Chapter 27: Well, well! So you can shapeshift too.

He steadied his stance, shedding his flippant demeanor as his eyes turned sharp. It seemed this young man was no simple hothead, but someone harboring a secret weapon.

"It appears I underestimated you. You can actually transform!"

Han Yang licked his lips, excitement flashing in his eyes. Abandoning any further probing, he prepared to strike directly to see what tricks this black-robed man truly had up his sleeve.

"Boy, show me your real skills. Don't disappoint me!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Han Yang vanished, reappearing instantly before Lin Feng in a flash of golden light. His hand, curled into a claw, struck out with a fierce gale, aiming straight for Lin Feng's throat. Lin Feng tried to dodge, only to realize he was completely unable to move. Han Yang’s speed was too great—too fast for him to even react.

"Am I going to die?" Despair flickered in Lin Feng's heart.

At this critical juncture, the mysterious power within Lin Feng erupted once more, forming a black shield around his body that blocked Han Yang’s strike.

*Clang!*

A thunderous sound like metal striking metal echoed as Han Yang’s claws collided with the black shield, sending sparks flying. Han Yang was forced back by the force of the impact, a look of astonishment on his face. The defensive power of this shield was unexpectedly formidable!

*Boom!*

Inside the treasury, the collision of two immense powers erupted with a cataclysmic roar... A crack even appeared on the vaulted ceiling of the treasury!

Just then, Han Yang suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation emanating from within Lin Feng. This fluctuation... it felt strangely familiar! Before he could contemplate it further, Lin Feng’s body began to tremble violently; his eyes turned blood-red, and a savage aura surged from within him.

"Argh!"

Lin Feng let out a pained roar. His body began to change: his skin turned a ghastly black, and a pair of massive black wings sprouted from his back. He looked exactly like a demon crawled out from the depths of hell.

"This... what is happening?" Han Yang was shocked. Could this boy have been possessed by some evil entity?

He drew a sharp breath. The aura was cold, evil, and thick with the scent of blood—it was identical to the demonic energy he had read about in ancient records.

"This boy... could he be of the Demon Race?"

He felt a secret alarm, his vigilance rising to its peak. Lin Feng’s demonization was now complete. The black wings on his back spread wide, like two vast curtains of darkness blotting out the sky, plunging the once-bright treasury into eerie gloom. A powerful demonic energy swept through the vault like a storm, causing the scattered spiritual artifacts and treasures on the floor to hiss as they were corroded.

"This is no ordinary possession..." Han Yang narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation rapidly. "It feels more like some kind of bloodline awakening! Could it be... the bloodline of the ancient Demon Race?"

He recalled secrets regarding the ancient Demon Race—they were said to possess immense strength and immortal bodies, capable of being reborn through their bloodline power even if their physical forms were destroyed.

Daring not to be careless, Han Yang immediately activated his Eye of Truth. Golden light swirled within his gaze as he attempted to see through the true strength of Lin Feng’s demonized form. However, a mysterious black mist shrouded Lin Feng, blocking his sight.

"Damn it! I can't see through it!" Han Yang cursed under his breath, which only deepened his unease.

In his demonized state, Lin Feng’s strength had skyrocketed; his speed and power were far beyond what they had been before. Flapping his massive black wings, he struck at Han Yang like a bolt of black lightning. Each blow carried earth-shattering force, every move lethal.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Inside the vault, their figures collided repeatedly, erupting in earth-shaking roars. Relying on his vast combat experience and formidable strength, Han Yang barely managed to defend himself, but he was forced into a steady retreat by Lin Feng’s frenzied assault. The treasury’s ceiling swayed under the intensity of their battle, in constant danger of collapse. Rubble fell continuously, and the floor cracked in countless places, as if the entire treasury were on the verge of destruction.

"I can't let this drag on!" Han Yang felt a surge of anxiety. He realized he had to find Lin Feng’s weakness quickly, or he risked being worn down until death.

While dodging the attacks, he observed Lin Feng’s movements carefully, searching for a flaw. Gradually, Han Yang noticed that while Lin Feng’s strength had surged after demonizing, he seemed to have lost his reason. His attack patterns had become simplistic, and his defense had begun to wane. Though his strikes were ferocious, they lacked technique, driven entirely by feral instinct.

"Now is the time!" Han Yang felt a surge of joy. He decided to exploit Lin Feng’s loss of reason, baiting him into more aggressive attacks to deplete his energy while waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

He deliberately revealed an opening to lure Lin Feng in. As expected, Lin Feng took the bait, letting out a wild roar and lunging at Han Yang like a beast.

"Fool!" Han Yang sneered. With a flash of movement, he dodged the attack and slammed a palm into Lin Feng’s back.

*Pfft!*

Lin Feng spewed a mouthful of black blood, his body stumbling. Seizing the opportunity, Han Yang launched another assault, his fists and kicks raining down upon Lin Feng like a storm. Although Lin Feng possessed immense power, his lack of sanity rendered him unable to defend effectively, leaving him to take the beating passively.

*Boom!*

With a thunderous crash, Lin Feng was sent flying by Han Yang’s kick, slamming into the wall of the treasury and punching a massive hole through it.

"Cough, cough..."

Lin Feng struggled to rise, black blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Han Yang pressed the attack, every fist and kick carrying a sharp, whistling gale as they landed ruthlessly on Lin Feng. Even though his power had spiked in this demonized state, Lin Feng’s attacks were like those of a mad dog, entirely devoid of strategy. He roared and flailed his massive black wings, yet time and again, Han Yang eluded them with grace, causing Lin Feng to expose even more vulnerabilities.

"You dare to make a fool of yourself with only this much skill?" Han Yang mocked, smashing a fist into Lin Feng’s chest and driving him back several paces.

Han Yang noticed that every time Lin Feng’s black wings flapped, the demonic energy around him surged and his power increased, but at the cost of consuming a vast amount of that energy. A plan formed in his mind.

"Since these wretched wings are the source of your power, I'll start by destroying them!"

Han Yang sneered. With a thought, he summoned his soul-bound artifact—the Chaos Golden Peng.

*Skree—!*

A heaven-shaking cry rang out through the entire treasury. A massive golden bird materialized from thin air. It spread its wings, blotting out the sky, its body radiating a dazzling golden light like a deity descending to earth. The Chaos Golden Peng’s eyes burned like torches, locked firmly onto the black wings on Lin Feng’s back. It let out a piercing shriek and then, transforming into a streak of golden light, shot toward Lin Feng like a bolt of lightning.

*Bang!*

The golden light slammed violently into Lin Feng’s black wings. A shrill, miserable scream echoed as several massive black feathers snapped and drifted down like a kite with a broken string. Lin Feng’s power plummeted instantly, and he staggered backward, reeling.