Langye, true to his terrifying power as a Qi Refining Eighth Layer expert, unleashed his wolf claw. As it struck, everyone present felt an overwhelming and astonishing demonic might from the potent attack, as if it were irresistible.
And this was the supreme authority of a Qi Refining Eighth Layer powerhouse in this place—not to be trifled with.
Although only a single step separated them, the Peak of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and the Qi Refining Eighth Layer were on completely different levels and could not be compared.
WHOOSH!
But just as the Demon Wolf's claw struck out ferociously, a beam of silver light shot through the air at an incredible speed. It slammed into the wolf claw, sending sparks flying with a deafening clang of metal! Incredibly, it repelled the sneak attack from Langye, a Qi Refining Eighth Layer powerhouse.
Such an astonishing scene left everyone utterly dumbstruck.
"Hmph!"
Immediately after, the wolf-headed Langye, who possessed the terrifying cultivation of the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Realm, snorted heavily. A ferocious grin exposed his sharp fangs, and a bone-chilling aura emanated from him as the demonic patterns on his body swirled. He struck again. This time, his Demon Wolf claw swelled to the size of a small mountain, over ten zhang wide, as it smashed down fiercely toward the silver short sword hovering in midair! The might was unparalleled and terrifying.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
Langye was truly a formidable wolf demon of the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Realm; the sheer power of his physical body was appalling.
Even Chen Fei could see that the silver short sword was an incredibly powerful Mid-Grade Magic Artifact. And this guy is planning to block a Mid-Grade Magic Artifact with his physical body!? That's completely insane! Far too shocking.
"Hmph!"
However, at that moment, another heavy, cold snort came from nearby. Clearly, the owner of the sword saw this arrogant act as a blatant sign of disrespect.
Therefore, the Mid-Grade Magic Artifact began to vibrate in midair, spinning rapidly. From within it, terrifyingly sharp streams of Sword Qi erupted like demonic thunder, making the onlookers' legs go weak. They felt as if they were being sliced to pieces by that sharp Sword Qi.
BOOM!
Immediately after, that terrifyingly sharp Sword Qi shot up into the sky and furiously collided with the descending Demon Wolf's claw!
At the moment of impact, the entire area seemed to pause violently. Countless clouds of Demon Qi were instantly shredded into pieces, and the sharp Sword Qi erupted with a piercing shriek before being crushed into nothingness.
BANG!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE…
Finally, the terrifying collision settled down amidst a hurricane-like sandstorm, and the chaos subsided.
But now, the entire area for at least a thirty-meter radius was reduced to ruins, a complete mess adrift in black smoke.
"What… what was that…"
"Hiss! Is this the strength of the masters from the Five Great Immortal Sects? They're simply inhuman!"
On the outskirts of the battlefield, the onlookers were completely stunned by the scene, their eyes filled with utter horror and their faces masks of fear.
Given their level and perspective, their understanding of a Qi Refining Eighth Layer powerhouse's strength was largely limited to imagination rather than firsthand experience. But now…
After witnessing such a horrifying scene with their own eyes, the awe and shock in their hearts burst forth like spreading cracks, impossible to contain. If a mere exchange of blows was this terrifying, what would a true life-and-death battle be like!?
In the face of such high-level powerhouses, they—these Innate Ancient Martial Artists—were nothing but ants, not even worth mentioning.
WHOOSH!
As the silver short sword and the Demon Wolf's claw were forced apart from their even clash, the sword spun deftly in the air. Then, under the astonished and reverent gazes of the crowd, it flew to the side of a square-faced, middle-aged man in brown robes who had appeared there at some unknown time.
The square-faced man expressionlessly caught the silver short sword. In an instant, the weapon's sharp Sword Qi seemed to recede, yet everyone felt a strange illusion: in his hands, the sword seemed to have become even more terrifying.
A Qi Refining Eighth Layer… Chen Fei couldn't help but squint at the middle-aged man, a hint of surprise in his eyes. To be able to fight a Qi Refining Eighth Layer Demon Wolf to a standstill, he must be a genuine Qi Refining Eighth Layer powerhouse! But I don't know this person at all. Why is he helping me?
The square-faced, brown-clad man, however, clearly had no time for Chen Fei. He gave the silver short sword a slight flick of his wrist, and a horrifying Sword Qi slowly bled from the blade. Only then did he raise his head to look at the grim-faced Langye nearby and say coolly, "Langye, you are a great general of the Purple Flame Palace's Gray Cloud Cave and a person of some renown in Eagle Gorge. Aren't you ashamed to be bullying a junior like this?"
