However, Chu Feng was not flustered by this situation. Though the martial force was formidable, with his own strength, he might not necessarily be unable to stand his ground.
With that thought, Chu Feng's eyes glimmered. As three kinds of lightning surged, the power of the Triple Thunder was channeled into his body one after another. Then, with a single hand clenched into a fist, he struck out directly.
A deafening boom rang out as massive waves exploded in all directions and ripples churned skyward. The towering tsunami, combined with the violent martial force, was shattered by Chu Feng's single punch before everyone's eyes.
"Heavens! Did you see that? That kid actually broke through a Martial Lord's attack!"
"Unbelievable! His cultivation at most is the Heaven Martial realm—how could he possibly contend with a Martial Lord's martial force? After all, martial force and heavenly force aren't even on the same level!"
Chu Feng's move undoubtedly stirred up a massive uproar. Everyone who witnessed the scene gaped with their mouths wide open, jaws dropping, eyes full of shock.
"Eee-yah, eee-yah! Big brother is so amazing!!!"
As the sky-high splashes of water rushed past without touching the little girl—blocked by a layer of purple light barrier—she also blinked her big eyes and cried out in amazement.
However, Chu Feng had no time to pay attention to the girl in his arms, because he had already sensed two pairs of hostile eyes lock onto him.
Looking up through the blood-red droplets pouring down like a storm, Chu Feng could see that the two experts from the Immortal Slayer Archipelago, who had been locked in fierce combat moments ago, had actually stopped their duel. They were now glaring at Chu Feng with very displeased expressions.
"Brother, we have no grievances or enmity—why did you attack me without cause?" Suddenly, the pretty-faced youth clasped his fists and asked Chu Feng with a face full of resentment. Clearly, Chu Feng breaking his strike had earned his grudge.
"You're the one spouting nonsense! You were hurting an innocent person, yet you accuse me of attacking you? If it weren't for saving this child, I wouldn't have bothered with people like you." Chu Feng did not back down. Instead, he accused the other party right to his face. This was simply Chu Feng's nature.
To people he found agreeable, no matter how weak they were, Chu Feng would always be courteous. But to those he disliked, no matter how strong they were, Chu Feng would never give them a pleasant look.
Especially toward those who clearly came with hostile intentions—Chu Feng would never show weakness to them. After all, they wouldn't let you go no matter what, so rather than groveling, he might as well show some backbone.
"You arrogant brat! You dare speak to me like this? If I don't teach you a lesson, you really won't put any stock in my Immortal Slayer Archipelago!"
Just then, the wild, burly man struck directly. With a single palm blow, the heavens and earth changed color. Every onlooker's expression shifted dramatically, because this wild man's palm was far more powerful than the pretty-faced youth's casual strike earlier. This showed that this was the true strength of a Martial Lord—the pretty-faced youth's previous strike had truly been nothing more than a warning.
But even so, Chu Feng still felt no fear. Although the martial force was powerful, based on his analysis, with his current strength, he might not necessarily lose to his opponent. So, heavenly force surged within Chu Feng's body, and he too unleashed a palm strike.
Though it was heavenly force, the might and power of Chu Feng's palm were in no way inferior to the wild man's blow.
"Boom!" The two collided, instantly raising a violent shockwave. They were evenly matched and cancelled each other out.
"Wow! Did you all see that? That guy actually used his ninth-level Heaven Martial cultivation to once again neutralize a first-rank Martial Lord's powerful attack!"
"Amazing! It seems the previous exchange really wasn't a fluke. This kid genuinely has the strength to contend with a Martial Lord. Who is he? Which sect does he belong to? Where does he come from? Someone of this caliber shouldn't be unknown—how come we've never heard his name before?"
Witnessing this unbelievable scene with their own eyes, the onlookers cried out in astonishment. Some even began speculating about Chu Feng's identity, convinced he was someone extraordinary who likely commanded a powerful background.
"You arrogant fool! I kindly asked who you are, and you attacked me directly? If I don't teach you a lesson, you really won't know the immensity of heaven and earth!" The onlookers' praise only made the two Martial Lords angrier. The pretty-faced youth, no longer content to watch from the sidelines, also joined the fray.
"Rumble!" As the pretty-faced youth struck, he actually used a martial art—and a seventh-rank martial art at that.
Once the martial art was unleashed, the winds and clouds shifted. Martial force surged visibly between heaven and earth, pouring down to serve his command, forming into what appeared to be a vast army of thousands upon thousands.
Though this army was forged from martial force, its strength was not something an ordinary Heaven Martial cultivator could compare with—it exceeded them entirely. Each soldier and horse averaged around the seventh level of Heaven Martial. A single one might be nothing special, but reaching tens of thousands in number was truly terrifying.
"What a terrifying martial art! They say that martial arts and mystical weapons can only display their true power in the hands of a Martial Lord. It seems this saying really is true."
Indeed, the martial art the pretty-faced youth used was so powerful that among the onlookers, not a single person below the Martial Lord realm could withstand it.
"Heh. An army of thousands? Then let's see whether you can get past my Barrier Wall!"
Looking at the vast army galloping across the sky toward him, Chu Feng's fighting spirit was ignited. Back when he was at the ninth level of Xuan Martial, no one among the first three levels of Heaven Martial could match him.
But now, as a ninth-level Heaven Martial cultivator, he actually felt pressure facing a first-rank Martial Lord. This truly proved how powerful Martial Lords were and how special martial force was. But the more he recognized this, the more Chu Feng wanted to test whether, at the ninth level of Heaven Martial, he could truly hold his own against a first-rank Martial Lord.
"Ha!"
Suddenly, Chu Feng spread his arms wide and then lifted them sharply. At the same time, he let out a thunderous shout. Purple barrier force erupted from his body like floodwaters released from a dam. In the blink of an eye, it formed a colossal purple barrier wall that stretched between heaven and earth.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As the barrier wall took shape, the vast army crashed into it. Instantly, shockwaves surged in all directions and heaven and earth trembled. The once-clear sky descended into total chaos.
Many onlookers had to retreat even further, terrified of being caught up in the terrifying battlefield.
But when the tremors gradually subsided and the ripples slowly faded, people discovered with astonishment that the vast army had vanished.
Though the barrier wall was covered in cracks and bore the scars of battle, it had not been broken through. Chu Feng had truly used his barrier arts to block a first-rank Martial Lord's terrifying seventh-rank martial art.