Chapter 414

"Marquis Jing'an, I have long admired your great name."

Wang Shizi Cheng's heir, Qin Ziyu, wore a white mink-fur coat, and a bald, burly man over two meters tall stood beside him as they walked out of the prince's mansion gate together.

Li Fei noticed this burly man immediately.

Wearing black battle armor, his aura was fierce—clearly the presence of a man who had faced ten thousand on the battlefield!

This was a Wu Gong Grandmaster, most likely returned from the Northern Frontier.

Wang Shizi Cheng still valued this son of his highly, having specifically dispatched a Wu Gong Grandmaster to assist him and help guard the mansion.

In Lanling City, if one did not possess the combat power of a Wu Gong Grandmaster, it was indeed difficult to speak with any conviction.

"You are too kind, Your Highness."

Li Fei watched calmly as Qin Ziyu approached.

Qin Ziyu's smile remained unchanged, but he turned his head to glance at Xi Yuchen, whose legs had been broken, and narrowed his eyes.

He had heard the news of "Xi Yuchen realizing the sword in the snow" while still at the mansion and had intended to celebrate properly once Xi Yuchen returned.

As both were at the peak of the Dao Foundation realm in combat power, Xi Yuchen was younger, stronger, and had greater potential than Ji Xiuyong.

Therefore, Qin Ziyu valued this guest advisor highly; perhaps in a few years, the mansion could have a second Wu Gong Grandmaster to hold the fort.

Yet now, Xi Yuchen's legs had both been broken.

Moreover, Qin Ziyu had heard from the messenger that Li Fei had defeated Xi Yuchen in a single move, leaving him severely wounded!

Even regarding Ning Chuan, currently ranked second on the overall Wind and Cloud List, Qin Ziyu felt that he would be unable to defeat the newly breakthrough-achieving Xi Yuchen in a single move.

"Has his combat power already recovered?"

Qin Ziyu turned his head back to look at Li Fei, secretly guessing in his heart.

At the same time, several cars driving toward the mansion gate had already stopped, and several officials in official robes hurried out of their vehicles, rushing toward this side.

"I am Song Jun, Director of the Investigation Division of the Zhige Pavilion. I pay my respects to the Marquis of Jing'an and to His Highness the Heir."

A middle-aged official with very small eyes and a somewhat long face arrived before Li Fei and Qin Ziyu, taking the initiative to bow.

The Zhige Pavilion official who had assassinated the Emperor at the Temple of Heaven, Wei Hongwen, had been the Director of the Investigation Division; now, Song Jun had succeeded to this position.

The Director of the Investigation Division of the Zhige Pavilion was responsible for handling illegal and undisciplined acts by martial artists within Lanling City, a position where it was very difficult to maintain balance.

Just like at this very moment, Song Jun was extremely unwilling to get involved, but he had to come because of this matter.

He was a Level 15 official, at the pinnacle of the fourth-rank officials.

In terms of position, he was on par with Li Fei, the Lanling Special Envoy, and more than a rank higher than Qin Ziyu, who was merely a Wang Shizi Cheng's heir holding a nominal position in the Military Affairs Council.

Yet, in front of the two, he referred to himself as a subordinate, adopting a very low posture.

Whether it was the Marquis of Jing'an or the Wang Shizi Cheng's heir, neither was someone he could afford to provoke.

"Lord Song, this person attacked and injured a court official in broad daylight. According to the law, how should this be handled?"

Li Fei did not waste words, pointing at Xi Yuchen, who was lying on a stretcher, and asked.

Song Jun's eyes narrowed until they were almost invisible. He first glanced at Xi Yuchen, whose legs were broken, and asked cautiously:

"May I ask which official this person injured?"

"He injured me."

Lu Wenxing, standing to the side, said.

"So it was Lord Lu."

Song Jun scrutinized Lu Wenxing carefully and cupped his hands.

The two both served in the Zhige Pavilion and knew each other.

"May I ask why Lord Lu was injured by this person?"

Song Jun asked.

"I was driving perfectly fine when he suddenly attacked and split my car in two."

Lu Wenxing pointed at the car parts all over the ground. "I went up to reason with him, and he actually attacked me, wounding me. Fortunately, the Marquis of Jing'an happened to be passing by and intervened in time to stop this person's violence; otherwise, the one with broken legs might have been me."

Hearing this, Qin Ziyu, standing to the side, smiled without a word, not rushing to refute.

Song Jun nodded and had his subordinates record what Lu Wenxing had said.

Only then did he look at Xi Yuchen on the stretcher, his tone equally polite:

"Mr. Xi, why did you attack Lord Lu?"

