The crowd exclaimed in awe. If someone broke through to the peak of the Eight-stage Hell Realm at the age of sixteen, their potential would be terrifying.

"Besides Master Haitang, the other three young masters also possess immense potential. The so-called 'Four New Talents' from the Flowing Cloud Region who came this time will likely all return in disgrace."

A ripple of soft laughter swept through the tavern.

Luo Feng listened to the discussions, a faint smile playing on his lips as he shook his head. His current strength undoubtedly ranks him at the young master level.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the tavern.

Shortly after, a young man dressed in a green uniform walked in.

The young man was tall and robust. Wild, long hair draped over his shoulders, and his eyes were sharp. A strong fluctuation of Yuan Qi emanated from him, making him seem like a blazing fire that deterred anyone from approaching.

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

The waiter nervously approached, managing to squeeze out a smile. Under the immense pressure, his legs were trembling.

The young man's sharp gaze swept across the tavern. He then burst out laughing, "I want to eat people!"

WHOOSH!

The moment he spoke, the previously noisy tavern fell eerily silent. Everyone's eyes turned towards the entrance.

"Oh, it's the Fiery Sun Young Master, Qin Honglie!"

"What! It's Qin Honglie?!"

Seeing the young man standing at the entrance, many martial artists in the tavern shot up from their seats, their faces etched with astonishment and a flicker of fear in their eyes.

The Fiery Sun Young Master… Luo Feng looked at the youth at the tavern entrance, his eyebrows twitching.

He had recognized the newcomer as a student from Ivy School, but he hadn't expected him to be one of the Four Young Masters of the Red Maple Lead—the Fiery Sun Young Master.

The Fiery Sun Young Master... isn't that Qin Huan's elder brother? Luo Feng mused, looking at Qin Honglie and slowly swirling the wine cup in his hand, an enigmatic smile on his face.

Qin Honglie stood at the tavern entrance. His imposing eyes swept across the room, and he gave a wicked laugh. With a flick of his finger, a ghost-head sword, glinting with cold light, appeared in his hand.

"Impermanence Ten Ghosts, I know you're here! Get out here and die!"

WHOOSH! His ghost-head sword slashed diagonally, unleashing a fiery red Sword Qi. It carved a massive gash, tens of feet long, into the floor, which still sizzled with sparks.

"What? The Impermanence Ten Ghosts are here?!" Upon hearing this, many turned deathly pale and exchanged frightened glances.

Luo Feng's brow furrowed slightly. He had chanced upon an academy mission regarding the Impermanence Ten Ghosts in the Extreme Sun Great Hall.

The Impermanence Ten Ghosts were ten utterly ruthless figures of the rtiad, operating between the Flowing Cloud Region and the Red Maple Lead, committing all sorts of atrocities.

These ten were inherently cruel, each with no fewer than a hundred lives on their hands. Their victims included many students from the four major academies and the two academies of the Red Maple Lead. All academies had bounties on their heads.

The Impermanence Ten Ghosts were not only astonishingly powerful—all masters at the Seven-stage Essence Storage Realm or Eight-stage Hell Realm—but also skilled in disguise. Cunning and insidious, many students who had accepted missions to hunt them had met a cruel end.

Luo Feng had seen this mission shortly after becoming an inner court disciple, so he had some recollection of it. He never expected to encounter them here.

"Waiter, the bill!" Many in the tavern stood up, threw down some silver, and tried to leave.

They feared not only the Impermanence Ten Ghosts but also Qin Honglie. Of the Four Young Masters, Qin Honglie was the most bloodthirsty.

Besides the title 'Fiery Sun Young Master,' he had another: 'Massacre Sword'! Once he made a move, he killed indiscriminately, friend or foe alike!

Just as the crowd was about to leave, Qin Honglie stepped forward, blocking the tavern entrance. He sneered, "Since you're here, why the rush to leave? You can go after I've killed the Impermanence Ten Ghosts. It won't be too late then."

The crowd's expressions soured. One man frowned and demanded, "Qin Honglie, why should we listen to you?"

SPLATTER!

Before his words even faded, a sword flashed, and the speaker was sliced in two.

