Chapter Nine: Fourth Level of the Physical Body

"White Tiger Carries the Corpse? I didn’t expect you were still practicing Tiger Fist. Was the lesson I gave you before not enough?" Li Feng sneered, unmoved, his face full of scorn. It was because of the Tiger Fist that Lin Fan was beaten so badly by them. Yet by a twist of fate, that very event awakened the Shattered Stone within him, setting him upon a path utterly different from before.

"Hmph, a sneaky thief who stole our martial arts dares to flaunt them here? Such shamelessness!" Xiao Liu snorted. His strength was lacking, so he stood at the back, assisting Li Feng and the others in their attack.

"I hold no deep grudge against you or Cheng Yu," Lin Fan said, shaking his head and striding with the bearing of a war god, "But when you tried to kill me, I had no choice but to retaliate. Now, it seems only the death of one side can bring an end to this bloodshed."

A mighty hand descended, tiger claws slashing through the air. Lin Fan moved as if in a land devoid of men. "Your mistake was underestimating my strength. Before Feng Wanchun arrives, I am confident I will slaughter you all."

With a low cry, Lin Fan leapt above Li Feng and his companions, appearing directly before Xiao Liu.

"You..." Xiao Liu was terrified; his power was weak, and seeing Lin Fan's dominance, he panicked and tried to flee. But it was too late. With a force of 6,800 pounds, Lin Fan pounced like a wild tiger, tearing Xiao Liu’s body in two.

"6,900 pounds, 7,000 pounds!" Lin Fan’s whole body tingled as his strength increased again. Yet, the fleshly power of the fourth stage brought only a modest boost, a mere 200 pounds.

"Xiao Liu!"

"You—you’re courting death!"

"Ah, ah, the four of us have struggled together all this way. How can we be slain by such a lowly man? Revenge! We must avenge him!" The wails echoed; Li Feng and the others were stunned, eyes blazing with hatred, yearning to tear Lin Fan apart.

"No need to hurry. You’ll soon join him." Lin Fan’s expression was cold. He turned, unleashed a punch, radiant beams bursting forth as a giant star rose and crushed all before it.

Sanzi was horrified, for he saw the punch bearing down upon him.

"No! No! Brother Feng, save me!" Sanzi trembled uncontrollably, now realizing Lin Fan’s terrifying power, with no chance at resistance.

"Sanzi!" Li Feng roared, unleashing his full might. The sixth stage of the flesh brought 4,000 pounds of force, but it was meaningless before Lin Fan’s 7,000 pounds.

"Get out of my way!" Lin Fan snorted, his palm sweeping out like a giant star, flinging Li Feng dozens of yards away. Lin Zi was suppressed so badly he coughed blood; their levels were worlds apart.

"No scheme can affect me. Even if I know your plans, it changes nothing, for everything remains within my grasp." Lin Fan’s gaze sharpened, the killing intent exposed. His hand descended onto Sanzi’s head. Sanzi’s body shriveled, until only a human skin drifted to the ground.

"What?! He’s a demon! Did you sell your soul to the Abyssal Demon Clan?" Witnessing this, Lin Zi and Li Feng shuddered, their bodies chilled to the core.

"Rumor has it Abyssal Demons devour human flesh, vicious beyond compare. What you did matches that exactly! I’ll spread word of what I saw today. Lin Fan, you’ll be reviled by all, left with no place in the world!" Li Feng was shocked, murmuring to himself. He made no move to attack, instead fleeing into the distance.

Lin Zi did the same. With their lives at stake, brotherhood was forgotten.

"Do you think you can escape?" Lin Fan strode forward, his strength now reaching 7,300 pounds—almost the peak of the seventh stage. Invincible.

He quickly caught up to Lin Zi. A giant hand reached out, fingers spread wide, slaughtering him with overwhelming force.

A blood mist sprayed forth; Lin Zi didn’t even have time to scream before his head was smashed into his chest. Warm energy flowed as Lin Zi’s strength was devoured, and Lin Fan’s power began to rise.

"7,500 pounds, 7,600 pounds..."

"Excellent! The fourth stage is about to break through. I can sense the coming wave." Lin Fan was overjoyed. His strength stopped at 7,800 pounds—nearing seventh-stage invincibility.

"You..."

In the distance, Li Feng turned his head and saw Lin Fan smash Lin Zi’s head into his chest. Staggering, his whole body trembled.

"Come here!" Lin Fan suddenly shouted, startling Li Feng so badly he fell to the ground, terrified.

"Don’t come closer! None of this was my idea—it was all Cheng Yu’s orders. If you must kill, kill him!" Li Feng was petrified, no longer daring to flee or fight.

"You must die. Cheng Yu must die. And if anyone else from the Cheng family tries to attack me, they all must die." Lin Fan grinned, reaching Li Feng and grabbing him.

"Let me go. The other three are dead; whatever grudges there are can be resolved. From now on, I’ll serve you loyally, and I’ll never speak of today to anyone." Li Feng gave up resistance, hoping Lin Fan would spare him.

"I won’t spare you, nor Cheng Yu, nor anyone who opposes me. Especially now you know my secret." Lin Fan shook his head, unmoved. His hand tightened. With a crack, Li Feng’s neck was twisted and he died, eyes wide in shock.

"Good, 7,800 pounds, 7,900 pounds, 8,000 pounds, 8,100 pounds!" Soon, Lin Fan’s strength broke the seventh-stage limit of 8,000 pounds and continued to grow. His bottleneck quietly shattered, stepping into the fourth stage of the flesh.

The greatest benefit of breaking through was the surge in power. Where it had stalled, now it erupted like a tidal wave.

"8,500 pounds, 9,000 pounds, 9,300 pounds..."

Lin Fan could clearly feel his rise. If he faced Li Feng and the others now, he wouldn’t need to kill them one by one—a single punch could sweep them all aside; a slap would turn them to pulp.

Just then, Lin Fan sensed a distant aura rushing toward him. It was surely Feng Wanchun, one of the top ten experts of the outer sect. But in Lin Fan’s perception, this man was no longer at the seventh stage, but had reached the eighth.

Along with Feng Wanchun came a medicinal fragrance—the Ghost Flower, which can help one break through a stage in the fleshly realm without conditions...