Martial Arts Overlord

The beast roars thundered.

The strong smell of blood attracted all the Demon Beasts from the nearby forest.

Hearing the gradually approaching heavy footsteps, a hint of anticipation appeared at the corner of Luo Feng’s mouth. Holding the Tiger Soul Saber, he charged directly toward the nearest Demon Beast.

Dark shadows darted back and forth amidst booming echoes. The flash of the saber constantly flickered in the dense forest, like a Thunderbolt Mamba; each time it appeared, it would inevitably harvest a Demon Beast’s life.

After a brief uproar, the forest gradually quieted down.

The night wind, passing through the dense forest, seemed frightened by the scene within, making a low, mournful sound.

Within a hundred-meter radius in the forest, it was a scene of utter devastation.

Huge trees were severed, and the ground was covered in terrifying claw marks and deep pits. The most horrifying sight was the mountain-like pile of Demon Beast corpses! Fresh blood had stained the ground a dark red, pooling into puddles.

Luo Feng was drenched in blood, the Tiger Soul Saber in his hand stained a dark red. He looked like a god of death.

"One, two... twenty-four, twenty-five..."

Walking beside each Demon Beast’s corpse, Luo Feng collected the beast materials while counting.

"A total of thirty-four."

After collecting all the Demon Beast materials, a hint of joy appeared in Luo Feng’s eyes.

When he had acted together with his team, they had only killed twenty-three Demon Beasts in an entire afternoon.

Now, in less than two hours, he alone had killed thirty-four Demon Beasts—an astonishing efficiency!

Luo Feng was confident that no matter how fast the Li Family was, they couldn’t catch up to him. The position of First Family was already in the Luo Family’s grasp!

However, that was not Luo Feng’s sole aim.

If he was going to win, he wanted to win decisively!

He had already decided to kill as many Demon Beasts as possible tonight and leave Li Tianyang and his team trailing far behind!

Li Tianyang, you dare to be arrogant before me? I’d like to see what you think you can use to compete! This time, I’ll grind you thoroughly into the mud!

A chilling light flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes. He tidied his clothes and, with a SWOOSH, his figure darted into the dense forest.

All the Demon Beasts nearby had been killed by him; he needed to move to a different location.

「On the other side of the forest, the Li Family’s team was resting.」

The bonfire burned fiercely, brightly illuminating the faces of the ten Li Family disciples, all of whom looked delighted.

The Li Family’s hunt had been successful that day. They were the first to enter Black Cloud Mountain, seizing the initiative and wasting no time searching for Demon Beasts. By now, they had killed a total of thirty-four Demon Beasts!

"Young Master, at this pace, we, the Li Family, are definitely taking first place in this Hunting Competition!" one of the Li Family disciples said excitedly.

"Of course. With the two Young Masters here, we are bound to be first!"

"For the Luo Family to think they can compete with us for the position of First Family is simply wishful thinking!"

The Li Family disciples were all very excited.

If they could win first place in this Hunting Competition, as contributors, their status within the family would rise significantly!

Li Tianyang and his brother sat to one side. Hearing the others’ boasts, Li Tianyang looked smug and said with a smile, "Naturally. Those from the Luo Family are all wastes. They aren’t qualified to hold the position of First Family!"

Li Tianyao asked, "What’s the progress of the other teams?"

A short young Martial Artist stepped forward. "Young Master, the Han Clan has hunted nearly twenty Demon Beasts, and the Feng Family is in a similar position. Most of the other families have only managed about ten."

"What about the Luo Family?" Li Tianyang asked impatiently.

That was what he cared about most.

"The scout sent to monitor the Luo Family hasn’t returned yet," the young man replied, shaking his head.

RUSTLE...

At this moment, the sound of footsteps came from the nearby woods.

"Who’s there!"

Several of them, highly alert, immediately drew their swords, their gazes fixed murderously on the direction of the sound.

"Young Master, it’s me!"

A figure emerged from the woods.

"Li Guang, how is the Luo Family doing? Where are they now?" Seeing the newcomer, Li Tianyang’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked.

Li Guang was the one he had sent to track the Luo Family.

"Young Master, as of now, the Luo Family has hunted only twenty-three Demon Beasts, far fewer than us. They are still near the outskirts of White Forest Mountain."

"Only twenty-three... So Luo Feng’s previous arrogance was nothing more than that."

Hearing this, Li Tianyang scoffed contemptuously.

While a tally of twenty-three Demon Beasts wasn’t bad, it paled in comparison to their own thirty-four.

Beside him, Li Tianyao frowned and asked, "Why are they still at White Forest Mountain?"

By now, the other teams had already crossed White Forest Mountain; by rights, the Luo Family should have been further ahead.

Li Guang hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Young Master, something very strange happened. When they neared White Forest Mountain, Luo Feng abruptly left the team. He went alone into the Black Cloud Mountain Range, while the rest of the Luo Family remained near White Forest Mountain."

"Luo Feng left alone? Do you know what happened?"

Hearing this, Li Tianyao was taken aback, his gaze flickering.

Li Guang shook his head. "Luo Feng had a brief conversation with Luo Xiao before he left. I was worried about being discovered, so I kept my distance and couldn’t hear what they said. After he departed, the rest of the Luo Family team stayed put at White Forest Mountain and made no further moves. It looked as though they’d given up on the Hunting Competition."

Nearby, Li Tianyang roared with laughter, clapping Li Tianyao on the shoulder. "Big Brother, it’s obvious! Those Luo Family weaklings knew they couldn’t beat us, so they simply gave up early."

