The old man’s voice was utterly flat, sounding like any ordinary person speaking, yet those very words stunned everyone into silence.
“Thump!”
As the voice fell, the Elder of the Li family finally crashed heavily to the ground. He looked up, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, staring in sheer horror at the exceptionally ordinary old man before him.
This elder looked no different from the old men one might see in the secular world outside, yet it was precisely such a person who suddenly appeared, instantly knocking back a Fourth-Tier Elder and wounding him in the process.
After speaking his previously arrogant words, the old man turned and glanced at the rest of the crowd.
Each person he focused upon shuddered again. There was no sharpness in the old man’s gaze, but to be looked at by him felt like a frog being pinned by a viper; everyone experienced a sensation of utter paralysis.
“It’s him!”
Zhang Yang whispered the words softly, his own eyes wide with dread.
On his way here, he had already sensed a powerful master tailing them, but he couldn't locate the person, only managing to perceive their presence during a few fleeting, special moments.
Once they entered the Long family headquarters, that feeling vanished completely.
It was only when this old man suddenly appeared that Zhang Yang felt that sensation again, and it was intensely strong—the old man had materialized directly in front of him.
This time, it wasn't just him; Wuying and Shandian felt it too. The follower who had tracked them all along had finally revealed himself.
However, what the old man said struck Zhang Yang as strange: Are the Zhang family members easy to bully? Hearing this, it sounded as if the old man was also affiliated with the Medical Saint lineage, yet Zhang Yunan had never mentioned any such individual existing within their clan.
Zhuifeng suddenly yelped again, turning back to watch the Elder of the Huyan family, who was still drenched in crimson.
The Li family Elder was instantly repelled by the old man and clearly injured just by the look of him, but the Huyan family Elder remained unharmed, still operating under the time limit of his secret art, and he was already quite close to Zhang Yang.
Only, this Huyan Elder was also startled by the sudden appearance of the old man and dared not continue his assault.
He had heard clearly—this powerful, mysterious stranger claimed to be of the Zhang family, and there was only one Zhang family among the five great clans here: the Medical Saint Zhang family.
The Huyan Elder instinctively linked this man to an elder from the Medical Saint lineage.
The Medical Saint Zhang family hadn’t just sent one person; they had sent such a formidable master. Now, a chilling sensation ran through his entire body, and his sense of grievance intensified.
To wound a Fourth-Tier Elder with a single move—what did that imply? This was at least late Fourth-Tier strength, late Fourth-Tier! Even with his secret art, he couldn't handle that level.
For such an expert to remain hidden until they were all entangled like this—wasn't that simply setting them up to fail?
To use a trendy phrase from later generations, this was the ultimate betrayal of expectation.
If they had known the Zhang family possessed such a master, who among them would have dared to fight Zhang Yang head-on, let alone harbor thoughts of annihilating him?
The old man stood there, surveying the surroundings, his eyes finally settling on the two Long family Elders. “What are you looking at? You two boys from the Long family, listen to me! My Zhang family members are helping you today, yet you repay kindness with enmity. We are keeping tally of this debt, and we will collect it from you sooner or later!”
The old man’s words remained as plain as before, yet as he spoke them, the two Long family Elders instinctively took a step back.
Both of them still held expressions of terror, and a deep fear resonated within them.
Who exactly was this person, and how had he entered the Long family grounds without them knowing? Moreover, his strength was terrifying. A few simple words were enough to destabilize them. If this person truly decided to fight, wouldn't killing them be as easy as turning a hand?
“And you! You will squat down obediently. If you dare take one more step, not a single person from your Li family will leave this place today!”
The old man glared at the Li family Elder again. The Li family Elder nodded silently, fear flickering in his eyes, daring not utter a word.
That single move had shattered his courage. He knew clearly that if the old man had intended to kill him just then, his life would have ended. This man before him was vastly more powerful than he was.
“Old Man Zhang, this is the Long family grounds!”
A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out. The owner of this voice seemed to be right there, yet simultaneously as distant as the horizon.
Long Gao and Long Jiang’s expressions shifted violently. Not only them, but even the subsequent Long family disciples, including Long Haotian, immediately adopted expressions of extreme deference, tinged with excitement.
“What about the Long family? Old Ghost Long, don't tell me you know nothing about what’s happening here today! Your Long family truly has ambition now! When you asked our Zhang family for help, what did you say? Our Zhang family helped you immensely, and now look how you act—all small-minded people repaying favors with malice!”
The old man suddenly stood up, pointing his finger directly behind him, shouting his accusations loudly.
After a brief silence, the voice sounded again. “In this matter, my Long family is indeed indebted to your Zhang family. Long Gao, Long Jiang, you two enter the Punishment Hall and self-punish with the Iron Stake for thirty days. Long Haotian, as the Clan Head, you failed to provide the necessary assistance to an ally—you are punished with three months of wall-facing meditation. All family affairs are temporarily delegated to Long Zheng!”
“Yes!”
Long Gao, Long Jiang, Long Haotian, and Long Zheng all knelt down in unison, responding affirmatively.
The one speaking was their Long family Ancestor, whose commands no one dared defy.
