Only after killing Xue Ren with a single stroke did Luo Feng finally exhale, the intense killing intent that had pervaded his body finally dissipating.

ROAR!

At that moment, a mournful beastly roar resounded. The Lion-faced Beast, whose legs Luo Feng had just severed, suddenly rushed from the remnants of a broken wall, its gaping maw wide as it lunged for the nearest person, Bing Ruolan.

"COURTING DEATH!"

A murderous glint flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. Tapping his toes to the ground, he shot forward, instantly appearing beside the Lion-faced Beast and throwing a punch.

BOOM!

This punch landed squarely on a saber gash on the Lion-faced Beast's forehead. A massive shockwave erupted, causing the enormous beast's body to tremble. With a CRACK, the gash on its forehead instantly lengthened by a foot!

Luo Feng didn't pause. He unleashed the Sky Collapse Fist to its utmost, his intense fist energy surging towards the Lion-faced Beast's wound like an avalanche.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR...

The Lion-faced Beast suffered a grievous blow. The wound on its forehead split open further, from one foot to one meter in length, and it howled like a wolf. It thrashed its body violently, trying to dislodge Luo Feng.

Unfortunately for the beast, Luo Feng's skill in Light Martial Arts was superb. Coupled with its severed legs impeding its movement, all its struggles were futile.

BANG!

After a dozen more punches, the Lion-faced Beast finally reached its limit. Its massive skull suddenly split apart. Its thrashing body immediately stilled, crumbling into a pile of sand and stones in an instant.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The moment the Lion-faced Beast died, two crimson marks flew out from its skull, landing on the backs of Luo Feng's and Bing Ruolan's left hands.

Luo Feng felt a warmth on the back of his hand; a round, crimson mark had appeared there.

"What is this?" Bing Ruolan asked in surprise, a similar round mark having appeared on her hand.

Luo Feng glanced at the light curtain blocking the great doors. This must be what's needed to pass through that light curtain, he mused. It seems only those who defeat the Lion-faced Beast are qualified to enter.

BANG!

While the two were conversing, another loud crash suddenly echoed nearby. Hengmu was still locked in combat with a Lion-faced Beast.

At that moment, a massive green tiger manifested behind Hengmu. With every punch he threw, fierce tiger roars echoed, and the phantom tiger would mimic actions of pouncing, biting, tearing, and intercepting. From a distance, it looked as if a colossal green tiger was battling the Lion-faced Beast in a ferocious, physical clash.

Seeing this, Luo Feng inwardly sighed with relief, grateful he hadn't revealed his true strength earlier.

Xue Ren's strength was not inferior to Yuan Gang's. Being able to kill him so easily was largely due to Xue Ren underestimating him. If Luo Feng had revealed his true strength from the start, and Xue Ren had been cautious, the outcome would have been difficult to predict.

"Hengmu is using the Yuangang Hall's Qing Gang Tyrant Tiger Fist," Bing Ruolan explained. "It's said that when this Fist Technique is cultivated to the Great Achievement Realm, a Martial Artist gains the strength of a hundred tigers. It's an incredibly domineering Profound Level, medium-rank Martial Art."

Luo Feng nodded. Truly worthy of a disciple from the Twelve Golden Palaces, he thought.

None of the students in the four academies of the Flowing Cloud Region were taught Profound Level, medium-rank Martial Arts. In comparison, the students from the four academies truly had limited resources for cultivation.

Thinking of this, Luo Feng couldn't help but touch his storage ring.

Fortunately, he now also possessed a Profound Level, medium-rank Martial Art. Once he cultivated the Shocking Thunder Saber Technique, even if he remained at the peak of the Eighth-Fold Hell Realm, he should have no problem confronting a Martial Artist of the Ninth-Fold Heavenly Court Realm.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of violent explosions thundered through the hall. Each time Hengmu and the Lion-faced Beast clashed, the immense force of their blows would cause the hall to tremble violently, as if an earthquake were occurring.

Luo Feng pondered for a moment, deciding to lend Hengmu a hand. I've always been one to distinguish between gratitude and resentment, he thought. When Xue Ren attacked earlier, Hengmu spoke up to help.

Hengmu, fiercely battling the Lion-faced Beast, noticed Luo Feng approaching and suddenly laughed. "Luo Feng, no need to intervene! I can handle this."

Luo Feng was taken aback. So Hengmu has also been hiding his strength, he realized. Without further comment, he nodded and replied, "Alright then, we'll make a move first."

Luo Feng wasn't well-acquainted with Hengmu. After the incident with Xue Ren, even knowing Hengmu bore no ill will, he preferred not to continue traveling together.

"HA HA! Good! Opportunities are everywhere in this Secret Realm; it's better if we go our separate ways!" Hengmu laughed heartily upon hearing Luo Feng's words, unconcerned. He, too, preferred to explore the Secret Realm alone. If no great treasures were found, all would be well. But if something valuable was discovered, a fight would be inevitable. Having witnessed Xue Ren's gruesome end firsthand, Hengmu wasn't entirely confident he could defeat Luo Feng. Parting ways was undoubtedly the best choice. "Until we meet again, then."

Luo Feng nodded, took Bing Ruolan's hand, and they walked towards the light curtain together.

The instant their feet passed through the light curtain, the circular imprints on their hands suddenly emitted a hazy red glow, and their figures vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Watching Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan depart, Hengmu let out a sigh of relief. He cracked his knuckles, eyed the Lion-faced Beast, and strode towards it step by step. "We've played around long enough. Time to settle this!"

"GREEN TIGER SMASH!"

