Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 588 - 586: He Qin’s Smile

Upon hearing Wei Kuang’s curses, everyone nearby turned their gazes towards Xu Zhan. His sudden decision to leave, even handing over his Yuan Stones, had indeed caught many by surprise.

Xu Zhan’s face darkened, and he glared at Wei Kuang, intense fury practically burning in his pupils. A ruthless smile twisted his lips. "Wei Kuang, you’ve got guts! You’re the first person to ever dare speak to me, Xu Zhan, like that!"

Recalling Xu Zhan’s usual ruthlessness, the color drained from Wei Kuang’s face. He stammered, "Xu Zhan, I..."

CRUNCH!

Before he could finish, a thunderous clap echoed from the sky. A terrifying fissure of Yuan Qi energy descended with overwhelming force, crushing Wei Kuang’s chest cavity.

"You..." Wei Kuang’s eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Xu Zhan. An incoherent gurgling sound escaped his throat, his head lolled to one side, and he died.

"Luo Feng, we’ll meet again..." After killing Wei Kuang, Xu Zhan bid a quick farewell. His figure shot away, creating a sharp sonic boom as he tore through the air. He didn’t want to remain there a moment longer.

Luo Feng watched Xu Zhan depart, then his gaze fell upon Wei Kuang’s mangled corpse on the ground, his expression impassive. He orchestrated his own demise; he was beyond redemption...

Even if Wei Kuang hadn’t acted, Luo Feng wouldn’t have let him remain in this world.

Looking back, in that short span, the ground had become littered with the corpses of Underground Demons, numbering in the hundreds. Under Bing Ruolan and He Qin’s protection, not a single villager had been harmed. Only one Martial Artist from the village had his arm broken by a Bone Scale Demon that had broken through their defenses, but his life was not in danger.

It seems I underestimated their strength... Luo Feng mused, touching his nose. His figure then flashed towards the densest concentration of Underground Demons. A brilliant blade light swirled through the air around him. Wherever it passed, flesh and blood flew, leaving no Underground Demon alive.

With devastating blade lights and rampant Sword Qi, the combined efforts of the three saw Underground Demons continuously falling into pools of their own blood, staining a vast expanse of land crimson.

After half a joss stick’s worth of time, the battle concluded. Nearly four hundred Underground Demons lay dead; only a few cunning Blood Ash Demons managed to escape in the chaos.

Sheathing his Rage Flame Knife, Luo Feng saw Bing Ruolan and He Qin drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Knowing they had expended considerable energy, he took out two Spirit Pills designed to restore Yuan Qi and offered them. "Take these quickly. We’ll leave as soon as you’ve recovered your Yuan Qi."

"Mm," Bing Ruolan replied, a faint blush still on her pretty face. She accepted the Spirit Pill with a smile, swallowed it, and immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate and regulate her breathing.

He Qin’s slender fingers accepted the Spirit Pill from Luo Feng. Her bright eyes fixed on him as she suddenly remarked, "To make Xu Zhan retreat without a fight, especially when you’re only at the first stage of the Spiritual Rotation Realm... I’m afraid you’re the only one in this world capable of such a feat."

"Is that so? I wasn’t aware I was that formidable..." Luo Feng chuckled, deliberately not addressing the deeper meaning in her words. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He Qin shook her head slightly. "The stench of blood here is too strong. I fear it might attract other Demon Beasts or more Underground Demons."

"Don’t worry," Luo Feng said. "I’ll stand guard for you both."

He Qin nodded, a peculiar glint in her beautiful eyes. Luo Feng first fought fiercely with Xu Zhan and Wei Kuang, then engaged in a chaotic battle with the Underground Demons. Logically, he should be the most exhausted among us. Yet, he appears to be in peak condition, as if he hasn’t consumed any energy at all.

Watching Luo Feng, a strange sensation arose in He Qin’s heart. It felt as if she could never truly see through him; the secrets he held were like an onion, with layer after layer revealed, only to find more beneath...

With a soft sigh, He Qin said no more. She sat down beside Bing Ruolan and slowly closed her eyes.

Seeing no immediate danger, Luo Feng turned and walked towards the villagers.

"Young Master Luo Feng..." Upon seeing him, the villagers automatically parted to make way, their eyes filled with respect and admiration.

This wasn’t just gratitude for saving their lives; it was the fundamental respect shown towards a powerful individual. The earlier confrontation involving Luo Feng, Wei Kuang, and Xu Zhan had clearly demonstrated the terrifying strength of the young man before them.

The young maidens nearby stole glances at Luo Feng. If their eyes met his, they would hastily look away, their pretty faces blooming like flowers, revealing traces of shyness. At their age, it was natural to be full of yearning for wonderful things; Luo Feng’s excellence naturally made these young women’s hearts flutter.

Luo Feng walked over to Ye Qin, who was bandaging the wounds of the injured Martial Artist. He took out a first-grade healing Spirit Pill. "Have him take this."

"It’s just a minor injury. This Blood Restoration Pill is too precious..." Ye Qin demurred, shaking her head.

The injured Martial Artist also chuckled good-naturedly. "Young Master Luo Feng, I’m alright. Such a precious Spirit Pill would be wasted on me."

Luo Feng didn’t allow for refusal, placing the Spirit Pill into the Martial Artist’s hand. "If the Underground Demons charge again, only you warriors can protect the villagers. If you were to die, everything else would be meaningless."

"This... Thank you! If it weren’t for all of you, our Snow Rock Village..." The middle-aged Martial Artist cupped his fist respectfully, his voice filled with emotion.

Luo Feng smiled faintly. "Earlier, you could have fled the village, but you chose to return. It wasn’t just me who saved the village; you all played your part."