“Old Ghost Long, Hao Tian is clearly on the verge of breaking through to the Fourth Tier, yet your punishment forces him into meditation. Isn't this just playing into his hands? I see right through your little trick! Fine, I won’t press the issue further, but you can forget about receiving those ten Sustenance-Averting Pills this time!”
The old man sneered, shaking his head, still shouting aggressively.
“Old Man Zhang, my Long family certainly has wronged you, but the boy isn't completely unharmed! Furthermore, you have snuck into my Kunlun Mountains several times and taken countless treasures—have I ever held you accountable? Moreover, I supplied double the raw materials for those Sustenance-Averting Pills! Are you trying to default on the debt?”
The voice responded again, sounding genuinely angry this time.
Sustenance-Averting Pills?
Hearing their exchange, Zhang Yang immediately recalled some of the mysterious elixirs detailed in the Zhang family’s secret manuals.
The Sustenance-Averting Pill was one of these mystical substances, a type of spirit medicine requiring various precious ingredients. The rarest among them was the Heavenly Treasure, the Sleep Lotus, which was exceedingly difficult to cultivate, especially those that had survived for over a thousand years.
Only with a thousand-year Sleep Lotus could one successfully formulate the Sustenance-Averting Pill. This pill did not increase internal energy, nor did it neutralize poison. Its greatest effect was allowing the user to go an entire year without food, while maintaining their physical functions exactly as they were.
When Zhang Yang had previously read about such spirit medicines, he had scoffed, thinking such elixirs were useless. Being so young, maintaining their physical state was irrelevant to him. He even assumed that the ancestors of the Zhang family would never bother concocting the Sustenance-Averting Pill.
He never expected that someone would actually manage to refine this pill, and that someone else would actually need it.
“Old Ghost Long, regardless of the details, your Long family was in the wrong first. It’s not impossible for you to get the Sustenance-Averting Pills, but only if my Zhang family disciple agrees to forgive you. I will deliver them on schedule!”
The old man shook his head and stated this, and the resonant voice vanished once more.
Everyone, including the Third-Tier disciples who had rushed over, froze in place, staring blankly at the scene unfolding.
The four great elders intending to join forces against Zhang Yang had already surprised them, yet they could all understand why: Zhang Yang's potential was too terrifying, so frightening that they felt the urge to snuff out such a genius. But what stunned them most was the sudden appearance of this old man.
The old man repeatedly mentioned the Zhang family, and the mysterious voice called him ‘Old Man Zhang.’ Many guessed that this elder was a senior from the Zhang family.
No one had anticipated that the Medical Saint lineage concealed such a formidable senior. Judging by his single move just now, the Fourth-Tier early stage Li family Elder was no match at all, suffering grievous injury in one strike.
The ancient families, truly, could not be underestimated in any way.
The people of the Hua family exchanged glances, feeling a wave of relief.
They were fortunate not to have incurred the wrath of the Zhang family. The appearance of this Zhang family senior had completely reversed today's situation. Zhang Yang was no longer alone; he had powerful elders backing him, which meant he had clout. With such backing, who would dare act against him now?
Their elder had just threatened to slaughter the Long family’s plains; judging by the strength this Zhang family elder displayed, his words were no idle threat.
The Huyan and Li families looked at each other in terror.
Their moods were the most complex. They had thought the Zhang family contingent was small, with only Zhang Yang present today, but unexpectedly, they revealed such a terrifying senior.
The emergence of this Zhang family master instantly subdued their own elders. They had thoroughly offended Zhang Yang today, and if this senior became displeased, leaving them all stranded on the Long family plains would be a massive disaster.
This was not an impossible scenario; the terrifying old man had just spoken of washing the Long family plains in blood. Given his strength, slaughtering them would be child’s play.
The old man likely didn't fear the Long family, so why would he spare thought for them?
The Long family members were also feeling conflicted.
The Zhang family was originally their ally, but jealousy over Zhang Yang's talent, the unwillingness to see such a monstrous genius in another clan, had bred the idea of destruction.
Had they known that the Zhang family had such a powerful senior following them all along, they never would have dared to think such things, much less act upon them.
Now, they had thoroughly offended their supposed allies, and they didn't know how to salvage the situation.
Each family watched with complicated feelings, but the most complicated was the Huyan family Elder.
After the old man finished speaking, he walked toward him. His body was still blood-red, and though he possessed mid-Fourth Tier strength, facing this old man left him without the slightest courage to resist.
If not for the restraint of a martial expert's pride, he would have been reduced to kneeling and begging for mercy.
“My Zhang family disciple, along with his three spirit beasts, possesses Fourth-Tier strength. Your fight with him could barely be called a fair contest. I will give you another chance to continue the battle, but if you harbor any more wicked thoughts, I guarantee you will die on the spot, leaving no complete corpse!”
The old man spoke slowly to the Huyan Elder. The Elder’s body trembled slightly, and he looked at the old man with a glimmer of confusion.
He knew clearly that if this mysterious elder chose to act, he absolutely could not resist. But now, hearing the old man suggest letting Zhang Yang continue the fight sparked a new flicker of hope in his heart.