Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 523 - 521: He Likes Men...

"Fifty Tier-2 Yuan Stones per head. A very reasonable price for your lives. I hope you consider it carefully."

The man standing next to the dark-faced thug grinned coldly, fixing Luo Feng and Yue Haitang with a gaze that implied they were as good as his.

Among their group of three, two were Martial Artists at the peak of the Ninth Level Spiritual Rotation Realm, and one was in the later stage of the Spiritual Rotation Realm. Naturally, they didn’t take the young Luo Feng and Yue Haitang seriously.

Luo Feng sneered. Wutie Town is truly a lawless place; one can even encounter robbers right at the city gate.

Without sparing the three a glance, Luo Feng turned to Yue Haitang and said lightly, "Let’s go in."

Yue Haitang nodded, and the two strode toward the city gate, completely ignoring the three thugs.

The dark-faced thug, their leader, saw Luo Feng and Yue Haitang ignore him. His face stiffened, his eyes immediately turned ice-cold, and he snarled with a ferocious expression, "Those who refuse a toast will be forced to drink a forfeit! Since you two are so eager to die, I shall grant your wish! Kill them for me!"

"Exploding Rock Palm! Die!"

The moment he finished speaking, the thug on the far left acted immediately. He raised his hand to strike; a Yuan Qi palm, the size of a millstone and burning like molten magma, enveloped Luo Feng and Yue Haitang with its scorching aura.

Luo Feng’s eyes flashed with killing intent. Just as he was about to act, a figure flickered and appeared before him—Yue Haitang had already struck.

CLANG!

The longsword was unsheathed, unleashing a stunning flash of sword light so bright that one couldn’t keep their eyes open. An intensely cold and sharp aura enveloped an area tens of zhang wide around the city gate.

"Third Brother, be careful!"

The moment Yue Haitang unsheathed his sword, the dark-faced man’s expression changed drastically. Such astonishing Sword Intent! Even with his peak Ninth Level Heavenly Court Realm cultivation, the sheer force of it made all the pores on his body tingle and open.

However, his warning was a step too late.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!...

Yue Haitang flicked his wrist, and sword shadows formed a cold light, stabbing forward in overlapping layers.

BOOM!

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!...

The Yuan Qi Palm Gang was pierced by the sword strike. The sword qi, its power undiminished, instantly riddled the attacking man’s body with over a dozen bloody holes.

"Ah!"

The sword shadows moved too quickly. It wasn’t until Yue Haitang withdrew his longsword that the attacker finally cried out in pain. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees, his eyes fixed on Yue Haitang. "You...!"

PFFT!

Perhaps due to excessive agitation, his face flushed red, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Standing aside, Luo Feng looked at the expressionless Yue Haitang in surprise.

Yue Haitang’s swordplay was the fastest he had ever witnessed: silent, incredibly swift, and as sharp and precise as a bolt of lightning.

Their exchange had happened in a flash. In that incredibly short time, Yue Haitang had pierced all the opponent’s meridians and his Dantian, crippling him. He was truly formidable.

It seems I’ll have another strong competitor in the Twelve Golden Palaces assessment...

Luo Feng pursed his lips, then a smile appeared. He wasn’t too worried deep down.

With his perception and the speed of his Teng Dragon’s Step, he was confident he could handle the opponent’s fast sword.

"Third Brother!"

Seeing his fallen companion, the dark-faced thug roared in anger. His tiger-like eyes turned red as he glared at Yue Haitang, "Damn brat, you’re courting death! Second Brother, attack! Kill them."

As his roar faded, the dark-faced man’s aura exploded. His body blazed with crimson Flame Gang Qi as he and the other thug charged forward together.

"Starry Lunar Arc!"

Facing the two charging thugs, Yue Haitang held his sword vertically, its tip level with his nose. His gaze, sharp and cold, seemed to pierce through the blade as he thrust it forward.

BUZZ!

The moment he thrust his sword, it vibrated rapidly, becoming a blur to the naked eye. Only a sheet of sword qi could be seen, drifting out elusively like a dense constellation in the night sky.

SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!...

The sword qi swept out like a swarm of locusts. The dark-faced man, bearing the brunt of the attack, found his Protective Gang Energy shattered after holding for merely two breaths. He was engulfed by the sword qi, and countless bloody gashes opened on his arms and legs.

"Ah!"

The thug following behind, just about to attack, witnessed the dark-faced man being grievously wounded by Yue Haitang’s single move. He let out a strange shriek in terror and turned to flee.

However, it was too late for him to escape.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!...

The sword qi whistled towards him, severing the meridians in his arms and legs. Another strand pierced his Dantian, utterly destroying his cultivation.

CLANG!

With one sword technique, two experts of the Ninth Level Heavenly Court Realm were crippled. Yue Haitang sheathed his sword, his cold gaze sweeping over the three men groaning in pain on the ground, and said coolly, "I hope you remember this lesson."

Having said that, Yue Haitang turned to Luo Feng and said, "Let’s go inside."

Luo Feng looked at Yue Haitang, stunned for a moment.

"What’s wrong?" Yue Haitang asked curiously.

Luo Feng shook his head, patted Yue Haitang on the shoulder, and laughed, "Even though you have a woman’s face, you sure act like a man! Come on, let’s go have a good drink today."

Yue Haitang watched Luo Feng’s retreating back, an expression of mingled exasperation and amusement on his face. He shook his head and followed Luo Feng into the city.

