Lin Feng wiped the blood from his blade and exhaled softly. "He should have some good things in his spatial ring," he muttered, stowing it away. "Time to head back to the sect."
He looked up at the sky—gray clouds drifting slowly overhead. A month outside already... I wonder how Fatty is doing. His eyes sharpened. "With my current strength, I can easily handle a sixth-grade Xiantian expert. Unless I face a true genius, the outcome would still be uncertain."
---
A Certain Courtyard,
"Beat him up!"
Several disciples surrounded a chubby youth, fists and kicks raining down mercilessly. The Fatty's face was swollen, blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
"Haa... my boss will cripple all of you when he returns!" he shouted between punches.
"Your boss?" one sneered. "He's dead. He's not coming back!"
"Elder, please! Help me!" Fatty cried, turning toward a nearby elder who simply folded his arms.
The elder chuckled coldly. "My hands are tied."
Suddenly, a deep, cold voice echoed across the courtyard.
"What's happening here?"
The air seemed to freeze as a figure appeared like a phantom at the courtyard's edge.
"B–Boss! You're back!" Fatty gasped in disbelief.
Lin Feng's eyes fell on his battered friend. His expression darkened. Fury boiled in his chest. "Fatty, take this." He tossed him a recovery pill. "Swallow it."
The onlookers' faces drained of color.
"How—how is this possible? You were supposed to be dead! If you're alive, then... that means—" one inner disciple stammered.
Lin Feng's tone turned icy. "Yes. It means Ouyang Ye is dead. I assume you're one of his dogs?"
Before the man could respond, Lin Feng vanished.
Bang!
Lin Feng's hand clamped around the man's throat, his grip tightening like an iron vice. With a single motion, he drove his knee into the man's abdomen.
Crack!
The man's dantian shattered.
The disciple screamed, collapsing as his cultivation was crippled.
"P–Please! It was a mistake! I'll be your servant, just spare me!"
"Hmph." Lin Feng's gaze was cold. "Who needs a crippled servant?" He hurled the man aside. "The one behind this—come out."
The elder stepped forward, frowning. "How dare you cripple a fellow disciple! For that, you deserve death!"
Lin Feng tilted his head slightly. "Oh, I see."
Bang!
The elder's body flew backward, crashing into a courtyard wall. He coughed blood, staring in disbelief. "How—how could he defeat me with one punch? I thought he was still at the eighth-grade Mortal Realm!"
Lin Feng had suppressed his aura; no one could sense his cultivation.
Bang!
Another blow sent the elder tumbling across the ground.
Before he could recover, Lin Feng grabbed his neck and squeezed.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones echoed.
"Lin Feng! Stop! I am an elder of this sect!" the man gasped, struggling helplessly.
"That's none of my concern," Lin Feng said flatly. "You're just an outer court elder."
The commotion drew a crowd.
"Is that Lin Feng? He's beating up an elder!"
"He's crazy—he doesn't care about sect rules!"
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out.
"How dare you injure a fellow disciple and attack an elder!"
A young man in golden robes stepped forward, his aura sharp and oppressive.
"Isn't that Ouyang Wen?" someone whispered. "Ranked twenty-fifth among the inner disciples! A sixth-grade Xiantian expert—and a member of the Disciplinary Hall!"
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. "Ouyang Wen... are you one of Ouyang Ye's lackeys too?"
Ouyang Wen's prideful smirk deepened. "I serve no one. I am a disciple of the Disciplinary Hall. Your actions are punishable by death."
He held up his badge.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"What? Death? Isn't the punishment ten years of confinement?"
"Senior Brother Ouyang Wen is abusing his authority!"
"They were the ones who attacked first!"
"Are you teaching me my duties?" Ouyang Wen barked, glaring at them.
"Enough," Lin Feng said, stepping forward. "If you want to fight, then fight. I'll deal with you myself."
Ouyang Wen frowned. Why isn't he afraid? Does he not know my cultivation? His master isn't even in the sect right now. I'll crush him and show everyone his arrogance.
He drew his sword. "As a member of the Disciplinary Hall, I sentence you to death!"
He vanished.
"Shadow Piercing Art – Second Stance!"
"Azure Sword Art – Kill Any Under Heaven!"
Their figures collided.
Bang!
A shockwave rippled through the courtyard. Dust swirled, robes fluttered.
Ouyang Wen was blasted backward, coughing blood. Lin Feng staggered back three steps, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
He's fast... if I hadn't reacted in time, that could've killed me, Lin Feng thought grimly.
Ouyang Wen's eyes were wide with disbelief. Impossible! He was supposed to be an eighth-grade Mortal Realm cultivator! His strength... it's comparable to mine!
Lin Feng raised his sword again.
"Azure Sword Art – Fourth Stance!"
Ouyang Wen roared, summoning his full strength.
"Shadow Piercing Art – Third Stance!"
Boom!
Steel clashed, sparks flying. Lin Feng's blade cut through Ouyang Wen's defense like thunder splitting the sky.
Hiss! Hiss!
Blood sprayed. Ouyang Wen's arms fell to the ground, cleanly severed.
He dropped to his knees, shrieking.
"Ouyang Wen was defeated! His arms are gone!"
"Even a sixth-grade Xiantian expert couldn't withstand him!"
"This Lin Feng... he's created another miracle!"
Ouyang Wen trembled, pale and sweating. "Lin Feng, I am a member of the Disciplinary Hall... and part of the Ouyang family. You wouldn't dare kill me!"
Lin Feng's expression didn't change. He stepped forward, his sword reflecting the crimson of the setting sun.
"I don't care."
Swoosh!
The blade flashed.
Ouyang Wen's head fell to the ground, rolling to a stop beside his badge.
Blood splattered across Lin Feng's robe, soaking the courtyard stones.
---
The sect erupted in chaos as word spread.
"He killed Ouyang Wen!"
"A disciple of the Disciplinary Hall—slain!"
"He's the second person in sect history to do this!"
Whispers filled the air.
"This Lin Feng again..."
Far above, on a mountain peak, a cold voice muttered, "The balance within the sect... is about to change."