"Chu Feng?!"
When that voice rang out, everyone involuntarily stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the source of the sound. In that moment, they were stunned to discover a figure standing deep within the great hall — and it was none other than Chu Feng.
Nearly everyone was startled upon seeing him. They had not spotted Chu Feng earlier and had assumed he was dead. But now, appearing out of thin air like this, it was clear he had survived.
Yet if Chu Feng had not been killed, where had he been hiding all this time? And how had he materialized inside the Ice Crystal Great Hall without making a single sound, completely undetected? How on earth had he accomplished that?
"Ma Yukun, you really are the beast of all beasts, the scum of all scums. For a person to stoop as low as you have — that takes real effort."
Chu Feng paid no heed to the shocked stares around him. He swept a cold smile toward the Ma Family head before turning his gaze to the Li Family head, who was lying on the ground covered in wounds. "Master Li, now you know your so-called brother's true face. How does it feel?"
"I…" The Li Family head's face was flush with shame. He did not know what to say and simply lowered his head in silence, for he felt he had no right to face Chu Feng.
He now understood that Chu Feng had genuinely tried to help him. Yet rather than showing any gratitude, he had even tried to have Chu Feng killed. It was the very definition of repaying kindness with enmity — unable to tell right from wrong.
"Ha ha ha. You've got some tricks, kid — managing to slip past my notice like that. But if I were you, I sure wouldn't have come out now. I'd have snuck away quietly." The Ma Family head's laughter was cold and sinister.
"Run? Why would I run? Facing a bunch of people I could kill effortlessly at any time — why would I need to run?" Chu Feng shot back with a mocking smile.
"What? Kill us? With your mere Heaven Martial eighth-level cultivation? You've got some nerve, boy!" The Ma Family head's expression turned icy. He spread his palm and unleashed a devastating strike.
The power behind that palm was martial force — far surpassing the strength of heavenly energy. The moment it was launched, the air was torn asunder and space itself warped and twisted. It was truly unstoppable.
"Hmph." Yet against such a terrifying attack, Chu Feng did not so much as flinch, standing rooted to the spot without even a twitch of his brow. Only when the raging martial force drew near did he let out a cold snort.
*Humm* The instant that sound escaped his lips, a violent tremor ran through the Ice Crystal Great Hall. At the same time, a blinding golden light erupted forth — so brilliant it was like the rays of the sun, forcing everyone to shield their eyes and look away.
It was only after the dazzling golden glow had gradually faded that people dared to raise their eyes once more. And when they saw the state of the hall, every single one of them was struck dumb with disbelief. Many went pale with fear, their faces turning green.
For there, in the very center of the Ice Crystal Great Hall, Chu Feng stood completely unharmed. And of the Ma Family head's devastating palm strike, not a single trace remained — not just no destruction, but not so much as a scratch on the surface.
But that was not the most staggering part. What truly shook people to their core was that Li Chan — the woman the Ma Family head had been holding down moments ago — now stood behind Chu Feng. Even the binding barrier had been undone. She was hastily adjusting her skirts behind him, covering her exposed skin in a fluster.
"You brat — stop playing your little tricks! If you want to die, I'll send you there right now!" Indeed, it was not only the others who were shaken. The Ma Family head's face had turned ashen, a flicker of genuine terror creeping into his eyes.
But fear or not, he refused to believe what he was seeing. With a furious roar, layers of martial force surged through his body, gathering and compressing into a terrifying concentration. Then he threw a single, mighty punch.
*BOOM* The very moment the punch landed, the Ice Crystal Great Hall shuddered violently. A torrent of overwhelming martial force erupted from his fist, coalescing into the form of a colossal leopard more than a hundred meters long.