Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 439 - 437: Encountering Duanmu Lei Again

Chapter 439: Chapter 437: Encountering Duanmu Lei Again
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH...
Arrows flew like a plague of locusts, blanketing the sky. Their immense power created clearly visible shockwaves in the air.
Martial Artists in the square exclaimed and retreated hastily, fearing they would be caught in the indiscriminate volley.
These were Crane Wing Tiger Head Crossbows, lethal weapons that even a martial artist in the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm could not afford to ignore.
A cold smirk touched Luo Feng’s lips. Faced with the shower of arrows, he neither retreated nor dodged. His aura suddenly intensified, and a crimson fist shadow shot straight up.
BOOM!
The overwhelming volley of arrows was scattered by the ferocious power of his fist. Some were even ignited by its scorching heat, transforming into balls of fire that vanished completely in an instant. The aftershock of his fist qi even caused several guards on the city wall to spit blood.
"
What domineering fist energy! It can affect a ten-zhang radius. How profound must his Yuan Qi be to achieve such a feat?
"
"
This person must be Luo Feng, the foremost new talent. Rumor has it he defeated a young master-level expert at Red Maple Ridge. His cultivation has probably already broken through to the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm.
"
"
The Ninth Heavenly Court Realm! Considering his age, his potential is truly terrifying.
"
The onlookers in the square, all leaders of influential groups near Green Wood Peak, possessed sharp discernment and immediately recognized the extraordinary power of Luo Feng’s fist technique.
The Duanmu Family guards on the city wall were even more astounded, their faces ashen, the hands holding their crossbows trembling slightly.
The young man before them had remained unscathed under such a dense barrage of arrows; his strength was unbelievable.
Luo Feng paid no mind to their shocked expressions, took a step forward, and entered the estate.
"Luo Feng has gone in."
"I never expected him to actually dare to come to Green Wood Peak."
"The Duanmu Family issued a clan-wide kill order for him long ago; they are irreconcilable enemies. For him to come now, does he intend to take on the entire Duanmu Family by himself?"
"It seems likely. Today is Duanmu Xiao’s fortieth birthday. For him to choose this specific day to come, he must have ulterior motives."
"Humph! This fellow is truly overestimating himself. So what if he’s the foremost new talent and has reached the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm? Before the Duanmu Family, he’s less than nothing. This is simply courting death!"
Seeing Luo Feng’s figure disappear beyond the main gate, the nearby crowd erupted in discussion. Some leaders of factions on good terms with the Duanmu Family all believed that Luo Feng’s trip to Green Wood Peak would be a one-way journey.
Luo Feng possessed formidable Soul Power, so these discussions reached his ears word for word.
He paid them no heed. Facts were the best refutation. After today, these people would naturally understand how foolish their current thoughts were.
The Duanmu Family’s defenses were extremely strict. The moment Luo Feng stepped into the estate, squads of guards in gleaming armor, exuding profound auras, immediately moved to surround and attack him.
Luo Feng paid them no mind, punching his way deeper into the estate. Any guard who dared to block his path was sent flying and spitting blood after a single exchange. His formidable strength left the leaders of the various powers attending the birthday banquet utterly speechless.
However, he encountered no core members of the Duanmu Family along the way. It seemed they were busy preparing for the birthday banquet.
"Where are Duanmu Xiao and the others?" Luo Feng, not wanting to waste any more time on these underlings, grabbed a guard and demanded coldly.
"The Family Head and the others are over there in Wind Bathing Square," the guard said, pointing shakily towards the center of the valley.
BANG!
Luo Feng glanced into the valley, then casually tossed the guard onto a rockery more than ten meters away. He then executed Teng Dragon’s Step and dashed towards the center of the valley.
WHOOSH!
He had only run a dozen meters when he suddenly heard a faint sound of something cutting through the air. A chilling murderous intent whistled towards him from behind.
Frowning slightly, Luo Feng didn’t turn. His figure flashed, leaving an afterimage as he reappeared ten paces away.
The sound of footsteps echoed as a young man, flanked by several guards, strode forward from the front.
Luo Feng raised his gaze to the youth, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The youth was none other than Duanmu Lei, whom he had defeated in Black Mountain Town the previous day.
"Are you Luo Feng, the one who crippled Duanmu Yu’s arm?" Duanmu Lei sized up Luo Feng, a playful look on his face, his words laced with disdain.
When those nearby saw Duanmu Lei appear, their eyes lit up.
Duanmu Lei was an outstanding expert among the younger generation of the Duanmu Family. Not yet twenty years old, he had already reached the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm. Furthermore, because his father was an elder in the Golden Palace, the Martial Arts he cultivated were far from ordinary, and his strength was considerable.
Everyone wanted to see which of the two young prodigies was stronger.
"That’s right."
Luo Feng looked at Duanmu Lei and rubbed his nose.
He just took off his mask, and the guy didn’t even recognize him. His powers of observation are truly terrible.
When Duanmu Lei saw Luo Feng admit it, a smile appeared on his face. He and Duanmu Yu were like fire and water; he felt no resentment about Luo Feng crippling Duanmu Yu’s arm—in fact, he was somewhat grateful.
"You’ve got guts, truly worthy of being the one who dared to cripple Duanmu Yu. If it were any other day, I might have let you become my servant."
Duanmu Lei smiled faintly, then looking at Luo Feng, a cruel smirk suddenly touched his lips. "Unfortunately, I’m not in a very good mood today. Will you surrender obediently, or must I make a move myself?"
Duanmu Lei had been nearby and rushed over when he heard the commotion.