Xi Yuchen had by now barely recovered from the shock and pain Li Fei had inflicted upon him, and he stared fixedly at Lu Wenxing:

"He was the one who drove his car toward me first; I was merely acting in self-defense."

"Self-defense? You could have easily dodged in self-defense, but instead, you attacked and split my car. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I might already be dead! This isn't self-defense; it's attempted murder!"

Lu Wenxing shouted loudly, making the matter sound even more severe.

Xi Yuchen gritted his teeth; the sword strike he had used was measured, and even if Lu Wenxing hadn't dodged, he wouldn't have been seriously injured.

But logically speaking, his best course of action should indeed have been to dodge rather than directly attacking the car.

It was just that some logic depends on the person, as well as the time and place.

He, Xi Yuchen, had just achieved a breakthrough today, reaching a new peak in his life, and he was right outside the gate of Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion.

In front of the mansion's people, you want him to dodge?

Moreover, Lu Wenxing had been the one to provoke him first; if he had dodged, he would have lost not only his own face but also the face of Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion!

Therefore, even if it happened again, Xi Yuchen certainly would not choose to dodge.

It was just that these words couldn't be said directly.

"Lord Lu, why did you drive your car into him?"

Song Jun turned to ask Lu Wenxing again.

Lu Wenxing shook his head: "I didn't hit him on purpose; the car suddenly malfunctioned and the brakes failed. Besides, if I really wanted to harm him, would I be stupid enough to drive a car into him? I might as well have attacked him myself."

Having said this, Song Jun had basically figured out the situation on the scene.

He smiled as he looked at Li Fei and Qin Ziyu:

"Marquis, Your Highness, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Li Fei was expressionless: "I have no thoughts. According to the laws of the Great Lan Dynasty, it should be handled as it should be."

Qin Ziyu, upon hearing this, also smiled: "I think the same. Lord Song should just act according to the law."

Song Jun: "..."

In such cold weather, sweat was breaking out on his forehead.

If everything could be handled according to the law, he, as the Director of the Investigation Division, would be so much more relaxed!

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Song Jun said cautiously:

"Lord Lu's car went out of control and hit a pedestrian first, so he must be held accountable regardless. But Mr. Xi's reaction in splitting Lord Lu's car was indeed a bit excessive. In my opinion, why not have Mr. Xi compensate Lord Lu for the cost of a car?"

He didn't mention the matter of the injury at all, wanting only to downplay the incident.

Xi Yuchen, on the stretcher, was filled with grief and indignation upon hearing this.

He was the one hit by the car first, and then he had his legs broken, yet in the end, he was the one who had to pay money?!

He had always relied on the power of Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion to bully others; when had Xi Yuchen ever suffered such grievances?

"Then what about my legs?!"

Xi Yuchen couldn't help but shout sharply.

He pointed at Lu Wenxing: "I didn't attack him at all. If you don't believe me, you can have someone examine his injuries and see if the wounds on his body were caused by me!"

"Ahem."

Qin Ziyu, standing to the side, suddenly coughed, interrupting Xi Yuchen.

He glanced at Song Jun, who understood immediately and said:

"The Marquis of Jing'an was anxious to save someone and acted too heavily in his haste, which is understandable. I believe Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion should be willing to provide a letter of understanding."

If Li Fei had seriously injured a rogue martial artist with Dao Foundation cultivation, then that would be that, but Xi Yuchen was, after all, a guest advisor to Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion and not someone without a background.

If it were truly judged according to the law for causing serious injury and disability, Li Fei would at least face imprisonment.

But Song Jun certainly couldn't let Li Fei go to jail, so he very smoothly said that Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion would provide a letter of understanding.

In this way, Li Fei gave Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion a face-saving exit.

And in substance, Li Fei had seriously injured Xi Yuchen without having to pay any price.

Both sides were taken care of.

Xi Yuchen gritted his teeth, feeling an unprecedented sense of humiliation.

He looked at Qin Ziyu, who gave him a comforting look and was just about to speak when Li Fei's voice rang out.

"He understands me?"

Li Fei's tone turned cold:

"Lord Song, a few months ago, this person seriously injured a court official, and the verdict at that time was also given by you, right? Now this person has once again attacked and injured a court official, showing such contempt for the court's laws and majesty. You don't punish this person severely, but instead ask him to understand me."

"So, you're saying I did something wrong?"

"..."

Song Jun broke into a cold sweat, unable to speak.

Qin Ziyu's expression also sank completely.

"Li Fei!"

A deep voice suddenly rang out.

