Boom!

A massive explosion created a large crater in the forest below.

The man in black gracefully caught his returning halberd in mid-air, then waved away the widespread dust to gaze at the deep pit below.

Suddenly, he saw that Shu Han remained unscathed in the pit, only his sleeves torn, revealing arms as sturdy as forged steel, with black patterns flashing ominously.

The man in black frowned deeply, feeling a tinge of apprehension upon seeing those arms.

Shu Han and he locked eyes. Shu Han was equally shocked, as the numb sensation in his arms lingered.

He had just used eighty percent of the power from the black patterns to counter, but it barely deflected the deadly strike, and the man in black still seemed to have the energy to spare.

This man was even stronger than Wei Haolong! It seemed he needed to exert all his strength!

Whoosh!

Shu Han's energy surged like a dragon, the sound of its release audible even high up in the sky.

The man in black watched intensely. He couldn't detect Shu Han's spiritual power, but he felt an overwhelming threat.

In the blink of an eye, Shu Han vanished from his view.

The man in black could only catch a fleeting afterimage. He hastily expanded his spiritual awareness, finally pinpointing Shu Han. To his surprise, Shu Han had moved behind him in an instant. Panicking, he turned to see Shu Han in mid-air, drawing back a fist that accumulated a disturbing dark energy.

In a split second, Shu Han's punch was thrown, and an overpowering fist energy approached. The man in black momentarily froze as the surrounding air was driven, mountain-like, towards him.

Quickly raising his halberd in defense, the energy from the punch made the man's whole body shudder, sending him flying hundreds of meters away and churning his internal energy.

So strong!

Regaining his senses, the man in black lost sight of Shu Han again.

Then, a fist energy descended from the sky, directly striking his protective aura. The aura shattered instantly, and a purple copper mirror automatically emerged to protect its master from the sudden attack.

Gasping for breath, the man in black realized he couldn't keep up with Shu Han's movements using just his eyes. He immediately closed them, relying solely on his spiritual sense to track Shu Han's movements.

Shu Han's speed was so fast that it took the man in black by surprise. The man realized that with Shu Han's speed if he wanted to flee, he could have disappeared without a trace by now. However, given Shu Han's nature, he wouldn't just run. If he could intercept and kill this assailant, he would - even if he couldn't necessarily kill him, he'd make sure he paid a price.

Boom!

Shu Han rapidly circled around the man in black, his fists, radiant with black light, swung out repeatedly.

This unique style of fist technique was something he had comprehended after reaching a certain realm in his "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique."

He discovered that by releasing 100% of the power from the black patterns, he could unleash the heavenly fire power contained within. With the heavenly fire power being highly compressed by the black patterns, its potency was remarkable, making this Shu Han's most formidable state.

He had initially wanted to keep this ace up his sleeve to surprise Han Su on the arena stage, but he had to use it now.

However, fully stimulating the black patterns rapidly drained both his spiritual power and stamina. He couldn't keep this up for long and needed to finish this quickly.

In the span of a single breath, Shu Han shifted more than a dozen times, releasing over a dozen bursts of fist energy.

However, the man in black's power was astounding. Using his purple copper mirror as a shield, he swung his halberd continuously to fend off Shu Han's assaults. For a moment, neither had the upper hand.

After landing these blows, Shu Han felt he had gauged the man's strength sufficiently. He prepared to summon his Eight-Direction Evil-Breaking Sword and the Chaotic Thunder Tribulation to suppress the man.

For an unprovoked ambush, Shu Han wouldn't let him escape alive.

The man in black, however, was equally alarmed and let out a prolonged howl.

Unsure of the man's intentions and feeling urgency, Shu Han decided to unleash his full power against him. If all else failed, he could summon hundreds of Thunder Tribulation tailsman; he was confident of overpowering him.

Suddenly, as he was about to unleash his full force, a bolt of lightning as thick as a water barrel surged from the distant forest.

The lightning brightened the surrounding night, immediately making Shu Han feel the threat of death.

Heavenly Feather White Phoenix Armor!

A set of snow-white winged armor promptly emerged from the marks on Shu Han's shoulders, forming a pair of wings that protected him.

Boom!

The fierce lightning struck the Heavenly Feather White Phoenix Armor. Shu Han immediately coughed up blood. He had fully activated the armor, yet some of the devastating lightning seeped through. These smaller lightning strands crawled over Shu Han's body, leaving behind charred black marks wherever they touched.

Shu Han knew he couldn't keep up this way, so he unleashed all his spiritual power, forcing his way out of the Heavenly Feather White Phoenix Armor and propelling himself away from the bolt of lightning.

"Pant...pant...pant..."

Holding his chest, Shu Han looked towards the distant forest with his heart racing. Without hesitation, he turned and fled towards the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect.

Green Thunder Sect! A Core Formation stage powerhouse!

The man in black was astonished to see that Shu Han had survived his sneak attack at the Core Formation level. However, he wasn't about to let Shu Han escape just like that. He threw his halberd with all his might, aiming at the back of Shu Han's neck. Suddenly, he felt as though the mere three-inch gap between his weapon and Shu Han stretched infinitely, preventing it from hitting its target.

In an instant, Shu Han transformed into a streak of light, using an incredible escape technique to flee toward the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect.

"What...?"

The man in black stood there, staring at the departing Shu Han.

Another masked figure in black emerged from the woods, flying to his side. Gazing at the now-vanished Shu Han, he spoke with an aged voice, "This young one's escape speed is comparable to mine when using the full force of my Lightning Escape. And he even had a means to block my ambush. Since when did the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect have such a formidable disciple?"

The younger man in black responded, "He joined less than three years ago, so there's limited information on him. But Elder, you couldn't kill him with that strike. Yu Tiancheng might inform Song Jinglun about this. Your situation around the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect might become unfavorable."

"It doesn't matter!"

The elder replied, "Our Sect Leader placed me around the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, and Song Jinglun is well aware. After all, on the surface, Fiery Cloud Instant Sect relies on our Green Thunder Sect; he wouldn't dare complain. Just make sure you're not exposed."

"What about the Heavenly Fire Leaderboard?"

The elder snorted, "No problem. After taking my blow, even if he's against the heavens, he's seriously injured and won't recover quickly. You're not telling me you'll lose to someone handicapped, are you?"

"Disciple will surely live up to the trust of the Sect Leader and Elder."

The elder patted his shoulder, "Work hard, and if you succeed, reaching Core Formation is within sight. Years from now, your rank will be above mine."

The younger man in black laughed, "Elder, you're too modest. No matter how high I rise in the future, you will always be my senior."

...

Gasping for breath, Shu Han returned to his cave dwelling, finally feeling at ease.

Even if that Green Thunder Sect's Core Formation powerhouse was arrogant, he wouldn't dare attack in the heartland of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect.

Undoubtedly, the Heavenly Feather White Phoenix Armor that Shangguan Ruolin gifted was an absolute treasure. Under such circumstances, it still managed to protect Shu Han from severe injuries.

Now, Shu Han only had minor injuries, but his spiritual power was severely depleted.