Chapter 67: The Wrath of Zang Wufeng

What puzzled He Guangyao the most was that he simply could not see through Lu Changfeng’s move.

This sword strike was exceedingly fast. Long before Lu Changfeng arrived at the scene, He Guangyao had already been engaged in a fierce battle with He Jiaojiao for quite some time. Furthermore, he had been heavily injured prior to this, relying solely on his physical body at the fifth level of the Yuan Dan realm to barely sustain himself. Under Lu Changfeng’s sword strike, even if he had wanted to turn and flee, it was already an impossible feat.

Lu Changfeng calmly withdrew his sword and stood upright. A column of blood sprayed out from He Guangyao's neck. He widened his eyes, filled with utter unwillingness.

At that very moment, a hum echoed through the air—! A pillar of white light soared into the sky from within his embrace. Traces of spatial teleportation energy began to manifest around He Guangyao's body. Meanwhile, Lu Changfeng retreated a few steps with an indifferent expression, gazing coldly at He Guangyao trapped within the white light. He knew this was the protective mechanism of the jade token. However, in the current situation, it was already of no use.

Although He Guangyao still kept his eyes wide open within the white radiance, the divine light within them had completely vanished. This meant he was, in fact, already dead! His neck had been pierced straight through by the long sword, and a powerful, blazing flame energy was still rampaging within his body. Such injuries would result in certain death even for a cultivator at the Dao Palace realm.

As the white radiance faded, He Guangyao on the ground had vanished without a trace.

"It seems... even with the jade token, absolute safety cannot be guaranteed!" Lu Changfeng muttered in a low voice, his expression nonchalant.

Following the disappearance of the jade token, golden patterns slowly drifted downward from mid-air, landing upon the jade token worn by Lu Changfeng. In an instant, the tally of slain fierce beasts recorded on his jade token increased significantly once more.

He Jiaojiao clutched her wound, walked slowly to Lu Changfeng's side, frowned, and asked, "This... has He Guangyao left, or is he... dead?"

Only then did Lu Changfeng snap back to his senses. He glanced indifferently at the young woman and replied, "Dead. The meridians throughout his body have been completely shattered by me!"

Hearing this, He Jiaojiao's expression shifted slightly. Though usually willful and headstrong, she had never killed anyone before, nor had she ever witnessed someone else taking a life. At this moment, a trace of fear flickered in her eyes as she looked at Lu Changfeng.

Lu Changfeng naturally noticed the change in her demeanor. "He Guangyao attacked you with lethal intent in the first place! If he doesn't die, you and I are the ones who die!"

"Understand?" He sighed softly and spoke calmly.

"I..." He Jiaojiao lowered her head, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her garment as she replied, "I know! It's just... He Guangyao is the second disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak, and also one of Peak Master Zang's favorite disciples! If we kill him... will Peak Master Zang..."

"It matters not!" Lu Changfeng said calmly, "We are within the secret realm; Zang Wufeng should have no way of knowing who killed him! Even if he does find out, we were merely acting in passive defense. He cannot possibly make a move against me in broad daylight."

Lu Changfeng was naturally well-versed in handling such matters. He knew that in Zang Wufeng's heart, the sect far outweighed his own disciples. Such a person was not entirely devoid of sentiment, but rather capable of distinguishing between what was truly important and what was trivial.

Hearing this, He Jiaojiao said nothing more. Lu Changfeng turned his gaze toward her and asked, "Are you going to withdraw? Your condition doesn't look very good." He had no desire to drag dead weight along with him as he traveled through the secret realm.

Lowering her head, He Jiaojiao replied, "I need a little time to recover from my injuries." With a flick of her hand, she retrieved several items from her spatial ring, and waves of medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the surrounding forest. "Do you need medicinal pills to heal your wounds?" She turned to look at Lu Changfeng and added, "I carry quite a few elixirs with me."

***

Outside the secret realm, as time flowed on, more than a dozen people had already been expelled from the trial grounds onto the plaza. Some of these individuals bore injuries, while others had chosen to withdraw voluntarily. Yet, all of them shared one common trait: their eyes were filled with lingering terror.

High in the air, Ying Xuanji and several other peak masters were seated amidst the clouds, sipping tea.

"Though these disciples... all possess cultivation bases at the Yuan Dan realm, they completely lack any practical combat experience!" Ying Xuanji gazed at the disciples down below and let out a slight sigh. "What a pity."

Zang Wufeng responded with a cold expression, "Among the disciples who have emerged thus far, seven or eight belong to subordinate sects! It is already remarkable enough that they managed to cultivate even a single Yuan Dan practitioner. Naturally, they are reluctant to let these Yuan Dan disciples experience true life-and-death slaughter."

At that precise moment, a hum rang out—! From the gateway on the plaza, a flash of white light burst forth. Amidst the radiance, a blood-soaked figure tumbled heavily onto the center of the plaza.

Thud—! With a muffled impact, the disciple collapsed face down onto the ground, motionless.

Just as the crowd exchanged puzzled glances, a pool of crimson, viscous blood began to ooze out from beneath the fallen disciple's body.

"What?"
"Why isn't this person reacting at all? Could it be... that he's already dead?!"
"Who is this? Has the protective barrier within the secret realm failed?!"
"Who on earth is he?"

The surrounding disciples erupted into a commotion, and an elder responsible for maintaining order flashed onto the platform.

"This is... a disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak? He Guangyao?!"
"What is the meaning of this? This kid's neck was pierced straight through by a single sword strike! And it looks as though he didn't even have time to react!"
"Who could it be? Who is capable of instantly slaying a fifth-level Yuan Dan practitioner with a single sword stroke?!"

Many elders widened their eyes in shock, crying out in disbelief.

High in the air, Zang Wufeng’s expression darkened as he spoke, "He Guangyao... is dead? Who did this?!" He abruptly stood up, staring fixedly at He Guangyao’s corpse in the center of the plaza. The aura of his cultivation realm surged outward, pressing down upon the hearts of the gathered disciples like a massive, crushing mountain.

With a flash, Zang Wufeng descended directly onto the plaza to inspect He Guangyao's body. "Is this... swordsmanship?"

As he observed the wound, a specific person subconsciously flashed through his mind. *Lu Changfeng!*

However, Zang Wufeng frowned almost immediately. For one, he knew that Lu Changfeng had only just broken through to the first level of the Yuan Dan realm, whereas He Guangyao was a veteran cultivator at the fifth level. Even if Lu Changfeng was a prodigious talent, it was simply impossible for him to annihilate He Guangyao with a single sword strike.

"Bring Guangyao's body back to Heavenly Sword Peak!" Zang Wufeng gritted his teeth, a murderous intent surging violently within him. "Once this secret realm trial concludes, investigate this thoroughly! Whoever did this, I will make them pay the ultimate price!"

"Understood!" the Heavenly Sword Peak elder acknowledged with a nod.

Hearing this, Ying Xuanji remained silent. Since a disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak had been slain, discovering the truth was only natural. At the same time, a vague notion began to take root in his mind: perhaps the person who killed He Guangyao was someone none of them would ever suspect—none other than... Lu Changfeng!