Slaughter Them All

Liu Yanran's first thought was of the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Southern Region's only two-star sect, the Five Elements Sect.

He was the Five Elements Venerable, hailed as the strongest cultivator in the Southern Region—at least in the open.

At the mention of that name, anyone with even a little common sense would feel reverence.

Liu Yanran was no exception.

"The Five Elements Venerable?"

Zhang Feng shook his head, a trace of disdain showing on his face. He said nothing more, merely puffed out his chest and declared proudly, "My Venerable is not from the Five Elements Sect. Miss, just come with me to pay your respects. If you have any questions, you'll find out when you meet him."

Though he didn't know much,

just from what he had seen and heard along the way through the Mist Forest,

his own ancestor had displayed strength far beyond that of the Five Elements Sect's Venerable.

Without realizing it,

Zhang Feng had already quietly made Lin Cheng the ancestor of the Jingyun Sect.

He spoke with confidence,

and pride.

"Senior, you're quite right. This junior was discourteous just now. Please lead the way."

Liu Yanran froze for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat.

She cursed herself for her stupidity.

Since the Venerable had summoned her, she should hurry over. To dawdle here and keep a mighty Foundation Establishment Venerable waiting would be downright disrespectful.

"Let's go."

"Hold it!"

Zhang Feng turned to leave, but the burly man with the saber suddenly shouted. Zhang Feng frowned in displeasure,

and fixed the man with a cold stare.

Did he have a death wish, defying the Venerable's decree?

"You can't leave!"

Under Zhang Feng's glare, the burly man seemed to deflate, but he still tried to put on a tough front. He snorted, "Who knows if you're all in cahoots, trying to fool me? You think you can just take her away right from under my nose? Not a chance!"

No matter what,

he couldn't let Liu Yanran and the others leave.

Zhou Chen, the leader of the group, had already been killed by one of his trusted subordinates in the confusion.

Zhou Chen might have been a lousy person, but he was a favorite of the people above them.

His inexplicable death would be hard to explain.

The only way out now was to capture or kill Liu Yanran and the others,

then claim that Zhou Chen had died at the claws of a demonic beast.

Only then could he atone for his crime.

Otherwise, not only would his ambition to take Zhou Chen's place come to nothing,

but he might even lose his life.

With his own life on the line, he had no choice but to be cautious.

Gradually, his gaze flicked between the two sides. He stared at Liu Yanran's tense expression, his eyes shifting as though he had thought of something.

Suddenly, he broke into a grin.

"Haha, I get it!"

"So that's what's going on!"

"You nearly had me fooled. What a fine performance! Liu Yanran, I've long heard that you, the senior sister, are crafty and cunning. I never expected I'd get to see it with my own eyes. Truly impressive!"

"Brothers, surround that bitch and the meddling fool!"

"You dare make up a story to scare me? You must have a death wish!"

As he spoke, the burly man grew more and more imposing. His aura roiled around him, and he seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Confidence had given him strength.

Feeling the sudden surge of internal energy within him, the burly man threw back his head and laughed, convinced that he had guessed right!

This was the increase in fighting power that came from a clear heart and an unclouded mind.

He immediately swung his saber.

"You go deal with those escaped prisoners. I'll handle this meddling eighth-grade cultivator!"

With that,

before the others could respond, he sprang forward and brought his saber crashing down at Zhang Feng!

"Senior, watch out!"

Liu Yanran was aghast. She hadn't expected the man to be so bold as to attack outright.

"Half-step ninth grade..." Seeing this, Zhang Feng felt that he was in a bind.

Though he was also at the peak of the eighth grade,

his opponent had one foot on the threshold of the ninth grade, and was stronger than him in battle.

He wasn't confident he could win.

"I was going to save it, but it looks like I'll have to use it after all."

Zhang Feng wasn't too alarmed. Watching the burly man draw closer, he calmly took out a token.

"What a pity to use this treasure granted by the Venerable..."

This token had been given to him by Lin Cheng. The intention had been for him to use it right away as a warning.

But Zhang Feng had thought the Venerable's reputation and his own abilities would be enough to intimidate the other side. Wouldn't using the token be overkill?

He hadn't expected

things to develop beyond his expectations after all.

The man was strong, but unfortunately, he was a complete blockhead.

"Go!"

Zhang Feng activated the token. A profound power coursed through it, and in an instant, golden light blazed forth!

The same terrifying aura as before swept across the entire area, making everyone who sensed it freeze in their tracks.

They turned their heads in shock.

In the distance, the middle-aged man held a token whose shape was impossible to make out high above his head. His expression was solemn and respectful,

as if he were paying homage.

In the next instant, the token shone brilliantly, and a spiritual energy fluctuation that made people tremble erupted like a volcano.

"No!"

The saber-wielding burly man watched his blade fall, yet there was no joy in his eyes at the thought of landing his blow. They were filled with terror and regret.

Rumble!

The golden light became a pillar several yards tall, enveloping Zhang Feng's figure. The terrifying spiritual energy surged from the heavens to the earth.

The burly man's saber struck it without so much as a stir.

Instead, a terrifying force slammed into him, shattering every bone in his body. His saber crumbled to pieces.

His corpse, limp as a pile of mud, dropped to the ground with a thud.

The golden light's power spread for over a hundred miles. Every demonic beast that sensed this aura and was below Foundation Establishment was scared witless.

They flopped onto the ground,

daring not move an inch.

They whimpered and wailed, their eyes filled with terror.

Every demonic beast had just one thought in mind.

That baleful fiend was chasing them again!

Don't provoke him!

The aura's terrifying pressure instantly shattered the rebels' spirits.

Some even spat out blood and died of fright.

Those who survived were all pale and trembling, filled with despair.

They couldn't even stand upright, let alone fight back.

"Kill them!"

"Leave no loose ends. They'll recover before long!"

Seeing that the situation was finally under control, Zhang Feng carefully put away the token, now covered in cracks, and shouted in anguish.

The token had been granted by the Venerable.

It contained a measure of the Venerable's might. Fortunately, he had put it away quickly. It looked like he could still use it one more time, barely.

After that, it would probably shatter completely.

At the thought, Zhang Feng's heart ached so much his eyes went red. This was a priceless treasure!

To waste it on a few worthless idiots—how could he not be furious?

"Kill!"

Everything had happened so suddenly.

Though they didn't understand what was going on, Zhang Feng had spoken. Liu Yanran and the others didn't hesitate, and immediately took advantage of their enemies' weakness.

In moments, the only living people left in the area were Liu Yanran and her companions, along with Zhang Feng and a few others.

"Senior, what was that?"

Looking at the blood covering the ground, someone couldn't help asking Zhang Feng. Those people had already been scared out of their wits. Why had they needed to attack in such a hurry?

With the Venerable there, could a few insignificant nobodies really cause trouble?

Two fellow disciples had even been seriously wounded while they were dealing with them just now.

It seemed hardly worth it.

Zhang Feng waved a hand, panting with exhaustion, and explained, "The Venerable had more pressing business and left after leaving me behind. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed to worry about these people recovering and counterattacking. In fact, if not for Miss Liu, the Venerable wouldn't even have let me stay behind."