Mutual Slaughter

Inside the Zhu Family's council hall.

Zhu Chengze listened silently to his elder brother and father's explanation.

"Big Brother, Father, there's no need to say more. I understand."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Chengze raised his head and said in a deep voice, "The Zhu Family cannot perish. Even if only one person remains, the Zhu Family will still be the Zhu Family."

"Third Brother, it's good that you understand. Your elder brother and I actually hope that person comes after us. That way, you still have a chance to survive."

Zhu Chaofeng sighed and said gravely, "Eldest, you and I will take turns resting and recover our strength. Once night falls, we'll flee Lone Mountain City under cover of darkness."

As Zhu Chengze walked out of the council hall, his face was no longer calm. It had become incomparably twisted.

Father and Big Brother were right. If they wanted to survive, someone had to be sacrificed.

But why couldn't he be the one who survived? Why did he have to be the sacrifice?

Though they made it sound nice, staying behind at the Zhu Estate was practically certain death!

If they escaped and Chen Yuan turned his attention to the Zhu Family, he would die.

Conversely, if Chen Yuan targeted them and failed to kill them, he would still return and destroy the Zhu Family to vent his anger.

They said there was still a chance of survival if he stayed behind at the Zhu Estate, but in truth, it would only mean lingering on a little longer. Death would come sooner or later!

Zhu Chaofeng and Zhu Chengan knew that as well. They simply refused to admit it.

Zhu Chengze let out a long breath, clenching his fists tightly.

He did not want to die, much less be sacrificed!

Night fell.

Zhu Chaofeng and Zhu Chengan had mostly recovered.

The two took their weapons and several banknotes, preparing to head down the mountain immediately.

Since all the retainers had fled, the vast Zhu Estate was utterly silent, carrying an eerie air of deathly stillness.

Zhu Chengan carefully pulled open the gates of the Zhu Estate and looked outside, his expression abruptly changing.

Dressed in black, Chen Yuan seemed to have melted into the night. He stood with his arms around his saber, the conical hat obscuring half his face and revealing only the faint outline of his sharp gaze.

"Where are you two headed so late at night?"

Chen Yuan looked at Zhu Chaofeng and the other with a half-smile.

The two had rested for an entire day and had indeed returned to peak condition.

But Chen Yuan had also recovered for a day. The exhaustion from previously using Blood Fiend Force had mostly faded by now.

Zhu Chaofeng drew a deep breath and asked, "Must you truly fight my Zhu Family to the death?"

"What else?"

Chen Yuan adjusted the conical hat on his head and said flatly, "I always see things through to the end. Since I promised Chu Hongshang that I would wipe out your entire Zhu Family, letting even one of you escape would mean I failed the task."

"What did Chu Hongshang give you? My Zhu Family can give you even more!"

Zhu Chaofeng said in a deep voice, "Do not underestimate my Zhu Family's foundation. My fifth son, Zhu Chengzong, has already joined the Radiant Extreme Sect and become a core disciple. His future accomplishments will be limitless.

"As long as you spare my Zhu Family this time, even treasures from the Radiant Extreme Sect can be given to you by my Zhu Family!"

Chen Yuan gently shook his head. This old man's composure truly was extraordinary.

Chen Yuan had killed two of his sons, yet he could still calmly stand here and negotiate terms.

"What Chu Hongshang can give me is something your Zhu Family truly cannot provide."

Chen Yuan chuckled. "Besides, do you take me for an idiot? Spare you now, then wait for you to seek revenge on me later?"

"Charge out!"

Seeing that Chen Yuan would not yield to persuasion or threats, Zhu Chaofeng made a prompt decision. With a furious roar, he wielded a violet-gold longsword and charged straight at Chen Yuan.

The Zhu Family's Azure Edge, Cloud-Linked Sword was also a fast sword technique. Though old, Zhu Chaofeng remained vigorous, and his longsword instantly trembled into more than ten blooms of sword light.

Sword qi scattered in an unending stream, appearing exceptionally resplendent beneath the night sky.

Zhu Chengan immediately attacked as well, striking at Chen Yuan from behind.

Father and son attacked from both front and rear with perfect coordination. In an instant, countless flashes of sword light shrouded Chen Yuan.

Azure Dragon Blooddrinker left its sheath in Chen Yuan's hand. Surging inner force erupted as Autumn Wind Slash fell. Sword lights and saber lights collided, followed instantly by a series of ringing explosions.

Fast saber against fast sword, Chen Yuan fought one against two without falling into the slightest disadvantage.

The more Zhu Chaofeng fought, the more alarmed he became.

This young man appeared even younger than his youngest son, Zhu Chengzong, yet his inner force was astonishingly deep and his combat power was rarely seen among those at the same level.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of moves, but the two of them simply could not break free from Chen Yuan.

During the fight, the longsword in Zhu Chengan's hand was even shattered by Chen Yuan's Azure Dragon Blooddrinker.

The entire Zhu Family possessed only one low-grade mystic weapon: the violet-gold treasured sword in Zhu Chaofeng's hand. Yet its quality was nowhere near Azure Dragon Blooddrinker.

"Burn your blood and qi! Condense Black Fiend Force!"

Zhu Chaofeng suddenly barked at Zhu Chengan, repeatedly tapping the major acupoints around his body.

In an instant, the blood and qi beneath his aged body began to boil and burn, while black baleful energy wrapped around him.

