"Don't look any further!" Chen Feng's voice, mild yet resonant like muffled thunder, came from directly behind the man.

"You..." The burly man in black robes dared not move a muscle, cold sweat tracking an unstoppable path down his neck.

His cultivation base was not low; combined with the power of the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】, he wouldn't claim invincibility, but certainly, few adversaries had ever bested him recently. Even the envoy who had sought him out a few days prior hadn't managed to gain any advantage against him.

Yet... the opponent had clearly taken a strike from him, not only remaining unscathed but also having rescued the captive and reappeared behind him... This level of strength was simply terrifying!

The people gathered on the small island saw their leader’s shoulder pinned and finally realized the situation, none daring to even draw a breath.

"Who are you, and who sent you to stop me?" Chen Feng’s voice held no trace of emotion, yet to the man's ears, it felt like a bone-chilling winter wind.

"We are pirates..." the burly man in black stammered.

"Pirates? Hmph, someone with your cultivation dares to call himself a pirate?" Chen Feng let out a cold snort. "Don't play games with me. I won't hesitate to kill you!"

"If you kill me, my brothers won't let you go!" the black-robed brute declared loudly, though his eyes stealthily flicked toward a specific direction.

"Is that so?" Chen Feng suddenly applied force to his grip. With a sharp crack, the burly man’s scapula was instantly crushed by his hand.

"Aargh..." The intense pain elicited a muffled groan from the black-robed man. The shoulder blade was shattered. It appeared this left arm was now temporarily useless.

"Do you still believe I won't dare to kill you?" Chen Feng pressed coldly.

"You... You are ruthless!" the black-robed brute ground out. "Fine. I will tell you who sent us here. In fact, you know this person. Heh heh. It is he who..." As he spoke, his voice dropped low.

Chen Feng paused, focusing intently, just about to lean in and listen carefully. Suddenly, the burly man in front of him lunged forward, sweeping the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 backward in a vortex-like arc! The momentum was immense!

"Die!" he roared, his body brimming with limitless power.

Having been seized by Chen Feng, he had feigned weakness, daring not to move, willing to let his left shoulder be crushed rather than resisting—all to induce complacency!

Actually, the black-robed brute's most formidable technique wasn't the frantic slashing from before, but a move akin to a surprise counterattack, which was his perfected Earth-rank mid-level combat skill: 【Wave-Slicing Gale Slash】!

This skill was a reward bestowed upon him after earning merit. He had practiced it relentlessly for decades amidst the raging ocean waves, achieving absolute mastery! When unleashed, its power was devastating. If his previous moves were a storm, this technique was undoubtedly a typhoon—on an entirely different level!

The very person who had sought him out earlier had been injured by this very move!

An Earth-rank mid-level combat skill—equivalent to techniques like the Hundred Forms of Burning!

"【Wave-Slicing Gale Slash】! Boss's ultimate move, hahahaha..." the one-armed man shouted excitedly.

Upon witnessing this technique, the eyes of everyone present simultaneously filled with a fervent confidence. They had seen their leader use this move before; once deployed, even those twice his strength would suffer a brutal chopping fate.

Rumble!

The mighty attack tore through the air, accompanied by a sound like muffled thunder. A crimson light, like fresh blood, appeared in the sky.

Seeing this, the onlookers shared one thought: the youth in the air was surely finished, destined to be cleaved in two! Just as everyone concluded the matter was settled, the roaring sound abruptly ceased!

"Ah... How is this possible!"

In an instant, everyone’s eyes widened, staring at the sky without blinking, not daring to breathe.

The peerless 【Wave-Slicing Gale Slash】 had been caught—held gently between two fingers by the youth floating in the air!

"Is that all the strength you possess?" Chen Feng remarked lightly. "I expected a sudden turn like that would unleash some fierce attack, but... this is utterly disappointing!"

Saying this, he tightened his fingers slightly. With a crisp crack, the indestructible, immensely powerful 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 snapped clean in half right between his fingers!

Silence. The entire island plunged into stillness. Every single person watched the scene unfolding in the sky, refusing to believe it was real.

"Aargh... Impossible! Impossible!" After a long pause, the black-robed brute roared, intense panic causing his eyes to turn bloodshot. His mind swam, and he nearly passed out!