Li Tianyao smiled and nodded; it wasn’t an impossibility.

No matter how one looked at it, the Luo Family team couldn’t possibly defeat them.

"I’m just a bit curious why Luo Feng would enter the Black Cloud Mountain Range alone," Li Tianyao mused after a moment.

"Luo Feng?"

At the mention of this name, Li Tianyang’s gaze turned icy, and he snorted.

"What’s so special about Luo Feng to be concerned about? With his level of strength, whatever he tries won’t amount to anything significant. I’ve already cultivated the Stacking Wave Palm to the Small Success stage. I could crush him with one hand now!"

A cold, murderous glint flashed in Li Tianyang’s eyes.

Li Tianyao also felt he might have been overthinking things. He nodded and looked at Li Tianyang. "Second Brother, what do you plan to do now? The Luo Family team has stopped at White Forest Mountain. We can’t possibly turn back just to kill them."

"Hmph, I have no interest in those weaklings. Once our Li Family becomes the First Family, we can deal with them at our leisure."

Li Tianyang shook his head, a ruthless glint in his eyes as he said in a low voice, "Right now, I just want to kill that brat Luo Feng! He dared to humiliate me repeatedly! I won’t be able to quell the hatred in my heart until I kill him with my own hands!"

Li Tianyang’s eyes flashed. He turned to Li Guang beside him. "Since Luo Feng entered the Black Cloud Mountain Range, he should be nearby. Li Guang, take two men and search the vicinity! Notify me immediately once you find him!"

"Yes, Young Master."

Li Guang nodded, selected two men, and they vanished into the night.

Watching Li Guang and the other two depart, a savage smile touched Li Tianyang’s lips.

The thought of personally killing Luo Feng filled him with immense satisfaction!

「However, the Li Family was not the only one concerned about the Luo Family team’s movements.」

In a dense forest, Feng Lingyue listened to her family disciple’s report, her brow furrowed. Her usually calm tone rose slightly—

"’The Luo Family team has stopped at White Forest Mountain and isn’t moving, and Luo Feng has disappeared? Are you sure you saw this clearly?’"

"’Miss, I’m friends with someone on the Luo Family’s team. He told me himself. Once they neared White Forest Mountain, Luo Feng vanished, and they haven’t made any moves since,’" a Feng Family disciple reported.

Feng Lingyue nodded silently, but a flicker of deep concern showed in her bright eyes.

"’Hmph! To think you trusted him so much, Miss! That Luo Feng has actually deserted them! Miss, you shouldn’t have helped him in the first place. What are we going to do now? If the Li Family wins the position of First Family, you’ll have to marry that brute Li Tianyang...’"

Feng Lingyue’s maid, Ling Que, who was also participating in the Hunting Competition, heard the news. Her face filled with frustration, and she looked at Feng Lingyue with reddened eyes.

"Ling Que, don’t talk nonsense."

Feng Lingyue stopped Ling Que from continuing. She didn’t believe Luo Feng would desert them at a time like this.

Once, when they were children, Feng Lingyue and Luo Feng had snuck out of the city to play without telling their families. They encountered a Jianghu villain who, captivated by Feng Lingyue’s budding beauty, immediately tried to abduct her.

Back then, they were both only eight years old and had little strength. Still, Luo Feng shielded Feng Lingyue with his body, using a half-foot-long dagger to desperately fight off the villain. His actions eventually attracted a passing Martial Artist, and Feng Lingyue was saved from disaster.

The image of the young boy, dagger in hand, standing protectively before her, had remained etched in Feng Lingyue’s mind ever since. How could she believe that Luo Feng would run away at such a crucial time?

However, Feng Lingyue still couldn’t understand why the Luo Family team would remain stationary at White Forest Mountain, nor why Luo Feng would leave them to go off alone.

Luo Feng, what exactly are you planning...

Lifting her gaze, Feng Lingyue looked up through the dense canopy at the pitch-black night sky and murmured softly.

It wasn’t just the Li Family and the Feng Family.

The Han Clan, along with the other teams participating in the Hunting Competition, upon learning of the Luo Family team’s current situation, all began to speculate about what had happened.

Many shared Li Tianyang’s thought: the Luo Family had given up, abandoning their bid for the position of First Family.

「The night passed swiftly.」

At dawn, Luo Feng stood in a mountain hollow, Tiger Soul Saber in hand. Around him, Demon Beast corpses were piled layer upon layer—the spoils of his night’s battle!

His consciousness entered his storage ring, and Luo Feng began to count the Demon Beast materials he had harvested throughout the night.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a faint look of shock in them.

Four hundred and thirty-five! I actually killed that many Demon Beasts in a single night!

Luo Feng licked his lips, astonished by the number himself.

He recalled Luotian mentioning that the previous record for Demon Beasts hunted in any Hunting Competition was two hundred and thirty-two. His own tally had nearly doubled that!

"Hahaha... Li Tianyang, just you wait! You’ll be licking the soles of my shoes!"

Imagining Li Tianyang’s expression later, Luo Feng felt extremely pleased and couldn’t help but roar with laughter.

After a moment, Luo Feng calmed himself. He looked up at the sky, noting the early signs of dawn, and decided it was time to return.

He had spent the entire night hunting Demon Beasts, unknowingly venturing hundreds of li deep into the Black Cloud Mountain Range. If he headed back to the assembly point now, his timing should be perfect.