He felt the most guilt toward this youngest son in his heart. A tiger won’t eat its cubs, yet he had personally broken this boy’s arm and cast him out of the family. For a whole year, he had suffered the scorn of others outside, penniless and powerless, yet now that the family faced a crisis, this son rushed back at the first call.

Regret and sorrow flooded his mind simultaneously. The secret art he had just used, stirred by his intense emotion, had nearly caused him to lose control and suffer a spiritual backlash.

“He is just a child! Kill me instead!” Qigu moved with lightning speed, but how could his speed possibly match Locke’s longsword?

Seeing the longsword drawing closer and closer to Chen Feng, Chen Feng remained utterly still, seemingly incapable of moving.

When he was expelled from the family last year, he only possessed the same strength as Suoya. How could such low cultivation withstand the sharp attack of a Fourth-rank Sword Master?

…………

Locke smiled as Qigu charged toward him. He had never intended to attack Chen Feng; his sole purpose was to lure Qigu in.

Seeing that Qigu had indeed taken the bait, Locke spun his longsword and thrust it toward Qigu.

The change in attack was swift, and Qigu’s forward momentum was tremendous. He was run through the chest by the sword and left hanging upon it.

“Hahaha…” Locke laughed triumphantly as Qigu was impaled, a look of glee on his face. “I didn’t expect you still cared so much for the fellow you banished from your family!” With that, he pulled out his longsword.

Qigu’s previously straight body went limp the moment the sword left him, collapsing to the ground powerless. Blood poured continuously from his chest, making his face paler and paler.

Though he felt his strength draining away, Qigu did not lose consciousness. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Chen Feng. For the first time since Chen Feng had grown up, Qigu felt so close to the son he had abandoned. He spoke, his voice slightly trembling, “You… you shouldn’t have come back once you left, and certainly not at a time like this!”

Chen Feng let out a cold laugh. “Don’t think that just because of this, I will let you off.”

Hearing this, a smile broke across Qigu’s ashen face. “I know what I did was too much. I don’t ask for your forgiveness; I only wish to hear you call me ‘Father’ before I die…” He coughed repeatedly, drops of blood trickling down the corner of his mouth.

Having effectively lost everything, the need to maintain the dignity of a Clan Head vanished. Qigu, shedding all pretense, now looked like nothing more than a desolate father, a pitiable old man.

“Hahahaha…” Chen Feng suddenly burst into a cold laugh. “Father? Do you deserve it?”

“Clap, clap…” A sound of applause echoed. Locke stared at Qigu with a sinister grin. “What a touching father figure. But why does it seem like the recipient isn’t accepting the gesture?”

Seeing the muscles in Qigu’s face twitching constantly, Locke continued to mock him. “Qigu, I truly admire your parenting skills now. One son wants to commit patricide, and the other doesn’t even acknowledge you… Hahaha, truly excellent. Good thing you didn’t have many sons; if you had more, it would have been even more fun… Wouldn’t you agree?”

The last sentence rang out loudly, reaching everyone’s ears. The assembled swordsmen had retreated to the periphery, and all members of the Kaint Family were corralled in the center. All those capable of fighting were severely injured.

“Yes…” all the swordsmen roared in unison.

Locke finished his tirade and was about to shout again when a calm voice reached his ear.

“You talk too much!” Chen Feng frowned. “I may dislike this fellow, but I despise people who chatter in front of me even more!”

Locke heard Chen Feng’s words and laughed. “Did I hear that right? Is that something you would say? What do you think you are, daring to speak to me like that?”

“Head, this brat doesn’t want to live! Kill him!”

“This fellow clearly feels life is tedious. Head, just give him a quick end!”

The swordsmen roared like wolves.

Locke chuckled. “Give him a quick end? Not so easily!” He slowly walked in front of Qigu and looked down, speaking lightly. “Qigu, it seems you feel deep remorse for this son. Then I shall remove his limbs, nose, and ears one by one, letting you watch this son die before your very eyes!”

“You… Locke, you are despicable!” Qigu’s angry face twisted in fury.

“Despicable? Heh heh.” Locke brought his face close to Qigu and smiled. “The winner is king, the loser is the bandit. There is no such thing as despicable. This world has always belonged to the strong! Not only him, but your children and your clansmen, I will kill them all before your eyes…”

The sinister words drifted into everyone’s ears like a death knell. The clansmen encircled in the crowd showed expressions of grief and indignation.