Not only had the opponent blocked his strongest attack, but he had also crushed the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 in one move! How could this be?

"Alas, although this blade was forged using Ten Thousand Year Iron Essence, it... has not yet reached the level of a Divine Artifact!" Chen Feng stated calmly. "Without reaching divine status, it is as fragile as tissue paper before me!"

With that, he compressed the broken half he held in his palm. In an instant, it dissolved into a pile of fine powder!

"Tell me who you are and who sent you, and I won't kill you!" Chen Feng continued.

"Broken? Iron dust... How can that be?" The black-robed brute stared at the iron powder in Chen Feng's hand, unable to believe it. After mumbling to himself for a moment, a grotesque sneer spread across his face. "Hahahaha! What if your cultivation is high? What if you can crush my 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 into powder? You can't beat him..."

"I can't beat him? Who is he?" Chen Feng was unsure if the "he" the man spoke of was the same "him" mentioned earlier, but he knew it must be a figure of immense importance. Just as he was about to press for details, the black-robed brute, while shouting, began bleeding from the corner of his mouth, suddenly pitching forward from the sky, falling without another sound.

"Not good!" Seeing him dead, a sense of foreboding welled up in Chen Feng's chest. He swiftly descended from the sky, rushing directly toward the one-armed man. Indeed, he saw that the man's mouth was also leaking blood, and his body swayed before he, too, slumped lifelessly.

Turning to the people on the island, they too had died simultaneously at that very moment.

"Hoo..." Facing such a bizarre event, Chen Feng let out a long breath.

This... was definitely not suicide!

If his guess was correct, it was a Soul Blood Pact. The sender had used a mere thought to kill them all.

This sort of Soul Blood Pact was much like contracting a demonic beast; those bound were entirely controlled by the contractor, who could end their lives with a single thought.

But to bind and then simultaneously kill so many people—what kind of cruel method was this?

Chen Feng shot up into the air, surveying the surroundings to conduct a thorough investigation. He then heard a low hum emanating from the ground. Looking down, the remaining half of the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 in the black-robed brute’s hand suddenly leaped up and plunged into the seawater.

"Hmph, playing tricks! Where do you think you’re going!" Chen Feng roared, knowing someone was using their internal energy or magic to snatch it away. His body blurred, and in an instant, he was at the spot where the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 entered the water.

Fingers held together, he instantly concentrated a spherical ball of electric light on his fist and unleashed it downward.

Second Style of the Air Thunder Fist of Hienmaru, Dark Force 7!

Boom!

The sea surface erupted violently, and a figure, momentarily impacted by the electrical current, shot up from beneath the water.

"Good, good! As expected of the champion of the Five Nations Grand Tournament, Chen Feng. Worthy of our Prince’s attention!" The figure swayed unsteadily, a trace of blood at his lips, yet a smile graced his face. He stood bobbing on the water’s surface, unanchored by the ripples, displaying a mastery over the world's forces that was terrifying—far beyond simple flight, even for a peak Saint Domain expert.

"Who are you? Why did you want these people dead?" Chen Feng knew this opponent was no pushover; if he hadn't used an electric-attribute punch and caught him by surprise, injuring him would have been difficult enough.

"Who I am, you will naturally discover!" the figure replied with a chuckle. He offered a slight bow. "I have urgent matters to attend to, so I bid you farewell for now!"

"Farewell? Do you think you can simply leave?" Chen Feng shouted, raising his left hand while thrusting his right forward. A beam of white light ascended into the air.

The Eight Styles of the Serpent Pheasant in the Hundred-Eighty Forms! Knowing this opponent was formidable, Chen Feng held nothing back, using his full power from the start.

A massive fire dragon suddenly materialized from his body, shooting directly toward the figure.

"Hahahaha, don't waste your effort. Perhaps another time I shall taste the high flavor of your skills!" The figure shimmered on the water’s surface, transforming like a mass of water, instantly merging with the sea and vanishing. The Great Serpent Pheasant struck the ocean surface, kicking up colossal waves hundreds of feet high.

"Hmm, gone?" Chen Feng’s heart jolted. He plunged into the water immediately to search, but the sea churned restlessly; there was no sign of any person.

