Zhuifeng, Shandian, and Wuying froze, watching Hu Yanfeng in stunned silence. Zhang Yang, utilizing the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique, also radiated powerful energy externally, yet it paled in comparison to Hu Yanfeng's.

This outward effusion of energy, the free manipulation of external power—this was the hallmark of a Fifth-Tier expert.

A Great Perfection master of the Fourth Tier, one whose very foot was already planted in the Fifth Tier, could effortlessly mimic certain abilities possessed by true Fifth-Tier cultivators.

Had a genuine Fifth-Tier expert been present, they would have immediately discerned two distinct spheres of energy here: one large and one small.

Both energy masses were undeniably mixed, yet clearly unequal in size; the larger one completely dwarfed the smaller, boasting a tenfold magnitude.

The larger mass, naturally, belonged to Hu Yanfeng; the smaller belonged to Zhang Yang.

“Boy, even if that old devil Zhang Pinglu comes storming in, I will kill you today!”

Hu Yanfeng roared, his open hand transforming into a claw. With a slight shift of his body, his hand shot toward Zhang Yang’s head.

Hu Yanfeng moved with terrifying speed. As his body swept forward, it dragged ambient Heaven and Earth energy along, whipping up a fierce miniature whirlwind around him that made the short grass on the ground hiss and rustle violently.

Clang!

The Chill Spring Sword suddenly emitted a sharp, clear ring, vibrating lightly before instantly fracturing into several afterimages.

Zhang Yang’s sword was incredibly fast. While his speed might not quite match Hu Yanfeng’s, the difference was negligible.

The Chill Spring Sword was a renowned weapon from the Divine Armaments List, and it was currently enveloped by a dense aura of Heaven and Earth energy. Hu Yanfeng dared not be careless, quickly changing his claw attack into a punch.

Gripping the Chill Spring Sword, Zhang Yang naturally countered, meeting Hu Yanfeng’s heavy blow directly on the blade.

Boom!

A dull, massive impact resonated. Zhang Yang was sent flying backward rapidly, while Hu Yanfeng remained rooted to the spot, though his face was etched with confusion and shock.

That single punch had contained a significant portion of his accumulated energy. A strike of that magnitude, if it landed, should have instantly killed anyone at the early Fourth Tier, and even severely wounded someone at the middle stage.

The crucial difference between the Great Perfection realm and other stages of the Fourth Tier was the ability to control energy to a certain extent, converting it into internal force or leveraging it as direct assistance.

Zhang Yang was merely at the early Fourth Tier. Even if he had grasped the Way of Nature, the energy he could utilize was minimal compared to Hu Yanfeng, who had spent decades mastering control over external energy.

In Hu Yanfeng’s estimation, even if the blow had only struck his weapon, the sheer power should have injured Zhang Yang severely, not merely knocked him back a few steps.

He recalled how Zhang Pinglu, a Great Perfection expert of the Fourth Tier, had once injured an elder at the early Fourth Tier of the Li family with a mere shout, leveraging external energy in the process.

“Boy, you have once again exceeded this old man’s expectations!”

Hu Yanfeng spoke slowly. For an early Fourth Tier cultivator to withstand a blow from a Great Perfection master—that was utterly preposterous in the past.

It was like an ordinary man blocking a bullet with his bare flesh.

Yet, this unbelievable event had transpired, and it only served to intensify Hu Yanfeng’s killing intent. Even if Zhang Pinglu stood here, he would find a way to execute Zhang Yang.

He now understood clearly: as long as Zhang Yang existed, he would remain the greatest hidden threat to the Hu Yan family.

“Old fossil, if you want to fight, then fight! Quit the endless prattle!”

Zhang Yang shouted, though his heart was sinking into bitterness.

A Great Perfection expert was a Great Perfection expert; the gap between them was vast, a fundamental, qualitative chasm that offered him no realistic hope of victory.

The previous exchange had not been as damaging to him primarily due to the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique.

This was clearly no ordinary supreme-grade sword art; it was far more miraculous than others. The external energy swirling around the Chill Spring Sword had absorbed a significant portion of the attack.

Secondly, it was Zhang Yang’s body, fortified by the System’s enhancement. His physical resilience far surpassed that of a typical Fourth-Tier expert, allowing him to endure powerful assaults.

Even so, Zhang Yang had sustained minor injuries, which he carefully concealed.

Furthermore, Hu Yanfeng’s punch had nearly scattered the energy surrounding the Chill Spring Sword. While Zhang Yang’s sword could generate external energy, the quantity was scarce, unable to compete with Hu Yanfeng, who had reached the Great Perfection stage a century prior.

In his mind, Zhang Yang was already secretly signaling Wuying, instructing Zhuifeng to stand ready for an immediate escape.

“Arrogant brat, I shall grant your wish!”

Seemingly provoked by Zhang Yang’s words, Hu Yanfeng crossed his palms, subtly outlining the form of a Tai Chi symbol. An even more massive influx of Heaven and Earth energy began to coalesce.

“Not good!”

Sensing this overwhelming and irresistible power, Zhang Yang felt a spike of despair. He urgently reactivated the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique, and the Chill Spring Sword began drawing in the surrounding ambient energy.

Again, two spheres of energy appeared: one large and one small.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hu Yanfeng completed the Tai Chi diagram, unleashing waves of internal force far stronger than before, striking Zhang Yang in rapid succession.

These internal force strikes were hundreds, even thousands of times more potent than those released by Fourth-Tier experts, and they moved significantly faster as they erupted continuously.

