The three days that followed the corrupted beast incident passed with an uneasy mixture of normalcy and tension. Chen Feng continued his daily routines of fetching water, helping his father in the forest, and assisting with preparations for the autumn harvest festival, but beneath this veneer of ordinary life, he dedicated every spare moment to understanding the abilities his mark had granted him.
In the early mornings before dawn, when the rest of the village still slept, Chen Feng would venture to secluded clearings in the forest's edge to practice controlling his enhanced vision. He discovered that the ability to perceive connections was not simply passive observation but could be actively refined through concentration and intent. By the second day, he could focus his sight to perceive only specific types of connections, filtering out the overwhelming flood of information that had initially threatened to paralyze him with sensory overload.
He learned to distinguish between different categories of bonds. Physical connections appeared as silver threads, representing the structural relationships between objects and their component parts. Living connections manifested as green strands that pulsed with the rhythm of life energy, linking organisms to their environment and to each other. Most intriguing were what Chen Feng privately termed conceptual connections, gossamer threads of various colors that represented abstract relationships such as loyalty, enmity, causation, and destiny. These were the most difficult to perceive and the most challenging to understand, but Chen Feng sensed they would prove the most significant as his abilities developed.
His experiments with the Severance ability were necessarily limited by caution. Chen Feng had no desire to cause unintended harm through reckless experimentation, so he restricted his practice to severing connections between inanimate objects. A fallen branch's connection to gravity, temporarily negated, caused the wood to float gently upward until the severed bond reasserted itself moments later. A stone's structural connections, carefully weakened rather than completely cut, allowed him to crumble it to dust with minimal physical pressure. Each successful manipulation increased his understanding and confidence, though he remained acutely aware of how little he truly comprehended about the mark's full potential.
The village itself seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of the sect representatives' arrival. The incident with the corrupted beast had heightened everyone's awareness of potential dangers, and patrols had been organized to watch the forest boundaries during the night hours. Chen Feng volunteered for these patrols, using the opportunity to extend his enhanced perception throughout the village's perimeter. He detected several more dark connections reaching from the deep forest toward human habitation, though none manifested as immediate threats. Whatever malevolent force was directing corrupted creatures toward the village appeared to have adopted a more cautious approach after the death of the wolf.
On the evening before the festival, Chen Feng accompanied his mother to the boundary shrine to make the promised offering of gratitude for his safety. The small stone structure appeared unchanged from the outside, though Chen Feng's enhanced vision revealed that the crack he had noticed three days prior had actually deepened slightly. When he tentatively reached out to touch the stone again, he felt a faint resonance with the mark on his forehead, as though the shrine and his symbol were somehow related or responsive to each other. The sensation was not threatening, but it reinforced his suspicion that the shrine itself had been instrumental in awakening whatever potential had lain dormant within him.
His mother arranged rice cakes and fruit before the shrine, murmuring traditional prayers to the Mountain Lord for continued protection of the village and its people. Chen Feng added his own silent gratitude, though he found himself uncertain to whom or what he was actually giving thanks. The Mountain Lord was a local deity of uncertain provenance, possibly real or possibly merely a personification of the natural forces that governed the region. His new abilities had revealed layers of reality that his previous worldview had not accommodated, and Chen Feng was still working to reconcile his expanding understanding with the simpler beliefs of his upbringing.
The morning of the festival dawned clear and bright, with autumn sunshine casting golden light across the village square where preparations had been ongoing since before dawn. The harvest had been adequate this year, neither exceptional nor poor, and the villagers had set aside portions of their crops for the communal feast that would accompany the day's celebrations. Long tables constructed from rough-hewn planks rested on wooden supports, gradually filling with contributions from each household as the morning progressed.
Chen Feng helped his father carry their family's offerings to the feast tables, which included several jars of pickled vegetables his mother had prepared and a large basket of chestnuts they had gathered from the forest. The atmosphere throughout the village was one of cautious festivity, with people determined to enjoy the celebration despite the lingering unease caused by recent events.
The Azure Peak Sect representatives were expected to arrive by midday, and as the sun climbed higher in the sky, an anticipatory energy began building among the younger villagers. For many of them, this would be their only opportunity to test their aptitude for cultivation, as few families possessed the resources to send their children to distant cities where such testing could be obtained independently of the sects' recruitment visits.
