C91 Star Flame Beast

Sun Binn shook his head, his face the picture of gloom. "I'm clueless."

Then a thought struck him. "Maybe they achieved a breakthrough during their retreat these past couple of days?"

The Sun Family Head muttered a curse under his breath. "Do you really think you'd stabilize just two days after a breakthrough?"

"Unless they're completely stable, they're bound to slip up. Lin Qingshan's breakthrough was minor, so it might have gone unnoticed. But Han Feng's leap between star levels? That's not something we could miss."

Sun Binn fell silent.

Lin Qingshan, with her exceptional hearing, chuckled. "Family Head Sun is spot on. He did indeed make his breakthrough with the Sun family."

"As for his cultivation stability, that's always been his way. When he advanced from One-star to Two-star, he settled into his new strength overnight."

The Sun Family Head and Sun Binn exchanged a look of bewilderment.

Privately, the Sun Family Head revised his assessment of Lin Qingshan's abilities upward. If Han Feng was this formidable, she had to be even more so.

Zhou Po was in a quandary. He couldn't land a blow on Han Feng, nor could Han Feng penetrate his Explosive Sand Palm.

Zhou Po was well aware that as a Five-star of the Human Rank, he had actually been bested.

Still, a draw was more palatable than an outright defeat. At the very least, he could cling to the stalemate and avoid surrendering the five hundred Upper-grade Lower-grade Spirit Stones.

Han Feng read the indecision in Zhou Po's eyes and mouthed the words silently, "Don't even dream of it."

Zhou Po's anger made his veins bulge as True Qi roiled within him, nearly spiraling out of control.

In that moment, Han Feng's mortal fire fused instantly with the Profound Flame Chain, amplifying its might.

Zhou Po was horrified. The newly empowered Profound Flame Chain tore through the Explosive Sand Palm without a second's hesitation. A cloud of yellow sand billowed up, and the remnants of the chain slammed into Zhou Po's frame.

Han Feng, however, knew when to hold back. The tip of the Profound Flame Chain stopped short of piercing Zhou Po's flesh. Otherwise, Zhou Po would have been a corpse already.

The Martial Cultivators surrounding the scene fell into a hushed silence. It was clear that Han Feng, with his early Three-star Human Rank cultivation, had defeated Zhou Po, who was at the mid-stage of the Five-star Human Rank.

The Sun Family Head's face registered shock. "Was that Mortal Fire just now... Medium-class?"

Han Feng's Mortal Fire had only reached the peak of the Lower-grade. His aim in seeking the Flame Vermilion Fruit was to elevate his Mortal Fire's potency to Medium-class.

Upon receiving a confirming nod from Lin Qingshan, the Sun Family Head inhaled sharply. "Han Feng's potential is boundless. Sun Binn, you must forge a strong alliance with him and avoid any conflict."

While the Sun Family Head and the Wu Family Head regarded Han Feng with a mix of awe and envy, the Zhou Family Head was consumed by regret.

The Sun Family Head whispered to himself, "It's fortunate that his cultivation is still low, and his Mortal Fire is limited in quantity. Without comparing Martial Skills, I could only surpass him with the sheer volume of Mortal Fire within me. But in terms of quality, his surpasses mine."

"If he were at my level, the sheer force of his Medium-class Mortal Fire alone would be enough to overpower my Fire attribute Martial Skills."

Lin Qingshan surveyed the crowd, her heart swelling with pride. She thought smugly, "If only they knew about his special Martial Skill that boosts his strength, their shock would be even greater."

She was referring to the Skyfire Battle Body.

Han Feng's current strength allowed him to defeat Zhou Po because Zhou Po lacked mastery over his Martial Skills. If Zhou Po had fully mastered a Medium-class Human Rank Martial Skill, Han Feng's victory wouldn't have been so straightforward, necessitating the use of the Skyfire Battle Body.

With that, Han Feng's combat abilities, while not on par with a Six-star Human Rank, would certainly outshine any Five-star Human Rank.

Two members of the Zhou family stepped forward to carry Zhou Po away.

With a grim expression, the Zhou Family Head commanded, "Take Zhou Po home and report today's events to the Great Elder."

The Zhou Family Head scoffed inwardly, "I'm curious to see what he'll do once he learns the full story."

"They've already committed offenses against the Zhou family."

Once the pair had departed, the Zhou Family Head forced a smile and said, "Lin Qingshan, after we return from the Xuanwu Mountain Range, the Zhou family will surely present the Spirit Stone as promised."

Realizing Han Feng's potential, the Zhou Family Head knew that with Lin Qingshan's presence, eliminating Han Feng was out of the question. The only option was to smooth things over between them.

Lin Qingshan's brow furrowed. "What if you go back on your word? Once the Zhou family's experts are assembled, you'll certainly have the power to do so."

Taking a deep breath, the Zhou Family Head assured her earnestly, "With Brother Wu and Brother Sun here as my witnesses, I won't go back on my word. You can accompany them when the time comes."

Brother Wu bowed respectfully to Lin Qingshan, "Brother Zhou speaks the truth. Rest assured, Brother Sun and I will be there to support you."

The Wu Family Head, recognizing Han Feng's potential and with no bad blood between them, was naturally eager to ingratiate himself.

Lin Qingshan gave a nod of approval.

Upon Han Feng's return to the group, no one underestimated him any longer.

Sun Binn's demeanor had grown significantly warmer.

Had Han Feng not already grasped Sun Binn's intentions, he might have suspected him of having some peculiar predilection.

Deep within the Xuanwu Mountain Range, a group of nearly three hundred had assembled.

Sun Binn pointed ahead, "Just a few hundred meters more and we'll be there."

The Sun Family Head signaled for a halt. "Stay vigilant," he instructed. "The Xuanwu Village bandits could be nearby or lying in wait. We must proceed with caution to avoid an ambush."

They advanced with care, yet found no trace of the Xuanwu Village bandits.

Even as they encountered the Star Flame Beast, the bandits were nowhere to be seen.

The group was baffled.

The bandits' pursuit of Sun Binn and Sun Xin had one clear purpose: to stop them from spreading the news of the Fiery Vermilion Fruit Tree to Renwu City.

This is completely illogical.

The Sun Family Head furrowed his brow and turned to Lin Qingshan, the Zhou Family Head, and the Wu Family Head, asking, "What's our next move?"

With a smirk, the Wu Family Head replied, "What's there to fear? It seems to me that Xuanwu Village has been cowed by the Star Flame Beast."

"Let's deploy some warriors at the Human Rank of 7 or 8 stars to stand guard around the perimeter. There's no way those thieves can approach us undetected."

The Sun Family Head pondered for a while before giving a slight nod, "That sounds like a solid plan."

Parting the dense weeds over a meter high, they stepped into the view of the Star Flame Beast.

The beast rose to its feet in an instant, unleashing a ferocious roar at the onlookers.

"So, this is the Star Flame Beast..."

Gazing up at the towering Devil Beast several meters in height, Han Feng couldn't suppress an awestruck exclamation.