Chapter 54: The First Clash

"It has already begun! This time, not only will we kill Du Fei, but we will also snatch the top prize for ourselves." On the grand platform, Lian Hao glanced at the rapidly surging crowd and smiled faintly.

"Of course." Lian Hao and Lian Xing, standing behind him, also revealed a meaningful smile.

Hearing this, Lian Hao chuckled, and his toes sharply pushed off the ground. His figure instantly darted forward like a gust of wind. Behind him, Lian Hao and Lian Xing quickly followed, and in just a few breaths, the three of them had already flown over the crowd and landed at the front.

This scene made the surging crowd behind them slightly hesitate. The skills displayed by the three Lian family members were already quite shocking.

Seemingly aware of the awe-inspiring power they had shown, the group led by Lian Hao all sneered, and then Lian Hao took the lead again, his toes pushing off the ground once more as he rushed into the valley.

"If you want to be the first to enter, the Lian family doesn't have that kind of qualification!"

Just as Lian Hao was about to dart into the valley, a faint voice slowly sounded. Then, a figure flashed past Lian Hao's head like lightning. The person's toes deliberately stepped on Lian Hao's head before quickly darting into the valley.

This sudden action startled Lian Hao, and a surge of rage quickly flooded his mind. Who dares to be so presumptuous!

With a grunt, Lian Hao didn't waste words. His hands quickly formed seals, and his right palm continuously struck out, sending a red mist-like shadow flying down rapidly.

"Hmph..."

In response to Lian Hao's attack, the figure didn't react in any other way. Instead, it suddenly turned in mid-air, and its right hand swiftly spun, sending an invisible force that collided with the red mist.

"Boom..."

A muffled sound echoed, but contrary to many people's expectations, the two didn't continue to fight. Instead, the figure used the impact of the clash to push off and flash into the valley like a shadow.

Seeing that his actions had only helped the other person, Lian Hao's face darkened. His gaze met with Lian Hao and Lian Xing's, and all three of their faces instantly turned extremely ugly. Then, the three figures almost simultaneously darted forward!

"Tch! They didn't even fight! If these three from the Lian family were all taken out here, wouldn't that increase my chances of winning!"

"I wonder who that figure was, and why they have such a deep grudge against the Lian family!"

"Could it be that Du family kid?"

Before the words had even finished, these people had already quickly darted into the valley. After all, the Xuan You Secret Realm was filled with various benefits. Entering first might mean getting some advantages.

No one was willing to let others benefit easily.

The entrance to the Xuan You Secret Realm was a rather expansive canyon. Although the fog in the canyon had thinned somewhat, it still only allowed people to see a few dozen meters around them. Beyond that, everything was blurry.

This was during a specific time; normally, in the Xuan You Secret Realm, one couldn't even see a meter in front of them.

The first to enter the Xuan You Secret Realm was Du Fei. His gaze slowly swept around and then suddenly turned to the rear.

"The three core disciples of the Lian family? Since you're here, you don't need to leave!" Du Fei sneered, and his foot stomped hard, his figure dashing forward.

Almost simultaneously, three figures darted into the canyon. The leader of the group gasped, "It's you!"

They never expected that Du Fei wouldn't flee directly but would instead prepare to strike them hard from the start.

"Safe travels! I won't see you off on the road to the underworld!"

With a laugh, Du Fei's figure spun in mid-air, and his legs kicked out in rapid succession, instantly sending several ice blades slicing out. The cold aura within the ice blades almost instantly froze the surrounding fog.

"Du Fei, you do have some skills, but thinking you can be our match is too presumptuous!" Lian Hao sneered, his shock quickly passing. His hands clapped together, and a flame-formed spear appeared in his hand. Then, he swiftly deflected the leading ice blades with his hands.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The deflected ice blades instantly fell into the surrounding forest, cutting down countless trees before finally landing on the ground, scattering ice and snow.

Seeing his attack miss, Du Fei didn't waste words. His figure suddenly stiffened in mid-air, instantly splitting into three afterimages, each charging at one of the three.

