Sent staggering by Xu Zhi's palm strike, the middle-aged man could only endure Luo Feng's attack.

HISSS!

The cold blade glinted brilliantly in the night, then vanished in an instant.

The blood-red mist around the middle-aged man split open, and the blade left a deep wound on his arm, exposing the bone!

Xu Zhi looked at the wound on the middle-aged man's arm, his expression one of shock.

His full-strength punch hadn't broken through the man's defenses, yet Luo Feng had easily injured him. This gave Xu Zhi a new appreciation for Luo Feng's capabilities.

"Damned boy, I'm going to suck you dry of every last drop of vital blood! I'll turn you into my puppet, doomed for eternity!"

The middle-aged man's expression was savage, his blood-red eyes fixed firmly on Luo Feng. A peculiar power spread from his eyes as they glinted with crimson light. Simultaneously, he launched an aerial blood-red Palm Gang, enveloping Luo Feng.

Xu Zhi, though not directly targeted by the man's gaze, still felt dizzy. Shocked, he warned, "Luo Feng, watch out for the Illusory Blood Demon's illusions!"

"Your attacks are useless against me."

Luo Feng stared directly into the middle-aged man's eyes. With his Grand Momentum active, the effects of the Illusory Blood Demon's illusions were minimized, barely hindering his actions.

His eyes locked on the middle-aged man, Luo Feng gripped the handle of the Fury Flame Knife with both hands, stomped on the ground, and charged.

With a flash of his blade, the imposing blood-red Palm Gang was cleaved in two. Luo Feng's speed, instead of decreasing, actually increased as he charged the middle-aged man.

SPLASH!

A piercing scream followed as the middle-aged man's left hand was severed at the wrist. The immense force sent the man's body flying through the air, dark blood spraying everywhere. The sickening, metallic smell of blood spread instantly, inducing nausea.

BANG!

The middle-aged man's body slammed heavily onto the ground, creating a deep crater.

Luo Feng rushed forward, intending to finish his opponent with a single strike.

WHOOSH!

The middle-aged man suddenly leaped up from the ground. The blood-red mist around him condensed into a ball of bloody light, shooting towards Luo Feng.

Luo Feng hadn't anticipated such a swift move from his opponent and hastily dodged to the side.

HISSS!

The ball of bloody light grazed Luo Feng's side and landed on a tree dozens of meters away. The once lush tree instantly withered, all signs of life completely extinguished.

Looking at the withered tree, Luo Feng frowned slightly.

He had heard before that the Illusory Blood Demon's blood was highly toxic, and today he witnessed it firsthand.

"Demon, take another palm from me!"

Xu Zhi, having recovered from the effects of the Illusory Blood Demon's Illusion Technique, was furious. To think that he, a distinguished disciple of the Twelve Golden Palaces, had been toyed with by the demon! He leaped into the air, striking fiercely at the middle-aged man with his palm.

The middle-aged man also leaped into the air, his body erupting with intense blood-red light as he met Xu Zhi's attack with a palm of his own.

The two figures met mid-air. However, the expected loud collision didn't occur. Instead, the middle-aged man's body was blasted apart by Xu Zhi's palm, exploding into a cloud of blood mist.

Xu Zhi was stunned by such an easy victory. After a moment, he recalled something and urgently said to Luo Feng, "Be careful, Luo Feng, the Illusory Blood Demon is trying to escape!"

In the night sky to the left, a faint streak of blood-red light could be seen fleeing into the distance at lightning speed.

"Don't worry, it won't get away."

As he spoke, Luo Feng had already executed Teng Dragon's Step, darting off to the left.

The moment the Illusory Blood Demon clashed with Xu Zhi, Luo Feng had sensed something rush out of the middle-aged man's body. He immediately guessed that the Illusory Blood Demon was attempting to flee.

This Demon Beast is incredibly cunning, its intelligence not inferior to humans. If it were to escape, countless more people would suffer. Luo Feng was determined to kill it.

"Skyfall Thunder!"

Luo Feng's gaze locked onto the distant, fleeing blood-red light. His pupils contracted as he instantly unleashed a massive blade beam.

CRACKLE!

It was as if a thunderbolt tore through the night sky, ripping apart the darkness. The massive blade beam instantly caught up to the fleeing blood light and, in a flash, cleaved a stone bridge hundreds of meters away in two.

A piercing shriek shattered the night's tranquility as the blood-red light plummeted from the sky, then lay still.

Both Luo Feng and Xu Zhi used Light Martial Arts to speed to where the blood-red light had fallen.

On the ground lay a palm-sized Demon Beast resembling a bat. Its entire body—skin, flesh, and bones—was a vivid blood-red. Its bisected body was still twitching, an incredibly grotesque sight.

Not taking any chances, Luo Feng unleashed several more blade beams, hacking the Illusory Blood Demon into more than a dozen pieces before finally stopping.

"Finally, it's dead."

Xu Zhi looked at the Illusory Blood Demon's corpse on the ground, then turned to Luo Feng and said, "Luo Feng, we were fortunate to have you this time. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have been sucked dry by it."

Recalling the Illusory Blood Demon's power, Xu Zhi's heart still hammered in his chest.

Luo Feng sheathed the Fury Flame Knife, shook his head, and smiled. "Let's save the thanks for later. How was that 'romantic encounter' earlier?"

At Luo Feng's words, Xu Zhi's expression changed drastically. He remembered the sight of the young woman's corpse in the room, and his face turned green. He looked at Luo Feng with a bitter smile, saying,

"Stop teasing me. I'll probably have a psychological scar whenever I see women from now on. If I had known, I would never have taken this cursed mission."

Letting out a breath, Xu Zhi looked at Luo Feng and asked, "By the way, how did you realize this was all an illusion? The illusions set up by an Illusory Blood Demon can only be seen through by Martial Artists whose strength surpasses its own."

Luo Feng touched his nose. His spiritual perception was acute. From the moment he entered the City Lord Mansion, he had sensed something was amiss and realized it was all an illusion from the start.

Of course, Luo Feng wouldn't reveal this to Xu Zhi. He smiled and said,

"When I was investigating the bodies in the town, I noticed that all the corpses on the streets belonged to ordinary people; there were no Martial Artists among them. Combined with the fact that the Townlord was only inviting Martial Artists to the banquet, I felt something was off. The behavior of those maids later confirmed my suspicions."

"So that's how it was. I'm truly glad you're not my enemy; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly. This Illusory Blood Demon was incredibly unlucky to run into you."

Xu Zhi looked at Luo Feng with admiration. Luo Feng had managed to discern clues from such seemingly ordinary details.

Luo Feng just smiled and said nothing.

Xu Zhi walked over to the Illusory Blood Demon's corpse. With a sucking motion of his hand, a thumb-sized Demon Core was drawn out.

The Demon Core was enveloped in a blood-red mist. It was crystal clear, with a blood-red light shimmering within. A single glance was enough to dazzle the eyes and induce illusions; it was incredibly eerie.

Xu Zhi glanced at the Demon Core, then quickly looked away, not daring to look again.

"TSK TSK, such a large Blood Pill! Its spiritual efficacy is probably even greater than a Grade Four Spirit Pill." Xu Zhi toyed with the blood-red Demon Core in his hand, a smile on his face.

This Illusory Blood Demon had slaughtered several towns. This Demon Core contained the vital blood of hundreds of thousands of people, including that of many powerful Martial Artists. It was no small matter; for a Martial Artist, it was an exceptionally rare treasure.

"You take this." Xu Zhi played with it for a moment longer, then tossed the Demon Core to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng caught the Demon Core, frowning. "For me?"

Illusory Blood Demons were already extremely rare, and their Demon Cores, capable of refining vital blood, were exceedingly precious.

This particular Illusory Blood Demon had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people; the Demon Core within its body was priceless. If auctioned, it could fetch over one hundred thousand taels of gold. He had initially thought Xu Zhi offering to split it would have been generous enough; he never expected Xu Zhi to give it all to him.

Xu Zhi waved his hand. "Completing this mission will bring me significant benefits when I return to Nanmo Palace. Besides, you saved my life. I can't possibly accept this Demon Core."

"Then, thank you very much."

Luo Feng wasn't a man of many words. He urgently needed to increase his strength right now. After expressing his thanks, he put the Demon Core away.

At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted near the main gate, and numerous figures rushed into the Townlord Mansion.

With the Illusory Blood Demon's death, the illusion it had cast over the Townlord's residence vanished. The few guards at the entrance of the Townlord Mansion had turned into corpses, terrifying many onlookers.

"What happened here? Why are so many people dead?"

"Where's the Townlord? Quickly, find the Townlord!"

The crowd surged into the Townlord Mansion. Seeing the corpses littering the ground, their expressions changed drastically. Some powerful Martial Artists rushed deeper into the mansion.

"Let's leave here first."

Luo Feng didn't want any further complications, he said to Xu Zhi.

"Alright." Xu Zhi nodded, collected the Illusory Blood Demon's corpse, and then, along with Luo Feng, employed Light Martial Arts. With a few flickers, they vanished into the night.

A short while later, Luo Feng and Xu Zhi left Wushan Mountain Town and arrived at a hillside.

"Luo Feng, I, Xu Zhi, owe you a favor this time. I need to return to Nanmo Palace to report the mission, so I'll take my leave here!" Nanmo Palace and Purple Sun School were in different directions. Xu Zhi stopped and cupped his fist to Luo Feng, saying.

Luo Feng nodded. "We'll meet again!"

"I hope that the next time we meet, you'll already be a disciple of the Twelve Golden Palaces. Until we meet again!"

Xu Zhi bid farewell. A watery mist emerged from beneath his feet, and his entire being seemed to transform into a wisp of smoke as he sped into the distance, vanishing without a trace in moments.

Luo Feng watched Xu Zhi depart. He glanced up at the sky; night had fallen without him realizing.

I hope the cultivation insights in this Secret Manual will help my practice of Grand Momentum.

Thinking of the Secret Manual Xu Zhi had given him, Luo Feng's eyes filled with anticipation. He turned and merged into the night.

The night was as dark as ink, dotted with twinkling stars.

「In a hidden valley, Luo Feng sat cross-legged, examining the Secret Manual gifted to him by Xu Zhi under the moonlight.」

The cultivation insights in the Secret Manual were recorded rather haphazardly. It detailed experiences in cultivating Grand Momentum. Some insights were rudimentary, while others were incredibly profound. Even a single phrase or half a sentence could be endlessly pondered, seemingly containing infinite mysteries.

"Grand Momentum is formless, existing only in the mind..."

Under the moonlight, Luo Feng meticulously pondered each line of the cultivation insights in the book, comprehending the understanding of Grand Momentum from that senior whom he had never met.

After reading a small portion, Luo Feng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, What an excellent book!

The insights in this Secret Manual chronicled that senior's entire cultivation experience, from first comprehending Grand Momentum to achieving Great Achievement in Momentum. These experiences were like having a grandmaster personally guide Luo Feng's cultivation, resolving many questions that had perplexed him.

Page by page, he flipped through the Secret Manual, his entire mind and spirit immersed in the comprehension of Grand Momentum, gradually losing track of time.

In the valley, a cool night breeze rustled, the silence so profound that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound pierced the valley.

WHIZZ!

The air throughout the valley began to violently swirl with Luo Feng at its center. From a distance, it resembled a colossal vortex. The surrounding Yuan Qi frantically converged, pouring into Luo Feng's body...

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