Hunting Hour!

Sunlight streamed through the dense foliage, casting mottled shadows. Chu Feng hid among the layers of leaves, wolfing down the dry rations he had gotten from the fisherman with the rainwater.

"Did these pursuers plan this all along, timing their arrival exactly when I was eating?"

The dry ball of wild greens was hard to swallow. Even after being soaked in rainwater, it still stuck in Chu Feng's throat, forcing him to thump his chest before he could get it down.

When he swallowed the last rice ball, strength returned to his whole body. Chu Feng felt like he could take on ten Li Dahais now!

"Woof, woof..."

Two wolfhounds came charging over.

Chu Feng gave a cold laugh. "Perfect timing!"

He leaped down and, with a single saber stroke, severed both dogs' heads.

The barking stopped abruptly, and blood spread across the ground.

A hundred paces away, Chen Yuan saw this and roared furiously.

"Looking for death!"

He had been delayed because he had destroyed the fishing boat. He had never expected Chu Feng to still be lying in wait, killing two wolfhounds.

By the time he caught up, all he saw was Chu Feng's brilliant smile before the young man swiftly vanished into the depths of the forest.

Chu Feng had no intention of confronting them head-on. There were more than just these three pursuers, and he had to ensure he remained unharmed while killing all three of them. That required a bit of strategy.

"Chase him!"

Chen Yuan glared viciously at Chu Feng's vanishing back.

Without the wolfhounds, if they lost Chu Feng again, finding him would truly become difficult.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

Several people darted through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.

"Hey, where did he go? He was just here!" one short Fang Family Guard said in confusion.

Suddenly, a cool breeze swept over the top of his head. He abruptly looked up and saw a figure appear. A long saber sliced through his throat, and he silently collapsed.

[Slain Early Skin Polishing Realm Martial Artist, Plunder Lifespan by 2 years.]

"Were Liu Hu and Li Dahai also killed by you using such despicable methods?"

Seeing one of his own fall, Chen Yuan's veins bulged on his forehead in fury.

He shot forward, bursting into even greater speed, and hacked his saber toward Chu Feng's head.

"Clang!"

Chu Feng had been prepared. The collision of metal rang out sharply.

Chen Yuan had already reached the Muscle Tempering Realm, and his strength could reach five hundred jin.

With this Mount Tai Pressing Down on the Top strike, he instantly forced Chu Feng's long saber down more than three inches.

The blade came within a hair of slicing through Chu Feng's face. Its razor-sharp chill was clearly reflected in his pupils.

Chu Feng unleashed all his strength, broke free of the pressure from Chen Yuan's saber, and leaped backward.

Chen Yuan did not pursue. Instead, he gave a strange laugh. "I taught you the Breaking Edge Saber Technique myself. Do you really think you can beat me?"

One exchange was enough to confirm that Chu Feng was still in the Marrow Polishing Realm, and Chen Yuan's heart settled.

On the martial path, being even a sliver higher in cultivation meant being worlds apart, let alone the difference of an entire major realm.

He had been in the Muscle Tempering Realm for several years, and his physical strength far surpassed that of a Marrow Polishing Realm cultivator. Handling a Marrow Polishing Realm martial artist should be as easy as turning his hand over.

"Steward Chen is mighty!"

Seeing his companion die, the remaining follower had nearly wet his pants from fear. But when he saw Chen Yuan display such might, he immediately cheered.

"You're indeed formidable, but you're still a little short of being able to kill me..." Chu Feng said thoughtfully. "The gap between the Marrow Polishing Realm and Muscle Tempering Realm really is enormous, especially in strength. You're at least twice as strong as me!"

"Arrogant!"

Chen Yuan's face turned black as the bottom of a pot. He had intended to kill a single Marrow Polishing Realm martial artist, yet had already lost men in the process. He would surely be scolded by his master when he returned.

Now, only tearing this brat to pieces here could vent the hatred in his heart!

He lunged forward, murderous aura surging as he sought to dismember Chu Feng!

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The ringing of weapons colliding echoed through the air.

Chen Yuan attacked in fury, yet his blows were unexpectedly defused with ease.

His eyes widened, his expression as though he had seen a ghost.

