Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 577 - 575: Mermaid Beauty

A brief flicker of multicolored light danced in Bing Ruolan's clear, crystalline eyes, but by the time Luo Feng looked closer, it had vanished.

"Luo Feng, what are you looking at?" Bing Ruolan tilted her head and blinked, staring at Luo Feng curiously.

It must have been an illusion... Luo Feng shook his head, dismissing the strange light as a reflection of the setting sun's rays, and thought no more of it.

At that moment, the sun sank lower, its golden glow illuminating the sky, like countless golden swords filling the space between heaven and earth with an awe-inspiring aura.

With a swift flicker in his gaze, Luo Feng suddenly looked behind Bing Ruolan, his face alight with surprise. "Ruolan, look quickly! What is that?"

"Huh?" At his words, Bing Ruolan turned around, her beautiful eyes revealing a sense of curiosity.

Just then, Luo Feng wrapped his arms around Bing Ruolan's soft and slender waist and, activating Teng Dragon's Step, accelerated. Their figures blurred as they shot away.

WHOOSH!

Their forms glided backward, leaving a long wake in the clouds.

"Ah!" Taken aback by the sudden acceleration, Bing Ruolan couldn't help but bury her face in Luo Feng's chest.

Shortly thereafter, Bing Ruolan gradually adjusted. Lifting her head, she saw a faint smile playing on Luo Feng's lips. Her eyes reddened, and she bit her lip. "Luo Feng, you tricked me!"

Seeing the tears welling in Bing Ruolan's eyes, Luo Feng felt a tightening in his chest and hurriedly started explaining, "Ruolan, I only meant to—"

PFFT!

Before he could finish his sentence, Bing Ruolan suddenly burst into laughter, her luminous eyes curving into crescents. She lifted her charming face, a lively smile gracing her lips. "Dummy! I was teasing you. We're square now."

"Your competitive nature hasn't changed at all," Luo Feng remarked, exhaling. He gently pinched Bing Ruolan's delicate nose and saw the faint trace of dried tears on her long eyelashes. Reaching out, he gently wiped them away.

The surrounding sounds gradually faded. Their eyes met, and the space around them became imbued with an inexplicable atmosphere, accompanied only by the soft breeze circling them.

Bing Ruolan's charming petite face flushed so red it looked as if it might bleed. Averting her gaze slightly and biting her lip, she whispered, "Luo Feng, can we fly slower? I want to take in the scenery."

"Alright." Luo Feng felt Bing Ruolan's soft waist in his palm again. Controlling his Yuan Qi, he flew gradually towards the setting sun.

Flying was almost everyone's dream. Listening to the murmuring wind, Bing Ruolan felt an unbound freedom, as if she had transformed into a little bird.

Lifting her head, she looked at Luo Feng's strong profile bathed in the light of the setting sun. Her lips parted ever so slightly as she whispered, "Luo Feng, I'm so happy."

"Really? Wait until you step into the Spiritual Rotation Realm. You'll be able to perform Aerial Flight, and the feeling will be a hundred times better than now," Luo Feng replied with a smile. He suddenly recalled the painful experience when Yang Wanyi had taken him flying for the first time, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"It's not because of flying..." Bing Ruolan shook her head gently, her light-blue hair shimmering with a beautiful luster.

"Then why is it?"

"Because..." Bing Ruolan blushed, blinked, and smiled. "I'm not telling you!"

"Then I'll have to speed up."

"No!"

"Then tell me quickly."

"No, it's a secret."

"I'm speeding up."

"No..."

Their laughter mixed with the wind, growing more and more distant.

The sun sank lower, and the thin evening mist was dyed in dream-like hues.

Luo Feng carried Bing Ruolan with him, heading westward.

「An hour later」

They arrived before a range of mountains.

Peaks rose sharply from the ground, piercing the clouds, their presence towering and majestic. Occasionally, the roar of a beast echoed, startling flocks of birds into flight.

Luo Feng circled the mountains and found a secluded cliff.

The cliff, shaped like a wolf's fang, covered an area nearly ten zhang wide. Behind it was a lush forest, while the other three sides were shrouded in white mist that swirled and morphed with the wind into myriad forms.

