Outside the grove, three unrelated men were idly lingering. They all shared the same profession: 'Bounty Hunters'.

The so-called bounty hunters themselves possess noteworthy cultivation but are unwilling to be driven by others, a group of people extremely confident in their own capabilities, only swayed by money.

Inside the grove, a figure slowly stepped out, alerting the three men. The shadow gradually peeled away from the man, revealing the true face of Zhu Bufan. Seeing Zhu Bufan emerge, the three bounty hunters hired by the Lian Family leapt up, their eyes glinting fiercely.

"How is it that the Lian Family only sent you three trash to court death?"

Leaving the grove and seeing the three bounty hunters, Zhu Bufan couldn't help but reveal a trace of cold laughter. Two in the Body Tempering Ninth Layer Heaven and one who had just stepped into the Bone Forging Realm. Given Zhu Bufan's ability to fight to that extent with Lian Xie, and with the presence of Huo Ling, it was impossible for these three to confront them. Still, Lian Xie dispatched them here, obviously scheming.

The three men were clearly unaware of Zhu Bufan's strength. Seeing a young man at the peak of the Body Tempering Seventh Layer Heaven daring to talk big, the three exchanged surprised glances and then burst into laughter.

"What an arrogant brat. Although I don't know why Lian Xie is offering so much money to capture you, after hearing your overconfident words, I think I understand why," said one, chuckling with a hint of mockery. One of the Bounty Hunters at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer Heaven moved forward, summoning a pitch-black chain in his hand, and then flinging it towards Zhu Bufan like a spiritual snake exiting its lair.

"Hehe, Feiwen, aren't you too eager to act? Wanting to hog the bounty all to yourself?" As soon as the chain-wielding man made his move, another Bounty Hunter at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer Heaven was not slow to respond. Glancing back and seeing that the hunter at the Bone Forging Realm had no intention of joining the fray, the other stepped forward and pounced towards Zhu Bufan.

"Seeking death!" Seeing the two men charge at him from left and right, Zhu Bufan's eyes flashed with a blood-red radiance. After the battle with the Purple Cloud Swallowing Sky Python, killing intent had erupted in Zhu Bufan's heart. Although he had restrained it upon waking, the killing intent that had been liberated could no longer be completely controlled as before.

With a trace of icy smile, Zhu Bufan's Emperor Yan's army-destroying weapon jerked sharply, and in an instant, Purple Cloud was summoned. The cold, spike-like purple radiance erupted immediately, and faintly, a snake-shaped purple mist could be seen coiling around Purple Cloud.

"Die!!" Slash slash, the Sword Qi wrapped in Poison Fire struck out towards the two charging men; the Sword Qi emanating from Purple Cloud now vastly transformed, each strand taking on the shape of a pouncing snake, vastly different from the previous crescent form.

"Poison Fire?"

Feeling the scorching heat, both bounty hunters were taken aback, and then, ice-blue and pitch-black Primordial Qi burst forth from their bodies, as they leaped back in retreat.

"It seems we've underestimated you, kid!" Dodging the Sword Qi from Purple Cloud, the two bounty hunters made eye contact and then lunged again. Indeed startled by Zhu Bufan's Poison Fire, they were far from panicking. As bounty hunters, their experience in combat was absolutely incomparable to the guards of the Lian Family.

'Clang clang',

Several iron chains shot out from the hunter named Feiwen, each entwined with a dark aura. The other extended his hands, frost rapidly covering his palms, and continuously launched cold palm strikes towards Zhu Bufan.

"Myriad Spirit Binding!!"

"Xuan Ice Palm!"

The two lunged again, flanking and attacking from both sides, the wind of their Martial Arts sharp and painful on the skin. Seeing the two pressing the attack again, Zhu Bufan dared not be careless. Purple Cloud trembled in his hand as he unleashed a tide-like Swordsmanship at the two.

"Heh!" Seeing Zhu Bufan swinging his sword, Feiwen, the chain-wielding hunter, revealed a meaningful smile. With a sudden pull, the pitch-black chains wound towards Zhu Bufan's hands.

Zhu Bufan, realizing Feiwen's intention, changed his expression and intended to withdraw, but the other hunter, user of Cold Ice Primordial Qi, had no plans to give Zhu Bufan any room to retreat. The cold chill blasted from Zhu Bufan's back. Before even striking, that chill made Zhu Bufan shiver.

"Ha!" Faced with the pincer attack from front and back, Zhu Bufan's eyes surged with killing intent, and with a deep shout, his Purple Cloud Sword slashed at the chains while his left hand, without looking back, struck towards the hunter behind him.

"Seeking death!" Seeing Zhu Bufan daring to face their combined assault alone, Feiwen, the chain user, immediately revealed a sinister smile. However, his smile quickly vanished, replaced by shock on his face.

It turned out that when Zhu Bufan's Purple Cloud encountered the chains, the chains were ruthlessly cut apart. Seeing the broken chains, Feiwen broke into a cold sweat. After all, the chains in his hands were not forged from metal but soul-forged Spirit Chains like Zhu Bufan's Purple Cloud. Of course, in any aspect, these Soul Chains were far inferior to Zhu Bufan's Purple Cloud in his hand.

However, even so, Feiwen had never encountered someone with lower cultivation than his who could break his Soul Chains. So, when Zhu Bufan's Purple Cloud easily shattered the Soul Chain, Feiwen's brain almost stopped functioning.