Chen Feng found himself studying the other young people who would likely volunteer for testing. There was Liu Wei, the blacksmith's son, whose physical strength and determination had made him a natural leader among the village youth. Standing near the food tables was Zhang Min, daughter of the village's most prosperous merchant, whose family actually possessed sufficient wealth to pay for private cultivation instruction should she demonstrate adequate talent. A dozen others of appropriate age milled about the square, their expressions betraying various mixtures of hope, anxiety, and poorly concealed skepticism about their prospects.
Shortly before noon, a commotion near the village's main entrance drew everyone's attention. A group of figures approached along the mountain path, and even from a distance, Chen Feng could perceive that these newcomers were fundamentally different from ordinary mortals. His enhanced vision showed him that each of the approaching individuals was surrounded by complex networks of energy that flowed through and around their bodies in patterns that suggested both power and discipline.
The Azure Peak Sect delegation consisted of five people, led by a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He wore robes of deep blue embroidered with cloud patterns in silver thread, and he carried himself with the confident bearing of someone accustomed to deference and respect. His features were refined and handsome, with sharp eyes that seemed to miss nothing as they swept across the assembled villagers. Behind him walked two young women, both dressed in similar but less ornate robes, their expressions carefully neutral as they observed their surroundings. The final two members of the group were older disciples, a man and woman in their thirties who bore the bearing of experienced cultivators and whose presence suggested they served as both escorts and observers for the younger sect members.
Village Chief Han stepped forward to greet the visitors, bowing respectfully and offering formal words of welcome that Chen Feng only partially heard from his position in the crowd. The lead disciple responded with courtesy that seemed genuine rather than perfunctory, introducing himself as Senior Brother Zhao Chen and presenting his companions as Junior Sisters Lin Yue and Wang Mei, along with Inner Disciples Shen Wu and Liu Fang.
Chen Feng found his attention particularly drawn to one of the young women, the one introduced as Lin Yue. She possessed delicate features and observant eyes that seemed to catalogue everything they encountered with keen intelligence. Her posture was relaxed but alert, suggesting both confidence and caution in unfamiliar surroundings. When her gaze swept across the assembled villagers, Chen Feng experienced a strange moment of resonance, as though some quality within her acknowledged something similar within himself, though the sensation passed so quickly he could not be certain it had been real rather than imagined.
The formal welcome concluded, and Village Chief Han invited the sect representatives to partake of the festival's offerings before conducting the aptitude testing that was the primary purpose of their visit. The disciples accepted graciously, and the feast began in earnest, with villagers and cultivators sharing the long tables in a display of communal hospitality that spoke well of Redwood Village's traditions.
Chen Feng observed the disciples carefully during the meal, noting how they interacted with each other and with the villagers who approached them with questions or conversation. Senior Brother Zhao maintained an air of polite authority, answering inquiries about the sect and cultivation with practiced ease while revealing little of substance. Junior Sister Wang Mei appeared more reserved, speaking only when directly addressed and then with carefully measured responses. It was Junior Sister Lin Yue, however, who seemed most genuinely interested in understanding the village and its people, asking questions about local customs and the recent incidents with corrupted beasts that had clearly reached the sect's ears through advance reports.
When Lin Yue's inquiries turned to the specifics of the corrupted wolf's appearance, Chen Feng found himself the focus of her attention as villagers eagerly pointed him out as the one who had defeated the creature. He approached the table somewhat reluctantly, aware that increased scrutiny might reveal aspects of his transformation that he had worked to keep concealed.
Lin Yue studied him with an intensity that felt almost like physical pressure, her eyes moving across his features with the systematic thoroughness of someone trained to assess potential threats and opportunities. Chen Feng maintained a respectful posture and met her gaze steadily, neither challenging nor deferring, simply presenting himself honestly to her examination.
"You killed a corrupted beast with only a spear and no cultivation base," Lin Yue stated, her tone making the words both observation and question. "That suggests either exceptional luck or exceptional capability. Which would you say it was?"
The directness of her inquiry caught Chen Feng slightly off guard, but he appreciated the lack of false pleasantries. "A combination of both, Junior Sister," he replied, choosing his words carefully. "I perceived the danger before the creature reached its intended target, which gave me time to prepare. The actual confrontation required more desperation than skill, though I managed to exploit the beast's corrupted state to create an opening for a killing strike."
"You perceived the danger," Lin Yue repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly. "How exactly did you perceive a threat that had not yet manifested visibly?"