“Alright, I’ll start by cutting off your son’s first arm.” After mocking Qigu, Locke gripped his longsword and brought it down toward Chen Feng’s arm!

“You’re asking to die!” Chen Feng let out a cold roar, shifted his body sideways to evade the peerlessly sharp sword strike, and swung his fist toward Locke’s chest!

Locke saw Chen Feng execute the exact same move as the previous clansman and burst out laughing. A Fourth-rank Sword Master’s protective battle armor was difficult for even a First-rank Battle Master to break, let alone a child like this!

He inwardly shook his head. It seemed Qigu’s teaching had been a failure. Attacking the enemy head-on would surely result in a huge loss. For someone of low cultivation to engage in a direct clash—wasn’t that suicide?

Your cultivation was insufficient to break his protective battle armor, while he could easily kill you. This battle, on entirely different levels, was simply a slaughter.

Locke watched Chen Feng’s punch arrive devoid of any real force, cast a look of pity mixed with faint mockery, and rapidly spun his longsword, sweeping it horizontally toward Chen Feng’s head.

Die! he shouted internally. The sword accelerated, less than half a foot from the opponent’s head. At the same instant, the opponent’s fist struck his chest.

This level of punch, even a hundred of them wouldn’t affect me in the slightest… Locke smirked, just as he felt the opponent’s blow was weak, when suddenly his chest felt as if it had been struck by a massive boulder.

Bang!

“Th-this…” Locke’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and was flung backward like a kite with a broken string, flying dozens of meters before crashing down. His protective battle armor was completely shattered by the single punch, and dozens of his ribs were broken.

The exchange had been incredibly fast. Many people only saw Locke attacking the red-haired youth sharply, only for him to fly backward at a speed several times faster than his attack speed…

“The Head’s speed is still incredible! Truly worthy of being the Head…”

“Look how fast the Head is flying backward; he’s amazing…”

“Nonsense, who do you think the Head is? He’s a Fourth-rank Sword Master! If his speed wasn't fast with such profound cultivation, that would be strange…”

“But why do I feel something is wrong? Why is the Head’s landing posture so awkward…”

All the swordsmen, including the remaining members of the Kaint Family, hadn’t clearly seen what happened. In the minds of the swordsmen, Locke was an invincible existence. His falling backward in mid-air like a sack was surely just a move to show off…

However, less than ten seconds later, they realized something was terribly wrong. Locke landed headfirst, blood constantly bubbling from his mouth…

“The Head is injured…” someone shouted first, and all the swordsmen forgot about slaughtering the Kaint Family members, freezing in place.

A cultivator of Fourth-rank Sword Master level could be injured? This had to be a joke…

All the swordsmen couldn't believe their eyes, doubting whether they were seeing things correctly?

Not just the swordsmen harbored this doubt; every member of the Kaint Family was stunned.

Chen Feng had grown up in the family, known by the title of "Idiot." Everyone knew him; he was always the main target of bullying. One year ago, he was banished, and now he had returned. How could he possibly send a Fourth-rank Sword Master—someone even the Clan Head couldn't defeat—flying with a single punch?

They must have seen it wrong!

The two factions that had been locked in bloody combat simultaneously ceased fighting. Not a single person made a move first…

The shock in Qigu’s eyes was indescribable. Others might not have understood what happened just now, but as a Second-rank Battle Master, he understood the implication of Chen Feng’s punch most clearly.

To send a Fourth-rank Sword Master flying so easily with one punch required cultivation of at least Fifth-rank Battle Master level.

He would sooner die than believe Chen Feng had already reached Fifth-rank Battle Master cultivation. As the head of a martial family, he knew better than anyone the speed of a martial artist’s advancement. A fifteen-year-old Fifth-rank Battle Master? Was that possible?

Even Feng Li’ao, the Dou Mo (Battle Demon) from a thousand years ago, never reached this level!

Perhaps he was just seeing things? Qigu tried to reassure himself.

Inertia of thinking is a fundamental human laziness. If a person who had never seen Chen Feng witnessed him sending Locke flying with one punch, while hard to believe, it might be acceptable. But if it was someone familiar with him who saw it, even with their own eyes, it would be utterly unacceptable.

It was like if your own younger brother, whom you grew up with, whom you hadn't seen for a month, suddenly appeared wearing his underpants on the outside like Superman… How could you accept such a reality?

