When Feng Xiaoyao realized Shen Lang was the young man who had killed his subordinate, he flew into a rage and attacked at once. And for his very first move, he used the Feng Familyâs Secret Skill: the "Wind God Leg"!
In a panic, Shen Lang shoved Zheng Donghong aside, but as he backed away, he tripped over a rock and fell!
Yet, amid the crowdâs gasps, the falling Shen Lang narrowly dodged Feng Xiaoyaoâs ferocious attack...
"Hahaha! Look at that pathetic kid. He got lucky. Otherwise, Young Master Fengâs Wind God Leg would have shredded him to pieces!"
"Heâs just at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. Itâd be childâs play for Young Master Feng to kill him. Using the Wind God Leg on him is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Itâs total overkill."
"I suppose itâs because the kid killed Young Master Fengâs subordinate. He must be furious..."
The group of people near the valley entrance began to jeer and flatter.
They all believed Shen Lang was as good as dead.
After Shen Lang fell, Feng Xiaoyaoâs kick missed its mark.
Feng Xiaoyao, whose leg had shot over Shen Langâs head, froze for a second, seemingly in disbelief that such a swift attack could have missed.
"Die!"
Feng Xiaoyao roared, slammed his left hand on the ground, and flipped his body over, his right foot instantly lashing out in a lethal kick aimed at Shen Langâs neck.
As he kicked, the sharp sound of the air being split made many of the onlookersâ hearts leap into their throats.
Many of the more sheltered youths even cried out in terror.
A kick like that would probably take his head clean off.
But at this critical moment, Shen Lang executed a clumsy somersault, avoiding the kick in an utterly undignified and awkward manner.
Seeing a mere Qi Martial Realm brat dodge two of his attacks in a row, Feng Xiaoyao felt utterly humiliated. Rage overwhelmed him.
He slammed his right palm onto the ground, shot to his feet, twisted his waist, and unleashed his legs in a whirlwind of kicks.
Each kick was a straight line, like a swift blade, moving with untraceable speed. It generated a sharp gale, its power astonishing.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Every one of Feng Xiaoyaoâs kicks aimed low for the Pill Sea in the abdomen or high for the heart in the chest, his killing intent brutal and fierce!
He circled Shen Lang, attacking relentlessly. It was as if several Feng Xiaoyaos were assailing Shen Lang simultaneously, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded.
The nearby spectators were even forced to back away, not daring to get any closer to the pair.
Feng Xiaoyaoâs kicks were simply too fast, even quicker and more agile than the hands of many Spirit Martial Realm Early Stage Martial Artists. Many couldnât follow his movements at all, only perceiving a dazzling blur of constantly shifting afterimages. In their ears was the SWISH-SWISH-SWISH of the fierce wind slicing through the air.
In contrast, Shen Langâs movements looked painfully slow, almost clumsy, to the onlookers.
Under the onslaught, he didnât even have a chance to fight back. He could only dodge again and again with small, panicked-looking missteps, appearing to be in extreme peril.
He occasionally threw a punch or kick, but he couldnât even touch Feng Xiaoyaoâs shadow.
In fact, several times Feng Xiaoyaoâs foot grazed past his body by a hairâs breadth, making the hearts of the onlookers pound.
Strangely enough, though, in that short span of time, Feng Xiaoyao had already launched dozens of kicks in a furious barrage, yet he hadnât even managed to touch the hem of Shen Langâs robes!
On the outskirts of the crowd, Su Shi and Zhan Wujiâs eyes filled with astonishment.
âEven the two of us probably couldnât deal with Feng Xiaoyaoâs frenzied assault without fighting back, could we?â
"Is this guy just lucky? If itâs not luck... But Iâve been watching his footwork. Itâs a total mess, with no discernible pattern. It looks like heâs just being forced to move in reaction to the attacks!" Su Shiâs expression grew odd.
Just then, several small white balls appeared out of nowhere and rolled into the clearing. One of them landed right at Shen Langâs feet, while the other two stopped in front of the group at the valley entrance...
"What are those?" Everyone froze for a second.
The next moment, the three small balls burst with a BANG. Instantly, the entire ravine was blanketed in thick white smoke, so dense you couldnât even see the person right in front of you!
"Go!"
The woman in green beside Su Shi let out a short cry and shot forward like a ghost!
Then, a voice impossible to identify as male or female echoed through the ravine: "Everyone, charge! Break out of the valley and kill those bastards!"
"Kill!"
The youths, snapping back to their senses, roared furiously, their shouts making the entire ravine rumble.
"Charge!"
Su Shi and Zhan Wuji shouted in unison and, unleashing their full speed, began to charge the valley entrance!
Suddenly, after taking just two steps, both Su Shi and Zhan Wuji stopped dead in their tracks. They didnât advance; they retreated!
With their Divine Thought, they sensed a terrifyingly powerful fluctuation of energy from up ahead!
The moment they fell back, a tremendous roar erupted from ahead.
Accompanying the roar were the agonized screams of the group guarding the valley entrance!
