417: Chapter 417 No one understands Xu Ruyu's strength better than Leng Ningshuang.

"What a pity. This Xu Ruyu is quite a character, but he's just too impulsive."

"After this battle, the Hehuan Sect will be finished."

"When those female Disciples end up on the streets, who knows how many people will be waiting to take advantage of them."

"Tsk tsk, what a shame for a beauty like Xiao Nianyin. She just escaped the tiger's den only to fall into a wolf's lair."

"But this time, no one will be there to save her."

As these people spoke, the topic shifted back to Xiao Nianyin, their words filled with flippancy and disdain.

In their eyes, the Hehuan Sect was already meat on a chopping block, just waiting for Mo Feng to slaughter Xu Ruyu so they could feast on the remains.

Standing in the center of the field, Mo Feng heard Xu Ruyu agree to the duel, and the gloom on his face vanished, replaced by the smugness of someone who held victory in his grasp.

He stroked his beard, his eyes squinting into slits as he laughed. That smile was full of cruelty and pleasure, as if he could already see the scene of Xu Ruyu being trampled under his feet.

"Good! Xu Ruyu, at least you have some backbone!"

He announced loudly, his voice carrying an irrepressible excitement that echoed before the mountain gate.

"Since that's the case, then right here before the mountain gate, in front of everyone, we shall fight to the death!"

"And let everyone see the consequences of offending my Taihu Clan!"

He stepped forward a few paces and drew a longsword that shimmered with a cold light.

Cold killing intent flowed along the blade. Pointing the tip of the sword at Xu Ruyu, a chilling smile hung on his lips.

The sword was named "Cold Frost." It was his Natal Magical Artifact, refined with three hundred years of effort. Its quality was extremely high, and it was considered a top-tier item even within the Taihu Clan.

"Xu Ruyu, don't say this Elder is bullying you. This Elder will give you a chance—"

He deliberately dragged out his words, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

"Kneel now and admit defeat. Kowtow three times in front of everyone and admit that your Hehuan Sect is inferior to my Taihu Clan. Then, take your people and get out of Tianyin Mountain, and this Elder might spare your life. Otherwise—"

He sneered, the cold light on his sword intensifying. "Blades have no eyes. If you lose your life, don't blame this Elder for not warning you."

"When that happens, there will be no one left to protect that Bed-warming maid of yours."

Xu Ruyu looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly into a meaningful smile.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his right hand slowly.

In his hand, a qi-breaking gun had appeared at some point.

The barrel was slender, forged from a mix of profound iron and piglets Star-patterned steel, its surface covered in intricate Array Pattern.

Those Array Pattern shimmered with a faint silver light under the sun, emitting a dangerous aura.

This was one of the earliest batches of Spiritual Artifacts he had refined in the Illusory Moon Well. Although its power wasn't as great as his later creations, it was stable and reliable.

But who knew? Xu Ruyu had already secretly upgraded it. Bringing it out now was meant to lower Mo Feng's guard so he could catch him off balance.

Seeing him take out the qi-breaking gun, Mo Feng indeed scoffed, his laughter filled with contempt. "You dare to duel me with this scrap metal?"

"Xu Ruyu, do you think such a thing can hurt this Elder?"

"That broken gun of yours can only bully Golden Core Stage trash."

"This Elder is at the Half-step Saint Realm!"

"I could slap you into a meat patty with one hand!"

"Your scrap metal isn't even enough to scratch an itch for this Elder!"

The elite Cultivators behind him also burst into laughter. "Hahaha! That thing? It probably can't even break through Elder Mo Feng's protective spiritual light!"

"Does Xu Ruyu think that because he beat a few Golden Core Stage trash, he can beat a Half-step Saint Realm? Naive!"

"Let him fire! Let him fire! Let him see what true strength looks like!"

Xu Ruyu still didn't answer. He simply aimed the muzzle at Mo Feng, his gaze as calm as water, without a single ripple.

The people of the Hehuan Sect had varying reactions to this scene.

Zhou Daniu clenched his fists, his palms drenched in sweat, as he muttered incessantly, "Sect Master, you must be careful... you can't let anything happen to you..."

Although he knew the Sect Master had extraordinary methods, the opponent was a Half-step Saint Realm powerhouse after all. This level of existence was someone he wouldn't have even dared to dream of encountering before.

His heart was in his throat; he believed the Sect Master wouldn't do something he wasn't sure of, but he couldn't help but worry.

Qingyan stood at the back of the crowd, her small face pale. She bit her lip so hard it almost bled, and her hands gripped the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She wanted to shout, "Sect Master Brother, don't," but her throat felt blocked by something, and she couldn't utter a single word. Only tears welled up in her eyes.

She was the youngest and had the lowest cultivation. Although she knew her Sect Master Brother was very powerful, the mere words 'Half-step Saint Realm' were enough to make one's legs go weak.

However, when looking toward the three people at the mouth of the valley, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Leng Ningshuang, Zhao Yan, and Ning Caihe stood at the valley entrance, their expressions calm to the point of being cold.

Leng Ningshuang stood with her arms crossed, leaning against an old pine tree. Her long legs were crossed, her posture lazy and composed.

The corners of her mouth even curled up slightly into a faint, knowing smile, as if she were watching a good show.

Her phoenix eyes were half-squinted as her gaze passed through the crowd and landed on Xu Ruyu's straight back. There was not a hint of worry in her eyes, only a kind of near-blind trust.

She was the one who had known Xu Ruyu the longest in the Hehuan Sect. From the time he was a Sect Masters Personal Disciple who had appeared out of nowhere, she had noticed him. It could be said that the one who truly understood Xu Ruyu's strength was none other than Leng Ningshuang.

She had personally watched him go from being the public enemy of the Hehuan Sect, from a true Qi Refinement Stage weakling, to where he was today, step by step.

She knew he spent days and nights without sleep refining artifacts in the Illusory Moon Well. She had seen him pull the trigger without changing his expression when facing Golden Core Stage Cultivators, and she had seen him use those pieces of "scrap metal" to blast one impossible opponent after another into dust.

Others didn't know Xu Ruyu's trump cards, but she did.

Those Spiritual Artifacts were each more terrifying and more ridiculous than the last.

The qi-breaking gun was merely the most unremarkable piece, something he had used for practice at the beginning of his Artifact Refining.

She had barely even glanced at the true killing weapons that came later, but she knew they existed. She knew they were lying in Xu Ruyu's storage ring, waiting for some fool to come and test their edge.

Today, Mo Feng was that test subject.

She was even looking forward to it—wanting to see exactly how many things Xu Ruyu had hidden, and wanting to see what those Spiritual Artifacts looked like when they erupted with their full power.