Chen Feng had anticipated this question and had prepared an answer that contained truth without full revelation. "I noticed disturbances in the forest's ambient sounds and the behavior of smaller animals near the tree line. These signs suggested a predator's approach, and I acted on instinct to investigate."
Lin Yue continued to study him for a moment longer, and Chen Feng had the uncomfortable impression that she was not entirely convinced by his explanation but had chosen not to press the matter in the current setting. She nodded slowly and said, "You should test your aptitude this afternoon. Someone with your awareness and quick thinking might possess spiritual roots that have simply remained undiscovered."
"I intend to do so, Junior Sister," Chen Feng confirmed, bowing slightly to indicate both respect and conclusion of the conversation.
As he withdrew from the table, Chen Feng caught his father's eye across the square. Chen Wei's expression was approving, suggesting that his son had handled the interaction appropriately. Chen Feng's mother stood beside his father, her face showing maternal pride mixed with the inevitable worry that accompanied any possibility of her son leaving home to pursue a cultivator's path.
The meal continued for another hour, with the festival's traditional elements proceeding according to established custom. There were songs performed by the village children, demonstrations of crafts by local artisans, and a brief ceremony in which Chief Han formally thanked the Mountain Lord for the year's harvest and beseeched continued protection for the coming winter. Throughout these proceedings, Chen Feng felt the mark on his forehead maintaining a subtle but constant warmth, as though responding to the presence of the cultivators or perhaps to the spiritual energies they naturally emanated.
Finally, as the afternoon sun began its descent toward the western mountains, Senior Brother Zhao Chen stood and announced that the aptitude testing would commence. All young people between the ages of fourteen and eighteen who wished to be evaluated should form an orderly line in the village square. The disciples would examine each candidate individually, and those who demonstrated sufficient potential would be invited to join Azure Peak Sect as outer disciples, with the possibility of advancement based on their dedication and achievements.
Approximately twenty young people ultimately joined the line, their expressions ranging from eager anticipation to barely concealed anxiety. Chen Feng positioned himself toward the middle of the queue, preferring not to draw attention by being either first or last. Liu Wei, the blacksmith's son, claimed the first position with the confidence of someone who had long assumed his physical prowess would translate to cultivation talent. Zhang Min stood several positions behind Chen Feng, her expensive silk dress marking her as the most prosperous candidate in attendance.
The testing process began with Senior Brother Zhao producing a crystalline sphere approximately the size of a child's fist from within his robes. The object appeared to be carved from a single piece of translucent material that caught and refracted light in complex patterns. Chen Feng's enhanced vision revealed that the sphere was actually a nexus of concentrated energy formations, designed to resonate with and reveal the spiritual potential of anyone who touched it.
Liu Wei approached the testing station with visible confidence, placing his hand on the sphere as instructed. The crystal remained inert for several long seconds before producing a faint red glow that gradually intensified to approximately the brightness of a candle flame. Senior Brother Zhao nodded and made a notation on a small jade slip he carried for recording results.
"Fire-aspected spiritual roots of low-middle grade," Zhao Chen announced. "Sufficient for outer disciple admission, though your advancement will require diligent effort to overcome your roots' inherent limitations."
Liu Wei's expression showed disappointment poorly masked by forced gratitude as he accepted a wooden token marking his provisional acceptance into the sect. He stepped aside to allow the next candidate to approach, and the process continued with methodical efficiency.
Most candidates produced results similar to Liu Wei's, revealing low to middle grade spiritual roots of various elemental aspects. A few showed no reaction from the testing sphere at all, indicating spiritual roots too poor to benefit from formal cultivation instruction. These rejected candidates departed the square with expressions of resignation or bitter disappointment, their hopes of transcending their mortal limitations extinguished by objective measurement.
Zhang Min, when her turn arrived, produced a bright yellow glow from the sphere that drew murmurs of appreciation from the watching disciples. "Earth-aspected spiritual roots of high-middle grade," Senior Brother Zhao announced with notably more enthusiasm than he had shown for previous candidates. "Quite promising. You will likely progress to inner disciple status within your first three years if you maintain proper dedication."
Zhang Min accepted her token with barely concealed satisfaction, her family's investment in her health and education apparently having contributed to superior spiritual development compared to the village's less affluent children.
As Chen Feng's turn approached, he became aware of Junior Sister Lin Yue's particular attention fixed upon him. She had observed all previous candidates with professional interest, but her focus on Chen Feng carried an additional quality of curiosity that suggested she expected his results to be noteworthy one way or another.
