Chapter 7: Ye Zheng's Death Shocks the Elder

Chapter 7: Ye Zheng's Death Shocks the Elder

A piercing screech of steel abruptly rang out.

The blade’s shadow surged like a wave, crossing several meters in an instant as it slashed toward Chen Feng. A chill ran down Chen Feng’s spine, and he hastily retreated.

Yet, the blade’s light clung to him like a relentless parasite, ruthless and sharp, intent on cleaving him apart.

“Daring to interfere in a life-and-death duel right before my eyes!” The Combat Hall Elder, momentarily stunned by Chen Feng’s sudden execution of the Six Shadows Sword Technique, reacted a beat too late before fury overtook him. His fingers clenched, and he threw a single punch.

The Combat Hall Elder’s cultivation far surpassed the Body Forging Realm. His fist force erupted like a dragon breaking free from the abyss, unstoppable and overwhelming, its momentum as vast as a mountain crushing forward, suppressing all in its path. The blade’s light shattered instantly, and the wielder of that blade was sent flying backward by the punch.

The longsword slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground. Ye Huai coughed up blood midair before crashing heavily into the distance. Had the Combat Hall Elder not held back, Ye Huai would have been reduced to pulp.

Regaining his senses, Chen Feng’s eyes blazed with boundless killing intent. His sword trembled lightly as it conjured a series of linked sword shadows, piercing through several meters in the blink of an eye to strike at Ye Zheng.

Ye Zheng, still dazed, paled drastically. He tried to evade but was a fraction too slow. His body stiffened as his eyes widened in disbelief. Slowly, he looked down to see the sharp blade withdrawing from his throat, bright crimson blood dripping in a glaring display.

“Ye Zheng… has been killed.”

“Heavens! Ye Zheng is dead…”

Gasps of shock erupted one after another, as if the Combat Hall itself had exploded.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at Chen Feng, who flicked the blood off his sword, their scalps tingling in disbelief.

“You actually killed my brother!” Ye Fei caught Ye Zheng’s collapsing body, his face twisted like a demon’s, eyes bloodshot as he glared at Chen Feng with hatred and murderous intent. “Chen Feng, I’ll make you pay with your life!”

“Then come at me,” Chen Feng sneered, locking eyes with Ye Fei.

“Chen Feng, don’t get cocky. Killing a member of the Ye Family means the Ye Family will never let you go,” Ye Wenjie added, his gaze equally venomous.

“Oh? Planning to use your family’s influence to retaliate? Does the Life-and-Death Contract mean nothing?” Chen Feng’s eyes swept past Ye Fei and Ye Wenjie to land on the Combat Hall Elder.

“It stands,” the Combat Hall Elder declared sternly, his sharp gaze flashing like cold lightning as it swept over Ye Fei and Ye Wenjie. “Listen well. The Combat Hall has its rules. The Life-and-Death Contract was initiated by Ye Zheng himself—a duel to the death with no consequences afterward. If any of you dare defy this, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

Ye Fei and Ye Wenjie didn’t respond to the elder. Instead, they glared at Chen Feng with bone-deep hatred, as if carving his image into their souls.

Then, they carried Ye Zheng’s corpse out of the Combat Hall.

“You’re dead,” Ye Huai struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his lips as he retrieved his sword. As he passed Chen Feng, his voice, thick with murderous intent, slithered into Chen Feng’s ears: “Not just you—your entire Chen Family will be buried with you.”

Chen Feng’s expression darkened, his eyes burning with killing intent as fierce as the sun.

“The Ye Family!”

Watching Ye Huai’s retreating figure, Chen Feng clenched his fists, his heart growing heavier.

His greatest fear had always been for his family.

The Chen Family was strong in Lingshan City, but compared to the Ye Family, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Yet, he didn’t regret killing Ye Zheng—nor was there any point in regret. Now, the only thing that mattered was finding a way out of this predicament.

At the very least, he had to protect the Chen Family.

