CHAPTER 440: CHAPTER 438: BIRTHDAY BANQUET

"Look, it’s Elder Liu Ming!"

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd, all eyes turning towards the figure that had suddenly appeared.

Standing there was a middle-aged martial artist. Intense fury twisted his features, and his body radiated a potent, chilling, ice-cold killing intent.

"Elder Liu Ming reached the late stage of the Heavenly Court Realm several years ago. I heard he’s been in secluded cultivation recently, preparing to break through to the peak of the Heavenly Court Realm. His strength within the Duanmu Family ranks in the top five!"

Feeling the aura emanating from the middle-aged martial artist, the surrounding experts felt a stifling pressure. The aura this man exuded was far superior to Duanmu Lei’s, like a towering, steep peak. His sharp presence alone, with just a glance, could make one’s scalp tingle.

Hearing the surrounding conversation, Luo Feng’s gaze sharpened. So, an expert from the Duanmu Family has finally appeared, he thought.

"That’s right, I killed him. If you want revenge, make your move." Luo Feng stood his ground, calmly nodding in response to the Duanmu Family elder’s aggressive stare.

"You’re courting death!"

The middle-aged elder roared angrily, his body agile as a cheetah as he pounced towards Luo Feng, slashing out an azure claw of Gang Qi in mid-air.

Luo Feng’s eyes glinted sharply. With a light tap of his foot, his figure elegantly drifted backward.

BOOM!

The ground where Luo Feng had just stood collapsed, shattering in layers to reveal five ghastly cracks. The shockwave even rippled out, affecting nearby onlookers.

Cries of alarm rose from all around as the crowd hastily retreated, terrified of being caught in the aftermath. Their hearts pounded with astonishment. The power of the opponent’s claw Gang Qi was tyrannical and ferocious, far exceeding that of an ordinary late-stage Heavenly Court Realm martial artist. He was likely just one step away from reaching the peak of the realm!

"Luo Feng is in trouble now." "What a pity for such a genius to fall here today." "A genius who hasn’t fully matured is no genius at all." Seeing Luo Feng only able to dodge the Duanmu Family elder’s attacks, the nearby martial artists looked on with expressions of regret.

"Boy, don’t even think of escaping!" The Duanmu Family elder’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice thick with killing intent. With a furious roar, he shot into mid-air, unleashing thirty-six azure claw shadows in quick succession. Each shadow, like a small mountain, bore down, completely sealing off Luo Feng’s position.

CRACK!

A shattering sound echoed as the ground, unable to withstand the immense pressure from the claw shadows, began to spiderweb with fissures. The sight made the hearts of the surrounding spectators pound in terror. If those claw shadows landed on someone, they thought, wouldn’t they be torn to shreds?

The fierce gale stirred up by the claw shadows made Luo Feng’s robes whip about noisily, yet he himself stood like a steadfast boulder, rooted to the spot, utterly unmoved.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, Luo Feng’s aura abruptly surged. He was like an unsheathed treasured sword, sharp and unstoppable, as he thrust out a punch. "Tyrant Flame Return Wind!"

A thick, crimson fist aura shot straight upward, stirring the surrounding airflow and coalescing into a massive fiery tornado. Accompanied by violent sonic booms, it surged towards the thirty-six claw shadows.

BOOM!

Amidst the deafening explosion, the fist aura instantly devoured every last one of the claw shadows that filled the sky. Tangible shockwaves rippled out in all directions.

"Impossible!" The Duanmu Family elder’s eyes widened in utter disbelief. His Sky Gang Claw, a low-grade Profound Level martial art, had actually been shattered so easily!

"Die." Luo Feng’s eyes were piercing. With a flicker of his body, he appeared before the Duanmu Family elder and threw a vicious punch.

BOOM!

The Protective Gang Energy around the Duanmu Family elder shattered. The punch landed squarely on his Dantian. With a sickening pop, a torrent of blood spewed from his mouth as he was slammed violently to the ground.

"You... you’ve crippled my cultivation..." Pointing at Luo Feng, the Duanmu Family elder stammered, his lips trembling as he cried out in alarm. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t been able to withstand a single blow, and even less that Luo Feng had actually dared to cripple his cultivation.

SPURT!

Overwhelmed by agitation, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he fainted.

"I’ll let you live. From now on, you’ll just be a cripple." Luo Feng glanced at the fallen elder, his expression indifferent. Even Cangxuan couldn’t withstand this punch of mine, he thought, let alone a mere late-stage Heavenly Court Realm martial artist.

Glancing ahead, Luo Feng muttered to himself, "Six more left."

Back in Dayang City, he had learned from Duanmu Ji that the Duanmu Family currently had nine Heavenly Court Realm experts. Excluding Cangxuan, Duanmu Lei, and now this Duanmu Family elder, there were indeed six remaining.

Taking a shallow breath, Luo Feng’s eyes turned sharp, and he dashed deeper into the Duanmu Family estate. Although his Yuan Qi was more abundant than an ordinary person’s, it wasn’t inexhaustible. He had to end this quickly.

Watching Luo Feng depart, the surrounding Duanmu Family guards trembled all over in fear, not daring to emerge and try to stop him. Even a Family Elder had been defeated by him with a single punch; how could they possibly muster the courage to confront him?

The surroundings fell into an eerie silence. Even long after Luo Feng’s figure disappeared, no one spoke.

Much later, a leader of one of the forces took a deep breath and exclaimed with emotion, "So strong!"

"He’s also at the late stage of the Heavenly Court Realm, yet he won with a single punch! How can his fist technique be so terrifying?"

"He has comprehended the Grand Momentum. That’s likely the reason."

