"Although I don’t know how you avoided my Sword Withdrawal Slash before, I don’t believe you can dodge them all!"

In a single day, the Sword Withdrawal Slash was dodged twice, Lu Zhao gritted his teeth and suddenly his figure became vague. Shadows split from his body, seeming both real and fake, like a phantom flickering in the dense forest, and in the blink of an eye, he was before Luo Feng.

"Shattered Shadow Step! It’s Shattered Shadow Step! Senior Brother Lu Zhao, when he was at the late sixth stage of the Spiritual Rotation Realm cultivation, had used Shattered Shadow Step combined with swordsmanship to kill a Martial Artist at the peak of the sixth stage. Luo Feng is doomed!"

Seeing the martial skill Lu Zhao displayed, the other three disciples of the Sky Sword Pavilion were shocked.

The so-called Shattered Shadow Step is the Light Martial Arts Lu Zhao cultivated, divided into three levels.

One level is shadows following the body, where during movement, shadows formed by Yuan Qi closely follow behind, overlapping, deceiving the visual senses.

The second level is the realm Lu Zhao is in now, where shadows formed by Yuan Qi can be controlled at will, and appear more realistic.

If one reaches the third level, shadows can be indistinguishable from reality, giving the illusion of dozens existing simultaneously. Although without lethal power, in a fight, it can shock and deceive an opponent in an instant, in which a Martial Artist duel can determine victory and defeat.

Xia Yunjing’s brows furrowed slightly. She could sense the peril of this move, but now Lu Zhao’s figure had surrounded Luo Feng completely, making it hard to discern the real from the fake.

She wanted to step in to help, but there was no way to intervene. Unless using a wide-range attack to eliminate all shadows, but doing so would surely implicate Luo Feng as well.

Lu Zhao’s lips curled into a grim smile, a cold laugh in his heart—no matter how quick the reaction, it couldn’t be quicker than his Shattered Shadow Step!

Woosh!

With a flash in his eyes, Lu Zhao controlled over ten shadows to simultaneously assault Luo Feng, hiding himself among them—one sword light vanished into the void, stabbing towards Luo Feng’s heart.

Luo Feng sneered. If it were an ordinary Martial Artist, it might be difficult to differentiate real and fake, ending up killed in the confusion. But in his presence, Lu Zhao’s petty tricks were like children’s play, completely unveiled.

"Slash!"

No need to look back, the Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber was drawn, slashing backward.

Clang!

The collision of sword and saber, waves of impact like substance radiated outward, instantly leveling the ground around them.

"So heavy!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lu Zhao felt an unstoppable force, penetrating through the sword edge, transferring to him. His body staggered back, each step leaving a deep footprint. Stopping, he opened his mouth with a cry, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"So easily?"

Xia Yunjing raised an eyebrow; Lu Zhao, among the peak of the Spiritual Rotation Realm sixth stage, was considered strong. If she tried defeating him, it would take significant effort, even at a cost. Especially with the real and fake attack just now, a careless mistake could have resulted in being killed, yet was effortlessly dismantled by Luo Feng with a single slash.

Seeing Luo Feng, Lu Zhao’s expression kept changing, his gaze shifting from anger to shock, then fear.

The opponent was terrifying. Not only easily blocking his vaunted Sword Withdrawal Slash, but even seeing through the Shattered Shadow Step. That seemingly casual slash’s power wasn’t underwhelming compared to the peak Martial Artists of the Spiritual Rotation Realm sixth stage, even surpassing them. He had never encountered such a formidable opponent, like an impregnable fortress without any flaws.

"Senior Brother, let me help you!"

Nearby, a square-faced Sky Sword Pavilion disciple shouted, Yuan Qi surged through him, his sword burst with golden light, as if expanded. He stepped forward with his left foot, slashing toward Luo Feng.

Woosh!

The golden sword shadow grew instantly to over ten meters, exuding sharp and vigorous energy, spreading wide a colossal golden curtain in the dense forest.

Crack!

Before the sword qi fell, a great tree behind Luo Feng suddenly split open, clean and smooth at the cut.

"Break!"

Luo Feng’s eyes slightly narrowed, thrusting a punch, accompanied by an explosive sound, the golden curtain shattered instantly.

Swish!

With a flash, Luo Feng appeared before the square-faced Sky Sword Pavilion disciple.

"Golden Yuan Sword Body!"

The square-faced Sky Sword Pavilion disciple was horrified, desperately maneuvering Yuan Qi, a massive golden sword light surged from his body. The sword light pressed heavily, making the ground creak under pressure, sinking gradually. Meanwhile, a sword thrust towards Luo Feng’s chest.

Luo Feng did not dodge, delivering a simple punch.

Boom!

The air exploded, the superior grade treasure sword forged from refined steel, along with the massive golden sword shadow, shattered simultaneously. The square-faced Sky Sword Pavilion disciple screamed, body blasted away, piercing through a tree embraced by ten people, half embedded, blood trickling down the trunk.

"Ah!"

Beside him, the other two Sky Sword Pavilion disciples, terror-stricken, let fear propel them to frantically slash their swords toward Luo Feng.

"Die!"

In the void, Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber flashed, casting a massive blade light tens of meters long. The two Sky Sword Pavilion disciples continued running forward a few steps, bodies suddenly splitting in half.

"Now, below the seventh stage of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, there should be few who can match me."

Glancing at the corpses on the ground, a thought flashed through Luo Feng’s mind.

"Shattered Shadow Step!"

Suddenly, Lu Zhao’s figure leaped into the air, and Yuan Qi surged out from within his body, transforming into dozens of shadows filling the entire dense forest.

"Trying to escape!"

Xia Yunjing awoke from her daze, her gaze turned cold, and cold Qi emerged from the Mysterious Crystal Bow, forming a crystalline ice arrow.

Whoosh!

As soon as the arrow left the bowstring, it split in mid-air, dense arrow shadows swept out in a domineering manner, shattering each shadow, but none of them was Lu Zhao’s real body.

"He managed to escape!"

Xia Yunjing saw Lu Zhao already hundreds of meters away, fleeing rapidly, and gritted her teeth silently.

"He won’t get away. You all wait for me here."

Luo Feng’s voice reached Xia Yunjing’s ears, his figure already a hundred meters away, chasing after Lu Zhao with lightning speed.

Xia Yunjing hurriedly called out, "Luo Feng, be careful. Lu Zhao once accidentally entered a ruin, he might have other means."

Luo Feng nodded slightly, his figure stretched out, his speed increased again, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the dense forest.

Xia Yunjing withdrew her gaze and looked at the bodies of several Sky Sword Pavilion disciples beside her, taking a deep breath. Two experts around the fortieth spot of the New Dragon Ranking, plus three swordsmen of considerable cultivation, fell so easily.

"Senior Sister, at what rank can Senior Brother Luo Feng now enter the New Dragon Ranking?" Nanxuan suddenly asked.

Xia Yunjing thought for a moment, "Among Martial Artists of the Sixth Level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, Junior Brother Luo Feng already has few rivals. Zhuang Fei is ranked thirty-seventh on the New Dragon Ranking and is now at the seventh level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm. Luo Feng could compete for the thirty-eighth position, but moving further up would be very challenging given the current situation."

Though Luo Feng’s strength is indeed formidable, Xia Yunjing did not believe he could defeat opponents far beyond his level. Those who make it into the top forty of the New Dragon Ranking are all extraordinarily talented, none of them are ordinary characters, and surpassing them would be incredibly difficult.

"Top thirty-eight!"

Nanxuan and the others were visibly shaken. Achieving a ranking in the top thirty-eight of the New Dragon Ranking at the latter stage of the Sixth Level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm is already stunning, especially coming from Xia Yunjing.

Swish!

Lu Zhao pushed the Shattered Shadow Step to its extreme, becoming somewhat ethereal, flickering like a ghost shadow through the lush woods, covering three to four hundred meters with each blink.

Looking back and seeing no one chasing, a gleam of smugness flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. Everyone only knew his Sword-Drawing Technique was strong, but his Qinggong was his true strength.

This Shattered Shadow Step secret manual was something he found in an abandoned ruin, a top-grade Profound Level martial art. The Sword-Drawing Technique could unleash great power, and fifty percent of the reason was due to this Shattered Shadow Step. The combination made him invincible and capable of defeating even stronger opponents.

However, he had always used the Shattered Shadow Step for killing, and now he was using it to escape.

The wind whistled sharply past his ears, and after flying four or five miles in one breath, Lu Zhao finally stopped, breathing a sigh of relief. He had managed to escape. The Shattered Shadow Step was most suited for this complex environment; surely neither Luo Feng nor Xia Yunjing could match his speed.

Recalling his slain comrades, a venomous look flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes, like a poisonous snake.

"Luo Feng, I, Lu Zhao, will remember this grudge. If I don’t kill you, I swear I will not be a human!"

Gritting his teeth, Lu Zhao prepared to leave for Blackwater Lake. Once there, he would surely encounter other Sky Sword Pavilion experts. He would add fuel to the fire, convincing them that Luo Feng wanted to kill and rob, murdering four fellow disciples. Surely someone would seek revenge and kill Luo Feng!

With a cold sneer, Lu Zhao was about to leave.

Bang!

Suddenly, a large tree in front of him shook violently, and a figure appeared above the canopy.

"Luo Feng!"

Lu Zhao was terrified.

"Shattered Shadow Step!"

Crack!

Kicking off a branch, Lu Zhao’s figure exploded into several human-shaped Qi Forces.

"Your speed is impressive, just a bit slower than mine."

Luo Feng’s figure flashed, generating a wave of Qi in the forest, charging directly into the Qi Forces, throwing a punch. The punch force exploded, shattering all the shadows along its path, and a fierce flaming fist energy barreled towards Lu Zhao.

"Damn it!"

Having witnessed Luo Feng’s fist technique before, Lu Zhao knew this strike was extraordinary. Being hit would leave little hope for survival. Desperately urging his Yuan Qi, under the immense pressure of life and death, he even broke through his own limits, reaching an unprecedented height of Jing Qi Shen, calming his mind and swinging his sword.

"Sword Withdrawal Slash!"

Swish!

There was no sword light, and as Lu Zhao retracted his move, the sound of the sword breaking through the air rang out.

Coming to a stop, Luo Feng glanced at the sword mark on his sleeve, his eyes narrowed: What a terrifying Sword-Drawing Technique!

Lu Zhao’s sword was incredibly fast, with a hint of Thunderbolt intent realm within. It was not quite Thunderbolt but surpassed it, truly reaching the level of "sharp as a thunderbolt, swift as lightning." If not for his strong Soul Power, the outcome of that sword could have been disastrous!

What puzzled Luo Feng was that this sword was strange. When Lu Zhao performed it, there was a faint sense of discord. But exactly where it felt wrong, Luo Feng had difficulty pinpointing.

Strange.

(Three Chapters tonight, will end around 1 a.m.)