Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 682 - 680: Die at the Hands of a Woman

"Lanyu, why have you returned?" Luo Feng looked somewhat surprised.

The slender figure standing before Luo Feng wore a blue dress. Her figure was exquisite, and her delicate, picturesque features held a hint of heroic spirit. It was indeed Lanyu, who had just departed.

"Are you so surprised that I came looking for you?"

Lanyu’s clear, crystalline eyes fell upon Luo Feng. Her rosy lips curved slightly upward, her smile captivating and alluring.

Meeting Lanyu’s direct gaze, Luo Feng smiled. "Indeed, it’s a bit surprising. Where are Lu Qing and the others?"

"They’ve already left."

Looking at Luo Feng’s clear eyes, Lanyu pursed her red lips and gracefully advanced until she stopped just a step away from him. Her beautiful eyes seemed hazy as she said, "I came alone. I have a private matter I wish to discuss with you."

At this moment, the two were nearly close enough to touch. Luo Feng could even detect a faint, sweet fragrance emanating from Lanyu. Facing the beautiful woman before him, his heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Feng regained his composure and asked, "What is it?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Lanyu’s eyes, and a charming smile graced her pretty face. Her red lips parted slightly as she slowly began, "It’s just..."

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed within her gentle, captivating eyes. A torrent of air swirled around Lanyu, and without any warning, she threw a punch at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng’s brow furrowed, but he remained unperturbed. He blocked the punch with his palm and asked coldly, "Lanyu, what do you think you’re doing?"

Seeing her punch had no effect, Lanyu flipped her body and leaped lightly into the air. She held her right hand, fingers pointing upward, before her brow, a surging, sharp aura emanating from her eyes.

"Fierce Tiger Descending into the Valley!"

A tiger’s roar suddenly echoed as Lanyu seemed to transform into a fierce tiger, attacking with a palm strike. The immense force of the air currents whipped Luo Feng’s hair about his forehead and caused the ground beneath to crumble inch by inch.

HUM!

A crystalline layer of Gang Qi radiated from Luo Feng.

BANG!

Lanyu’s strike landed, causing the Gang Qi to distort and warp. The powerful impact sent large cracks spiderwebbing across the surrounding ground.

Luo Feng gave Lanyu no further opportunity to strike, grabbing her right fist and stating gravely, "Lanyu, you had better give me an explanation. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He didn’t sense any killing intent from Lanyu, and she should understand that she was no match for him. So why attack him so suddenly?

Lanyu landed, looked at Luo Feng, blinked her enchanting eyes, and giggled. "Senior Brother, you truly live up to your name as the foremost Martial Champion. Lanyu concedes defeat."

Senior Brother... Luo Feng was startled, his eyes lighting up. "Fierce Tiger Descending into the Valley is a move from the Tiger Roar Fist. Are you a student of the Purple Sun School?"

Only after calming down did Luo Feng recall that the fist technique Lanyu had just employed was indeed a Martial Art from the Purple Sun School: the Tiger Roar Fist!

Lanyu nodded. "Five years ago, I was cultivating at the Purple Sun School. Unfortunately, my aptitude wasn’t high, and I was eliminated in my second year after joining Yuangang Hall. Now, I can only be a Loose Cultivator in the Jianghu."

Luo Feng was pleased to meet a fellow student here and asked, "How did you recognize me?"

A smile touched Lanyu’s red lips. "Because of Teng Dragon’s Step. I tried to cultivate that Martial Art technique back then, but I never succeeded."

"I see." Luo Feng nodded. When Teng Dragon’s Step was performed, Gang Qi would manifest as a flying dragon. Anyone who had read the Secret Manual should be able to recognize it.

Lanyu looked at Luo Feng with admiration and envy. "Senior Brother, you’re incredible for being able to cultivate Teng Dragon’s Step to the fifth stage, the Ten Dragon Level. I heard that in the past ten years, only Lu Xiao Yun, currently one of the Ten New Dragons, has barely managed to cultivate Teng Dragon’s Step to the first stage."

Luo Feng smiled faintly. "This isn’t the school. You can just call me by my name."