"Mm, very likely. The Grand Momentum can amplify the power of a martial artist’s techniques. In that case, below the peak of the Heavenly Court Realm, probably no one is his opponent. Throughout the entire Duanmu Family, there are few who could stop him."

"Indeed. The Duanmu Family is destined for a bloodbath today."

"Quick, let’s go! Luo Feng is heading for Wind Bathing Square! A huge battle is probably going to erupt there!"

The people around chattered excitedly as they rushed towards Wind Bathing Square.

By now, no one still believed Luo Feng’s ascent of Green Wood Peak was a suicidal act. Instead, they felt a sense of anticipation, wondering what earth-shattering changes would unfold on Green Wood Peak today.

「Inside the Duanmu Family estate, Wind Bathing Square.」

The square was vast, measuring a full fifteen hundred paces in both length and width, and capable of holding ten thousand people. Lakes encircled it, with eight magnificent bridges spanning the water like soaring dragons.

At this moment, Wind Bathing Square was bustling with people—all prominent figures from the vicinity of Green Wood Peak.

"Family Head Duanmu, congratulations, congratulations!"

"Family Head Duanmu, may you live as long as the Southern Border!"

"Family Head Duanmu, your son is truly outstanding! He’s surely destined to be a great power in the future."

In the square, numerous leaders of major factions and influential figures of the martial world rose one after another, offering their congratulations towards one direction.

In that direction stood a middle-aged man with stern brows and an imposing build. With every flicker of his eyes, an overwhelming dominance emanated from him, and he possessed an indescribable aura. This was none other than Duanmu Xiao, the current Family Head of the Duanmu Family. Duanmu Yu stood by his side.

"Hehe, today is my humble birthday banquet. I am grateful to all of you for gracing me with your presence, traveling such long distances to Green Wood Peak." Duanmu Xiao, his face wreathed in smiles, cupped his fists in salute to the surrounding crowd.

"Family Head Duanmu, you are too kind! Your invitation is an honor to us."

"Indeed! The Duanmu Family is one of the six great families of the Flowing Cloud Region. To be able to come and celebrate the Family Head’s birthday brings us great prestige!"

A smile touched Duanmu Xiao’s lips; he even momentarily forgot the troubles that had plagued him for the past few days. He was very pleased with the atmosphere. He believed that after today, the Duanmu Family’s standing in the Flowing Cloud Region would be further solidified. If he could foster good relations with the leaders of the forces present, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Duanmu Family to one day surpass the other great families.

The entire square was filled with a joyous and harmonious atmosphere. Just as Duanmu Xiao was about to announce the start of the birthday banquet, a sudden uproar erupted from the direction of the estate gates.

"Hmm? What’s happening?" Duanmu Xiao looked towards the estate gates, his thick eyebrows knitting slightly. Those present, noticing the shift in atmosphere, gradually fell silent.

"Father, it’s probably just some reckless fool trying to sneak in who got caught. With Elder Liu Ming over there, there’s nothing to worry about," Duanmu Yu said.

Duanmu Xiao nodded, but his brow remained furrowed. For the past few days, he had been feeling restless, with a persistent premonition that something was about to occur.

"Family Head Duanmu, what happened?" a guest asked.

Duanmu Xiao turned, gestured for quiet, and said with a hearty laugh, "It’s nothing serious, just some petty miscreant trying to sneak in. I’ve already sent people to deal with it. There’s no need for anyone to worry."

His words had barely faded when, from a distant bridge, a guard suddenly came rushing over.

"Family Head, something terrible has happened!" The guard rushed before Duanmu Xiao and dropped to his knees with a thud.

All eyes in Wind Bathing Square converged on them. The guard was drenched in blood, his expression one of utter panic. A grim thought arose in everyone’s mind: It seems something truly terrible has happened.

"Panicking like this, have you no sense of decorum!" Duanmu Yu glared furiously at the guard. He was enraged that such a disgraceful incident had occurred with so many distinguished guests present.

Duanmu Xiao glanced at the guard, his brow deeply furrowed, and asked, "What happened?"

"Family Head, Luo Feng... he’s fought his way in!" the guard stammered, trembling.

"What!?"

The entire Wind Bathing Square plunged into an eerie silence. This sudden news sent shockwave after shockwave through the minds of everyone present.

Luo Feng attacking Green Wood Peak? What kind of joke is this?! In many hearts, this news felt utterly absurd.

"Luo Feng attacked Green Wood Peak? How is that possible! Only a fool would believe such a thing." In a corner of the square, a one-armed youth in purple robes shook his head. As he spoke Luo Feng’s name, an involuntary, savage grin touched his lips, and his eyes flashed with a biting coldness.

This person was Wan Feng, also known as the Thunderbolt Spear, who had suffered a crushing defeat at Luo Feng’s hands during the New Talents Tournament.

Sitting opposite Wan Feng was Zhao Hanshan, the Dean of Wanluo School.

Hearing Wan Feng’s words, Zhao Hanshan remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Others might not dare, but that young man... it’s quite possible he truly would dare to attack Green Wood Peak."

Wan Feng was stunned. He glanced at his severed right arm, his expression darkening as he snorted coldly. "If it really is him, I swear I’ll take his damn life myself and avenge my arm!"

Zhao Hanshan looked at Wan Feng, whose face was contorted with hatred, shook his head slightly, and sighed inwardly. At the New Talents Tournament, Wanluo School had been utterly disgraced because of Luo Feng. How could he not have wished for Wan Feng to defeat Luo Feng and reclaim their honor? But having heard the rumors surrounding Luo Feng, he no longer believed Wan Feng stood any chance of victory.