Settling Things

Zhou Heng had stopped at this critical moment because he had suddenly glimpsed an opportunity to master the Third Form of Heaven-Soaring!

Originally, he had no chance to comprehend it. But who could have guessed that Feng Tengyuan would jump in to help him? Naturally, Zhou Heng would not let the opportunity pass him by. He immediately focused his mind on the mysteries of the Third Form of Heaven-Soaring.

An opportunity like this might never come again if he missed it once!

It was rare and impossible to force!

And now, he had finally mastered it!

Holding the Frost Cold Sword level, Zhou Heng fixed his gaze on Zhou Xianming, his aura locking firmly onto his opponent.

Zhou Xianming immediately felt a terrible danger bearing down on him. It was an instinct honed through decades of battle. He had always trusted his instincts, which had saved his life countless times.

But with an opponent who was in no way weaker than he was, how could he spare a hand?

He could only proceed cautiously and adapt to the situation!

"Zhou Xianming, why don't you surrender already?" the other four elders shouted, joining the fray one after another.

"Hmph, you few rats think you can turn the world upside down?" A chilling gleam suddenly burst from Zhou Xianming's eyes. The weight of his presence was so overwhelming that all four elders froze in their tracks.

Zhou Heng let out a fierce shout and sprang forward, like a flying dragon soaring through the sky!

Zhou Xianming's sense of unease grew even stronger. He swiped a claw at Feng Tengyuan, then hurriedly retreated.

He drove himself forward with the Flying Cloud Steps—faster, faster, faster—and thrust out his sword!

In Zhou Xianming's eyes, the entire world turned utterly dark. Only a sharp sword remained, cleaving through the darkness with dazzling brilliance as it flew toward him.

His mind and spirit were seized!

No!

Zhou Xianming hurriedly let out a shout, wrenching himself free from the immense mental suppression. But the world remained dark, and that streak of sword light grew brighter and brighter. Its blazing radiance was blinding, completely breaking through the darkness until all that lay before him was a vast white glare.

He could see nothing!

Pfft!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh and bone rang out. Zhou Xianming felt no pain, but his strength was draining away rapidly, and his consciousness grew hazy. The white glare before his eyes was fading. The first thing he saw was a gleaming longsword buried in his chest!

His heart had been pierced and shattered!

A sword through the heart alone was not fatal to a Blood Refining Realm expert. But his entire heart had been destroyed by Sword Qi, reduced to a mass of pulped flesh. There was no saving him now!

The only reason he still had a breath left was that he was a Blood Refining Realm expert, with astonishing vitality.

"I never thought... I never thought..." Zhou Xianming's gaze grew dimmer and dimmer. Of course he had never imagined that in the span of a single night, three generations of his family would all die at Zhou Heng's hands—a nobody widely dismissed as a good-for-nothing, someone they had never even bothered to look at properly!

Thump. The old man crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from his chest.

He was dead! Zhou Xianming was truly dead!

What a freak! A kid at the Bone Refining Realm had actually slain a Blood Refining Realm expert—and not just any expert, but the strongest at the peak of the Blood Refining Realm!

If this kid reached the Blood Refining Realm too, would anyone in the world still be his match?

—Unless they were those legendary peerless experts who had crossed the Ascension Path!

The whole scene fell deathly silent. Only the sound of heavy breathing rose and fell.

Zhou Heng broke the silence. He cupped his hands toward Feng Tengyuan and said, "Thank you for coming to my aid, Senior!"

"No need to thank me!" Feng Tengyuan gave him a meaningful smile. "It's late today. I'll come visit you tomorrow morning!"

"I'll be waiting with my doors wide open!" Zhou Heng cupped his hands again.

Feng Tengyuan turned around, sprang lightly into the air, and drifted away.

Although he had left, no one dared entertain the slightest thought of acting against Zhou Heng. Just look at how this Twelfth Layer of Body Refining expert had protected and cared for him—who would dare offend Zhou Heng?

Besides, this kid had even slain Zhou Xianming. No one would dare stand in his way now!

Since even Feng Tengyuan had said it was too late to disturb Zhou Heng, the others naturally dared not linger either. They hurriedly carried Zhou Xianming and the others' corpses away. The Zhou Family had suddenly been left in a power vacuum, and an internal struggle was inevitable. Everyone had plenty to keep them busy.

Only after everyone had left did Zhou Heng's body suddenly shudder violently. He dropped heavily to the ground, blood gushing from the wound on his lower abdomen like a spring.

Using the Third Form of Heaven-Soaring had completely drained his strength, so he could no longer suppress the wound.

He forced himself upright, tore off a strip of cloth, and bound the wound tightly. Only then did he drag his heavy steps into the inner courtyard.

"Father—" Zhou Heng called, but Zhou Dinghai lay motionless on the bed. Startled, he stumbled forward and felt for Zhou Dinghai's pulse. Only after detecting signs of life did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He had only fainted.

Zhou Heng sat right down on the floor and circulated the Moon Shadow Heart Art to restore his True Essence Power. Now that Zhou Xianming was dead, the family would surely no longer neglect Zhou Dinghai—who would want to become another Zhou Xianming?

Restoring his strength was the priority now.

Before long, the Black Broken Sword trembled, and a vast amount of free-floating energy surged out, filling his body. Midnight had arrived.

He greedily absorbed the energy, and soon his strength was completely restored. He felt buoyant, and his cultivation had advanced considerably once again.

