Two weeks had passed since Huo Chen entered the Emerald Void Realm, and he walked forward at a leisurely pace through the rocky terrain.

  He was in a good mood because three days ago he'd broken through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining. The advancement had come smoothly, almost effortlessly.

  The past two weeks had been hectic in their own way, filled with constant scouting to map new territories, tracking down spirit herbs in dangerous areas, and fighting brutal battles against demonic beasts for different resources. Some of those beasts had been at the eighth and ninth layers of Qi Refining, creatures that fought with savage desperation when cornered.

  Every encounter had been hard-won, but he'd walked away from all of them with what he needed, and now the results showed in his cultivation.

  The eighth layer felt different from the seventh in ways that went beyond just raw power. His control over earth Qi had deepened noticeably, and his body moved with a new kind of efficiency that came from the refined spiritual energy flowing through his meridians.

  Ahead of him, the sound of combat drifted through the air and reached his ears. The clash of metal on metal, shouts cutting through the stillness, the unmistakable rhythm of a fight in progress.

  Huo Chen slowed his pace and changed direction slightly, moving toward the sounds. Curiosity pulled at him, and after a few minutes of walking he passed through a cluster of tall rocks that opened up into a wider clearing.

  A battle was unfolding in front of him, and he took in the scene with a single sweep of his eyes.

  A woman in her thirties fought desperately against a younger man who looked to be in his late twenties. Her robes were torn and stained with blood, and sword marks covered her arms and shoulders.

  Multiple slashes cut across her face, blood dripping from the wounds. She moved frantically, trying to create distance, but she was clearly losing. Her cultivation was seventh layer while her opponent radiated eighth-layer spiritual pressure without a scratch on him.

  Off to the side, another man stood with his arms folded across his chest. He looked to be in his thirties, his expression cold and detached as he watched the fight. Eighth layer as well.

  The young man's sword came down in a vicious arc and the woman barely managed to block it. Her blade shook from the impact and she staggered backward, breathing hard and ragged.

  "Where is your husband?" the young man shouted at her, fury sharpening every word. "Tell me where he went!"

  The woman's face twisted with bitterness and exhaustion. "I've told you—he left without telling me where!"

  "Liar!" The young man struck again and his sword cut across her shoulder, opening another wound.

  She cried out and stumbled to the side. "I don't know!" she screamed back at him, her voice breaking. "He left the house without saying anything! I don't know where he is!"

  The young man clearly didn't believe her, and his expression hardened as he raised his sword for another strike.

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  "Liu Feng," the older man called out from the side, his tone cold. "Finish this quickly so we can leave. We've wasted enough time here already."

  Liu Feng sneered at the woman in front of him. "She'll talk eventually. They always do when you make it hurt enough."

  Huo Chen took in the scene noting the woman's injuries and the young man's casual cruelty and the older man's complete indifference to what was happening.

  He shook his head slightly to himself and then stepped forward into the clearing.

  All three of them noticed immediately. The woman's eyes darted toward him for a fraction of a second before she used the distraction to throw herself backward, putting several meters of distance between herself and Liu Feng.

  Liu Feng's attention snapped to Huo Chen, his expression darkening. The older man—Guo Lin—shifted his stance slightly, his arms still folded but his eyes now locked on the newcomer.

  Neither of them looked pleased to see him there.

  Huo Chen looked at both men with open contempt.

  Liu Feng's grip tightened on his sword and his face darkened. "Who the fuck are you, and why are you interfering in our business?"

  Huo Chen’s voice was calm, almost bored. " I'm Huo Chen. And I interfere when I see something that disgusts me.”

  Liu Feng’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. “You also disgust me, you piece of shit. You think you can just walk in here and tell me what to do? You must be courting death.”

  Guo Lin eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Huo Chen with a calculating gaze. "You're making a mistake," he said, his voice cold and even. "This doesn't concern you. Walk away now and we'll forget you were ever here."

  Huo Chen's gaze shifted to him briefly and then back to Liu Feng. He didn't bother responding to the offer.

  Then he raised one hand and pointed directly at the woman standing behind them.

  "If you wanted her dead, you should have killed her already instead of this mindless torture," he said, then continued. "But since I'm here now, she isn't dying today."

  Liu Feng's grip tightened until his knuckles turned white, his eyes narrowing into slits of pure, focused malice. "You arrogant bastard! Do you know what you just did? Because of your foolishness, she's going to suffer even longer than she would have! And when I'm done with you, I'll make sure she feels every second of it!"

  "Hmph, you can do nothing," Huo Chen said, his voice turning cold.

  Liu Feng's spiritual energy exploded outward and his eyes blazed with fury. "Arrogant fool,I'm going to make sure you beg for death!"

  Guo Lin spoke again from the side, his voice indifferent. "Kill him already. This fool clearly doesn't understand the situation he's walked into."

  Liu Feng didn't wait. His sword came up and spiritual energy flooded into the blade, condensing along its edge until the air around it hummed with power.

  Severing Gale Strike!"

  He swung the sword forward and a beam of compressed sword Qi shot toward Huo Chen, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

  The attack moved with terrifying speed, aimed directly at his chest.

  Huo Chen spun on his heel as the beam closed in. His right leg whipped upward, earth qi coating his foot and hardening it like stone. The kick met the sword qi head-on.

  BANG.

  The technique shattered on impact and fragments of sword light scattered in every direction before dissipating into the air.

  Huo Chen's foot came down and he landed solidly on the ground, but Liu Feng had already closed the distance while he was still completing the motion.

  The young man's sword was raised high above his head with fury burning in his eyes, and the blade came down with killing intent behind it.

  Huo Chen's claw gloves appeared on his hands in an instant, and he raised one fist to meet the descending sword while his other fist pulled back and stayed ready.

  CLANG.

  Metal met metal with a sharp ringing sound, and the collision sent a shockwave rippling outward through the ground beneath them.

  Sparks erupted where earth Qi and sword Qi clashed together, green and silver energy flashing violently against each other and scattering across the landscape.

  The rocky ground cracked beneath their feet with fractures spreading outward, and nearby boulders shattered under the pressure, sending fragments flying in all directions.

  Neither Huo Chen nor Liu Feng gave ground. They stayed locked together, faces inches apart, spiritual energy roiling between them.