With a surge of momentum, he pressed down and wrenched, the massive hammer falling into his own grasp. The brute who tried to snatch it back with every ounce of strength he possessed tripped, stumbling beneath Chen Feng’s foot. “Where are the people from the Lefu family?”

The exchange between the brute and Chen Feng was lightning-fast; before the onlookers could fully register what happened, the brute was already sprawled at the feet of the red-haired youth.

“What… what just happened?” Everyone’s eyes were wide, staring blankly at each other.

“This brat… he’s here to wreck… our compound… Everyone, attack him together!” The brute’s words sputtered out from beneath Chen Feng’s heel.

Chen Feng had come here with the specific intention of finding trouble with the Lefu family and hadn't intended to fight the members of the Fite Mercenary Group. That was why he hadn't delivered a killing blow initially. However, hearing the brute shout like that ignited a murderous intent within him.

Being soft on the enemy was cruelty to oneself; he had learned this lesson when watching Jerry and Ma En fight during the sale of the Third-Grade Dou Core. Since this brute had called out to his companions, there could be no mercy. If he showed restraint, these mercenaries would all swarm him, and although he wouldn't be afraid, it would still be an agonizing mess.

With that thought, Chen Feng brought his right foot down with full force onto the brute’s waist. With a resounding ’Peng!’, the brute shot forward like a soccer ball, sliding rapidly along the ground until he smashed violently into the wheel of a carriage. The brute weighed over three hundred pounds, and Chen Feng had put real viciousness into the kick. A loud ’Hualala’ sound followed as the wheel splintered, and the carriage immediately tipped over, scattering the crystals it contained onto the ground, where they shimmered like a pile of scattered diamonds under the glaring sun.

The impact shattered several bones in the brute’s waist, and his internal organs were ruptured; he wouldn't live.

A single kick, and he was dead!

The mercenaries were first stunned into silence, then their expressions hardened into ferocity. “He killed Big Head…” one mercenary shouted, and they charged forward like madmen!

A large mercenary group was usually divided into many smaller squads. As the largest mercenary group in the Fenlai Empire, the Fite Mercenary Group boasted a roster of three thousand members, but most missions rarely required such a large contingent. Consequently, for most of the year, these smaller squads handled minor assignments. This fostered extremely close bonds within each detachment; many were brothers who had faced life and death together. Seeing Chen Feng kill the man they lived and fought alongside, all their eyes turned red, and they charged forward with loud roars.

Chen Feng did not wish to court trouble, but if trouble found him, he would not back down. Just as he was about to meet the oncoming crowd, a voice sounded from behind him: “Stop right there. I want to see who dares to challenge the authority of the Fite Mercenary Group!”

The voice wasn’t particularly loud; in fact, it carried a hint of effeminate resonance. However, the moment it sounded, the mercenaries charging furiously ahead froze in place, fear etched onto their faces.

Chen Feng turned to see more than a dozen figures standing behind him, none of whom had been there moments before. Each of them was dressed similarly to Stuart. They were clustered together, carrying what looked like torn, bloody rags—likely the remains of Brute and Stuart, who had been vaporized by the explosion from the surprise attack (the power of the quasi-Fourth-Grade magic was too great; Stuart’s corpse and Brute’s location near the scroll-tearing spot meant they were both utterly obliterated).

It seemed the Lefu family members had returned after retrieving the bodies of Brute and Stuart upon hearing of their demise.

At the forefront of this new group was a middle-aged man with a scar across his face, still wearing mercenary attire. The slightly effeminate statement had come from him.

Chen Feng’s gaze locked onto the scarred man, and in just a single glance, his eyes flared with intense focus.

He was a First-Grade Dou Shi!

“It’s him… it’s that red-haired youth!” A wave of murmurs rose from the Lefu family contingent. Apparently, when they went to collect the bodies, they had also heard the tale of a red-haired youth killing the pair.

“Lord Gino, His Excellency Brute and Stuart were killed by this red-haired fellow!” An older man stepped out from the crowd, approaching the scarred man with tears streaming down his face as he spoke with grief and fury.

“Kill him! Kill him!” the Lefu family members chanted in unison.

The scarred man, Gino, did not reply immediately, but a clear killing intent rose in his eyes as he looked at Chen Feng.

“Brute of the Lefu family was my employer!” Gino’s voice, still carrying that soft, almost smooth quality, sounded again. “And you killed him. Big Head was my subordinate; you killed him too. For my employer and my subordinate, I must kill you!”

Gino spoke as calmly as if he were recounting a mundane grievance to an old friend, yet his words sent waves of icy dread through the listeners.

Not far from him, Brent and the young boy in the green robe instinctively shuffled closer to the wall, fearful of being caught in the aftershock of the impending fight.

Chen Feng stood perfectly still. Challenging a First-Grade Dou Shi was a first for him, and the fighting spirit within his chest grew stronger, the madness intensifying.

When Chen Feng was a Sixth-Grade Dou Shi, he could single-handedly fight two or more Ninth-Grade Dou Shi. Now that he had reached the Seventh-Grade, his raw strength was nearly four times that of a normal Ninth-Grade Dou Shi! If he activated his Berserk state, his strength and speed could increase fifteenfold—making him equivalent to six Ninth-Grade Dou Shi! While a First-Grade Dou Shi could theoretically defeat ten Ninth-Grade Dou Shi, Chen Feng could unleash the full power of his King of Fighters techniques, meaning the fight was far from decided.

