Chapter 77: The Domain of Extreme Frost (Subscribe to Win a Ten-Thousand Rock Coin Red Envelope)

Upon hearing Lin Feng’s words, Lu Ming smiled and replied, “Show me your full strength. Don’t let me down.”

Lin Feng gazed at Lu Ming in silence, saying nothing, but suddenly, wild gusts of true energy whipped up around him like a violent cyclone. In the blink of an eye, within a radius of ten feet from Lin Feng, a snowstorm raged, as if winter itself had descended. The temperature throughout the entire valley dropped sharply, and everyone present felt an involuntary chill. Yet within that ten-foot circle around Lin Feng, a world of frigid winter had come to life.

His eyes had turned a pure, icy white, and fierce winds swept swirling snowflakes in every direction, sometimes cracking through the air with flashes of lightning. At this moment, Lin Feng seemed the very embodiment of winter’s dominion, summoning his own world of frost amid the searing heat of midsummer.

Witnessing this, everyone except Lu Ming drew in a cold breath. Was this the true power of a grandmaster—the so-called “Way”? Even from a distance, they could feel a bone-deep chill. None dared imagine what it would be like to step within that ten-foot radius.

Perhaps Lin Feng wouldn’t even need to make a move; the howling wind and biting cold alone were enough to claim their lives.

Now, anxiety for Lu Ming began to ripple through the crowd. His strength was formidable, but could anyone possibly survive within a grandmaster’s domain?

Lu Ming activated his Insightful Eye, carefully observing Lin Feng. He saw that Lin Feng had shaped his icy true energy into a domain of extreme cold, ten feet in diameter. Anyone who entered would be assailed by freezing, slowing effects, slicing wind blades, and crackling lightning. These elemental assaults alone would be impossible for anyone below grandmaster level to withstand.

Now Lu Ming finally understood why grandmasters were said to be invincible. The very existence of such a domain placed them beyond the reach of ordinary experts. Only another grandmaster could hope to face them as equals.

Lin Feng, exuding the aura of a war god of ice and snow, swept his Dark Ice Sword through the air and spoke: “Lu Ming, come and meet your death.”

The members of Flame Dragon all turned their eyes to Lu Ming. Under such terrifying pressure, would he still dare to face this challenge?

Lu Ming burst into hearty laughter. Golden flames surged around him, and without a word he charged straight into the frigid domain.

Everyone’s hearts clenched tight in suspense.

Lin Feng’s lips curled into a cold smile. Within this domain of bitter cold, he was the absolute master. Any enemy entering would suffer not only freezing, slowing, wind blades, and lightning, but—

—the icy energy would relentlessly erode their bodies, inflicting permanent harm. Moreover, his Dark Ice Sword was empowered by the domain’s chill, making it even more devastating. Within a grandmaster’s domain, he was truly invincible. Any foe would be crushed beneath its power. A half-step grandmaster was impressive, but before one who had mastered a complete domain, he was fragile. Lu Ming’s actions seemed nothing short of suicidal.

Lu Ming had already reached the edge of the domain and plunged inside without hesitation, launching an attack at Lin Feng.

The instant Lu Ming entered, the winds howled violently. Blades of wind—sharp as knives and swords—slashed at him from every direction. A chill that froze the very soul gnawed at his body, while thunder cracked above him. In that moment, Lu Ming was assailed by a barrage of simultaneous attacks.

The entire Flame Dragon group watched in fearful suspense, uncertain how long Lu Ming could possibly endure.

Yet, as soon as these attacks touched the golden flames surrounding Lu Ming, they vanished without a trace, unable to harm him at all.

The others stared, eyes wide and jaws dropping in disbelief. How could such a terrifying world of frost have no effect on Lu Ming? It defied all reason.

Lin Feng himself was even more shaken. He knew all too well the power of his extreme cold domain. Below grandmaster level, no one could withstand it; even another grandmaster would have to activate their own domain to resist him. But Lu Ming, without a domain of his own, was fending off its power with nothing but his own true energy?

Seeing Lu Ming moving unimpeded within his domain, his fists flashing toward him in an instant, Lin Feng had no time for shock. He swung his sword at Lu Ming.