Zhu Chengan immediately burned his blood and qi as well, repeatedly striking at Chen Yuan's back with the Black Fiend, Fire Cloud Palm.

Yet Chen Yuan did not hurry to invoke the Source of Killing Intent and condense Blood Fiend Force. Instead, he retreated while continuing to entangle the two in battle.

The tyrannical Black Fiend Force on Zhu Chaofeng's sword crashed toward him with tremendous power, forcing Chen Yuan back.

But Chen Yuan used the force to retreat, conveniently evading Zhu Chengan's palm strike.

Though Chen Yuan appeared to be at a disadvantage, Zhu Chaofeng and Zhu Chengan only became more anxious as they fought.

The power gained from burning blood and qi to condense Black Fiend Force was formidable, but their reserves of blood and qi could not sustain it for long.

Just then, sounds of fighting and miserable screams suddenly rang out from within the Zhu Estate.

Zhu Chaofeng and his son's expressions immediately changed.

The other side was not alone? He had accomplices!?

A moment later, the cries ceased. Zhu Chengze emerged from the rear courtyard, covered in blood and carrying a young man's head, his face utterly twisted.

"I killed everyone in the Zhu Family! You promised not to kill me!"

Chen Yuan burst into laughter. "Your Zhu Family truly is ruthless. Ruthless toward outsiders, and even more ruthless toward your own people.

"I have always kept my word. You did well. This time, I will not personally kill you."

But the sight nearly made Zhu Chaofeng and Zhu Chengan vomit blood.

"Zhu Chengze! You beast! What have you done!?"

Zhu Chengan's eyes nearly split open in fury.

The head Zhu Chengze carried belonged to his son!

Though he had already prepared to abandon his son from the moment he decided to leave the family behind and flee the Zhu Estate.

Still, seeing his son dead before his very eyes was something he could not accept.

"Idiot! Fool! Bastard!"

Zhu Chaofeng suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed furiously, "You actually believed an enemy's words and turned on your own family! How could I, Zhu Chaofeng, have such a stupid son as you!"

Though he was stronger than Zhu Chengan, he was old, and his blood and qi were not as abundant.

After burning his blood and qi for so long, he was already struggling to hold on. Agitated by Zhu Chengze, cracks instantly formed in his meridians and his internal organs were injured.

"If I don't believe an enemy, am I supposed to believe you people?"

Zhu Chengze's face twisted as he looked utterly crazed.

"Why do you get to escape while I remain here to await death? Why should I die alongside Zhu Chengzu because of the trouble that idiot caused?

"We are all descendants of the Zhu Family. Big Brother will become the family head and rule the Zhu Family without challenge. Second Brother is the backbone of the Zhu Family and holds power in his hands.

"Fourth Brother is your favorite. Whenever there is anything good, you always think of him.

"Not to mention Fifth Brother. He joined the Radiant Extreme Sect, and his future is boundless. He does not even care about the Zhu Family's possessions.

"But what about me? What do I have? What can I obtain!?

"When the Zhu Family was glorious, I received no benefits. But now that the Zhu Family is about to be exterminated, I am the one expected to die. Why!?"

Zhu Chengze roared loudly, as if venting all the resentment he had endured over the years.

Or perhaps he was trying to find a reason for betraying his family that would let him live with himself.

"You..."

Zhu Chaofeng's state of mind wavered again, but he immediately turned and attacked Chen Yuan.

Now was not the time to clean house. If they did not deal with Chen Yuan, they would all die!

Chen Yuan laughed loudly and invoked the Source of Killing Intent. In an instant, Blood Fiend Force entered his body, and a layer of crimson blood fiend aura enveloped him.

With one palm strike, the blood fiend energy filling the sky transformed into a massive scarlet palm imprint that descended upon Zhu Chaofeng.

Blood fiend pierced the heavens, the killing calamity descended—Bloodslaughter Heaven-Calamity Hand!

Zhu Chaofeng roared, gathering Black Fiend Force onto his sword's edge and forming a blooming black lotus.

But beneath that boundless power of blood fiend and slaughtering calamity, the black lotus vanished in an instant.

Bloodslaughter Heaven-Calamity Hand imprinted itself upon him. Zhu Chaofeng did not even let out a scream before Chen Yuan blasted him to death with a single palm, just like his son.

Only, his cultivation was stronger than Zhu Chengguo's, so merely the lower half of his body was blown apart.

Chen Yuan spun and slashed down with his saber. As the crimson blood fiend saber light reached him, Zhu Chengan gave everything he had to block it, yet was still sent flying by the blow, a huge bloody gash opening across his chest.

However, Chen Yuan had merely slashed casually and had not used his full strength. Zhu Chengan survived even after taking the strike head-on.

He happened to land not far from Zhu Chengze. Seeing that he was still carrying his son's head, Zhu Chengan felt blood rush to his head as fury consumed him.

"Beast! I'll kill you!"

Ignoring the damage to his meridians, Zhu Chengan frantically burned his blood and qi to condense Black Fiend Force, lunging toward Zhu Chengze.

To him now, Zhu Chengze was even more hateful than Chen Yuan!

Chen Yuan was an enemy. No matter how cruel his methods were, that was only natural; the Zhu Family treated its enemies the same way.

But Zhu Chengze was his own younger brother. At the critical moment, he had betrayed them, slaughtered the entire Zhu Family, and killed his son.

Even if he had to die, he would drag Zhu Chengze down with him!