Lanyu nodded, glanced at Luo Feng, and smiled. "Luo Feng, how long are you planning to hold my hand?"

Luo Feng was taken aback, only then realizing he was still gripping Lanyu’s hand. He immediately released it, saying with some awkwardness, "Sorry."

Noticing Luo Feng’s slightly flustered expression, a peculiar light flashed in Lanyu’s beautiful eyes, and she chuckled inwardly. At this moment, Luo Feng finally seemed like a teenager.

"There are only about twenty days left until your life-and-death duel with Yi Tian, right?"

Luo Feng touched his nose. "You know about this too?"

"Of course." Lanyu rolled her eyes at Luo Feng. "Your sudden emergence as the foremost Martial Champion has already caused quite a stir. Moreover, your opponent this time is Yi Tian, a master on the New Dragon List, and he’s also a Princely Heir. This affair has created a huge sensation throughout the Canglang Dynasty; even several neighboring countries of the Dali Dynasty have heard about it."

Luo Feng was somewhat surprised. The impact of this matter was far greater than he had imagined.

Seeing Luo Feng remain silent, Lanyu assumed he was worried about the duel and said, "I’ve decided to wager everything I have on you. You absolutely cannot lose this duel."

Hearing this, Luo Feng looked at Lanyu gratefully and smiled. "Rest assured, I definitely won’t let you lose your entire stake."

A strange glint flickered in Lanyu’s eyes. While Luo Feng was indeed strong, Yi Tian was a Martial Artist at the fifth level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm who could cultivate Cultivation Techniques. Even for peak Martial Artists at the fourth level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, the gap to the fifth level was an insurmountable chasm. She hadn’t expected Luo Feng to be so confident, with no trace of doubt in his eyes.

She chuckled. "Then I shall wait and see."

"Could you keep my identity a secret for me?" Luo Feng didn’t want to reveal his identity yet to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Mm-hm." Lanyu nodded, looked at Luo Feng, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward. Her enticing, rosy lips lightly brushed against Luo Feng’s.

Feeling the wonderful sensation on his lips, Luo Feng was stunned.

By then, Lanyu had already stepped back, a rare blush gracing her pretty face. Seeing Luo Feng’s astonished expression, she smiled. "This is just a small token of gratitude for saving my life earlier. I don’t particularly like impetuous young men like you."

Luo Feng gave a wry smile. Lanyu certainly was direct.

Lanyu giggled. "They are still waiting for me, so I should get going."

She took two steps, then suddenly stopped and looked back at Luo Feng. "When you have your life-and-death battle with Yi Tian, I’ll be in the Imperial City to cheer you on. Take care of yourself."

With those words, Lanyu quickly departed.

Watching Lanyu’s retreating figure, Luo Feng pursed his lips.

Feeling the lingering sweet scent on his lips, Luo Feng shook his head, executed Teng Dragon’s Step, and sped deeper into the forest.

「Around noon, under the blazing sun and a clear blue sky, Luo Feng sat cross-legged on a cliff in the Red Dragon Mountain Range.」

After two hours of searching, Luo Feng had found this secluded cliff, a place seldom visited. He planned to cultivate here for the time being.

The cliff was crescent-shaped, with a dense, dark red mist swirling below. From a distance, it resembled a sea of blood, eerie yet magnificent.

"Twenty-three days left until the appointed time..." Looking at the vast sea of clouds, Luo Feng exhaled a turbid breath. With his current strength, he was confident he could defeat peak Martial Artists in the Spiritual Rotation Realm. However, if he faced a Martial Artist at the fifth level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, defeat was certain. His greatest reliance now was Divine Dragon Nine Changes, but Martial Artists at the fifth level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm could also cultivate Cultivation Techniques. There was still a long way to go to defeat Yi Tian.

Shaking his head, Luo Feng cleared the chaotic thoughts from his mind. With more than half a month remaining, if he focused entirely on cultivation, his strength should improve further.

Averting his gaze, Luo Feng took out the storage ring he had obtained from Qiu Yue and probed it with his Soul Power.

Within the ten-cubic-meter space, there weren’t many items. Besides some valuables, there were some Yuan Stones, mostly Grade 1, with only a few hundred Grade 2 Yuan Stones.

