Throughout the beginning and the end, Huo Ling had stood aside watching Zhu Bufan's performance, not participating at all. Upon seeing an individual of roughly Body Tempering Second Layer Heaven cultivation daring to make a move on Zhu Bufan, a cold smile immediately arose on Huo Ling's indifferent face.

Sure enough, with just a simple display of skill, Zhu Bufan completely stunned the four guards. Observing that the surrounding people showed no surprise but rather a sense of schadenfreude at Zhu Bufan's handling of the Black Armor soldiers, Huo Ling realized this place was far from simple.

After entering the city, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling walked along the relatively prosperous streets. After a while, Huo Ling asked Zhu Bufan.

"Unexpectedly, you are quite ruthless." Pausing for a moment, Huo Ling continued, "Did you see the expressions of those onlookers?"

"I did," Zhu Bufan nodded in response to Huo Ling's question, "Their expressions didn't seem like those accustomed to living under imperial rule. It was as if they were used to living in a world where the strong dominate the weak, where it is normal for the strong to bully the weak, and that gave me such an impression."

After hearing Zhu Bufan's analysis, Huo Ling looked at him with a slightly changed expression, remembering how Zhu Bufan's ideas always seemed to be provided by Emperor Yan. But from Zhu Bufan's recent comments, he was definitely not someone without his own opinions.

Walking within the city, the two found it mostly similar to any other city except that the main avenues and nearby civilian houses were built with a light-absorbing black stone. There were inns and restaurants, all available, and Huo Ling's beauty also caused quite a stir. Many people kept their gazes fixed on Huo Ling and would not shift away, annoying her, so she took a scarf from her Storage Ring and covered her stunning Qingcheng face.

"Where are we heading now?" Seeing Zhu Bufan looking around as if searching for something, Huo Ling asked curiously, not understanding why Zhu Bufan, on his first visit to this city, seemed to know exactly what he was looking for.

"Do you even need to ask?" Upon hearing Huo Ling's question, Zhu Bufan responded with surprise, "Of course, we're looking for a place to exchange money. In such a city, you need money for everything. How can we not have some on us?"

Zhu Bufan's response left Huo Ling speechless indeed. Perhaps she might be more potent than Zhu Bufan in terms of cultivation and knowledge, but in terms of basic survival among common folk, she was far inferior to Zhu Bufan.

After walking for a while without finding a place akin to an ancient money exchange, a confused Zhu Bufan pulled over a passerby to ask for information. Only then did he learn that the only authorized place for exchanging money and conducting auctions was the 'Lanyue Pavilion' in the city center.

"Thank you." After thanking the passerby, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling headed towards the city center. Meanwhile, the Black Armor soldier whose hand bones Zhu Bufan had nearly crushed was reporting to a robust middle-aged man.

"Hmph! You lost face yourself and yet expect me to help you regain it. You're crazy; who asked you to overestimate yourself and provoke others?" After hearing the report from the Black Armor Leader, the robust man scoffed and showed no intention of helping.

"But, Commander Zhou, the person with him is a woman of absolute Qingcheng beauty~~" Knowing that Commander Zhou was cautious, and recalling Huo Ling's stately beauty, the Black Armor Leader quickly stated anxiously.

"Oh? Are you telling the truth?" Upon hearing the word of the Black Armor Leader, Commander Zhou's indifferent demeanor changed instantly, but quickly, he became dismissive, saying, "Cut! Have you ever seen what is called a Qingcheng beauty? Besides, how could a top beauty be 'brought' here?"

"Commander Zhou, it's true." Seeing that Commander Zhou did not believe him, the Black Armor Leader said anxiously, "That woman is truly beautiful~~ how to say, right! She's not the slightest inferior to the Miss Yue Lan of Lanyue Pavilion!" Clearly, the Black Armor Leader was short on words to describe a beauty; he struggled a bit before coming up with this comparison.

However, although his words were not grand, comparing her to Lanyue Pavilion, known to Commander Zhou, and Yue Lan, the paragon beauty of Lanyue Pavilion, was effective. After all, Commander Zhou was just a minor leader of the City Guard Army, but he had once been fortunate enough to see Yue Lan's true appearance on a mission, and the Black Armor Leader was amongst those on the task, so he was familiar with Yue Lan's appearance.

"Is everything you said true? If you dare deceive me, I will kill you!" Staring intensely at the Black Armor Leader, Commander Zhou threatened coldly. In response to Commander Zhou's threat, the Black Armor Leader looked up and stood tall, saying, "Rest assured, Commander, it is true. If you're dissatisfied when you see her, go ahead and take off my head!"

"Fine! Let's go immediately!" Upon hearing the assurance from the Black Armor Leader, Commander Zhou no longer hesitated and led several members of the City Guard Army out of the commander's office. In this place, the value of a beautiful woman is astonishingly high, and Commander Zhou was already fantasizing about monopolizing Huo Ling after killing Zhu Bufan, and using her as a stepping stone for his own promotion after he had his fill of her.

Commander Zhou, who was quite familiar with the city's streets, soon found out the whereabouts of Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling. Accompanied by more than ten guards in full black armor, he swiftly chased after Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling. The difference between knowing and not knowing the streets soon became apparent. In no time, the menacing Commander Zhou had Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling surrounded. The onlookers, seeing this scene, did not show any panic; those who did not want to invite trouble simply turned and left indifferently, while the curious ones stayed to watch. Zhu Bufan could even see some gangster-like fellows starting to place bets nearby.