Faced with Du Fei's relentless attack, Lian Hao and the others exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with shock.

They never expected that before they even acted, their opponent was already preparing to eliminate all three of them!

"No need to hold back! As long as we can kill Du Fei, losing the competition is nothing!" Lian Hao gasped and quickly gave orders.

"Yes!"

Lian Hao and Lian Xing nodded sharply, and then the three of them simultaneously stomped the ground, instantly enveloping themselves in fiery true qi.

Seeing this, Du Fei's face also turned cold. The three clones were instantly enveloped in Ice Heart Aura, and then the six figures collided.

"Boom..."

A dull explosion echoed, the shockwave dispersing the surrounding fog. At the center of the explosion, countless trees were blown to the ground, and the ground was left black and covered in ice, looking extremely eerie.

This scene caught the attention of others entering the Xuan You Secret Realm. They quickly rushed over, and upon seeing this, they all gasped.

These people could tell that both sides were definitely martial artists, but they couldn't determine their exact levels.

When they saw that one side was the three Lian family members, many of them began to speculate about the other side.

"What a pity!" Du Fei sighed inwardly. The three had been caught off guard and yet remained unscathed under his sneak attack. This meant that in a real fight, he would likely have no advantage. The Lian family truly had some formidable individuals.

Thinking of this, Du Fei felt a bit regretful for not focusing his attack on one of them earlier. However, it was too late to regret now.

Taking a deep breath, Du Fei cleared his mind and his cold gaze fell on Lian Hao and the others. He smiled coldly and said, "To be able to cultivate the Flowing Flame Technique to this level in a month, you're not as useless as Lian Zhen."

"Being able to kill our Lian family's top disciple Lian Zhen and escape unscathed, you truly live up to your reputation..." Lian Hao calmed down, his gaze slowly sweeping over Du Fei. After a moment, he smiled lightly and said, "Young Master Du Fei, it's truly better to see you in person!"

Hearing this, the surrounding people all gasped. They had heard of Du Fei, but they never expected him to be so powerful, capable of facing off against three Lian family members alone!

He truly was a formidable individual!

At this point, those who had doubted Du Fei's abilities were now thoroughly intimidated. If his reputation was just a legend, his current display of strength against the three Lian family members was undeniable!

Du Fei didn't pay much attention to the strange looks from the crowd. He lightly clapped his hands and smiled faintly, saying, "Since you know me, you must be Lian Hao, Lian Hao, and Lian Xing... Lian Ji's idea to rely on you three to turn the tide wasn't wrong. Any one of you is stronger than Lian Zhen. If you had been at the banquet that day, it would have been better... Unfortunately... Unfortunately..."

"Do you regret not killing us then?" Lian Hao stared at Du Fei, seemingly seeing through his mocking gaze, and sneered.

"No, I regret that you three weren't there. Otherwise, I would have killed you first... I always aim to eliminate the root of problems, not to leave a tiger to become a future threat... More unfortunately, I was so focused on killing all three of you that if I hadn't been so greedy, one of you would already be in the underworld!" Du Fei lightly clapped his hands and spoke calmly, though his words were filled with a bitter taste, making the faces of the Lian family members extremely ugly.

"Du Fei, do you really think we are not your match?" Lian Hao gritted his teeth and said softly.

"Against all three of you, I am not your match. One by one, I can kill you like dogs!" Du Fei laughed lightly, speaking bluntly.

"So, you think I must kill you on the spot!" Lian Hao laughed in anger, glaring at Du Fei.

"Ha, no rush, no rush." Du Fei smiled lightly, "Acting now would benefit no one, only the onlookers outside... There will be a chance. In the end, only one of us will leave this Xuan You Secret Realm alive, and I believe you understand this as well!" With that, Du Fei laughed and his figure darted into the depths of the Xuan You Secret Realm like a ghost.

Seeing this, Lian Hao and the others, though seething with anger, didn't say anything more. They simply waved their hands and moved to another place.

The onlookers all sighed in disappointment and quickly dispersed.

After all, fewer opponents were always better at this time!