「...」

"What incredibly fast swordplay!"

After Luo Feng and Yue Haitang’s figures vanished through the city gate, several figures emerged a few hundred meters away—a man and a woman.

Gazing at the three thugs covered in blood, both wore expressions of shock. The one who had just spoken was the woman.

"Truly formidable. I couldn’t even see his sword moves clearly."

The tall man took a deep breath and nodded.

The two of them had just arrived at Wutie Town and happened to witness the three thugs attempting to rob Luo Feng and Yue Haitang. They had hidden nearby and observed the entire event clearly.

The young woman looked in the direction of the city gate and asked curiously, "Who is that handsome young swordsman? He managed to cripple two masters of the Ninth Level Heavenly Court Realm with a single sword technique."

"Judging by the swordsmanship he just displayed, it should be the Chaotic Moon Cloud Dance Sword Technique. He must be the foremost of the Four Young Masters of Red Maple Ridge, Yue Haitang, the Young Master Haitang!"

The young man pondered for a moment and slowly replied.

"So, he’s Young Master Haitang... No wonder his swordsmanship is so incredible." A look of realization dawned on the woman’s face. Thinking of his handsome features, a wistful smile touched her rosy lips.

The young man noticed the woman’s expression, curled his lips, and chuckled lightly, "Senior Sister Yin, don’t get infatuated. Who is Yue Haitang? The First Young Master of Red Maple Ridge, blessed with both talent and good looks. Countless girls in Red Maple Ridge have fallen for him. There are rumors that even the lord’s daughter once tried to show her affection for him, but she never got a response. Some people even say he likes men..."

The young woman, feeling slightly embarrassed at having her thoughts exposed, huffed, "I wasn’t thinking about any of that nonsense! I was wondering who that saber-wielding young man with Yue Haitang is. Their relationship seems significant; he’s probably a formidable character too."

The man nodded, stroking his chin as he said, "There aren’t many young saber experts in the major territories. Could it be Wei Kuang, the Wild Wind Saber? He’s also supposed to be going to Sky Mountain for this year’s Twelve Golden Palaces assessment."

"Wei Kuang, the top expert of Long Wind School? That’s certainly possible..." the young woman nodded in agreement.

At this moment, the two arrived at the city gate, and the man walking ahead suddenly stopped.

"Junior Brother Wei, what’s wrong?" the young woman asked.

"Senior Sister, please wait a moment..."

The man smiled slightly and walked toward the three thugs.

Just as the three thugs were unsteadily getting to their feet, they saw someone approaching and instantly became alert. The dark-faced thug asked, "What do you want?"

The young man raised his eyebrows, smiled at the three men, and said jovially, "Gentlemen, I’ve been a bit short on funds lately and was thinking of borrowing some silver. Looking at your condition, I presume I won’t have to get my hands dirty, will I?"

The three thugs’ faces stiffened; they nearly choked on their own blood.

Just moments ago, they were the ones saying these very words to others.

「...」

Luo Feng and Yue Haitang entered Wutie Town just as the evening sun began its descent in the west.

Walking along streets bathed in the sunset glow, Luo Feng observed his surroundings.

Although Wutie Town was large, its buildings weren’t luxurious. Mostly constructed from stone, they looked imposing and functional. Only some restaurants were exquisitely built, with carved beams and painted rafters, looking quite magnificent.

It was no wonder. The people here were mostly martial artists walking the line between life and death. For them, tomorrow was a luxury. If they had silver, they’d naturally think of how to enjoy it.

"Hehe, hand over the silver you have, and we can spare your life."

"That’s right, a martial artist only has one life. No need to lose it over a bit of silver."

Passing a small alley, Luo Feng suddenly heard some low shouts, followed by the faint whistling of weapons tearing through the air. After a few screams, the faint scent of blood drifted over on the wind.

Luo Feng cast a sidelong glance. A burly, broad-shouldered man stood in the alley. He held a silver spear, fresh blood dripping from its tip. Four corpses lay at his feet.

"Men die for wealth, as birds die for food..." Yue Haitang also noticed this scene and said.

Luo Feng nodded and averted his gaze. "No wonder people say this place is both a paradise and a hell for martial artists. This law of the jungle is truly cruel."

"The world is like this everywhere. The strong are revered, while the weak are just lambs to the slaughter..."

A bitter smile touched Yue Haitang’s lips. He murmured softly, as if some memory had been stirred.

GURGLE...

Suddenly, a noise came from Yue Haitang’s stomach.

"I..." Yue Haitang stood still. Facing Luo Feng’s gaze, he opened his mouth, trying to say something.

Seeing Yue Haitang’s awkward expression, Luo Feng chuckled. "Weren’t you going to have me treat you? Where should we go?"

Hearing this, Yue Haitang let out a soft sigh of relief and said, "Let’s go to Wushan Restaurant. Their food is quite good."

Wushan Restaurant was the largest in Wutie Town; Luo Feng had heard of it before and readily agreed.

The two walked along the street and soon arrived before an exquisitely constructed building. A plaque hanging above displayed four large, golden characters: Wushan Restaurant.

"This way, esteemed young masters!"

The waiter, discerning their extraordinary air, immediately greeted them with enthusiasm.

Luo Feng tossed a piece of silver to the waiter. "Arrange a private room for us, and bring out your best dishes and wine. And be quick about it."

"Right away! This way, young masters, your food and wine will be served shortly..."

The waiter pocketed the silver, his face wreathed in smiles, and led the way.