"Heaven and Earth Unfixed!"

Boom! A loud noise, Zhu Bufan's Heaven and Earth Unfixed collided fiercely with the pursuing hunter's Cold Ice Palm. Using the force from their collision, Zhu Bufan shot toward Feiwen like a cannonball, his Purple Cloud brandishing three consecutive strokes. Three strands of serpent-like Sword Qi flew towards Feiwen.

"Earth Python Sky Net!"

Seeing Zhu Bufan rushing over with afterimages, a terrified Feiwen quickly commanded the Soul Chain to interweave a massive net of chains in front of him, attempting to buy time to retreat.

"In your next life, be a good person!" With a cold shout, a brilliant purple radiance fell from Zhu Bufan's Purple Cloud, instantly slashing through the interwoven chain net. Feiwen fell to the ground in utter shock, and at the moment of his death, he still could not understand why he was instantly killed by someone two layers below his own realm.

After Feiwen died, the other hunter who utilized Cold Ice Primordial Qi immediately panicked. He couldn't understand—both he and Feiwen were far superior to Zhu Bufan in terms of cultivation, yet Feiwen was slain in the first exchange. He truly couldn't imagine.

"Your turn." With a cold laugh, Zhu Bufan executed Heavenly Freedom and approached aggressively. Faced with Zhu Bufan's arrogance, the hunter who wielded Cold Ice Primordial Qi glared with both eyes fiercely. Being a Bounty Hunter was inherently a life of desperation. Feiwen's instant death startled him, but it also fully sparked the ferocity embedded in his bones.

"Xuan Ice Palm!"

His hands, completely covered with frost, didn't hesitate for a moment to strike at Zhu Bufan, raising a Gale that even caused the surrounding moisture to condense into ice fog, indicating how cold it was.

"Hmph, mere Cold Ice, you dare to compete with my Poison Fire!" A dark green flame wrapped around the Purple Cloud, transforming into a serpent-like shape circling Zhu Bufan. With a slash of his sword, the hunter could even hear a hissing sound like that of a venomous snake.

"Cut!" Facing Zhu Bufan's attack of Poison Fire, the hunter whose Primordial Qi Attribute was suppressed by it couldn't help but snort in anger. Suddenly stomping on the ground, numerous Ice Spikes burst from the earth, stabbing towards Zhu Bufan.

Confronted with the surprise attack, Zhu Bufan's eyes narrowed; with a twist of his Purple Cloud, the Poison Fire swept all the Ice Spikes like a dragon. Then, a shadow plunged from the sky, the cold breath targeting Zhu Bufan directly. Sensing the chill from above, Zhu Bufan smiled coldly and immediately sliced upward at the shadow.

'Clang'

A crisp sound rang out, and Zhu Bufan was surprised to find that the shadow above was not a Bounty Hunter, but just a cleverly made humanoid block of ice. However, the real Bounty Hunter had weirdly dashed to Zhu Bufan's front, a Cold Ice b-i'sh0u completely made of frost stabbing viciously towards Zhu Bufan's abdomen.

"Despicable!" Seeing the Bounty Hunter using a deceptive tactic, Zhu Bufan roared in anger. His hand, enshrouded with Poison Fire, slapped towards that ice b-i'sh0u. 'Puchi'—to Zhu Bufan's astonishment, the ice b-i'sh0u actually pierced right through the palm of his left hand.

"Hahaha, struck by my ice b-i'sh0u, let's see how arrogant you can be now!" Retreating swiftly, the Bounty Hunter let out an insane laughter. The instant Zhu Bufan's left palm was pierced, a strange frost covered and froze it entirely. In no time, Zhu Bufan's entire left hand turned into an ice ball, completely sealing his left hand.

"Die!" With his left hand sealed, the Heaven and Earth Shock in his left hand became unusable. Facing the laughing Bounty Hunter, rage surged from Zhu Bufan's heart, and he swung his Purple Cloud. A tidal wave of sword energy swept towards him.

"Iron Sword! Won't you take action? Do you really want me dead?" Seeing Zhu Bufan's tide-like sword energy mixed with Poison Fire, the Bounty Hunter finally called out to Iron Sword who had been watching the scene. He no longer regarded Zhu Bufan as a Body Refining Seventh Layer Heaven cultivator, but rather treated him as a cultivator of his own level. Coupled with Zhu Bufan's Poison Fire being the antithesis of his own Primordial Qi, the Bounty Hunter couldn't help but loudly call for his ally's help.

"Bing Chen, all of Feiwen's share and half of yours for this mission go to me." To Bing Chen's cry for help, Iron Sword only snorted coldly, but Bing Chen agreed almost without thinking.

"Fine! I'll save your pathetic life!!" Seeing Bing Chen agree, Iron Sword instantly drew the long sword on his back and struck at Zhu Bufan's sword energy. With a strike as swift as a rainbow, a blood-red light flashed, and Zhu Bufan's sword energy was instantly dissipated by Iron Sword.

"Today, you will obediently come with us." Coldly looking at Zhu Bufan, Iron Sword slowly raised the rusty long sword in his hand.

"Laughable. Do you know why I came out today?" With a cold laugh, Zhu Bufan was completely unconcerned about Iron Sword breaking his sword energy and said, "I came out today to establish my might!"

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