Resolution

Zhou Heng stopped at this critical moment because he had suddenly gained a sliver of insight into mastering the third form of Sky-Soaring!

Originally, he had no chance to comprehend it, but who would have thought that Feng Tengyuan would jump out to help him? Naturally, Zhou Heng wouldn't miss the opportunity, immediately immersing his mind in the mysteries of the third form of Sky-Soaring.

Such an opportunity might never come again if missed once!

It could be encountered but not sought!

And now, he had finally grasped it!

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

Zhou Xianming immediately sensed a terrifying danger approaching—this was an instinct formed over decades of battle. He had always trusted this intuition, which had saved his life countless times.

But facing an opponent no weaker than himself, how could he spare any attention?

He could only be cautious and adapt on the fly!

"Zhou Xianming, surrender now!" the other four elders shouted in unison, joining the fray.

"Hmph, do you think a few rats like you can overturn this old man's heaven?" Zhou Xianming's eyes suddenly blazed with icy killing intent, his accumulated authority actually startling the four elders into freezing mid-motion.

Zhou Heng let out a fierce roar, his body lunging forward like a soaring dragon in the sky!

The sense of unease in Zhou Xianming grew even stronger. After throwing a claw strike at Feng Tengyuan, he hastily retreated.

Pressing the Flying Cloud Steps rapidly, Zhou Heng charged forward, thrusting his sword!

In Zhou Xianming's eyes, the entire world turned pitch black, leaving only a single sword cutting through the darkness, carrying a dazzling brilliance as it flew toward him.

His mind and spirit were seized!

No!

Zhou Xianming quickly shouted, barely breaking free from the immense mental suppression, but the world remained dark. That sword light grew brighter and brighter, its blazing radiance blinding, completely shattering the darkness and forming a vast white expanse before him.

He could see nothing!

Pfft!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh and bone rang out. Zhou Xianming felt no pain in his body, yet his strength was rapidly draining, his consciousness growing hazy. The white light before him faded, and the first thing he saw was a gleaming longsword embedded in his chest!

His heart had been stabbed through!

A single stab to the heart was not fatal for a Blood Refining Realm expert, but his entire heart had been destroyed by Sword Qi, reduced to a pile of mush—there was no saving him now!

That he still had a breath left was because he was a Blood Refining Realm existence with an incredibly tenacious life force.

"Never thought... never thought..." Zhou Xianming's gaze grew dimmer. He never imagined that in a single night, three generations of his family would die at Zhou Heng's hands—a recognized waste, a nobody they had never even looked at squarely!

Thud, the old man collapsed, blood gushing from his chest.

Dead! Zhou Xianming was truly dead!

A freak! A Bone Refining Realm brat had actually slain a Blood Refining Realm existence, and the strongest peak Blood Refining expert at that!

If this kid grew to the Blood Refining Realm, would there be any opponent left in the world?

—Unless it was one of those legendary peerless experts who had crossed the Ascension Path!

The entire hall fell silent, only the sound of heavy breathing rising and falling.

Zhou Heng broke the silence, cupping his hands toward Feng Tengyuan. "Thank you, senior, for your timely aid!"

"No need for courtesy!" Feng Tengyuan gave him a meaningful smile. "It's late today; I'll visit again tomorrow morning!"

"I will prepare to welcome you!" Zhou Heng cupped his hands once more.

Feng Tengyuan turned, his body flickering, and drifted away.

Though he had left, no one dared to have any thoughts against Zhou Heng. Seeing how that Body Refining twelfth-layer expert cared for and protected Zhou Heng, who would dare offend him?

Besides, this kid had even killed Zhou Xianming—no one dared to challenge his edge!

Since even Feng Tengyuan said it was too late and didn't want to disturb Zhou Heng, naturally, the others dared not either. They hastily carried away the corpses of Zhou Xianming and the others. Now that a sudden power vacuum had appeared in the Zhou Family, internal strife was inevitable—everyone was busy.

Only after everyone had left did Zhou Heng's body tremble violently, and he sat down heavily on the ground, blood gushing like a spring from the wound on his abdomen.

Using the third form of Sky-Soaring had completely drained his strength, leaving him unable to suppress the wound.

He barely straightened his upper body, tore off a strip of cloth, and tightly bound the wound, then dragged his heavy steps into the inner courtyard.

"Father—" Zhou Heng called out, but saw Zhou Dinghai lying motionless on the bed. Startled, he stumbled over and felt Zhou Dinghai's pulse. Sensing movement, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had only fainted.

Zhou Heng sat on the ground, circulating the Moon Shadow Heart Art to recover his true essence. He believed that after killing Zhou Xianming, the family would absolutely not neglect Zhou Dinghai again—who would want to be the next Zhou Xianming?

The priority now was to restore his strength.

Before long, the Black Broken Sword trembled, and a large amount of free energy surged out, filling his body—it was already midnight.

He greedily absorbed this energy, quickly fully recovering his strength, and even made considerable progress.

With strength back, he went out to fetch gauze and medicine to re-bandage his wound. But when he unwrapped the cloth, he was astonished to find that the wound had already scabbed over!

This speed... was far too astonishing!

