Uncle's rear was trailed by several swordsmen, their long blades catching the dim light as they watched him run and shouted, "Hahaha… others are scrambling to get away, yet this old fool rushes forward. Seems he's truly tired of living long…" "Indeed, my guess is he's completely brain-dead…" "Right, how else would he rush headlong to his own death…" Yet, they only laughed and made no move to attack. If they had, given Uncle Wen's strength, he likely would have been chopped into mince before he reached this point.

Qi Gu was also startled to see Uncle Wen, then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "To think that the one driven out of the family has become the most loyal. The person I valued and cared for the most has turned out to be the traitor… My eyes truly were blind…" "Hahaha… Qi Gu Kaint, I never thought you'd see this day…" Seeing Qi Gu's expression, Locke couldn't help but roar with laughter, an unrestrained, utterly joyful sound. "Your eyes were indeed blind!" A cold voice cut through from the rear of the crowd. "Correct…" Locke had just spoken when he sensed something was wrong. He spun around, only to see a red-haired youth with a cold countenance slowly walking from behind. "Who are you? How did you get here?" Locke, a Fourth-Tier Sword Master, was deeply unsettled and astonished that he hadn't detected someone approaching so closely with his potent mental perception.

Uncle Wen's slightly clouded eyes widened with joy upon seeing Chen Feng appear suddenly. "Fifth Young Master… Is that really you, Fifth Young Master? Old servant, am I seeing things?" Stumbling forward, he reached out, but Chen Feng steadied him, murmuring softly, "It is me, Uncle Wen. You aren't mistaken. I am Chen Feng!" Qi Gu, seeing him too, wore a look of profound strangeness. After a moment of hesitation, he finally managed to ask, "Are you well?" Chen Feng merely gave a cold snort, ignoring him, and guided Uncle Wen to the side. Qi Gu, aware of Chen Feng's resentment towards him, sighed after a pause, "I never expected that after treating you that way, you would still rush over in the family's time of crisis!" "Rush over?" Chen Feng let out another cold scoff. "I came for revenge!" "Good!" For some unknown reason, a light ignited in Qi Gu's eyes upon hearing this. "Yes, after what I did to you, you should hate me. We still have deep enmity between us, and now that you’ve been expelled from the family, you are no longer considered one of the Kaint family!" Chen Feng knew that Qi Gu spoke this way with good intentions—to keep him from wading into this murky conflict. However, Chen Feng did not appreciate the gesture, instead whispering words to Uncle Wen.

Locke seemed to discern the relationship between Chen Feng and Qi Gu and chuckled. "I wondered who had arrived, turns out it's just another sacrifice coming to die. Qi Gu, your words are useless to me. Even if he has been expelled from the Kaint family, the blood of the Kaint family still flows in his veins. Since he came here to court death today, I will naturally oblige him!" Locke stared at Qi Gu's expression. Seeing his serious demeanor, which didn't seem feigned, he hesitated briefly before turning back to Chen Feng, suddenly breaking into a smirk. What am I worrying about? A wild kid expelled by the Kaints, looking no older than sixteen or seventeen. What kind of waves can he possibly make? Just kill him outright… Chen Feng's silent emergence from behind him had unnerved Locke earlier, but now he realized that fear was excessive. He was just a teenager; how profound could his cultivation be? Perhaps he hadn't paid enough attention just now; it wasn't worth making a fuss over.

Chen Feng then escorted Uncle Wen to the ancestral meeting hall behind his kin, ensuring he sat down comfortably. The survival or demise of the Kaint family held absolutely no bearing on him; even if every last one were slaughtered, it wouldn't cause his eyelids to twitch. For this family, Uncle Wen was the only soul he cared for. In truth, Chen Feng’s philosophy of dealing with the world was simple: If someone shows me an inch of kindness, I repay them with a foot of respect. If someone intends to kill me, I will kill them tenfold! Though his time spent with Uncle Wen had been short, the man's disregard for his own life while protecting him still deeply moved Chen Feng. "Uncle Wen, sit here!" Chen Feng pulled out a random chair in the meeting hall for him to sit, then added, "I’m going out for a bit." "Fifth Young Master… this old servant thought he would never see you again…" Tears welled in Uncle Wen's aged eyes. Chen Feng patted his shoulder. "Well, you've seen me now!" He then noticed the rags covering Uncle Wen, the appearance of a beggar, and understood the life the old man had endured over the past year. A chilling light flashed in his eyes as he spoke darkly, "Qi Gu… To treat me and Uncle Wen like this, I will make you pay in blood!" With that, he turned and walked out. He cared nothing for whether the Kaint family faced an unprecedented catastrophe or the brink of annihilation. What mattered to him was the humiliation he suffered, and now, the revenge for Uncle Wen's mistreatment!

