Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 453 - 451: Sleeping Beauty

Hearing footfalls, Luo Feng turned to see a young woman in the shadow of the trees. She was dressed in a plain long skirt, standing tall and graceful, with an elegance that set her apart.

"Ruolan."

Luo Feng was somewhat surprised.

"Luo Feng, I’m heading back first. Thank you for practicing with me."

He Qin, upon seeing Bing Ruolan, sheathed her sword and turned to walk towards the Duanmu Family’s residence.

As she passed Bing Ruolan, He Qin nodded at her. For a fleeting moment, a hint of envy flashed in her bright eyes.

Watching He Qin leave, Luo Feng approached Bing Ruolan and asked, "Ruolan, why aren’t you resting? What brings you here?"

Bing Ruolan gently bit her red lip, looking in the direction He Qin had departed, and said in a low voice, "I wanted to take a walk. I heard some noise and came over to see."

She wasn’t telling the truth. She hadn’t seen Luo Feng at the Duanmu Family’s residence and, worried something might have happened, had come looking for him.

"Hey, Luo Feng, what did He Qin... want from you?"

Bing Ruolan stared at her toes, mustered her courage, and asked as if casually, though her fingers were nervously intertwined behind her back.

"She wanted to duel with me to cultivate her Sword Intent," Luo Feng answered straightforwardly.

Bing Ruolan pressed her lips together, then looked up at Luo Feng, her sapphire-like eyes meeting his. "You need to practice with me too."

Luo Feng didn’t notice the subtle difference in Bing Ruolan’s tone from usual. He nodded with a smile and said, "Of course, I can."

"Practice with me for the entire night."

Bing Ruolan raised a slender index finger, a hint of petulance in her voice. Her slightly flushed face, like a ripe apple, looked utterly adorable.

Luo Feng reached out and gently flicked her delicate little nose, smiling. "Never mind one night; I’d practice with you for a lifetime if you wished."

"You..."

Considering the implication of "a lifetime," Bing Ruolan’s eyes fluttered, and a blush crept up her face. She quickly averted her gaze, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Let’s start practicing."

Not daring to meet Luo Feng’s gaze, Bing Ruolan turned and walked a short distance away.

Walking beside her, Luo Feng said, "I don’t mind. But Ruolan, you look exhausted. Perhaps you should rest tonight."

"No, I’ve already fallen far behind you. And He Qin too..."

Bing Ruolan shook her head, her expression returning to normal. Determination shone in her bright eyes as she said, "Let’s begin. I feel like I’m at a bottleneck in my cultivation, and I hope to achieve a breakthrough under pressure. You don’t need to hold back."

CLANG!

As her words fell, Bing Ruolan unsheathed her sapphire-blue sword. The blue sword light seemed to cleave the moonlight on the cliff.

"Chasing Stars and Moon!"

With the sword drawn, a chillingly sharp aura emanated from Bing Ruolan. She ignored the distance between them and lunged forward, thrusting her sword.

SWOOSH!

A brilliant golden Sword Qi whistled out, so dazzling it seemed capable of vying with the sun and moon for brilliance.

Watching this Sword Qi, Luo Feng felt a stir in his heart. Although Bing Ruolan had not yet comprehended Sword Intent, her understanding of the Sword Dao was no less than He Qin’s. The Sword Qi was condensed into a single line, carrying an intent realm that could pierce through anything. It wasn’t Sword Intent, yet it surpassed Sword Intent!

CLANG!

The Rage Flame Knife was instantly unsheathed. Luo Feng slashed out, the saber light splitting the air and shredding the golden Sword Qi.

"Luo Feng, be careful."

Bing Ruolan knew that ordinary martial arts posed no threat to Luo Feng. A golden glint flashed in her beautiful eyes, and countless golden threads, like dazzling starlight, appeared around her.

"Star-piercing Swordsmanship’s Seventh Layer: Star Extreme Chaos Moon!"

