"Captain, is the Demon General coming here personally?"

Upon hearing the words of the man in black in the middle, the expressions of the other men in black all changed.

The leader of the men in black nodded, his tone indifferent:

"Indeed, this time the Twelve Golden Palaces used the hunting tournament as an excuse to attack our Blood Demon Sect’s stronghold in the Canglang Dynasty, causing us significant losses. The Demon General decided to enact blood slaughter on ten cities as punishment! Dayang City is the first."

"Blood slaughter on ten cities! Truly befitting of the Demon General."

"This time, we can indulge in a massacre."

One by one, the men in black revealed sinister, menacing eyes.

The screams startled many people awake, and many opened their doors and came out, gathering at the village entrance.

"Ah! Brother Huangshan is dead!"

Upon seeing the bodies of two villagers at the entrance, the surrounding villagers’ expressions changed drastically, screams, angry shouts, and infants’ cries mingling into chaos.

"Who are you, why are you killing people in our Neighbor Water Village..."

A bolder villager, gripping a refined iron broadsword, mustered his courage and shouted at the men in black.

"Why kill?"

A slim man in black sneered slyly, his gaze carrying an eerie, chilling aura.

Swoosh!

Without any warning, the slim man in black flashed, turning into a black light, crossing a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. His right hand struck like a sword, swift as lightning, piercing the chest of the questioning villager, his hand emerging from the back gripping a bloodied heart.

Bam!

With a squeeze of the fingers, the heart burst, blood spilling all over the ground. The slim man in black casually tossed the body away, dismissively saying:

"When I want to kill, I kill. Do I need a reason?"

Gasp!

These ordinary villagers had never seen such a horrifying scene. Each drew a sharp breath, their faces pale as paper, wanting to run yet too scared to move.

The person who died was the second strongest in the village, at the sixth layer of Meridian Wheel Realm, second only to the village chief, capable of killing wild beasts barehanded, and considered a powerful figure by the villagers. Yet he was so easily defeated, slain in an instant.

"Heh heh, you all can die now too."

The slim man in black swept his gaze over the crowd, sneering as he prepared to strike.

Bam!

Out of nowhere, a figure shot from a hundred steps away, swift as lightning, delivering a fierce punch towards the slim man in black.

Hmm?

The slim man in black furrowed his brows slightly, tapping his foot lightly. His body seemed weightless, soaring through the air, stopping mid-flight.

"Void Step! A Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist..."

The newcomer was the village chief of Neighbor Water Village. Looking up at the airborne man in black, he felt a chill up his spine.

Someone capable of halting midair was undoubtedly a Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist. He never imagined that the attackers would include such powerful experts.

The slim martial artist glanced at the middle-aged man, shaking his head slightly. He chuckled sinisterly:

"I thought you were some expert, turns out you’re just a Meridian Wheel Realm seven-layer martial artist. Here’s a deal, if you can withstand this strike of mine, I’ll spare all of your lives."

With that, the slim martial artist’s lips curled into a sinister grin, and with a flick of his wrist, he clawed towards the ground below.

Swoosh!

A blood-red claw shadow, four to five meters long, materialized out of thin air, carrying the scent of blood as it swept downward, engulfing nearly a hundred people below.

"It’s over!"

Facing the blood-red claw, this was the sole thought of the middle-aged martial artist, overwhelmed with despair.

The opponent was a Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist. Even with a casual strike, it was beyond what he could withstand.

Bam!

The next moment.

Lin Hongyi appeared in front of the middle-aged martial artist, throwing a punch with her right hand, golden light bursting forth, the menacing claw instantly obliterated without a trace.

Luo Feng appeared beside Lin Hongyi, turning to the middle-aged man:

"You’re no match for them, fall back."

"It’s them!"

The surrounding villagers were shocked as they looked at the two, never expecting them to conceal such powerful strength, enough to withstand a strike from a Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist.

The middle-aged man, too, was incredulous as he looked at Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi.

He thought they had already left. After all, these men in black were no ordinary bandits, and among them was a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert. The two had no reason to take such a risk for them.

"Thank you."

Casting a grateful glance at Luo Feng, the middle-aged man immediately instructed the villagers to retreat to the rear.

The slim martial artist stared at Lin Hongyi, his eyes narrowing slightly, filled with wicked cunning. He licked his lips and said:

"Who would have thought that in such a remote village, there would be someone capable of withstanding my strike. At your age, to have such power, you must be a disciple of the Golden Palace, a talent indeed. And you’re so beautiful, it would be a waste for you to die. If you kneel and beg for mercy, I’ll spare your life, how about it?"

Though Lin Hongyi blocked a strike, the slim martial artist didn’t care. His previous claw didn’t even utilize half of his power.

While he couldn’t discern the cultivation of the two, which made him curious, he guessed that they had mastered some sort of martial arts that concealed their aura. Judging by their age, their strength couldn’t be that formidable, while he, after all, was a bona fide late-stage third-level Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist.

In this, the slim martial artist was mistaken about Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi.

The only reason he couldn’t discern their cultivation was that his own was too low.

When martial artists observe those of lower cultivation than themselves, it’s easy to discern the other party’s realm.

If the other person’s cultivation is higher than one’s own, careful observation is needed to discern it; the greater the difference in cultivation, the harder it is to see through.