This was precisely the situation Qigu faced. Even though he knew Chen Feng’s talent was good, even though he knew Chen Feng worked hard, when Chen Feng sent the Fourth-rank Sword Master flying with a single punch, Qigu was overwhelmed with astonishment.

Chen Feng slowly walked toward the fallen Locke. This time, all the swordsmen finally realized the terror of this youth. They rushed forward to block his path, attempting to stop his advance.

“Get lost!” Chen Feng roared, and a ball of purple flame instantly rose on his fingertip.

He flung out an ‘Dark Hook Hand,’ and the purple flame slammed into a swordsman. That swordsman didn’t even have time to scream; he was instantly blown to dust, scattering into countless flames covering the ground.

“Ah…” Only then did the swordsmen realize the horror of this red-haired youth. The formation blocking Chen Feng retreated as he advanced relentlessly.

“Cl-Clan Head…” Elder Yuqing, severely wounded, swallowed hard after witnessing Chen Feng’s second move, and softly called out.

Qigu turned his face toward him.

“It seems… it seems… his cultivation has reached Fifth-rank Battle Master…” He said, sounding almost unable to believe it himself.

Though his voice was low, it caused a massive stir among the remaining clan members, instantly creating an uproar.

Everyone looked at the red-haired youth, their eyes simultaneously filled with envy.

Chen Feng unleashed two more ‘Dark Hook Hand’ attacks in quick succession, killing two more men. Only then did the swordsmen truly feel fear. Although they were shouting, none dared to step forward.

He reached the downed Locke, grabbed his head, and lifted him up.

“You wanted to rip off my arm?” Chen Feng sneered. Without waiting for a reply, he summoned a thin stream of purple flame from his left fingertip and lightly sliced it across Locke’s arm. A pungent smell of scorching filled the air, and Locke’s right arm fell away.

“Ah…” Locke let out a piercing scream, pain overwhelming him until he fainted.

Normally, a Fourth-rank Battle Master should not have been so vulnerable. The primary reason was that Locke had been overly complacent when Chen Feng’s punch struck, choosing to resist it directly with his battle armor. Chen Feng’s punch was so powerful that even the Fifth-rank Battle Master, Old Wolf Head, wouldn't dare to meet it head-on, let alone Locke, a mere Fourth-rank Sword Master!

The result was that Chen Feng’s single punch scattered the Dou Qi within his body, rendering him completely crippled.

Without the protection of Dou Qi, Locke was just like a normal person and could not withstand the agony of losing an arm, causing him to instantly pass out.

Seeing Locke unconscious, Chen Feng lost interest in playing around. He tightened his grip on Locke’s head.

Crack! He crushed his skull.

Although the swordsmen were all ruthless killers, witnessing such a brutal method made them feel fear. Moreover, their invincible leader, a Fourth-rank Sword Master, was dead just like that. The stark contrast left them momentarily unable to process the reality.

“All of you, get lost!” Chen Feng stood still, speaking coldly. Though his voice was not loud, it carried infinite killing intent.

Nearly two hundred swordsmen felt a chill run down their spines when they sensed this murderous aura emanating from that slightly smaller, slender figure.

“I’ll count…” Chen Feng continued.

Though his voice was subdued, the massive pressure left by Chen Feng killing Locke with one punch made everyone shudder, causing them to involuntarily retreat several steps.

One person making a group of people afraid—this was strength!

“Let’s fight them all! He’s only one person; he can’t possibly kill all of us!” Someone among the swordsmen shouted. “Let’s attack together!”

However, they looked at each other hesitantly, and not a single person stepped forward.

“Three… two…” Chen Feng called out coldly.

Suddenly, one swordsman grabbed a Kaint clansman, held his sword to the hostage’s neck, and shouted, “You… don’t move, or I’ll kill him!”

A cold smile touched Chen Feng’s lips. “… One!”

As the last word left his mouth, five streams of purple flame instantly formed before him, shooting toward the surrounding swordsmen like meteors. At the same time, Chen Feng himself shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, plunging into the crowd.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Blood sprayed, screams erupted continuously. Chen Feng moved within the horde of swordsmen like a human meat grinder. Wherever he went, no one survived, and no corpse remained intact.

For the swordsmen using Kaint clan members as threats, Chen Feng paid them no mind. Using them to threaten him was utterly useless.

