After rescuing the disciples from Cuixiang Mountain, Zhong Ming was about to lead his people away to the location indicated by the clues.

What made him raise an eyebrow was that just as he was about to move, a bloodcurdling shriek suddenly echoed from the direction of Molten Fire Peak.

Yan Chen had also slain his Crow Demon.

However, after his victory, there wasn’t a trace of joy on his face. Instead, his expression was incredibly grim.

Standing amidst the charred rubble, Yan Chen’s knuckles were white from clenching his fists. A dark, somber light flickered deep in his fiery eyes. To kill this Crow Demon, Molten Fire Peak had lost nearly eighty percent of its disciples. And of those who had fallen, almost half had been incinerated by his own hand.

If there were no comparison, this wouldn’t have been a big deal.

For a mid-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator to defeat a late-stage one was a victory against a higher-level opponent.

Not to mention, the Demons and Evil Spirits unleashed by Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng were not weaklings among late-stage Qi Cultivation beings.

Therefore, he could find countless excuses for the current tragic state of his team—but only if there were no comparison.

But unfortunately for him, Zhong Ming was like a mirror, reflecting his "pitiful" state for all to see, with nowhere to hide.

He was at the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation, and so was Zhong Ming.

He had led his disciples to besiege a Demonic Fiend, and so had Zhong Ming.

The same starting conditions, yet the final result was that after he killed his Demonic Fiend, he barely had anyone left.

In contrast, not only had Zhong Ming’s side suffered few casualties, but he even had the spare energy to rescue the people from Cuixiang Mountain.

With such a massive difference, even without being able to see the outside world, he could feel the discussions taking place, and he knew the gazes of his fellow disciples and masters must be filled with disappointment.

And the truth... was just that.

Such a disastrous outcome made many people shake their heads.

"When it comes to specializing in combat, Artifact Cultivators still can’t compare to Sword Cultivators."

"Yan Chen is not weak, but unfortunately, a battle isn’t won just by being loud and flashy. Sharpness, precision, and concentrating power into a single point—only with these traits can one effectively damage powerful Demons and Evil Spirits."

"In that regard, ordinary Cultivators are no match for Sword Cultivators... Only those who control Thunderbolts can compete a little."

"But Thunderbolts are violent and difficult to tame. Cultivating them is no less difficult than practicing sword arts. More importantly, sword cultivation requires a certain temperament, while Thunder Skills require Talent. You might not find a single person with a Thunder Spirit Root among a thousand Cultivators. In that case, even if you wanted to train someone, you couldn’t find a candidate."

On the celestial screen, the vastly different performances of Zhong Ming and Yan Chen made the guests on the viewing platform, as well as most of the peaks within the Seven Profound Sect, re-evaluate the importance of Sword Cultivators.

This also caused their opinions to shift.

"We really must focus on cultivating Sword Cultivators."

"Artifact Cultivators appear to have sufficient combat power on the surface, but once they face a real battle, the gap becomes obvious."

...

’I... lost?’

The results of the assessment were not yet out, but by judging the situation on the field, Yan Chen already had a premonition of his defeat.

And soon, more evidence to support it appeared.

After rescuing the Cultivators from Cuixiang Mountain, just as Zhong Ming was preparing to leave, a series of shouts rang out nearby.

"Senior Brother, please lend us a hand! Bright Stone Peak is willing to offer fifty percent of our points!"

"Senior Brother, Profound Stone Peak is willing to follow Longxi Peak’s lead! We will follow all your orders for the rest of the assessment!"

Besides them, even Bamboo Forest Peak, which had good relations with the Artifact Cultivators, was asking Zhong Ming for help.

For this, Yan Chen couldn’t even blame them.

He knew full well that if he went to help, the most likely outcome would be him incinerating the Demons along with the Bamboo Forest Peak Cultivators.

All the new disciples turning to Zhong Ming for help was in itself a sign of his prestige, a demonstration that he had won their support.

This life-saving favor was not limited to just the assessment.

The current assessment was a simulation, just like a real battle.

And the Cultivators who had survived this long were no fools. They knew very well that this scene was not some fantasy, nor was it Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng being malicious and deliberately torturing them.

This was a preview of the future!

Living in this dangerous era, they would have to fight Demons and Evil Spirits.

Right now, it was only an assessment; their "deaths" just meant they failed and were removed. But on a real battlefield, death was final.

No one wanted to die.

And in a crisis, the only one who could rescue them with such precision was Zhong Ming. Thus, as long as they weren’t complete idiots, after leaving the Heaven-Filling Array Map, they would choose to build good relations with Zhong Ming and Longxi Peak.

That connection could save their lives at a critical moment.

In this regard, Su Lingya was thinking about it the most. As soon as their battle was won, she looked toward Xie Yushuang.

However, she had her own worries.

’Senior Brother Zhong Ming is surrounded by so many young women. Can Junior Sister Yushuang really be enough to win him over?’

...

Yan Chen didn’t notice Su Lingya’s concerns, but he could feel everyone gathering around Longxi Peak.

Even some disciples from his own Molten Fire Peak chose to move closer to Longxi Peak, closer to Xie Yuzhu.

There was nothing to be done. Yan Chen’s attacks were too wild. Even as his own sect-mates, they didn’t dare stay near him, let alone count on him for a rescue.

Scene after scene made Yan Chen truly understand that he had lost.

For someone as proud as him, such a defeat was difficult to accept.

What made him feel even more suffocated was the belief that his defeat was not due to a lack of strength.

"I’m obviously stronger!"

His boundless Magical Power made him believe from the bottom of his heart that if he were to fight Zhong Ming one-on-one, with no restrictions on his attacks, he would definitely be the ultimate victor.