Yesterday, he had lost track of the masked youth, which had infuriated the Family Head, and his own position in the family had become precarious. If things continued this way, his desire to ascend to the Family Head’s seat would be nothing but a pipe dream.
Duanmu Lei was just wondering how to make amends when he heard that Luo Feng, the one with a family kill order on his head, had broken into Green Wood Peak. He was instantly overjoyed.
If I can capture Luo Feng, I’ll definitely be able to make up for my mistake and restore my prestige within the family!
"Let’s see what you’ve got," Luo Feng said, shaking his head indifferently, unaware why Duanmu Lei was so pleased to see him.
"Since you insist, I’ll have to let you experience my, Duanmu Lei’s, methods."
Duanmu Lei sneered. The airflow around his body suddenly intensified, and a whirlwind erupted. He formed his straightened palm into a blade and slashed through the air at Luo Feng.
Instantly, sand and stones flew, and a chilling killing intent permeated the surrounding space.
"It’s Young Master Lei’s Shadowless splitting slash!"
The nearby Duanmu Family guards recognized the Martial Arts technique Duanmu Lei was using. Excitement showed on their faces, and their gazes, fixed on Luo Feng, turned somewhat malevolent.
They had seen Duanmu Lei practice and were deeply impressed by the power of this Shadowless splitting slash. They all wanted to see Luo Feng dismembered by the myriad blades.
However, an unexpected scene unfolded.
Luo Feng suddenly stomped his foot. A vast surge of Yuan Qi immediately erupted from underground. The ground roiled violently like waves, completely neutralizing Duanmu Lei’s attack.
"You!"
Duanmu Lei’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t understand how Luo Feng knew the weakness of his Shadowless splitting slash.
Luo Feng didn’t give him much time to be astonished. With a leap, his figure instantly appeared before Duanmu Lei. A thick, crimson pillar of fire erupted from his right fist, carrying a deafening roar as it shot towards Duanmu Lei like a fiery meteor.
Duanmu Lei turned pale with fright, desperately channeling the Yuan Qi in his body to resist the fist’s force.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of thunderous explosions rang out. Under Duanmu Lei’s horrified gaze, the crimson fist aura heavily struck his Protective Gang Energy.
PUH!
His Protective Gang Energy shattered. Duanmu Lei’s clothes instantly exploded, and he, now a bloody figure, was sent flying backward.
Furthermore, the few guards standing behind Duanmu Lei were caught by the aftershock of the fist aura. They all screamed, spat blood, and were sent flying.
BOOM!
Duanmu Lei flew back more than ten meters, smashing a large crater into the ground.
"You... You are..." Pointing at Luo Feng, Duanmu Lei’s eyes widened as he continuously coughed up blood, his expression one of utter horror.
In his vision, Luo Feng’s figure began to overlap with the masked youth from yesterday, eventually merging into one.
At this moment, Duanmu Lei finally understood: the person who had defeated him in Black Mountain Town yesterday was none other than the Luo Feng standing before him now.
"You finally understand, but it’s too late. You won’t be as fortunate today as you were yesterday."
Luo Feng walked step by step towards Duanmu Lei, a cold sneer on his face.
Duanmu Lei’s expression changed drastically. He glared fiercely at Luo Feng and said in a quavering voice, trying to sound tough, "You want to kill me? Luo Feng, my father is the elder brother of the Duanmu Family Head and an elder of the Golden Palace! If you dare to kill me, your entire family will be annihilated!"
"Is that so? Then you can go to hell."
Luo Feng’s expression grew even colder. With a casual punch, he fiercely struck Duanmu Lei’s chest.
CRACK!
The distinct sound of bones cracking echoed. Duanmu Lei coughed out his last breath, his widening eyes fixedly staring at Luo Feng.
Until the moment of his death, he couldn’t believe Luo Feng actually dared to kill him!
Luo Feng looked at Duanmu Lei’s gradually dilating pupils, shook his head coldly, and said indifferently, "From the moment your family decided to act against mine, today’s outcome was already determined. To think of begging for your life only now—how naive!"
The surroundings suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Everyone looked at Duanmu Lei’s corpse on the ground, then their gazes shifted to Luo Feng, their expressions repeatedly shocked.
Duanmu Lei, defeated in a single move and killed by Luo Feng with a single punch!
If they hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, no one present would believe it was true.
"This Luo Feng is so domineering! He actually dared to kill Duanmu Lei. Duanmuya had Duanmu Lei late in life, and he was the apple of his eye. Now that Luo Feng has killed him, Duanmuya will definitely not let him off!"
"However, this Luo Feng’s strength is also too formidable. Duanmu Lei was a champion among the younger generation of the Duanmu Family, yet he couldn’t even block a single move from him."
"Mm. He’s also already at the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm. Truly incredible."
"I never thought we’d witness such a good show coming to Duanmu Xiao’s birthday banquet. I wonder to what extent this Luo Feng can stir things up."
The scene before them made everyone’s gaze turn solemn. They all recognized that Luo Feng’s strength was not to be underestimated.
"Young Master Lei!"
A startled cry suddenly erupted nearby. Amidst a sharp whistling sound of wind, a figure appeared a hundred paces away.
WHOOSH!
The figure moved extremely fast, crossing the hundred-pace distance in the blink of an eye and landing beside Duanmu Lei. With a casual wave of his hand, he lifted Duanmu Lei from the ground.
A moment later, the figure laid Duanmu Lei down, his expression turning incredibly grim; Duanmu Lei was no longer breathing.
Raising his head, the figure directed a gaze filled with murderous intent at Luo Feng. "You killed him?"