“How is this possible?”
The two youths were dumbfounded. They knew well how powerful the youth who was sent flying was. He had earned his place in the assembly through rigorous selection.
Countless ninth-level Martial Venerables had fallen to him.
Yet now, he couldn’t even withstand a single strike from a seventh-level Martial Venerable?
Even if he hadn’t used his full strength, it shouldn’t have resulted in such a severe injury.
Could this “bumpkin youth” really be that formidable?
At this moment, after sending the ninth-level Martial Venerable flying, Ling Hu charged toward the other two.
Simultaneously, his right arm swelled two to three times in size, his hand transforming into a beastly claw. A primal, beastly aura surged from him, its terrifying pressure enveloping all directions.
In that instant, Ling Hu seemed to transform into a primordial beast, his presence awe-inspiring.
Clearly, he had fully beastified.
Facing a first-level Martial Lord genius and a ninth-level Martial Venerable genius, he needed to activate his Heavenly Flame Sacred Tiger physique or beastify to stand a chance against both.
His beastified strength surpassed even that of his Heavenly Flame Sacred Tiger physique alone. This strike was clearly meant to defeat his opponents in one blow.
Ling Hu clenched his fist, the surrounding air seeming to explode. Both fists shot toward the two youths simultaneously.
Sensing Ling Hu’s might, their expressions changed drastically. In an instant, they summoned powerful forces to counter, their fists and palms meeting Ling Hu’s attack.
“Pfft!” “Pfft!”
After the collision, both youths spat out blood, their bodies sent flying backward.
“How is this possible? His strength is greater than mine?” The brocade-robed youth, soaring through the air, had a look of disbelief in his eyes.
If the earlier ninth-level Martial Venerable’s defeat was somewhat acceptable, how could he, a formidable first-level Martial Lord, fail to withstand a single strike?
And to be sent flying alongside his companion?
As a genius from a Martial Emperor family, a direct descendant of a regional power, he felt utterly humiliated.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao and Zi Ling were slightly surprised. Ling Hu’s combat prowess was indeed impressive. When beastified and using his Heavenly Flame Sacred Tiger physique, he could contend with a formidable second-level Martial Lord genius.
“Swish!”
At this moment, Ling Hu’s figure swiftly closed in on the three.
“You, what are you going to do?”
The three trembled, growing fearful of this towering youth.
“Didn’t you want to steal my Fierce Blood Violent Bear essence blood?”
Ling Hu grinned. “I don’t want much. Five thousand Green Spirit Stones, and we’ll call it even. Otherwise, I’ll cripple you and take your storage rings.”
As he spoke, his terrifying pressure enveloped the three lying nearby.
Since the brocade-robed youth had hesitated over the Fierce Blood Violent Bear essence blood, it was reasonable to assume he carried around five thousand Green Spirit Stones.
In short, Ling Hu was turning the tables, robbing the robbers.
Feeling his pressure, the three felt a chill in their hearts.
It was too terrifying. In their injured state, he could easily cripple them.
“You’d better think carefully. We’re from the Luo family. The Luo Emperor is my great-grandfather. If you rob my Green Spirit Stones, the consequences are beyond what you can bear,” the brocade-robed youth said, his face grim.
As a Martial Emperor’s direct descendant, he had never been so humiliated—defeated in one move and now facing robbery of his family’s wealth.
He thought mentioning the Luo Emperor would intimidate the other party, but to his surprise, not only was Ling Hu unafraid, he dismissed it entirely, cursing, “Luo Emperor? Call your pathetic great-grandfather here, and I’ll beat him senseless. Now, I’ll give you one more chance. Hand over five thousand Green Spirit Stones, or I’ll cripple you.”
“You!” The brocade-robed youth’s face darkened, fury surging within him. He hadn’t expected such audacity, even cursing a Martial Emperor.
“You dare insult the Luo Emperor? You’re courting death!”
At that moment, a cold shout rang out. A youth, around twenty-five, approached.
This youth was unremarkable in appearance but exuded a powerful second-level Martial Lord aura.
“Luo Fan!”
Seeing him, the three brocade-robed youths lit up with joy.
Luo Fan was one of the two highest-cultivated members of their generation in the Luo family. His combat strength was unmatched, save for another second-level Martial Lord genius, Luo Zheng.
With Luo Fan here, this youth would surely be no match.
They wouldn’t have to hand over the five thousand Green Spirit Stones, and they could reclaim their lost pride.
By now, the commotion had drawn a crowd of onlookers.
The surrounding spectators watched with amusement, lively chatter filling the air.
“You want me dead?” Ling Hu turned his gaze to the approaching second-level Martial Lord youth and said, “Who do you think you are?”
Luo Fan’s expression darkened slightly. He retorted, “And who do you think you are?”
With that, his powerful second-level Martial Lord aura surged, its terrifying pressure enveloping the area, causing the onlookers to feel palpitations.
“So terrifying. He’s definitely an assembly participant, likely among the top in his faction.”
“I heard his name is Luo Fan. Could he be a direct descendant of the Luo family, a Martial Emperor force?”
“Probably. No Martial Lord force could produce such a genius. The Luo family is too far from us to know much, but from this aura, his strength is likely among the top tier of assembly youths.”
“That youth seems to be only a seventh-level Martial Venerable. Offending a second-level Martial Lord? He’s in trouble.”
…
Heated discussions erupted. Martial Emperor forces were scattered across the southeast region, and for those too distant, information was scarce.
They didn’t recognize all the genius youths at the assembly.
Still, they could imagine that anyone reaching second-level Martial Lord by twenty-five was among the top geniuses of any Martial Emperor force.
“You insulted the Luo family and cursed the Luo Emperor. Your death is deserved!”
With that, Luo Fan moved, charging toward Ling Hu.
“Hmph, you think you can touch me?”
Ling Hu snorted coldly and said, “Father, deal with this guy first. I don’t want to reveal all my cards.”
The crowd was stunned, expecting him to boldly face the second-level Martial Lord. Instead, he was just talking big, relying on an elder.
They could understand, though. His cultivation and age were far below his opponent’s, so calling an elder was reasonable.
But using “not wanting to reveal all his cards” as an excuse? That was shameless.
Ling Hu, of course, didn’t care about the crowd’s opinions. He spoke the truth. He wasn’t incapable of fighting a second-level Martial Lord.
However, doing so would expose all his trump cards.
Revealing everything before the assembly was unwise, so he had no intention of fighting personally.