Chen Feng stepped forward when his name was called and stood before the testing sphere. Senior Brother Zhao gestured for him to place his hand on the crystal, and Chen Feng complied, pressing his palm against the smooth, cool surface. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the mark on Chen Feng's forehead, hidden beneath his carefully arranged hair, suddenly burned with intense heat.
The testing sphere's reaction was unlike anything that had occurred with previous candidates. Instead of producing a steady glow of a single color, the crystal erupted with chaotic patterns of multiple hues that swirled and competed within its depths. Purple and silver dominated the display, but threads of other colors wove through the primary shades in configurations that seemed to form and dissolve too quickly for comprehension. The intensity of the light increased rapidly, becoming bright enough that spectators had to shield their eyes.
Senior Brother Zhao's expression shifted from routine professional assessment to shocked recognition of something extraordinary and potentially unprecedented. The two older inner disciples moved forward quickly, their casual observation replaced by alert intensity. Junior Sister Lin Yue's eyes widened, and Chen Feng saw her hand move instinctively toward something concealed within her robes, though she did not actually draw whatever weapon or artifact she carried.
Chen Feng himself felt the mark on his forehead responding to the testing sphere's energies, as though the two objects were communicating or resonating with each other in ways that went beyond simple measurement of spiritual roots. His enhanced vision showed him that connections were forming between himself and the crystal, threads of energy that reached into depths of his being he had not previously known existed. The sensation was neither painful nor pleasant, but rather intensely overwhelming in its fundamental nature.
Just as the light reached an intensity that threatened to become genuinely harmful to onlookers, the testing sphere suddenly went dark. Not merely dim, but completely absent of any luminescence, as though it had never contained light at all. Senior Brother Zhao stumbled backward, his hand moving away from the crystal as though he had touched something dangerous.
"Impossible," he breathed, his cultivated composure shattered by genuine shock. "The sphere registered void aspect resonance before complete negation. I've never even heard of such a phenomenon outside of ancient texts."
The two inner disciples moved to examine the testing sphere closely, their expressions grave. Inner Disciple Shen Wu, the older male cultivator, carefully lifted the crystal and channeled his own energy into it. The sphere responded to his input normally, confirming that it had not been damaged or depleted by its interaction with Chen Feng. This observation seemed to unsettle the disciples even more than complete destruction would have.
"The boy severed his own connection to the testing formation," Inner Disciple Liu Fang said slowly, her eyes fixed on Chen Feng with an intensity that felt invasive. "Instinctively, without training, he cut the resonance bond before it could complete its full assessment. I didn't even know such a thing was possible."
Senior Brother Zhao had recovered some of his composure, though his eyes remained wide with barely suppressed excitement and concern. "Chen Feng, was it? Tell me truthfully: have you ever encountered cultivators before today? Has anyone taught you any techniques or meditation methods?"
"No, Senior Brother," Chen Feng replied honestly. "Until three days ago, I was simply a woodcutter's son with no knowledge of cultivation beyond what stories passing merchants might share."
"Three days ago," Lin Yue repeated, moving to stand beside Zhao Chen. "The same time you encountered the corrupted beast. What else happened three days ago?"
Chen Feng recognized that continued evasion would be both impossible and potentially counterproductive. These disciples had expertise that far exceeded his own limited understanding, and they might actually be able to explain what had happened to him. Moreover, attempting to hide his transformation from people specifically trained to perceive spiritual anomalies would likely fail and damage any possibility of establishing trust.
He reached up and pushed his hair back from his forehead, revealing the mark fully for the first time since its appearance. The geometric symbol seemed to pulse with faint light in response to the nearby cultivators' attention, and Chen Feng heard sharp intakes of breath from all five sect representatives.
"I discovered this mark three days ago at the boundary shrine," Chen Feng explained, his voice calm despite the intensity of the disciples' scrutiny. "Since its appearance, I have been able to perceive connections between things that were previously invisible to me. I can also sever certain connections, though I only partially understand how or why this ability functions."
Senior Brother Zhao stepped closer, studying the mark with an expression that combined fascination with profound concern. "A Void Mark," he said quietly. "I thought they were only legends, warnings from the ancient era about cultivators who could sever the bonds that hold reality together. The records say that practitioners of the Severance Path either achieved transcendence or destroyed themselves and everything around them. There was never a middle ground."
"Senior Brother," Lin Yue interjected, her voice carrying a note of caution. "Perhaps this discussion should continue in a more private setting. The entire village is watching, and this revelation may have attracted attention from forces we would prefer to avoid in an unprotected location."
Her warning proved prescient. Even as she spoke, Chen Feng's enhanced vision detected something disturbing in the forest beyond the village boundaries. Multiple dark connections were forming simultaneously, far more numerous and powerful than any he had previously observed. Whatever malevolent intelligence controlled the corrupted beasts had apparently been waiting and watching, and Chen Feng's public revelation had triggered a decisive response.
"Something is coming," Chen Feng said urgently, pointing toward the tree line. "Many things, all corrupted, all focused on this location. They'll reach the village within minutes."
The inner disciples reacted immediately to his warning, their professional training overriding any skepticism about trusting a mortal's perception. Inner Disciple Shen Wu turned to address the assembled villagers in a voice that carried authority and urgency.
"All non-combatants are to retreat to your homes immediately and bar your doors and windows. Men with weapons should gather in the square and follow the instructions of Village Chief Han. We will defend this location, but I need you to trust us and not interfere with our work."
The villagers responded with admirable speed, their recent experiences with corrupted beasts having prepared them to take such warnings seriously. Within moments, the square had cleared of everyone except Chen Feng, the five disciples, Chief Han, and approximately fifteen men including Chen Wei who had arrived bearing whatever weapons they owned.
"How many?" Senior Brother Zhao asked Chen Feng directly, apparently having decided to trust the boy's mysterious perception abilities over his own conventional spiritual sense.
Chen Feng closed his eyes and extended his enhanced vision to its maximum range, following the dark connections that webbed through the forest. "At least thirty corrupted creatures of various types," he reported. "Most are smaller animals, wolves and wildcats, but there are three larger presences that I cannot fully identify. They're coordinating their approach from multiple directions simultaneously."
"A beast tide," Inner Disciple Liu Fang said grimly. "Someone or something is deliberately driving corrupted creatures against this village. This is not natural predation but organized assault."
Lin Yue had moved to stand beside Chen Feng, and he noticed that she had drawn what appeared to be a slender sword from within her robes, the blade gleaming with a faint blue light that suggested it was no ordinary weapon. "Can you perceive the source of the corruption?" she asked him quietly. "If there's a corrupting artifact or entity directing these beasts, eliminating it would end the threat more effectively than fighting individual creatures."
Chen Feng focused his perception deeper, following the dark connections back toward their origin. There, in the deep forest perhaps two miles distant, he sensed a nexus of corrupted energy that pulsed with malevolent intelligence. The connections all led to this single point, and from this point extended not only the threads controlling the corrupted beasts but also something else, a larger and more complex web that reached beyond Chen Feng's current ability to fully perceive.
"There's a source approximately two miles into the forest, northeast of the village," Chen Feng reported. "It feels intelligent and organized, not merely instinctual corruption. Whatever it is, it's been building this attack for days, possibly since the moment I first manifested my mark."
Senior Brother Zhao cursed quietly, a startling break in his previously maintained composure. "It sensed the Void Mark's awakening and views it as a threat. Void practitioners in the ancient texts were said to be natural enemies of corrupted entities because they could sever the bonds of corruption itself. It's trying to eliminate you before you understand your own abilities."
The first corrupted creatures burst from the forest edge even as Zhao finished speaking. A pack of six wolves, their eyes glowing with that characteristic reddish light and their fur matted with the physical evidence of their transformation, charged across the open ground toward the village square with supernatural speed and coordination.
Inner Disciple Shen Wu stepped forward to intercept them, his movements so fluid and fast that Chen Feng's normal vision could barely track them. The cultivator's hands traced patterns in the air, and barriers of solidified energy materialized before the charging wolves. The creatures slammed into these obstacles with bone-crushing force, but rather than being deterred, they immediately began tearing at the barriers with claws and teeth that could rend normal stone.
"The corruption makes them far more durable and aggressive than natural beasts," Shen Wu called out. "Ordinary weapons will have limited effect. Villagers, aim for joints and eyes if you must engage, but prioritize staying alive over killing enemies."
