Chapter 560: Chapter 558: One Punch Kills Three

BANG!

Upon sensing someone’s approach, the Rock Puppet’s eyes gleamed with a bloody light. A domineering punch, charged with imposing power, was hurled towards Luo Feng.

The punch was ferocious, and the violent wind it generated sent the hair on Luo Feng’s forehead flying.

Luo Feng neither retreated nor dodged, choosing to counter directly with a simple punch.

BANG!

The Rock Puppet’s massive body crumbled into a pile of rubble, instantly killed by a single punch.

Exhaling, Luo Feng glanced to the side.

“Invisible Sword Qi!”

He Qin’s white dress fluttered despite the absence of wind, her gaze as cold as snow. Her Cold Snow sword pierced through the air, vanishing into the void.

The next moment, numerous sword marks suddenly appeared on the bodies of more than a dozen Rock Puppets in front of them, reducing them to piles of rubble. The split edges were smooth and perfectly flat.

“Luo Feng, these Rock Puppets have formidable defensive power. Their strength is likely comparable to Martial Artists at the late stage of the seventh level of the Meridian Wheel Realm,” He Qin said, her brows knitted as she approached Luo Feng after felling over a dozen Rock Puppets with a single sword strike.

Luo Feng nodded slightly. Affected by the Formation, Martial Artists couldn’t leverage their Qinggong advantage and were forced into close combat with the Rock Puppets.

With this dynamic, where their advantages were nullified while the puppets’ remained, victory was difficult if the strength gap wasn’t large.

Turning around, Luo Feng looked behind him and saw his elder brother, Luo Xiao, battling fiercely against two Rock Puppets.

BANG! BANG!

The Rock Puppets, though devoid of intelligence, moved with steady and powerful strikes. Attacking from left and right, they trapped Luo Xiao between them.

“Mad Lion Fist!”

His speed greatly hindered, Luo Xiao was unable to evade smoothly. With a low roar, Gang Qi flared from his right fist, forming the illusion of a furious lion that enveloped the two Rock Puppets.

BOOM!

As the three fists collided, Luo Xiao retreated two steps. Clear cracks appeared on the massive arms of the two Rock Puppets.

“Luo Feng, I’ll go lend him a hand,” He Qin offered, seeing Luo Xiao embroiled in a bitter struggle.

“No need.” Luo Feng shook his head. “Elder Brother doesn’t want us to interfere.”

Hearing this, He Qin glanced at Luo Feng, her beautiful eyes observing him. She covered her red lips with her jade-like hand, a smile gracing them. “You two brothers truly have similar personalities.”

Luo Feng smiled faintly. “Besides, I don’t plan on intervening either.”

“Why?” He Qin asked, curiosity in her eyes.

Luo Feng looked around. “The first round of the assessment has just begun. If one can’t even pass this stage, there’s even less chance in the subsequent tests. Withdrawing early might actually be a good thing for some.”

“Hmm.” A hint of surprise flickered in He Qin’s beautiful eyes; she hadn’t expected Luo Feng to have considered things so far ahead.

BANG! BANG!

Having just been repulsed, the two Rock Puppets immediately launched a second attack, their massive fists crashing down on Luo Xiao like small mountains.

Luo Xiao’s legs bent slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“Flowing Cloud Steps!”

As the two mountain-sized fists bore down on him, Luo Xiao’s body sprang up. His feet tapped lightly on the Rock Puppets’ fists, and his body, like a wisp of cloud, soared three to four meters into the air.

“Shocking Cloud Burst!”

Seeing the two Rock Puppets at close quarters, Luo Xiao knew this was an opportunity not to be missed. He immediately executed the Shocking Cloud Fist technique, his right fist lashing out like a sword.

BOOM!

The sword-shaped fist Gang Qi directly blew apart the head of one Rock Puppet.

Without pausing, Luo Feng executed a spinning kick in mid-air, sending the other Rock Puppet, which was about to attack, flying over ten meters away. He then landed steadily.

Although Luo Feng didn’t intervene, it didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. Seeing Luo Xiao secure the victory safely, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to He Qin, “Let’s go. We should head inside.”

Within the great Formation, Rock Puppets were continuously destroyed, but new ones kept appearing. For a time, miserable howls echoed throughout the entire square.

“Damn it! What kind of assessment is this? I quit! Let me out, I quit!”

“I quit too! My father is the City Lord of Nanmin City, and I just got engaged. I don’t want to die here like this!”