"Everyone, disperse." The Combat Hall Elder suddenly spoke, his sharp gaze immediately settling on Chen Feng. "You stay."

Chen Feng was puzzled but did not leave the Combat Hall like the others.

"You're worried about the Ye Family's retaliation, aren't you?" The elder's piercing eyes seemed to see through everything as he cut straight to the point. "The Ye Family is the foremost clan of the Great Xia Kingdom, vast in wealth and deep in heritage. They have countless Body Forging Realm martial artists, as well as Aperture Opening Realm and even Meridian Forging Realm experts. If they are determined to retaliate, even I would struggle to stop them."

"However, Ye Zheng is merely a branch disciple, and you signed a Life-and-Death Contract with him. The Ye Family likely won’t act openly against you," the elder continued. "But there’s no guarantee they won’t target your Chen Family."

The earlier threat from Ye Huai had been heard clearly by the Combat Hall Elder.

Chen Feng’s heart sank.

"Please, Elder, guide me." Chen Feng took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

"You must prove yourself," the elder said. "Now, I will teach you a graded movement technique."

Chen Feng seemed to grasp the elder’s meaning, though it remained somewhat unclear.

Without further explanation, the elder demonstrated the technique while explaining its principles.

Chen Feng exhaled deeply, expelling all distractions with his breath, and focused his mind.

In his consciousness, the Divine Talisman Of Creation trembled slightly, radiating waves of profound divine essence, sharpening Chen Feng’s concentration to an unprecedented degree.

Illusory figures began to materialize around him, lifelike and vivid.

"This technique is called the Nine Shadows Illusory Body. At the initial stage, your body becomes like a single phantom. When mastered to perfection, you can manifest eight additional phantoms, making nine in total—indistinguishable from the real body," the elder explained gravely.

He then proceeded to teach Chen Feng the incantations, force application techniques, breathing methods, and other essentials of the Nine Shadows Illusory Body.

"If you can master the basics of this technique within a day, you may have a chance to turn the tide," the elder said after finishing his instruction.

After a moment of silence, Chen Feng’s figure blurred as if transforming into a phantom, darting forward in an instant.

The elder thought he was hallucinating and focused intently. He saw a faint shadow enveloping Chen Feng’s body, making him appear increasingly indistinct and ethereal. Soon, a phantom emerged behind Chen Feng—initially somewhat illusory, but as Chen Feng continued to practice the footwork, it grew more solid.

By the end, it was nearly impossible to distinguish reality from illusion.

Had the elder not been an Aperture Opening Realm martial artist, he would have been completely deceived.

For a moment, the elder’s mind buzzed with shock and disbelief.

"Had he trained in the Nine Shadows Illusory Body before?"

"No… impossible. Chen Feng is just a minor family disciple from a remote border town, and the Nine Shadows Illusory Body is unique to the Dao Academy, mastered only by a select few elders…"

Realizing the truth, the elder couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

In other words, Chen Feng had gone from never having encountered the technique to manifesting two phantoms in mere moments—an inconceivable, terrifying feat.

What kind of monstrous talent was this?!

For a moment, the elder was overwhelmed with excitement.

"Chen Feng, there's no need to continue practicing." The Combat Hall Elder's voice trembled as he spoke: "Now, I will take you to meet the Academy Head. As long as you can gain the Academy Head's recognition, you won't have to worry about the Ye Family's retaliation."

Chen Feng's figure froze momentarily, his expression dawning with realization.

The Academy Head!

That was the person who presided over the Huntian Dao Academy, the master of the academy, possessing supreme cultivation and incomparable strength. Having been in the Huntian Dao Academy for six years, Chen Feng had only heard the title "Academy Head" but had never seen them in person.

Rumors said that only the top ten disciples of the academy were qualified to receive an audience with the Academy Head.

The thought of being able to meet the Academy Head in person and potentially resolving his predicament filled Chen Feng with uncontrollable excitement.