Luo Feng paid little attention to these items, scanning other areas instead. In a hidden corner, he discovered a foot-long sandalwood box.

With a thought, Luo Feng retrieved the sandalwood box.

Opening it, Luo Feng’s eyes lit up, and a joyful expression appeared on his face. "So it was here after all!"

Inside the box lay a Secret Manual. On its cover, three golden characters, written with flourishes like dancing dragons and phoenixes, read: Sky Cloud Step!

Taking a deep breath, Luo Feng opened the Secret Manual to the first page.

"Sky Cloud Step, Earth-Level Low-Grade Light Martial Art, divided into nine stages. Upon reaching the third stage, one can execute the ’Step of Sky-Burning Monarch.’ The Yuan Qi flame of the Step of Sky-Burning Monarch is divided into three levels: red flame, dark red flame, and golden flame. For every three stages of advancement in the Martial Art, the Yuan Qi flame can be upgraded by one level. Upon reaching the highest level, Spiritual Golden Flame, Yuan Gang will condense; a single step can shatter mountains and incinerate rivers."

Earth-Level Martial Art! Looking at the Secret Manual in his hands, Luo Feng, despite his usual composure, couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath, his face alight with pleasant surprise.

He had initially assumed Sky Cloud Step was merely a top-tier Profound Level Martial Art, never expecting it to be an Earth-Level Martial Art! This far exceeded his expectations.

An Earth-Level Martial Arts manual was something even the twelve Golden Palace elders would fight to the death for.

No wonder Qiu Yue was so fast. Luckily, he had only cultivated Sky Cloud Step to the red flame level, and the power of his Step of Sky-Burning Monarch was limited. Otherwise, I would probably have been the one to lose today.

Looking at the Secret Manual in his hand, Luo Feng felt a wave of relief.

It was widely known that the difference in power between Profound Level and Earth-Level Martial Arts was immense. If Qiu Yue’s Sky Cloud Step had been even one stage more advanced, it would have been impossible for me, even with Divine Dragon Nine Changes, to escape unscathed.

This Earth-Level Light Martial Art should be usable even up to the True Yuan Realm. If I can successfully cultivate it, my strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds!

Since practicing Teng Dragon’s Step, Luo Feng had reaped numerous benefits. If his Qinggong cultivation was high, he could contend even with opponents stronger than himself. This Sky Cloud Step was truly a timely boon.

Smiling, Luo Feng contentedly put the Secret Manual away.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. He planned to first practice the Golden Crow Great Annihilation Saber Technique and improve his Cultivation through the Divine Dragon Nine Changes Cultivation Technique. As for Sky Cloud Step, an Earth-Level Martial Art was surely not easy to cultivate. He could only shelve it temporarily and work on it later.

「Red Valley City, at the Blood Roar Adventure Group’s headquarters.」

"No...!"

Faint cries and pleas for help drifted from an exquisite pavilion.

Hearing the sounds, two Martial Artists of the Blood Roar Adventure Group, standing guard outside the pavilion, shook their heads helplessly.

"Another one is being defiled," the older middle-aged Martial Artist sighed.

"Brother Chu, why did the Commander bring back such a scoundrel! Several women in our group have already suffered at his hands. The man is worse than an animal!" the younger Martial Artist fumed, filled with righteous indignation.

"Shh!" The older Martial Artist made a hushing gesture, glanced at the pavilion, and seeing no movement, breathed a sigh of relief. "Keep your voice down! Liu Yuan is an early fifth-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist. If he hears you, you’re dead."

The older Martial Artist cautioned, then lowered his voice. "There’s nothing we can do. Our Blood Roar Adventure Group’s influence is gradually expanding; we need an expert at the fifth level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm to maintain our standing. This Liu Yuan, also known in the Jianghu as ’Blood Yin Sword,’ is infamous for his lecherous nature. For him to become a Retainer in our Blood Roar Adventure Group, the Commander must have promised him certain conditions. So, it’s best we turn a blind eye and not meddle."

Hearing the cries for help from the pavilion, the younger Martial Artist gritted his teeth. "I just can’t stand it! I hope he dies from his own depravity!"