The headquarters of the Danxin Alliance was the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall, located in Yuan Guang County Town.
For many years, the Heart Meeting Martial Arts Hall had been the sole dominant power in Yuan Guang City.
To survive, the other smaller martial arts halls had banded together, forming an alliance that eventually became the Danxin Alliance.
The leader of the Danxin Alliance was always the best fighter of their time, selected through a regularly held Martial Dao tournament.
The current leader was Shi Yangming, who was also the master of the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall.
Strictly speaking, Zou Feng had no real grudge against the Danxin Alliance.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come alone.
Instead, he would have brought every capable fighter from the Black Flood Dragon Gang to slaughter them all and raze the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall to the ground.
Therefore, all Zou Feng wanted was to make the Danxin Alliance—and Shi Yangming—face reality.
As for the Government Office’s stance...
In the past, during the golden age of the Great Yan Dynasty, the authority of the local Government Office could not be ignored.
But now, with an age of chaos dawning, things were completely different.
Tonight, it seemed some sort of gathering was taking place at the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall. From a distance, it looked as lively as a banquet.
Zou Feng had no need to sneak in. In any case, judging by the current state of the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall, Shi Yangming was most likely there.
The purpose of the Danxin Alliance’s gathering was all too easy to guess.
It was surely because Deng Guangxin was dead and the Black Flood Dragon Gang had undergone a major power shift, forcing the Danxin Alliance leadership to hold a meeting and discuss the matter thoroughly.
So, Zou Feng simply strode brazenly up to the main gate.
The two Danxin Alliance disciples guarding the gate didn’t recognize him.
They were about to shout at him, but after sensing his extraordinary aura, they asked politely, "Sir, may we help you?"
Zou Feng nodded. "I’m here to challenge the hall. Who’s your best fighter?"
"Challenging the hall!?"
Theoretically, anyone who opened a martial arts hall had to be prepared for challengers, but since joining the Danxin Alliance, these two disciples had never heard of anyone actually daring to do it here.
However, wary of Zou Feng’s strength, the two disciples were not about to be reckless fools. Instead, they silently turned and pushed open the main gate to the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall without a word.
After opening the gate for him, they both gestured and said politely, "Please, come in!"
Zou Feng was taken aback by how smoothly things were going.
But he quickly offered a word of thanks and swaggered inside.
Watching Zou Feng enter the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall, one of the guards said, "Brother Zhao, should we really have just let him in like that? What if..."
"Who cares? You think they pay us enough for that kind of trouble?"
"Fair point..."
Meanwhile, Zou Feng walked into the front courtyard of the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall and shouted, "Zou Feng of the Black Flood Dragon Gang is here to challenge the hall!"
After a brief silence, people began to pour in from all directions.
Before long, a large crowd of Danxin Alliance disciples had surrounded Zou Feng in the front courtyard.
But no hotheads dared to rush him. For the moment, no one even dared to question him.
The reason was simple: Zou Feng’s reputation was a far cry from what it once was.
A Seventh Grade Expert of the Black Flood Dragon Gang, he had successively killed Gu Yufan and Chu Hang, then allied with Bian Yixia to overthrow Deng Guangxin...
He was now a General Leader of the Black Flood Dragon Gang, on equal footing with Bian Yixia.
So, who with half a brain would dare to be the one to stick their neck out?
After all, Zou Feng had clearly announced he was here to challenge the hall. Anyone who stepped forward would likely be killed with a single palm strike, and there would be no one to turn to for justice.
"Challenging the hall? General Zou, you seem to be in high spirits!"
Before long, someone with authority finally arrived.
Zou Feng had seen this man once from a distance. He was He Qingshan, a True Disciple of the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall and Shi Yangming’s apprentice.
The Danxin Alliance already had the most Seventh Grade Martial Artists of the three major powers in Yuan Guang County—a full five of them—and He Qingshan was one.
"Excellent, our Senior Brother is here!"
"Challenging the hall? He’s picked the wrong fight this time..."
It’s a common failing to assume that the experts you know personally are just as formidable out in the wider world.
This was especially true since He Qingshan was genuinely skilled, long acknowledged as the leading figure of the younger generation in Yuan Guang County.
’Seeing that it wasn’t Shi Yangming who came to greet him, but his disciple, Zou Feng knew exactly what the old man was up to.’
’He was pulling rank, treating me like a junior not worthy of his time, so he sent his disciple instead.’
’Of course, he also wanted his disciple to test my strength first...’
"Since General Zou is in such high spirits, why don’t I be the one to exchange a few pointers with you?" He Qingshan continued.
He was young and full of vigor, with an impressive track record. He didn’t see himself as a sacrificial pawn to test the waters; he genuinely believed he could win.
Zou Feng sized up He Qingshan and stated bluntly, "You’re not good enough. Get Shi Yangming out here. Don’t waste my time!"
He Qingshan froze, then threw his head back and laughed. "HAHA! General Zou, you shouldn’t speak in such absolutes. As for whether I’m good enough, we’ll have to test that..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he realized Zou Feng had abruptly vanished from sight.
’Where did he go?!’
Just as He Qingshan was about to turn and look for him, Zou Feng’s low voice sounded from behind. "Are you... sure you want to embarrass yourself in front of all these people?"
The hair on his neck stood on end. He Qingshan felt as if it wasn’t a person standing behind him, but a giant, venomous snake, its tongue flicking in the air.
The next moment, he reacted on pure instinct, roaring as he spun around and unleashed his Thunderbolt Fist.
This was the ultimate technique of the Fu Hu Martial Arts Hall, the Thunderbolt Fist—a punch as fast as lightning, with the force of rolling thunder.
If it landed, its Thunder Force would permeate the target’s body and detonate a second time internally, inflicting devastating damage to their organs.