Against these individuals, Chen Feng unleashed an ‘Dark Hook Hand,’ blasting both the swordsman and the hostage into pieces.

Seeing his ruthlessness even toward his own clansmen, the others were truly terrified.

“Run…”

Any man who could become a swordsman possessed a firm will, yet now these swordsmen scattered like stray dogs, fleeing down the path.

Chen Feng did not pursue. He walked to Qigu’s side.

“I know the damage I inflicted on you cannot be undone,” Qigu said first, his face waxy yellow. He coughed twice and continued, “But still, thank you for saving the family…”

Chen Feng’s slightly slender body stood rigidly in place. He snorted coldly. “This body was given by you; now I am returning it! But our feud is not over!”

Though Chen Feng held no deep affection for Qigu, this body was his now. Without it, even if he had transmigrated without a body to inhabit, he would have died long ago.

Qigu stared at Chen Feng for a moment, then said faintly, “The family is left in your hands.” With that, his Dou Qi surged rapidly; he intended to commit suicide.

“Trying to die? Not so easy!” Chen Feng kicked out his right leg directly at Qigu, striking his left arm.

Bang! Qigu flew across the ground for nearly fifteen meters, slamming into a wall. The bones in his left arm instantly shattered, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. However, Chen Feng had controlled the force of the kick perfectly—not too strong, not too weak—eliminating the danger of self-detonation without killing him.

“This arm is what I’m returning to you!” Chen Feng stated, then walked forward again.

“Chen Feng, what are you doing?” Elder Yuqing shouted loudly. “Assaulting the Clan Head violates clan rules!”

“Go to hell with your clan rules!” Chen Feng roared, spitting out a vulgar curse, and kicked the stubborn enforcement elder to the ground as well.

After roaring, he walked in front of Qigu and punched him hard in the face.

This blow knocked out seven or eight of Qigu’s teeth.

“This is also what I’m returning to you!” Chen Feng wiped his fist clean and stood up, no longer looking to see if Qigu was dead or alive. “From this day forward, I have nothing to do with your Kaint Family. I am me, I am Chen Feng!”

He walked into the assembly hall, helped Uncle Wen up, and slowly walked outside.

“Clan Head…” Elder Yuqing crawled to Qigu’s side. He saw Qigu’s eyes wide open, a faint smile on his lips. “Good… good kid… striking… hard…” With that, Qigu fainted.

In Qigu’s mind, Chen Feng beating him meant he had been forgiven. Forgiven himself, and having saved the lives of the clansmen—what could be happier than that?

“Clan Head…” Elder Yuqing looked at the near-dead Qigu, momentarily dazed. “Was he really here for revenge?”

The surviving clan members watched the receding figure, their eyes filled with gratitude and worship.

………………Free Below This Line………………

PS: The matters concerning the Kaint Family are concluded, but I suspect many of you are unsatisfied with this ending, as I am somewhat dissatisfied myself; it feels too impulsive and childish. However, this single chapter is 5000 characters long, and I have revised it six or seven times, deleting another 3000 characters—sweat. I simply don't have the energy to revise further.

Although Chen Feng is somewhat ruthless, he is not cold-blooded. If he had engaged in incessant slaughter, I fear the audience wouldn't accept it either. My goal is to make him seem somewhat human, and future plots will lean more in this direction. Personally, although Chen Feng suffered immense humiliation in the Kaint Family, seeing Qigu’s demeanor upon his return, he might have shown a little softness.

The nature of the Eight Gods is to do unconventional things, to walk unconventional paths, always keeping you guessing. While Chen Feng may not be exactly like the Eight Gods, if he had come to the Kaint Family and simply slaughtered everyone, wiping out both the swordsmen and the family, it wouldn't be realistic. Therefore, his indifference to the massacre of the Kaint Family by the swordsmen already indicates his state—still indifferent in that way.

Chen Feng’s philosophy is: if others do not harm me, I will not harm them; if they do harm me, I will definitely retaliate! Although Qigu’s insult back then was severe, now having lost an arm, his teeth knocked out, and his entire family nearly ruined, it can be considered karmic balance. There is no need to pursue it further.

The Kaint Family gave Chen Feng this body; he couldn't very well kill them all!

If this chapter didn’t satisfy you, seeking revenge on the Leif family next will be the complete opposite, hehe. That will be the time for him to go on a true killing spree! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www**com for more chapters and to support the author with legitimate reading!)