This thought made his defeat all the more unbearable.

His eyes burning with rage, Yan Chen clenched his fists and looked around.

He first glanced at Longxi Peak, but ultimately did not make a move.

Renowned and Righteous Sects always had their restraints.

However, when his eyes swept over the three major families, they suddenly lit up.

’Perhaps I still have a chance to turn this around!’

An idea had formed in his mind, but before he could act on it...

With a HUM, a Blood-colored Barrier, like a giant net, suddenly enveloped the entire area.

"Huh?!"

"Did they increase the difficulty again?"

This sudden change stunned everyone. They subconsciously assumed that Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng had once again raised the difficulty of their assessment.

But soon, they realized something was wrong. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The Blood-colored Barrier exuded a thick, malevolent aura. After the barrier was in place, a man cradling a long saber walked out slowly from the ranks of the three major families.

A casual smile played on the man’s lips, and his eyes held a condescending, superior look as he glanced at the Seven Profound Sect disciples.

After stepping forward, he didn’t even greet the frowning Seven Profound Sect disciples. Instead, he casually called out into the empty air:

"Finally done. Junior Sister Hua, you’re way too slow at setting up arrays."

"Heh, if you think it’s slow, you don’t have to use it."

The two of them conversed as if no one else was there, causing all the Seven Peaks Disciples to frown.

Yan Chen, already frustrated, couldn’t contain his anger and snapped at the saber-wielding man, "So this is your doing, heh..."

At this, he began to laugh, covering his face with one hand as a savage grin spread across it. "You three major families are really bold. We haven’t even come looking for trouble with you, yet you dare to provoke us."

"Heehee..." Yan Chen’s words prompted the female voice to ring out from the void again, this time with a teasing tone. "My dear sir, you had no intention of *not* causing trouble. I saw it very clearly just now. You were about to make a move on the Cheng, Zhu, and Hong families, weren’t you?"

Before Yan Chen could reply, the voice continued, "However, you were right about one thing. The three major families are indeed cowards. Without us, they would never dare to test the Seven Profound Sect."

"!!!"

This sentence startled Yan Chen, and he blurted out, "You’re not from the three major families... You’re the ones behind this provocation?"

"Correct." This time, it was the lone, saber-wielding young man who spoke. He finally drew his long saber, its narrow blade gleaming with a faint, bloody light.

Holding the long saber, he spoke with a mix of indifference and unbridled arrogance, "But this isn’t a provocation. I just want to test the disciples of your Seven Profound Sect and see what you’re really made of."

As soon as he said this, the expressions of Yan Chen, Zhong Ming, Han Yu, and the others all turned cold.

"Test us? What arrogance! Who do you think you are?"

BOOM!

As he spoke, an endless torrent of fire erupted from Yan Chen’s body.

The next moment, a furious wave of flames surged toward the saber-wielding man.

This scene did not inspire fear in the man; instead, a trace of excitement appeared on his face.

SWOOSH!

With a casual swing, a blade of crimson energy, red as blood, shot through the air, cleaving a clean path through the sea of flames.

Letting the flames part around him, he stood in the middle and laughed wildly.

"Yes, just like that! Don’t argue with words. Settle everything with strength."

"Come on, fight to your heart’s content! Let me see the true strength of the Seven Profound Sect!"

But he wasn’t finished. With unbridled arrogance, his gaze shifted to Xue Yao, Han Yu, and the others. "And you lot, don’t bother with any code of honor. Come at me together!"

At these words, the brows of the Seven Profound Sect members furrowed even deeper. At the same time, their gazes toward Li Feng turned hostile.

And among them all, the most enraged was naturally Yan Chen, the one currently fighting him.

"Bastard! To say something like that while you’re fighting me... What do you take me for?!"

BOOM—!

As his fury reached its peak, Yan Chen pushed his power to the limit. Endless flames poured out from around him, and his aura surged to that of the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

And he wasn’t just some brute who could only set things on fire.

HUM!

As he formed hand seals, the scattered flames were drawn together and compressed as if by an invisible hand, slowly forming a seven-meter-tall flame giant around him.

The massive giant’s body was forged from condensed True Flame. Its facial features were indistinct, but it radiated a savage aura.

In its hands, it held a Burning Fire Greatsword taller than a man. As the blade moved, the air sizzled and warped from the intense heat.

"Slash!"

Following Yan Chen’s furious roar, the flame giant responded, swinging its sword down at Li Feng.

RUMBLE...

The giant’s furious slash might have lacked finesse, but as the saying goes, a heavy sword needs no edge, and great skill appears simple.

Its immense size and power gave this strike the force of a collapsing mountain.

BOOM—

The moment the greatsword fell, a wall of fire dozens of meters high surged forward, incinerating all the broken walls, rubble, and debris in its path, turning everything to ash in the blast.

It had to be said that Yan Chen was arrogant, but with the enhancement of a top-grade Magical Artifact, he truly had the capital to be so.

Unfortunately, despite the attack’s immense power, the flame giant’s blade ultimately struck nothing but air.

Just an instant before the wave of fire was about to engulf Li Feng, with a SWISH, his figure appeared like a phantom several dozen feet away. His robes fluttered, but not a single strand of hair was singed by the sparks.

After dodging the flame giant’s attack, he faced the furious Yan Chen and gave a casual shrug. "Hey there, buddy, don’t be so angry. I didn’t mean to single you out."

Having said that, his expression suddenly turned sharp.

"In my eyes, all of you from the Seven Profound Sect are exactly the same."

"Since I, Li Feng, dared to step forward, I’ve already prepared myself to cut every last one of you down, all by myself!"