Merging with Demon Spirits

The battle came so suddenly, yet so naturally. Lin Feng and Nightmare launched their attacks almost simultaneously.

Nightmare, originally floating in midair, swapped positions with Lin Feng in the blink of an eye.

His spellcasting speed was much faster than Lin Feng’s. Lin Feng could clearly feel that intense pulling force.

Even for him, it was difficult to resist.

But his reaction was swift too. Knowing it was hard to resist, he quickly released an illusion soul skill, his body quickly transforming into a blue cloud. At the same time, four Dragon Fishes shot out from his mouth, landing in the east, west, south, and north corners of the training room.

"Pop, pop, pop"

In barely audible sounds, three translucent Resentful Spirits dangled behind Lin Feng.

The Resentful Spirits swayed continuously, and the Qi and Blood and Soul Power within him began to rapidly drain. On the surface of his body, a rainbow-like pattern appeared on his right arm, spreading over his whole body at a visible speed.

Lin Feng’s reaction speed was fast, but in an instant, he couldn’t transform his entire body quickly, only half of his body transformed into cloud.

As Nightmare continued to attack, Lin Feng vanished from his original spot, a Dragon Fish appearing where he had been.

Nightmare was not in a rush to attack.

In the enclosed training arena, the walls covered with silver metal, both remained rational and did not release explosive attacks that would cause a great commotion.

"Such speed!"

Lin Feng looked at Nightmare, somewhat surprised. After being swapped, he pressed onto several bubbles.

Before Nightmare deployed a stand soul skill, he had already preemptively released bubbles. Yet even he hadn’t seen any trace of Nightmare releasing these bubbles.

"Nightmare can also wield the Dragon Fish’s soul skills."

In an instant, Nightmare executed three soul skills.

To be more accurate, at least three.

Among them, [Stand] was a soul skill Nightmare absorbed, while [Resentful Spirit] and [Rainbow Poison] were Dragon Fish soul skills.

According to principles, the external incarnation of an extraordinary powerhouse can only employ soul skills they possess, unable to use other demon spirit’s soul skills.

Nightmare, clearly, was different.

This was presumably the result of assimilation.

Lin Feng was able to perfectly wield Nightmare’s soul skills without a demon transformation, so the opposite should also hold true for Nightmare.

After all, in some sense, they shared one body.

As Nightmare made his move, inside the sealed cultivation room, the air fluctuated, currents surged violently, producing a cacophony that left Lin Feng’s heart in turmoil, his attention uncentered, even slowing his soul skill execution by a fraction.

Evidently, this too was Nightmare’s handiwork.

This was not a martial skill, but a tactic.

Without a physical body, Nightmare could not wield martial skills like Lin Feng, but his understanding and control over combat were astounding.

In a moment, he could launch various attacks, stealthily, even Lin Feng couldn’t perceive them.

No wonder he was once a demigod; given flesh and blood, he’d be a terrifying existence.

Lin Feng knew he was at an absolute disadvantage in combat experience, and thus, did not recklessly attack. Leveraging the Dragon Fish clones, he constantly changed positions within the cultivation room, aiming to find an opportunity.

Sparks of thunder gathered in Lin Feng’s palm, scintillating currents sputtering across his right hand. Amidst a shrill screech, lightning-like electric arcs shot towards Nightmare.

Demon Spirits dread the Power of Thunder; though Nightmare was once a demigod, he was now essentially a demon spirit, equally fearful of thunder attacks.

Despite how the thunder light maneuvered in midair, it could never reach Nightmare’s body.

Nightmare moved like a ghost, leaving trails in the air, his movement trajectory indiscernible to Lin Feng, and Nightmare seemed to have foreknowledge, always preemptively judging Lin Feng’s attacks.

A minute later.

Lin Feng halted, now appearing emaciated, with a pale face and aged features. Seven Resentful Spirits dangled behind him, his body swollen, and exposed skin covered with rainbow patterns, even sprouting red mushrooms.

Lin Feng looked down at the red mushrooms on his skin, feeling the constant loss of Qi and Blood within him, even as a soul skill holder, it made his scalp tingle.

This was the ninth soul skill absorbed by the Dragon Fish: Blood-sucking Mushroom, a plant series, rare parasitic soul skill. Upon successful release, parasitic seeds in the body forcibly devour the enemy’s blood and spiritual power, forming red mushrooms on the skin’s surface.

Lin Feng’s meticulously designed, extremely cunning soul skill combination, Nightmare had almost fully employed it on him.

Yet he hadn’t even touched a finger of his opponent.

A crushing defeat.

In past battles, Lin Feng could always crush his opponents with experience, but this time, he was the one being crushed.

And it was an unrelenting crush.

"The gap is too large."

With Nightmare also able to employ Dragon Fish soul skills, he indeed had no power to resist.

Nightmare knew his combat system and executed it more perfectly.

Fortunately, Nightmare lacked a physical body.

Though Lin Feng was shaken by Nightmare’s power, he wasn’t in despair.

This kind of despair he had experienced firsthand once before.

Experienced it hundreds of times in dreams.

He wasn’t so easily defeated.

Refining a One Tier Dragon Fish was to avoid falling into such despair again.