At these words, the faces of everyone present changed, and they fell silent as if frozen. Daring to rebuke a figure like Langye of the Purple Flame Palace was something only this square-faced man would do. Even the experts from the other three of the Five Great Immortal Sects would likely not dare to say such a thing.
Sure enough, after the man spoke, Langye, whose expression was already extremely grim, turned deathly pale.
He remained silent for a long moment before finally lifting his head to fix a sinister gaze on the square-faced man, his words laced with frost. "Li Manlou, you and I have always stayed out of each other's way. Are you determined to interfere in my business now!?"
"So what if I am?" the square-faced man, Li Manlou, retorted without a change in expression, his words sharp and domineering. "Langye, don't forget why we all went through the trouble of coming to this godforsaken place. Your Purple Flame Palace got lucky and snagged someone with a Blue Qi Spiritual Root. What about the rest of us? Are you planning to leave us without even a sip of the soup?"
"Indeed, Brother Langye. The boy is a promising seedling. It would be a great shame to destroy him," Taoist Qingyue of the Floating Cloud Sect immediately chimed in. He was right. The Purple Flame Palace may be powerful and assertive, but they couldn't possibly deny the others even a taste, could they? Besides, their sects weren't so weak that Langye could push them around and do whatever he pleased.
After Taoist Qingyue spoke, even someone as domineering as Langye, a Qi Refining Eighth Layer expert, fell silent. After a while, he said slowly and sternly, "Li Manlou, Qingyue, this boy severely injured two disciples of my Purple Flame Palace. Are you telling me, Langye, to just let it go!?"
"Who can they blame but themselves for not being skilled enough?" Li Manlou replied indifferently. "Langye, don't think I can't see what you're up to. I'll make my position clear right now: if you try to stop us from getting the soup, don't blame me for making sure your Purple Flame Palace doesn't get to eat the meat."
BOOM!
"Li Manlou, I dare you to say that again!" Langye immediately flew into a rage. A terrifying Demon Qi erupted from his body and pressed toward Li Manlou as he spat out each word, his expression twisted and ferocious.
"Heh…" In response, Li Manlou only offered a cold sneer from his square face. Why should he merely speak? If Langye didn't believe him, he was welcome to try…
In the end, Langye clearly didn't have the guts to test him. His sinister gaze swept over Chen Fei before returning to Li Manlou, Qingyue, and the others. After a long moment, he shot a cold snort, turned, and left, tossing a final threat over his shoulder. "Li Manlou, Qingyue, I, Langye, will remember this. I hope you don't regret your actions…"
"Don't worry about us. You've got no place telling us what to do," Li Manlou responded coldly to the threat. Finally, he waved his hand dismissively. "Everyone, disperse. What are you all still gathered here for?"
"Yes, yes…" Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd dared not say another word and quickly scattered in small groups.
However, the events of the day would undoubtedly leave a deep impression on them.
Liang Ruchun and the Elder of Evils, two Innate Late Stage Peak experts, had ganged up on a younger man only to be single-handedly defeated and grievously injured by someone in his late twenties. What an astonishing combat record! And that wasn't even mentioning the direct clash between two Qi Refining Eighth Layer powerhouses that followed.
Seeing that the confrontation was finally over, Chen Fei, though still having some questions, promptly bowed slightly to the square-faced Li Manlou. "Junior Chen Fei thanks you for your generous aid, Senior. I will never forget this kindness."
"It was hardly a favor, but I'll accept your thanks," Li Manlou replied, his gaze slowly falling upon Chen Fei. His expression remained somewhat detached as he asked, "Judging from your earlier battle, have you reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer Realm?"
As soon as he spoke, Taoist Qingyue of the Floating Cloud Sect focused his attention, as did the experts from the remaining two sects. If Chen Fei had truly reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, it would be almost too incredible for them to believe.
"The Qi Refining Seventh Layer?"
Hearing Li Manlou's question, Chen Fei hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "Senior, I have not yet reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer Realm." At these words, a clear flash of regret and disappointment crossed the eyes of Taoist Qingyue and the others.
Only Li Manlou's eyes lit up. A look of wonder appeared in them as he exclaimed, "To not have reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, yet possess nearly the combat power of one… What a prodigy!"
Hearing this, Taoist Qingyue and the others were stunned for a moment before it dawned on them. They looked at Chen Fei again, their eyes now filled with admiration and fervor.
Indeed, to possess nearly the combat power of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer without having reached that realm… if that wasn't a prodigy, what was!?