"Let's cultivate here," Luo Feng said, looking at the cliff.

"Okay," Bing Ruolan nodded.

SWOOSH!

Their figures flashed and landed on the cliff.

"I'll check if there are any Demon Beasts nearby." Luo Feng released Bing Ruolan and walked towards the woods bordering the cliff.

ROAR!

As he neared the woods, a fierce wind suddenly rose, and a massive black shadow shot out with a roar. Its growl, like a thunderbolt, caused the cliff to tremble as its Demonic Qi surged skyward.

"Luo Feng, be careful!" A hint of tension flashed in Bing Ruolan's eyes.

Luo Feng remained calm and composed. His right hand clenched into a fist, and he launched a punch wreathed in scorching crimson light to meet the attack head-on.

BOOM!

His fist struck the black shadow. Fierce gusts of wind raged, and a powerful shockwave spread in all directions, blasting apart a large swath of trees.

THUD!

The black shadow let out a mournful howl. Its gigantic body crashed heavily ten meters away; it was on its last breath.

In the twilight, Bing Ruolan saw the shadow clearly.

It was a leopard-like Demon Beast nearly three meters tall. It was entirely pitch-black. From its gaping maw, two fangs, like curved blades, reflected a sinister, cold light.

A Forest Shadow Leopard... Bing Ruolan recognized the Demon Beast, a hint of alarm in her beautiful eyes.

The Forest Shadow Leopard was a peak Tier Four Demon Beast. It favored ambushing its prey. It was exceptionally fast, and its defensive power was astonishing. Yet, it had been instantly killed by a single punch, and it seemed Luo Feng hadn't even used his full strength.

Worried that the carcass might attract other Demon Beasts, Luo Feng threw the Forest Shadow Leopard's body off the cliff. Only then did he turn back to Bing Ruolan and say, "Ruolan, you can start your cultivation now. I will be your protector."

"Okay." Bing Ruolan walked to the edge of the cliff, sat down quietly, and took out the Rotary Solidification Pill.

WHOOSH!

The moment the pill appeared, the cliff was bathed in a turquoise glow. A gust of wind rose, and the surrounding sea of clouds surged.

Remembering that Luo Feng had won this Spirit Pill with great difficulty, Bing Ruolan's eyes flashed with determination. She told herself that she absolutely had to break through to the Spiritual Rotation Realm.

HUUU...

Gently exhaling, Bing Ruolan dismissed all distracting thoughts, swallowed the Rotary Solidification Pill, and slowly closed her eyes.

Luo Feng stood nearby, releasing his Soul Power to scan the surroundings. Finding no traces of other Demon Beasts, he finally relaxed slightly.

I hope she will be successful, Luo Feng murmured, looking at her gently furrowed Daimei.

Although Bing Ruolan's cultivation had reached the point of breakthrough, ascending to the Spiritual Rotation Realm was no small matter and fraught with danger. Martial Artists with insufficient talent might spend years, even decades, without success.

Luo Feng had effortlessly stepped into the Spiritual Rotation Realm thanks to the Yuan Qi seed Cang Nanyue had planted within him.

Realizing he could offer little help—as breaking through a realm was something one had to achieve on their own—Luo Feng sat down opposite Bing Ruolan.

The first round of the assessment was already so dangerous; I wonder what the second round will be like. I cannot let my guard down. Luo Feng thought, recalling the day's perilous encounters, a glint in his eyes.

He had killed Luo Lie. If this were to be exposed, the people from Chongyue School would certainly not let the matter rest.

Though he didn't fear Yi Wuxue, Xie Xuantong, and the others, it remained a hidden danger. Only by becoming powerful himself could he handle any eventuality.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Feng decided to use this opportunity to further consolidate his cultivation. At his current realm, a single night of cultivation was unlikely to bring significant improvement, but it was better than nothing. Releasing his Soul Power to remain vigilant of his surroundings, Luo Feng prepared to cultivate.

Night fell, and a bright, clear moon slowly ascended.

Among the continuous mountain ranges, save for the occasional beast's roar, all was still.

Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan sat facing each other, an invisible stream of Yuan Qi flowing silently between them.

「Two hours passed.」

「Another two hours passed.」

...

「At midnight」

As the full moon reached its zenith, Luo Feng's brows twitched, and he opened his eyes.

She's about to break through! Joy flashed in Luo Feng's eyes as he looked at Bing Ruolan.

At that moment, fierce winds swept across the cliff. The sea of clouds within a radius of several li churned violently, forming a colossal vortex.

Bing Ruolan sat at the center of the vortex. Fine beads of sweat dotted her delicate nose. Her snow-like skin was veiled in a hazy azure radiance, and the sound of tides rising and falling within her body was clearly audible.

Luo Feng could tell at a glance that Bing Ruolan was assaulting the bottleneck to the Spiritual Rotation Realm with all her might!

HUUU...

The Yuan Qi vortex grew stronger and stronger. The loose stones on the cliff trembled, rattling and skittering across the ground with popping sounds.

Sitting at the center of the vortex, Bing Ruolan's body gradually lifted off the ground, hovering and spinning in mid-air.

It's now or never. She must succeed! Excitement flashed in Luo Feng's eyes.

As long as the Yuan Qi vortex entered her body, her Meridian Wheel could awaken into Four Spirit Rotations, and Bing Ruolan would officially step into the Spiritual Rotation Realm!

But just then, an unexpected change occurred.

HUM!

A faint, light-blue ripple spread from within Bing Ruolan's body. The surrounding Yuan Qi vortex vanished in an instant. An eerie calm descended.

Could it be a failure? The sudden change startled Luo Feng, but he immediately shook his head.

If a breakthrough failed, the Yuan Qi vortex would not enter the Martial Artist's body. They would immediately lose their support and fall back to the ground.

Yet Bing Ruolan, bathed in moonlight, still sat serenely suspended in the void.

What on earth is happening? This was the first time Luo Feng had encountered such a bizarre situation, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Just as he was hesitating whether to wake her, Bing Ruolan suddenly opened her eyes.

HUM!

The instant Bing Ruolan opened her eyes, an immense pressure descended upon the cliff and its surroundings.

Luo Feng was deeply shaken. He had never felt such a potent pressure, not even when facing Yang Dingtian—and Yang Dingtian was a Ninth Stage Spiritual Rotation Realm expert!

Looking up, an unusual light flashed in Luo Feng's eyes, and his breath caught.

Bing Ruolan still sat silently in mid-air. Now, however, her eyes blazed with a Seven-Colored Mysterious Light, illuminating the space around them.

Behind her floated an illusory figure.

The figure was nearly three meters tall, with light-blue hair cascading to its waist like flowing water. Its skin was as smooth and white as snow, and its exquisite features bore a striking resemblance to Bing Ruolan. Its translucent eyes also radiated the Seven-Colored Mysterious Light.

What surprised Luo Feng most was that the figure had no feet; instead, it possessed a fish's tail, its scales shimmering with a dazzling array of seven colors.

What is this...? Staring at the mermaid-like beauty hovering behind Bing Ruolan, Luo Feng was utterly astonished.

He was now certain that the strange light he had seen that afternoon was no illusion.

What slightly reassured Luo Feng was that Bing Ruolan's aura was calm and steady; it seemed there was no danger.

"HEHEHE..." The mermaid-like beauty looked at Luo Feng and let out a laugh like silver bells. A playful smile touched her stunning face. With a flick of her fish tail, she swam around Bing Ruolan, leaving a trail of seven-colored ripples in her wake.

"Can you speak?" Luo Feng looked at the mermaid-like beauty, hesitated for a moment, then asked.

"HEHEHE..." The mermaid-like beauty merely giggled. She moved behind Bing Ruolan and stopped. Her slender, lotus-root-like arms wrapped around Bing Ruolan from behind. Tilting her head back to gaze at the moon, her rosy lips parted slightly.

"Ah..." A melodious song flowed from the mermaid-like beauty's lips—distant, enduring, and echoing throughout the mountains.

The moonlight in the sky seemed drawn by her song, gathering towards them and flowing like gentle ripples of water...