Halting five paces before the Lion-faced Beast, Hengmu's aura intensified. The massive green tiger behind him roared to the heavens, then soared into the air, merging with his right fist as he unleashed a ferocious strike.

BOOM!

The fist landed on the Lion-faced Beast's foreleg. With a crisp CRACK, a large chunk of stone was blasted away, and the four-meter-tall beast was sent flying.

Hengmu sneered, his aura as fierce as a tiger. He pressed his advantage, his iron-like fists raining down on the Lion-faced Beast in a savage barrage, a direct clash of power against power.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of explosions thundered. With Hengmu attacking at full strength, the Lion-faced Beast was utterly powerless to resist. Each punch sent large chunks of stone flying. In moments, the beast's body was riddled with craters, its form all but destroyed.

"SHATTER FOR ME!"

The outcome was decided. With a long cry, Hengmu ruthlessly slammed both fists forward, pulverizing the dying Lion-faced Beast into a pile of rubble.

After the round, crimson imprint appeared on his hand, Hengmu glanced at Xue Ren's decapitated corpse. To kill Xue Ren while only at the peak of the Eighth-Fold Hell Realm... Such potential is truly astonishing! When I return, I must report this to the Hall Elders! If he enters Yuangang Hall in the future and becomes an Inner Sect Disciple, the connection we forged today could benefit me greatly.

Having weighed the matter and made his decision, Hengmu turned and stepped into the light curtain.

The moment Luo Feng stepped into the light curtain, he felt a warm energy envelop him, an indescribably comfortable sensation. His Cultivation began to increase at a perceptible speed, giving him the sudden urge to break through to the next realm.

Luo Feng was astounded. That brief moment was equivalent to several months of arduous cultivation. This Secret Realm is truly incredible! he marveled. This crimson glow can directly enhance a Martial Artist's Cultivation!

This slight increase might seem insignificant, but for me, it's invaluable. If I previously had only a fifty percent chance of defeating a Ninth-Fold Heavenly Court Realm expert, I now have a sixty to seventy percent chance!

With a flash of red light, Luo Feng's feet landed on solid ground with a soft thud.

Having experienced the various dangers within the Secret Realm, Luo Feng didn't dare lower his guard. Gripping his Tiger Soul Saber, he cautioned, "Ruolan, be careful."

"Mm," Bing Ruolan replied, her face slightly flushed as Luo Feng held her hand. This was clearly not the time to dwell on such things, however, and she carefully scanned their surroundings.

Before them lay a corridor, its walls emitting a hazy white light that seemed to drift in the air like mist.

Sensing no immediate danger, Luo Feng breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Ruolan, did you feel anything particular when you came through?"

"Mhm," Bing Ruolan nodded. She tugged Luo Feng's arm, her eyes twinkling as she said with a smile, "Look at my Cultivation."

Luo Feng glanced at Bing Ruolan, startled. "Mid-stage of the Eighth-Fold Hell Realm! You broke through?"

Bing Ruolan hummed affirmatively. "Yes. Just now, when I was enveloped by that red light, I somehow broke through directly."

After his initial surprise, Luo Feng found it understandable. He himself was at the peak of the Eighth-Fold Hell Realm and had felt a significant boost; Bing Ruolan's breakthrough was therefore not entirely unexpected.

Bing Ruolan took a deep breath and exclaimed in surprise, "The Yuan Qi here is so dense and pure! It's like being inside a Yuan Stone; it can be refined effortlessly!"

Luo Feng had sensed this the moment he arrived. He had even tried circulating his Yuan Qi and discovered that it flowed several times faster here than outside—truly incredible.

"This Secret Realm is indeed full of treasures!" Luo Feng said slowly, taking a deep breath.

"Then let's hurry inside," Bing Ruolan urged. "This Secret Realm is so wondrous; there must be something extraordinary hidden within!"

Luo Feng remained still, shaking his head. "There's no rush to find treasures. Ruolan, we should recover from our injuries here before proceeding."

Bing Ruolan had just blocked a palm strike from Xue Ren. Although she kept insisting she was fine, how could Luo Feng believe her? Xue Ren was a Ninth-Fold Heavenly Court Realm expert; Luo Feng himself wasn't confident he could have taken that blow unscathed.

Unexpectedly, Bing Ruolan smiled. "My injuries have already healed."

"How? Could it be related to that red light?" Luo Feng asked, astonished. He noticed Bing Ruolan's complexion was rosy and her breathing steady and even; she didn't look injured in the slightest.

Bing Ruolan nodded. "It's unbelievable, I know, but when I was enveloped in that red light, all my injuries healed completely."

Hearing this, Luo Feng sighed in relief. He looked at Bing Ruolan seriously and said, "Ruolan, don't do anything so dangerous ever again."

If anything had happened to Bing Ruolan while trying to save him, Luo Feng would never have forgiven himself.

Bing Ruolan giggled, not answering directly, but urged, "Come on, let's go. We're already falling behind the others."

I must improve my strength as quickly as possible, Luo Feng silently vowed, looking at Bing Ruolan's smiling face.

Each lost in their own thoughts, they walked deeper into the corridor, towards the dense white light.

Luo Feng had expected to find puppet-like monsters in these corridors, but surprisingly, they encountered nothing along the way. They only found the corpse of a Changxin Academy student at a fork in the path. Judging from the wounds, the student had likely been killed by other entrants to the Secret Realm.

After advancing another few hundred meters, Luo Feng suddenly stopped Bing Ruolan.

Several hundred meters ahead, he could sense many human presences and the strong stench of blood. A massacre was taking place.

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