"So you are the newcomer, huh? You injured my subordinates at the city gate; you don't think this will just pass, do you?" The moment he saw Huo Ling, Commander Zhou's eyes revealed his immense greed. Although Huo Ling's face was covered with a veil, her graceful figure, skin white as jade, and her ethereal demeanor akin to a descending fairy, all assured Commander Zhou that this veiled woman was a top-notch beauty!

"Take her back!" At this moment, the only thought left in Commander Zhou's mind was this, so right after speaking, he waved his hand and the ten or so Black Armor soldiers charged forward.

"You're seeking death!!" Just from looking at Commander Zhou's eyes, Zhu Bufan knew what they were after, particularly when he saw the Black Armor Leader beside Commander Zhou, who he had grabbed by the hand, displaying a disgustingly lecherous smile and a malicious gaze, Zhu Bufan's anger could no longer be suppressed. The dark green Poison Fire, just like Zhu Bufan's mood, suddenly erupted, the scorching wave of fire not only made the Black Armor soldiers flee in disarray but also made many bystanders hastily retreat.

"Damn it!" Seeing Zhu Bufan's Poison Fire in that instant, Commander Zhou realized that the Black Armor Leader had greatly underestimated Zhu Bufan's strength. Especially that scalding flame that forced him to retreat repeatedly, which was not brought up at all, "This damn guy, I'll tear him apart later!" After saying that, Commander Zhou glared fiercely at the Black Armor Leader.

"Die!" Watching them gaze at Huo Ling with desire had deeply angered Zhu Bufan. It wasn't that he had special feelings for Huo Ling, but he innately detested that look, a scar left from his childhood!

Seeing the dark green fireball suddenly flung at him, Commander Zhou immediately dodged the fireball. With a 'boom', a Black Armor soldier who couldn't dodge in time was immediately engulfed by the dark green Poison Fire. The agonizing screams lasted less than three seconds before the soldier, along with his armor, was reduced to black ash.

"Attack! Kill him!!" Seeing a life taken, Commander Zhou's eyes turned red — not with sadness, but with rage. He truly hadn't expected Zhu Bufan, an outsider, to actually dare kill his City Guard Army subordinates. You should know, these members of the City Guard Army were individually pulled in by commanders like him; to put it plainly, they were like private enforcers before they joined the City Guard Army. In Heiyan City where the struggle among commanders was fierce, loss of strength could very likely lead to being pushed out by others, so when Zhu Bufan killed one of Commander Zhou's subordinates of roughly the Body Tempering Fourth Layer Heaven, Commander Zhou was furious.

"You're courting death!" A cold sneer crossed Zhu Bufan's lips. He did not even bother to draw out the Emperor Yan's War Banner, and with a step, he charged like a streak of phantom shadows toward the advancing Black Armor troops.

"Unlimited Qiankun!!" With Poison Fire imbued punches repeatedly unleashing the Martial Art, Unlimited Qiankun, like an overwhelming force, struck all the Black Armor soldiers hit by it; they painfully groaned and stepped back, unable to easily withstand the power of the Poison Fire. After several strikes, these Black Armor soldiers were downed in heaps.

Seeing this scene, Commander Zhou then remembered that Zhu Bufan was already at the Realm of Body Tempering Sixth Layer Heaven, only slightly below himself. Without sure victory, how could he have let his subordinates rush forward—this wasn't a joke after all? If these subordinates could surpass him, he wouldn't be the boss anymore.

Swiftly instructing his subordinates to back off, Commander Zhou approached Zhu Bufan as swiftly as a cheetah, his hands even emitting a faint blue glow.

"Thunder Blade Slash!!"

The strike was as oppressive as Mount Tai crashing down onto Zhu Bufan, with strands of lightning bursting from Commander Zhou's hands. Facing the seemingly formidable hand blade from Commander Zhou, Zhu Bufan merely smirked condescendingly, too lazy even to dodge, allowing Commander Zhou's Thunder Blade Slash to hit his shoulder.

"I succeeded!" Seeing Zhu Bufan was too lazy even to dodge his attack, Commander Zhou was simultaneously enraged but also revealed a ferocious smile. However, a tranquil voice left Commander Zhou utterly terrified.

"Is that all?" Gazing indifferently at Commander Zhou, Zhu Bufan spoke with a tone so impassive it was frightening, looking up, Commander Zhou found that Zhu Bufan's expression hadn't changed at all and his entire body trembled in fear.

"What do you think?" While Zhu Bufan ignored Commander Zhou's strike, on the balcony of a nearby inn, a man and a woman clearly saw the battle unfold. The man, dressed in cyan attire, appeared refined and scholarly but could not hide the brilliance in his eyes.

"It must be a problem with the Cultivation Technique in his body, otherwise it's impossible for him to so easily withstand a full-blown strike from a Cultivator with higher Cultivation than him without a scratch." The woman sitting opposite the man, like Huo Ling, also had her beautiful face veiled, her eyes revealing a cold light, and a yellow long dress that couldn't hide her graceful figure. Notably, the young woman's voice was as beautiful as a warbler singing in the valley.

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