Bing Ruolan’s left hand formed a sword seal, her sapphire-blue sword stabbing out repeatedly. Streams of sharp, oppressive Starlight Sword Qi enveloped Luo Feng.

Moreover, the instant she executed Star Extreme Chaos Moon, Bing Ruolan’s footwork became erratic and unpredictable. Her dress fluttered, and under the moonlight, she seemed to flicker in and out of existence, as if performing a graceful dance!

Phantom Phoenix Sky Cloud Dance! She’s actually combined the Star-piercing Swordsmanship with the Phantom Phoenix Sky Cloud Dance so seamlessly!

Luo Feng looked surprised, then a smile touched his lips. "Impressive! Ruolan, give it your all."

As he spoke, ten flying dragons appeared around Luo Feng. He pushed the Teng Dragon’s Step to its limit, and his figure instantly vanished from its original spot. The Rage Flame Knife slashed out continuously.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

On the cliff, the figures of Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan vanished. Only streaks of dazzling starlight and saber gleams could be seen continuously colliding, creating deafening sounds.

Luo Feng knew in his heart that to break through a bottleneck, one must face pressure. Therefore, after suppressing his cultivation to the late Eighth Level of the Hell Realm, he no longer showed mercy, unleashing his full power. This forced Bing Ruolan to also muster all her strength to retaliate.

"Skyfall Thunder!"

The Rage Flame Knife sliced through the air, a stunning saber light enveloping Bing Ruolan.

Bing Ruolan sensed the extraordinary power of this saber strike. Her expression turned grave as she hid her sword behind her back, her delicate fingers pointing towards empty space.

"Spirit Rhino One Finger."

SWOOSH!

A spiraling finger Qi, accompanied by a piercing whistle, shot towards the saber light.

BANG!

The finger Qi accurately struck the saber light but failed to shatter it. The saber light, merely deflected slightly, rushed towards Bing Ruolan with an overwhelming, mountain-like momentum.

Bing Ruolan’s delicate eyebrows knitted slightly. Her sapphire-blue sword erupted with a golden Sword Gang as she thrust it forward.

CLANG!

The saber light violently collided with the sapphire-blue sword. Its golden Sword Gang held for an instant before suddenly collapsing and dissipating.

SWOOSH!

The saber light scraped past the edge of her sword, sweeping by and leaving a shocking gash on the cliff face behind her. Bing Ruolan retreated several steps before abruptly falling to the ground.

"Ruolan!"

Luo Feng was taken aback. He didn’t have time to think further; his figure flashed as he swiftly caught Bing Ruolan.

"Ruolan, are you okay?" he asked anxiously. He had been controlling the power of his Saber Technique. Bing Ruolan should have been able to block the previous blow.

Bing Ruolan, lying in Luo Feng’s arms, shook her head feebly and smiled weakly, "Luo Feng, I’m okay. I just feel suddenly tired. I’ll take a little nap, and we’ll continue practicing later..."

As she spoke, Bing Ruolan’s voice grew fainter until only the sound of her even breathing remained.

Did she fall asleep?

Looking at the sleeping Bing Ruolan, Luo Feng was stunned.

Under the moonlight, Bing Ruolan’s long eyelashes lay still, her delicate little nose rose and fell with her breath, and her breathing was steady. She was obviously deeply asleep.

Luo Feng looked down at Bing Ruolan sleeping in his arms, tenderness filling his eyes.

A Martial Artist at the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm should be fine even without sleeping for three to five days. The fact that Bing Ruolan could suddenly fall asleep during their duel signified how exhausted she must be. She probably hadn’t rested properly for a month.

His gaze fell upon Bing Ruolan’s small face. While asleep, Bing Ruolan didn’t exhibit her usual aloof coldness. Her red lips were sucking on her own index finger, and curled up like a little kitten, she looked playful and adorable.