Seeing how ferocious the Rock Puppets were, many young Martial Artists were scared out of their wits, wailing and screaming as they fled backward.

Witnessing this scene, the middle-aged Steward hovering in mid-air frowned slightly. With a wave of his large hand, the students who had given up on the assessment were immediately thrown out of the great Formation.

“Escort them out of Sky Cloud Valley,” the middle-aged Steward ordered, his face expressionless.

The path of a Martial Artist is a heaven-defying one; only those with great perseverance can achieve anything significant.

Such individuals who flee at the first sign of danger would struggle to accomplish anything meaningful, even if they managed to enter the Twelve Golden Palaces.

As his voice fell, several Stewards immediately rushed over, leading these Martial Artists who had abandoned the assessment away from the square.

Watching these people leave, the prominent figures of the martial world and leaders of various forces around Mysterious Rock Square exchanged dismayed glances.

This year’s assessment was unusually difficult; it had only just begun, yet so many participants had already been eliminated.

“Brother Tian, Feng Er and Xiao Er… they’ll be alright, won’t they?” In a corner of the spectator stands, Yang Qing watched the chaotic square, her hands clasped tightly, worry evident in her beautiful eyes.

Luotian patted Yang Qing’s hand and smiled. “Feng Er was able to defeat the Stone Man Xue Fei; his strength has far exceeded our imagination. With him around, they’ll be fine.”

“Mm,” Yang Qing nodded, but the tension in her eyes did not lessen in the slightest.

「Mysterious Rock Square.」

“Hahaha… I’ll go on ahead!” Wild Wind Saber Wei Kuang, laughing heartily, charged alone to the pitch-black portal. He stepped through it and vanished.

By now, quite a few people had rushed through the Great Rock Yuan Spirit Array and reached the pitch-black portal. Unwilling to be left behind, they all surged inside.

With experts like Luo Feng, He Qin, Bing Ruolan, and Zi Yuan clearing the path ahead, the pressure on the students from Purple Sun School and Tianlan School lessened considerably. Most of them safely passed through the Great Rock Yuan Spirit Array and arrived before the pitch-black portal.

“It’s actually a Yuan Qi Gate. I wonder where it leads,” Zi Yuan said, frowning as she looked at the portal.

The portal was, in fact, a pitch-black curtain of light. Anyone who entered it vanished instantly without a trace.

Luo Feng said, “We’ll find out once we’re inside. Everyone, proceed with caution; safety is paramount.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Luo Feng!” the nearby students chorused, nodding in agreement.

Currently, Luo Feng’s prestige within the two academies was second only to that of their respective deans.

“Let’s go in.”

Taking a deep breath, Luo Feng stepped into the pitch-black curtain of light.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The others followed closely behind Luo Feng, entering the light curtain.

The moment his foot crossed into the light curtain, Luo Feng immediately released his Soul Power.

To his shock, however, the surrounding space began to distort. He could neither see nor hear anything, as if he had plunged into a world of darkness. It was utterly bizarre.

After an unknown period, a light appeared before Luo Feng, and his feet landed on solid ground.

The sudden, intense light made him involuntarily squint; it took a moment for his eyes to fully adjust.

He was in a passageway. The rock walls on both sides were dark and glossy. Every hundred meters, a luminous pearl was embedded in the wall, illuminating the passage.

“Ruolan, everyone, be careful—” Luo Feng sensed that the atmosphere in this passageway was somewhat unusual and called out a warning. However, after waiting for a moment, there was still no reply.

Turning around, Luo Feng was surprised to find a solid rock wall behind him. Bing Ruolan and the others were nowhere to be found.

Frowning, Luo Feng murmured to himself, It seems we were separated upon entry.

After a moment of thought, understanding dawned on him. The Twelve Golden Palaces assessment tested individual strength; it certainly wouldn’t allow for mutual assistance among participants.

I hope you all can pass the assessment successfully. Knowing that worrying was futile, Luo Feng exhaled and started walking down the passageway.

CRACK! CRACKLE!

He had only taken a dozen steps when the rock walls on both sides of the passageway suddenly split open without warning.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Three Rock Puppets leaped out from the walls. Their eyes were blood-red, and their massive fists stirred a vicious, howling wind as they lunged at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng’s eyebrow twitched, and a cold sneer touched his lips. Without turning his head, he stomped hard on the ground.

BOOM!

