CRACK!

Li Feng’s contempt for the Seven Profound Sect Cultivators made Han Yu, Xue Yao, Zhuang Yi, and the others burn with rage.

Even the gentle, placid Su Lingya was grinding her teeth in anger.

But despite their dissatisfaction, not a single one of them... made a move.

Everyone turned to look toward Longxi Peak, awaiting Zhong Ming’s decision.

And Zhong Ming, naturally, had no intention of ordering a group attack.

His expression wasn’t even particularly angry.

"Anyone can talk big. But you alone aren’t worthy of us ganging up on you!"

Zhong Ming wasn’t holding his people back out of some noble principle or sense of honor.

If this were a true life-or-death battle, Zhong Ming would have been the first to shout, without a second thought, "There’s no need for honor when fighting Demon and Evil Cultivators! Everyone, attack together!"

But no matter how realistic this simulation was, it wasn’t a real battlefield. It was a trial—a performance meant to showcase the might of the Seven Profound Sect and intimidate all who watched. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Under these circumstances, if Zhong Ming and the others swarmed him, they would gain nothing even if they won.

Li Feng, on the other hand, would be seen as "honorable in defeat" by the spectators in the viewing stands.

’Since this is a trial and a show of force, the best outcome is to crush our opponent with absolute, overwhelming strength, letting everyone watching witness the power of the Seven Profound Sect firsthand.’

’And if we can’t manage that, we must at least defeat him fair and square in a one-on-one duel.’

’Otherwise, the Seven Profound Sect will have lost.’

With this in mind, Zhong Ming allowed Yan Chen and Li Feng to face off and fight.

Seeing this, Li Feng shook his head and chuckled.

"Only sending Yan Chen? You can’t possibly be clinging to the delusion that you can beat me in a fair fight, can you?"

"Naive. Pathetic. A bunch of frogs in a well. You have no idea how vast the gap is between you and me."

"If you all attack together, you might have a sliver of a chance to win. But now... heh heh..."

After a sneer, he stopped insisting that Zhong Ming and the others attack him together.

"Forget it. Your horizons are too narrow. There’s no point explaining anything to you."

"In that case, I’ll let you witness for yourselves what a true prodigy is!"

BOOM!

Before his words had even faded, an overwhelmingly powerful aura erupted from within him.

What made Han Yu, Xue Yao, and the others’ pupils contract was that this aura was also that of the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

And unlike Yan Chen, he hadn’t relied on a top-grade Magical Artifact to forcibly boost his level.

In addition, a tyrannical, overwhelming, and razor-sharp Saber Intent that seemed capable of shattering anything emanated from Li Feng.

"That’s... Intent!"

"Late-stage Qi Cultivation, and he’s comprehended Intent..."

"Senior Brother Zhong Ming, are we really not going to do anything?"

Li Feng, having fully revealed his strength, made Xue Yao, Han Yu, and the others waver.

It wasn’t their fault. Fights that cross cultivation stages usually involve a genius challenging an ordinary Cultivator.

But this Li Feng had comprehended Intent; among those in the late stage of Qi Cultivation, he too could be called a prodigy.

This meant that for them, who were in the middle stage of Qi Cultivation, victory in a fair fight was essentially impossible.

And soon, Li Feng’s assault proved it.

SWISH!

After dodging another strike from Yan Chen’s Fire Spirit Giant, he shot toward the latter like a phantom.

His ghostly Body Technique was so fast that by the time he was behind Yan Chen, his opponent hadn’t even had time to turn around.

Sensing this, Yan Chen’s heart clenched.

But he soon let out a sigh of relief.

’I have the Fire Spirit Giant protecting me, and the Radiant Mirror...’

As he thought this, Yan Chen’s Magical Power immediately surged into the Treasure Mirror above his head, intending to make it shine brightly and incinerate Li Feng.

However, just as his Magical Power gathered, Li Feng’s attack arrived.

"First strike: Calamity: Cicada’s Chirping!"

SCREECH!