Hearing this, the nearby Martial Artists were visibly moved. Given Luo Feng’s strength, they wouldn’t have objected even if he had taken all the credit. Yet, Luo Feng didn’t take credit for himself, which deepened their respect for him.

With the immediate threat of the Underground Demons gone, everyone seized the chance to rest, occasionally conversing in low voices. Their topics revolved around the sudden appearance of the Underground Demons and, invariably, Luo Feng.

Luo Feng had initially been concerned about the possible appearance of more Demon Beasts or Underground Demons, but it remained surprisingly peaceful. This wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Demon Beasts in the nearby mountain forests had mostly been killed or scattered by the Underground Demons. Those that escaped were now hidden in fear, not daring to show themselves even if tempted by the prospect of an easy meal.

A joss stick’s worth of time later, Bing Ruolan and He Qin had recovered most of their Yuan Qi and emerged from their meditation.

"Let’s go. We need to pick up the pace and try to reach Sky Frost City before nightfall," Luo Feng urged, noting the fading daylight.

By now, everyone saw Luo Feng as their pillar of support. Hearing his words, they all rose and set off towards Sky Frost City.

The sun gradually dipped below the western horizon. Along the way, Luo Feng’s group faced several more attacks from Underground Demons. However, these were only small contingents, easily dispatched by the trio before they could even get close.

During their journey, a slender figure approached Luo Feng. It was He Qin.

"He Qin, is something the matter?" Luo Feng asked with a smile, noticing her hesitant expression.

He Qin nodded slightly. "The Yi Tian that Xu Zhan mentioned earlier—is he the Princely Heir of Azure Cloud Marquis, one of the six great King Marquises?"

Luo Feng was surprised He Qin knew of Yi Tian. He nodded. "That’s him."

"Do you have a vendetta against him?" He Qin’s beautiful eyes studied Luo Feng. Ten thousand second-grade Yuan Stones is no small sum. For Yi Tian to offer such a reward for Luo Feng’s life, the enmity between them must be significant.

Luo Feng shook his head, frowning. "We’ve only met once. Last time, at Sky Cloud Valley, he wanted to recruit me, and I refused."

"Just for that?" He Qin’s delicate brows knitted together.

Luo Feng gave a wry smile. "Yes, just for that."

Hearing this, a chill flickered in He Qin’s beautiful eyes. "That man is incredibly arrogant."

Luo Feng nodded. He also hadn’t expected Yi Tian to be so petty and narrow-minded, wanting him dead merely for a refusal.

Yi Tian’s objective must be the Sword Heart Heaven Jade. I hope Yue Haitang is alright... The thought flashed through Luo Feng’s mind, and his brow furrowed slightly. He decided that after escorting these villagers to Sky Frost City, he would go find Yue Haitang.

Seeing the grim expression on Luo Feng’s face, He Qin thought for a moment before saying, "Luo Feng, don’t worry excessively. Although he’s a Princely Heir, he can’t control everything. Once you become a disciple of the Twelve Golden Palaces, even a King Marquis cannot slight you when they meet you."

Luo Feng smiled bitterly inwardly; He Qin had misunderstood. This wasn’t the first time he had offended a Princely Heir. "Don’t worry," he said, not explaining further, "I have it under control."

"You always appear to have everything under control," He Qin said, looking at him, "but some things in this world can’t be solved by one person alone. If you ever need help, you can always come to me..." She then added, her expression carefully neutral, "I only say this because I want to repay you for helping me comprehend Sword Intent."

Luo Feng nodded, glancing at He Qin. "It’s rare to see you smile," he teased.

A flicker of surprise crossed He Qin’s eyes. "How did you know I was smiling?"

Luo Feng stroked his chin. "Intuition."

He Qin’s red lips twitched slightly. Luo Feng observed, "That’s a wry smile."

He Qin stiffened, her cheeks warming slightly. She averted her gaze from Luo Feng. "I’ll go check if there are any Underground Demons at the rear." With that, she turned and hurried away.

Was my smile really that obvious? After walking a short distance, He Qin’s slender fingers touched her cheek. Her childhood experiences had conditioned her to rarely show her inner emotions to others. This was the first time anyone had ever commented on her smile.

As she tried to muster a smile, He Qin suddenly noticed the slightly surprised expressions of some nearby villagers.

"Are you alright, dear?" a middle-aged woman asked with concern, looking at her.

He Qin paused, her expression quickly returning to normal. She shook her head. "I’m fine." Then, she turned and strode towards the rear of the group.

"Why was the pretty big sister crying just now?" the child in the woman’s arms suddenly asked.

Hearing this, He Qin’s steps faltered for an instant before she quickened her pace.

The sun sank in the west, painting the sky with vibrant, blood-red hues from the evening glow. This contrasted sharply with the undulating, snow-covered mountain forests, creating a scene of breathtaking, vivid beauty. The group of over three hundred people trudged along the snow-laden mountain path. Suddenly, a vast, snow-covered plain appeared in their vision.

"We’ve reached the Frosted Plain!" Ye Qin exclaimed, her eyes shining at the sight of the silver expanse, her voice tinged with excitement. "Everyone, push on! We’re almost at Sky Frost City!"

"We’re at the Frosted Plain! That means Sky Frost City is close!"

"Sky Frost City has many Martial Artists and the City Lord’s guard for protection. We’ll be safe once we get there!"

Hearing these exclamations, the villagers’ spirits lifted, and some were so overjoyed they began to weep. Luo Feng’s gaze, however, did not relax in the slightest; instead, it grew even more intense.

His powerful Soul Power allowed him to sense countless strong auras concealed within the wind and snow of the distant plain. Moreover, he could see numerous small black dots high in the sky.

Sky Flying Demons...