"Good heavens, where did this kid come from? How is he so powerful?"
At first, the people from the Spirit World Guild had been about to step in and help, but after witnessing scene after scene, they were utterly dumbfounded.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see how powerful Chu Feng was. Despite the enemy's numbers and despite their decent cultivation, the gap between them and Chu Feng was enormous.
Chu Feng was toying with them completely—dealing with them cost him practically no effort at all. This superhuman combat ability exceeded anything one could imagine, yet it was happening right before their eyes.
"Incredible. Not only is his combat power exceptional, but his mental power is extraordinary too. Jie Chuan and the other Jie Clan members are all bound by spiritual pressure and unable to unleash their true strength."
"But this brother Chu Feng is different. He seems completely unaffected by the spiritual pressure and can use his full power. Such formidable mental power—could rival Gu Bo's. Looking at this, I'd say he could easily make it to the fourth level," Ma Qiang said.
"What? Reach the fourth level? Rival Gu Bo? Is this guy really that strong?" Hearing Ma Qiang's words, the Spirit World Guild members were even more astonished.
"Huagh—" Just then, Chu Feng swept his arm in a wide arc. Yuan Force surged into a violent whirlwind, sending several Jie Clan members tumbling to the ground, unconscious in an instant.
"That's not even the limit. With his abilities, he could probably make it to the fifth level too!"
"This kid is too terrifying. At such a young age he's already like this—who knows what level he'll reach after a few more years of growth. It's a good thing we're on good terms with him; otherwise he could become a fearsome enemy down the road."
Ma Qiang spoke gravely to the people beside him, because he had already made up his mind about one thing: he absolutely had to stay on good terms with Chu Feng. In his estimation, Chu Feng's talent likely surpassed even Gu Bo, the genius of their generation. He was a rare talent, and the Spirit World Guild had to recruit him for their own benefit.
"Ugh, aaargh~~~" Meanwhile, Chu Feng had already gone all out. After several Jie Clan members at the sixth level of Yuan Martial had been ruthlessly dealt with, those at the fifth level became nothing more than fish on a chopping block, helpless before Chu Feng's onslaught.
The Jie Clan members, who had originally been looking to teach Chu Feng a lesson, finally realized the gravity of the situation. Chu Feng was no soft persimmon they could squeeze at will—he was an out-and-out madman. Not only did he have the power to face them all, but his attacks were viciously ruthless, stopping just short of killing them outright.
This time, they had truly kicked an iron plate—and not just any iron plate, but an extraordinarily hard one. He feared nothing, acted without worrying about consequences, and yet possessed genuine, formidable strength.
Under these circumstances, the killing intent the Jie Clan members had harbored was long gone, replaced by bottomless fear. Some tried to flee, hoping to reach the third level and summon reinforcements, but Chu Feng gave them no such chance. A powerful barrier descended, and every last one of them became a bird in a cage—no one could shake the barrier Chu Feng had laid down.
At this moment, on the second level of the Asura Ghost Tower, Chu Feng was the sovereign. No one could stand against him.
"Damn you! How dare you treat us like this! You'd better not leave this place, because once you step outside, the elders of the Jie Clan will take your life. Not just you, but even— Ugh!!!"
A Jie Clan member, pinned under Chu Feng's boot, hurled a vicious threat—but before he could even finish, Chu Feng made sure he fell permanently silent.
Now, of all twenty-five Jie Clan members, twenty-four had fallen into unconsciousness. Those with lighter injuries had broken bones and torn muscles; those with worse were drenched in blood. Every one of them was seriously hurt.
"Brother Chu Feng, you've really stirred up a huge disaster this time. The elders of the Jie Clan won't let you go."
Jie Chuan had stopped fighting Chu Feng. The moment Chu Feng dodged his attack, he already knew they were no match. Instead, he had simply stood to the side, watching Chu Feng pummel his clansmen.
"With your Jie Clan's way of doing things, that's true—they won't let Brother Chu Feng off. But within the borders of Jie Prefecture, the Spirit World Guild will absolutely protect Chu Feng," Ma Qiang said as he walked over with the others.
"You think you can protect him?" Jie Chuan asked.
"Feel free to test it," Ma Qiang replied confidently.
"Very well." Jie Chuan nodded, then looked at Chu Feng. "Brother Chu Feng, no matter what happens between you and the Jie Clan in the future, I, Jie Chuan, have no wish to be your enemy. I hope that one day our grudge can be settled and we can still be friends."
"Do what you need to." Jie Chuan closed his eyes, completely surrendering himself to Chu Feng's judgment without any resistance.
"If you're willing, you can follow me." Yet Chu Feng did not strike Jie Chuan. He could tell that Jie Chuan was genuinely different from the other Jie Clan members. Although Jie Chuan had been unfriendly toward the Spirit World Guild, he had never harbored real ill will toward Chu Feng himself.
After Chu Feng walked away, the Jie Clan members wanted to take their anger out on Jie Chuan—after all, he had knocked some of them unconscious—but Ma Qiang stopped them.
With a smile on his face, Ma Qiang walked up to Jie Chuan, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Jie Chuan, you have a sharp eye—you could tell that Brother Chu Feng is a remarkable talent."
"It's a pity, though. Your Jie Clan's ways make it nearly impossible to befriend outsiders. You've made a powerful enemy today, but we've made an ally. That's exactly why the Spirit World Guild keeps growing stronger while your Jie Clan keeps declining."
Having said that, Ma Qiang hurried off after Chu Feng. The other four stayed behind to escort the injured out.
Jie Chuan did not continue toward the third level either. Instead, like the Spirit World Guild members before him, he carried the gravely wounded clansmen out of the tower.
Once these casualties were brought out of the Asura Ghost Tower, they caused a massive uproar. The higher-ups of both the Spirit World Guild and the Jie Clan flew into a rage and nearly came to blows.
Because neither Ma Qiang nor Jie Chuan had revealed that it was Chu Feng who had devastated the Jie Clan members, the Jie Clan assumed it was the Spirit World Guild's doing.
However, since the Spirit World Guild had also suffered casualties, neither side had the moral high ground. On top of that, this was the Spirit World Guild's turf, so the Jie Clan didn't press the matter too far. In the end, things settled down.
After extracting all the injured clansmen from the Asura Ghost Tower, Jie Chuan did not re-enter the tower. Instead, he stood behind the clan elders, gazing silently at the Asura Ghost Tower.