The monkey-shaped creature was as swift as lightning. As soon as it appeared, it immediately bared its fangs and lunged at Luo Feng, a pungent odor of blood assaulting his nostrils. Luo Feng drew a sharp breath, bringing down his Tiger Soul Saber with a hefty swing. THUD! The monkey-shaped creature uttered a strange shriek and slammed into the ground. A half-foot-deep wound appeared on its shoulder, glowing with a crimson radiance, yet no blood flowed out. What kind of creature is this? Luo Feng furrowed his brow. Seizing the opening, the monkey-shaped creature vaulted up, transforming into a bloody gust of wind and lunged at him again. Luo Feng merged with his Grand Momentum, the phantom image of a saber flashing in his pupils. He instantly cleaved the monkey-shaped creature in two. The severed limbs twitched on the ground a few times, and the bloody light in its eyes gradually faded. With another slash, Luo Feng decapitated the creature, finally setting his mind at ease. Judging by the speed and attack power it had displayed, this monkey-shaped creature’s strength was equivalent to the early stages of the Eighth Hell Realm. However, given its extreme speed, it was even more dangerous. Just as he was about to take a closer look, a peculiar scene unfolded. The remains on the ground crumbled like a statue, instantly transforming into a pile of sand. A strange flicker passed through Luo Feng’s eyes. It was incredible that a monster with the strength of the Eighth Hell Realm was actually made of sand. This Secret Realm truly has many inconceivable things. Luo Feng pursed his lips. He was about to leave when his gaze suddenly halted. Among the grains of sand on the ground lay a thumb-sized jade stone, sharp-edged and distinct, exuding a hazy white glow. The jade stone’s radiance was faint, but in this dim environment, it was quite conspicuous. Luo Feng sensed the fluctuation of Yuan Qi within the jade stone. With a flick of his saber tip, the stone landed in his hand. Observing the jade stone in his hand, Luo Feng pondered. The Yuan Qi within the stone was tremendously vast and unbelievably pure! Could this be... a Yuan Stone? Luo Feng took a deep breath, his initially calm emotions surging like a turbulent tide. With a thought, Luo Feng closed his eyes, focusing his mind on the Yuan Stone and channeling his body’s Yuan Qi into it. The moment his consciousness submerged into the Yuan Stone, it felt as if a floodgate had been opened. The boundless, pure Yuan Qi within it surged relentlessly into Luo Feng’s meridians, unstoppable. No! Martial Artists below the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm who haven’t connected the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm to form the Grand Circulation are not qualified to use Yuan Stones for cultivation! Struck by the torrent of Yuan Qi, Luo Feng’s face turned pale, and he nearly vomited blood. He hurriedly withdrew his Soul Power. PHEW... Taking a deep breath, Luo Feng looked at the Yuan Stone in his hand, his heart still pounding with lingering fear. For Martial Artists below the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, using a Yuan Stone for cultivation was a major taboo! If he had been a moment slower, his meridians could have been damaged. He might even have injured his Meridian Wheels and had his cultivation crippled! Fortunately, Luo Feng had eighteen Meridian Wheels and formidable Soul Power, allowing him to withstand the impact. Otherwise, any other Martial Artist at the peak of the Eighth Hell Realm would have been severely injured, or even had their cultivation crippled, in that instant. Although his meridians still throbbed with pain, Luo Feng paid it no mind. Gazing at the Yuan Stone in his hand, he burst out laughing. Yuan Stones originated from Yuan Spirit Veins, formed from the evolution of pure Yuan Qi. They were useless to Martial Artists below the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, but for those at or above it, they were indispensable and extremely precious. It’s important to understand that once a Martial Artist steps into the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, cultivation becomes increasingly difficult. Some might spend years without advancing at all, and becoming a Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist was even more challenging than ascending to Heaven. For most people of average talent, the Spiritual Rotation Realm was