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Chapter 117: Recognizing Strength
Chapter 117: Recognizing Strength
Duan Ping’s protective aura shattered.
Without even turning his head, he attempted to flee from the Divine Fist Sect.
Unfortunately for him, the moment his body leaped into the air, a flash of a blade appeared and split him in two.
Blood splattered across the sky.
A born-natural grandmaster had fallen right there.
“Too weak!”
“Really, too weak!”
Ku Ching-feng’s face showed disappointment.
He had hoped that as a born-natural grandmaster, Duan Ping would bring him some surprises, but this man’s strength was several levels below even Shen Wu-tao.
At the very least, Shen Wu-tao, though dead, had fought him in a fierce battle.
But Duan Ping?
He was killed in a single strike.
Ku Ching-feng’s initial fear of born-natural grandmasters had completely crumbled.
Grandmasters were indeed stronger than ordinary small grandmasters who had refined their organs, but they weren’t as terrifying as Ku Ching-feng had imagined.
However, this was also due to Duan Ping not having refined evil into his body.
If he had, like Shen Wu-tao, the Layered Sorcery of sorcerer and martial techniques would have made a significant difference.
“Grandmaster’s might is unrivaled!”
Ku Peng immediately praised, his face filled with reverence.
To kill a grandmaster in one strike!
How many strong warriors in the world could achieve such a feat?
To follow such a powerful master was a great fortune for him.
The other outer hall disciples were similarly shaken, looking at Ku Ching-feng with a mix of awe and admiration.
In a chaotic world, strength was revered.
The more powerful Ku Ching-feng showed himself to be, the more secure they felt.
Following such a powerful master was a great blessing in life.
Stepping over the bodies of numerous Divine Fist Sect warriors, not a single drop of blood stained Ku Ching-feng’s robes.
He sheathed his longsword and slowly said, “Search the entire Divine Fist Sect. Eliminate any survivors, and bring all secret sect manuals back to the Ku Family Manor. Those who died or were injured in this battle will receive compensation from the manor.”
“Yes!”
The disciples accepted their orders.
Then, led by Ku Peng, they formally entered the Divine Fist Sect’s inner grounds to carry out the orders of extermination and plunder.
---
Divine Fist Sect
In the grand hall of the sect, Ku Ching-feng sat on the former sect master’s throne. Below him was a golden coffin containing the sealed Golden Buddha.
The coffin was filled with blood, each drop radiating an immensely powerful and scorching aura. This was the pure Yang Energy and blood Ku Ching-feng had cultivated.
This was the result of breaking the limits of the Clear Yang Technique, the energy and blood he had condensed.
After all, the Clear Yang Technique was only a high-grade martial art, and the pure Yang Energy it produced could not suppress such evil.
But Ku Ching-feng possessed numerous martial arts, and his energy and blood had been refined countless times, making his pure Yang Energy and blood far superior to what the Clear Yang Technique alone could produce.
In comparison, it was like the difference between the moon and a firefly.
“In other words, my current energy and blood strength is already more formidable than that of an average energy and blood grandmaster!”
Ku Ching-feng murmured to himself, reflecting on his battle with Shen Wu-tao. This gave him a clearer understanding of his own strength.
In the past, Ku Ching-feng had quietly improved his strength, rarely having the chance to truly test it.
Whenever he did act, it was usually to end battles in seconds.
He had rarely encountered a true opponent who could challenge him.
Until this time.
The battle with the grandmaster from the Divine Fist Sect, who had lived hundreds of years ago, finally allowed Ku Ching-feng to understand the stage his current strength had reached.
Gu Qingfeng's vital energy was robust, on par with that of a Master of Vital Energy. In fact, it was even stronger than that of an average Master of Vital Energy.
Combined with his Eighth-Rank Overlord Saber True Intent, in a certain sense, Gu Qingfeng was now at least equivalent to a True Intent Master, and possibly even more powerful than an average True Intent Master. Ordinary Masters were no longer a match for him, as evidenced by Duan Ping's swift defeat.
"However, I'm not sure how I would fare against a Grand Master," Gu Qingfeng mused.
Grand Master, a realm that existed only in legends, was something he had no chance of experiencing for now. But this battle had given him immense confidence. Despite the world's reverence for sorcerers, a martial artist who reached a certain level of power was not necessarily inferior to a sorcerer.
A top-tier Spirit Control Realm sorcerer was only equivalent to an average Master. In terms of strength, Gu Qingfeng suspected he was on par with Duan Ping. Compared to a seasoned Master like Shen Wudao, however, he still fell short.
In the Guangyang Prefecture, many of the thousand-year-old clans and sects were only guarded by Spirit Control Realm sorcerers. In other words, Gu Qingfeng realized that his current strength might make him one of the few unmatched individuals in the entire Guangyang Prefecture.
Of course, there was the exception of the malevolent entity from the Nine-Bend Path. The Evil Buddha's power was far beyond that of Shen Wudao. Even with his current ability to slay Shen Wudao, Gu Qingfeng lacked the confidence to face the Evil Buddha directly.
As for the aftermath of Duan Ping's death, Gu Qingfeng was not concerned about offending the Heavenly Sun Sword Sect. To be honest, ever since Ji Zong's death, the Gu Family Manor had already severed ties with Pei Jing. The destruction of the Divine Fist Sect only furthered this enmity.
As Duan Ping had said, in such a situation, the Gu Family Manor could only mend relations by submitting to Pei Jing or, more accurately, to the Heavenly Sun Sword Sect behind him.
"Unfortunately," Gu Qingfeng thought, "I have never had the habit of being anyone's lapdog."
"Since we've already offended the Heavenly Sun Sword Sect, there's no point in hesitation. Hesitation only leads to chaos."
Thus, from the moment Duan Ping spoke, his fate was sealed. Even if Gu Qingfeng had let Duan Ping go, the relationship between the two sides could not have been mended. Therefore, eliminating Duan Ping first would weaken the Heavenly Sun Sword Sect's strength, which was not a bad move.
Half a day later, Gu Peng arrived, followed by several outer hall disciples. They carried over a dozen chests and lined them up in front of Gu Qingfeng.
"All the martial arts manuals and a portion of the gold from the Divine Fist Sect are here, please inspect them, Old Manor Lord," Gu Peng said, bowing.
Gold!
At the mention of gold, Gu Qingfeng's eyes lit up. What did they lack most now? Besides martial arts manuals, it was gold.
Gold was the most crucial item for sealing malevolent entities. Without gold, it was difficult to suppress them, especially since malevolent entities were hard to kill and Gu Qingfeng currently had no method to exterminate them. The remaining gold in the Gu Family Manor was reserved for sealing the Golden Buddha's coffin.
Finding a batch of gold from the Divine Fist Sect was a timely solution to their pressing need.
(End of Chapter)
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