Shen Xiang took out a long, heavy iron blade from his storage bag and leaped into the air, instantly flying dozens of meters to the crown of a large tree. He swung the blade wildly, and streams of gang energy erupted from the blade, transforming into green energy blades that flew into the treetop. Several shrill cries were heard as bloody chunks of flesh, mixed with leaves, fell from the tree.
In an instant, several more people were killed. Overflowing with killing intent, Shen Xiang leaped to another tree, releasing gang energy onto his long blade, cutting the tree in half. The five people who were hiding in the tree had already witnessed Shen Xiang's terrifying power and didn't dare face him head-on, choosing to flee instead.
These people were only at the second or third level of the Mortal Martial Realm. Compared to Shen Xiang in terms of speed and strength, they were far inferior. In a flash, their heads were severed from their necks.
"Retreat! He's a seventh-level Mortal Martial Realm expert!" a panicked voice shouted. Many black-clad figures jumped down from the trees, scattering in all directions.
These black-clad men had no idea who they were supposed to kill, only the leader knew. He was the one who recognized Shen Xiang's strength at the seventh level of the Mortal Martial Realm, and Shen Xiang had already locked onto him.
Though they were in a forest, it didn't hinder Shen Xiang's speed. His movement techniques were already refined to perfection, allowing him to leap off even the smallest branches and leaves. In just a few quick movements, his blade pierced into the leader's body, but he didn't kill him outright. Instead, he used a soul-binding technique taught by Bai Youyou to capture the leader's mind and extract information.
"Who are you people, and why do you want to kill me?" Shen Xiang asked.
The leader, his eyes dazed, responded, "We are from the Black Wind Gang. My father ordered this."
"Who is your father?" Shen Xiang continued.
"The leader of the Black Wind Gang…"
Shen Xiang frowned slightly. After a pause, he slapped the leader on the top of the head, killing him instantly. Then, with quick and nimble steps, he chased down the remaining black-clad men.
The forest had now caught fire, a blaze Shen Xiang had started on purpose. Using his divine sense to detect movement around him, he would punch in that direction, releasing countless Suzaku gang energies that transformed into flaming arrows. Each strike took several lives.
To Shen Xiang, these third-level Mortal Martial Realm black-clad men were as weak as ants, completely powerless against him, especially in the midst of a blazing forest.
Thick smoke billowed from the forest as large trees toppled with each explosion, accompanied by screams of agony. The once serene woods had turned into a fiery hell, with Shen Xiang as its ruler.
After more than half an hour, the fire began to die down. Shen Xiang, now enveloped in a murderous aura, walked out of the forest. All three hundred men had been killed by his hand, and this massacre had further refined his White Tiger Divine Skill.
Shen Xiang's body had once been tempered in the Immortal Devil Pool, laying a solid foundation for cultivating the Immortal Devil Body. His physical body was terrifyingly strong, and with a powerful body, he could cultivate even stronger and more abundant true energy.
"Black Wind Gang! After the King City Martial Arts Tournament, I'll come for you. I will find out who's behind this."
Shen Xiang stored the blood-stained long blade, then used the Taiji Divine Skill to restrain his murderous aura before returning to King City.
By dusk, Shen Xiang arrived at the Dan King Hall, only to find Shen Tianhu there, which surprised him.
"Father, why are you here? You don't look well—what happened?" Shen Xiang hurriedly approached, grabbed Shen Tianhu's wrist, and used his divine sense to check his father's injuries. He found that Shen Tianhu's dantian had been damaged, though the injury had stabilized and was slowly healing.
Although Shen Xiang's face remained expressionless, the killing intent emanating from him made Shen Tianhu uneasy. At this moment, Meng Bo and Shen Luzong also walked out. They, too, were shocked by the intense killing aura radiating from Shen Xiang. Such a powerful murderous aura could only be cultivated by someone who had taken countless lives. It was hard to believe that someone as young as Shen Xiang had already accumulated so much.
"Father, who did this to you?" Shen Xiang asked coldly.
Shen Tianhu had only been separated from Shen Xiang for a few months, but he could already sense the tremendous changes in his son, especially in his strength. With a long sigh, he replied, "Shen Furong."
Shen Furong was one of the elders of the Shen family, recruited by major martial sects. Upon hearing the name, Shen Xiang immediately understood the situation.
"Shen Furong wanted to stop the opening of Dan King Hall. He came to me, demanding that I close it. I refused, so he used that as an excuse to attack me, claiming I was defying his orders. My strength wasn't enough to fight him off…" Shen Tianhu's face was filled with rage.
Shen Luzong angrily added, "Shen Furong has gone too far! He was always an unpopular figure in the Shen family. Now that the other elders are gone, he thinks he can do as he pleases. What a despicable man!"
Shen Furong had returned from one of the major martial sects, and his strength was at least at the ninth level of the Mortal Martial Realm, far beyond what Shen Xiang and the others could handle for now.
Shen Xiang clenched his fists tightly, vowing to make Shen Furong pay.
Although Shen Xiang didn't express his anger on his face, Shen Tianhu, Shen Luzong, and Meng Bo could clearly feel the overwhelming fury and killing intent radiating from him, accompanied by a chilling murderous aura.
"Your father's injuries have stabilized; you don't need to worry," Meng Bo reassured him. He now understood that Shen Xiang was no ordinary person and realized that Shen Xiang would inevitably leave the secular world to join one of the great sects.
Shen Xiang nodded. "Thank you, Meng Bo. Everyone, prepare yourselves. Dan King Hall will open within the next few days. The more people try to stop us, the more determined I am to proceed."
Leaving those words behind, Shen Xiang departed from the Dan King Hall. Shen Tianhu and the others didn't question where he was headed.
"Kid, I know you're furious right now. I have a way to help you quickly increase your strength, allowing you to break through to the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm!" Bai Youyou's cold voice echoed in Shen Xiang's mind.
Shen Xiang's eyes lit up. "Sister Youyou, what method do you have?"
He had just broken through to the seventh level of the Mortal Martial Realm, and advancing to the eighth level in such a short time seemed unrealistic. But Bai Youyou, the cold beauty, had a solution.
"If it weren't for your cultivation of the Immortal Devil Body, I wouldn't teach you my demonic technique so quickly!" Bai Youyou said.
A demonic technique! Shen Xiang had heard from Su Meiyao that Bai Youyou's demonic techniques were terrifyingly powerful. He had long wanted to learn them but had planned to wait until he reached the Mortal Martial Realm.
"My demonic technique has great benefits but also some drawbacks. However, those drawbacks can be eliminated!" Bai Youyou explained. "The name of my technique is the Devouring Demonic Technique. It allows you to devour the true energy of others, absorbing all of their true energy into your own body, granting you their full power."