Generally speaking, a Martial Artist can only gauge the cultivation of someone one major realm higher than themselves; those with strong perception can extend this range to two realms. If they have cultivated some auxiliary martial arts to enhance perception, the range is much broader.

However, this doesn’t limit Luo Feng too much. With his perception, it’s easy to judge others’ strength through their Yuan Qi fluctuations.

"Kneel and beg for mercy?"

Hearing the words of the small black-clad figure, Lin Hongyi’s beautiful eyes flashed slightly.

"That’s right."

The small Martial Artist chuckled, "Everyone in this village must die today. I see you are a disciple of the Golden Palace and a beauty as well, so I’ll give you a chance to live. As long as you’re willing to serve me well in the future..."

Luo Feng shook his head, knowing that this black-clad man was doomed.

Boom!

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the earth trembled, and a golden streak shot into the sky. At some point, Lin Hongyi had appeared behind the small black-clad figure.

"You... Blood Wind Claw!"

The small black-clad man’s expression changed drastically, but he reacted extremely quickly, curling his right hand into a claw, surrounded by blood energy, and turned to grab Lin Hongyi.

Swish, swish, swish, swish...

The bloody claw shadows were crimson and glaring, extremely sharp, slicing the air into fragments.

"Blood Wind Claw? Blood Demon Sect martial arts. So, you are disciples of the Demon Sect."

Lin Hongyi raised her eyebrows, her expression unchanged, and a faint golden light erupted from her body, allowing the claw shadows to fall.

Crack!

The seemingly indestructible bloody claw shadows shattered and disappeared upon touching the golden light.

"Mountain Cave Body Tempering Gang!"

The small Martial Artist looked stunned. The Blood Wind Claw, a Profound Level middle-grade martial art, when executed with his third level Spiritual Rotation Realm cultivation, would require a fourth-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist to avoid its peak, yet his opponent hadn’t moved a muscle.

Escape!

Clenching his teeth, the small Martial Artist sought to use his Qinggong to leave.

Suddenly, a fair hand tinged with a faint golden light reached out. Lin Hongyi extended her hand to grasp the head of the small Martial Artist and gently squeezed.

Boom!

This seemingly gentle squeeze held enormous power, twisting and deforming the Protective Gang Qi of the small black-clad man, threatening to shatter at any moment, immobilizing him completely.

"Repeat what you just said."

Golden hair fluttered in the night as Lin Hongyi looked at the small Martial Artist, her gaze calm, yet her words bore a chilling air.

Facing Lin Hongyi’s gaze, the small black-clad man was mortified, desperately trying to mobilize the Yuan Qi within to break free. But to his despair, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t budge her hand one bit. That seemingly delicate hand felt as immovable as an unending mountain range.

Seeing his struggle, Lin Hongyi’s lips curled into a cold smile, her fingers applying slight force.

"Ahhh..."

Screams of agony echoed across the village. The small black-clad man’s Protective Gang Qi collapsed inch by inch, his body began to shrink, and blood flowed from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes, rendering his plight extremely tragic.

Boom!

Finally, the Protective Gang Qi reached its limit and exploded violently, and the body of the small Martial Artist turned into a bloody mist, leaving no bones behind.

Whoosh...

An invisible flow of air swirled around Lin Hongyi, preventing the blood mist from approaching.

Gulp!

The sound of swallowing echoed within the village.

The villagers stared at Lin Hongyi, their lips dry and bodies stiff. Aside from being shocked by Lin Hongyi’s power, they were equally terrified of her swift and, at times, ruthless thunderbolt methods.

Luo Feng could only smile wryly, understanding why Lin Hongyi was so furious.

Lin Hongyi was a proud woman.

From Mount Heimang to here, she had traveled at full speed. Even though Lin Hongyi was injured, she never asked to rest, persisting until they reached here.

For such a proud woman, to be asked to kneel or even serve someone... this was far more severe than threatening her life.

Not only the ordinary villagers, but even the black-clad figures present were paralyzed with fear by Lin Hongyi’s thunderous methods.

The leader of the black-clad figures, with a withered face, gave Lin Hongyi a cold glance and said:

"Attack together and kill her!"

"Yes!"

Behind him, five black-clad figures, with fierce expressions, stomped the ground and lunged at Lin Hongyi with murderous intent.

Luo Feng stood aside, not planning to intervene.

These black-clad figures were half Meridian Wheel Realm Martial Artists, half Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artists. Among these Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artists, the one with the highest cultivation was their captain, but even he was only at the peak of the fourth level Spiritual Rotation Realm. Despite Lin Hongyi’s injuries, handling these individuals would be a piece of cake for her.

As expected.

Bam, bam, bam, bam...

Within the span of two or three breaths, the five black-clad figures charging at Lin Hongyi lay dead, four of them having been felled by a single punch, their bodies laying shapelessly on the ground.

"Captain! This woman is at least a sixth-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist..."

The remaining black-clad figures lost their previous arrogance and fierceness, staring at Lin Hongyi with pallid faces.

The black-clad captain’s expression was grim, Lin Hongyi’s prowess surpassing his expectations. If this continued, they would all perish here.

His cold gaze suddenly fell on Luo Feng, and the black-clad captain narrowed his eyes, saying sternly:

"This man is her companion, capture him first!"