"By the sword in my hand!" Qin Honglie glared like a furious tiger, his icy gaze sweeping over them as he sneered, "Anyone else want to leave? I'll personally send them on their way!"

Gazing at the gruesome corpse on the ground, no one else dared to speak. Trembling, they all retreated to the side.

Luo Feng remained seated, pouring and drinking his wine as if none of this concerned him.

Qin Honglie looked disdainfully at the cowering crowd, who wanted to flee but dared not. He announced loudly, "Impermanence Ten Ghosts, I know you're here! Now that you've run into me, Qin Honglie, death is your only way out! Stop hiding!"

The tavern remained eerily silent. After a moment, a hoarse voice drifted from an unknown location, "Hehe, Qin Honglie, all ten of us martial brothers are right here. Find us if you can."

Hearing the voice, Luo Feng frowned. Even he couldn't pinpoint its origin; the speaker clearly possessed a special technique to conceal their voice.

"Ten rats, trying to threaten me?" Qin Honglie licked his lips, a cold glint in his eyes as he gave a savage grin. "Who said I need to find you? Since you're here, wouldn't it be simpler to just kill everyone in this place? HA HA HA HA..."

As Qin Honglie roared with laughter, the faces of the other martial artists instantly drained of color. His tone suggested he wasn't joking.

He gave them no time to think. Qin Honglie's laughter ceased, and he suddenly raised his ghost-head sword high. "Great Sun Chaotic Cloud Sword!"

With a thunderous shout, Qin Honglie gripped the hilt with both hands. Boundless crimson Sword Qi erupted from the blade, sweeping out like an overwhelming tide.

BOOM!

The crimson Sword Qi, like a blazing sun, radiated outwards from Qin Honglie at its center. The entire tavern was enveloped in the crimson Sword Qi, which surged forward like a swarm of locusts, swift as lightning.

AARGH! AARGH! AARGH!

Several martial artists closest to Qin Honglie were engulfed by the Sword Qi and instantly shredded by the chaotic blades. Their wounds were charred black as if seared by fire.

"Watch out! That's the Great Sun Divine Illumination Swordsmanship from Ivy School!" The others reacted instantly, unleashing their Protective Gang Energy to resist with all their might.

But the Sword Qi was too ferocious. Many martial artists' Protective Gang Energy was shattered in an instant, reducing them to piles of bloody bones.

BOOM!

The tavern, already dilapidated, couldn't withstand such a violent assault and began to collapse.

After the Sword Qi rampaged through, the tavern was unrecognizable. Of the thirty to forty people present, half were killed instantly, their bodies strewn across the floor.

"'Qin Honglie, the 'Massacre Sword'—he truly lives up to his name, killing even the innocent!'" In a corner by the window sat a gaunt old man. He put down his chopsticks, his gaze fixed icily on Qin Honglie.

"Boss, Ninth and Sixth are dead!"

"And Fifth!"

Several figures drew near, standing beside the gaunt old man, their faces contorted with grief and indignation.

Hearing this, the gaunt old man's face twitched violently. He reached up and wiped his face, and the skin of the old man peeled away, revealing a surprisingly young and eerie face beneath.

"HA HA HA... Impermanence Ten Ghosts, so you've finally decided to show yourselves!" Despite having just killed dozens with his sword, Qin Honglie seemed unfazed, his arrogant gaze fixed on the figures in the window corner.

Upon hearing this, the few remaining martial artists looked relieved. One of them said to Qin Honglie, "Qin Honglie, it's clear now! They are the Impermanence Ten Ghosts. Can we leave now?"

The others also showed ecstatic relief, their expressions easing.

SPLAT!

Suddenly, another wave of Sword Qi shot out.

The martial artists, still rejoicing in their narrow escape, had their heads sliced off by the Sword Qi. "Qin Honglie, you..." They glared at him, dying with their eyes wide open in disbelief.

Qin Honglie didn't even glance at the corpses on the ground. He said nonchalantly, "You say they're the ones, but I think you are. So, the best solution is to kill you all! Not one will be spared!"

His actions were so swift and brutal that even the watching Impermanence Ten Ghosts felt a chill creep into their hearts.