"What happened?" Su Shi and Zhan Wuji were stunned.
âThat earth-shattering power... thereâs no way the woman in green could have created something like that...â
âIs there an expert hidden among the crowd?â
Before Su Shi and his companion could react, the crackle of a Nine Heavens Thunderbolt erupted from ahead. Flashes of lightning could be faintly seen bursting through the white mist!
The lightning flashed for a good while before abruptly disappearing without a trace.
The few Profound Dao Sect disciples positioned above the valley entrance let out pathetic groans, then went completely silent.
"Holy shit, who did that? They even attacked people from the Profound Dao Sect? Those disciples have Cultivation at the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven or higher!" Zhan Wuji swore.
Because of this savage, out-of-nowhere attack, everyone who had been charging the valley entrance stopped in their tracks and raised their defenses, terrified of being attacked themselves.
After all, most of the people here were Martial Artists who were already wary of one another and keeping their distance, so surprisingly, no one was trampled in the chaos.
For a moment, the ravine, holding several thousand people, became eerily silent...
A short while later, the white mist dissipated. As sunlight streamed down, the scene in the ravine was finally revealed to all.
Although they had somewhat braced themselves, when the white mist cleared and they saw the scene before them, everyone was still left gaping and speechless...
A massive crater had appeared in the center of the valley pass. The dozen or so people who had been guarding itâincluding two hidden Spirit Martial Realm expertsâwere all sprawled at the craterâs edge, covered in blood, their conditions unknown.
It was as if someone had slammed a fist into the center of their group, and the powerful shockwave had flung them all away!
The two Spirit Martial Realm experts lay on the ground, making faint sounds, unable even to lift a hand.
Not far behind them, the archers hidden among the rocks and the Profound Dao Sect disciples on the higher cliff ledge had also been hit by a savage attack.
However, the attack they suffered was slightly different from the one that hit the group at the entrance; they had been crippled by ferocious Thunder Power.
Each one of them was collapsed on the blue-gray stone, their bodies charred black. Their arms hung limply, dripping blood, and smoke still curled up from their hair. The lightning that had been faintly visible earlier had fried them to a crisp, leaving them in an even more wretched state than the group at the entrance.
Even more astonishingly, the people who had been lying scattered about the entranceâthose who had been struck down by the guardsâhad all been mysteriously moved about twenty meters away. Not a single one of them had been caught in the blast!
Su Shiâs gaze subconsciously fell on Shen Lang, who stood just ahead of him. He was stunned to realize that Shen Lang appeared not to have moved from the spot where he had been fighting Feng Xiaoyao...
âWhereâs Feng Xiaoyao?â
Su Shi scanned his surroundings in confusion and was immediately startled by what he saw.
Not far behind him, Feng Xiaoyao was planted in the ground up to his neck, only his battered, swollen head visible. He was barely breathing!
Zhan Wuji followed Su Shiâs gaze and nearly leaped into the air. "Holy shit, who could be that ruthless?"
The green-robed woman walked over, her expression grave. "The crater at the pass seems to have been created by a single punch. As for the archers further back, they were all crippled by a Thunder Element Technique. This... This is too much power! To think there was a master with such an immense level of Cultivation hidden in the crowd... Itâs unimaginable!"
"As for this Feng Xiaoyao, while heâs a bit spoiled, his Cultivation is nothing to scoff at. To think he was so grievously wounded without anyone noticing... And while the ground here is soft, instantly driving a Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artist into the earth would require Cultivation of at least the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. Not only that, their physical body would have to be far stronger than other Martial Artists of the Same Tier."
"Everything happened in a matter of seconds. I think it would be too difficult for one person to handle both ends at once. It was likely several people acting in concert... But if theyâre bold enough to attack even the Profound Dao Sect, and powerful enough to succeed, why would they be here trying to join it?"
Shen Lang jogged over, feigning puzzlement. "Whoâs this swollen-headed guy, beaten so badly... Huh? Isnât that the bastard Feng Xiaoyao? Bwahahaha, look at you now! Wasnât your special move called the âWind God Legâ? I think âBurrowing Dragonâ suits you better! Hahaha!"
Shen Lang roared with unrestrained laughter, making the others sweat nervously.
"Forget it. Thereâs no use speculating," Su Shi said. "Whether it was one person or a group, it doesnât matter. We didnât provoke them, anyway... Whatâs important is that the path is clear. This is no place to linger. Letâs get out of here." With that, he shot toward the valley entrance at top speed.
The woman in green followed close behind.
Seeing their chance, the surrounding youths let out a great ROAR and surged toward the entrance like a tidal wave.
Zhan Wuji clapped Shen Lang on the shoulder. "Letâs go. Time to leave this place of conflict."
"Mm." Shen Lang nodded lightly and turned to leave.
Behind him, Zheng Donghongâs eyes were bloodshot, the hand gripping his longsword trembling uncontrollably.
Shen Lang said casually, "Since you want him dead, why not take this perfect opportunity?"