The bald, burly man who had been standing behind Qin Ziyu took a step forward, looking at Li Fei with a fierce gaze:

"Everyone knows exactly what the situation is with today's business. If you want to bully others by relying on your status, then you've chosen the wrong target! Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion is not something you can bully!"

He had come out with Qin Ziyu to hold the fort.

In his view, Qin Ziyu had already been forbearing and had taken a step back, but Li Fei was still being relentless.

This was completely disrespecting Wang Shizi Cheng's mansion!

So he stood out.

His name was Tang Zhan, and he had spent over a decade honing his skills on the battlefield with Wang Shizi Cheng, eventually breaking through his realm to become a Wu Gong Grandmaster before being sent back to Lanling City by Wang Shizi Cheng to assist the heir.

Over a decade of battlefield slaughter had cultivated a monstrous ferocity and killing intent in him; now, as he suddenly flew into a rage, a terrifying killing intent enveloped the long street, making everyone present tremble with fear!

Only Li Fei remained completely unaffected, meeting Tang Zhan's gaze, and smiled:

"Bullying others by relying on status?"

He also took a step forward, his sharp aura like a keen sword, forcibly tearing through Tang Zhan's monstrous killing intent:

"I don't need to rely on status to bully others; I rely on 'strength'!"

As his voice fell, the white snow beneath his feet melted instantly, and the concrete ground cracked, a fissure spreading all the way to Tang Zhan's feet.

Tang Zhan revealed a ferocious smile, his fists hammering heavily against each other:

"Good! I have relied on 'strength' throughout my life! Let me see if your 'strength' is enough for you to rely on!"

He knew Li Fei had killed a Wu Gong Grandmaster with dual divine abilities, while he only had one.

But a martial artist like him, who had fought his way out of the battlefield, only believed in actual combat. If one had to admit defeat just because the opponent had higher theoretical combat power and a better record, then what was the point of fighting?

Everyone might as well just talk about war on paper.

There were countless examples on the battlefield of the weak defeating the strong and finding a way out of a desperate situation.

He, Tang Zhan, had defeated countless opponents in his life who were theoretically stronger than him!

So even if Li Fei's combat power had fully recovered, he didn't think he would necessarily lose.

Seeing that the two were about to clash, Lu Wenxing retreated decisively.

Song Jun, seeing this, also very tactfully took his subordinates and retreated.

When gods fight, there was no need for him, a Director of the Investigation Division, to intervene, nor could he.

Qin Ziyu, with a gloomy expression, took Xi Yuchen and the others back inside the gate of the mansion.

On the long street, only Li Fei and Tang Zhan remained.

A snowflake dancing above Tang Zhan's head suddenly shattered into pieces.

Snowflakes were fragile by nature and would dissipate completely with the slightest force, but now this snowflake was being sliced into several petals by an invisible force!

More and more snowflakes were sliced open, the invisible force spreading rapidly in all directions.

The snowflakes in the air, the snow on the ground, and even this heaven and earth!

If Xi Yuchen's sword strike just now was borrowing the power of heaven and earth to form a world of flying snow, then at this moment, Tang Zhan was using the power of his divine ability to slice apart the entire heaven and earth!

Divine Ability—【Cutting】.

Whether it was the hardest diamond or powerful protective internal energy and extraordinary abilities, the 【Cutting】 divine ability could slice through them all.

Used in Tang Zhan's hands, this divine ability even faintly carried the implication of slicing through space itself!

Crisscrossing cracks appeared on the snowy ground, and the snowflakes in the sky were also shattering one by one, terrifying power enveloping Li Fei from all directions.

The divine garment Li Fei was wearing also developed cracks!

This Golden-Thread Jade-Scale Armor had been severely damaged in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, and after nearly half a year, through the constant "devouring" of diamonds and jadeite via the 【Golden Pulse Jade Body】, it had been repaired.

But this Level 7 divine garment could not block Tang Zhan's 【Cutting】 divine ability!

Suddenly, Li Fei erupted with an extremely sharp aura.

Xi Yuchen on the stretcher widened his eyes, staring fixedly at Li Fei.

It was happening again, exactly the same as before; in his eyes, Li Fei had turned into a peerless precious sword!

But looking closely, Li Fei was still Li Fei, with no change in form, yet it gave people a strong illusion—

He himself was a peerless sword!

Tang Zhan narrowed his eyes, seeing only a faint golden light emanating from Li Fei's body; besides exuding sharpness, the whole person gave off a feeling of being indestructible.

The 【Cutting】 divine ability touched the layer of golden light on Li Fei's body, emitting the harsh sound of metal grinding violently.