More corrupted creatures were emerging from multiple points along the forest edge now, executing the coordinated assault that Chen Feng had predicted. Inner Disciple Liu Fang moved to cover the western approach, her hands forming complex gestures that resulted in dozens of glowing projectiles materializing in the air around her. These energy constructs shot forward with deadly precision, striking down corrupted rabbits and foxes that had been attempting to flank the village's defenders.
Senior Brother Zhao and Junior Sister Wang Mei took up positions covering the remaining approaches, their techniques creating zones of control that the corrupted beasts struggled to penetrate. The coordination between the disciples spoke of extensive training and combat experience working as a unit.
That left Lin Yue and Chen Feng somewhat apart from the main defensive formation. Lin Yue glanced at him, and Chen Feng saw calculation in her eyes. "You said you can sever connections. Can you sever the bonds that corrupt these creatures, the way you apparently did with the wolf several nights ago?"
"I managed it once," Chen Feng admitted, "though I was working purely on instinct and luck. I don't know if I can reliably replicate the technique, especially under combat conditions against multiple targets."
"Then it's time to learn quickly," Lin Yue replied, and there was something in her tone that suggested both challenge and encouragement. "I'll create opportunities for you to practice. Focus on severing the corruption, and I'll handle the physical threat."
Three corrupted wildcats had broken through a gap in the defensive perimeter and were racing toward their position. Lin Yue's sword moved in a blur of motion that Chen Feng's eyes could barely follow, her blade intercepting the first cat in mid-leap and redirecting its momentum into the ground with a technique that seemed to violate normal physics. The second cat she struck with the flat of her blade, a blow that should have merely bruised but instead sent the creature tumbling backward as though it had been struck by a charging bull.
The third cat she deliberately allowed to close distance, positioning herself so that Chen Feng had a clear line of approach to the creature. "Now," she commanded. "While it's focused on me."
Chen Feng acted on instinct and training, the strange combination of his new abilities and his practical experience. His hand traced that now-familiar pattern in the air, and his will focused on perceiving the dark connection within the corrupted wildcat. There—a thread of malevolent energy linking the beast to the distant source of corruption. Chen Feng's consciousness touched that thread and twisted, severing the bond with a mental effort that felt like cutting through thick rope with a dull blade.
The wildcat's aggressive charge faltered as confusion replaced corrupt compulsion. Lin Yue's sword moved again, this time striking to kill rather than disable, and the now-ordinary animal fell without the supernatural resilience that corruption had granted it.
"Effective," Lin Yue assessed, already moving to engage more approaching creatures. "Continue the same pattern. Sever corruption, I'll finish what you start."
They fell into a rhythm born of necessity rather than practice, with Lin Yue using her superior combat skills and cultivator abilities to control the immediate tactical situation while Chen Feng focused on identifying and severing the corruption bonds that made the creatures dangerous beyond their natural capabilities. The technique became marginally easier with each repetition, though it still required significant mental effort and concentration that left Chen Feng feeling increasingly drained.
Around them, the battle had expanded into a chaotic melee that tested the disciples' defensive capabilities. The three larger corrupted creatures that Chen Feng had sensed earlier had emerged from the forest, revealing themselves to be Mountain Bears similar to the one he had encountered days before but even more heavily corrupted and coordinated. These massive beasts required the combined efforts of Senior Brother Zhao and one of the inner disciples to contain, and even then they were not being defeated so much as held at bay.
The village's men were acquitting themselves reasonably well under the circumstances, following Inner Disciple Shen Wu's instructions and focusing on survival rather than heroics. Chen Wei wielded his woodcutter's axe with the practiced efficiency of decades of forest work, striking at any corrupted creature that approached the villagers' defensive line with precise blows aimed at vulnerable points. Several other men had already sustained injuries, though none appeared immediately life-threatening thanks to the disciples' protective formations.
Chen Feng had lost count of how many corruption bonds he had severed when he suddenly felt a shift in the pattern of the attack. His enhanced perception detected that the distant source of corruption was withdrawing its connections from the smaller creatures and consolidating its influence into the three remaining corrupted bears. The previously coordinated beast tide suddenly collapsed into confused chaos as dozens of corrupted animals, no longer under direct control, either fled back into the forest or stood disoriented and vulnerable to the disciples' attacks.
"It's focusing everything into the large threats," Chen Feng shouted over the sounds of combat. "The bears are going to become much more dangerous."