"Will you end your own lives, or shall I do it for you?" Qin Honglie's gaze was icy as he stared at the seven figures by the window, his voice chilling.

"Hmph! Qin Honglie, I know your Great Sun Divine Illumination Sword is formidable, but we Impermanence Ten Ghosts have roamed the rtiad for over a decade! We're no pushovers! Don't push us too far!" the leader of the Impermanence Ten Ghosts snapped.

As his voice fell, the six beside him drew their weapons, forming a crescent shape and glaring at Qin Honglie like tigers stalking their prey.

"It seems you won't do it yourselves, then." Qin Honglie remained unmoved, advancing step by step.

"Everyone, attack together! Kill him!"

"If we can kill the Fiery Sun Young Master, one of the Four Young Masters, the name of the Impermanence Ten Ghosts will resound throughout the rtiad!"

All seven were hardened killers. Enraged by Qin Honglie's repeated provocations, they unleashed their ultimate techniques and swarmed him.

Among the seven, two were martial artists at the Seven-stage Essence Storage Realm, while the other five were at the Eight-stage Hell Realm. One of them, a late Eight-stage Hell Realm martial artist, even possessed an aura no weaker than Qin Honglie's!

"Kill!" The seven experts attacked in unison, their combined momentum earth-shattering. The already crumbling tavern teetered on the verge of complete collapse.

RUMBLE...

The ambient Yuan Qi surged violently. In an instant, Qin Honglie's figure was engulfed by the rampant Gang Qi, vanishing from sight.

"HA HA HA HA... All of you, go to hell!" Qin Honglie's laughter rang out as his ghost-head sword erupted with dazzling crimson Sword Qi.

HISS! HISS!

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the air shrieked, and a searing heatwave rolled out. In the blink of an eye, two of them were torn apart, blood spraying everywhere. They were no match for him at all.

Boundless Sword Qi wreaked havoc. The seven's combined attack was instantly shattered. Even the late Eight-stage Hell Realm martial artist was sent flying, vomiting blood, by a single sword strike.

Yi Zhong was right. This man's proficiency in the Sword Dao is truly impressive; he has the potential to comprehend Sword Intent! Luo Feng mused, feeling the power of the Sword Qi. He was suddenly reminded of Iron Cedar Master Yi Zhong, whom he had met in the Red Chain Mountain Range.

"Aargh! His Sword Qi is terrifying! We're no match for him! Let's go!"

"Run!"

With two killed in an instant, the remaining five showed looks of utter terror and immediately darted towards the tavern exit.

Under the threat of death, they all pushed their internal Yuan Qi to its absolute limit, fleeing in all directions at speeds beyond their norm, not daring to look back.

"Where do you think you're going? Great Sun Splits the Sky!" Watching the five flee in disarray, Qin Honglie laughed arrogantly, a savage glint in his eyes. Gripping his sword hilt with both hands, he thrust out repeatedly in all directions.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Scarlet Sword Qi spiraled into circular waves of Gang Qi, like blood-red suns radiating in all directions, swift as lightning.

AARGH! AARGH!

Screams erupted. The two slower men were struck from behind by the circular Sword Gang. Their bodies were pierced through and sent flying over a dozen meters, all signs of life extinguished.

Then the third, and the fourth...

Finally, only the late Eight-stage Hell Realm martial artist remained.

This man was the fastest, having already covered more than a hundred meters. The circular Sword Gang couldn't reach him.

"Not bad, you actually dodged one of my strikes. But you won't escape death! Great Sun Covers the Sky!" Qin Honglie thrust out several circular Sword Gangs, which then merged into a single, colossal crimson Sword Qi that shot out!

WHIZZ!

This strike was several times faster than before. Only a faint sound was heard as it tore through the air, leaving a fiery trail.

SPLAT!

The Sword Qi caught up to the fleeing martial artist two hundred meters away, piercing him through the back. His body flew dozens of meters due to inertia before slamming heavily onto the ground, mangled beyond recognition.

"Hmph! You court death!" Qin Honglie scoffed. Just as he let out a breath, his expression suddenly changed. He spun around, staring intently at a corner of the tavern.

Luo Feng sat there, as composed as ever.

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