Translator: AnubisTL
Gu Feng was on the verge of cursing. He could understand and was even moved by Chu Youhuan and the others' desire to help, but they needed to act within their capabilities!
They were already struggling themselves, yet they insisted on joining the battle. Not only would they be of no help, but they would also hinder Gu Feng's performance.
If Qiu Tian seized the opportunity to kill one of them, how could Gu Feng stand by and watch them fall? He would have to interrupt his own attack rhythm to rush to their aid.
Chu Youhuan, who had been shaken to her core, was the first to get up. She realized the problem at hand—Qi Tingting and the others were severely injured, their attacks were off-target, and charging in would only add to Gu Feng's troubles.
She stood up resolutely, tore off a piece of her sleeve to bind the hilt of her blade to her hand, grabbed a strand of hair that had fallen by her ear, and bit down on it. Her fighting spirit surged, and strange halos of light began to radiate from her body.
"You can't help, I'll go alone!"
With that, Chu Youhuan let out a fierce cry, activated her Spirit Artifact, and charged at Qiu Tian like a madwoman.
Qiu Tian, being an expert in the Innate Realm, could easily sense Chu Youhuan's condition. In her unstable state, trying to join such a high-level battle would only cause more chaos.
He let out a sinister laugh and sent a blood-red palm strike straight at Chu Youhuan. At the same time, his golden spear swept towards Gu Feng's thigh, forcing him to leap out of the way.
Gu Feng was truly going mad. Chu Youhuan was already severely injured; if she clashed head-on with Qiu Tian's blood-red palm strike, she would either die or be crippled.
What was already a difficult task had now turned into a hellish ordeal because of Chu Youhuan's involvement.
"Damn it!"
"Raise the price!"
Gu Feng roared, his body erupting with Spiritual Radiance. In mid-air, he executed "Immortal by the River" to its fullest extent.
His legs seemed to be powered by a rocket engine, and with a whoosh, he moved so fast that even Qiu Tian couldn't track him. He leaped over the blood-red palm strike and landed like a cannonball in front of Chu Youhuan.
"Ah—"
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Gu Feng roared again, swinging his fists with the force of a million pounds, smashing into the blood-red palm strike.
"Pfft—"
The hastily gathered strength was no match for Qiu Tian's long-prepared ultimate move. Gu Feng was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed heavily into Chu Youhuan behind him. The two tumbled through the air and landed hard in the valley.
At that moment, Gu Feng felt as if all his internal organs were shaking, and his chest felt like it was about to explode.
However, having succeeded with his strike, Qiu Tian wasn't about to let this golden opportunity slip. The moment the two landed, he charged forward.
"Damn it!"
Gu Feng quickly pulled out the Soul Shattering Whip and lashed it fiercely at the descending golden spear.
Sss—
Qiu Tian felt as if his brain had been pierced by a needle, the pain was excruciating. Although it wasn't as intense as when the whip had directly struck his forehead, it was enough to cause a slight pause in his attack.
In a battle between experts, even a slight gap was enough to turn the tide.
"Roar—"
Like the roar of a beast, Gu Feng unleashed the "Jade Lion's Golden Roar." Although Qiu Tian had been prepared for this move, the close proximity still caused him to momentarily lose focus.
"Get lost!!!"
"Roar roar roar—"
While continuously unleashing the "Jade Lion's Golden Roar," Gu Feng gathered all his Spiritual Power into his arms. The sleeves on his arms exploded, revealing terrifying, dragon-like energy coursing through them. He grabbed the golden spear that was thrusting towards his face and spun his body at high speed, lifting Qiu Tian off the ground.
He spun faster and faster, like a wheel of fire, and at the peak of his speed, he flung Qiu Tian away.
Qiu Tian was sent flying like a scarecrow, crashing through dozens of large rocks before finally coming to a stop.
"I told you not to come and cause trouble, can't you understand human language?"
Gu Feng roared at Chu Youhuan, who was pale-faced. His appearance was terrifying, like a messenger from hell, causing her to shrink back in fear, unable to meet his gaze.
Without waiting for Chu Youhuan to respond, Gu Feng grabbed her and tossed her like a chick into the group of barely-alive female cultivators.
Whether she would be injured from the fall was the least of his concerns.
Originally, he had been confident in defeating Qiu Tian, but Chu Youhuan's interference had caused him to get injured first. Now, not only was defeating Qiu Tian out of the question, but even a draw seemed nearly impossible.
It's not the god-like opponent you should fear, but the pig-like teammate. Damn it all!
"Keep an eye on your sect leader, activate the Array Formation, and don't let her come out and cause trouble!"