His warning came just in time. The corrupted bear that Senior Brother Zhao had been fighting suddenly moved with speed that no creature of its size should possess, covering the distance to the village's defensive line in seconds. Its massive paw swept aside one of the cultivator's energy barriers as though it were made of paper, and only Zhao's rapid deployment of a secondary defensive technique prevented the bear from mauling several villagers.
Chen Feng made a decision that was probably foolish but felt necessary in the moment. He began running toward the closest corrupted bear, the one currently engaging Inner Disciple Liu Fang, with the intention of severing its corruption bond before it could cause serious harm. Lin Yue shouted something behind him, either warning or encouragement, but Chen Feng's focus was entirely on the bear and the thick, pulsing thread of dark energy that connected it to the distant source.
Getting close enough to sever the bond meant entering the immediate combat zone where the bear and the inner disciple were exchanging attacks and counters with devastating force. Chen Feng timed his approach to coincide with a moment when Liu Fang had drawn the bear's attention away from his position, then reached out with his ability and grasped the corruption thread with his consciousness.
This bond was vastly stronger than those linking the smaller creatures to their controller. Severing it would require more power than Chen Feng had previously exerted, possibly more than he currently possessed. He pulled at the connection with all his mental strength, feeling the mark on his forehead burn with intensity that bordered on actual pain as it channeled his will into the attempt.
The corruption bond resisted, flexing and stretching but refusing to break. Through his connection to the thread, Chen Feng sensed something else, a presence on the other end that had become aware of his interference. Malevolent intelligence focused its attention directly on him, and for a terrible moment, Chen Feng felt his consciousness pulled toward the source of the corruption, drawn along the very connection he was trying to sever.
Then Lin Yue was there, her sword's edge touched to Chen Feng's shoulder, and the sensation of her own energy flowing into him provided an anchor point that prevented his consciousness from being overwhelmed. "Don't try to overpower it," she instructed urgently. "Severance isn't about force but precision. Find the weak point in the connection and cut there."
Chen Feng adjusted his perception, following her guidance despite having no time to question how she knew what she knew. Instead of trying to rip through the entire corruption bond, he searched for flaws in its structure. There—a slight inconsistency where the dark energy had not fully integrated with the bear's natural life force. A weak point, subtle but real.
He focused everything on that single point and twisted his consciousness in a motion that combined cutting and unraveling. The corruption bond suddenly gave way, severing not through overwhelming force but through precise exploitation of its inherent weakness. The effect was immediate and dramatic. The corrupted bear staggered, its supernatural rage replaced by natural animal confusion. Inner Disciple Liu Fang capitalized on the opening instantly, her techniques striking vital points that had been previously protected by the corruption's enhancement.
The bear fell heavily, its death swift now that it was merely a mortal animal again. Chen Feng collapsed to his knees, the mental exhaustion of the effort having depleted reserves he did not know he possessed. Lin Yue's hand remained on his shoulder, steadying him both physically and with what he now recognized as a flow of spiritual energy that helped stabilize his overtaxed consciousness.
"Two more to go," she said quietly, and there was approval in her voice along with concern. "Can you manage it?"
Chen Feng looked toward the remaining corrupted bears, still engaged with Senior Brother Zhao and Inner Disciple Shen Wu. The distant source of corruption was pouring its full attention into maintaining and strengthening those two remaining bonds, recognizing that its assault was failing and attempting to salvage victory from imminent defeat. If those bonds could be severed, the immediate threat to the village would end. If they could not, the disciples would eventually be overwhelmed by creatures whose corruption made them far more dangerous than their natural forms.
"I can manage," Chen Feng said, though he was not at all certain it was true. He had to try regardless. The alternative was watching people die when he might have prevented it.
With Lin Yue supporting him, Chen Feng approached the second corrupted bear, his enhanced perception already seeking the weak points in its corruption bond. The battle raged around them, villagers and disciples fighting desperately to contain threats that exceeded their expectations and challenged their capabilities. Chen Feng pushed aside awareness of the broader chaos and focused entirely on the task before him, knowing that success or failure in the next few minutes would determine whether Redwood Village survived this day or became another casualty of forces beyond mortal understanding.
The Void Mark on his forehead blazed with light that was visible even to normal perception, and Chen Feng embraced its power fully for the first time, allowing the strange abilities it had granted him to flow without reservation or conscious control. He was a blade that cut what should not be joined, a force that severed what should not be bound. In this moment, that was exactly what the situation required.
He reached out to sever, and the connections began to fall.