In this confined space, he couldn’t act recklessly.

Amidst the continuous, earth-shattering explosions, any combat skills and experience were but clouds.

Accompanied by the operation of "Fish Dragon Transformation," Lin Feng’s body abruptly grew to two meters and three centimeters, covered in pentagonal azure dragon scales, a dragon horn on his head, and dragon wings on his back.

After entering the Dragon Transformation state, Lin Feng continued to run the meridian path of "Blood Cry," his entire body’s qi and blood became abundant, and his physique reached new heights, resembling a giant, with surging and overflowing qi and blood forming red streams on his body’s surface.

At this moment, Lin Feng’s aura was intimidating.

And there was no limit to this transformation. Accompanying the release of the [Six Arms] soul skill, the skin on Lin Feng’s waist and back surged, and four other dragon-scaled arms burst forth, transforming him into the Six-armed Demon King.

"This isn’t the limit."

Feeling the power surging within, Lin Feng proceeded to release [Demon Transformation].

Lin Feng’s hair grew wildly, turning from azure to dark red, while a pair of ghastly white fangs grew from his mouth. The dragon horns on both sides of his forehead began to curve backward in a spiral shape, appearing more menacing, and the azure pupils rapidly changed, finally becoming gray. His entire skeleton crackled as he transformed into a three-meter-tall giant, with muscles expanding bigger, the center of the azure dragon scales covered by a black keratin layer, granting them greater defense.

On top of this keratin layer, there were blood-colored mysterious runes spreading across his entire body.

Even the dragon wings with a metallic sheen on his back grew larger, similarly covered by a black keratin layer.

The combination of two top-level cultivation techniques and top-level soul skills bestowed Lin Feng with an insanely powerful body and strength.

Lin Feng slightly clenched his fists, his strength increased by at least fivefold.

At this moment, he felt invincible.

The Nightmare watched Lin Feng quietly, not attacking again.

Facing Lin Feng in this state, it knew it had no means to counter him.

No amount of combat experience or casting speed mattered in the face of absolute power.

"Given up? What about your gray power?" Lin Feng asked.

The gray mist that could devour all power; Nightmare had used it once, and during that time, Lin Feng was asleep and hadn’t seen it personally, but he heard from others in the alliance.

Words filled with incredulity and deep apprehension.

"You’ll see it in the future."

Nightmare softly replied, then its form dissipated, turning into mist and streaming toward Lin Feng’s Soul Sea.

With the disappearance of Nightmare, Lin Feng stopped the cultivation techniques, withdrew the soul skills, and his massive form gradually returned to normal, though he appeared significantly thinner, in poor spirits, seemingly very exhausted, and drank five bottles of Essence of Life before gradually recovering.

The battle lasted less than two minutes from start to finish. While it seemed like the Nightmare retreated helplessly, Lin Feng knew that the Nightmare hadn’t exerted its full power.

In the closed cultivation room, Spiritual Power was limited, and both sides were mostly probing each other.

From this probe, Lin Feng gleaned a lot of information.

First, Nightmare could leave the body, Alice’s "Second Incarnation" had been successfully cultivated.

Second, he could allow Nightmare to leave the body, turning into a Second Incarnation, but after Nightmare left, he seemed unable to forcibly bring it back into the Soul Sea.

At least not in the short term.

Third, Nightmare could freely wield the Dragon Fish soul skills and some martial skills, but lacking a physical body, the power was limited.

Fourth, just as Yun Kai and others speculated, the gray mist that could devour all power was also very important to Nightmare, limited in quantity, and not easily used.

Soul Sea

Watching Nightmare return, Taoist Baimei’s voice rose: "Testing your strength?"

Nightmare endured the high-temperature refinement of Blood Qi Power, turned to glance at Taoist Baimei, and said blandly, "How do you know he’s testing my strength and not me testing his?"

While Nightmare and Taoist Baimei chatted lightly, the Dragon Fish hid in the corner as always.

The Dragon Fish lacked much wisdom, possessing only a bit of sentience and instinct, unable to think, even after transforming into a Life Soul.

Initially, confronting the aura of Nightmare, it would tremble, but now, after five years, it gradually became accustomed.

As for Taoist Baimei, the Dragon Fish didn’t fear him much.

Compared to the aura of Nightmare, Taoist Baimei was nothing special.

During the high-temperature refinement of Nightmare and Taoist Baimei, Dragon Fish also underwent constant refining, but the Blood Qi Power mainly focused on Nightmare, was then absorbed by Taoist Baimei, and finally, the scant remainder reached it, so it could bear it without collapsing.

Perhaps in a year or so, the Dragon Fish could also transform into a second incarnation and attack away from the body.

"Even you aren’t a match for Lin Feng?" Taoist Baimei asked in surprise.

"In that state, I’m indeed no match, but Lin Feng also can’t forcibly control me to return to the Soul Sea. Assimilation is still ongoing."

Taoist Baimei understood the state Nightmare referred to and wasn’t surprised.

Lin Feng’s abilities were, after all, bestowed by Nightmare.

Moreover, Nightmare explained in such detail to remind him not to play any tricks and not to cooperate with Lin Feng against him.

He is the ultimate master of this body.