White marks appeared on this layer of golden light, which was suffering terrifying damage!

But the 【Cutting】 divine ability was ultimately blocked!

"Hmm?"

Tang Zhan looked surprised.

A divine ability is called a divine ability precisely because it has transcended the level of martial arts.

Even Dao energy, if it hasn't reached the Xuanjing level, can only slightly influence a divine ability.

To be able to block 【Cutting】 without using a divine ability or Xuanjing-level Dao energy was the first time Tang Zhan had encountered such a thing.

Li Fei's expression was calm.

After refining the Flying Sword Body, his physique had increased significantly, and the four types of implants that made up the 【Mixed Origin Heavenly Gold】 had also greatly increased in strength, their load-bearing capacity exceeding the limits of Level 3 implants.

As a result, the pressure brought by the Heavenly Water Soul Bone was no longer as great, and combined with the unity of law and martial arts, the power of the techniques restrained a portion of the Heavenly Water Soul Bone.

So Li Fei could finally use his Dao Foundation normally.

Now he was driving the Mixed Origin Jin Gang Energy and the "Golden Body Jade Marrow," while also integrating the power of the Flying Sword Body.

This was Li Fei's unique unity of law and martial arts:

Sword State · Golden Body Jade Marrow!

Internal energy, blood, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, internal organs, and spiritual consciousness—the whole person was integrated from the inside out.

All power was perfectly combined, making Li Fei seem as if he had truly turned into a flying sword, a flying sword tempered a thousand times and indestructible!

The defensive power in this state had improved by more than just one level compared to before.

That was why he had blocked the 【Cutting】 divine ability.

However, his Blood Soul was still dropping; the 【Cutting】 divine ability was still constantly causing him damage.

Even with his current defensive power, he still couldn't completely block the divine ability's attack.

Pfft—

Li Fei used both hands to force the Ghost-Slaying Blade in his hand into the ground.

In this battle, he didn't intend to use a weapon.

Because now, he himself was the strongest weapon!

He took a step forward and began to accelerate.

The sharp sword hum that had just resonated through the heavens and earth erupted again!

The invisible "lines" in space were cut off, and Li Fei's speed became faster and faster!

The implant 【Steel Armor】 had the core-level extraordinary ability "Danger Perception."

The implant 【Nether Foot】 had the extraordinary ability "Divine Travel," which could use the earth's energy to accelerate movement speed, allowing him to walk on flat ground even in complex terrain.

Just like the combination of "Golden Body Jade Marrow" and the Flying Sword Body, these two extraordinary abilities had also completed their integration, and combined with the blessings of the Jin Gang Seal · Listen and the Jin Gang Seal · Great Peng, they formed another sword state:

Sword State · Heaven and Earth Unbound!

The earth beneath his feet, the flowing wind, the dancing snowflakes, the power of the 【Cutting】 divine ability... everything was clearly reflected in Li Fei's heart.

He could perceive every subtle change and almost instinctively find the "fissures" within them.

Earth energy, wind, and even the power of space had all become his aids at this moment.

Heaven and earth were like a vast ocean, and he was traveling with the current, riding the wind and breaking the waves!

Swish—

Li Fei instantly crossed a distance of tens of meters, breaking through the obstruction of the 【Cutting】 divine ability, and arrived before Tang Zhan.

He raised his right arm and threw a straight punch.

It was unclear whether this was a punch or a sword; the extremely sharp internal energy contained terrifying power, bombarding Tang Zhan.

Tang Zhan was not alarmed but delighted, excitement appearing in his eyes.

He didn't dodge or evade, also raising his right fist to meet Li Fei's punch.

Boom!!!

Two fists collided heavily, like two high-speed trains crashing into each other.

Both men's control over their power was near perfect, all power concentrated on a single point, with not a shred leaking out.

So this collision didn't cause a huge aftermath of battle, only emitting a deafening roar.

In the astonished eyes of Qin Ziyu and the others, Tang Zhan retreated, while Li Fei stood motionless on the spot.

Once the Sword State · Golden Body Jade Marrow was achieved, the upper limit of 【Blood Rage】 increased significantly, from 56 to 122!

"Hahahaha—"

Tang Zhan, having been repelled, burst into laughter.

His right fist was a bloody mess, revealing white bones, as if pierced by a sharp weapon!

"That's really powerful!"

As his voice fell, Tang Zhan returned even faster, his fists bombarding Li Fei.

His whole body was enveloped in a layer of black internal energy; like Li Fei's Mixed Origin Jin Gang Energy, this layer of energy was also highly condensed, compressed, and clung tightly to his body.