When Sua saw Chen Feng approaching, hatred flashed across his face. He rushed to Locke's side and shouted loudly, "Kill him! He’s the one who injured me, who reduced me to this state…" Locke cast a look of pity toward Sua, then slapped him across the face, sending him sprawling onto the ground. "Who do you think you are, to speak to me in that tone?" Sua froze, venomous resentment flashing in his eyes. "That's not what you said to me before! You promised you could fulfill my deepest wishes…" Locke laughed, "That was before. I can kill my own father; what use is a person like you to me?" He punctuated his words by kicking Sua squarely in the stomach. The force of the kick was calibrated—not enough to kill, but certainly enough to leave him suffering terribly. Sua curled up like a shrimp from the blow, cold sweat beading all over him. Yet, no one showed him any sympathy. Patricide is an act of supreme impiety everywhere.

Qi Gu had been suppressing the pain in his chest. Sua’s dagger had pierced deep into his lung tissue. Though not instantly fatal, the suppressed injury had erupted after holding back for so long. At this moment, his face was ashen, and large beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead, causing his entire body to tremble involuntarily. Locke, sensing Qi Gu was at his limit and had no tricks left, burst into laughter. "I thought you had some secret art to resist this specially forged dagger; that’s why I hesitated to move, wasting time on you. Seems I worried for nothing." He then turned to the assembled swordsmen and bellowed, "Brothers, everything belonging to the Kaint family is yours! Kill all the men. As for the women, hahaha, consider it a reward for your hard work, brothers!" Among the fewer than one hundred remaining Kaints, at least twenty or thirty were women, including several young girls. Having managed to breach the defenses, these men were hardly decent people, and the talk of rape and plunder had already fueled their excitement. The swordsmen charged into the crowd like hungry wolves. Although many of the remaining clansmen were Fighters, their ranks were too low to make any difference against a group of Sword Masters. A wave of shrieks followed as four or five more clansmen died under the crisscrossing blades.

Qi Gu’s eyes snapped wide open. Seeing his clansmen slaughtered, his heart twisted in agony. He ripped the dagger from his body with a great roar, his battle aura surging. His palm instantly glowed like a red-hot iron brand, and he slammed it down hard upon the wound. A pungent, charred smell filled the air as the blood flow immediately ceased. He appeared as vigorous and vital as if uninjured. "Clan Leader Qi Gu shows true mettle, resorting to such a measure," Locke sighed. A protective battle armor immediately formed around him, while battle qi flowed around his longsword as if it were alive. Qi Gu had not healed the wound; rather, he was forcing his power to return through a secret method despite grievous injury. This was akin to the 'Heavenly Demon Disintegration' technique in martial fiction—while it allowed complete control over the injury momentarily, the consequences would be disastrous. If nothing unforeseen occurred, once the surge of power subsided within him, Qi Gu would be crippled, even if he survived!

Locke's battle qi grew increasingly dense. With a sudden shout, his longsword cleaved downwards with crushing force. Qi Gu clenched both fists, his hand energy solidifying. He roared in response, "Azure Dragon Technique!" Although the Azure Dragon Technique was merely a Mid-Tier Beast-Rank combat skill, when combined with Qi Gu’s family's unique Azure Dragon Battle Qi, its power was considerable. His battle qi manifested externally, seeming almost tangible, surging upward like a vigorous giant dragon, directly colliding with Locke's descending longsword! " Whirr…" The longsword emitted a sharp cry, vibrating violently as it met the Azure Dragon Technique, resulting in a loud boom as the force of both attacks diminished. Although Qi Gu possessed the strength of a Second-Tier Battle Master, when combined with the combat skill and a resolve to fight to the death, he possessed the strength to challenge Locke, a Fourth-Tier Sword Master.

After blocking the initial sword strike, Qi Gu immediately retreated, maneuvering like a nimble fish into the center of the crowd. The swordsmen slaughtering his clansmen were like clay figures against his Second-Tier Battle Master might; with a single punch each, he instantly felled over a dozen. "Good, you want to kill? You think I won't kill!" Locke roared in fury, and his longsword swung directly toward a young clan disciple. This disciple possessed only Third-Tier Warrior cultivation, yet facing the incoming sword of the Fourth-Tier Sword Master, he showed no fear, not even bothering to defend. He launched a straight punch toward the enemy's torso. "Spurt!" The disciple’s head was cleaved in two instantly, but his fist still connected with Locke’s body. However, the force he exerted couldn't even breach Locke’s protective battle armor, let alone injure him. Nevertheless, his fearless, death-defying momentum shocked even Locke. "Damn it, there are still those who aren't afraid to die!" He then noticed Chen Feng standing calmly to the side, watching like an impartial bystander. A slight smile touched Locke's lips. Qi Gu had claimed to have expelled the youth from the family, but the dialogue suggested he cared deeply for the red-haired boy. If so, I'll kill him to draw Qi Gu out! With that thought, the longsword ripped through the air as it stabbed directly toward Chen Feng!

ps: Updates have been sluggish these past two days; please bear with me. Today's total is only 7000+ characters. Don't wait up anymore; Old Ya apologizes. (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log on to www**m, where there are more chapters and where you can support the author and genuine reading!)