This old man, clad in blood-red robes, was not some simple bystander. He was the Third Elder of the Devil-Imperial Sect, a powerful man with a distinguished background.
All around, self-cultivators looked to this old man with expressions of surprise on their faces.
"Are you seeing this? The Devil-Imperial Sect's Third Elder, he's about to personally kill Qingfeng Li. Qingfeng Li is dead for sure this time."
"That's right, there's no question that Qingfeng Li will die. I knew this from the beginning, if he dares to come here, he will surely be killed by the Devil-Imperial Sect."
"They say that the Devil-Imperial Sect's Third Elder is already in the Spirit King Realm. He's extremely strong. He'll probably suck Qingfeng Li's blood dry."
The self-cultivators in the distance all looked at Qingfeng Li with mockery, as though they were watching a man who was about to die.
Naturally, Qingfeng Li heard the babbling of the crowd around him. But his expression was calm; none of it mattered to him.
Qingfeng Li knew something that the crowd around him didn't: he had already reached the ninth tier of the Spirit King Realm. What's more was, his combat abilities were so great that he was able to challenge those in the tiers above him. This was Qingfeng Li's hidden strength.
"So you're the Devil-Imperial Sect's Third Elder. Great. Then today, I'm going to first beat you until you look like a pig head and then kill you." Qingfeng Li gave a small smile, his tone was arrogant and haughty. He hardly bothered to look at the old man.
Qingfeng Li walked forward. With every step, the aura of power around him grew.
At the same time, upon the blackened ground, there appeared a layer of shallow footprints. The prints looked faint but held a massive amount of power.
"Young man." A chilling smile appeared on the third elder's face. His eyes shone with crazed bloodlust. "I'm old enough to be your grandfather, and I've devoted half my lifetime to training. You want to strike me down, well then today, this old man is going to drain you of all your blood and leave you a desiccated corpse."
The third elder's right hand reached out abruptly, morphing into a massive red claw. It tore toward Qingfeng Li, straight at his heart, aiming to rip it to shreds.
Smirking, Qingfeng Li struck out with his right fist, forming a phantasm of mountains and rivers. With just one blow, the third elder's claw was shattered and faded into the air.
At the same time, Qingfeng Li used his movement technique. Quick as a swimming dragon, he instantly disappeared from where he stood. In the very next instant, he appeared before the third elder.
"Such speed." The third elder's expression shifted drastically, a hint of shock appearing in his eyes. The young man before him had surpassed the speed of light, faster than even the third elder himself. He didn't even have time to react.
Extending his right hand, Qingfeng Li struck a slapping blow to the third elder's cheek, leaving a massive red bruise as thick as a steamed bun.
Watching this occur, the crowd gathered around were overcome with shock.
This old man was the third elder of the Devil-Imperial Sect, an infamous figure among self-cultivators. He had drained many people of their blood and to many, he was the Devil himself. How was it that, now, he was unable to withstand even a single blow from Qingfeng Li? It was a slap in the face."
"Bastard!" The third elder's expression was dark. "How dare you slap my face! I'll tear you to shreds!" An icy glare in his eyes, he swung his right claw toward Qingfeng Li.
However, before the Third Elder's clawed hand reached its target, Qingfeng Li's right fist moved again. Cutting an arc through the air, he swung toward the Third Elder's left cheek. The blow left a second steamed-bun sized bruise on the left side of his face.
Pa pa pa pa pa…
Qingfeng Li continued to swing his hand, landing another few dozens blows against the third elder's cheeks. By the end, his face was so swollen and bruised that it looked nothing like it did before; all his teeth had fallen to the ground, where they lay mixed with blood. It was a pitiful sight.
Bang!
The third elder's body fell to the ground, no longer breathing.
"Qingfeng Li is too strong! He even slapped the Third Elder to death!"
The gathered crowd of self-cultivators drew in a collective breath, their eyes filled with shock and awe.
They've seen self-cultivators fight before. Some used swords, knives, pikes, and staves, others used their fists, palms or feet. But never had they seen anyone beat someone to death with a slap!
"Trash." Cussing at the Third Elder, Qingfeng Li stepped forward, his right foot landing squarely on top of the Third Elder's head and crushing his skull.
The poor Third Elder died without even a full corpse to bury. It was a brutal scene.
Qingfeng Li stood before the members of the Devil-Imperial Sect and spoke. "Is this the power of the Devil-Imperial Sect's Elders? What a weakling. Don't you have anyone stronger?"
Hearing Qingfeng Li's taunt, a murderous expression appeared on the faces of both the First Elder and the Second Elder.
The First and Second Elders were good friends of the Third, having lived together for decades. They've done evil deeds together, drained self-cultivator's blood together. And now, as they watched their friend being killed by Qingfeng Li, their hearts filled with flames of fury.
"Qingfeng Li," the Grand Elder spoke with a sneer, his voice cold. "How dare you kill our friend? We will end you here."
The Grand Elder was no simple man, he was extremely powerful, being at the Half-Step Spirit Emperor Realm. Standing beside him, the Second Elder had also recently reached the Half-Step Spirit Emperor Realm.
Now, two masters of the Half-Step Spirit Emperor Realm faced Qingfeng Li, seeking to take his life.
"Half-step Spirit Emperor Realm," Qingfeng Li looked upon the two Elders calmly. "Nice. Finally, people I can actually fight."
With a flick of his right wrist, Qingfeng Li drew out his Fire Emperor Sword.
The Grand Elder's weapon of choice was a mile sword; the Second's was a long blade. But neither of these two spirit weapons were Emperor Class. They were of a lower calibre than Qingfeng Li's Fire Emperor Sword.
Swinging his long blade, the Grand Elder struck at Qingfeng Li from the left, while the Second Elder attacked from the right with his long sword. Two men striking from two directions eliminated any routes of retreat Qingfeng Li had had.
Swinging his Fire Emperor Sword, Qingfeng Li drew a wide arc in the air. From left to right, his blade collided first with the Grand Elder's mile sword, then with the Second Elder's long sword.
Bang! Bang!
Two deafening notes rang out as both the Grand Elder's mile sword and the Second Elder's long sword snapped in half. The pieces fell, shattered, to the ground.
"Emperor Class…" Grand Elder gawked at the sword in Qingfeng Li's hand, his eyes filled with intensity, "Your sword is actually an Emperor Class spirit weapon."
That blade will be mine! The Grand Elder swore in his heart. Even as the Grand Elder of the Devil-Imperial Sect, he did not possess an Emperor Class spirit weapon. But, unbelievable as it was, this Qingfeng Li had one. This fact stirred up the greed in his heart.
"You really want my Emperor Class weapon, don't you?" Qingfeng Li sneered at the Grand Elder, it was as if he was looking down at an ant. "Well, come then. If you can defeat me, this Emperor Class sword is yours."
Feeling Qingfeng Li's belittling gaze upon him, the Grand Elder's face fell. Enraged, he shouted. "Godly Vampire Technique!"
The Grand Elder opened his mouth, releasing a swirl of crimson whirlwind. The whirlwind exerted a powerful pulling force. Morphing into a red whirlpool, the wind sought to suck Qingfeng Li's blood out of his body.
Qingfeng Li furrowed his forehead ever so slightly. He felt the mood in his body moving, trying to fly out of his skin and into the Grand Elder's red whirlpool.
This Grand Elder's Godly Vampire Technique was indeed terrifying. It was even able to steal blood from a distance.