His Dao Foundation was the 【Space-Splitting Battle Body】, a high-level Dao Foundation, and the core-level extraordinary abilities it stimulated were only four, all of which were amplification types:

Significantly enhancing strength, speed, defense, and endurance.

After the Dao Foundation was successfully constructed and he broke through to become a Wu Gong Grandmaster, Tang Zhan's "Battle Body" was perfected, and the amplification of the four core-level extraordinary abilities became even stronger!

At this moment, Tang Zhan fully stimulated his Battle Body.

His height, already nearly two meters, became over three meters, his whole person expanding by a circle, similar to Li Fei's "Blood Demon State" before he practiced the "Golden Body Jade Marrow."

The pitch-black Splitting-Kill Infinite Energy was further condensed by him and combined with the 【Cutting】 divine ability, turning into black "ropes" that wrapped around his entire body.

Tang Zhan and Li Fei had their second collision; this time, it was Li Fei who was repelled.

After Li Fei retreated more than thirty meters, he stopped his body and then immediately rushed back at an extremely fast speed.

Before throwing the punch, he unleashed the Jin Gang Seal · Dragon Elephant.

Boom!!!

The two collided fiercely once again.

Tang Zhan was repelled again!

He quickly stopped his body and immediately counter-charged.

The skills honed on the battlefield turned into simple head-on clashes now.

The two were like one black and one gold flying sword, clashing head-on time and time again, using the simplest and crudest way to collide!

The frequency of the collisions became faster and faster; in the eyes of Qin Ziyu and the others, they only saw two streams of light, tearing through the air time and time again, colliding time and time again!

Others could no longer see their figures, only hearing the continuous roar.

Although no aftermath was released, the terrifying momentum made people feel as if two giant mountains were colliding at high speed again and again!

Every time they collided, both men concentrated their power on a single point, releasing it perfectly.

This style of battle was what Tang Zhan liked most and was most familiar with.

Slaughter on the battlefield meant using every bit of strength on the cutting edge, killing the enemy in the simplest and most direct way.

Compared to You Ming, his methods were not as rich and varied, but they were very efficient.

He had Dao energy at the "as-you-wish" level, his internal energy was continuous, and his moves were smooth and fluid, with no need to catch his breath.

And Li Fei needed to unleash the Jin Gang Seal · Dragon Elephant time and time again to suppress him in a head-on clash, inevitably leading to "openings" in high-frequency collisions.

As a result, it was Tang Zhan who gained the upper hand, and the 【Cutting】 divine ability was also constantly damaging Li Fei's sword body.

Moreover, no matter how astonishing Li Fei's combat power was, his realm was ultimately only at the Dao Foundation stage, unable to directly absorb the energy of heaven and earth from the outside to replenish his power.

In this situation, his endurance was definitely far inferior to that of a Wu Gong Grandmaster.

So Tang Zhan believed that the one who could stand until the end would definitely be himself!

After the two had collided for dozens of rounds, Li Fei's voice suddenly rang out:

"Is this the strength you rely on?"

Tang Zhan raised his eyebrows, and just as he was about to speak, he saw Li Fei, who was rushing toward him, also expand by a circle.

The pale golden fist tore through the air again, bombarding him.

A sense of crisis suddenly arose in Tang Zhan's heart; he immediately concentrated more 【Cutting】 divine ability on his right fist, which was covered in black "ropes."

The next instant, the black and gold fists collided again.

Subsequently, the black "ropes" were torn apart, and unimaginable, vast power surged in, piercing through Tang Zhan's internal energy like a hot knife through butter, followed by his skin, flesh, and bones!

At this moment, Li Fei's fist was like steel, while Tang Zhan's fist turned into soft mud, being blasted apart, and then exploding all the way up along his wrist!

Boom—

Tang Zhan let out a cry of pain and flew backward.

His right arm, from his hand all the way to his elbow, had completely disappeared!

The limit of the Sword State · Golden Body Jade Marrow was 122 units of Blood Rage power.

Superimposed with the "Blood Demon State," it became 244 units of Blood Rage power.

Finally, using the Jin Gang Seal · Dragon Elephant, it erupted with 488 units of Blood Rage power!

This was a terrifying power twice as strong as in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, and because of the special attributes of the Flying Sword Body, this power was highly concentrated and even sharper!

With just one move, Li Fei had crippled one of Tang Zhan's hands.

Defeating another Wu Gong Grandmaster!

"The strength you rely on is nothing more than this."

Li Fei looked at Tang Zhan, who had lost his hand, word by word:

"Too weak!"

Seeking monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)