Following Li Feng’s soft chant, the long saber in his hand began to vibrate, emitting a piercing, mournful hum.

This high-frequency, ear-splitting Demon Sound was incredibly piercing. Even from a great distance, Xue Yao, Han Yu, and the others felt the illusion of a sharp blade entering their minds and twisting relentlessly.

This Demon Sound made everyone inside the Blood-colored Barrier shiver, their bodies wracked with discomfort.

If they were feeling this way, Yan Chen, who was right next to it, was in an even more miserable state.

The intensely jarring Demon Sound was like a sharp sword that stabbed directly into his Divine Soul. The high-frequency hum echoed in his mind, causing his consciousness to go blank for an instant.

And a person’s Magical Power is controlled by their Divine Soul Consciousness.

With the Demon Sound flooding his brain and his consciousness blank, he inevitably lost control of his Magical Power.

And this, in turn, caused the Fire Spirit Giant he had manifested to flicker and grow unstable.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Feng viciously swung his second strike: "Tiger Roar!"

Li Feng’s Blood Saber had been vibrating at a high frequency all along. This was the source of the piercing Demon Sound, but it was also a way of charging up power.

This Tiger Roar was the complete release of that accumulated power.

ROAR!

Using a special technique, Li Feng’s slash caused the blade to emit the roar of a Mountain Monarch, and a faint, ferocious tiger’s phantom even flickered in and out of existence.

Amidst the roar, over a hundred streams of black saber qi shot toward Yan Chen, threatening to slice him into a thousand pieces.

"Ah!"

Fortunately, Yan Chen was not all bark and no bite. At this critical moment, he bit the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to jolt his consciousness back to clarity.

"!!!"

"Let’s die together!"

RUMBLE!

Upon regaining awareness and realizing his perilous situation, he immediately caused countless Flames to explode around him.

It was both a defense and an attack.

The roar of the Flames did make Li Feng raise an eyebrow, but he soon shook his head with a sneer.

"You want to take me down with you? You’re not worthy."

"Calamity: Ghost Face!"

SWISH!

Following Li Feng’s murmur, a terrifying Ghost Face materialized over his own.

After the Ghost Face appeared, his body instantly swelled. His muscles bulged, and ominous Demon Patterns crawled all over his skin.

In the blink of an eye, Li Feng had transformed into the image of a fiendish demon.

WHOOSH...

After his demonic transformation, a scene unfolded that left Yan Chen completely stunned. As the raging Flames neared Li Feng, they were actually absorbed by the Demon Patterns on his body and the Ghost Face.

WHOOSH—!

Like a taotie, countless Flames were devoured by the Ghost Face’s mouth.

Although his body turned crimson after absorbing the flames and radiated a terrifying heat—the pain of being burned alive—this intense heat didn’t make Li Feng cry out in agony. Instead, a savage grin spread across his face.

And the aura around him surged once more.

"Decent fire, but it’s a far cry from the Red Lotus Flame back at the sect!"

PFFT!

After absorbing the Flame Power, Li Feng’s speed reached an extreme. Before the astonished Yan Chen could even react, he was beheaded with a single strike!

SWISH!

After killing Yan Chen in three strikes, Li Feng did not revert from his demonic form. Instead, he turned his head and locked his gaze on Xue Yao and the others.

His terrifying appearance as a Purgatory Red Demon, combined with an aura saturated with killing intent, sent a chill through the hearts of many Seven Profound Sect disciples, causing them to subconsciously take a step back.

Even Han Yu and Su Lingya’s expressions became incredibly grave.

Having always seen Yan Chen as a rival, they understood his strength better than anyone. He was not someone they could defeat on their own, which was why they had formed an alliance and gathered teammates before the assessment began.

But this very same Yan Chen had been slain by Li Feng in just three strikes. This made everyone fully realize how terrifying their opponent was.

Facing such an opponent, a sliver of despair even began to rise in the hearts of Han Yu, Su Lingya, and the others.

’Is this really someone we can defeat?’