The summit of Mount Aozang in Teyvat, five hours had passed since Ling Feng's departure, and it was now three in the afternoon. (Note: Teyvat and Fox Spirit World time ratio: 1 hour : 5 hours)
Whoosh!
Ling Feng reappeared out of thin air at the spot he had left. Just as he was about to stretch, he felt a cold wind brush past his back, and a sense of danger surged through him.
Ling Feng instinctively reached for the匣里龙吟 (Xiá Lǐ Lóng Yín) from his spatial storage, but before he could retrieve it, the cold touch of metal was already at his neck.
"Who are you, and why are you on the peak of Mount Aozang?"
A voice, seemingly filled with sorrow, echoed from behind Ling Feng, but at this moment, her tone was extremely cold.
Ling Feng glanced sideways. At his neck was the tip of an ice-blue spear, emitting bursts of chilling aura that sent shivers down his spine, making him extremely uncomfortable.
"My name is Ling Feng, and I am a disciple of Cloud Retainer."
After a moment of thought, Ling Feng revealed his current identity, hoping to intimidate the person behind him and make her wary. After all, the title of a disciple of an adept sounded rather significant.
His goal was to stall for time, waiting for Cloud Retainer to arrive. Given Cloud Retainer's abilities as an adept, she should be able to sense what was happening here and arrive quickly.
"You are lying! How dare you use Master's name to deceive others! Your crime is unforgivable!"
However, the outcome was the opposite of what Ling Feng expected. The person behind him became even angrier.
"What the… Master?"
Ling Feng was surprised. From the words of the person behind him, he could tell that she referred to Cloud Retainer as 'Master.'
"The person behind me calls Cloud Retainer 'Master'? But I never knew Cloud Retainer had a disciple? Could it be a character who hasn't appeared yet?"
No matter how much Ling Feng pondered, he couldn't guess the identity of the person behind him. But now was not the time to think so much; his life was in the hands of the person behind him.
Ling Feng's personality was not one to passively accept his fate.
A 金刚符 (Jīngāng Fú - Vajra Talisman) instantly appeared in Ling Feng's hand. As energy flowed through the brushstrokes on the talisman, a shield materialized around Ling Feng, pushing away the spearhead pressed against his neck.
"A talisman?" The person behind him seemed surprised.
The moment the Vajra Talisman was used, the 匣里龙吟 (Xiá Lǐ Lóng Yín) appeared in Ling Feng's right hand, and he swung it behind him.
The person behind Ling Feng reacted with extreme speed. With a movement of her spear, she easily blocked Ling Feng's strike.
However, Ling Feng had never intended to harm her. For someone to approach him so silently, their strength must far surpass his.
With his current abilities, it would be extremely difficult to harm her without the God of War's Blade.
Ling Feng's objective was to distance himself from her and wait for Cloud Retainer to arrive. Therefore, after a swift slash, Ling Feng quickly retreated more than ten steps, creating distance between them.
"Who are you?"
Ling Feng shouted. He could now see the attacker's appearance. As he expected, he didn't recognize her. However, upon seeing her, Ling Feng couldn't help but be impressed.
She was about 1.7 meters tall, with white hair and somewhat iridescent eyes. Her expressionless face, however, gave off an air of aloofness, a perfect example of a mature and distant beauty.
Ling Feng couldn't describe her attire, but overall, she exuded an aura of ethereal grace.
"My name is Shen He, and I am a disciple of Cloud Retainer."
"How dare you use Master's name to deceive others and tarnish my Master's reputation! I shall apprehend you and hand you over to Master for judgment."
Shen He did not hide anything and revealed her identity. Her eyes, filled with deep coldness as she looked at Ling Feng, clearly showed the importance of Cloud Retainer to her.
"Shen He?"
Ling Feng was stunned for a moment upon hearing the name. It finally sparked a memory. He recalled that there were some leaks about a character named Shen He, and people had speculated if she might be Cloud Retainer's human form.
But it seemed that speculation was likely wrong. Ling Feng could guarantee that the person before him was not Cloud Retainer. However, the game had only been updated to version 2.1 when he transmigrated, so he couldn't be sure of her exact identity.
But clearly, now was not the time to overthink. Sensing the hostility emanating from Shen He, Ling Feng dared not underestimate her. He stared intently at Shen He, and two talismans appeared in his left hand.
One was a 风行符 (Fēngxíng Fú - Wind-Walking Talisman), which could temporarily increase the user's speed, and the other was a 壮力符 (Zhuànglì Fú - Strength-Boosting Talisman), which could temporarily enhance the user's strength.
Shen He's strength was a mystery to Ling Feng at the moment. He had to go all out to deal with her, even resorting to the only two talismans he had for personal enhancement.
"Taste this."
Shen He moved her feet, her body light and swift. In the blink of an eye, she covered several meters and appeared before Ling Feng.
She swept her spear towards Ling Feng's legs. It was evident that Shen He did not intend to kill Ling Feng but to incapacitate him, otherwise, she would have thrust her spear instead of sweeping it.
The spear whistled through the air, indicating the considerable force behind the strike. If hit, it would be an exaggeration to say it would break bones, but it would at least cause Ling Feng considerable pain for a while.
"Damn it, I guess I really have to use the talismans."
Seeing Shen He move, Ling Feng's eyes narrowed. Without further ado, he immediately injected his True Essence into the talismans to activate them, then tucked them inside his clothes to prevent them from falling off during the fight.
As soon as the talismans were affixed, Ling Feng felt a special power envelop his entire body, enhancing his strength and speed.
Clang!
After affixing the talismans, Ling Feng made no further moves. He swung the 匣里龙吟 (Xiá Lǐ Lóng Yín) out, clashing against Shen He's spear with a metallic ring.
"Such immense strength!"
As the two weapons collided, Ling Feng was directly repelled a step or two. Shen He, on the other hand, did not budge and maintained a calm expression, appearing composed. This highlighted the vast difference in their strength, like a child punching an adult.
"Damn it! I can't just wait to die! God of War's—"
Although Ling Feng was not skilled in combat, he could tell from the first clash that there was no way to defeat Shen He with just the 匣里龙吟 (Xiá Lǐ Lóng Yín). Just as he was about to retrieve the God of War's Blade, an angry roar echoed from the heavens.
"Both of you, cease your hostilities at once!"
As the voice sounded, a fierce gust of wind suddenly whipped up around Ling Feng and Shen He, blowing them back several meters before subsiding.
A celestial crane slowly descended from the sky, landing between the two. Upon seeing the newcomer, Ling Feng and Shen He spoke in unison.
"Master."
This celestial crane was precisely Cloud Retainer, who had just returned from an outing. Initially, when she sensed Ling Feng, Cloud Retainer was in a very pleasant mood, anticipating good food.
Upon sensing Shen He's return, she had intended to introduce Ling Feng to her upon her arrival. However, she then discovered they were fighting. Realizing something was amiss, she rushed back as fast as she could to stop them.