.
In his memories, the scene from his previous life—after Zhang Haobo achieved Dao Integration, exerting supreme might over an entire province and looking down upon all living beings—surfaced once more before his eyes.
Ye Feipeng inevitably felt tempted again.
"The Vast Sea Pearl..."
Subconsciously rubbing his belly, the fatty wore a conflicted grimace.
"I'll wait and see. Just wait and see..."
"First, I'll head back to the deserted island to see how Xiao Heng and the others are doing."
Retracting the wings behind his back, Ye Feipeng quietly returned to where the Li Realm group was staying.
The fatty, having been missing for six years, reappeared, and Xiao Heng and the others were naturally overjoyed.
After questioning him and learning that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had indeed been the culprit, everyone broke into curses.
Su Changyu, however, frowned and asked, "Feipeng, did you expose your identity as part of Immortal Restoration? Otherwise, why would anyone trouble a rogue cultivator like you for no reason?"
Ye Feipeng paused for a moment before instantly complaining, "It's all because that array master from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was far too tyrannical! I only watched his breakthrough scene from afar, and without a second word, he tried to kill me."
"If I hadn't run fast, I wouldn't even be here to see you all again."
Su Changyu sized the fatty up, nodded, and said nothing more.
"It seems Senior Skull was right—the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is indeed arrogant and domineering. They won't even let people watch from afar." The fatty's explanation matched Xiao Heng's impression of the alliance, so he believed Ye Feipeng's words.
The precocious Su Xiaomei had little affection for Ye Feipeng, and she giggled, "Don't worry, fatty. Be a good boy, call me Eldest Sister, and I'll avenge you in the future!"
"You've been in a slumber for so long, so you probably don't know yet that I've already reached peak Foundation Establishment and will soon form my core."
With hands on her hips, Su Xiaomei tilted her head up to look at Ye Feipeng, brimming with self-importance.
Behind her, the two sisters Yin Yueting and Yin Yuzhen nodded continuously, looking every bit like her loyal henchwomen.
Zhang Haobo, meanwhile, stood off to the side, quietly watching the group without saying a word.
"Eldest Sister?"
Ye Feipeng scoffed. "Su Xiaomei, you don't actually think you're the only one who made progress all these years, do you?"
"How about the two of us have a spar to see?"
Su Xiaomei was hot-tempered to begin with, and Ye Feipeng's disdainful attitude instantly provoked her.
"A fight it is! Who's afraid of who!"
Before her voice had even faded, a petite yet explosive fist whistled through the air, aiming straight for Ye Feipeng's face.
*Bang!*
To everyone's surprise, Ye Feipeng neither dodged nor ducked. Calmly stretching out a hand, he firmly caught her fist.
Seeing this, everyone was astonished.
Everyone's impression of Ye Feipeng was still stuck on how he had been years ago—relying on superior speed and constantly kiting his opponents to win.
Who would have thought that after just a few short years, he could go toe-to-toe with Su Xiaomei in brute force!
Having her strike intercepted so easily, Su Xiaomei flared up in rage.
Her punches and kicks blurred like wind, lashing out at Ye Feipeng in a ceaseless flurry.
Bolstered by her innate talent, as fury accumulated within her heart, the power of every move and strike rose higher and higher.
Yet her face, in an eerie contrast, remained as calm as still water.
On Ye Feipeng's side, tangled in combat with Su Xiaomei, flashes of past scenes that had humiliated him kept flickering through his mind.
A sudden surge of fury ignited in his heart.
Although he knew this was the effect of Su Xiaomei's cultivation technique, the Six Desires Formless Art, Ye Feipeng did not mind in the least right now.
He intended to teach this little girl a good lesson.
Amidst the gasps of the Li Realm group, Ye Feipeng activated Shocking Peng Transformation.
Two brownish wings suddenly unfurled, and his frame instantly swelled a size larger.
With his speed and strength nearly doubling, Su Xiaomei was caught unprepared. Ye Feipeng blasted her away with a punch, sending her crashing violently into the sea.
"Xiaomei!" Xiao Heng cried out in dismay.
Yet before he could dive into the sea to search for Su Xiaomei, a streak of scarlet fire parted the seawater.
In the blink of an eye, it struck back against Ye Feipeng.
An incomparably scorching burst of energy erupted, warping even the surrounding air with heat.
The onlookers from the Li Realm could not help backing away.
"Xiaomei even brought out her Foundation Establishment wonder, Spirit Wrath Fire. She must really be mad," Yin Yuzhen said in a whisper, sticking out her tongue.
Amidst the sky-filling flames, continuous explosions rang out.
The onlookers could faintly see wisps of azure glow within, keeping the scarlet flames at bay.
The battle between the two lasted for over half a day.
Their cultivation was evenly matched.
One possessed an extraordinary innate talent, growing stronger the angrier she became, capable of unleashing up to eightfold power in an overwhelming display of might.
The other had encountered fortune after fortune, possessing the dual Dao Foundation of Azure Wind and Vast Sea, as well as the bloodline inheritance of the Kunpeng; with his secret technique unleashed, neither his speed nor his strength fell short of Su Xiaomei's.
For a time, the two fought to a dead heat.
Even when night fell, no victor had emerged.
It was only through the urging of the spectators that the fight finally ceased.
Neither was willing to concede, and they agreed to fight again another day.
Xiao Heng walked over at this moment, asking Ye Feipeng with great curiosity what had happened and how he had suddenly become so powerful.
Surrounded by the crowd, bathed in their astonished and envious gazes, Ye Feipeng could not help feeling a bit elated.
*Indeed, achieving wealth and glory without returning home is like walking in embroidered robes at night,* he thought to himself.
With the manifestations of his bloodline power being so obvious, there was nothing to hide anyway.
He immediately recounted how he had awakened and inherited the Kunpeng essence blood.
Chapter 271