"Also, this mission has become too difficult. You'll have to pay more—one million each, and two million for Chu Youhuan!"
With that, Gu Feng roared again and charged at Qiu Tian.
Using conventional tactics, victory was impossible. Gu Feng could only trade injuries for injuries, pitting his life force against Qiu Tian's.
At the fourth level of the Postnatal Realm, Gu Feng had sent Qiu Tian flying. Now, at the fifth level, Qiu Tian was still being sent flying.
This was hard for Qiu Tian, who had a strong sense of pride, to accept.
He could feel Gu Feng's determination to fight to the death, and he began to steel himself as well.
This time, he would definitely wash away the shame from a few days ago and send this detestable Qi Refining Realm brat to his doom.
Kill—
Kill—
Both men roared simultaneously as Gu Feng and Qiu Tian collided fiercely, the sound shaking the heavens.
Gu Feng's movements were agile, his punches sharp, and with the help of the Soul Shattering Whip, an extraordinary Mystic Artifact, along with his fearless, life-risking fighting style, he momentarily suppressed Qiu Tian, who was at the fifth level of the Postnatal Realm and wielded a Superior-grade Spiritual Weapon.
In the valley, Qi Tingting and the others were completely stunned.
They had thought Gu Feng was strong, but when his true strength was revealed, it exceeded everyone's expectations.
This was absolutely mind-blowing!
A peak Qi Refining cultivator was engaged in a fierce battle with a fifth-level Postnatal Realm expert.
If someone had told them before today that someone at the peak of Qi Refining could fight a fifth-level Postnatal Realm expert, they would have scoffed.
If, in front of that fifth-level Postnatal Realm expert, you added the prefix "who has comprehended Martial Intent," they would probably have jumped up and beaten the person, shouting, "Are you insulting my intelligence?"
Yet, the reality was exactly that. Not only could Gu Feng fight Qiu Tian, but he could even momentarily suppress him.
This was so astonishing that they couldn't find the right words to describe Gu Feng's strength.
"Sect Leader, please don't go and cause trouble. Just stay here peacefully!"
"As long as we don't get into trouble and distract Gu Feng, that's the best help we can give him."
"I'm afraid if the Sect Leader goes out again, Gu Feng will raise the price again. I can barely scrape together one million, but if it goes up to two million, I'll have to sell myself."
"..."
Seeing Gu Feng's incredible strength, Qi Tingting and the others felt a bit less worried and began to persuade Chu Youhuan not to act impulsively.
"That's right, it wasn't this difficult originally. If you hadn't brought Chu Yanfeng into the Secret Realm, giving Qiu Tian the Spirit Artifact that allows him to exert fifth-level Postnatal Realm strength in the Secret Realm, we wouldn't be in such a dire situation!
It's all your fault!" A Fei, who was weak and barely conscious, added fuel to the fire.
This statement was met with agreement from the other women.
Chu Youhuan's expression turned ugly, and she was completely broken. Thinking about it carefully, it really did seem to be her fault.
If she hadn't entered the Secret Realm, Qiu Tian wouldn't have become so powerful. Judging by the strength Gu Feng had displayed, even if he couldn't kill Qiu Tian, he could have at least stopped him from causing havoc.
"Sigh—
It's all my fault, but damn, that fall nearly killed me. Couldn't you have been gentler?
I can't afford two million either—" Chu Youhuan muttered to herself, giving up on the idea of joining the fight again.
The battle between Gu Feng and Qiu Tian was extremely brutal. This time, Gu Feng was truly fighting for his life, and the Soul Shattering Whip appeared frequently in his hands.
At this point, he no longer cared about the pain in his head; his only thought was to defeat Qiu Tian.
"Hahaha, you can't beat me!"
Qiu Tian's eyes were sharp. After fighting for so long, he finally discovered the secret of Gu Feng's Soul Shattering Whip. While it was indeed extraordinary, it wasn't invincible.
The golden spear in his hand could greatly offset the whip's power, and both sides were essentially enduring the same level of pain.
When it came to a battle of souls, the Innate Realm had an inherent advantage. Qiu Tian couldn't think of any reason he would lose.
Gradually, Gu Feng began to fall into a disadvantage. Several glaring blood holes appeared on his body, his white robe was soaked in blood, his face was pale, and his pupils were slightly unfocused.
Seeing this, Qiu Tian laughed and began a fierce assault.
"One million Spirit Stones per head, twenty heads make twenty million, Chu Youhuan is worth two million, totaling twenty-two million... plus many treasures from the Secret Realm... Qiu Tian's golden spear is a Superior-grade Spiritual Weapon, worth at least several million... and..."
