Bing Ruolan stood aside, her eyes filled with shock. Three Young Master-level and two quasi-Young Master-level experts had joined forces. Their combined strength was such that even an expert like Young Master Hanshan, Li Hanshan, would have fled from them. Yet, they were beaten to death with just a few punches and kicks.

"Luo Feng, how powerful have you become?" Unable to contain her curiosity, Bing Ruolan asked.

Luo Feng touched his nose and said, "I believe no one in the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm would be my opponent."

"What about the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm?"

Luo Feng shook his head. "I don't know."

Luo Feng was telling the truth. He was confident he could defeat any martial artist at the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm, but whether he could contend with a martial artist from the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm was still uncertain. To find out, he would have to spar with one.

Bing Ruolan nodded without asking further, but inwardly, she was far from calm. Luo Feng's uncertain answer implied he believed he had a chance of challenging martial artists of the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm. Whether it was true or not, such a notion would strike others as insane. Martial artists of the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm have their Yuan Qi coursing through the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms, forming a Grand Circulation within their bodies that results in a massive leap in power. Generally, a martial artist of the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm could never be a match for one from the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm; not even peak martial artists of the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm stood a chance! If other martial artists heard Luo Feng's earlier reply, they would undoubtedly ridicule him for his arrogance. However, Bing Ruolan didn't see it that way. Although her rational mind told her it was impossible, she still chose to believe Luo Feng.

"These few people wanted to kill us for the Yuan Stones. Now, they've become our windfall." Luo Feng searched the bodies and returned to Bing Ruolan's side with a smile.

"How many are there?"

"Nearly two hundred," Luo Feng said, weighing the storage ring in his hand.

Bing Ruolan's small face showed surprise. "That many?"

Since entering the passage, she had been hunting monkey-like monsters and had only gathered a dozen or so Yuan Stones so far.

Luo Feng, however, thought it was a bit low. He alone had hunted more than a hundred Yuan Stones. There were five of them, yet they had gathered roughly the same amount as he had alone.

"Ruolan, these are for you." Luo Feng divided the Yuan Stones into two portions, handing one to Bing Ruolan.

Bing Ruolan didn't take the Yuan Stones, shaking her head. "I don't want them. You'll probably break through to the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm soon. These Yuan Stones are of no use to me."

Luo Feng wasn't one for many words, so he simply pocketed the Yuan Stones. "Let's keep going then and see what's ahead."

The two of them continued to advance through the passage. As they went deeper, the surroundings became darker, with only a tiny Luminous Pearl embedded on the walls of the passage every few hundred meters.

Along the way, they killed creatures that shot out from the stone walls and gained dozens more Yuan Stones. However, they found no more secret rooms or traps. It seemed treasures were indeed hard to find; managing to enter that one secret room had already been a stroke of incredible luck.

"Luo Feng, are we trapped in here? Why isn't there an exit yet?" Bing Ruolan suddenly asked after about two hours.

The underground passage was incredibly vast, a labyrinthine network stretching in all directions with no apparent end. As they traveled, the surroundings began to look monotonously similar.

Luo Feng shook his head. "We've been heading downwards the entire time. Our direction is definitely correct."

"So, this Secret Realm is deep underground?" Bing Ruolan looked back at Luo Feng, an expression of surprise on her face.

She couldn't discern any difference between the tunnels. It wouldn't have surprised her if Luo Feng had said they were currently trapped.

"Yes. Let's keep going. We should be reaching the end soon."

Luo Feng touched his nose, offered no further explanation, and quickened his pace.

After they had walked a while longer, a dim light suddenly appeared ahead, and the faint sound of voices drifted towards them.

"It seems we're not the only ones here. Be careful," Luo Feng cautioned Bing Ruolan.

Bing Ruolan nodded. They had seen several corpses along the way, not killed by monsters, but by other people.

They lightened their steps and moved forward.

The end of the passage connected to a vast, black hall. Large and small Luminous Pearls, embedded in walls that soared dozens of meters high, bathed the entire hall in a soft, brilliant radiance.

"Luo Feng, look over there," Bing Ruolan said, pointing to the depths of the hall.

Luo Feng followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. At the far end of the hall stood a colossal door, ten meters high. It was tightly shut, flanked by two enormous stone beasts. Currently, a large crowd from various factions was battling fiercely before the door, each vying to be the first to break it open.

"Ivy School members, gather quickly! Let's go in together!"

"You Ivy School people want to monopolize the treasure? I, Li Ku, disagree! Get out of my way!"

"My cousin is from the Yuan Gang Sect! Dare to block my way, and you'll all die!"

"This is deep underground! It doesn't matter who you are; a dead person is just a dead person! No one will know who killed you. Die!"

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM...

The fierce blasts of Gang Qi reverberated continuously, shaking the entire black hall so violently it felt as if the sky were collapsing and the earth splitting asunder.

Seeing that the fight was far from over, Luo Feng didn't rush to join in. Instead, he scanned the hall but didn't see Zi Yuan or He Qin.

"It seems they aren't here," Bing Ruolan said.

Just then, an Ivy School student, sent flying by a Gang Qi shockwave, spotted Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan. A hostile glint in his eyes, he bellowed, "People from the Flowing Cloud Region, also coveting the treasures of the Secret Realm! You truly don't know the meaning of death!"