Layers of dust and grit were kicked up from the ground; the area quickly devolved into chaos.

With no time to fully gather the Chill Spring Sword’s energy, Zhang Yang dodged with every ounce of strength he possessed. Fortunately, his current connection to external energy allowed him to narrowly evade impact just moments before each strike landed.

Any single one of these formidable internal force blasts from Hu Yanfeng could turn him into dust, even with his System-enhanced physique.

The disparity in strength between them was simply too great.

After several minutes of relentless assault, Hu Yanfeng abruptly stopped. Though he had narrowly missed every time, he understood that this barrage of externalized internal force could not truly harm his opponent. As long as Zhang Yang maintained this speed and evasion instinct, he would always manage to slip away.

Unleashing such powerful internal force was merely one tactic in Hu Yanfeng’s arsenal; he possessed numerous other methods sufficient to ensure Zhang Yang’s demise.

The next instant, Hu Yanfeng’s figure seemed to multiply into five. Five iterations of Hu Yanfeng surrounded Zhang Yang from all directions.

Staring at these five ‘Hu Yanfengs,’ Zhang Yang, Shandian, and the others were utterly dumbfounded.

These five were far more substantial than mere afterimages; they appeared as five distinct, solid individuals. They could be perceived both by the naked eye and through energy sensing—it was as if four extra Hu Yanfengs had materialized.

“This isn’t fair play!”

The five Hu Yanfengs moved simultaneously. Zhang Yang inwardly cried out in alarm.

He felt nothing but escalating despair. One Hu Yanfeng was already an insurmountable opponent; facing five—the sudden multiplication of foes made his scalp tingle with dread.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Zhang Yang employed the first stance of the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique, dodging frantically and awkwardly.

Thud!

The five Hu Yanfengs overwhelmed Zhang Yang’s ability to fully evade. Though he noticed that each divided figure possessed slightly less power than the original, even a diminished Hu Yanfeng was a supreme master of the Great Perfection realm, entirely beyond his current resistance.

He had carelessly allowed a sweep of palm wind to catch him across his entire body.

That single blow nearly shattered his internal organs, forcing Zhang Yang to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Zhang Yang was injured. Shandian and Wuying cried out in panic, desperate to rush over and assist, but the raging, scattered energy field made any close approach impossible. If they couldn't get close, how could they help?

As for Wuying’s internal force spitting, it was a joke in this context. Considering the internal force Hu Yanfeng had just unleashed, Wuying’s meager attack would barely qualify as a tickle, incapable of inflicting any real damage.

The two little ones felt utterly helpless in that moment.

Even Zhuifeng was at a loss; the nature of this battle had escalated beyond their ability to participate.

Spurt!

Zhang Yang coughed up another stream of blood. His injuries were severe.

This opponent was practically irresistible; Zhang Yang knew he had not the slightest chance of winning.

But he had to keep fighting. He could not die—not yet. He needed to return the Snow Lotus Root. Without it, Zhang Keqin’s life could only be sustained for another six months at most.

He could not allow Zhang Keqin to perish this way. Although the first two decades of this life were not truly his own, inheriting that memory meant inheriting that responsibility.

Moreover, he had grown deeply fond of that profound father-son affection—a bond forged by blood that no other feeling could replace.

“I’ll stake it all!”

Suddenly, Zhang Yang brandished the Chill Spring Sword, forcibly channeling the second stance of the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique—a technique still rough and incomplete.

If the first stance was this potent, the second must be overwhelmingly powerful. If, by some miracle, he could complete the second stance, perhaps he would find a way to contend with Hu Yanfeng.

A colossal wave of Heaven and Earth energy manifested, power that now rivaled Hu Yanfeng’s own.

All five Hu Yanfengs displayed looks of shock.

Just as he was about to crush Zhang Yang with a final palm strike, this unexpected turn of events occurred. Hu Yanfeng noticed that all this energy was converging upon Zhang Yang’s Chill Spring Sword.

Inside Zhang Yang’s body, the sensation was akin to burning alive.

Forcibly running an incomplete technique inflicted immense internal damage, and the influx of external energy had surpassed his body’s capacity, inflicting further severe harm.

The second stance of the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique failed; he could no longer sustain it.

Although the attempt was a failure, it successfully bluffed the vile Hu Yanfeng. The five iterations of Hu Yanfeng coalesced back into a single form, staring blankly at Zhang Yang.

“Zhuifeng, run!”

Zhang Yang commanded silently, his voice strained. He leaped lightly, landing seamlessly on Zhuifeng’s back—Zhuifeng, whose spirit was partially linked with Zhang Yang’s, instantly bolted without hesitation. Shandian and Wuying leaped onto Zhuifeng’s back as well.

The leaping Zhang Yang settled naturally onto the steed. Zhuifeng didn't pause, accelerating further, instantly streaking far into the distance.

Zhang Yang was outmatched; continuing the fight meant annihilation. For now, escape was the only option.

“Run! Let’s see how far you can get!”

Hu Yanfeng suddenly snapped his hands shut, the palms crackling audibly. He stared coldly in the direction Zhang Yang fled, murmuring softly.

Zhang Yang’s attempt at the second stance of the Sky-Shattering Sword Technique had failed, but it had instilled in Hu Yanfeng a heightened sense of vigilance. The Zhang Yang of today had delivered one shock after another.

This is the third chapter, settling the guaranteed updates owed from before. Furthermore, there are 19 bonus chapters still due this month, which I will gradually release. I ask friends to please grant Little Yu a few more monthly votes so that my ranking doesn't slip so sharply. RQ