Chapter 1492: Oriented Skyward

However, these mythical creatures were very different from their common conception: they were nothing but skeletons, vestiges of their original selves. Deathly aura filled the air, as though they had clawed their way out of the netherworld.

Pale blue genetic energy rippled about Zhang Lie's arms. He flicked his wrists, causing a frightening aura to descend on the world. The sky began to darken, and a fish the size of a whale materialized in the air.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]!"

A howling gale swept over the combatants. As more and more genetic energy gathered around Zhang Lie's arms, it looked as though he were at the heart of a whirlpool.

Ripples of energy spread out from Zhang Lie, warping the space around him. The towering waves looked like enraged black dragons, flooding the area and striking the sea of blades.

As the waves burst apart, the air filled with echoes of Zhang Lie's signature genetic energy, shattering space and swallowing up all life in its vicinity.

The skies shook; the ground rumbled. The blade energy exploded as the skeletal constructs clattered to the ground. The netherworldly aura corroded the ground, turning it pitch-black.

The death god of Netherworld waved his scythe, causing dark energy to striate the sky.

"[The Boundless Blade: Yawning Wave]!"

Zhang Lie swung downwards with a heavy blow, and a shark swam forth.

The death god cut the shark with his scythe, bisecting it.

As he swung his scythe about, a deathly aura permeated the air. Specters and malevolent ghosts seemed to climb up out of the ground, forming a veritable sea of carcasses that surged toward Zhang Lie.

"[Ninecarp Transformation]!"

A black serpent materialized behind Zhang Lie, by now so large and so developed that it resembled the world-swallowing serpent Jormungandr. It let out a threatening hiss as its scales clicked together.

Pitch-black genetic energy revolved around Zhang Lie like dark clouds, then exploded forth in his vicinity, swallowing up the deathly aura.

As the deathly aura struck the corrosive genetic energy, it sizzled.

The death god vanished from sight, passing through the black aura and instantly appearing behind Zhang Lie. He swung his scythe, aiming to behead Zhang Lie's neck.

Zhang Lie didn't bother turning around. He punched behind him, clashing against the scythe in a metallic clank.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

Zhang Lie clenched his fist tightly, causing pitch-black genetic energy to gather around it. A demonic serpent emerged and rushed out as Zhang Lie punched forward.

The death god blocked the serpent's attack with his scythe. The serpent clamped down on the scythe's haft, knocking the death god aside.

The death god struggled furiously, but the serpent proved a difficult foe.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

As Zhang Lie punched forward, another black serpent shot forward.

It joined up with the previous serpent. A wave of annihilation exploded around the dragon. Pitch-black energy swallowed everything in the vicinity like a storm at sea.

The explosion was like a black hole that consumed everything in sight, rock and ground alike. The death god shrieked as he was annihilated by the rampaging energy.

As the fight finished, so too did Li Feng's metamorphosis.

The greenery around him had vanished, replaced with gold-attuned genetic energy. Before and behind Li Feng, golden blades manifested and oriented themselves toward the heavens.

Then, they began to resonate.

Zhang Lie wasn't particularly surprised. Li Feng had displayed a connection to gold in the past, and that connection had only deepened.

The golden blades formed in his hand, shining with and composed of scorching light. They were all but indistinguishable from real weaponry, but were even stronger.

Li Feng stood up, slashing at the void with his longsword. An ocean of energy poured out.

That one slash generated boundless strength, able to destroy anything in its way.

Then, Li Feng sat down calmly and sat cross-legged on the ground, his longsword gone.

Fluid gushed down around Li Feng, a silver liquid in which fishes swam. It was filled with vitality, bubbling and vivacious.

This wasn't actually water, but liquid light, much like one of Li Feng's techniques.

More of the silver fluid emerged, forming a stream, a river. Li Feng sat in the middle of the river and allowed it to rush past him.

Then, within the sky appeared a waterfall. Rapids rushed out of the void and over his physical body.

The river and waterfall together formed an expanding lake. The entire sky turned into a glittering silver ocean, possessed of uncommon beauty.

As Li Feng pointed a finger forward, all that silver fluid suddenly began to bubble, coursing where his finger directed it. This was a frightening strength.

Li Feng, Yang Ze, and Fang Yi all blinked. Their eyes were filled with excitement and exuberance. Their metamorphoses had clearly been impactful.

Voices could be heard from afar. "What happened here?"

"It looks like there was a huge fight."

"Those phenomena just now—some treasure must have spawned in this region!"

The commotion caused by Zhang Lie and the death god of Netherworld's fight, as well as Li Feng and the others' transformation, lured quite a fair number of cultivators over. Zhang Lie was just about to deal with the annoying pests when Fang Yi extended a hand to stop him. "Don't worry about them, Captain. We'll deal with them ourselves."

Zhang Lie nodded. "You want to test out how strong you've grown, don't you?"

The three hunters grinned.

When the cultivators saw the three hunters walking out, they hurriedly surrounded them.

"What did you find inside?"

"Hand over the treasures, now!"

"Hold on, I feel like I've seen these three fellows somewhere before..."

"Aren't they the stellar hunters?"

"They're the ones who made a big fuss at the divine lake, then killed the son of lightning and the heir of the Solarvines!"

When the cultivators recognized the three hunters, they blanched. They turned to leave, but it was already too late. Yang Ze was about to taunt them when Fang Yi charged forward with his spear.

"[Heaven's Judgment: Four Sages' Roar]!"

Fang Yi's spear took on the aspect of a dragon of the winds and a storm tiger as he charged forward. Wind and storm combined and crackled at the tip of Fang Yi's spear.

The combination of wind and lightning generated a frightening force that seemed to be able to penetrate space. Chaotic and spatial energy joined in the mix—a miniaturized version of his signature fivefold strike, at least at the level of a fourfold strike.