A tremendous sound erupted as a shockwave spread out from under Luo Feng’s feet.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Before the three Rock Puppets could even get close, they were sent flying backward by the force, crashing into the rock walls and shattering into piles of rubble.

This must also be part of the assessment. Luo Feng glanced back at the shattered Rock Puppets, shook his head, and continued forward.

As he progressed, Rock Puppets continually emerged from the rock walls, but they were all slain by Luo Feng in an instant, offering no resistance whatsoever.

The deeper he ventured, the wider the passageway gradually became. Branching paths began to appear, and Rock Puppets emerged with increasing frequency.

Along the way, at a fork in the path, Luo Feng discovered the corpse of a young man.

The youth’s entire chest cavity had collapsed, and his eyes were wide open. The sword in his hand was embedded in the skull of a Rock Puppet; they had apparently perished together.

Sighing, Luo Feng stepped forward, closed the young man’s eyes, and continued deeper into the passageway.

Eventually, finding it too troublesome, Luo Feng utilized Teng Dragon’s Step to advance rapidly. None of the Rock Puppets could lock onto his figure; he evaded them before they even had a chance to strike.

After an unknown period, while passing a fork, Luo Feng’s gaze shifted slightly as he looked toward an adjacent passageway.

Three young men emerged from it.

All three wore black uniforms with a mountain-shaped insignia embroidered on the chest, identifying them as students from Black Cloud Domain’s Chongyue School.

“Hm? A student from Purple Sun School?”

The three of them noticed the academy uniform Luo Feng was wearing and raised an eyebrow.

Luo Feng paid them no mind and walked directly into the passageway ahead.

“Senior Brother Yuan Jian, this person looks familiar…” one of the Martial Artists, who had a long face, said while sizing up Luo Feng. Suddenly, he exclaimed, “He looks like that student from Flowing Cloud Region we encountered on the road to Sky Mountain! He even provoked Senior Brother Xie Xuantong back then!”

“Oh? So it’s him.”

The Chongyue School student named Yuan Jian’s eyes flashed. He recalled the scene of Luo Feng confronting Xie Xuantong, and a malicious glint appeared in his eyes.

“Kid, stop right there!” Yuan Jian commanded coldly.

Luo Feng ignored the three and continued walking forward.

WHOOSH!

The long-faced Martial Artist’s expression darkened. His figure transformed into a black streak as he dashed in front of Luo Feng, blocking his path. He sneered, “Senior Brother Yuan Jian is calling you. Didn’t you hear?”

Luo Feng frowned slightly, stopped, and looked at the young man called Yuan Jian. “Is there something you need?” he asked indifferently.

Yuan Jian chuckled slyly. “We three brothers have been a bit short on funds lately…”

“That has nothing to do with me. Farewell.” Luo Feng had no intention of wasting time here and turned to leave.

“You don’t know what’s good for you!” Yuan Jian’s expression darkened further, killing intent surfacing in his eyes. He secretly signaled the long-faced Martial Artist with a glance and a downward flick of his right hand.

The long-faced Martial Artist understood. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly drew his sword, lunging at Luo Feng.

SHREEEK!

The blade, like a venomous viper, struck straight for Luo Feng’s back!

“Courting death!” Luo Feng sneered coldly. Without even looking, he retaliated with a punch.

DING!

PFFT!

The cold, sharp edge of the sword landed on his fist, producing the clang of colliding metal. The long-faced Martial Artist let out a muffled groan, spat blood, and was sent flying backward, crashing into the rock wall and blasting a large hole in it.

“You…” The long-faced Martial Artist stared fixedly at Luo Feng, his eyes bulging.

He was a Martial Artist at the peak of the ninth level of the Meridian Wheel Realm. With a sudden sneak attack, even a first-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist would likely be injured, yet Luo Feng was completely unharmed.

“Attack together!” Yuan Jian, a Half-Step Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist, was also terrified by Luo Feng’s earlier punch. He and the other Chongyue School student joined forces to attack Luo Feng.

“Die!” These three had launched a sneak attack on him for no reason. Fury welled up in Luo Feng’s heart, and killing intent flared in his eyes.

“Flame Overlord Four Sides!”

Flames erupted from Luo Feng’s right fist as he punched out violently. A wave of crimson fist energy swept outward.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

This punch contained seventy percent of Luo Feng’s strength. The crimson fist Gang Qi directly shattered the Protective Gang Energy of the two attackers. They, along with the one already on the ground, were all struck dead by the force of the punch.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep