"What is it?"

Luo Feng asked Nanxuan.

Nanxuan giggled, rubbed the storage ring, and a large pile of Blood Saber Guard identity tags and Demon Horns appeared before Luo Feng.

"Senior Brother, these are all from the Demon Sect disciples you killed and missed, I’ve gathered them all. There are two hundred twenty-five Blood Saber Guard identity tags and one hundred three Demon Horns."

Nanxuan raised her small face and looked at Luo Feng with a smile.

"I missed so many?"

Luo Feng was somewhat surprised. In the earlier battle, after killing the Demon Sect disciples, he collected the identity tags and Demon Horns in a hurry.

However, the battle was too fierce, and he missed some, yet he didn’t expect there would be this many.

Thinking about it carefully now, he guessed it was probably during the battle with Lin Hongyi that he missed them; it was the only time he didn’t have the opportunity to collect them.

"Nanxuan, thank you."

Luo Feng waved his hand and collected the identity tags and Demon Horns from the ground.

"Junior Brother Luo Feng, how many Blood Saber Guard identity tags and Demon Horns do you have in total?" Xia Yunjing suddenly asked.

Luo Feng pondered for a moment and spoke:

"I should have nearly five hundred Blood Saber Guard identity tags, nearly two hundred Demon Horns, and a dozen Asura Stingers."

"That many!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue’er, who was usually calm, couldn’t help but gasp.

This Demon Sect base has only six to seven thousand Demon Sect disciples. Even excluding those killed along the way, the number of Demon Sect disciples Luo Feng killed alone on Mount Heimang is nearly one-tenth, which is a terrifying figure!

Nanxuan playfully carried her hands on her back, joking:

"What’s the big deal, Senior Brother Luo Feng has killed a half-step Grand Asura, a Demon General-level master. With this achievement, it’s a cinch to enter the top ten individual results of this hunting tournament!"

"Yes, with such results, our team has hope to enter the top ten in the team competition!"

Lin Xin’s pretty face showed a hint of excitement.

"Junior Brother Luo Feng, congratulations."

Xia Yunjing looked at Luo Feng, her eyes revealing an unmistakable envy and a faint sense of sadness.

Entering the top ten in personal achievements grants one the qualification to cultivate ground-level cultivation techniques, which are fundamental to martial artists. She dreams of entering the fourth layer of Lingxiao Pavilion.

With a bitter smile, Xia Yunjing gently shook her head, her expression returning to calm.

She knows her limits; with her current strength, she’s no match for a Demon General-level master, not even one suppressed by the Devouring Yuan Realm.

This is evident from how her full effort using Cold Chi Vigor was easily shattered by the Asura.

Luo Feng noticed Xia Yunjing’s expression and pondered.

"Luo Feng."

At this moment, a tall figure approached—it was Lin Hongyi from Yuangang Hall.

Luo Feng emerged from his thoughts and saw Lin Hongyi, apart from being slightly listless, her face was ruddy, walking briskly, showing no signs of her previous severe injuries, with some surprise:

"Has your injury healed?"

Lin Hongyi smiled: "Not that fast, I’ve only recovered four or five-tenths."

"Not fast enough."

Luo Feng pursed his lips, knowing well that her previous injuries were no lesser than Xue Ziyi’s, who is still unconscious.

"Mountain Cave Body Tempering Gang has a secret technique for healing injuries, plus my Tempering Body Realm has reached the Spirit and Flesh Unity state, allowing me to recover faster than martial artists of the same rank. You should know this better." Lin Hongyi said.

"I don’t know everything."

Luo Feng shook his head with a smile.

Lin Hongyi smiled and spoke: "Congratulations. Obtaining the head of a half-step Grand Asura, your name will surely be among the top ten of this hunting tournament. After acquiring ground-level cultivation techniques, your strength will definitely rise further."

Talking about ground-level cultivation techniques, Lin Hongyi couldn’t help but show a trace of envy.

Luo Feng said, "Thanks to you guys, I only got lucky to dodge the final desperate strike from the Asura, and got away with it."

"You can’t say that."

Lin Hongyi shook her head earnestly:

"Being able to survive anytime is also a kind of strength, arguably the strongest kind for martial artists. One-on-one, both Xue Ziyi and I should surpass you, but facing that Asura just now, we were utterly defeated. Ultimately, our survival ability is far inferior to yours, not even close. Attack is the strongest defense, yet defense is also a powerful attack..."

Defense is also a powerful attack...

Listening to this deep but simple reasoning, Xia Yunjing fell into thought.

Earlier, she was somewhat puzzled; in terms of cultivation and martial arts, Xue Ziyi and Lin Hongyi, ranking among the top thirty in the New Dragon List, surpass Luo Feng.

However, in the recent fierce battle, the final victor was Luo Feng.

Now, Lin Hongyi’s words made her suddenly realize. The reason is Luo Feng’s terrifying survival ability; in each crisis, he managed to avoid danger ahead of time, and this ability to maneuver freely is frightening!

Luo Feng touched his nose and said to Lin Hongyi: "You didn’t come to boast about me, did you?"

"Of course not."

Lin Hongyi smiled slightly, her star-bright eyes looking at Luo Feng, saying:

"I used to think weapons were external objects, and a martial artist’s own strength was the most important. I rarely used weapons. However, through this battle, I realized something: sometimes a weapon can decide the outcome of a duel, at least it can save your life."

"Do you want the Asura Sting of this half-step Grand Asura?"

Luo Feng understood the other party’s intention.

Lin Hongyi nodded, "I bought a pair of second-grade gauntlets before, but they didn’t last long before they got destroyed."

Luo Feng recalled Lin Hongyi’s fierce moves and smiled wryly:

"Ordinary second-grade Spirit Weapons indeed can’t withstand your immense strength."

Lin Hongyi’s face flushed slightly, and then she returned to normal, saying, "This Asura is a step away from transforming into a Grand Asura. Its Asura Sting can be used to craft a fourth-grade Spirit Weapon. I hope you’ll let me have it. Of course, the price will definitely satisfy you."

Luo Feng thought for a moment, Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber is a fifth-grade Spirit Weapon, so this Asura Sting doesn’t hold much use for him, nodded, saying: "Sure."

Lin Hongyi’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t held out much hope initially, given that a Grand Asura’s Asura Sting is hard to come by and is a top material for forging treasure weapons. It was only due to the rare opportunity that she wanted to try, unexpectedly, Luo Feng agreed so readily, and immediately said:

"Alright, how about I give you two hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones?"

Luo Feng was somewhat surprised that she actually had two hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones, which is not a small amount, a fitting wealth for a top thirty expert on the New Dragon List.

Seeing Luo Feng unmoved, Lin Hongyi furrowed her brows slightly and said:

"I know this price is a bit low, but it’s all I have now."

A fourth-grade Spirit Weapon is valued at about four to five hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones. This Asura Sting is an excellent material for forging fourth-grade Spirit Weapons, so by normal standards, two hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones is not too little.

However, this is just the normal situation. If it were put up at an auction, such premium material could likely increase in value by twenty to thirty percent, and if it met the eye of the right Forging Master, even an increase of fifty percent could be possible.

Luo Feng didn’t plan to make things difficult for her; Lin Hongyi also contributed significantly to slaying this Asura. He was about to agree.

At this moment, Lin Hongyi spoke again.

"How about this: I’ll first pay you two hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones. When I return to my family, I’ll withdraw another hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones for you. A total of three hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones, what do you say?"

Luo Feng was momentarily stunned, then nodded: "Okay, deal!"

Two hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones was already acceptable, three hundred thousand was all the more reason not to refuse.

"Thank you."

Lin Hongyi let out a breath of relief.

Three hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones was her limit, she was genuinely worried that Luo Feng wouldn’t agree. The half-step Grand Asura’s bone sting was incredibly rare; she didn’t want to miss it.

Soon, Lin Hongyi handed over twenty thousand second-grade Yuan Stones to Luo Feng, in a straightforward and direct manner just like her character, handing over a second-grade storage ring directly to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng also took out the half-step Grand Asura’s Asura Sting and handed it to her.

Upon receiving the Asura Sting, Lin Hongyi appeared very pleased, and said:

"My family is in Black Iron City. As for the remaining hundred thousand second-grade Yuan Stones, do you want to come with me to retrieve it, or wait until next time we meet before I give it to you?"

Luo Feng was not worried that Lin Hongyi would break her word and said, "No need to trouble, just give it to me next time we meet."

Hearing the trust in Luo Feng’s words, Lin Hongyi smiled slightly and nodded, "Okay. Then I’ll excuse myself for now."

At that moment, the setting sun had completely descended, leaving only a faint trace of crimson at the horizon, vivid as blood. The evening glow painted the grey mist surrounding Mount Heimang in mysterious and eerie hues, coupled with the corpses scattered all around, presenting a scene of palpable dread.

Luo Feng glanced down the mountain, seeing many disciples of the Golden Palace starting to leave. He turned back to Xia Yunjing and said:

"Senior Sister, now that the Demon Sect’s stronghold here has been eradicated, what are your plans next?"

"This battle has been quite rewarding; I feel the bottleneck subtly loosening. I’m planning to return to Golden Palace to break through the realm, hoping to enter the seventh level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm."

Xia Yunjing looked up at Luo Feng and asked, "Junior Brother Luo Feng, aren’t you planning to return to Golden Palace?"

"Hmm."

Luo Feng nodded, gazing at the splendid, blood-like glow at the horizon, and said:

"I’m thinking of visiting Dayang City."

If memory serves, there’s also a Demon Sect stronghold near Dayang City, and Yang Wanyi went there.

With two Demon General-level experts emerging here, Luo Feng worried if Dayang City might experience any changes, thus decided to take a trip there.

The Lord of Dayang City, Yang Dingtian, called him son-in-law, and Yang Wanyi treated him well. If anything truly unexpected happened, he couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

"Alright. Be careful, and assess situations wisely," Xia Yunjing said.

At this point, Lin Hongyi, just about to leave, suddenly stopped and asked: "Luo Feng, are you going to Dayang City in Flowing Cloud Region?"

"That’s right."

Upon hearing this, Lin Hongyi smiled, "That’s perfect; the hunting convention runs for half a month. I’m heading back to my family, and Black Iron City and Dayang City are in the same direction; we can travel together."

"Then I’ll take the liberty."

Luo Feng nodded. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Bidding farewell to Xia Yunjing and the others, Luo Feng immediately prepared to depart.

"Take care, Senior Brother Luo Feng."

Nanxuan waved her small hand, filled with reluctance.

Luo Feng nodded in response, and casting the Sky Cloud Step, left Mount Heimang with Lin Hongyi.

After traveling some distance, Lin Hongyi suddenly furrowed her brows, and with a serious expression, said to Luo Feng:

"Up ahead is Blackwater Lake, let’s bypass it."

Ahead, a dozen miles away, a vast lake lay amidst the dense forest. The lake water was pitch black, glinting with a faint blood-light, resembling coagulating blood.