With his strength restored, he went out to fetch bandages and medicine, planning to rewrap his wound. But when he unwound the cloth, he was astonished to find that the wound had already scabbed over!

This speed... it was far too astonishing!

Zhou Heng stood stunned for a while before coming back to his senses. Little by little, the Black Sword was transforming his body, making it grow ever stronger. Otherwise, even as a Bone Refining Realm martial artist, there was no way his wound could have healed so quickly.

He thought back to the Third Form of Heaven-Soaring he had just used.

This third form of swordsmanship was stronger than the first two, but it also placed a greater burden on him! If his body had not grown stronger and he had not entered the Bone Refining Realm, the immense power he gathered while executing the technique might have burst his body apart first!

His ability to kill Zhou Xianming was mainly due to Feng Tengyuan having occupied most of the man's attention. Otherwise, that sword might have dealt him a serious wound, but Zhou Heng was not strong enough to kill him with a single strike!

After all, there were five realms between them. Even the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles and the Frost Cold Sword could not bridge that enormous gap in strength.

He had fought several battles and lost a great deal of blood from his wounds. Before long, he could no longer hold on and fell asleep right there on the ground. By the time he woke, the eastern sky was already bright.

"Father—" Zhou Heng hurriedly scrambled to his feet and rushed into the inner room. Seeing that Zhou Dinghai still had not woken, he felt slightly reassured. He undid Zhou Dinghai's clothes, revealing a vivid red palm print across his chest. It seemed almost alive, slowly writhing beneath the skin.

When Zhou Heng touched it with a finger, a wave of searing heat rushed over him, as if it could burn the flesh from his bones.

Was his father suffering this scorching pain every moment of every day?

Boundless killing intent filled Zhou Heng's eyes. He clenched his fists so tightly that his bones crackled again and again.

Knock, knock, knock. Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

The gate had been smashed to pieces the previous night, but Zhou Heng was no longer the man he had been. Who would dare enter without an invitation now?

Zhou Heng went outside and saw that the one knocking was Feng Tengyuan!

He hurriedly cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior!"

"Haha, no need to be so polite!" Feng Tengyuan waved a hand and strode inside. He smiled at Zhou Heng and said, "Are you wondering why I helped you?"

Zhou Heng's thoughts raced. He had already considered this question the previous night.

Feng Tengyuan had mentioned the sect, and Zhou Xianming had been deeply wary of him. Even after they had openly turned against each other, Zhou Xianming had not dared use a killing move. Clearly, he greatly feared the power behind Feng Tengyuan.

And the only sect Zhou Heng was connected to was the Nine Spirits Sect!

"Perhaps it's because of this sword?" Zhou Heng raised the Frost Cold Sword.

"Clever!" Feng Tengyuan gave him a thumbs-up. "This is the young lady's most treasured sword, and she actually gave it to you. Tsk, tsk, tsk!" He shook his head repeatedly, his astonishment plain on his face.

He had never suspected that Zhou Heng had stolen or snatched the sword. A sword could be stolen or taken by force, but what about the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique? Zhou Heng had used several forms of it the previous day and had already grasped its intricacies. How could that be possible unless the young lady had taught him with painstaking care?

The Frost Cold Sword was the young lady's most prized possession. She never let it out of her sight, and would get angry if anyone so much as touched it. And now she had given it to someone else!

And that someone was a man—Zhou Heng. What could it mean?

The young lady had fallen for him!

It was true that she was already nineteen. If she had been born into an ordinary family, she would have been married and had children by now!

Son-in-law!

That was exactly why he had risked his life to protect Zhou Heng the previous day. What an enormous achievement!

Zhou Heng's thoughts stirred. "Senior, my father was attacked and badly injured. I'm at a loss. Could you take a look at him?"

"I hardly deserve to be called Senior. Just call me by my name!" Feng Tengyuan hurriedly said. If it weren't so embarrassing, he would have called Zhou Heng Young Master Heng in a heartbeat!

"You're my elder. Your cultivation and age both speak for themselves. How could I show disrespect to my elders?" Zhou Heng shook his head, insisting on calling him Senior.

Feng Tengyuan had no choice but to let him. But his heart was bubbling with delight as he thought, This son-in-law certainly knows how to conduct himself. He's neither arrogant nor impatient. Worth following!

The two went into the inner room. When Feng Tengyuan's gaze swept over the red palm print on Zhou Dinghai's body, his expression changed at once. The words slipped out: "Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm!"

"Senior, do you know what caused this injury?"

A grave look flashed across Feng Tengyuan's face. "The Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm is a signature technique of White Jade Valley. Only Spirit Gathering Realm experts can cultivate it!"

White Jade Valley!

This really was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road. He had already made enemies of White Jade Valley over the Ink Fruit. Later, that so-called Young Master Jin had assumed he was involved with Lin Fuxiang and had repeatedly provoked him!

Now they had even injured his father!

Only blood could repay this grudge!

A Spirit Gathering Realm expert? So what? His opponent had acted with such cruelty, not only trying to kill Zhou Dinghai but also forcing him to endure unimaginable torment before he died. If Zhou Heng did not avenge this, he would be unworthy of being his son!

And since the Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm was a signature technique of White Jade Valley, anyone able to cultivate it must have held a high status there. If Zhou Heng killed such an enemy, he might well have to face all of White Jade Valley!

He was still far too weak. If he wanted revenge, the first step was to break into the Spirit Gathering Realm!

Zhou Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart. "Senior, is there any way to treat my father?"