merely an unattainable dream. However, with Yuan Stones, it was a different story. The Yuan Qi in a Yuan Stone was several to ten times purer than ordinary Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, allowing a Martial Artist’s cultivation speed to increase manifold! If one possessed enough Yuan Stones, even someone with ordinary aptitude could maintain a decent cultivation speed. If a genius used Yuan Stones for cultivation, it would be like adding wings to a tiger, allowing their cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. It could be said that only with Yuan Stones could the true potential of a genius be realized. However, Spirit Stones were extremely rare. A single Spirit Stone was often worth hundreds of taels of gold, equivalent to a small family’s income for several years. Even large families could not afford to use them indiscriminately. I wonder if there are more creatures here. Luo Feng’s eyes glittered. This monkey-shaped creature most likely used Yuan Stones as its power source. If he could slay more of them and obtain more Yuan Stones, once his cultivation broke through to the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, his progress would undoubtedly be doubly effective! Without further hesitation, Luo Feng placed the Yuan Stone into his storage ring. He tore the bloody clothes from the corpse of the young swordsman, held them in his hand, performed his Light Martial Arts, and darted forward. If his guess was correct, the monkey-shaped creature from before was a fiendish creature similar to a Slaughter corpse, devouring flesh and blood. It had likely appeared, drawn by the scent of blood. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵 After dashing several dozen meters, the walls beside Luo Feng suddenly began to crack. Monkey-shaped creatures burst out from both his left and right. SQUAWK! SQUAWK! SQUAWK! Piercing shrieks echoed. Attracted by the fresh scent of blood, the monkey-shaped creatures sealed within the walls began to emerge one after another. Their bloodthirsty gazes fixed on Luo Feng as they transformed into streaks of crimson light, shooting towards him. There were seven or eight of them! Seeing the monkey-shaped creatures hurtling towards him, Luo Feng was not alarmed but rather pleased. He stopped, and his Tiger Soul Saber erupted with a dark blade glow as he slashed out repeatedly. Fierce Saber Qi ravaged the stone corridor, carving terrifying gashes and instantly shredding three monkey-shaped creatures to pieces. A few breaths later, Luo Feng stopped. The surrounding walls were now unrecognizable. All the monkey-shaped monsters had turned into piles of sand, and each pile contained a Yuan Stone. Looking at the Yuan Stones on the ground, Luo Feng was overjoyed. He had just obtained eight Yuan Stones, worth eight hundred taels of gold—a colossal fortune! I have to hurry, gather more Yuan Stones, and prepare for breaking through to the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm! Luo Feng quickly gathered the Yuan Stones from the ground, picked up the bloody clothes, and dashed into an adjacent stone passage. Next, Luo Feng used the bloody clothes to continuously hunt monkey-shaped monsters in the passages. Occasionally, he would come across corpses, all dripping with blood, their flesh devoured clean. These were likely other people who had entered the Secret Realm and been killed by the monkey-shaped monsters, with no trace of their bones remaining. Luo Feng did not linger by these corpses. The strength of these monkey-shaped monsters ranged from the early to mid-stages of the Eighth Hell Realm. About thirty percent of those who entered this Secret Realm were below the Eighth Hell Realm in strength. It would be very difficult for them to leave alive. The underground passages were incredibly vast and branched out in all directions, like a labyrinth, with an unknown number of forks. Luo Feng memorized the path he took, advancing continuously, hunting monkey-shaped monsters. Along the way, he had collected over a hundred Spirit Stones! This exhilarated Luo Feng. Such an abundance of Spirit Stones would tempt even Spiritual Rotation Realm experts! Killing two monkey-shaped monsters that burst from the wall with a single slash, Luo Feng collected the Spirit Stones. He had taken only a few steps when he suddenly heard footsteps ahead. His eyes flashing, Luo Feng slipped into the shadows nearby. The