The strength he prided himself on had nowhere to go. It was like wrestling with cotton. Every ounce of force sank into an endless sea, and sometimes even rebounded against him. After several exchanges, he was so stifled he nearly vomited blood.

"Clang!"

As metal struck metal, Chu Feng lightly shook his wrist and poured all the force Chen Yuan had unleashed into the ground.

Then his figure flashed. He rapidly closed the distance and lunged into Chen Yuan's embrace like a swallow returning to its nest—only what he brought was a devastating blow.

His elbow smashed into Chen Yuan's chest like a hammer.

Chen Yuan saw it clearly, but he had no time to block. He could only brace himself and endure it.

"Bang!"

A muffled impact rang out. Chen Yuan nearly lost his breath, clutching his chest as he staggered back several steps before managing to steady himself.

"The Muscle Tempering Realm is nothing special after all. I was being overly cautious..." Chu Feng sighed leisurely as he spun his saber in a graceful flourish.

Although Chen Yuan was in the Muscle Tempering Realm, his martial skills were far inferior to Chu Feng's. In Chu Feng's eyes, the man's movements were like a child playing at swords, riddled with openings—a hulking fool who possessed nothing but strength.

"What saber technique is that?"

Chen Yuan's expression was ugly. He could only tell that the saber technique Chu Feng used seemed vaguely familiar. As for exactly what technique it was, he had no idea.

"The Breaking Edge Saber Technique," Chu Feng answered calmly.

"Impossible!"

Chen Yuan could not believe it. He knew the Breaking Edge Saber Technique far too well. How could a basic saber technique possess such power?

Though he refused to believe it, he no longer dared to underestimate Chu Feng. He lowered his voice and spoke to the follower beside him.

"Launch the Heaven Shaking Thunder. You and I will attack together. As long as we hold him off for a short while, he'll be doomed once reinforcements arrive!"

"Whoosh!" A Heaven Shaking Thunder shot into the sky and exploded with a tremendous boom.

Chen Yuan and the guard shouted together and charged toward Chu Feng.

Chen Yuan struck with Splitting Mount Hua, intending to force Chu Feng into a contest of strength.

How could Chu Feng use his weakness to clash head-on with the other party's strength?

He unleashed the Breaking Edge Saber Technique at the perfected level, effortlessly dispelling Chen Yuan's powerful, weighty attack.

Chen Yuan felt as though he had hacked into a muddy swamp. The sensation of having strength but nowhere to use it was unbearably frustrating.

However, he now knew how formidable Chu Feng was and did not become discouraged. Instead, a strange smile appeared on his face.

Just as Chu Feng borrowed force to strike back and suppress Chen Yuan,

the remaining Fang Family Guard suddenly slashed horizontally at Chu Feng's legs from an eerie angle.

Wild delight appeared in his eyes. The vicious man whom even Steward Chen could not defeat was about to have both legs severed by him with ease. He could not restrain the smug smile spreading across his face.

He could already see the scene of Chu Feng's legs being severed at the roots, blood gushing everywhere.

Unfortunately, beautiful dreams often met a harsh reality.

"Wind Cutter!"

Chu Feng gave a soft shout, and the long saber in his hand suddenly let out a sharp whistle.

The smile vanished from Chen Yuan's face. He felt as though the air around him had been cut apart, and even his naked eyes could not capture the saber's trajectory.

"Whoosh..."

A streak of light flashed past, and his body was severed at the waist.

"Ah..."

Chen Yuan, cut in half, twisted and crawled across the ground like a maggot split into two, wailing in agony.

"Clang!"

At the same time, the follower's long saber struck Chu Feng's calf.

Then he was stunned to discover that the saber vibrated violently, as though it had struck an iron lump. The impact split the webbing of his palm, and he almost dropped the saber.

The guard saw the scene of blood gushing as he had wished—only the blood belonged to Chen Yuan.

Scalding hot blood sprayed across his face. The guard felt no joy at all, only terror.

"Brother Chu, we're both servants. You know I had no choice. Let me go. I absolutely won't reveal your whereabouts."

Knowing he could not defeat Chu Feng, the guard dropped to his knees with a thump and begged, his whole body trembling.

He stared fearfully at Chen Yuan, who was still wailing and struggling on the ground, and was terrified beyond words.