"People from the Flowing Cloud Region?"

"This Secret Realm was discovered by the two major academies of our Red Maple Region! Why should we share the spoils with people from the Flowing Cloud Region?"

"That's right! The Flowing Cloud Region and our Red Maple Region have always been rivals. Let's kill these two first!"

"I heard they're among the Flowing Cloud Region's Four Great New Talents. Looking at them now, they don't seem so powerful. It appears the people from the four major academies in the Flowing Cloud Region are all just a bunch of trash!"

These people had been fighting for a long time without a clear victor. Instigated by the Ivy School student, they immediately turned their attention to Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan.

"You're courting death!" Luo Feng glared at the Ivy School student who had spoken first, the killing intent in his eyes almost palpable.

Under Luo Feng's gaze, the Ivy School student felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar and retreated several steps. However, seeing so many people around, he reasoned Luo Feng wouldn't dare to make a move. He quickly regained his composure and sneered at Luo Feng, "What do you think you're doing? Do you actually intend to kill me? Everyone here is from the Red Maple Region. It's not your place, as an outsider, to be arrogant!"

"Too much nonsense! Die!" Luo Feng sneered, his right fist erupting with a circular burst of Gang Qi as he threw a punch.

CRACKLE!

The air seemed to shatter as wide fissures of force rushed towards the Ivy School student, the impact sending him flying backward, vomiting blood.

"You!" Struggling to rise, he pointed at Luo Feng, his eyes bulging. He spat out another mouthful of fresh blood and then abruptly collapsed, dead.

To his dying breath, he never imagined Luo Feng would actually dare to kill him in front of so many people.

"If I want to kill you, no one can stop me!" Luo Feng snorted coldly.

"This kid is so arrogant!"

"A mere brat from the Flowing Cloud Region, daring to kill someone in my presence! He truly doesn't know how the word 'death' is written!"

"Let's kill this kid first!"

Among those present were several Young Master-level experts, all exceptionally talented and proud individuals. Seeing Luo Feng kill someone right before their eyes, they felt insulted. The looks they gave Luo Feng were as if staring at a dead man.

Facing everyone's icy glares, a cold smirk touched the corner of Luo Feng's lips. He had entered the Secret Realm to search for treasures, not to kill indiscriminately. But not looking for trouble didn't mean he was afraid of it. If these people remained obstinate, he wouldn't mind wiping them all out.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

Just as the crowd in the hall was preparing to besiege Luo Feng, an astonishing crashing sound suddenly echoed from a nearby passage. The entire hall trembled violently, as if some ferocious beast was about to break free.

"What's going on?" Everyone was aghast, looking around in bewilderment.

"Luo Feng, what's happening?" Bing Ruolan asked, her brow slightly furrowed.

"Be careful. A powerful expert is approaching. It's a martial artist of the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm." Luo Feng's expression turned grave for the first time as he moved Bing Ruolan behind him.

His powerful Soul Power allowed him to sense a ferocious aura rapidly approaching from a few hundred meters to his left. With every step the newcomer took, the ground trembled violently, as if each footfall carried the weight of a mountain—power restrained, yet capable of shaking the heavens and earth if unleashed. This was undoubtedly a martial artist of the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm!

RUMBLE!

A section of the hall's wall suddenly shattered. From amidst the flying rubble, a towering figure charged out, exuding a ferocious aura like that of a famished tiger.

THUD! THUD! THUD...

The figure only stopped upon reaching the center of the hall. Anyone in his path was sent flying, vomiting blood and dying on the spot. Even some who were further away were killed by the sheer Qi Force!

What a strong physique! Even the weakest among those who made it here possessed quasi-Young Master-level strength, yet they were killed by direct impact.

"HAHAHA... this damned maze! I, Hengmu, refuse to believe I can't break out of it!"

The figure standing in the middle of the hall, laughing boisterously, was none other than Hengmu—one of the three martial artists of the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm whom Zi Yuan had previously told Luo Feng about! He had wandered the maze for several hours until, growing frustrated, he had simply started plowing forward in a straight line, smashing through any wall that stood in his way, until he finally arrived here.

"Ah! It's 'Iron Man' Hengmu!"

"He's a Disciple of Yuangang Hall from the Twelve Golden Palaces! I heard he broke through to the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Court Realm three months ago! Run!"

At the sight of Hengmu, everyone in the hall turned pale with terror. While 'Iron Man' Hengmu might not have the murderous reputation of Zhou Jianyi, the 'Broken Wind Sword,' the Disciples of the Twelve Golden Palaces were all exceedingly arrogant. They would never tolerate others coveting such significant treasures. To encounter him now and not flee was to court certain death.

It's unknown who started it, but like startled birds, everyone in the hall scattered and fled. In the blink of an eye, the hall was empty save for the corpses littering the ground, and Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan, who remained where they stood.

"A bunch of cowardly rats, daring to seek treasures in the Secret Realm! Ptooey!" Hengmu spat on the ground. Then, noticing Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan still standing there, he raised his thick eyebrows, a hint of surprise in his voice as he asked, "They all ran. Why didn't you two?"

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