footsteps grew clearer, and two youths emerged from around the corner of the passage ahead. "Cousin Qin Lin, this Secret Realm is truly mystical! These demonic monkeys actually have Yuan Stones in their bodies! We should collect as many as we can this time. It will surely yield twice the result with half the effort when we cultivate to reach the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm," said the youth with handsome features, dressed in a green uniform. It was Qin Huan. The small-eyed youth beside him nodded expressionlessly. "Spirit Stones are indeed precious, but don’t forget our purpose for coming here." Hearing this, a cruel glint flashed in Qin Huan’s eyes, his killing intent palpable. "Of course, I haven’t forgotten! Luo Feng humiliated me repeatedly and even injured my older brother, preventing him from entering the Secret Realm! I will definitely take revenge! This time, not a single one of the Four New Prodigies of the Flowing Cloud Region will escape!" Qin Lin sneered, "It’s a pity that female disciple from the Flowing Cloud Region ran so fast. Otherwise, I would have let her experience my Exploding Cloud ****!" Qin Huan licked his lips and chuckled coldly, "Cousin, no need to worry. This passage is fraught with danger. She was struck by my palm and injured. Even if she doesn’t die at the hands of these monsters, she’ll be killed by others who’ve entered." Just as Qin Huan was about to say more, Qin Lin suddenly pulled him back. A figure had appeared in the corridor ahead, though it was unclear when. "Who’s there?!" Qin Lin narrowed his eyes, his voice stern. Luo Feng stepped out from the shadows, his eyes, brimming with murderous intent, fixed on the two. "Who did you injure just now?" he asked in a deep voice. They definitely attacked a disciple from the Flowing Cloud Region. Was it Bing Ruolan or Zi Yuan? Qin Huan knows He Qin, so it wouldn’t be her. "Luo Feng, it’s you!" Meeting Luo Feng’s murderous gaze, Qin Huan instinctively recoiled. But seeing Qin Lin beside him, he regained some composure, gritted his teeth, and sneered, "Luo Feng, why bother asking? You’ll be meeting her soon enough anyway." "So you’re not going to tell me." Concern for the two girls’ safety fueled Luo Feng’s killing intent. His eyes flashed, and before his words faded, he shot forward, leaving a string of afterimages as his five fingers clawed at Qin Huan. "Cousin, save me!" Qin Huan, terrified by Luo Feng’s locked gaze, turned deathly pale and screamed. Qin Lin glanced disdainfully. With a cold snort, he flashed in front of Qin Huan. Qin Lin swatted with his hand, and a wild Qi Force radiated outwards, making the entire passage hum. Luo Feng was lightly pushed back to his original spot. He looked sharply at the small-eyed youth before him. "Who are you?" A mocking smile touched Qin Lin’s lips as he replied coldly, "Qin Lin, a disciple of Long Cloud Hall." Long Cloud Hall? A disciple of the Twelve Golden Halls. Qin Lin looked at Luo Feng, standing with his hands behind his back, and said arrogantly, "Luo Feng, you injured my cousin. I’ll give you one chance: kneel, admit your mistake, and sever one of your arms. Do that, and I’ll spare your life!" "Cousin! We can’t let this brat go!" Qin Huan exclaimed in shock. Qin Lin waved his hand, looking at Luo Feng with a smile. "Make your choice. Kneel and sever an arm, or become a corpse, food for these monsters." He had no intention of actually sparing Luo Feng, of course. This was all just to toy with him. Luo Feng looked at Qin Lin, a cold sneer on his face. "I’ll give you a chance too. Cripple your cultivation and get lost, now!" "You don’t know what’s good for you! Die!" Qin Lin was enraged, killing intent flaring in his eyes as he thrust out a palm. As soon as his palm’s Qi Force surged, a series of violent sonic booms erupted throughout the passage. The nearby walls cracked and collapsed under the pressure. This palm strike was powerful enough to shatter a small mountain; its might was immeasurable. Luo Feng’s hair and clothes streamed behind him. He neither retreated nor dodged, his gaze calm yet sharp, as his ferocious fist, backed by Qi Force, shot forward. The sound of Qi Force exploding rang out dozens of times in an instant, like rolling thunder. Qin Lin’s expression changed drastically. He was sent flying, spewing a large mouthful of blood in mid-air that stained his clothes crimson. "What?!" Qin Huan cried out, aghast.