Though Lu Ming’s strength unsettled him, as a grandmaster, Lin Feng was supremely confident. Inside his frigid domain, no one could last long; his Dark Ice Sword was greatly empowered, giving him a natural advantage. Lu Ming’s defeat was inevitable.

Wherever Lin Feng’s sword swept, blossoms of ice formed in the air, drifting toward Lu Ming with each strike. Anyone below grandmaster level struck by these icy petals would be frozen for several seconds. For a master, even a moment’s lapse could mean death—let alone several seconds of paralysis.

But Lu Ming paid no heed. His fists danced like meteors, attacking from every angle. The icy blossoms evaporated instantly against his golden flames. Lin Feng was stunned to see that even the ice-empowered strikes of his sword could not affect Lu Ming.

He quickly composed himself. Lin Feng firmly believed that Lu Ming couldn’t last much longer; resisting a domain required a tremendous amount of true energy. He refused to believe that Lu Ming’s reserves could surpass his own as a grandmaster. As long as he maintained his domain, Lu Ming would eventually exhaust himself, and then the domain’s full power would overwhelm him.

Lin Feng focused all his attention on the battle, his Dark Ice Sword dancing to parry Lu Ming’s uncanny attacks. But he was mistaken.

Lu Ming, bearing the power of a dragon, possessed a body of unmatched strength, and with the support of the Dragon Crystal, resisting the frigid domain was effortless.

Lu Ming activated the Insightful Eye and employed the Cleric’s Martial Arts, engaging Lin Feng in a fierce battle. Only now did he fully realize how useful the gifts from the old dragon truly were.

The Insightful Eye, paired with the Cleric’s Martial Arts, complemented each other perfectly. Lin Feng’s every move—his true energy’s flow, the trajectory of his sword—was laid bare before Lu Ming, allowing him to seize the initiative at every turn. The combinations of the Cleric’s Martial Arts were endless and ever-changing, requiring a second consciousness to continually deduce new tactics and refine them.

The High Cleric’s title, the Insightful Eye, the Cleric’s Martial Arts, and the second consciousness—these seemed to form a complete set, specially prepared by the old dragon for his High Cleric’s Gate.

With this arsenal of divine skills, Lu Ming’s martial prowess became nearly supernatural. He found his technique growing ever more fluid; the longer he fought, the more at ease he became. Laughing heartily, he launched relentless assaults on Lin Feng.

Finally encountering a grandmaster strong enough to rival his Cleric’s Martial Arts, Lu Ming seized the chance to hone his own skills. He was in no rush to defeat Lin Feng, deliberately prolonging the exchange.

The Flame Dragon members watched in rapt attention, utterly absorbed by Lu Ming’s display. Through his performance, they gained their first true insight into the Cleric’s Martial Arts, gradually developing their own understanding.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng grew increasingly alarmed. Within his domain, Lu Ming showed no sign of flagging; if anything, his true energy seemed only to grow stronger. There was not the slightest hint of exhaustion.

Lin Feng even began to fear that his own reserves would run dry before Lu Ming’s. After all, maintaining the extreme cold domain consumed vast amounts of true energy.

He knew he had to use his ultimate technique. If things continued as they were, defeat was a real possibility. As a grandmaster, he could not allow himself to lose; such a disgrace had never before befallen his kind.

Never in history had a grandmaster been defeated in battle. Grandmasters almost never fought one another—their cultivation had reached such heights that every fight was a matter of life and death, far beyond control. Without deep-seated grudges, grandmasters rarely clashed. As for those below grandmaster level, no innate expert could possibly challenge a grandmaster who had mastered the “Way.” Thus, there had never been an instance of a grandmaster’s defeat, and Lin Feng would not allow himself to become the first.

With a sudden tightening of his swordplay, Lin Feng forced Lu Ming back. Then, letting out a long, piercing cry, he slowly leveled his sword at Lu Ming.

In that instant, his domain of cold vanished, replaced by a chill as if a glacier had descended, directed straight at Lu Ming.

A shudder passed through everyone’s hearts.

Suddenly, a thick layer of ice formed over Lu Ming, sealing him in a solid block of frozen silence.