Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The valley was silent except for the sound of Zhao Feng's spear piercing through the air. The sun had not yet risen, but Zhao Feng was already hard at work.

Since he was old enough to hold a spear, Zhao Feng had undergone rigorous training that was strictly supervised by his grandfather, the Azure Dragon General Zhao Yun. Every day before dawn, whether rain or shine, he would train in his basic spear movements. As his grandfather always liked to say: “Basics are the most important! They are the foundation of your cultivation!” After so many years of harsh training, it had been drilled into his brain and had become a routine thing for him.

Zhao Feng wielded his spear with extreme finesse and precision, his movements were fluid and his strikes were all executed to output maximum power with minimum effort. Every single movement and attack he made was already close to perfection. When he practiced the spear, he looked like he was dancing. His spear intent was unleashed as he moved, occasionally leaving deep marks on the terrain.

After an hour, he set his spear down and sat down atop a large rock to take a break. As day broke, the rising morning sun shone down on him. Zhao Feng closed his eyes and basked in the sunlight, absorbing the solar energy and using it to strengthen his body. His mouth moved rapidly as he recited the mantra for the [Sun Tyrant Scripture] body refinement technique. As he absorbed the solar energy, he could feel his body strengthening. His muscles, bones and blood were all being nourished by the solar energy.

This had been his daily routine for a long time, but it was only recently that he started to harness the solar energy from the sun to cultivate the [Sun Tyrant Scripture]. The morning sun contained the strongest and purest solar energy, which meant cultivating in the morning sun was the most efficient method if you wanted to increase your strength at the highest speed possible. Of course, Zhao Feng knew this fact very well.

Soon, the time where the sun gave off the purest solar energy had passed. Zhao Feng reopened his eyes.

"Ai, I've already been stuck at the peak of the Mortal realm for almost a year. I can feel the barrier to the next realm...but for some reason…" Zhao Feng sighed in exasperation as he talked to himself.

Suddenly, his head turned sharply to the entrance of the valley. He had sensed a presence, very similar to that of a demonic beast, but not exactly. Zhao Feng immediately grabbed his spear and readied himself. His eyes narrowed as he focused his gaze on the direction of that approaching presence.

A man clad in a hooded cloak and black robes emerged from the shadows. He had a striking crimson red ‘九’ (Nine) character emblazoned on his sleeve. The moment Zhao Feng noticed the red "九", his expression turned solemn. This person was from Nine Demon Gate, and he was definitely not as weak as those two guys from before.

"Who are you? State your name and purpose!" Zhao Feng said in a hostile tone as he raised his spear.

The man chuckled. "You should already know who I am. I can smell the scent of their blood on you. Are you the one who killed the disciples of my Nine Demon Gate?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Leave here!" Zhao Feng pointed his spear at the man.

"No…you're not the killer. I can smell it…there is something delicious over there." The man looked past Zhao Feng's shoulder at the crack in the rock face behind him. His eyes were filled with bloodlust as he licked his lips.

Through that crack was the cavern with the spiritual water pool where Mu Chen was currently undergoing his transformation. Zhao Feng frowned and stepped forward, blocking the man's line of sight. He could not let anyone disrupt Mu Chen during the transformation process, or there could be disastrous consequences.

"This is as far as you go. Leave now...or else." Zhao Feng warned.

"You are annoying!" Without warning, the man rushed toward Zhao Feng with blinding speed, his hand shooting out like a claw as he swiped at Zhao Feng's head.

"Damn!" Zhao Feng reacted quickly and raised his spear horizontally to block.

Clang! The claw attack struck the spear shaft and Zhao Feng retreated three steps back from the impact, while the man stood his ground. His hood fell back, revealing a scarred visage and ferocious, beastlike eyes.

"This bastard, he's in the Sea Forming realm!" Zhao Feng's expression darkened as he stared vigilantly at the man. The man's hand was as tough as iron, and he was able to knock Zhao Feng, who had great physical prowess as well as peak Mortal cultivation level, back.

Zhao Feng knew he was strong and could fight above his level, but he did not know if he could jump an entire major realm to fight. The difference in strength between a Mortal and Sea Forming realm cultivator was not easy to cross! This guy could be very troublesome to deal with.

"Oh? You're actually quite strong. Then you are worthy to know my name before you die. I am Feng Yinhai, the strongest outer court disciple of the Nine Demon Gate!" Feng Yinhai laughed maniacally as he leapt forward once again and struck out with his claw.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of metal colliding rang through the silent valley. Feng Yinhai had a wide grin on his scarred face as he wildly lashed out. Zhao Feng wielded his spear valiantly as he tried his best to fend off Feng Yinhai's attacks, but some blows would occasionally land, causing him to almost cough up blood. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he fought.

Feng Yinhai's fighting style was very strange. He fought like a demonic beast, dodging and weaving on all fours, and attacking with claw-like hands. Zhao Feng had never encountered a fighting style like this before. He felt like he was fighting against a vicious demonic beast!

Every blow that he took jarred Zhao Feng down to his bones. If his body was not as strong and durable as it was, he would have died long ago. Unfortunately if this continued on, he would die for sure anyway. However he knew that Feng Yinhai was not using all his strength. He was playing with Zhao Feng, slowly wearing him down and then he would finish him, like how a predator hunted its prey.

"Enough playing around. Try this! Nine Demon Talon!" Feng Yinhai's hand emitted a dense demonic aura as he clawed at Zhao Feng. A high pitched screech could be heard as his hand scythed through the air.

"Overlord Spear Art: Piercing Heaven!" Zhao Feng's entire body was strained to the limit as he furiously channeled his spiritual qi and activated his spear intent, thrusting his spear out with powerful momentum. The faint aura of a supreme overlord could be felt as his spear surged with overwhelming crimson energy, piercing through the air with a loud hum.

Boom! Feng Yinhai's hand that was shrouded in demonic aura clashed with Zhao Feng's spear that was crackling with red energy. The air and ground shook as a blast of energy surged forth from the impact.

Zhao Feng coughed out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing heavily into a boulder and shattering it to pieces. However he did not let go of his spear and his eyes burned with battle intent. Although he was up against a Sea Forming realm cultivator, he would not surrender so easily.

On the other hand, his opponent was also forced back a few steps. A stream of blood trickled down Feng Yinhai's hand. Zhao Feng's attack had pierced his skin and the impact had numbed his arm and caused him to feel pain. The Overlord Spear Art truly lived up to its name as a saint ranked technique.

"Oh? You actually broke through my barrier?" Feng Yinhai was surprised as he lightly swung his hand.

A Sea Forming realm cultivator was able to create an energy barrier around their bodies and their internal organs by using their spiritual qi. This increased their defense by several folds, so a typical Mortal realm cultivator would not be able to even scratch them, much less injure them. The fact that Zhao Feng could do so as a peak Mortal realm cultivator was a testament to his power.

Zhao Feng's face fell. That strike was his full powered attack, and it only scratched Feng Yinhai. Thankfully, he knew that Feng Yinhai could not use his full strength unless he retracted his energy barrier. If he had no barrier, then Zhao Feng would be able to seriously injure him. The goal was simple, to trick Feng Yinhai into using his full strength, then deal him a fatal blow. There was still hope!

"You are indeed powerful. Good, that means I can have some more fun!" Feng Yinhai laughed eerily as he licked the blood off his arm and turned into a dark blur as he charged toward Zhao Feng once again.

"I must hold on until big brother wakes up!" Gritting his teeth, Zhao Feng roared as he charged forward to meet his foe, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. He had to stop this madman no matter what.