Moreover, he now held the newly acquired precious sword; if he could awaken the will of slaughter within it, even a Dou Zun might not escape unscathed.

“Kill me?” Chen Feng’s eyes began to glow crimson, waves of killing intent surging from his body. “It’s not certain who will be killing whom!”

Seeing the killing intent erupting from Chen Feng, Gino was momentarily shocked. “What potent killing aura—it’s even denser than mine!”

However, while the aura affected him, the effect was minimal, and though startled, he paid it little mind.

The words had barely left his mouth when Chen Feng acted without hesitation, always preferring to strike first. His right hand produced a ball of azure flame with a ’Peng!’, and with a flick of his wrist, two streams of flame shot low across the ground toward his opponent.

Hundred and Eight Styles: Shadow Hook Punch! The Shadow Hook Punch was the absolute best opening move for probing from a distance. A sharp crackling sound erupted from the ground as the two streams of flame rushed toward the target, one slightly behind the other.

“Tricks!” Gino snorted coldly. A dense, milky-white mist, formed from his Dou Qi, materialized around his fist. “Break!” he roared, swinging his fist out in a flat thrust. The milky-white mist shot out like an arrow toward the ground flames. Upon contact, the azure flames flickered violently a few times before instantly vanishing.

Deflecting Chen Feng’s Shadow Hook Punch with a single blow proved that Dou Shi were indeed far stronger than Dou Shi.

Furthermore, Chen Feng hadn't been able to discern the inherent attribute of the Dou Qi Gino had just released. Had it already evolved? Was he using Human-Grade Dou Qi?

Almost everyone reached the Dou Shi level before beginning to practice Advanced Dou Qi to increase efficiency, yet this First-Grade Dou Shi was already using Human-Grade Dou Qi. Not only did possessing advanced Dou Qi increase raw power, but it also vastly expanded the reservoir of usable Qi. A protracted battle against him was strictly out of the question; otherwise, the outcome would be grim.

“My turn, I believe!” After extinguishing Chen Feng’s Shadow Hook Punch, Gino announced and charged forward.

“So fast!” The punch was less than half a meter away when it arrived. The speed of a Dou Shi was slightly faster than Chen Feng’s own at maximum effort using the Phantom Crane Steps, even without the protective Ujin Iron on his body!

“Ah!” Chen Feng let out a furious roar, his lean body stretching taut. The flame on his right hand arced upwards, and simultaneously, he leaped high into the air, executing a Hundred Style Ghost Burn out of sheer desperation just in time to meet Gino’s charging fist.

“Hmm, what an erratic attack!” Gino was clearly taken aback that Chen Feng could execute such a well-balanced offensive and defensive move in that split second. He hadn't been careful, and his right fist sustained a slight burn.

Still airborne, Chen Feng didn't pause. His left leg flashed out like lightning, striking directly at the opponent’s face. As he landed, he rolled behind Gino and unleashed a rapid barrage of uppercuts, smashing brutally into his body.

Outer Style: Lily Fold into Sunflower Three Forms, 12-Strike Combo Skill.

’Pong, pong, pong, pong…’ A succession of sounds like firecrackers erupted. All twelve blows landed squarely. Gino was sent flying backward like a sack of sand, tumbling across the ground until he rolled to a stop.

Letting out a breath, Chen Feng inwardly cursed. That single combo had already depleted more than half the energy in his Dantian. It seemed that if a combo skill failed to kill the opponent, the one who suffered the most was oneself.

“A little interesting. No wonder Brute, who was loaded with scrolls, could die by your hands,” Gino said, standing up as if unaffected, dusting off his mercenary clothes after taking the twelve-hit combo.

It seemed the gap between a Seventh-Grade Dou Shi and a First-Grade Dou Shi was simply too vast. Even possessing the King of Fighters techniques was proving insufficient. If he used the Berserk state, he could certainly inflict damage, but the Berserk state only lasted for one minute. If he couldn’t kill the opponent within that time, he would be left with his Qi cyclone entirely depleted. Once that happened, surrounded by enemies, his death would be certain. Therefore, the Berserk skill couldn't be deployed immediately.

’Peng!’ His vision blurred. Before Chen Feng could react, a punch slammed into his chest. The impact felt like being hit by a train; he flew backward and smashed into a carriage, instantly reducing it to splinters.

“So painful…” Yet, after hitting Chen Feng, Gino was clutching his own fist, drawing sharp breaths of cold air.

It turned out that the sneak punch had landed directly on the Ujin Iron protecting Chen Feng’s chest!

Ujin Iron? A flash of inspiration hit Chen Feng’s mind, and he already had a plan.

ps: A new week, a new beginning. I was seriously ill last week, so the updates were somewhat unsatisfactory. Old Ya feels very apologetic, but this week, Old Ya guarantees updates that will satisfy everyone. I hope everyone can subscribe more and vote for monthly passes. Ah, I’m aiming for the top six on the new book monthly pass chart—please help me achieve it! If you truly can’t afford to subscribe, please introduce this book to a few more friends, vote for more recommendation tickets, and give me more clicks. Old Ya thanks you all! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log into wwwncom for more chapters, supporting the author and legitimate reading!)