"How formidable!" Emerging from the water, Chen Feng sighed in awe. Usually, a person entering the water would use their Domain to push the water away, but this opponent seemed to dissolve into the water—like pouring a cup of water into the vast ocean!

How could one find a single cup of water once it merges with the sea? Even a god might be powerless!

Who was he? And who was the "Prince" he mentioned?

Taking a deep breath, Chen Feng stared at the spot where the figure vanished, inevitably falling into deep thought.

Why did they have the black-robed brute and his men capture Drutus? Was it only to lure him out? What was the purpose of sacrificing so many people just to meet him before escaping immediately?

He pondered for a long time, unable to make sense of it. Chen Feng dove back into the sea, retrieved Drutus, and after rescuing him, had used an instant movement technique to transport them five thousand meters away, hiding Drutus in the water. Although unconscious, Drutus was a Saint Domain expert and certainly wouldn't die even if kept submerged for a day.

After administering a pill, Chen Feng was about to return through the magic array when the array suddenly flashed, and Lei Di and Ling Feng stepped out. They had come because Chen Feng had been gone too long.

Originally, Lei Di was supposed to come alone according to their prior agreement, but Ling Feng insisted on accompanying him, so they arrived together.

"Chen Feng, are you alright!" Ling Feng rushed over.

"I'm fine. Let's head back first," Chen Feng said.

Seeing the corpses on the island, Lei Di’s heart pounded violently. So many bodies, all killed by one person—was he still human?

"Did you kill all these?" he couldn't help but ask.

"No!" Chen Feng shook his head.

"If you didn't kill them, then who did?" Ling Feng glanced warily around the surroundings, seeing only the shimmering seawater, devoid of any figure.

"No need to look; he left long ago. I don't know who he was either!" Chen Feng sighed. "We’ll discuss it when we get back!" He placed the Free Teleportation Array in a relatively safe location, then, carrying the still-unconscious Drutus, stepped inside. With a flash, they appeared on the seaside.

………………………………………………………………………………

"Your Highness!" a voice sounded.

"I told you, I detest that title! You are only to call me Young Master!" The Prince’s voice rang out coldly.

"Yes, Young Master... Ah..." The speaker cried out in agony as an arm flew off and landed on the ground. Pain made cold sweat pour from him, yet he dared not utter another word.

"How was it?" The Prince inquired.

"Chen Feng's strength is indeed profoundly deep and unfathomable. If not for the Water Element Scroll my subordinate used, allowing me to transform into water, returning would have been extremely difficult! Moreover... he crushed the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 with just two fingers and ground half of it to powder!" The first voice continued, showing no sign of anger over his severed limb.

"Ground the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】 to powder?" The Prince asked with interest.

"Yes!" As he spoke, the first voice raised his remaining arm and presented an object—it was the other half of the 【Great Earth Demonic Blade】.

The Prince took the half-blade, examined it in his palm for a moment, and lightly flicked the back of the blade with his finger.

Crack!

A series of sharp snaps followed; the remaining half fractured into more than a dozen pieces that fell to the ground. If observed closely, one could see that every one of these small pieces was exactly the same length—none shorter, none longer.

To shatter an item that was a top-tier Saint Artifact with a single finger flick and maintain such precision—this person's cultivation had reached a horrifying realm.

Whoosh!

A small fractured piece then bounced off the ground and rapidly flew back into the Prince’s palm. He closed his hand lightly.

Splat...

The iron dust slowly flowed through the gaps between his fingers, eventually falling to the ground.

"Was it crushed like this?" he asked lightly.

"Yes! But not with the effortless grace you display, Young Master!" the first voice quickly replied.

"Heh heh, no need for flattery. I know the realm he has reached. His physical body has actually attained the Divine Level? How interesting. It seems I won't be too lonely!" The Prince chuckled, and his figure slowly merged with the air until he was no longer visible.

The first voice wiped the cold sweat from his brow, clutching his chest in agony that clearly surpassed the pain of his severed arm.

"Chen Feng... truly powerful. I didn't expect to be so gravely injured even after transforming into water... If nothing unforeseen happens, I will need three months to recuperate," he muttered. He stood up, let out a breath, and flew away, paying no attention to the severed arm on the ground, as if it belonged to someone else entirely. (To be continued. For future developments, please log on to www**com for more chapters, supporting the author and genuine reading!)