A low voice murmured as Gu Feng seemed to be urging himself on. His attacks became erratic, some even looking comical—
"Hahaha, after you die, I'll burn you a hundred billion paper money... but for now, go to hell!"
"Purgatory Sky-Piercing Spear!"
Seeing the opportunity ripe, Qiu Tian suddenly took a step back and unleashed his ultimate move!
A blood-red spear phantom appeared in the air, sucking in all the surrounding Spiritual Energy. To ensure a one-hit kill, he took half a breath longer to prepare this move than usual.
However, that half-breath gave Gu Feng the opening he needed.
He roared, "A Fei!"
A Fei, who was in the Array Formation, seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He charged out.
"Fool, his strength can't even break my Innate Body, what's the point of coming over?"
"Who said A Fei is here to attack you!" Gu Feng smiled wickedly.
A shocking scene unfolded. A Fei, who had burst out, didn't attack Qiu Tian but instead went behind Gu Feng and delivered a full-force punch to Gu Feng's back.
Is... is A Fei crazy?
Chu Youhuan and the others were completely dumbfounded, staring in shock, unable to understand A Fei's actions.
At the same time, Gu Feng also made a punching motion.
Boom—
A Fei's powerful punch landed squarely on Gu Feng's back, the force so intense that it shattered the upper half of Gu Feng's clothes, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Almost simultaneously, Gu Feng's long-prepared punch was also unleashed.
"Tyrant Fist!!!"
A dark golden fist, so bright it was indescribable, so fierce it was indescribable, and so fast it was indescribable, was thrown out.
"Fist... Fist Intent!!!"
Qiu Tian was horrified. The entire process happened in an instant, too fast for him to react.
In fact, when he was preparing to use the "Purgatory Sky-Piercing Spear," he had already prepared to take a punch from Gu Feng. With Gu Feng's current strength, even if it were doubled, it could at most break his Innate Body, but it wouldn't be fatal.
However, he never expected that Gu Feng, with A Fei's help, could use such a self-destructive method to unleash a Martial Intent that only an Innate Realm cultivator could produce.
At this moment, Qiu Tian's defenses were wide open, and there was no way to avoid it.
This punch was too fierce, too swift, sweeping everything in its path, causing Qiu Tian's soul to tremble, the shadow of death looming over him, impossible to shake off.
"If I'm going to die, we'll all die together!" Qiu Tian's face twisted in a snarl, his voice hoarse from screaming.
"Woo—"
A mournful sound filled the air as a blood-red spear phantom, over ten meters long, descended towards Gu Feng's head.
"I'm done for, even if I don't die, I'll be severely injured. How much medical expenses will it take to recover?"
As the spear descended, a ridiculous thought crossed Gu Feng's mind.
"Watch out—"
A familiar voice rang in his ears, and a red figure flashed before his eyes!
It was Chu Youhuan!
She stood firm, her blade raised, and unleashed a blinding light towards the blood-red spear phantom.
"Boom—"
"Boom—"
Two simultaneous, earth-shattering explosions resounded throughout the Secret Realm.
All four were sent flying dozens of meters, landing heavily on the ground.
Qiu Tian staggered to his feet, a bowl-sized bloody hole in his chest, a gruesome sight. Gu Feng's punch had pierced through his chest.
He glanced in Gu Feng's direction with unwillingness, his mouth opening and closing, his Adam's apple moving a few times, before his pupils quickly dimmed, and he collapsed to the side, lifeless.
The forty-third ranked on the Sunset Glow Sect's Inner Sanctum Heaven Ranking, the renowned "Three Heroes of the Qiu Family" of Cloud Prefecture, Qiu Tian, had fallen!
"Senior Sister Chu, how are you?"
"Two... two million, can you... waive it? I really don't have the money."
"Considering your selfless act just now, I'll deduct twenty thousand, interest-free for six months!"
"My... that stunning slash... is only worth twenty thousand?"
"That's already a friend's price. For anyone else, it would only be ten thousand.
Besides, it was your earlier blunder that led to your stunning slash.
I could have made you pay for the medical expenses..."
"Bastard!" With that, Chu Youhuan completely lost consciousness.
Gu Feng found it somewhat amusing that she had managed to speak before passing out.
He checked Chu Youhuan's condition and found that while her injuries were severe, they hadn't damaged her martial foundation. It was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
Looking at Qi Tingting and the others who were helping each other walk over, Gu Feng grinned.
It was a relief that none of his debtors had died.
"A Fei, collect all the Spirit Artifacts, Storage Rings, even the clothes... anything valuable. These are all Spirit Stones!"
After giving these instructions, exhaustion overwhelmed Gu Feng, and he passed out.
(End of the Chapter)
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