The punch stopped a foot short of Steven’s body, but Chen Feng felt two powerful gusts of wind whistling toward him from behind. Forgetting Steven for a moment, he crossed his steps, generating an afterimage, and flew out precisely at the instant the two gusts were about to converge.

This was the first time the Phantom Crane Step had been used in combat, and indeed, its speed was astonishing!

“Eh!” The two figures behind him, seemingly disbelieving that Chen Feng could evade them in that critical, fleeting moment, both let out a sharp cry.

Chen Feng twisted his body in mid-air and looked back, but the space behind him was empty. Not a single figure.

If there was no one there, where had the cry and the sudden attack come from?

A jolt of shock ran through Chen Feng. Trouble. Could it be an Hermit?

Hermits were the strangest and most elusive cultivators in this world. They practiced a secret technique called the Art of Concealment, capable of altering the color of their battle qi at will. When hiding, the qi pooled on their surface, instantly blending with the surrounding environment, making them seem to merge with nature—perfect for eavesdropping and ambush. Along with Assassins, they were known as the two most terrifying professions among humans.

The Hermit vanished into the air as if they had never existed. Though Chen Feng was powerful now, facing an opponent he couldn't even see made his heart pound.

His Soul Perception immediately spread out indiscriminately like the wind, yet the environment remained unchanged. He couldn't even glimpse a shadow of his opponent.

The true terror of the Hermit was finally revealed at this moment!

With a sharp Thwack!, Chen Feng felt a stinging blow on his back, forcing him forward seven or eight meters before he could regain his balance.

“What powerful flesh!” Another exclamation drifted through the air.

The Hermit had intended to injure Chen Feng with a weapon. They hadn't expected that even a full-force strike would only leave a scratch on him, without drawing a single drop of blood.

Chen Feng engaged the Phantom Crane Step, his body instantly weaving through the forest like a phantom.

The most helpless defense against a surprise attack from a Hermit was constant evasion!

“Roar…” Just then, Little Tiger’s roar suddenly echoed through the mountains!

The cry of a High-Grade Phantom Beast carried an immense suppressive power. Everyone instinctively clapped their hands over their ears amidst the explosive sound. The surrounding air seemed to freeze for that instant.

Spurt! In the otherwise empty woods, a spray of blood suddenly appeared, hanging eerily in the air.

Little Tiger’s furious roar had just managed to injure the opponent!

Wind-element magic surged beneath Little Tiger’s feet, and its form elongated as it leaped. Its large, powerful front paw slammed down viciously toward the blood floating in the air!

The Hermit, who had just spat blood, didn't have time to react before Little Tiger struck him solidly. A sound of splintering bone followed, and milky-white brain matter splattered everywhere. A Hermit clad in white clothes collapsed onto the ground, instantly dead!

At that moment, Chen Feng’s elusive figure spun and reappeared before Steven. He hissed resentfully, “Since I can’t find you, I’ll kill this one first!”

His fist clenched, he smashed it toward Steven’s head.

Steven, having just seen his sword snapped in two by mere fingers, stared in disbelief, frozen in place, completely failing to notice the incoming blow from Chen Feng’s fist!

Chen Feng trailed a visible line of shadows behind him. His fist stopped less than five centimeters from Steven, suddenly changed direction, his waist and back twisting as his body flipped 180 degrees in mid-air.

If Flame Dragon saw this move now, he would recognize it as the one he taught Chen Feng as part of his physical conditioning routine.

Chen Feng’s fist struck the empty air with unstoppable force. With a crack, the air rippled, and simultaneously, a figure flew backward, vomiting blood—clearly beyond saving!

In an instant, one man and one tiger had slain two Hermits!

Chen Feng had executed the feint strategy with consummate skill.

The onlookers, still stunned by the sight of Chen Feng snapping the treasured sword, hadn't recovered before the battle was over. The cost was two dead Hermits!

Hermits were graded differently from Fighters; they lacked obvious ranks. They were generally categorized as Lesser Hides or Greater Hides, based on the strength of their concealment abilities.

Lesser Hides could blend seamlessly into a forest environment, while Greater Hides could even vanish in a crowd—hence the saying, "Lesser Hides hide in the mountains, Greater Hides hide in the marketplace."

The offensive power of Hermits was generally not high, but their true terror lay in their invisibility. It seemed this merchant group only contained two low-level Lesser Hides; if they had been stronger, it might have been Chen Feng and Little Tiger who perished.

Chen Feng walked up to Steven, staring coldly. “You want to kill me? Everyone who wants to kill me is dead!” His right hand shot forward with lightning speed.

Steven finally reacted, retreating rapidly, but his speed could not match Chen Feng’s, who had spent three months in the Heavy Domain and possessed the power of the Vortex. Steven felt his throat seize, his feet lifted from the ground, and he was hoisted into the air!

“Austin, save… me…” Steven gasped, his throat constricted, struggling to cry out, “If… I… die, you will never… receive… my father’s… support…”

“Stop!” Austin’s voice immediately rang out!

“Stop? On what grounds?” Chen Feng turned his head to look at Austin, who was mounted on his Horned Horse, and spoke coldly.

Austin surveyed the scene, dismounted his Horned Horse, and stopped a short distance from Chen Feng, gesturing around him. “If you kill him, do you think you can escape the pursuit of all these people?”

Alfred, the First-Tier Magus, who had been watching impassively, now stepped forward. He let out a cold snort, his face stern. With a slight flourish of his staff, a Third-Tier Water Spell instantly materialized in the air.

Though Chen Feng’s speed was incredible and his physique formidable, his cultivation was only at the peak of a Fourth-Tier Fighter. The gap between him and a Magus was vast. If this Water Spell struck him, it would mean certain death.

The combined pressure from four or five Ninth-Tier Fighters and a First-Tier Magus bore down upon him. Chen Feng, the primary target, immediately began to sweat profusely under the strain.

This pressure resulting from the massive disparity in strength would have caused anyone else to faint long ago, but Chen Feng, possessing tenacious willpower and resilient physique, managed to hold firm, refusing to yield even an inch of his imposing presence while facing so many opponents.

Seeing that Chen Feng still showed no sign of letting go, and knowing that Steven wouldn't last much longer if held like that, Austin urgently declared, “I am the Third Prince of the Finlay Empire! The man you are holding, Steven, is the only son of Duke Rocky, Commander of the Second Military Region of the Finlay Empire! If you kill him, you will be making an enemy of the entire Finlay Nation!”

“The Third Prince? The Commander’s son? Are you threatening me?” Chen Feng asked.

“I am not threatening you; I am merely making you understand your situation! There is no need to offend the entire Finlay Nation over a moment of anger! However, if you release him, I can guarantee your life! I will let you leave safely, but this Iron-backed Silver Tiger must stay behind!”

Hearing this, Little Tiger stared at Chen Feng with bright eyes and sent a mental message: Boss, I’m fine. I have a secret technique to break the Equality Contract. Agree to it first, just get out of this situation! Otherwise, they will kill you…

Chen Feng glanced at Little Tiger, his eyes filled with complicated emotion. After a pause, he turned back to face Austin.