Despite his regret, the arrow had been shot, and he could not hesitate any longer. He shouted to the few people behind him, "Everyone, attack together!"

However, the others did not respond but instead retreated in unison, clearly distancing themselves from him. After all, Qin Liusheng had been tricked into dying at the hands of that man named Li. Now, with no other great talents to support him, it would be futile for them to challenge Li Sheng with just the seven of them. They were merely a temporary alliance, hoping to combine their strengths and leverage the status of the Divine Power Sect for mutual benefit. Who could have guessed that Feng Xiao was a fool with a simple mind? Naturally, they were unwilling to associate with him any longer.

Beside them, Ling Ke exclaimed, "Young Master Feng, don't act impulsively! Stop!"

Two powerful spells transformed into massive arrows, filled with murderous intent, hurtling toward them. Seeing this, Li Sheng's lips curled into a cold smile. "Unaware of your impending doom!"

The seed of a heavenly-tier spell turned into a golden lightning armor, enveloping him. He charged forward, colliding with the two brilliantly shining arrows. A violent explosion of energy erupted, but Li Sheng emerged unscathed from the chaotic energy waves.

Feng Xiao's expression changed as an intense sense of crisis welled up within him, his hair standing on end. Just as he was about to retreat, a low rumble of thunder exploded near his ear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a golden fist rapidly approaching.

His heart raced, and he summoned two earth-tier spell seeds, conjuring a violet-green barrier around him. Yet, these barriers, capable of withstanding the blows of ordinary masters for a moment, brought him no sense of security.

With a crack, Li Sheng's lightning-wreathed iron fist descended, shattering the two barriers like eggs. Feng Xiao's face turned ashen as he shouted, "Stop"

Before he could finish, Li Sheng's punch sent him flying. He landed a hundred feet away, crashing into the swamp, his body charred and blood pouring from his mouth.

A deep rumble of thunder echoed as Li Sheng dragged him from the swamp, holding him up like a chick. At this moment, the enchanting Ling Ke approached and gently advised, "Young Master Li, please don't be rash. Young Master Feng is a true disciple of the Divine Power Sect, his ancestor ranks eighth on the Grand Master List, and he wields tremendous power. He has come to hunt despair-level monsters..."

Ling Ke's words trailed off; they were both intelligent people, aware of when to stop. Feng Xiao felt utterly humiliated, not only being openly mocked by Li Sheng but also feeling embarrassed in front of the woman he admired. He knew Li Sheng wouldn't dare to kill him; otherwise, his ancestor would surely turn him to dust. He seethed internally, thinking, "Once my older brother emerges from his seclusion, I will make you pay for this humiliation!"

"The Grand Master, huh..." Li Sheng reined in his murderous intent, looking at the crimson-faced Feng Xiao with a sneer. "You should thank your lucky stars for having such a good sect..."

With that, Li Sheng slapped him away. In mid-air, Feng Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood, struggling to regain his balance, silently turning to leave.

"Tsk, tsk... Feng Xiao has embarrassed himself terribly today," someone commented.

"This isn't over; just wait. Once the senior disciple of the Divine Power Sect, Feng Tianyu, emerges from his seclusion, there will be hell to pay..."

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"Right! Feng Tianyu is the tenth on the Talent Rankings, and they are brothers. There's bound to be a bloody confrontation between them."

Li Sheng heard their discussions but paid them no mind. In the world of martial arts, the only path was forward. He glanced around and disappeared back into the depths of the hills.

"Rumble!"

The dark clouds that had dispersed earlier gathered again. Gazing at the blood-red orb before him, Li Sheng tried to move it, but no matter how hard he pulled, it felt as though it were fused to the ground. He could only stand guard silently.

As the sky grew darker, thunder rumbled, and the world became desolate. Around him, thousands of poisoned crocodile corpses emitted countless fine strands of red mist, converging toward the blood-red orb. The demonic aura within grew ever stronger, and Li Sheng sighed inwardly, uncertain whether it was a blessing or a curse.

...

Half an hour later, at the entrance of Changyin Marsh, Feng Xiao emerged with a dark expression. He looked back, his gloomy eyes filled with fury, muttering, "Li, today's humiliation, Feng Xiao will surely repay!"

He turned toward the east, planning to return to the Divine Power Sect to ask his brother to come out of seclusion. As for seeking revenge from his ancestor, that thought was quickly discarded. If he did that, his ancestor would likely give him a beating first. Just thinking about his ancestor's notorious temper sent shivers down his spine.

In the tradition of the younger generation battling it out, the older generation was not to interfere. This custom had been passed down for thousands of years. Unless he were to be killed by Li Sheng, perhaps his ancestor might act, but in the eyes of his ancestor, he was just an earth-tier spell seed, insignificant.

After leaving the influence of Changyin Marsh, Feng Xiao felt a bit of his gloom dissipate. Just then, he heard a faint sound of something slicing through the air. Turning around, he saw a dark square object growing larger before his eyes.

Feng Xiao couldn't help but laugh in anger, thinking, "How pitiful! Even a nobody dares to provoke me!" Someone was attempting to ambush him with a brick-like object, devoid of any spiritual fluctuations. How much did they look down on him?

Then, he summoned two earth-tier seeds, conjuring two colored barriers around himself. He thought to himself, "Once I capture them, I will make them pay dearly to relieve my anger."

"Bang!"

"Crack!!!"

"I"

The two colored barriers shattered upon impact, and the fierce expression on Feng Xiao's face froze. Before he could utter a word, he was knocked down by the brick, spinning wildly as he struggled to get up.

"Bang!"

Another jaw-cracking blow followed.

Feng Xiao's vision darkened, and in his peripheral view, a slightly plump figure approached him, and then he lost consciousness.

A cheeky voice rang out, and the assailant, dressed in a Taoist robe and holding the brick, emanated an air of roughness. "This head is so damn tough. It took me two hits of the Black Mountain Seal to knock him out. He truly deserves to be a true disciple of the Divine Power Sect..."

This person was Wang Ye.

As he marveled, he began rifling through Feng Xiao's belongings. In just a few breaths, a pile of items lay on the ground body armor, fine boots, and specially made purple undergarments, all reaching a fourth-grade level.

He then extracted Feng Xiao's hidden storage bag, effortlessly breaching its mental barrier and rummaging through it.

"Wow... what a big fat sheep! This trip was worth it," Wang Ye said, grinning, as he turned to leave.

Only Feng Xiao, nearly stripped of everything, lay alone in the forest.

Moments later, Feng Xiao slowly opened his eyes. The throbbing pain in his head was unbearable, and his swollen eyes barely allowed him to see.

"Dammit! Dammit!"

"Who attacked me?!"

"Show yourself!!!"

"Hiss~"

Feng Xiao screamed several times, the movement aggravating his injuries to the point of excruciating pain.

At that moment, a graceful figure approached. Feng Xiao looked up, seeing a woman in a pink dress, wearing a hat and a black veil that obscured her face. Yet, her alluring figure and enticing curves stirred something within him.

Feng Xiao felt a surge of unease. Having just been attacked, the timing of this woman's appearance felt suspicious. No matter how consumed by desire he was, he wouldn't be so foolish.

Suddenly, a pink mist spread out, and Feng Xiao's expression changed as he quickly held his breath and retreated.

As a fragrant breeze blew past, he felt a chill in his abdomen, and all his spiritual energy fell silent as a delicate handprint appeared on his skin.

A gust of wind lifted the woman's veil slightly, revealing her snow-white chin and vibrant red lips.

"You... it's you!!!"