Zhou Heng was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. Under the Black Sword's gradual transformation, his body was developing toward absolute toughness; otherwise, even as a Bone Refining Realm martial artist, his wound couldn't have healed so quickly.

He recalled the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles' third form he had executed earlier.

This third form was far more powerful than the first two, and the burden it placed on him was even greater! If his body hadn't grown increasingly robust, and if he hadn't entered the Bone Refining Realm, the sheer force gathered when unleashing the sword technique might have torn his body apart first!

The reason he could kill Zhou Xianming was mainly because Feng Tengyuan had occupied most of his attention. Otherwise, this strike might have dealt him severe damage, but as for killing him with a single blow, Zhou Heng's current strength was still far from enough!

After all, there was a gap of five realms between them. Even the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles and the Frost Cold Sword couldn't bridge such a vast disparity in power.

He had fought several battles, suffered injuries, and lost a great deal of blood. Before long, he couldn't hold on any longer and simply lay on the ground, falling asleep. When he woke up, the east was already brightening.

"Father—" Zhou Heng scrambled to his feet and rushed into the inner room. Only after seeing that Zhou Dinghai hadn't woken up yet did he feel slightly relieved. He unbuttoned Zhou Dinghai's clothes and saw a crimson palm print starkly imprinted on his chest, moving slowly as if it were alive.

He touched it with a finger, and a searing heat immediately surged over him, as if it could burn through his skin and flesh.

Was his father suffering such burns every moment?

An endless killing intent flashed in Zhou Heng's eyes. He clenched his fists so tightly that his bones cracked and popped.

Knock, knock, knock. Just then, the courtyard door sounded.

In truth, the door had been smashed to pieces the night before, but Zhou Heng was no longer the same person he used to be—who would dare enter uninvited?

Zhou Heng walked out and was surprised to find that the one knocking was none other than Feng Tengyuan!

He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Senior!"

"Haha, no need for such formality!" Feng Tengyuan waved his hand, strode in, and smiled at Zhou Heng. "Are you wondering why this old man helped you?"

Thoughts raced through Zhou Heng's mind. He had already pondered this question the night before.

The other party had mentioned the word 'sect,' and Zhou Xianming had been extremely wary of him, not daring to use lethal moves even when the conflict escalated. Clearly, he was filled with awe for the force behind Feng Tengyuan.

And the only sect that could be connected to Zhou Heng was—the Nine Spirits Sect!

"It's probably because of this sword, right?" Zhou Heng raised the Frost Cold Sword.

"Sharp!" Feng Tengyuan raised his thumb in praise. "This is the young lady's most beloved sword, and she actually gave it to you. Tsk tsk tsk!" He nodded repeatedly, his face showing undisguised astonishment.

He never suspected that Zhou Heng had stolen or seized the sword. A sword could be stolen or seized, but what about the Flying Waterfall Sword Technique? Zhou Heng had displayed several forms of it yesterday, already grasping its profound mysteries. How could that be possible unless the young lady had personally taught him?

The Frost Cold Sword was the young lady's most treasured possession, never leaving her person. Even being touched by someone else would anger her, let alone being given away!

Yet this sword had appeared in Zhou Heng's hands—a man's hands. What did that imply?

The young lady's heart was stirring!

Indeed, the young lady was already nineteen this year. In an ordinary household, she would have long been married with children!

Young master!

That was exactly why he had risked his life yesterday to protect Zhou Heng—this was a monumental achievement!

Zhou Heng's heart stirred, and he said, "Senior, my father has been struck by a malicious hand and gravely wounded. I am at my wit's end. Could you take a look?"

"Don't call me 'Senior'—just address me by my name!" Feng Tengyuan quickly said. If it weren't for fear of being overly familiar, he would have wanted to call Zhou Heng 'Young Master Heng'!

"You are an elder, both in cultivation and in age. How can I show disrespect to my seniors!" Zhou Heng shook his head, insisting on the title 'Senior.'

Feng Tengyuan had no choice but to go along with it, though inwardly he was delighted, thinking that this young master knew how to handle people—neither arrogant nor rash, worthy of following.

The two entered the inner room. When Feng Tengyuan's gaze swept over the red palm print on Zhou Dinghai's chest, his expression changed sharply, and he blurted out, "Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm!"

"Senior, do you know the origin of this injury?"

A flicker of caution crossed Feng Tengyuan's face as he said, "The Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm is a unique technique of White Jade Valley, only cultivatable by Spirit Gathering Realm experts!"

White Jade Valley!

What a narrow world this was. He had already made enemies with White Jade Valley over the Ink Fruit, and later that Young Master Jin had suspected him of having an affair with Lin Fuxiang, constantly provoking him!

And now they had injured his father!

This grudge could only be repaid with blood!

A Spirit Gathering Realm expert? So what? The other party had struck with such ruthlessness, not only trying to kill Zhou Dinghai but also making him suffer excruciating pain before death. If he didn't avenge this, he would be unworthy of being a son!

And since the Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm was a unique technique of White Jade Valley, the one who could cultivate it must hold a high status. To slay such an enemy, he would likely have to oppose the entire White Jade Valley!

His strength was still far too weak. To take revenge, his first step was to break into the Spirit Gathering Realm!

Zhou Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart, and said, "Senior, do you have a way to heal my father?"