Luo Feng wanted to move her index finger away, but it caused Bing Ruolan to frown, so he gave up with a chuckle. He took out a set of clothes from his storage ring and gently draped them over her.

"Silly girl, you’ve worked so hard recently..."

Letting out a soft sigh, Luo Feng lifted his head to look at the bright moon on the horizon, frowning in deep thought.

Getting to Green Wood Peak was fraught with danger, and only Bing Ruolan’s timely appearance had averted disaster. Ultimately, it was because my cultivation realm was still too low.

"My strength is still far from enough."

Gazing at Bing Ruolan in deep sleep, a resolute expression crossed Luo Feng’s face.

Bing Ruolan’s fiancé, whom she had never met face-to-face, was already an expert in the Spiritual Rotation Realm by the age of sixteen. I don’t want to lag behind him! This one thing, I must achieve!

"I have to reach the Spiritual Rotation Realm before I turn sixteen in four months!"

Listening to Bing Ruolan’s rhythmic breathing, Luo Feng made a silent vow in his heart.

The moonlight glistened like water. The mountain peak was biting cold. On the solitary cliff, Luo Feng held Bing Ruolan in his arms, sitting silently on the ground. Even as the ferocious cold wind blew, he did not waver, as if he were a statue.

Time flowed, and the night quickly passed.

「Early the next morning.」

Bing Ruolan’s long eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw was Luo Feng. Her bright eyes, briefly clouded with confusion, suddenly lit up, and she hurriedly stood up.

"AH!"

Seeing the sun half-risen on the horizon, Bing Ruolan cried out in surprise.

"It’s morning! Luo Feng... I... I... I actually slept through the entire night!"

Bing Ruolan looked utterly chagrined.

Luo Feng watched Bing Ruolan’s flustered demeanor, a smile emerging on his face, "Did you sleep well?"

"Not at all! Luo Feng, why didn’t you wake me? I haven’t even practiced." Bing Ruolan looked at the sapphire-blue sword in her hand, somewhat dejected. Then, looking up at Luo Feng, her beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.

The night’s wind and frost, along with the morning dew, had soaked Luo Feng’s clothes. The dewdrops on his hair had even condensed into a layer of white frost.

Without asking, Bing Ruolan knew what had happened. Her eyes turned slightly red as she reached out to wipe the dew from Luo Feng’s face, softly saying, "Luo Feng, thank you."

Luo Feng reached out and gently flicked Bing Ruolan’s delicate little nose. "Be honest, how long has it been since you last rested properly?"

"Well... not too long. Just a day or two. No, a few days... ten days... maybe a little longer..."

Faced with Luo Feng’s sharp gaze, Bing Ruolan felt a twinge of guilt and abruptly started pushing him towards the Duanmu Family’s residence. "We’ve been out all night; the others will be worried. Besides, your clothes are soaked. You need to change immediately."

Luo Feng smiled, not exposing her clumsy attempt to change the subject. The two of them then headed towards the Duanmu Family’s residence.

When they returned to the main square, the sight that greeted Luo Feng startled him.

In the square, boxes of treasure were piled high. They contained various Demon Beast Demon Cores, low-level Spirit Pills, weapons, equipment, a considerable amount of Yuan Stones, and some rare materials. From a distance, the piles looked like small hills.

"Second Brother! Where did you disappear to all night?" Luo Xiao exclaimed, striding over when he saw Luo Feng.

"Big Brother, are all these treasures from the Duanmu Family?" Luo Feng asked, pointing to the small hills of goods in the square.

Luo Xiao laughed excitedly, "Impressive, isn’t it? We spent all night moving these treasures out. Even I was startled when I saw all this! With these riches, our family’s strength will eventually catch up to the six major families!"

Luo Feng nodded. This was truly a great haul.

"Second Brother, why are you all dewy-headed and your clothes soaked through? What were you two doing all night?" Luo Xiao, finally noticing Luo Feng’s disheveled state, asked with concern.